Through The Valley To A New Life of Service and Excitement

My final Sunday as Interim Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Tomball, TX. is next Sunday, May 24. That afternoon the congregation will accept Pastor Chris Hull from Illinois as their new shepherd.  He will be installed into office at a special service that afternoon. He is scheduled to arrive with his wife and family the middle of this week. He will preach his first sermon on May 31, Holy Trinity Sunday.

These past two weeks I've received a few friendly comments about my returning to retirement. My usual response has been that I can find no mention of retirement in the Bible. However, upon reflection, I may have to take back that statement. It does occur to me that for one reason or another some of the primary personages in the Bible did indeed retire—at least for a time. Here, for example, I'm thinking about Moses. When Moses impulsively killed an Egyptian who was beating one of Moses' people, he fled—retired if you will, because the Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to kill him.

"But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian.  .  ." - Exo 2:15 ESV

Midian was on the other side of the Red Sea. Life changed radically for Moses in that land. He married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian, and retired from the luxurious life of a prince of Egypt to the relatively quiet one of a shepherd. Later, in his 80's, the LORD God confronted him in a "burning bush that was not consumed by fire" on Mount Horeb. And so began the well known story of his being sent to lead the exodus of the children of Israel.

I've reflected often upon that story during these past 20 months while serving Zion. Like Moses, I was 80 years old when I received and accepted God's new Call to serve again as a public minister of His Word. By God's grace I have not been asked to serve for 40 years in the wilderness, however. My 20 months of service come now to an end. What awaits ahead I do not yet know.

The simple point I make is that each of us has a call to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, who leads us through a sometimes bewildering journey to the Father's house. He leads. We follow. He feeds and provides. We lie down in His green pastures. We take comfort knowing that He watches over us with His rod and staff. One day soon He will lead me and all who follow Him safely home.

Then will begin an eternal retirement from the darkness of this world's valley. Meanwhile I can hardly wait for the joy and excitement of that new phase of my life eternal with Him.

Faith in Jesus, The Great Work Of God

We're asking what it means to do greater works than Jesus did. The final sentence of my last blog was this:

You can ask for no greater work than to bring a soul to Jesus.

I promised to take a deeper look at questions raised by our Lord's promise given to his disciples in the upper room, the very night he was betrayed:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. - John 14:12-14 ESV 

You will recall that Jesus himself said our primary work is to believe in him, as he said to the crowds who followed him after he gave them a sign of who he really was by feeding thousands in the wilderness with a little boy's lunch.

Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." - John 6:28-29 ESV

How is it that faith in Jesus can be called the work of God? The answer is found by listening carefully to Jesus' comments about the story of the Exodus, also in John 6. The Jews who chased after Jesus when he had fed them referred to the manna their ancestors received during their forty years in the wilderness:

When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. ... The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. - Exod 16:1-35 ESV

 

The wilderness of the Sinai peninsula is a most uninhabitable place. The only way they survived out there—the only way—was because of the inexplicable gift of manna. I say inexplicable because they never did figure out what that bread was. That's why they called it manna (man hu in their language means, "What is it?"). And yet it came day after day. And it kept them alive.

Keep that in mind as you hear Jesus say about himself, 

". . . my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:32-35 ESV

In other words, all your needs for this life and for that age to come are and forever will be met by Jesus. Come to him in your need both for food and for forgiveness and he will provide it.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:39-40 ESV 

And again,

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." - Jhn 6:47-51 ESV

Yesterday at worship I ate that bread of life. As the pastor placed the wafer of bread into my mouth I heard him say, "Take and eat. This is the true body of Christ." This is the flesh that Jesus gave for me—and for all—upon the cross (1 Cor. 10:16-17). This is what we Christians celebrate. This is what we proclaim. This is what we will sing about and shout out on Easter Sunday. Christ is risen! Christ who died rose again. And because he lives we also live. And we who believe in him will never die. And it is all a completely undeserved and inexplicable gift (manna),  given to us in this wilderness as we make our way to the land of promise. To believe this, to put your entire trust and faith in this Good News is the work of God. The power to believe it is all God's work in me—not my work, but his! It is all grace, free and undeserved.

"This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

 

The Frightening And False Teaching Of Purgatory

I return today to the question of hell awaiting those who reject Christ. How does one reconcile the reality of hell with the Biblical teaching of a God of love as revealed in Christ and his suffering, death and resurrection?

In this connection you may be interested to hear and read the testimony of Bill Wiese who says that he was given a 23 minute vision of hell. His website (Soul Choice) features his book and a video among other items. He quotes extensively from the Scriptures. He says he was given this vision so that he might share his experience and warn us not to ignore what God has revealed about salvation and judgment. Do your own study and draw your own conclusions.

There are many passages from the Bible that we all must consider. Before exploring them, however, I believe it is critical that we explore the question of hell's duration and the idea of purgatory, that place between heaven and hell where supposedly even believers must go to be purged and cleansed in preparation for entering heaven. Here I focus especially on the Roman Catholic teaching. Here's a quote from the Catholic encyclopedia about it. Read the entire article for their more extensive treatment.

That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13-14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 17:3;3:3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God.

According to this teaching, sinners must be purged and cleansed by punishment and pain before they can be admitted into heaven's glory and peace. This is a very frightening teaching. It openly takes away from the work of Christ and transforms salvation and eternal life into something we sinners obtain through our works of repentance, suffering, punishment and prayers in addition Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. In so teaching these teachers have changed radically the Biblical teaching of grace and mercy in Christ. Consider Jesus' word as quoted by the Apostle John.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. - Jhn 5:21-29 ESV

Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath. The Jews who opposed Jesus claimed this was a work done on the Sabbath, something clearly forbidden by God. Beyond that Jesus claimed to be God's Son since he called God his own Father. In their eyes Jesus was claiming to be equal with God—the greatest form of blasphemy. So they looked for a way to kill him. These views were behind Jesus' statement quoted above.

Notice carefully what Jesus says about those who hear his word and believe in him.

• He, God's Son, is indeed equal in dignity and honor to the Father. By honoring him you honor the Father. Fail to honor the Son and you fail to honor the Father. 
• All judgment is now given to the Son.
• To hear and believe Jesus' word is more than merely hearing it as sounds in your ear. To hear him is to comprehend, to understand and to put your trust in what he says. Then you build your life and your future upon that word, just as Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:24). 
• So what does Jesus say in his word? He says plainly that we who believe him already have eternal life. We will not come into judgment ! We have already here and now, before the death of our physical bodies, passed into life, the life that is Christ. He is our life, as he and his apostles teach over and over again. 
• Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - Jhn 14:6 ESV
• For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - (The Apostle Paul in Phil 1:21 ESV)
• The Scripture clearly teaches that only the blood of Christ cleanses and purges us from sin. John speaks about this in his epistle: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1John 1:7 ESV 

The concept of a place of purging between heaven and hell is, as noted, a very pernicious and dangerous teaching. It robs us of the comfort of the Gospel. It puts the burden upon us, our suffering as well as the prayers and good works of others on behalf of those deceased. It turns us away from the wondrous and completely undeserved gift of salvation in Christ.

Instead I urge you to take comfort from the word Jesus spoke to the thief dying beside him on the cross who asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. 

And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." - Luk 23:43 ESV

Hear Jesus' word and be at peace. Your sins have been taken away: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Rom 8:1 ESV

Who Wants Life On Mars Without Life On Earth?

William Whewell was the natural philosopher at Trinity College, Cambridge back in the middle of the 19th century who proposed the term scientist to describe the study of the world of nature. He also suggested that the planet Mars had seas, land and even some kind of life. In the beginning of the 20th century Percival Lowell in his book Mars and Its Canals, proposed that Mars' canals were the work of a long-gone civilization. Speculation about life on Mars was rampant in those years. Science fiction writer H.G. Wells wrote his famous War of the Worlds in 1897 and the idea spread. 

On Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938 Orson Wells shocked the world with a fake Halloween radio broadcast, adapting H.G. Wells' book, to announce that the Martians had indeed arrived. People hearing the broadcast panicked as they learned of the ferocious, unstoppable attack of the Martians upon our planet. Many fled their homes in terror. 

The search for life on Mars continues in our day as NASA guides the rover Curiosity to search for signs of life on the surface of the red planet. And if our scientists find that life of some sort is possible there, what then? 

Many fed by Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee pursued life as well. Following Jesus across the sea they still wanted him to be their king. His reply was,  

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - Jhn 6:26-27 ESV

Food that endures to eternal life?

Jesus distinguished between two types of life with his remark. The people who pursued him were concerned primarily about their bodily or biological life, life sustained by the loaves and fishes he had supplied. However, such bread grows old and stale. Dried fish, commonly used for food in those days, ultimately becomes inedible. This was food that perishes. Instead of such food, Jesus offered them the food that endures to eternal life.

Note that Jesus calls himself the Son of Man. The phrase would normally cause one to think about Jesus as a human, which indeed he was. So King David wrote,

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? - Psa 8:4 ESV

But there was another strange use of the term in the the prophecy of Daniel.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. - Dan 7:13-14 ESV

Daniel saw a human being to whom God, the Ancient of Days, gave an everlasting kingdom. All people on earth would serve this son of man forever. How could this be? Only God is eternal. No man dare claim an eternal kingdom. And yet, writes Daniel, this is what I saw God give this son of man.

"King? Dominion? Eternal life? Yes, but you people don't get it," said Jesus. "Instead, all you can think about is this bread you ate yesterday, this food that perishes. All you want is another hand-out. Look at the sign I gave you! What I did was a sign from my Father, a sign that He sent me to give you life, eternal life."

But they paid no attention. They wouldn't believe him. Instead they continued to believe they had to do something.

"What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 

Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 

So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 

Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." - Jhn 6:28-33 ESV

No, you don't have to fly to Mars. You don't have to spend billions to discover if there is life on the red planet or somewhere else in the universe. Life is right here on earth. The Son of Man has come down from heaven to give it to everyone. He is the bread of God who gives life, eternal life, life without end.

"Aha! Now you're talking, Son of Man," they said. "You really are a bread-king. Sir, give us this bread always." - Jhn 6:34 ESV

But they still didn't get it. Do you? We'll pick up the conversation next time. We need to take a look at Manna, this strange bread for the journey that the Lord gave his people in the wilderness.

The Abundant Life

Never say that Jesus does not want us to have an abundant life. This is not at all why I object to the proclamations of the so-called prosperity preachers. Its just that they don't seem to realize what the abundant life is all about. Lets go to the words of Jesus Himself.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - Jhn 10:10-11 ESV

What life is Jesus talking about? It appears that in the days Jesus walked about teaching and healing lots of folks were interested in something called eternal life. Take the young theologian who asked, "Rabbi, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus responded by asking the young man what was written in the Torah.

He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18).

Jesus told him he had answered correctly and added, "Do this, and you will live."

With the tables turned back upon him, the young theological expert began to feel a bit guilty. You can even hear him starting to stutter as he asks, "Uh, and who is my neighbor?"

This gave Jesus the opportunity to tell the well known story of the good Samaritan who showed mercy to a Jewish man, robbed, beaten and thrown into the ditch on the way down from Jerusalem to Jericho. The story hit home and the young teacher was forced to admit that the hated Samaritan was the one who showed mercy. So in answer to the previous question Jesus simply said, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:25-37).

There is a very special quality to this life that Jesus points to. For one thing it is eternal. It will not end, because it is a life completely tuned to the LORD God. The one with such life is emotionally, spiritually and intellectually bonded to the LORD. His only thought, word and desire is to submit to this God and obey Him. He is of one mind, one heart and one soul with his eternal Creator. As a result, his Creator's life fills him and he too has eternal life. Further, he loves those around him, as does the Creator. This living one is equally as concerned about the well-being of his neighbor as he is about himself. This is his life!

Know anyone like that? I certainly do not. In fact there has been but one who lived such a life. His name is Jesus! He came into this world so that we who do not in fact have life, might indeed gain it—through Him! As He said, "I come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Jesus made an end to the judgment resting upon us all because of our failures to live the life of God. He was the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. We who embrace and accept that wondrous personal sacrifice receive, in turn, life abundant. This life of God is within us who believe. It is a never-ending gift of God's Spirit. And it never stops. It is like an endless, bubbling, flowing stream, ever and always pouring into us. In our hearts we always hear our Father telling us that we are forgiven, redeemed and rescued from judgment. As a result this life overflows from us with praise and thanksgiving to God and love, care and concern for others. This is the life that Jesus alone brings. And we who live and believe in Him will never die, even though these earthly bodies must be put aside so that we may be clothed again with eternal bodies like His.

As Jesus explained to the two grieving sisters,

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" - Jhn 11:25-26 ESV

This is the abundant life. It has to do with a life filled with love for God and for our neighbors. It has nothing to do with how many possessions, land, bank accounts, fancy houses and cars, jewels and fine wines you have. It is the fool who makes this the aim of his life. Jesus speaks pointedly about such foolishness.

And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luk 12:15 ESV

Let Joel Osteen and all like him learn these lessons and let those among us who are drawn to their empty words run as do sheep who recognize wolves, thieves and robbers who come only to steal, kill, devour and destroy (John 10:7-15).

Immortal Life—More Than Merely Living

When we talk about immortality we normally speak about breathing and moving about as a physical being, strong and able to interact with others and the world around us. No one looks forward to being in a coma, sustained by machines and chemicals. As we continue this discussion of immortality, we obviously need to talk not only about living long, but about the quality of life, regardless of its length. So we come to the words of Jesus, the Good Shepherd of the sheep.

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:9-11)

 

A faithful shepherd always checked his sheep daily, from head to toe, as they passed into the protective walls of the sheepfold between his legs. All through the night he remained at the entrance, guarding them with his own body so they might be safe and able to rest in peace. In the morning he led them out again to good, green pasture from which he had removed noxious weeds. He also brought them to quiet pools of water where they might quench their thirst. Thus they lived their lives throughout the summer under his protection. 

When the grazing season was over he would lead them back to the family homestead, always watching for wolves and lions as they moved through the shadows of valley walls. Finally, they would return to his father's house where they remained throughout the months of the cold, rainy winter season. 

Jesus drew upon this very familiar image to describe himself and his mission. He came to claim his sheep at the cost of his own life. We who enter the sheepfold and the father's house through him will indeed ever dwell in the house of the LORD (Psalm 23:1-6). 

In this manner Jesus speaks about the abundant life. The word in Greek is perissos, a word used to describe  remarkable, superior, greater, excellent life, surpassing all that you might want or imagine. Paul wrote about this in two wonderful passages. 

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). 

"that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:16-21). 

This life is much more than merely living and breathing. It is more than claiming the wealth and possessions of this world. It is life measured by a one on one relationship with your Good Shepherd. It is living by believing, trusting and loving Jesus. As John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:12-13).

This abundant life is a is a "continual process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming, because, in our present state, “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). One day we will see God face to face, and we will know Him completely as we will be known completely (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will no longer struggle with sin and doubt. This will be the ultimately fulfilled abundant life."

Christians are also interested in immortality or eternal life, but not merely to exist. We look forward to a life without end in the presence of our Good Shepherd, under His guidance and protection. We are thankful for any and all progress made by medical science and research. We are pledged to assist in those endeavors. This is why we support medical science and name our hospitals Good Shepherd, Good Samaritan, St. Luke, St. John, etc. However, we know that the final hope of true eternal life rests in the hands of our Shepherd. 

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. . .

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God"(Romans 8:10,11,18-21). 

What Kind of Spiritual Guidance Do You Want?

Today I want to briefly revisit the question of spirituality—once more from the peculiar view of the Bible. Here's a passage that rather narrows it down.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

In earlier postings I pointed to the Biblical teaching about how one determines if a person is guided by the Spirit of God . Today I'd like to focus upon those so-called teachers who claim to give guidance on spiritual matters. Here's a partial list:

• Spiritual guidance - trance channeling by Abby. 
• Spiritual guidance and personal growth from the Tarot
• Free online psychic readings
• Spiritual growth through cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Spiritual guidance through Magic
• Spiritual guidance through Yoga

The list goes on and on and on.
The warning from Scripture in spiritual matters comes from the Lord Jesus Himself: "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

I know we live in a multi-cultural world. I live in Houston where there are over 100 languages and dialects spoken. I can go to any public place and hear people speaking in tongues that have no meaning to me. In such a situation we are urged to be ecumenical and open to spiritual guidance from many directions. There are, we're told, many paths to God. Consider what Lee Strobel wrote a couple years ago in a very interesting blog: Are There Many Paths to God? It's a very good response. His answer: No. Impossible. To even suggest so is to deny everything that Jesus taught.

All that sounds very narrow, but the truth is, unless we die with Jesus we can never find life (Romans 6:1-14). To deny this truth is to choose death, regardless of how spiritual any teacher claims to be. 

Best Guess or Absolute Certainty

Although we try at times to avoid it, many of my friends and I end up talking about politics and the challenges we face these days. Frequent topics include the proposed new health care system and the state of the economy here in the U.S. We all have rather strong views on how things are, as well as how they should be. We care because we believe the decisions made and about to be made will impact our personal lives as well as the lives of our children and grandchildren for decades to come.

But I am not a politician nor do I choose to write about politics except as it impacts upon our spiritual life. Yet one cannot avoid pondering on what goes on in the hearts and lives of those elected to serve us on all levels of our government. What drives them? In Biblical terms, what is the spirit of the world and those living in it?

The Apostle Paul writes:"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:12).

As I listen to the politicians argue back and forth I realize that much of what they say and do is based upon guesses and experiments. Nobody really knows how to put the economy back on track. Nobody absolutely can say what health care options are best for this country. The best that anyone can come up with are informed opinions. And so, as is often stated, we'll have to wait for history to tell us. Hindsight. Oh the joy of hindsight revealing our foibles, our stupidity, our pride, greed and self-centered ideas and, occasionally, wisdom.

But is this all we have in spiritual matters? Must we merely make guesses about forgiveness of sins, God's love, the resurrection of the dead and eternal life? No, no, a thousand times no. We have certainty precisely because of the Spirit that dwells in us and works among us. The Spirit of the living and resurrected Christ has come to us in the very Word of God to convince us and assure us that we are His children. Because He lives--and He most certainly does--we too will live with Him forever.

A Dream Within A Dream

I did not sleep well last night. I could not stop my mind from going over and over a conversation I had with my Granddaughter Cassie about an end-of-the-year paper she's preparing for her English class. Part of the paper is based upon Edgar Allen Poe's poem:

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

What got to me was the despair: O God! can I not save one grain of golden sand from the pitiless wave? That image brought back the pain and suffering of last summer's hurricane Ike here along the Texas Gulf Coast. Above is a photograph I took when walking along that surf-tormented shore many months after the storm had passed.

As I read Poe's poem I see myself as that battered, broken and nearly collapsed beach house. And I ask the same questions as did Poe: Is all that we see or seem but a dream, yes even a dream within a dream? What can be done to stop my days from slipping through my fingers like grains of golden sand?

I stand upon the shore of that vast ocean of eternity, realizing that nothing, nothing at all that I do can rescue me. I who am nearly twice the age Poe was when he died, must also face the inevitable.

That's why I did not sleep well last night. Ah, but that's not the end of the story. I have heard another voice, speaking from beyond the darkness of death. It is the voice of the angel standing before the empty tomb. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him." Yes, He is risen and it is not a dream. NOT A DREAM!

So I awake today and the songs of the birds continue. The soft morning breeze whispers in my ear. The flowers blooming on the deck outside my study smile at me. Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? Oh no! Never again. My Jesus lives and I too shall live with Him--forever!

Living in the Living Savior

The first of this month of March I began to serve what we, in our circles, call a vacancy. That's not a Biblical term. It is simply a way of saying that the congregation is searching for a full time, permanent pastor and in the meantime another pastor--or in our case two--is called by the Lord through the congregation to serve them with the Word of God and the Sacraments. That's where I am. I'm one of a team of two pastors serving Living Savior Lutheran Church in this 'vacancy'.

I love the name of this congregation--Living Savior. I love it because it points directly to Jesus. When the LORD confronted Moses on Mount Horeb to send him to lead Israel out of captivity, Moses asked, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

The name means not only that the Lord exists, but that He is present and active in the lives of His chosen people. He is the Living One, the Eternal One who is sending Moses in answer to their prayers. That is His name. This name became known among them by four letters, YHWH. In Hebrew the vowels are implied, but were not originally written in the text until after the time of Christ.

Anyway, to make a well known story short, they began to regard this Name as being so unique and holy that they would not even speak it. Instead, they substituted their word for LORD or Master whenever they saw it written in the sacred texts. In many English translations we see all the letters of the name capitalized as LORD. This is a way of indicating that the Name YHWH is in the original Hebrew, a name unspoken by the pious Israelites, because they feared to take the Name of the LORD in vain.

When Jesus, the Word of God, came among us, He laid claim to this Name. The Apostle John records many instances of this in his Gospel. For instance, confronted by the Pharisees about His age and His claims, Jesus replied, "Before Abraham was, I AM!" Of course, they all knew what He meant. That's why they tried to stone Him to death. He was making himself equal to the LORD.

This LORD tells us directly why He has come among us. In that same Gospel we hear Him speaking of Himself as the sheep gate through whom His sheep pass on their way to abundant and full life. He says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

We who call ourselves by His Name (we translate it as Living Savior), are now asking ourselves what it means to go through Him to live. What is this abundant life that this Living One, this Living Savior, brings? And how is He leading us to live it?

We have some clues. We have much to learn. One of the vital clues is to be found in the writings of the Apostles. Peter, for instance, speaks of us Christians as living stones built upon THE Living Stone. Paul picks up this understanding when he asks the question, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." In this instance the words 'your body' are plural. That is, Paul is not talking about a single person, but rather about the entire body of believers gathered by and filled with the Holy Spirit.

So we Living Savior people are asking ourselves what this means for us. How is the Living Spirit of the Living Savior living in us leading us to live? As we grow together and prepare to go together out into our part of the world, we will keep asking such questions. I am quite assured that our Living Savior will answer them. We need only to listen and to follow.

Eternal Life Here And Now

Over the years I've used many different approaches to the study of the Bible for both personal and professional spiritual growth. For instance, when I served full time as a parish pastor I spent most of the week studying the texts for the upcoming Sunday's liturgy--the appointed OT lesson, Epistle and Gospel lessons. More often than not, liturgical churches of many denominations used the same lessons. I usually preached my sermon on one of those same lessons. My study then served to strengthen my faith and, in turn, allowed me to share what I was hearing from God's Holy Spirit with my parishioners.

More recently I've been working my way through one of the Gospels--in the original language. While I have studied both Greek and Hebrew I've never felt I was a master of those languages. And in these days I do not need to be, because some wonderful helps are available either on CD, DVD or online. One of my favorite online resources is the Blue Letter Bible. One doesn't need to be a master linguist to use that website, I find. Of course, it is most helpful to be able to read the languages, but beyond that the work of discovering things like the tense, verb form, etc. is all done for you. A less extensive, but nevertheless helpful website is Bible Gateway with all those translations by which you can compare how others viewed the passage before you.An approach I've been using this summer is to read a book by a systematic theologian in a devotional manner. That is to say, I've been studying a couple theologians' works very carefully, meditating and pondering the Scriptures quoted as I do and opening myself to the guidance of God's Spirit for my personal life. The book I'm currently using is from the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series, XII: The Lord's Supper by Dr. John R. Stephenson. As I read Dr. Stephenson's words today I was very comforted when he pointed me to the words of our Lord Jesus recorded in John 17:3:

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.""Eternal life," writes Dr. Stephenson, "is not merely a future state, but rather the one true life whose fullness we already possess, albeit hiddenly. Along with His presence in the other means of grace, Jesus sacramental presence sustains the struggling, pilgrim church as a prolepsis of His future parousia."

Now there you have it, a sentence by a theologian with mysterious words and phrases like means of grace, sacramental presence, prolepsis and parousia. I'll do my best to translate and share why this became so important to my heart this day.

When Jesus comes to us, he comes through means, not directly out of thin air as some suggest. He comes to us through His Word, our Baptism, His Supper, the words of forgiveness spoken by another believer and through the words and thoughts of others based upon His Word. These are the means by which His grace and mercy enter our lives to strengthen and confirm our faith.

The Bible further teaches that the same Jesus who was crucified upon the cross of Calvary is present in the Lord's Supper. In this Supper He is as bodily close to us as He was to Mary and Joseph, His disciples and apostles. In His Supper He meets us to comfort and encourage us with His presence.

The Supper thus becomes a prolepsis. In it we have a foretaste of what is to come - we with Him and He with us forever. Meanwhile we await His parousia, His return in glory. However it has been two thousand years that we have been waiting. Where is He? The answer lies in the promises and reminders from the Apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:8-9):

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
It's coming. It truly is. This is as certain as the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Meanwhile, we are not anxious. We already have eternal life in Him. He has claimed us. We are His. He is with us, here and now in bodily form in the Supper as He says, "This is my Body . . . my Blood." So we are patient, because we knows He wants everyone to come to repentance and find in Him the joy that we already have.

The wonder is we have so much to look forward to. So we join the early church in that prayer spoken in the Aramaic language used by Jesus: Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus. Come back and make all things new. Come Lord Jesus. Come even now in the blessed Supper to be with us, to comfort and strengthen us for the journey that still lies before us. Be for us the Bread of life, our Manna in the wilderness. Come, Lord Jesus, come!