on The Tension Between Love and Tolerance.

 

            Recently, someone I know wrote that God is the God of love and tolerance.  I must admit, I have been wrestling with that statement all week.  The more I wrestle with it, the more I find it disturbing that people, especially Christians, could view God as “tolerant.” 

Loving?  Most definitely, yes!  God is Love.  But tolerant?  I think that God’s Holy Word would object to that notion.

            There are so many examples from Scripture that explain to us just exactly how In-tolerant our Holy God is of all sin.  Take for instance Adam and Eve to begin with.  God banished them from the perfect life in the Garden of Eden because they disobeyed His command.  Would that suggest tolerance?  Or how about during Noah’s time [Genesis 6:5-7] when “the Lord God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.  And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.  So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds from the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”  Does that sound like tolerance?  Or how about the story of Lot in chapter 19, where the city of Sodom is destroyed because of their wickedness and sexual sin.  I find no tolerance for sin from God there.  These are just a few examples from one Book in the Bible among countless other examples from Scripture which show just how little tolerance God has for sin.

            And yet our God is loving.  Take any of those examples listed above and you will find the love of God shown to His people.  In the case of Adam and Eve, he gave them clothing, and the promise of salvation He would send, all in the midst of his punishment.  In the case of Noah, we are told that he found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  The Lord would preserve Noah and his family—8 souls in all, and establish a covenant with them.  With the tower of Babel, the Lord came down among them [v5], and though He did not approve of what they were doing, nevertheless He preserved their lives.  And with the city of Sodom, the angels who were sent there by God gave Lot warning so that he could get his family out before the Lord destroyed the city, and urged them to get up and leave. In all these ways, the Lord showed His love, and mercy, but in doing so did certainly NOT show tolerance for sin. 

            It would seem that some would confuse love and tolerance, and somehow mingle the two together in some kind of twisted conglomeration.  Perhaps they see God’s unprecedented patience as tolerance and/or acceptance of all that people do.  But again, Scripture is very clear about this—[1 Peter 3:8-9] But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [9] The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

            I would add to that thought, what need do we have of repentance if God, our Holy and Righteous God, is tolerant of everything?  With that way of thinking we suppose then that there is no sin, and thus no need for repentance, and thus no need for God, and especially no need for His Son Jesus Christ; who then apparently died in vain for we poor sinners (oops, I shouldn’t call us all that—it wouldn’t be politically correct).

            But how easy we have made it for ourselves to deny sin, to deny that we are sinners, reject the notion of repentance, reject God, and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and accept all things as good.

            The fact is, our conscience—another gift from God—helps us to know the difference between what is right and wrong, but we have convinced ourselves that only part of what our conscience tells us is wrong is actually true.  We have decided that we know better than God what is good, right, and salutary—what we ought to be able to do, what we absolutely won’t do—what is best for ourselves but perhaps not for someone else.  This way, we do not have to concern ourselves with something as messy as sin—at least not until we come across something that REALLY gets us upset.  To many, it is those things that register as “sinful” or at least wrong, but all other things are ok, even if God has said repeatedly that they are not.

            I have actually found that most who are preaching tolerance tend to be some of the most IN-tolerant people.  I have also noticed in recent years that tolerance and the idea of love (the kind Jesus tells us to have for our neighbor) has become blended together.

            This results in an “if you are not tolerant of everything, than you are obviously a hater,” attitude.  This kind of an attitude has increasingly and disturbingly become more of the norm within American culture.

            It would be a travesty to preach and teach tolerance of alI things and to call that love. I don't think Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world--(thereby showing God's love for us and His hatred of sin)--just to have us go on sinning and be tolerant of sin.  Rather, I think it is extremely important then for us to be aware of the difference between love and tolerance.  I pray  also that we do not lose sight that there is such thing as sin, which manifests itself in our lives in many different ways.  And I hope that we would be led to repentance and would lead others to do the same so that the grace of Christ Jesus may abound in our lives through forgiveness, mercy, and love.

 

            Thank you for reading, and God bless you all!

Vacation...days one and two

Wednesday(6/20)...Well, we got off to an early morning start from Rapid City, hit a big Thunderstorm just inside Iowa about 6 hours into our trip, and saw a gigantic bolt of lightning just south of us in a cornfield...AWESOME!!!   And we finally made it to my brother's house in Springfield, Mo around 9:30pm CT.  A long and exhausting day, but then we stayed up til about 11:30 talking and being entertained for a while by my 2 yr old niece, Emma!  What a hoot she is now that she is talking.  I had not seen her since November, and my family much longer than that.  So good to be  with my brother's family.

Thursday(6/21)  Today was a blast.  We slept in because of being so tired from the trip.  Had a nice sit down breakfast with everyone, which never happens when we are back home.  Just kind of lounged around for a while, and went to lunch at Fazzolis, (a restaraunt we do not have in Rapid City, SD...or anywhere close for that matter!)  Baked spaghetti with meatballs and unlimited garlic breadsticks---Yummo!  Then we headed to the Springfield Zoo (more specifically Dickerson Park Zoo)  It was surprisingly good!  For the size of city that Springfield is, they have a real nice zoo.  Then we came back home and rested for a while and went bowling.  The kids and Amy have been bowling quite a bit this summer with the kids bowl free program back in Rapid, so they were all doing well. My sister in law was a very good bowler back in the day(...and still is).  No wonder my brother says when they go bowling he sets goals, and none of those goals is to have a better score than Susan.  Wow!  You really are a good bowler Susan.  She scored a 499 in three games.  IMPRESSIVE!  Three of us had the best games we have ever bowled.  Amy and I both got turkeys on the 10th frames of our second game, hers right after I finished getting mine.  We were both amazed, and it was my first turkey ever! 
After all that we came home and had another fantastic meal.  I stayed up and watched a movie.
A GREAT day all in all...but our camera is broken, and the silicon cover to my CPAP mask is ripped, so not a great day for technology for me, and a rough night of sleep.  We shall see what today brings!

Thanks for reading and God's blessings to you!

A few words about Bullying

     Dear friends, it grieves my heart to even be writing this post today.  It seems that we cannot get rid of that neanderthal-like, thuggish urge that some have to bully others.  Bullying has become such a bad problem these days that it is even being done through our newly developed technologies.  We are talking more than just being made fun of, because I think that everyone expereinces that in life.  And to a certain extent, we better be able to laugh at ourselves a little bit.  No, I am talking about the constant badgering, relentless making fun of, saying and doing pure meanness to others. 
     I am writing this from personal experience, as well as in support of anyone who has ever been bullied.  For me it was because I had acne as an adolescent, and from the age of 12, far too many others picked on me on a daily basis.  As an already shy kid, it was difficult to respond, and so these kids kept doing it, because I would do/say nothing.  To those who did, I forgive you for your actions/words that were so hurtful.  But just because I forgive you does not make such behavior right or acceptable.
      I would also say that this behavior needs to stop, and for many reasons.  You may not be aware of just how bad you are hurting someone, even with just words.  They might begin to believe what you are saying about them, especially in thier own weakness.  You may not be aware of what they might be capable of if you keep pushing them. 
Bullying has become a real problem in our society, and it is not just happening in Jr. High and High Schools.  It happens in adulthood as well.  We can't just look the other way and pretend like it is not a real problem.
     I challenge everyone to stand up to those who would bully others, and challenge thier behavior instead of pretending that it did not happen.  If we don't stand up to it, that is the same as condoning it.
     I have never understood the mind of a bully, because it makes no sense to me to treat someone so callously and without love for our neighbor.  I suppose there may be something insecure in the person who would bully, that makes them feel superior or "stronger" themselves, when they treat others poorly, or as "lesser" than themselves.
     If you see or hear bullying of another, try to stop it.  If you are a bully, take a few seconds to think about how much you might be hurting someone else, and STOP yourself.  Think for a moment about how it would make you feel if  people were ganging up on you relentlessly.
Let's all work together to STOP bullying from hurting others!
     Thanks for reading and God bless you!

This night has it all....almost!!!

     A blessed Holy Week and Maundy Thursday to you all!
I would imagine that most of my brother pastors who blog are probably writing something similar today, but how can we pass up writing about the important events that we celebrate on this day?
     To begin with, Maundy Thursday--which is part of the Triduum [consisting of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday], is the night when Jesus instituted a "memorial" of His Passion in the Lord's Supper.  "Maundy" comes from the Latin Mandatum--the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you")
     On this night also, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating that He "came not to be served, but to serve others," a principle that He wanted to pass on to His disciples.
     On this night Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him.  Later on in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas would betray Jesus to His accusers with a kiss.  And they would arrest Him.
     On this night while His disciples fell asleep at their watch, Jesus would pray, "with drops of sweat as blood" asking that this cup be taken from Him, but not His will but the Father's will be done.
     On this night, Jesus would tell Peter that Peter would deny Him 3 times.  When he was questioned about his relationship to Jesus, Peter did deny His Lord 3 times, and realized what he had done after the rooster crowed.
 The Lord's Supper,  Love, Serving, Prayer, Betrayal, Arrest, Denial...This night has it all....almost!!!

On Maundy Thursday, when the Divine Service finishes, in preparation for Good Friday, the altar is stripped and the chancel is cleared.  Psalm 22 is chanted while this is being done.
    

On Ash Wednesday and Lent

It has been a while, so I am quite rusty at this.  Here goes....

Today we in the Lutheran Church-Mo. Synod, [as well as other denominations] are observing Ash Wednesday as the start of another season of Lent in the church calendar.  I thought I would share a few things about both in my blog today, and hopefully this will kickstart me out of my blogging funk to where I am posting regularly again.

from Lutheran Worship: History and Practice.: 
     Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season, which lasts for 40 days, excluding Sundays...Lent is a time to reflect on Baptism, a time for re-birth and renewal in preparation for the celebration of Easter."  To mark the season is the color purple.  It is a time for the discipline of learning and growing in faith, for repentance and for prayer, even for fasting to practice self-control and to heighten one's awareness of Christ. 
     Other customs may be used, particularly the imposition of ashes on those who wish it.  The ancient act is a gesture of repentance and a powerful reminder about the meaning of the day.  Ashes can symbolize dust to dustness and remind worshipers of the need for cleansing, scrubbing, and purifying. 

from Our Suffering Savior, 2nd ed. : 

For the next six weeks, our meditations will be based on the Fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. This remarkable passage was penned about seven hundred years before Christ. It depicts Christ’s life from the cradle to the grave, from His birth to His resurrection.

The passage both starts and ends on the elevated summit of joy at Christ’s success, and it. This part of the church year is also like two lofty mountain peaks—Transfiguration and Easter—with a vale, the penitent season of Lent, in between.

God is good to afford us a vision of Christ’s triumph before we are exposed to the gruesome details of His suffering so that the hope of Easter will sustain us during the intervening weeks. We begin our journey this Lent knowing that suffering will end in death, but death will end in resurrection and life eternal in Christ.

      Tonight we begin this journey through Lent with our Ash Wednesday worship, including the imposition of ashes and celebration of the Lord's Supper.  This is a somber but holy time in the church calendar in which we will be reminded of our need for repentance, our need for a Savior from sin, and the provision of our salvation through Jesus Christ, God's only Son--OUR SUFFERING SAVIOR.

     If you are in the Rapid City area, please join us tonight at 6pm for a fellowship meal, and at 7pm as we worship God for the mercy He has shown us in Jesus Christ.  Peace Lutheran Church is located at 219 E. St. Anne in the Robbinsdale area of Rapid City.  We would love to share Christ with you tonight!

Thank you for reading and God bless you throughout this Lenten season and always!

Getting to know you.

     Sometimes people are difficult to get to know.  Sometimes we don't make too big of an effort to get to know someone.  It can be scary or intimidating sometimes to approach others and just try to spark off conversation with someone you don't know, particularly if they "look" intimidating--that is to say, their appearance.
     Today I did a funeral service for such a man.  When I first came here to Peace Lutheran church in Rapid City, SD, I did not know this man at all. That remained true for quite a while as I began to get to know those in the church that I was working with and saw more regularly.  Even though I did not know this man initially, it was hard not to notice him.  He was a very tall and large man, who always walked with a cane and sat in the back.  You couldn't miss him.  By the same token he had a very intimidating presence.
     About a year ago, he went into the hospital for a few days, and I was a little nervous about going to see him, and wondered what our conversation might be like, or if we would even have one.  We had not said much more than hello and God's blessings to one another to that point.  Admittedly, it was a little strained that first day at the hospital, and I left not knowing what to think.  But the next day when I went for a second visit, he told me just about everything he could about himself and his history at Peace Lutheran--at least as much as he could in one hospital visit.  The next couple visits were more of the same.
     Shortly after he went home from the hospital-about a week or two later-he showed up at my office to bring me some very old catechism materials that he had stored away at his house.  He had gone digging through some old stuff to find it so that he could bring it to me. 
     I realized that it was his way of telling me that he accepted me, and that he knew I had accepted him as well....a token of appreciation if you will.  What I had not realized until then is that this man only let in  those who he wanted to, and that only when he felt that he trusted you.  By the same token, in my own intimidation, I had not attempted very hard to try and get to know him, until he was in the hospital.
     Relationships are so important in life, as in the church.  It is something that God desires for us--having fellowship and community.  I pray that God will help us get past our own stumbling blocks and the stumbling blocks that others place in front of us, so that we can develop relationships that please God and fulfill His purpose in our lives.
    This blog-post is dedicated to Roger Johnson.  I will miss you friend!  Praise be to God for the faith that He gave you in Jesus Christ!

      Until we meet again.....

Newness of life part2

2 Cor. 5:17
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

   
  A new creation... IMPOSSIBLE?  Not at all.  In fact, that's what I want to be.  Oh but how our sinful nature struggles against this.  Paul writes about this struggle within himself in one of my favorite passages describing the daily battle that goes on within us...
 [15] I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. [16] Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. [17] So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. [19] For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. [20] Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  [21] So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. [22] For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:15-25

God, through His Son Jesus Christ makes this possible for all of us.
So what does this "new creation" look like?
For one thing, we live by the Spirit, that is the Holy Spirit is guiding us, instead of the Old Adam(our sinful nature).  And not only that, but we are listening to the Spirit, and following Christ.  We desire to keep the Lord's commandments, and when we fall short (as we all do), we are repentant, and ask for and receive forgiveness from God.
The "new creation" in Christ is dead to sin, and alive in Jesus.  That's what I want to be!
There's a song that my family likes, from a Christian music group called Lost and Found.  It starts out, "I wanna be a new creation, formed from the fingers of God's right hand." 
Think of all that God has created.  Think about the fact that He also created you.  And though we are all sinful by nature, God-who created everything-is able to do something new with us, in us, and for us.  Praise be to God for His grace in our lives!
Thank you for reading, and God bless you!

Have we died to sin?

Romans 6:1-4
    What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
   
     What is this "newness of life" of which Paul writes?  And what does it have to do with sin?  The word "NEW" has really caught my attention lately with the new year beginning and everything.  I have been drawn to texts in the scriptures that tell us about God doing something new, or new creation, or us becoming something new or living a new way.
     The text above is Paul carrying on an imaginative argument, an argument that he would anticipate from those hearing his message about the grace of God.  "What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound?"  Sounds logical enough!  If God gives grace to those who sin, then let's sin all the more, so that we can receive more grace.  Is that kind of like--for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?  But isn't this how we think sometimes? 
     I think that the truth is, the Old Adam in us leads us ever toward sin, especially our favorite sin.  The truth is that so many people have convinced themselves, or let the world convince them, that there is no such thing as sin, and we can go on doing what we want.  For Christians this is truly a dangerous notion.  When Christians begin to think that sin is ok, because in the end we will receive grace and forgiveness from God anyway--so I can do what I want, then we can forget about "walking in newness of life."
     As I stated in my sermon yesterday, one of the things that God is doing that is new, is making us "new creations."  What that means is that we are now different.  The baptized life is a new and changed life.  It is not like our former selves, which were entirely sinful.  Now our life is different.  Now our path is a different path.  One that desires Christ, and resists sinful impulses.
     Does that mean that we no longer sin?  No!  And that is not what Paul is saying either.  He calls himself the worst of all sinners.  But it means that now our desire is to please God.  We are no longer slaves to our sin, but are slaves to Christ--by far a much better thing.  And if we desire to please God, that means we desire to be obedient to Him, even as Christ Jesus His only Son was obedient to Him. 
    So the question is....have we--as Paul puts it--"died to sin?"  I certainly hope and pray that we have, so that we may walk with Christ Jesus in this newness of life.
Thanks for reading!  More on newness of life and what that looks like tomorrow!