PASTOR'S BLOG
Discovering Spiritual Truths & Celebrating God's Grace in the Every Day Happenings of Life.
This is probably my last correspondence with you all for quite some time. In fact, this may be my last weekly blast to you as the full-time pastor of King of Kings. It is nothing personal, and I didn’t get myself into any trouble. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Please allow me to explain. Within the past 48 hours, I have gotten three different emails from three entirely unrelated people. But in each instance, I am the lucky recipient and benefactor of three pending deposits into my bank account. Imagine my great fortune to know that three unrelated, foreign businesspeople have each chosen me to spread their funds. Within minutes after I send them each just a little bit of my personal accounting information, my currently putrid bank account will be inundated with transfers from overseas. One for $500,000. A second for $2.4 million dollars. And a third for $16.3 million dollars. Of course, I will be making a sizeable donation back to the church, but nevertheless it seems like a good time to alter my life’s course. It was never my intention to retire this early, but with this streak of good fortune I have begun looking for a house on a southern island as my next residence.
Hopefully, by now, you know that I am joking. I know that these emails are scams. I immediately delete the email and block the sender. But sadly, many people fall for such scams. Whether they come via email or over the phone, good people are often led astray and duped by people into sharing their important information. What they think is an unforeseen blessing, turns out to destroy them. What sounds like a satisfying and exciting gift, turn outs to be a hoax. Their lives are irreparably damaged. Scams come in spiritual forms as well. During our time on this earth, we are constantly distracted by different things that take our focus away from God. Some of this can be turned into our own idols that we worship and put all our focus on instead. God continues to teach us to not be persuaded by false teachings and idols because only He can give us truth so that we can abide in Him. Jesus warns about false prophets and teachers who come to us with twisted ideas about belief in God and how to live our lives. In Matthew 7:15 we hear, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” These people might use the right religious language or seem to be great leaders. But the truth, Jesus says, is that they are like wolves who will wreak havoc within a sheepfold (the church) if they are allowed to go unchecked. You can be persuaded by anything that stands in the way of your relationship with God. People within the church can be a part of this as well and use God’s Word to make their false teachings seem believable, as humans we are easily convinced. Much like the emails I received, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Being involved with false teachings, whether you spread them yourself or believe the lies they present, causes you to be corrupt and tears down your Spirit. What deceptively promises to help, will actually harm you because it removes your gaze of worship away from the Creator. Don’t get duped! Anything apart from God never can fully satisfy our lives. However, while we may be tempted to take advice from teachings we believe to be easier and decide to follow other things we believe are good for us, only God truly knows what is good. Remember this verses from last Sunday? “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) We need to understand that if we abide in God, He will reveal the truth to us through His Spirit and through His Word. I recently saw a Facebook post that said: “I am studying the book of Micah right now and came across this gem of a verse in which he laments how people don't want to hear what's true—they want to hear what makes them happy: "If a liar and deceiver comes and says, 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' that would be just the prophet for this people!" (Micah 2:11) Some things never change, right? The pleasing "prophets" for today's people just keep repeating in one way or another that every individual is their own authority on the truth and morality. And people love them for it more than they love acknowledging the authority and goodness of their maker (cf. Romans 1). My friends, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must always view everything through the lens of truth itself: the Bible. Spend time in God’s Word, digging deep in Scripture, meditating on it and committing it to memory. The more you understand and internalize the Bible, the easier it will be for you to discern truth from lie and solid doctrine from false teaching. Ope, time for me to go. I just got a phone call about my car’s extended warranty—good thing I’m getting all that extra money wired to me soon! 😉 “Error always goes to church because Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, infiltrates the systems of religion, particularly Christianity even true Christianity and plants his seeds of error there and a gullible, witless, uneducated, undiscerning church becomes a victim.” (Martin Luther) “The teaching of a false prophet cannot withstand scrutiny under the divine light of Scripture.” (John MacArthur)
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I’m reflecting again this morning of our parable from this past Sunday, the Parable of the Sower. “A sower went out to sow…” Specifically, I’m thinking about the reckless nature by which he went about sowing. Ponder, for a moment, the peculiar ways he goes about his business. He's really moving fast and he isn’t being very precise. He isn't digging individual holes and putting the seeds in one by one; he isn’t covering up the seedlings and watering them. He isn't even watching where he throws it! This man is in such an apparent hurry that he throws the precious seed everywhere—even on the path, even with opportunistic and hungry birds hovering, even into the weeds and rocks. If they had concrete parking lots in those days, you can bet this man would throw the seed there, too. Why do that? What a waste of the precious seed! But the sower—who is God—doesn't care. He's got no time to waste and He wants the entire field—the entire world—to get the seed of the Gospel. And so He throws it everywhere—into prisons and schools, into shelters and homes, among the rich and the poor, to the believers and the non-believers, to the educated and the not—to every human being. There are no exceptions. There is no place where God does not want His word to go. He tosses the story of Jesus across the world in books and movies, in debates and conversations. Throughout, sowing the seed of faith with a generous hand.
Stepping into my backyard, I see my now three-year feeble attempt to grow a lush, full, green grass. It is definitely better than it was when we first moved in—slow and steady progress. There are only a few bare patches and a lot less weeds. But there are still plenty of spots where only dirt is seen. When I have tossed out the grass seed, many times over these past three years, it has been in a similar reckless manner as the parable’s Sower. To be sure, I did focus on the areas where the brown dirt was obvious. Those areas got a few extra sprinkles of seed, but I didn’t stop there. I dispersed the grass seed all over my yard. Whether there was already grass visible or not, it didn’t matter, the more green grass the better. Whether by hand or by the use of a spreader, I will throw that seed all over the place in the hopes that the abundance of seedlings will take root and final give me the green backyard of my dreams. When it comes to the reception of God’s Word, this is His mindset as well. He sows the seed of His love with a beautiful, merciful, reckless abandon. The more “green grass” the better—no matter where that green grass might end up growing. God wants every human being to know the Good News. No exceptions. Wherever they might be and no matter the condition of the soil beneath their feet. God wants all to know that Jesus has given His own life on the cross to rescue us all from the power of evil, and that He has risen from the dead. Now anyone who trusts in Him will receive His overflowing love and mercy. We will become part of the harvest—a forgiven, free, joyful child of God who reflects God's own love and grace. And you? It doesn't matter if you are good soil or poor, thorny or rocky ground, or even a concrete parking lot! God's power can remake you, too. "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself." (Acts 2:39) "Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good see can grow. You have to trust God." (Pope Francis) "When I use the phrase, “the reckless love of God”, I’m not saying that God Himself is reckless. I am, however, saying that the way He loves, is in many regards, quite so. What I mean is this: He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regards to His own safety, comfort, and well-being. His love isn’t crafty or slick. It’s not cunning or shrewd. In fact, all things considered, it’s quite childlike, and might I even suggest, sometimes downright ridiculous. His love bankrupted heaven for you. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. His love isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He’ll gain or lose by putting Himself out there. He simply gives Himself away on the off-chance that one of us might look back at Him and offer ourselves in return." (Cory Asbury) This past Tuesday morning was an uneventful, ordinary drive to work. Until it wasn’t. Cruising down Route 80, all of a sudden, I heard a loud whack as something kicked up from the road and smacked into my windshield. It startled me to say the least. It was probably a rock, but it happened so fast that I am not certain that’s what it was. I didn’t see its emergence, just heard and felt the hit. There were no cars in front of me so I’m not entirely sure where it came from. But the end result was three separate chips in my previously perfect windshield. Fortunately, they are not in my line of sight and, as of now, are only minor chips.
So, what did I do? I grumbled a bit. Lamented my now imperfect windshield. And then I kept driving. I certainly could not spend my time worrying about those chips turning into cracks and spiderwebbing out of control. I could not stop driving. I could not get out of the car, curse the culprit and give up on life. I could not dwell on it. I could not bemoan a now future multi-hundred-dollar expense to replace it. Life is like this sometimes. We are cruising along, minding our own business, when—all of a sudden and out of nowhere—BAM! Something smacks the windshield of our life and chips away the previously comfortable routine. A diagnosis. A death. A severed relationship. A lost job. A cancelled vacation. Whatever form it comes in, it is always an unwelcome surprise. A cracked windshield is a helpful metaphor for the effects of sin in our lives. Each of us has sin in our lives, breaks and mars that affect everything we do. We pull ourselves together and try to move on, but there’s a constant reminder that things aren’t as chip-free and perfect as they once were. There’s a crack in the proverbial windshield of our lives that can leave us perturbed and bitter. So, what do we do? We keep driving. We keep going. We can lament and grumble for a bit. In fact, that’s the very thing God invites us into prayer for (cf. 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 40:17, Psalm 55:22—just to name a few 😉). A little more worse-for-wear, we keep moving forward. Remember these words from Jesus in the Gospel from this past Sunday? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-30) No matter the size or the number of cracks in our windshield, we keep driving because we know that the Lord is right beside us. Some of our burdens, the chips and cracks in the windshield, have been imposed upon us from the fallen world around us, some of them are our own doing. No matter, God still invites us away from a place of sorrow and into a place of Sabbath. Intentionally or not, we too often choose to carry things God never intended for us to carry, and it can be so hard to lay them down. But the beauty of Jesus’ gospel invitation is to trade in the overwhelming baggage of this world for His much-needed rest. He invites us to leave the burden and receive His embrace. He invites us to look beyond that imperfections in the windshield and believe that He is still in control. We cannot use Jesus to magically remove or defeat our problems. But as Jesus embraces us, we discover a peace that laughs in the face of our present circumstances. Even as the chips and cracks remain, we find comfort and strength in the embrace of Jesus. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:8-10) Every year, at Christmas, my grandmother purchases tickets to the Paper Mill Playhouse for Calie and me, my siblings, and cousins. She picks the day and the show, months in advance, that forces all of us to “prioritize” this date and put it on the calendar. We all have busy lives and jam-packed schedules, young kids, and countless other things to do. We all love each other and get along; but rare are the moments when our schedules align so that we can all get together at the same time. But because this gift is from Grandma, we make sure this night happens. No excuses. Everyone shows up. Thus, this past Sunday evening, all 15 of us headed to Millburn to see ‘Rent.’ But first we were off to our traditional pre-show dinner. Halfway through dinner, we received the call that the show had been canceled. No joke. Seriously. With only about 75 minutes before showtime, they had to cancel the evening show due to a rampant illness amongst the cast. So much for “the show must go on!”
My grandmother, who called and broke the news to us all, was heartbroken. You could hear the tears through the phone. But the thing of it was, none of us really cared. Sure, it would have been great to see the show. But at the end of the day, we were more than abundantly enjoying the family time together. The show may not have gone on, but our night still did. We poured another glass of wine and decided there was now plenty of room in both our stomachs and our evening schedules to order dessert. We had nowhere else to be! We wouldn’t let something, completely outside of our control and unable to be changed, stop us from a good time. Anyone else in the restaurant could have told you that. We were loud, laughing, and enjoying every minute of our “forced” time together. I share this with you, simply as encouragement to take time to have fun and laugh with those you love this summer. We can jam-pack our summer schedules with baseball games, household projects, and all sorts of other things. It’s easy to always be on-the-go. The last two nights our All-Star baseball season has been washed out. Though bummed in the moment, it did allow for consecutive nights of family dinners—all together and all at the same time. Sometimes, it is in the rainy or rent-free days of life that allow us to reconnect, recharge and we find the best memories being made. “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawnmower is broken.” (James Dent) Once a month, I go over to The Oaks at Denville, a senior living community, to lead chapel service for them. We probably average about 15 residents at the service. However, in recent months, and again Tuesday, our turnout has taken a hit. Why? Because they have other events and activities scheduled at the same time. Shopping Excursions to Acme. Various presentations. Blood pressure checks. Probably the occasional cutthroat Bingo game. Yesterday, it was a “live” concert with the Jersey Chicks. Walking past the auditorium, which is right next to the chapel, there were about 30 seniors in that room, oddly engaged in and entertained by a karaoke-esque rendition of Shania Twain’s “I Feel Like a Woman.” No joke!
Yes indeed, no matter your age, there are always a plethora of other things fighting for your time and attention. This is the devil’s way of subtly and sneakily pulling you away from time with the Lord. This deception often ramps up during this time of the year. Hence, the old adage, “If the Devil can’t make you bad; he’ll make you busy.” Summertime is a classic time to take a break from church. Summer arrives and we get so excited for all of the fun things that we have planned. There are vacations, graduation parties, favorite fishing holes, daytrips to the shore, BBQ’s, and the ever-busy schedules of our children and grandchildren. Then there are the doctors’ appointments, days we are not feeling well, or mornings we simply want to sleep in. Good and necessary things, but things that can quickly—although unintentionally—take their place atop our priority list. Nevertheless, it’s not a time to take a break from God. After all, the Devil and his army never take time off from trying to ruin your lives. He is always looking for an opportune time to break in on the unsuspecting, compromising or distant believer through isolation, doubt, apathy, or relentless negativity. We can’t get lazy! Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. Vacations, holidays and summer camping with the family are all good, important and valuable things to do. But don’t take the whole summer off from church attendance, worship, prayer and Bible reading! The Bible says: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25, NLT). In other words, God expects us to meet together, He wants us to meet together, so we can encourage and bless one another. We should never take an extended vacation away from being in church. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Of course you have to say that because you’re a pastor.” But that’s not actually why I say it. It’s not some sense of self-preservation. I say it because there is no more important place that we can be than in the same place where God has promised to be and where He promises to distribute His gifts. It is here you will hear of His relentless love and freeing forgiveness, His empowering grace and strengthening hope. Have fun this summer. Enjoy the outdoors. Travel to see friends and family. Explore the world. Go play Bingo and sing some Shania Twain. Just don’t take a vacation from God. He loves you more than you can imagine and wants to keep fueling your life with His good gifts. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11) “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.” (Psalm 22:27) Traffic was horrendous this morning. It took me 3 times longer than normal to get to work today. The ‘Denville’ exit was so backed up that I decided to drive the two extra miles and use the ‘Cherry Hill Road’ exit. Bad choice. Twenty-four additional minutes later, I was finally able to get off the highway. In my short stretch down Route 80, I passed three different (non-serious) accidents and there appeared to be a couple more of them just beyond my exit. To say that this commute was an agonizing crawl would be an understatement. It is a frustrating thing indeed to be stuck in traffic. It’s annoying, it takes a long time, and it’s beyond our control. Getting stuck in traffic is something I have never heard anyone say they enjoy.
Sometimes it can feel like there is no end in sight when you are stuck in traffic or caught in construction, but the end always comes, doesn’t it? The same is true in life—of difficulties, hardships, and trials. We spend a lot of our lives stuck ... at least, we feel as if we're stuck. We drive to work and get stuck in traffic. We finally arrive, only to remember that we're stuck in a frustrating job. We bump into someone at the store and get stuck in conversation. Maybe we're stuck with an underperforming mutual fund. Or stuck with a body that just can't stay healthy. Or stuck with extended family members who aren't pleasant to be around. Feeling stuck can be disconcerting, irritating, or depressing. And because we live in a fallen world, we have all had these stucky feelings before. Sure, perspective reminds us that there are always people in a worse situation than we are, but that doesn’t completely take away or negate our own “stuck” moments. Still, feeling stuck can provide some helpful, Biblical reminders for us as Christians. How? These “feeling stuck” moments can be redeemed when we allow them to bring us back to what, or who, is most important—our God. These inevitable moments of helpless frustration emphasize the reality that we are not in control. Only God is. No matter the situation, miniscule or serious, things are often outside of our grasp of control. Thus, these are times in which we have to look outside of ourselves, and back to the One who rules and reigns over all things. God is God. You are not. Eat the humble pie. Yet, this is actually a wonderful thing, because there is great comfort knowing that God is with us. Do you remember this old hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”? It is filled with encouragement for the stuck moments we all have, “…O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!” So, the next time you feel stuck, don't give way to panic, doubt, anger, depression or guilt. Repurpose that momentary feeling of “stuck” to rejoice in a good and loving God that just may be reminding you of who He is, who you are, and who's really in charge. Yes indeed, the mighty Creator is at work, on your behalf, “working all things together for the good of YOU who love Him.” (Romans 8:28) God has a plan, and His plan is wise and good, better than anything you could ever dream up. This means, God might even be using the extra time you sit in traffic for your benefit. The next time you feel stuck, rest. Not because you know what's happening, but because you commune with the One who's in control of what's happening to you right now. Rest because He's included you in something wonderful, even though in the moment it feels as if you're stuck. I’m sure that most of you know this already. In fact, you have probably had this date circled on the calendar for weeks now. You’ve been counting down the days.
Filled with anticipation. Barely able to sleep at night. You likely have so many plans in place already. Ways to celebrate. Long guest lists. Special foods. Fancy decorations. Yes indeed, the day has finally arrived. Today is Ascension Day! Who’s excited? Who’s ready to party? On the off chance you don’t know what I’m talking about, Ascension Day celebrates Christ's exaltation—His ascension into heaven. While on earth, He was a servant. Now in heaven, Jesus is the ruler and Lord of all. By entering heaven as the representative of mankind, He completes the work of our salvation and guarantees the eventual glorification of all who put their faith in Him. Because the date of Easter varies from year to year, the celebration of the Ascension moves with it. It is always on the fortieth day after Easter and, since Easter always falls on a Sunday, Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday. Thus, it is frequently called "Holy Thursday." But few holy days in the church year get overlooked more than this day. It is indeed a forgotten festival. When we tell the story of the life and ministry of Jesus, we tend to focus on His death and resurrection, and with good reason…talk about a glorious moment! But that’s not the only wonderful image we get, because after He reveals Himself to His disciples, He ascends into heaven. There are two main things happening in the Ascension. First, Jesus ascends to the Father to fulfill all things (Ephesians 4:10). He becomes hidden from our physical sight, but present with us in even more tangible ways when His Word is preached, when the Lord’s Supper is received, when forgiveness is bestowed, every time there’s a baptism. Christ promises at the end of Matthew that he would “be with us always” and this remains true – especially in light of the Ascension. What the Ascension changes is where Christ is now located. Jesus is not only the Word made flesh in a Bethlehem stable; but now He is ever-present with His people. He shows up for us in so many ways. The Apostle Paul confesses that Christ’s Ascension is not Christ’s absence, but a re-packaging of His real presence. Because of Christ’s ascent to the right hand of God He is not constrained to one place, but is, as both God and man, filling all things. The second thing that occurs in the Ascension is a triumphant image. Picture watching this on the big screen. As the disciples watch Jesus rise up, He fades from their sight, then the camera cuts to the throne room of heaven, where God sits surrounded by elders and angels and cherubim, holding a scroll. When an angel asks who is worthy to open the scroll and carry out God’s plan for salvation, there is no answer in heaven or on earth. Jesus suddenly appears before the throne and takes the scroll from God’s hand! And the crowd of heaven goes wild! They sing songs of praise to the Lamb of God, and fall down and worship Him (Revelation 5). Then, Satan appears, in dragon form of course, gets into a battle with Michael and the other heavenly angels, who by the blood of Christ, are able to cast him down to earth. Jesus ascends and “boots Satan out of the presence of God,” so that the Devil can no longer stand before God and accuse His people (Revelation 12). Salvation has been accomplished, Satan has been cast out of heaven and bound, and Christ is crowned victor! Is that not an amazing image? Christ’s Ascension is a critical part of His story, of our story. It shapes our understanding of who Jesus is. He is still active and still reigning, and in the physical places of this world where He promises, we can still find Him. It also reveals that Jesus didn’t just leave us to go lounge around in heaven waiting for us to come join Him. His crowning, triumphant moment, reminds us that not only has He not abandoned us here, but this battle that we fight, our constant struggle against sin, has already been won by His blood on our behalf. Christ has been crowned the victor! Now, the ascended and enthroned Christ cares for His suffering people as we bear witness to Him. Doesn’t that sound like a reason to party to you? “When you went to bed last night Jesus was at work subduing his enemies. While you slept, he was continuing to rule over the world. He was still at it when you woke up this morning and even now as you read this. That is the outrageous claim of the ascension.” (Tim Chester & Jonny Woodrow) “At His Ascension our Lord entered Heaven, and He keeps the door open for humanity to enter.” (Oswald Chambers) “He controls all things for the church, and therefore you can face the world with peace in your heart . . . he’s at the right hand of God as the executive director of history, directing everything for the benefit of the church. If you belong to him, then everything that happens ultimately happens for you.” (Tim Keller) Earlier this week, I heard a pastor say that the church is place for “everyone to be comfortable.” Though I understand, I think, the sentiment behind what he was trying to say, the phrase still struck me in an awkward way. Indeed, the church should be a place where all are welcomed and embraced. But should the church be a place where we are actually, completely comfortable? Should it be a place where our personal comfort is catered to? Should it be a place where our sin is overlooked? Where we are never called to repent? Where we are not challenged to change? Should the church be a place where we are never confronted? Where we never grow? It brought to my mind, from John 8, Jesus’ interaction with the women caught in adultery. She absolutely found acceptance and deliverance. Even more than that, she found salvation as Jesus' fended off her stoners. But she was no doubt made a bit uncomfortable by Jesus’ acknowledgement of her sin. In order for her to go and live her life differently, Jesus calls her away from the selfish and sinful ways she was living. There was no condemnation, but there was absolutely a call to do better, to sin no more.
A recent study by Lifeway Research revealed 67% of U.S. Protestant pastors believe comfort is a modern-day idol that has a significant influence on their congregations. This idol is hardly noticeable. But think about it. In a world of “church shopping” do we not try to have church our way? We choose churches where the worship music matches our taste, the hymns are always easy to sing, the sermons fit our preferences, the teachings tell us what we want to hear, our peers never disagree, and the building suits our style. We talk to the same group of people. We sit in “our” pew. Of course, although these habits aren’t inherently bad, they quickly reveal how easily we can turn the church into a country club—a place that never challenges us, never makes us a bit uncomfortable. Yet, in our congregation, we begin each service with something to this effect. “We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean,” or “We have sinned against you in through, word, and deed,” or “I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess…” This hardly seems user-friendly and comfortable. Admitting our evil. Owning our immorality. Acknowledging our iniquities. Imploring God to deliver His mercy and forgiveness hardly seems like a comfortable thing to do. To be sure, no one want to admit their flaws or failures. Yet this is the very first part of our timeless Lutheran liturgy. Why? Because the Word of God puts us in our place. We stand in front of the spiritual mirror with a harsh reality check; we are reminded that we are sinful and cannot stand before God who perfect and holy. But no sooner than we get the confession out of our mouths, then the holy and grace-giving words of God’s absolution are spoken over us. As the mercy of Jesus is poured over us, we are cleansed of all unrighteousness. The unholy are made holy. The wretched are made righteous. The sinful are made sacred. We arise from the uncomfortable kneelers as blessed children who have been made new, forgiven. The church, our church, can never be driven by self-interest or human comfort. On the contrary, it must be the place where we are forced to face the uncomfortable reality of our sinfulness and brokenness. It is essential because only then can we rejoice in the Gospel of Jesus and in the incredible acts of love that He does on our behalf. Remember these words from Jesus, when He was being ridiculed for the flawed company He kept: “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:17) We cannot fully appreciate the cure, unless we understand the severity of the sickness, our sickness. This is why we continue to be a church that is fully entrenched in the Word of God. This is why we make ourselves rightly uncomfortable to start the service, so that we can leave the worship service far better than comfortable—renewed and recreated in the image of our Savior (cf. Ephesians 4)! There should be Sundays, most Sundays, when you are challenged, when you are a little rattled, when you ask questions. There should be times when you resolve to do things differently than those around you, especially when the truths of God’s authoritative Word are penetrating the lies that we all believe in this fallen world. There should be those moments when you feel itchy and uncomfortable, and you end up going home and searching for answers in Scripture. Because the whole point is not to be happy and comfy– the whole point is to humble ourselves and find rest in Jesus, to pattern ourselves to be more like Him. "The church is a place where broken people can fall in love with a beautiful God." (Shane Clarborne) "The church is not a select circle of the immaculate, but a home where the outcast may come in." (J. H. Aughey) This past Sunday we had to take our puppy, Buddy, to the emergency animal hospital. He’s on the mend and completely fine; but on Saturday night he was severely limping and a bit lethargic. He certainly wasn’t himself. He didn't immediately run over and jump on me when I walked in the door after church, and he had no interest in eating or playing. Most pet owners have had experiences like this. It’s tough when you know something is wrong but don’t have the ability to figure out what hurts or how it happened. It is relatively similar to those early parenting years with a newborn or infant child. You can see the tears and hear the cries, but there is an obvious barrier that prevents us from immediately identifying and fixing the problem. There were times when Buddy would look at me with his head hung and sad puppy eyes. What a helpless feeling!
Almost two weeks after Easter, we are reminded that this was Gods way of healing His wayward children. Children who had become inerrantly sick and spiritually lethargic. Children who couldn’t save themselves. And, worse yet, really had no idea that their situation was so dire and damning. Easter finishes the healing begun for us on Good Friday. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) God breaks through the barrier between the holy and sinful, the Creator and the creation to bestow healing to the helpless. Thankfully and wonderfully, the ailment and plight of His people was never a mystery to the Heavenly Father. God knew the problem; and He knew the solution. In fact, He was the solution. Help was on the way. In the death of Jesus our sickness was diagnosed, and the prescription was written in His unblemished blood. The nails of the cross acted as a scalp carving out the lingering effects of sin. The empty tomb of Easter was our bill of clean health. It was our declaration that we were no longer tethered to the destructive curse of sin. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Romans 5:8, NLT) Indeed, my friends, we are made new. We are healed. It has been good to see my dog’s tail wagging again. It is good to see the pep in his step and the energy in his face. He wants to play; he wants to run. How about you? Is your tail wagging? Have you rejoiced in the fact that we are Easter people who have been rescued from all that ailed us? The eggs have all been found, the chocolate has all been eaten, and the lilies are starting to lose their flowers... Yet we still rejoice with the psalmist, "Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." (Psalms 103:2-4) Fellow redeemed—may the hope and healing of Easter continue to put a song in your heart and a smile on your face. Alleluia, Christ is risen! “All our infirmities, whatever they are, are just opportunities for God to display his gracious work in us.” (Charles H. Spurgeon) “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14) On Monday afternoon and again Tuesday afternoon, we had water pouring out of our basement ceiling. Paint peeling. Drywall flaking. Puddles forming. Never a good thing, but fortunately this is a slow week for me. ;-)
The first plumber stopped in, and after taking a reciprocating saw to my damp ceiling, could not find any evidence of water leakage or plumbing issues. Hmmm. Clearly there was a problem, we just couldn’t find the cause of it. But nonetheless, to add to the waterlogged basement, I now had a hole in my wallet and an even bigger one cut out of my ceiling. Long story short, after another visit from the plumbing company, we were able to finally pinpoint the problem as a defective dishwasher. In some sense, this is good news. It could have definitely been worse. Thankfully, all of the plumbing and waterlines in the house are fine. The HVAC is not leaking or overly sweating. The drywall damage is minimal. Cleanup was not too burdensome. However, at this point, we have an unusable dishwasher that spews out as much water as Old Faithful Geyser. The still, somewhat new appliance was deemed “damaged, defective, and needs to be replaced.” Even though we’ve only been in the house for just over two years, any helpful warranty has seemingly expired. Not that it matters. The builders blame GE and GE blames the builders. How incredulously convenient for them. So, forget about the chocolate bunnies or plastic Easter eggs, apparently this weekend we will be on the hunt for a new dishwasher. Again, there is a teachable moment in all things… especially during Holy Week. Tonight and tomorrow night, we will be remembering and contemplating the sufferings and sacrifice of Jesus. Lest we forget why this all had to take place, the scriptures pinpoint the problem—SIN. From the moment Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit, our world has been submerged with corruption, anguish, and death. All these things and all our heartaches are just symptoms to a deeper, hidden evil. God graciously surveys the irreparable damage brought about by the deception of the devil and our own unfaithfulness. He looks around at a fallen world—flooded with pain, saturated in sin, and dripping with despair. He pinpoints the root cause of the issue—SIN. Sin has rendered us all defective. We are far beyond self-repair. There aren't enough YouTube videos in the world that will resolve our unenviable plight. Sin has separated us from God, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2). Sadly and emphatically, we are unable to save ourselves. And we cannot pass the blame. There is no use even trying. We have all fallen; we all stand short of God's glory and expectations. Thus the Lord steps down from His throne, rolls up His sleeves, and gets to work. No flashlight in hand, His tools are not wrenches or screwdrivers. Instead, He works with nails and spear, a crown of thorns and a wooden cross. Wonderfully, after His diagnostics are logged regarding His fallen, yet still beloved, children, our Heavenly Father graciously goes about fixing the problem, “…But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) What we celebrate during Holy Week is that our Savior goes to work to piece back the broken relationship we had with the Father. Afterall, everything that He endured, all that He suffered was really not His problem to deal with. He was holy; He was sinless. It was our problem. But Jesus took our place; and we are better for it. More than better, we are redeemed. We are fixed. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) We are healed. By His cross, Jesus stops the damning drip of sin. He patches the brokenness. He cleans up the mess. And most wonderfully, He then takes care of the bill. There is no cost to us. The message of Easter declares that we no longer have sin weighing us down and destroying. The problem has been remedied and the cost has been covered. I implore you to come and worship with us (7pm each night) or elsewhere. Don’t skip these Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services; they set the stage for the celebratory shouts of Easter. After all, we cannot truly appreciate the redemptive handiwork of God, unless we rightly, and humbly stare into the depths of the sin that entangled us. The cross indeed shows us our sin, but it also beautifully declares the fixing-power of His grace. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) “We are all broken images of God, but Jesus can fix us; that’s what He does.” (N.J. Heikkinen) |
AuthorPastor Steve Vera Categories |
King of Kings Lutheran Church
145 Route 46 Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 973-334-8333 Church Email: admin@kofkluther.com 973-334-4085 Preschool |
In-person, 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship Service |