CREDIT: David Lofink on FLICKR

Dear Friends in Christ, 

For those of us of a certain age, the phrase “E-Ticket” has a certain meaning. For those who’ve forgotten – or haven’t heard – an “E-Ticket” gave privilege to ride any attraction in the Magic Kingdom of Disney. Without an “E-Ticket” you could only look longingly at Space Mountain or It’s a Small World … wishing you could enter and ride. There were other tickets that let you ride the less spectacular rides, but only an “E-Ticket” would let you onto any ride you wished.

In the Book of St. John’s Revelation, what most simply call “Revelation”, God reveals to John the ultimate E-Ticket to the ultimate Kingdom that ticket grants admission to – The Kingdom of God. And to hear John tell of what he saw, WOW! What a place! Walls and gates of precious jewels and pearls. Streets paved with gold. And endless light because the actual Light of the World, Jesus, the Son and Lamb of God Himself is there all the time. (Revelation 21:11, 21-23)

The ticket to enter the Kingdom of God is one we can’t buy though. No matter how hard we might try, there is only One who can pay the price for our entry. Jesus Christ, who Himself overcame sin, death, and the devil by His death and resurrection. He pays the price, paving the way for our admission. And it is only by faith in Him that we can enter the gates of pearl and walk the streets of gold.

And even though we are by nature spiritually blind – unable to see the glory of God, lame – unable to use the gifts of body and soul as God intended, and paralyzed – incapable of moving ourselves to live as God has called us to live in the world … by God’s word alone, we have been healed! We’ve been given faith to believe in His promise of forgiveness, declared worthy to enter His Kingdom, our names written into the Lamb’s book of life. The ultimate “E-Ticket” is ours!

                                                                                        In Christ's Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Easter People,

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 

We like “new”. But often “new” means “replaced”. And replaced isn’t always better, is it? It’s often better if “new” means restored to “new”. Sometimes “new” is good – like the new phone we just purchased for my wife. Sometimes, “restored to new” is better. For my wife, she’ll grow into the new phone, but she’ll likely struggle the next couple months while wishing she could’ve simply restored her old phone as she’s forced to learn new apps, new buttons, and new features.

One area where “restoration” is definitely better than “replacement” is you and me. God likes “new” but fortunately for us He doesn’t like replacement. When He says, “Behold, I am making all things new,” (Revelation 21:5) He’s talking about His creation, including us. He’s talking about restoring everything to the way He intended when He created it in the beginning, when He looked at all He created and declared, “It is good!” (Genesis 1:31)

And that’s the way He created us … “good”. But sin entered into the world, and into our lives, and broke everything God created. But rather than trash it all, God decided to restore it. He did all this through His Son, Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Savior. 

Today, Jesus reminds us we live in two states at one time. First, we live in the current reality of sorrow and lamenting as we deal with the effects of our sin and the sin of others. This is the brokenness we live with everyday as we experience pain, tears, death, and mourning. But we also live in the current reality of God’s promises to us … promises of rejoicing hearts that nobody or no thing can take away from us. (John 16:22) And we live in that promise through the gift of faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death and resurrection that earns for us forgiveness of our sin and eternal life. We’ll be restored to “new” … not replaced … by God as He intended. Thanks be to God! 

                                                                                        He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: picryl.com

Dear First Lutheran Family and Friends,

I have a set of battery-powered tools. They get a lot of use, partly because I can take them anywhere to get work done without the restriction of a power cord and an electrical outlet. But they don’t run forever. Eventually the batteries run out of juice and need to be recharged. So, I put them in the charging cradle to … rest and to recharge. There, in the aptly named “cradle,” the battery rests and lets the external power source restore it for new activity.

God has a set of tools He uses to get His work done in the world He created … you and me. We are His hands and feet whom He uses to get things done. But like those battery-powered tools, we run out of juice too. Which is why God has given us “the Sabbath” – a Hebrew word – שַׁבָּת – meaning “rest.” But it’s not just any “rest” … it’s a special rest in “God and His presence” where we trust God to care for us and all our needs while we let Him recharge us to reenter the world; to do the work He has called on us to do.

In Jesus’ day, God’s intent for His gift of sabbath rest had been boiled down to a single day in which nobody was to do anything. Unfortunately, God’s purpose had been taken out of His gift. Instead of a period to let God recharge His people, the Pharisees and keepers of the Law had made rest into yet more work required for people to do to earn God’s favor. (Mark 2:27) 

God’s gift recharges us physically – we stop our labors to allow our minds and bodies to recharge – and spiritually – taking some time to listen to Him, pray to Him, learn from Him, and receive guidance from Him. In worship and during the week we rest in the cradle of God and His Word … getting recharged by Him for the work He has called us to do. So let’s rest.

                                                                                                In the Love of Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Des Colhoun

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we think of “passion” we think we think of something we have an intense feeling or longing for. Maybe it’s a hobby or activity. Perhaps it’s a favorite team. Often, it’s a person. 

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, He enters His week of Passion … for mankind. We’ve often heard the “Gospel in a Nutshell” – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus’ passion – His intense feeling for us – is evident by the lengths He went to show His Father’s love for us. He spent three years preaching, teaching, and doing miracles as He walked the countryside of Galilee, Judea, and the wilderness … that’s a lot of distance traveled on foot!

But that only scratches the surface of His passion for us. The donkey ride was simply the end of His journey. A journey that began on His heavenly throne. A throne He gave up to “make Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men … becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8) It’s a journey, not measured in miles, that shows the length and depth of His passion for us. He gave up all the glory of heaven to live as a lowly carpenter and itinerant preacher. And then die the most excruciatingly painful death, death on a cross … for us.

This week we remember Jesus’ passion for us. And as we do, I urge you to make some time to recall how far He went to express His Father’s love for you and all mankind. Spend Monday – Thursday reading each of the Gospel accounts of His Passion. Then join us for worship at 7:00PM on Thursday, April 17th and Good Friday, April 18th. Finally, celebrate His resurrection on Easter, April 20th at 6:30AM, 8AM, or 10:45AM. God so loved the world, including you … see how much.

                                                                                        In Our King’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: PxHere.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Some old things are worth trying to restore – houses, cars, artworks, old family photos come to mind. With careful planning and expertise, something that looks ready for the junk pile can be restored to what it was intended to be. But doing so takes vision to see what it could become … along with the pathway to get there. Once you set your mind to it, after a period, the restoration is complete.

God is in the restoration business – the restoration of His creation which became broken by the work of others. Things didn’t start out broken though. In the beginning, He created everything exactly as He intended. There were no deserts – water existed to nourish plants in just the right amount. The beasts and animals, as well as mankind, honored Him. And there was no need for warriors and chariots because true peace abounded. And He said, “It is good.” But then, after a time, things fell apart when Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God how to take care of His creation. Sin entered and with it decay and death. 

But God remembered how He created all things in the beginning. He longed to restore creation to its original condition. He reminds us of this through Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I am doing a new thing …” Like any restoration, this “new thing” takes time to complete. But God promises, “… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert …” (Isaiah 43:19)

This restoration includes you and me too. God sent His Son, Jesus into the broken creation to restore it. God is patient. He is just. And so, it takes time to get it all the way He wants it to be. But He is “doing” it – even if we don’t necessarily perceive it. Let us trust Him and His plans. Let us trust Him to work through us too as He restores His creation – including us – to the way He intended. When He’ll say again, “It is good.”

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Laura Friedman on FLICKR

Dear First Family and Friends,

You’ve likely heard, “Well, I’ve got some bad news for you and some good news.” I’m a “bad news first, good news” sort so I can leave feeling at least okay. Bad news, your baseball team just lost its best pitcher. But, you’ve still got your best hitters – so maybe they can slug their way to victory. Unfortunately, “bad news-good news” is usually more serious.

God’s Word is filled with “bad news-good news” situations. Through His prophet Ezekiel, chapter 33, God says, “I’ve got some bad news and some good news.” Bad news for the wicked, if you don’t turn away from your wickedness you shall die in your sin. (Ezekiel 33:9) But here’s the good news, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)

But it’s not just the wicked to whom God has “bad news and good news” for. He says to those who believe in their own righteousness, “Though I say to the righteous … if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.” (Ezekiel 33:13) That’s some bad news as there’s only one who is truly righteous (Hebrews 4:14-15). So even those who think they’re righteous are also sinners and thus in the same “bad news boat” as the wicked. No amount of your righteousness will save you. We are all wicked in some way.

The good news though … all is not lost. Whether you’re truly wicked or think you’re righteous – even though you aren’t – while in the “bad news boat” you’re also in the same “good news boat” – “If the wicked … walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him.” (Ezekiel 33:15-16) Let’s thank God for warning us of the bad news so we can receive His good news.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Citizens of Heaven,

Citizenship is a unifying concept in society. As citizens we’re subjects to the country we live in – its laws and leaders. Citizenship helps create and keep order in God’s creation. However, when citizenship gets divided, problems arise – which laws, which leaders do we follow? When that happens, I hope the laws and leaders of the country we’re from would take precedence. The saying “home is where the heart is” applies; so, if your heart’s from one place, you should live by that place’s laws and leaders. If not, move to the other place.

As disciples of Christ, baptized children of God, we have dual-citizenship – we’re citizens in one of the earth’s many nations with hearts from the Kingdom of Heaven. However, dual-citizenship can cause problems – which laws, which leaders do we follow? Are we, as Paul writes to the citizens in Philippi, focused with “eyes on those who walk according the example” of the faithful disciples of Christ, hearts obedient to “our citizenship in heaven” (Philippians 3:17, 20)? Or are we walking “as enemies of the cross of Christ … with minds set on earthly things,” (Philippians 3:18-19) hearts set on the world’s rulers, continually calling on us to say and do things that clearly run counter to God’s Word? As citizens of Heaven, subjects of the King of kings, the Word of God – His law, His gospel, and His rule over us should take precedence … even if it brings earthly persecution and suffering.

Jeremiah is a good example of how to live out our dual-citizenship. A citizen in Israel, God gave him a difficult message to preach to Israel and its leaders. For his efforts, he was threatened with death. Yet he said, “Do with me as seems good and right to you … (but know) the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.” (Jeremiah 26:14-15) Let us live first as citizens of Heaven serving in the world – loving God first by loving our neighbors in the world in accord with His Word.

                                                                                                Your Fellow Citizen,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim