God's Will Be Done

A part of our Lord's Revelation to John the Apostle that we'll be reading at worship tomorrow morning:

21 ¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

What does that mean?  There is a lot that can be said.  But, just to whet your appetite, here's part of a commentary by Brian Peterson, Professor of New Testament at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC:

God will wipe away every tear (verse 4a). This is surely one of the most moving images in scripture. The connection to the former things passing away (verse 4b) is crucial here. The promise is not only that God will wipe away any tears that might happen to linger on our cheeks after that Last Day, but that God will reach back through time to wipe away all the pained tears ever shed.

God will not just comfort us and help us to forget the bad things, but God will redeem the whole sorry story of human history. This is part of the deep hope of apocalyptic texts: salvation cannot come for me, in its full sense, as long as the terrible effects of my sins continue to ripple through the world... The promise here is that the chain reaction of human sin will be ended, and all the tears will be wiped away. The tears that God must wipe away are not only the tears we shed, but also the tears we cause.

We do not need to wait until we get to heaven.  The time for deliverance is now!  Lift up a suffering friend or family member to the Lord tonight!  If you can, go to them with others that care.  Gently touch their heads or shoulders and pray that they will know how precious they are in God's eyes.  Pray God's best now.  And keep praying.  This is God's will, made possible when Jesus took our all our sins to his cross and rose victorious to give us a new life.

Will you pray with me?

Father God, come and begin wiping tears now through your precious promises.  Through your Holy Spirit, come and do your work.  Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Bring suffering ones we name before you out of the scarred past and into the light of your presence now.  Give them a glimpse of your forever and ever love.  Begin and continue and complete your healing work. In Jesus' name.

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Leaving the Building

Two weeks ago at the SW MN Synod Assembly several of us went to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church where we learned Doorway Evangelizing.  People from Gloria Dei has been praying for people in their neighborhoods and we went out to knock on some doors.  We brought a treat and asked "Is there anything we could pray for you?"  We did something similar last Sunday here in Cokato.  We met at 10:00 in the church library for prayer, asked the Lord to lead us, then went out with pieces of Karen Ake's birthday cake and a prayer request slip.  In both cases, people were blessed.  We'll try it again tomorrow.  Meet in the library for prayer at 10:00.  Some will just pray, others will go out.

It's good to invite people to church.  But it's even sometimes more helpful to just go to where they are.  Take a look at the following video and let me know what you think.

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Prayer for the Holy Spirit

A wonderful old hymn by Ralph Vaughn Williams.  You can listen by going to the cyberhymnal site.  Please pray that I and all in need would be given this grace today... and tomorrow... and every day until we see Jesus face to face.  Maranatha!

Come down, O love divine, seek Thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace, till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.

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Faith Lift

NOTE: The audio from this event is available by clicking on this link to the Hosanna! Lutheran Church website. Lots worth listening to there. I highly recommend the presentation by Gemechis Buba.

FAITH LIFT

Lighthouse Conference

At Hosanna! Lutheran Church

9600 163rd Street W

Lakeville, MN 55044

952-435-3332

hosannalc@hosannalc.org

Sunday, June 6, 6:00 p.m. through Tuesday, June 8, 12:00 noon

We have our son's graduation from high school on Sunday, June 6, but on Monday June 7 - 8 I plan to attend this awesome Faith Lifting Event.  Will you come with me?  The worship, the speakers and the workshops will help us move from activities to impact, from developing programs to developing people, from internal focus to external force, from ministry to mission. If you would appreciate a ride or a scholarship, email me or call Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cokato at 320-286-5964.

Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is Hosanna? Hosanna! Lutheran Church is 25 miles south of downtown Minneapolis; 20 minutes from MSP International Airport, and two minutes from both Caribou and Starbucks. (Click here for detailed driving directions to Hosanna!)
2. Who is hosting Faith Lift? Hosanna! is the site, but the conference is hosted by The Lighthouse Covenant Team – a group of mission-minded, fired-up followers of Jesus Christ. You can read more about the Lighthouse Covenant on Facebook.
3. Is this for Lutherans only? Absolutely not. Faith Lift is for all believers who want to go from pilot light to full ignition, in terms of missions, evangelism, prayer, outreach, and Kingdom. (A special note to Lutherans: Are you staying in the ELCA? We want to support you. Are you thinking about leaving the ELCA? We want to support you. Have you left the ELCA? We want to support you.)
4. Who should come from my church? Pastors, staff members, lay leaders, worship teams, prayer teams, young adults, hockey moms, and insurance salesmen. By the way, even your grandmother would love this gathering.
5. What should I expect?
     • You will come away encouraged and convinced that this is the best time ever to be a missional follower of Jesus Christ.
     • There will be inspirational, powerful worship with personal ministry time available for all.
     • There will be teaching and tools to equip you to lead and succeed in transforming your church from ministry maintenance to missional movement. Really.
     • This could be the best networking event of the year for those who know God is on the move and they don’t want to miss the bus.
     • Good food, laughter, a bookstore/resource center, wireless internet, and really clean restrooms.
6. Who is speaking?
     • Reggie McNeal, Missional Leadership Specialist and Author of Missional Renaissance
     • Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, Director of African National Ministries, ELCA
     • Rick Bliese, Professor of Missions and President, Luther Seminary
     • David Housholder, Lead Pastor of Robinwood Church
     • Bill Bohline, Lead Pastor of Hosanna!
     • There will be breakout sessions on worship, prayer, missions, new relationships, post-modern culture, and more.
7. What if we have other questions? We have other answers. Please contact the coordinator of the Lighthouse Conference, Mari Strong, maris@hosannalc.org or 952-898-9132.

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A Variety of Pieties... & what that means for us

I encourage you to look at Pastor David Housholder's online journal for today.  He describes various kinds of spiritual temperaments, various "pieties" that he labels Athletic, Cool, Warm and Hot.  A "piety" in this sense is the "style" or "culture" of Christian behavior that is common in a particular church.

Here are some quick definitions, but I'd like to encourage you read the original journal entry for a fuller picture.

• Athletic piety means a serious sort that focuses on issues, saving the lost, bringing justice to the oppressed, and questions of right and wrong.
  
• Cool or "Deep" piety is liturgical, contemplative, formal and suspicious of whatever might be emotionally laden.  Hymns must be doctrinally sound.
  
• Warm piety is affectionate and informal.  Hugs and hand raising are part of this, as are songs and preaching that is full of emotion. Testimonies are commonplace.
  
• Hot is "warm piety with the intensity turned up."  Almost anything can happen, deliverance and personal prophecies are a normal part of worship. 

Here's the comment I posted:

So who are we in Cokato? And who am I in this congregation? And what does this have to do with the pain so many in our church are suffering as we go through the ELCA kerfuffle? I can think of individuals in our local, small town church who are cool, warm and athletic. My son has gotten a dose of HOT and it’s scared the bejeebers out of some in our family. Personally, I grew up a nice blend of warm and cool. The warm side was nurtured through [Lutheran] Youth Encounter, etc., and pretty much won out except I’m more intellectual and an ENTJ/P “thinker” by nature… The congregation here is a blend of warm and cool… but the ELCA issues have made many of our warm and cool folks more “athletic” with a tendency to label the others as enemies. A nice long Cursillo weekend would do us all good. Please keep us in your prayers.

Of course, there is a lot more involved than mere "style" or piety. But the styles get mixed up with the theological and biblical positions on various issues so it gets quite uncomfortable and complex. Can God guide us even thorough this? I believe Jesus can.

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Through the Heart

If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?
— from my friend Steve Gerich, quoting Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn - The Gulag Archipelago

Father God, do your work in me.  Convict me of my sin and raise me up through the power of your forgiveness, then fill me with your love.  Let me love others as you have first loved me.  In Jesus' name.

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No Fear

"After Haari Haamer came back from Siberia, he was fearless!"  -- from the We Shall Live in Heaven book jacket

"I carry a bit of that wilderness, the dark night of the soul, within me all the time... It reminds me who I am and teaches me wisdom... I remember my own weakness and God's strength, that God is my provider... [The wilderness] is a place where I cling to that singular hunger for the pure presence of my Lord.  I go back there, or am taken there, whenever my cleansing needs to go deeper, or whenever I have gotten off track in some way." -- from "The Dark Night of the Soul" in the book Burnout: Renewal In the Wilderness by R. Loren Sandford

"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." -- Romans 5:1-5

Where do you find peace?

Is it found in your life situation?

Or does it rest in God?

Will you join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will push us deeper into the arms of our Father God?  I believe that is the way of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Come to prayer this Thursday, here at church, 6:30 until about 7:30 p.m.

Don't run.  Don't be afraid.  Come lay your burden down.  Let the Lord give you His peace.

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The Story of the ELCA

This is from the ELCA's "Mosaic" series.

You can watch it on YouTube by clicking here.

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In His Father's House

My dad's brother, David Thorson, pictured here on Dec. 10, 1952, is fourth from the left in the second row. The photo was taken at his graduation from Air Force Mechanic's school.  A little over three years later, while working on a bomber, he was hit on the back of his head by a revolving propeller.  Fortunately, the injury was not fatal.  David was hospitalized first in Denver and then in Minneapolis.  He eventually moved back to his parents' home where he lived during all of my growing up years.

As a child I never thought much about why David was living at his parents' home.  David was just "David."  I knew he enjoyed drag racing and I was always interested in all his trophies.  Later I found out that he liked roller skating and was very impressed at his ability the time or two we went with him to "Skateland" or one of the many other rinks he frequented.  When my grandpa died, it was David and Grandma living there at 4340 Washington St.  Then Grandma weakened and needed more care at an assisted living place, so David moved an apartment.  While he was there he made hundreds of paper airplanes which he would launch with a rubber band outdoors.  He would eat at Wendys or other fast food places, buy gas and bread and milk where he could find it cheap, and spend hours watching television.

David was not a very ambitious man, but he was kind and generous.  He never spent much money from his air force disability, so on three or four occasions he gave significant gifts to me and others in our family.  He helped me pay off college loans, paid for our airline tickets in 2004 when we went to Brazil, and on his 76th birthday gave his four nieces and nephews several thousand dollars.  I traded my gift back to him in exchange for his 2002 Honda Civic when he could no longer drive.

David died this past week on Tuesday.  At the funeral my brother talked about how David never got caught up in the things of this world.  That is so true.  David was simple in many ways, depending for many things on the care of my aunt Betty.  We are so thankful for Betty and her husband Glen.

In recent years David's suffering has become more obvious.  He broke his leg roller skating many years ago and his leg never really healed.  He had an leg wound for years, was on crutches and then, most recently, in a wheelchair.  He also suffered from headaches.  I have had severe headaches from time to time too, so I know how they can sap a person's ambition and interest in many ways.  His Air Force injury was "fixed" with a steel plate as a replacement for the bone on the back of his skull.  How much that has caused him suffering over the years, and what affects the injury has had on his brain, we may never know.  But, thanks to Jesus, who died for David's sin and who rose again to open the door to new life, David is now rejoicing and whole in the presence of Jesus.

At David's funeral yesterday, Pastor Tom Johnson of First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights, shared the following message.  We are saved by grace, not by what we do.  Praise God!

David Thorson had a little prayer book that he kept with him
His family found it in his personal belongings and they shared it with me
It is a wonderful book of prayers and Bible readings
Looking at the book, and the parts that David had underlined, gave me a glimpse into his soul.

One of the scripture passages printed in the book was our reading from the Gospel of John
--John 14:1-6
It is the well-known story of how Jesus told his disciples not to worry about him because even though he was going to leave them
--he was going to a wonderful place
--which he called the Father’s house
Jesus also told his followers that he would prepare a place for them, also, in the house that he was going to
Jesus’ promise of the next life in God the Father’s house was intended to keep his disciples from being troubled and upset when Jesus died and left them behind

And it was a promise for those who believed in him to look forward to
--that one day they would join Jesus there

Interestingly, David underlined two parts of this story from John 14
The words:
Let not your hearts be troubled
Clearly these words brought comfort to him
It helped him to know that he could look forward to a new home in heaven with God his Father and Jesus his Savior
That promise of Jesus must have given him strength when life was difficult here on earth
Those words of encouragement from Jesus
--Let not your heart be troubled
Must have given him hope

I would echo those words for you who gather together as David’s friends and family today
Don’t let yourselves be overly troubled or distraught
Remember that David has gone to the Father’s house
--and that Jesus has prepared a room for him there

The other part of this Bible passage that David underlined was the very last words:
Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me

How do we know that David is in the Father’s house?
How do we know that he is living in the presence of God the Father?
Because David believed in Jesus
It’s as simple as that
Jesus is the way that David, or anyone else, can come to live in the Father’s house
David knew the way
Jesus is the Way
The way to the Father’s house

Besides scripture passages, there are also a number of prayers in David’s little book
Prayers on a variety of topics
Prayers that could be used on many different occasions
Some of these prayers had parts that were underlined by David
One of the prayers was titled “For My Loved Ones”
Clearly, David’s family was important to him
And he prayed for them
These are the words that David underlined in this prayer:
Bless my loved ones from whom I have been separated; guard and comfort them in my absence and grant that we may soon be reunited again, giving Thee thanks for Thy mercy and tender care.

This prayer takes on special meaning today
David has been separated from you now
But he has asked for God to guard and comfort you
And you will be reunited again
--in the Father’s house with many rooms

David did not lead an easy life
An injury he suffered while in the Air Force continued to bother him the rest of his life
But here, too, David found strength in God’s Word
In a prayer asking God for strength and healing David had written in the margin the reference Romans 8:28
That is the scripture that I read a few minutes ago
Where the Apostle Paul makes the bold claim that
All things work together for good, for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose
Obviously, David believed that
He believed that God could use anything that happens in our lives to bring about good
That was the faith that David had in God’s goodness and grace

There is one other place where David wrote a scripture reference in the margin
It is the reference Matthew 11:28
Perhaps you recognize that reference
It is a well known verse from the Gospel of Matthew
That verse quotes Jesus as saying:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
No matter what burden David had to endure in his life
He knew that he could bring it to Jesus
--and Jesus would give him rest
He could find relief for his burdens as he brought them all to his Savior

Today we will lay David to rest
He will have perfect rest from all his burdens
He will no longer be weary
He will no longer suffer any pain
He will instead be ushered into the Father’s house with many rooms
Jesus, the Way, his Savior, has prepared a place for him
And he will have rest

Thank you, Pastor Tom!  Yes, there is rest for David.  Not only that, but, according to the promises of God, David now has a new body and a new mind.  He is rejoicing with the Lord.  I look forward to the time when I will be with him in the Father's house.

As a little preview of that, after laying David's body to rest with the playing of taps at the cemetery, we took two big bags of paper airplanes and played with them, like children, launching them into the blue sky. What comfort to know we can be children in the eyes of our God--and that we always have a place with Him.

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God's Word Is Our Daily Bread

I picked up the book We Shall Live in Heaven at a convention this week.  It is Pastor Harri Haamer's testimony of faith, recounting his experiences in a Soviet slave labor camp.  One chapter is entitled "My Bread Is Thrown In The Trash."  I haven't finished the book yet but am totally enthralled with Pastor Haamer's story.  It is a testimony to the unfailing power of God's Word.

Here's part of the chapter I mentioned--this happens on July 19, 1948, just before Pastor Haamer is put aboard a railway cattle car to Siberia.:

The officer hands me over to a soldier, who orders me to take off my clothes right there.  The all-too-familiar thievery begins once again.  And yet, the only loot that this man with the red epaulettes gets from me is my wife's letter, my belt and my New Testament.  He orders me to read the letter and throw it away.  That is how I must say good-bye to my wife, tearing to pieces the letter that I have kept with me as kind of a talisman. He puts my belt aside and throws the New Testament into a garbage bin.

I turn to the soldier with a question that startles him, "Why did you throw my bread into the trash bin?"

"What do you mean--your bread?"

"Look, that book is my bread.  If I cannot read it, I will starve to death."

The Russian boy's interest is aroused. He retrieve's my New Testament from the trash bin and asks, "What kind of book is this?"

"It is God's Word."

"Then it's a Bible?" he asks. "But you're not allowed to take it with you."

"But if I ask you for permission, is it still not allowed?"

Apparently this soldier has his heart in the right place.  He stops a passing officer and shows him by book. The officer says, "All right, give it to him," but is suddenly seized by doubts, and takes my treasure to a table where several other officers sit. In the meantime, I have dressed myself once again and approach the table to sign for the things that have been taken from me.

My belt and my New Testament lie on the table.  Neither one is returned to me.  My belt is confiscated because I could use it to hang myself.  My New Testament is kept from me because I might use it to spread propaganda.

A haughty captain sitting at the table reassures me, "You'll get it back when we get there."

"But I'm asking you to give it to me now.  We may have a very long trip.  If I cannot read this book, I will die," I beg.

"Then write your name in the book. That way I'll know it's yorus, and you'll get it back when we get there," the captain replies stubbornly.

Once again I turn to him beseechingly.  "Please let me take the book with me. If you don't let me keep my book, you might as well not give me any bread at all."

"Go," says the captain darkly.

Leaving them very sadly, I turn around to look at them one more time. He calls me back, takes my book from the table, and gives it to me.  He grunts, "Take your book."

I thank him and bless him to the best of my ability.  Then they open the door of a cell filled with men...

Do we value God's Word?  Do we hang onto it for dear life?

Some from our church who have been feeling particular grief and turmoil during recent weeks and months have told me how precious God's Word and prayer have become during these days.

I know that is the case for me.  I don't ever remember searching the scriptures and praying so much as in the past few months.  I do not say this to brag in any way.  I just want to let the people of our church know where I find daily bread so they can find it too.

It is in times of trial that we learn what daily bread really is.

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Religious Patterns and God-Truth

The following is from David Housholder's journal.

I have been especially aware of patterns this week.

People all have a certain way of being in the world. A pattern.

There is a Muslim way of being in the world, a Mormon way, a Right-Wing-Fox-News way, a PC-liberal way, etc.

Some of these patterns are potent (Islam). Some are not so potent (mainline Presbyterianism). Some are on the rise (Hipster-ism), and some are on the decline (the “emerging” church).

I’ve done extensive live-in stints with:

• Lutheranism
  
  
• Action Sports World (surf/snowboard)
  
  
• Theological Academia (22nd grade and a Fulbright Scholarship)
  
  
• Pentecostalism (even wrote a book on it)

Each “ism” has abundant self-serving circular reasoning and tribal litmus tests. They have buzzwords and enemy images.

I am about to be voted off the Lutheran island for good. Sad, because I have nothing against it, and consider myself one of its more original and helpful thinkers.

Am increasingly troubled by the American liberal/conservative polar opposite political thinking. The left doesn’t understand the power and creativity of the free market and globalization, and the right doesn’t understand sustainable environmentalism, and the potency of collectivism for certain public endeavors (fire, utilities, roads, etc.). We are disintegrating into TV attack ads with stupid sound bites. We need an intellectual like Lincoln to come back, who sees deeper nuances.

In any case, these political “patterns” relieve everyone of the responsibility to think.

And the world is just plain out-growing the need for religious patterns. Especially the overwhelming majority of non-fundamentalist global young people.

Let’s just have real conversations about who God really is. Let’s pray together. Let’s talk about Jesus and how his message is so different than that of Buddha (see E. Stanley Jones and the “Egg and the Bubble”). Let’s talk about God’s preferred future rather than argue about the merits of competing eschatological “systems.”

Does God Almighty really care about the victory of Confessional Lutheranism or TULIP Calvinism? Is he secretly pulling for a return to a stricter Reformed theology? Is he really upset about the idea of married Catholic priests? Is he hoping we finally secure the Mexican border?

Are we willing to set aside our patterns, even ones we love, to seek the truth?

I have this crazy idea that God is real, and that he doesn’t report to a pattern.

Let's share -- comment or email.

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Faith Does Not Dwell In Our Brain

From The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz

Faith does not dwell in our brain or in our thoughts.  Faith is not a work which we accomplish; it is not something that we give to God.  Being made righteous by faith does not imply that faith is some kind of payment that will serve in place of our alms-giving and good works.  Is it not written that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are poor in spirit?  Faith is, then, a poverty of spirit, a hunger and thirst, a poor, empty heart opening toward God so that He can put His grace into it.  When God bestows His grace upon us, we are born anew and become partakers of the new life.

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