"Five Hundred Fifty Words-Or Less" Pastor's Blog

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Divine Surgery (August 13, 2019)

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Photo by JAFAR AHMED on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Many of us have experienced “going under the knife.” It hurts to remove something causing pain, injury, or worse. A while back I had skin cancer cut from my nose. It hurt. But, now it’s gone. However, if I want to keep it away, I need to change some of my behavior. So, each day, no matter what, I put the SPF 100 on my face to ward off further damage.

In God’s Word, we hear about divine surgery God does to His people eHe He . “Circumcision” wasn’t done to remove a harmful growth … rather God commanded it to mark His chosen people as His own. But, like my surgery, the circumcision, a visible reminder of God’s grace, also required action to remain God’s child. Being circumcised wasn’t an end … rather, it was the beginning of a lifelong commitment to living, in thanks to God for His grace, as a child of God by fearing, loving, and trusting Him in all things … over and above all things.

Unfortunately, people came to see their “circumcision” and other actions they did as good works needed to earn God’s grace. By their logic, those who didn’t do these things weren’t worthy to receive God’s grace. This type of belief, formed in the minds of man by their own logic, is called “works righteousness” … being made right with God through personal effort. God told His people, through the Apostle Paul, this belief is wrong. Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy … human tradition … the spirits of the world …” rather hear God’s Word through His Son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:8).

Paul continued, “In (Christ) also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.” (Colossians 2:11) Today, we’re still circumcised, however, it’s not a visible, physical circumcision. Rather, we’re spiritually circumcised in our baptisms. In baptism, the Spirit circumcises our hearts. The deadly disease we call “sin,” is rendered helpless against us through faith in Christ. In God’s promise to hear our confession of sins, the effects of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) are cut away. God’s Word says we’re “dead in our sins” … but through His Son Jesus’ sacrifice, He’s made us alive, “having forgiven us all our sins.” (Colossians 2:13)

However, this circumcision of the heart in our baptisms does more than simply give us faith and forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit begins to change our behavior – turning us away from sin and turning us toward God. Like a surgeon removes deadly cancer, God performs divine surgery, through the Holy Spirit, to cleanse us from sin and its effects. Then, compelled by the Spirit, we begin to hear God’s Word, allowing it guide and direct us. Guided and directed by the Holy Spirit, our desire to do God’s will grows and enlarges … as our desire to sin shrinks. Through this process, called “sanctification,” the Spirit gradually makes us holy children of God. The cancer of sin is removed and new life takes hold as never before. In faith, we let God do His divine surgery that we may live as He intended for us to live.

                                                                                    In Christ,

                                                                                    Pastor Jim

Divine Appointments (August 7, 2019)

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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Usually when I need to see someone, or they need to see me, we’ll check our calendars. Then we’ll make an appointment. Later, we’ll get together for whatever the topic is. This practice helps organize our time … keeping us from overloading our schedules with too many things to do and not enough time to do them. But sometimes things happen. The schedule gets adjusted by unexpected visitors. Some might call these unexpected visits “interruptions.” I’ve learned, by the grace of God, to call them “divine appointments” – meetings God has set up to either help me or for me to be used by Him to help someone else. I treasure divine appointments.

God works through His divine appointment book.  Abraham was among the first to receive such an appointment when God called him to be the father of His people (Genesis 12). And this wasn’t the last of Abraham’s appointments with God. I imagine it was a hot summer day in what’s now the country of Israel as Abraham relaxed after a hard workday. Suddenly three guys show up unexpectedly from out of nowhere. Another divine appointment. Rather than get frustrated that his schedule has been busted by these visitors, Abraham stopped what he was doing to tend to their needs. He made sure his guests were comfortable, had plenty of food and drink, and listened to what they had to say. In this divine appointment, God let Abraham and Sarah, an elderly couple well past the age when they’d receive their first Social Security check, know some very good news … they’re finally going to be parents! (Genesis 18:1-14) It’s a good thing they didn’t ignore this divine appointment.

The divine appointments between God and His people continued. Over two thousand years later, a young girl named Mary had one. Mary stopped what she was doing and listened to her visitor, the angel Gabriel. He told Mary she’d be the mother of God’s only Son, Jesus – the Savior of God’s creation.

And the divine appointments continue today. We may not have the Angel of the Lord appearing at our front door … or Gabriel coming to our house as we’re watching our favorite show or reading a book. But God shows up in our lives through divine appointments throughout our lives. When we keep our appointment to come into God’s house for worship, God comes into our presence through His Word and Holy Communion. When we keep our appointments during the week, God comes into our presence as we study His Word in our daily devotions and our prayers. In these appointments, He may cause us to think of someone we haven’t thought of in ages … or maybe an image bothers us by hanging around our minds as we study and pray. These could very well be follow-up divine appointments God is calling us to make with Him. He uses prayer and His Word to schedule our time to do His will in the world – acting as His hands and feet – or to receive His corrective love. We receive His blessing to serve those He calls us to serve … or to be served by those He puts into our lives in His divine appointments.

                                                                                    In the Love of Christ,

                                                                                    Pastor Jim

Statues or Statutes? (July 24, 2019)

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Dear Saints,

One of my enduring memories is a tour I took of the Louvre in Paris. I saw many famous statues I’d only seen in pictures … for example, Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo. It was amazing to see how the artist was able to take a piece of rock and make it look so life-like. Of course, when looking at Winged Victory without its head or Venus without her arms, you realize they’re just statues … life-like maybe, but not alive.

The Book of Leviticus follows Exodus chronologically. After God gives His Law, the Ten Commandments to Moses and Israel on Mount Sinai, He gives Moses a more detailed explanation of what these commandments entail as Israel prepares to put Egypt fully behind themselves and enter the Promised Land, currently occupied by the Canaanites. Leviticus begins by telling Israel how they’re to come near to God in worship through atonement for sin. Then, beginning in Chapter 17, God tells His people how they’re to live holy lives, according to His Word, in response to His grace. God has selected them as His children. As part of His family, God lays out how they’re to act. And it’s much differently than the Egyptians they’ve lived amongst for over 300 years and the Canaanites they’re going to be living amongst. They’d worship a true, living God who could hear them, act for them, live among them, and keep them in His presence forever … as long as they responded to His love by showing their love and trust for Him alone. Unlike the gods of Egypt and Canaan, mere statues created by other men … the true God was, is, and always will be living and active in His creation … ruling it in accordance with His statutes found in His Word. Israel was warned, “I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:4b-5) Live by statues … or statutes?

Statues, inanimate creations of man, built to represent man’s ideas about what a god might be, are incapable of doing anything. But they were the guides Egyptians and Canaanites trusted in. They may appear life-like, but they aren’t alive. Instead, inspired by Satan, these idols, and the ideas they represent, lead one away from trusting the one true God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Living by statues, leads one to become statue-like … eternally dead.

The one true God is alive! He makes things happen! God wants His people, and all people to be alive … like He is. Unlike Ra, Baal, or Molech, our living God descended into our lives to free us from the power of Satan – sin and death. Jesus, lived among us … suffered and died for us … and rose to new life to save us from sin and death, bringing us forgiveness and eternal life. Living, in response to God the Father’s love for us, by His statutes found in His living Word, leads all who believe in His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to eternal life. Thanks be to our ever-living God … Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

                                                                                    In Christ,

                                                                                    Pastor Jim

Living in the Present (July 18, 2019)

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Funny thing about “time” … as human beings we live in “the now.” Yet we often dwell on the past … achievements and defeats. This can lead us to a false sense of pride … or an improper sense of doom. We might also frequently dream of the future. While planning is important, too much focus on what we think the future holds can also lead us astray ... into a false sense of security or overblown anxiety. You can’t change the past … and, for the most part, you can’t control the future. We can, however, act in the present.

This has always been a problem for people … including God’s prophets and disciples. In 1 Kings 19:9-21, we see how Elijah suffered from an overblown sense of his own abilities as he reflected on the amazing past he was part of (1 Kings 17-18). When things didn’t appear to be going the way Elijah envisioned, he became very depressed … to the point of wanting to quit and die. Elijah expected God’s people to repent and come back to God. Instead, Queen Jezebel put out a contract on Elijah’s head and God’s people continued rebelling against Him. Elijah thought he knew, based on the past, what the future should look like. With an unexpected whisper, God let’s Elijah know things would be different – just not what Elijah expected. God encouraged Elijah to stick to His plan, trust Him and follow Him in faith. Don’t let the past dictate the future, and don’t invent your own version of the future. Let God lead through His Word.

In Luke 9:51-62, Jesus has similar words for His disciples. James and John, the Sons of Thunder, want to destroy the Samaritans rejecting them. But Jesus has mercy. James and John don’t see the future Jesus sees, when the Samaritans will be subjected to God’s mercy … mercy that wouldn’t possible if they were destroyed today. Others misread the future too. They want to follow Jesus, envisioning glory in the court of a mighty king. Jesus reminds them, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58) Following Him would require hardship in this life. It would also require them to let go of their past achievements and even family ties if they cause a distraction to the mission at hand. He reminds them that you can’t plow in straight, ordered lines if you’re always looking backward, away from the work you’re supposed to be doing (Luke 9:62).

While it’s fine to remember the past and good to plan for the future, it’s critical we spend our present firmly tied into God’s will for us through daily study of His Word. In the still, small voice of His Word, God tells us what He wants us to do and where to do it. As we see what He’s calling us to do … and not do … in prayer, we ask Him to help us live by His Word. This is how we live totally and completely trusting God. He leads us, energizes us, and keeps us from getting discouraged as, today, we do His will in His creation.

                                                                                        Your Brother in Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

New Clothes, New Identity (July 5, 2019)

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Photo by Elisey Vavulin on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

My wife is a licensed cosmetologist. When she worked in a salon, her clients would say, “I need a change.” Out would come the clippers, or bleach, or color … maybe all of it. Then, a new look. But underneath the look, basically the same person. You may know of Tony, Bruce, and Dick. These are the names of characters who’re normal human beings. But, when they put their suits on, they become Ironman, Batman, and Robin. Seemingly endowed with superpowers, they can do amazing things. But, take away the suits, and they’re just normal guys. A new hair color or suit … it might change the outside look, but on the inside there’s little affect.

But there is a certain suit we can put that will lead to actual change … inside and out. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons and daughters of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ HAVE PUT ON CHRIST. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29) Paul tells us, when we’re baptized, we put on a garment that truly changes us inside and out … we are given a new identity … sons and daughters of God … brothers and sisters of Christ … who will inherit the kingdom of heaven first promised to Abraham millennia ago (Genesis 12:1-3).

The interesting thing about this change … unlike a cosmetologist makeover or donning a superhero costume, there is most likely no external change noted. On the outside, we’ll most likely appear to others just like we always have. The change on the inside, within our hearts, is unprecedented. Before the change, our hope is in the world and things of the world. We look to our own abilities, our own possessions, and maybe the abilities and possessions of the world around us. For some, this might offer some temporary, but false, hope if they happen to have higher than average abilities, wealth, or powerful friends. It can seem they can take matters into their own hands to meet any challenge that comes their way. However, eventually injury or poor health will take away abilities.  The markets may fail, taking away wealth. And friends with influence … they too will come and go.

But, when we put on Christ, becoming children of God, we’re given a permanent, lasting hope. Paul tells us it doesn’t matter who we are, where we’re from, what our socio-economic status is … we’re all children of the same God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we cry out to God the Father, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6) While each of our lots in this life may be different, our hope is in God’s promise that we’re all heirs to the same inheritance that our brother, Jesus Christ, has received, eternal life in the eternal kingdom of heaven. And through faith in Christ alone, we will all receive that inheritance. This changes everything!

                                                                                        Your Brother in Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

"God" ... More Than Just A Word (July 2, 2019)

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Dear Children of God,

Words matter! How many times a day do you hear the word “God” thrown around? Whether it’s those around us or even ourselves, this word gets used a lot. For most it’s lost its meaning. And that’s unfortunate. Because “God” should never be tossed around lightly. After all, how would you like it if your name were used as a routine exclamation … “Oh my Jim, that cake was amazing!”

For many this word also symbolizes the divine person they believe in. But even in that context, the name “God” gets used lightly. We swear to “God,” pray to “God,” and believe in “God.” And that all sounds good, but, what do we really mean when we use the word “God?” This isn’t a trivial question, because the answer has eternal impacts.

Shortly after the infamous “9/11” attacks there was a series of articles on “God” intent on getting Christians, Jews, and Muslims, people who seemed to be in eternal conflict, to come together.  The thesis seemed to be since you all have common set of scriptures (the Torah (Judaism), the Tawrat (Islam), and the Pentateuch (Christianity)) and also believe in God you’re not that far off – so get along. The problem – the paper didn’t understand the answer to “Who do you say God is?”

In Jesus’ day, one didn’t use the word “God” lightly. John Chapter 8 shows a discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees. He reminds them Abraham, the patriarch in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, would’ve been so excited to see Jesus, the fulfillment to God’s covenant promises to him! The Pharisees sarcastically wondered if Jesus knew this by talking to Abraham. Jesus doesn’t argue. He simply says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Then the Pharisees pick up stones to stone Jesus.

The crowd asks, “Who do you say God is?” Jesus answers, “I am.” The Pharisees remembered what God called Himself when Moses met Him in the burning bush. He called Himself “I am” (Exodus 3:13-15) – “Yahweh” in Hebrew. In this way, Jesus said, “I am God,” which to the ears of the Pharisees was blasphemy … a sin punishable by death. Jesus lets people know He is God, along with the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

So, when someone says, “I believe in God.” It’s good to ask, “What do you mean by God?” If they answer, “The Triune God … Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” they might understand who God really is. But, if they deny that Jesus … or the Holy Spirit … or the Father is God, they aren’t talking about the one true God found in Holy Scriptures. Or, if they deny the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate persons of God indicating instead God was first the Father, then appeared as the Son, and then returned as the Spirit … they aren’t talking about the one true God either.

The one true God is three persons and one God … the Holy Trinity … professed in the Creeds. It’s a mystery, but it’s true. All other God’s are simply idols, created by man due to a failure to ask the right question and/or understand the answer. Words matter!

                                                                                        In the Name of the Triune God,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

1st Day of the Rest of Your Life (June 19, 2019)

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life” is most appropriate saying for all of us.  Each day we wake up, no it or not, God teaches.  But, this instruction isn’t the end … it’s merely the beginning.  It’s “The first day of the rest of our lives of faith.”  

Last week, Jesus prayed, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20) Jesus prayed for us, those He knew would come to believe in Him through the words of the original disciples and the disciples that followed.  He prayed because He knew the challenges we’d have being His disciples in the world.  To ensure His prayer would be answered, He also promised, earlier in John, “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) And true to His Word, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, swept down upon the disciples. The Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles — fishermen, tax collectors, political activists — to clearly proclaim Christ’s saving death and resurrection to people from across the world (Acts 2:1-13). This diverse gathering heard the good news, that through Jesus Christ “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) 

Jesus’ promised Helper, the Holy Spirit, helped the Apostles tell others from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth about Jesus’ saving life, suffering, death, and resurrection (Acts 1:8). The disciples’ faith in Jesus’ saving act on the cross was already confirmed.  But the Day of Pentecost was only the beginning for the disciples.  “Clothed with power from on high” they would never be alone as God worked through them to reach all mankind … including you and me.

And for the disciples, being saved by faith in Christ wasn’t the end of their journey. It was “the first day of the rest of their lives of faith.” They, like we are, were called to a LIFE OF FAITH. Today we are disciples, called by God to use the gifts He’s given us to tell the world about His promises.  And we don’t go alone.  The Holy Spirit goes with us.

Each day we read God's Word, He teaches us how to live our lives of faith as His children.  But, each day's instruction is only the beginning of our life of faith.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, each of us is called by our Lord to continue to grow in faith through regular participation in worship, hearing His Word, and receiving His Sacrament. Then, nourished and taught, we’re called to proclaim His Word in love to our neighbors. Jesus will return. When He does, because of His faithful disciples who lived a life of faith, He’ll find a world teeming with believers from all nations, of all races, speaking multitudes of languages … united in one faith.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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