Halloween, The Reformation, and Me

As I write (October 31, 2017), it is the 500^th anniversary (October 31, 1517) of Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saint’s Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Simply put, Luther did this because he took issue with the selling of indulgences. An indulgence would allow someone to reduce or eliminate the punishment one would have to undergo as a result of sin.

According to history, Luther’s struggle really began to come to light in 1513. While preparing for some lectures he read Psalm 22:1, the very verse Jesus quotes from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” According to Luther, this is exactly how he felt. Two years later Luther would read Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith.” This would begin the spiritual journey that led to the posting of his Theses. The truth be told, Luther apparently had no desire to split the Catholic Church, just to reform it.

While Luther may have simply been trying to get the attention of his leaders, his message spread like wild fire. Other leaders got hold of what Luther had written and in short order it spread to all of Germany, and ultimately to all of Europe. The rest of Luther’s life was spent defending himself and his teachings. Nonetheless, God used what Luther wrote to bring about a reformation in the church and a rediscovery of a gospel of grace.

In reviewing this history, there are several things that have stood out to me.

First of all, neither Luther or any of the other reformers were perfect, not even close. Most of these men would not have been qualified to lead our churches or serve as our deacons. Most of them were abrasive and some were downright mean and hateful. Luther himself seemed to have a big issue with those of Jewish decent and certainly with anyone who would oppose him. He often said mean and hateful things about both groups. However, God used him anyway. Like many of the biblical characters who had major flaws, God used these men to bring about His desired outcome.

We must remember that while we are not perfect, we can be available. Certainly, we do not have a license to sin, but we must also know that our sin does not disqualify. We should be a people that is repentant and available. We never know what God might do with us, in spite of our failings.

Second, we never know how God might use us. Luther was a man wrestling with his own faith and bordering on depression at times. As he was “working out his own salvation,” he called for change in the church, mainly the cessation of the selling of indulgences. I am sure he never imagined the outcome of his actions. We, too, never know what God is going to do. We must always be alert and prepared for what God might bring about.

Finally, we must remember that “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Luther was living in a deep, dark place. He sought God in his hour of desperation and God made Himself clear to Luther. If we find ourselves in a similar dark and hopeless place, or even if we simply hunger for God, we must now that He will reveal Himself to us, if we will honestly seek Him. Do not turn away from God. Come to Him openly and honestly and see what He might do.

As we go about the fun of gathering and eating Halloween candy, let us not forget that something of great significance happened on this day. Out of a place of desperation, hopelessness and seeking, the Reformation was born. Remove this series of events from history and likely none of us are in the place that we are today.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Spreading His Fame

It has been four or five years since I first heard the phrase, “Let’s make Jesus famous.” The first time I heard it I had a duel reaction. On the one hand, I thought it sounded pretty catchy. I simply thought of it as using a new vernacular as we look for new and fresh ways to communicate our call to share the love of Christ with others. On the other hand, I thought, “wait a minute, can we make Jesus famous?” So, I found myself caught between these two opposing ideas.

As is often the case with theological thought, over the next days and weeks I continued to ponder these things. Then, in my Bible reading one morning I read this, “But they went away and spread his fame through all that district” (Matthew 9:31). Suddenly, it made sense. We do not make Jesus famous, rather we spread His fame. Scripture tells us, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). I do believe it will be difficult to make someone more famous than that.

Why do these things matter? Is it simply a matter of semantics? Maybe. But, here is the thing we must recognize; if we are followers of Christ, we serve the very one to whom every knee will bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. There is no greater privilege than that. This fact ought to humble us, stir us, break us, motivate us, and drive us. And yes, it should cause us to desire to be a part of the spreading of His fame.

Part of the problem with the idea of making Him famous is that it implies God needs something from us. We are reminded in Acts 17:25 that God is not, “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” So, we walk away with two truths. First, God needs nothing from me but invites me to be a part of what He is doing. Second, it is He who gives life and breath. For these two reasons, God deserves our praise and obedience.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

The NFL, Anger, and a Nation Divided

If you are a Facebooker, you know that when you open the page you are greeted with the question, “What’s on your mind?” Oh, how I wish I could answer that question honestly. As I write, we are in the midst of a huge NFL controversy where by a number of players have decided to kneel in protest of what they perceive to be racial inequalities in our nation. At the same time, I awoke to the news of a shooting in Las Vegas where 50 plus lives have been lost and over 400 people have been injured. Additionally, it seems that our nation is more divided than I can ever remember.

I find myself to be very frustrated. It seems that we ought to be able to do something. Surely, we can bring peace, or reason with one another, or at least just agree to disagree. Instead, we talk over one another, we yell, and we let anger get the best of us. We speak quickly and therefore hastily. Instead of making progress, we further bog ourselves down. When and where will it stop?

With that being said, here are some of my thoughts. You may agree or disagree, but I just need to get it out there.

Show respect to our nation and our flag. I grew up in a very patriotic home. My grandfather left my grandmother and two of my aunts in a half-finished house to go and fight World War II. I have had countless other aunts and uncles that have made careers out of serving this great country. We encounter men and women every day that have served this country at great expense to themselves and their families. The horrors that our men and women have seen in war are unfathomable to those of us who have never been in those theaters. Without a doubt, they deserve our respect. It certainly makes me angry to see people disrespect this great country or her flag.

Protect the freedom of speech. For Christians, we must recognize that freedom of speech and religious liberty are inextricably linked. If one falls, the other goes with it. We cannot be guilty of thinking our freedom of speech matters while other’s do not. While we might completely disagree with what someone is saying, we must defend their right to say it. If others are restricted in what they can say and how they can say, then the day will come that we are restricted as well.

Certainly, some will say, “I’m not going to watch a bunch of spoiled millionaires protest during our anthem.” To you I would say, you have every right to turn off the TV as many have done. Again, acknowledging someone’s right to do something does not mean you agree with his or her method or means.

Does racial injustice exist? I must admit, I have been slow to come to understand this. I have not personally witnessed this or intentionally been a part of it, therefore it must not exist…or does it.

The Denison Forum Reports (www.denisonforum.org, September 26, 2017):

• African American defendants receive longer sentences than white defendants for the same crimes under identical circumstances.
• Innocent black people are about seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people.
• A black prisoner serving time for sexual assault is three and a half times more likely to be innocent than a white sexual assault convict. He is also likely to receive a much longer prison sentence.
• In one study, African American males were twice as likely to be stopped by police in cars or on foot. Another study showed racial disparities in traffic stops during the day, when the race of the driver can be seen, but not at night.
• There’s good news as well: According to the FBI, racially and ethnically motivated hate crimes fell by nearly 50 percent between 1994 and 2015. Only 4 percent of Americans approved of interracial marriage in 1959; 87 percent approve today.
• However, racial discrimination still exists in hiring practices, education, media bias, and movies and television.

I think it is important for us to recognize that everyone’s reality is not the same. Just because I have not seen it or experienced it does not mean it is not happening.

Listen to each other. Scripture implores believers, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19). This is something that we are not taught to do these days. It seems as if we have flipped the teachings of this verse and we are slow to hear and quick to speak, and quick to anger. Obviously, it is not working.

Take time to listen to others. Listen to their heart. Make an honest effort to hear and understand what they are saying. In the end, you may disagree, but you listened. You kept your anger in check and tried to hear and feel what your neighbor is sensing.

Live by the Golden Rule. Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Simple enough. Let me throw a scenario at you. What if a group of Christian athletes, broken for the sinful condition of our nations, decided that during the national anthem they were going to kneel and pray for revival in our land? What if they stated that they wanted to call attention to this nation’s need to return to being “one nation under God”? What if they stated that they were praying for a mighty awakening to sweep through our nation?

I can’t know for sure how we would respond, but I certainly feel some would celebrate such a display of Christian devotion. I have a hunch that we might praise them in our churches and point to them as an example for our children. So, maybe the action of some athletes is not our concern, maybe it is the issue we disagree with.

Of course, much of this calls for speculation. However, I only ask that we would respond as Christ would. At least take time to listen. Consider that your reality might not be the same as someone else’s. In the end, you might determine they are protesting about nothing, but at least you will have taken time to listen.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell