The Same Word

Click on the video below (or go to this link http://vimeo.com/24691915) to hear a sermon from the ELCA pastor (Jon Anderson) who serves as bishop of the southwestern part of Minnesota--an area that, in the ELCA, is called the Southwestern Minnesota Synod. 

From what I understand, Jon and his staff prepared and uploaded this sermon so that people in ELCA Lutheran congregations could have this message available to them while their pastors and others are at a synod "assembly" this weekend.

The Word of God speaks no matter what church or synod we belong to.  The Holy Spirit is the same everywhere.  Let's praise God for faithful pastors and people wherever they may be.  Pray that all Christians everywhere would be responsive to the Holy Spirit and obedient to the Word of God.

How does this sermon speak to you about God's Work through the Holy Spirit in your life or in the life of your church?  What does it have to say to those of us who are no longer part of the ELCA?



The following is from the Augsburg Confession:

It is also taught that at all times there must be and remain one holy, Christian church. It is the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.

For this is enough for the true unity of the Christian church that there the gospel is preached harmoniously according to a pure understanding and the sacraments are administered in conformity with the divine Word.

It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform ceremonies, instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere. As Paul says in Ephesians 4[:4–5*]: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

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Playing the Fireman?

Last night I got a chance to play a fireman in a VBS Bible-lesson skit. The lesson was from First Kings 18 -- where the prophet Elijah triumphs over the "priests of Ba'al" by praying to the One True God, asking God to send fire from heaven to an altar that was made for the occasion.  God answered powerfully:  "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench" (First Kings 18:38).  Elijah had soaked it all with water so that everyone would know that it was truly God who had answered his prayer.

In the skit, I came in just at the point when Elijah (played by another pastor) and the kids had the altar built and were about ready to pray... I barged in and stopped the skit, warning them all about how dangerous it would be to have fire in the building with all those kids around.  I enjoyed being in the skit, but, as is so often the case, the whole thing made me think.

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, do we worry about the effects He might have in our lives?  Do we try to keep Him under control?  It's no mistake that God's personal presence (The Holy Spirit) is symbolized by fire!  God is not safe*!  He is good, but he's not tame.  When he takes control, we're not (in control)!  And sometimes we'd rather play the fireman and make sure things don't get out of (our) hand(s) than allow God to do what he wants.  When we do that, we not only play the fireman, we play God.

This coming Sunday is Pentecost--seven weeks after the Resurrection of our Lord.  Will we welcome the Holy Spirit?  Or will we try to keep Him under control?  God is so good!  Let's let Him do what he wants!

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* God is not safe.  This reminds me of "Aslan."  Read the item below from http://www.sunriseonline.ca/kings_ehighway/is_a_lion_safe.html and get a copy of the Chronicles of Narnia if you can.  It's great stuff!

Is A Lion Safe?

by Pat Cook, Pastor at Doaktown and Blissfield Wesleyan Churches, New Brunswick

I’ve been a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia for several years now. What’s funny about it is that it was recommended to me by a friend of mine who is decidedly not a believer. That’s funny because Narnia was written by a man who worked hard to make his Christian faith known through his writings, Clive Staples Lewis. His family and friends called him Jack, but he is commonly known as CS Lewis.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a seven-book series written between 1950 and 1956. The first one written and published is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (even though all box sets published nowadays has Lion listed as #2). This book is getting a lot of attention this season, because it has become a major motion picture released this month.

The book/movie is not strictly an allegory, as in, each person or event representing something else in real life. But there are many parallels between the book and the Bible. The most notable connection is Aslan, the lion in the title of the story. I’ll let some quotes from the book describe who Aslan is, but let me first give you some background to the story.

Narnia is another world. Four British schoolchildren, fleeing the air raids of London in World War II, stumble upon a wardrobe (read: walk-in closet for us on this side of the pond) in an old mysterious house in the countryside. This wardrobe, they find, leads them into Narnia, a land covered in snow.

In fact, Narnia always has snow, because there it is always winter. What’s more, in Narnia it is always winter, and never Christmas. It is at the same time wonderful and bleak. You see, Narnia is under a curse. The White Witch Jadis has been ruling the land for 100 years now, keeping Narnians under her thumb with her curse of winter. Oh, that and the fact that she turns her enemies into stone statues.

But the children, the Pevensie siblings, stumble into Narnia at just the right time. They sit down to supper at Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s house for fresh fish and potatoes. After supper, Mr. Beaver reveals an interesting tibdit of information. The Pevensies find out that they are part of an old prophecy which states that four human children – Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve – would sit on four thrones at the beautiful castle of Cair Paravel, and would rule Narnia. But the key is this: they would not do it on their own, because "Aslan is on the move."

At the mention of Aslan, the children each feel a wave of emotion wash over them. Peter, the oldest, suddenly feels very brave and adventurous. Susan and Lucy feel that they are in a wonderful dream. But Edmund, soon to be a traitor, feels guilty and unworthy.

So the children ask: who is Aslan? Well, Aslan is the King and the Lord of the whole wood, Narnia, but he isn’t always there. But the word is, Aslan is back, or at least on his way back.

And he would fix the situation in Narnia. The Witch, whose favorite tactic is turning people and creatures to stone, can’t do that to Aslan. There’s an old saying,

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

You see, Aslan is not just a lion, but he’s a great Lion. He’s the King of the Beasts, and the real ruler of Narnia. Now, Susan asks the beavers, "Is he safe?"

Mrs. Beaver says, "If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly."

Lucy asks, "Then he isn’t safe?"

And Mr. Beaver says this famous line about Aslan: "’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

This is the King. Certainly not safe, but most certainly good. And when he arrives, he will dispel the winter and bring in the spring and break the Witch’s curse and bring new life.

This reminds me of Jesus, the Lion of Judah, especially at this time of the year. Jesus broke the curse of fallen humanity, in a world of always winter and never Christmas. Christmas – Jesus – changed all that.

But is Jesus safe? Was Jesus’ first arrival on earth safe?

Of course not. It cost Bethlehem mothers their babies by the order of the insecure King Herod. It cost Mary her own plans for her family and her life. It cost Joseph the stigma of being the husband to an unfaithful wife.

It cost the wise men a long journey and expensive gifts. It cost the shepherds their jobs, eventually anyway, because the baby born in Bethlehem would end the sacrifice of the shepherds’ flocks.

God’s plans are not always safe, or pleasant, or pain-free. They will sometimes lead us into dangerous places. Missionaries go to unsafe places.

Many believers over the years have lost their lives because they were willing to follow their faith in unsafe places, like Communist regimes, radical Muslim countries, or extreme Hindu nations. If you think that following God’s plans will always lead you to green pastures and beside still waters, you’re in for a shock.

In the words of Simeon, God’s plans for Mary’s life would be like a sword piercing her heart. Were those plans safe? No. But were they good? Oh yes.

The arrival of Jesus brought with it the hope of freedom from our perpetual coldness. It brought forgiveness and warmth and hope. So even when God’s plans are not safe, they are still good.

No one knows the plans God has for each of us. But I have to believe they are good. I have to believe that what God leads us to, He’ll lead us through. Things may not turn out the way we expected or wanted, but if we let God do His thing, our situations will turn out good. Maybe not safe, maybe not easy, but good. His plans for our lives may be painful along the way, but they will still be prosperous.

Jesus Christ: "’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you." Now and forevermore.

Something to Do

I'm waiting here in the lobby of a Holiday Inn Express.  Some of the wedding party is staying here tonight.  Toni and I will be going to my aunt's home soon.  We spent the day getting ready for the wedding and reception (thanks to great family and friends!) and enjoyed the groom's dinner (Filipino food with blessings, prayer and tinikling afterward) provided by my soon-to-be in-laws.  Tomorrow's festivities are at my dad's sister's church - First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights.  I think we're looking forward to a beautiful day.

Getting ready for this wedding makes me so appreciative of all the people in my life, each with his or her own personality and talents.  Some are just really hard workers.  As my uncle chopped fruit, my sister helped Pastor Kevin arrange flowers.  As my many others got the reception area ready, the church staff worked to repair the air conditioning.  It was a sweet picture of the body of Christ on earth.  (See First Corinthians 12:27.)

Because this wedding weekend is pretty well planned it wasn't too hard for any of us to find something to do that was helpful and that each one of us could do fairly well.  I knew enough not to take responsibility for deciding how to place and drape the fancy cloths over the table that will hold the wedding cake.  I could chop fruit, carry some things, and, later, share some scripture and prayer at the rehearsal.  No one asked me to be the photographer or the flower arranger.  Things were well planned and each of us found a worthwhile role. 

It's different, though, on an every day basis.  Sometimes we feel pressured into doing what really isn't something that fits with our personality or talents--and not just for a few hours!  Or, sometimes things just aren't organized well enough to have someone telling us what to do at all and we feel like we're just standing around or sitting, twiddling our thumbs while we know there just has to be some way we can be of help.

This summer, at Crossroads, beginning Monday evening, March 13, we'll help one with this.  For more, see "Summer Start."

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Naomi and Tim

These words, a Biblical warrant for marriage, will be read at the beginning of my daughter's wedding on Saturday:

Dearly Beloved:

Forasmuch as Marriage is a holy estate, ordained of God, and to be held in honor by all, it is good for those who enter into it to consider, with reverence, what the Word of God teaches concerning it.

The Lord God said: It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: Have you not read that He who made them in the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh?  Therefore, they are no more two, but one flesh.'

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A Glance Back

The house is quiet.  Toni is gone until Tuesday, Daniel and Jonathan are working at Okoboji and Naomi is living and working in the Cities.  I have some projects to take care of here at home but what I've been doing for the last few hours is reading--specifically reading online about what's been going on recently in my former denomination, the ELCA.  I've got a book to read too--a memoir by Carl E. Braaten--a Lutheran Theologian who, as far as I know, is still an ELCA pastor.

There are many pastors, including Braaten, who have stayed within the ELCA while being disenchanted with the general direction of that church body.  Braaten has stayed even while being a fierce critic, one of those who has said that the ELCA is becoming a "liberal protestant" denomination rather than a "confessional Lutheran" one.

I, however, finally took the official leap and resigned from the ELCA clergy roster on May 3, 2011. I'm not alone in this.  I wasn't the first to leave and won't be the last.  Over 500 pastors have moved from the ELCA to affiliate with other Lutheran church bodies (such as the LCMC) and others are either currently unaffiliated or are still considering their options.

The reasons for my resignation are complex and are completely known only to God.  Maybe someday I'll write a book, though I'm not sure who would read it, partly because there are so many others who could write books on the same subject.  Each of us would have our own local and individual story to tell.  My own story is VERY local and personal... maybe only interesting to me and a few close friends.

I tend not to say much anymore about the ELCA.  I didn't mention it once in this blog from mid January through mid May, though I see since then I've mentioned the ELCA three times (including this post).

I think the reason I've done some looking back recently is that the time is upon us at Crossroads where we're going to need to be clear about who we are--how we relate to the other local churches, Lutherans in general and, specifically, to ELCA Lutherans--because most of the people at Crossroads have, like me, come out of that denomination--and I believe we've had very good reasons for doing so.

All that being said, there is going to be a lot going on in the ELCA this summer.  The ELCA churches of the "Southwestern Minnesota Synod" have their assembly in June and the whole ELCA has it's so-called "churchwide assembly" in August.  If you're interested you can do some reading too... just look in google news for "ELCA".  It's up to you.

If you are curious about my deeper perspective on these things or anything else, just ask.  Right now, I need to get back to my chores--and to what is ahead.

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Summer Start

Beginning now, and continuing through the summer, we'll be reading and praying through the book Custom Designed: A Life Worthy of the Call.  More about this will be posted soon.  Copies of the book introduction are available -- just ask for one by calling me at 763-291-3499 or by email steve@equalsharing.com.  Please spend some time with the book's introduction before Monday evening, June 13 when we'll meet for supper, conversation and prayer.

The other project is to get going with a Crossroads Youth Program.  Our Lord is calling us to give the next generation a grace-filled, Word of God-faithful and Spirit-led ministry opportunity to be launched in late summer or fall, in cooperation and collaboration with churches and ministries that do good work with youth.  We'll be talking together in the next two weeks and will present the outlines of a program on Sunday, June 12.

On Sunday, June 5, Pastor Ralph Erickson, formerly of Lamson Evangelical Free Church (Dassel) and currently serving Winner Community Church and Whitten Baptist Church in south-central South Dakota.  He'll be speaking on the theme "King Jesus" with scripture from Second Samuel 8.

Please keep praying for Crossroads Community Church, that God's Will would be done in our midst and in the ministry the Lord has set before us.  Also pray that the Lord would favor our faithful farmers with weather that would allow them to plant their crops.  A dry spell would be welcome around here. 

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Picking the Right Battle

These are a few notes that I've written in preparation for preaching tomorrow at Crossroads.

One of the most interesting and sometimes controversial pastors I know goes by the name of David Housholder.   He graduated from the same school for pastors that I did and is now at a church in California.  He wrote a short book about spiritual gifts called Light Your Church On Fire Without Burning It Down.  He travels a lot, speaks to small and large crowds, and is an unashamed sold-out follower of Jesus Christ.

Here are a few lines from a piece he wrote recently called "Come Home, America."

"Come home, America.
Now would be the time.
Al Qaeda has been decapitated. The seven dwarves of wannabe Bin Ladens are hopeless.
The Cold War is over in Europe. As over as leisure suits.
We get most of our oil from the Western Hemisphere. No real reason to import it from the psycho-political Middle East.
Libya is not our problem. The chaos in Mexico is.
Time to come home, America.
We are a New World [western hemisphere] nation.
We started dabbling in Old World politics in McKinley’s administration with the “White Man’s Burden” and the Philippines. It was a slippery slope. 110 years of adventure with a ton of heartache.
Now is the time to realize the great promise of the New World.
The founding fathers warned us against “entangling alliances” in the Old World.
We ignored them.
And we have paid.
And paid.
And paid.
In gold and blood..."

It's Memorial Day Weekend.  Memorial Day began just after the civil war.  It honors those who have died in military service.  Special events will be held tomorrow so we will not forget their sacrifice--early in the morning there will be ceremonies at cemeteries--then will be parades and programs.  The Dassel parade is at 8:45 and the Cokato parade at 10:15.  After each parade there will be a program at both elementary schools--first in Dassel, then in Cokato. I'll be in town tomorrow and I'm planning to go. 

It's good for us, as Christians, to honor those who serve our nation.  Jeremiah 29 says this: "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."  Romans 13 says: "Everyone must submit himself or herself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."  And from First Timothy 1: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Honestly, I'm thankful for those who do their best to keep this sin-filled, violent and unfair world from falling into total chaos.  I am thankful for all who serve in the military.  I'm thankful for our representative system of government.  I am thankful for the freedom we have to express thoughts and opinions without fear.  I'm thankful that there is still a general sense in this country that things should be fair and honest, even if we fail at those virtues often.  The United States is a very good place to live and we have a lot going for us!  Our nation is based on many good Christian principles, and, even though some of those are under attack, it's still a blessed land.

God bless America!  Land that I love!  Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with the light from above!  From the mountains, to the prairies, to the ocean, bright with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home.

Well... sort of...  You know this, but America is NOT really my home.  It's the place we live for now.  It's a place we can be thankful for and do our best to improve.  But it's not home.  A few minutes ago (above) I used Bible verses from Jeremiah and Romans and First Timothy to talk about why we should honor our country.  I use Bible verses because you and I are not Americans first.  Because of what Jesus did on the cross for us, we belong to him!  First Corinthians 6 (19-20) says "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."  We honor God first, and, because God wants to honor our country, we do that too.

The truth is that no country on this earth will ever be God's Country.  There are people who belong to God, just as much as you and I do, in every country on this earth.  And even when a country like ours uses at least some of God's commandments as the basis of its laws, even when a country like ours has leaders who say that they are Christian and even when those Christian leaders pray and follow Jesus in every way, you still won't have God's country here.  That's one of the things we learn from God's Word.  Just before he died on the cross to buy us for himself, he said: "My Kingdom is NOT from this world.  If it were, my followers would be fighting..." (John 18:36)  This is not God's country.  We've been put here to do God's business, but we will never be able to put an equal sign between any particular country on this earth and the will of God.  It's too full of sin--your sin, my sin, and the works or forces darkness, the devil and his demons that are constantly hounding us.

So, speaking as a Christian, I'd like to do something even more radical than Pastor Housholder.  He said it's time to bring our service men and women home from the Eastern Hemisphere.

He says: "It is time to:

1. Pull our troops out of Europe.
2. Pull our troops out of Korea.
3. Leave the Eastern Hemisphere, militarily. 100% withdrawal.
4. Help Mexico fix Mexico.
5. Establish a free trade zone in the Western Hemisphere, the New World.
6. Stop worrying about trade with India and China. If they won’t play nice (which they won't), then transfer those jobs to North and Latin America.
7. We won’t even start with the schizophrenic nation of Pakistan, our worst ally… ever.
8. Build a world-class freight railroad system from Alaska to Chile.
9. Re-align the military to protect the Western Hemisphere. Seamlessly. With big oceans on both sides and no natural enemies, we are easy, and cheap, to defend.
10. Develop a joint Western Hemisphere Navy (like NATO was) to which we would supply 3, not 12, carrier groups.
11. Thus save trillions in military expenditures and foreign aid, all the while enhancing our security. Oh, by the way, this would balance the budget.
12. Be on good terms with the Old World, but stay out of their un-solvable feuds.
13. Have every student in our hemisphere learn English and Spanish in addition to his/her native tongue. No exceptions.
14. Create a national volunteer service throughout the hemisphere to build the infrastructure. Mandatory two years after high school. Get our young people out from in front of screens with video games and Simpsons reruns and out doing some good.
15. Eliminate drug cartels.

Now those might be some good ideas. I'm no politician, and neither David nor I have the responsibility for the military or political strategies of the United States.  I think he's just trying to get the conversation going, and that's a good thing.  But I would like to use what David says as an analogy to think about where we are spending the time and energy and money God has given us.

I say it's time to bring our Christian soldiers home to the Kingdom of God, and to quit spending so much time and energy worrying and working to try to save the old world systems and to go out, not in the name of America, and not to save the United States, but to go out and to pray and pray to save the people God loves wherever and whoever they may be.  We spend a lot more time and energy than we should on things that really don't matter, things that are a part of the old world, the one we don't belong to anymore.  Yes, we want to honor our nation and its leaders and its servicemen and servicewomen, but we do that because God tells us to, not because somehow our country has a claim on us.  And I would even say this: since the world or the nation as a whole is not going to be saved for God, I think we ought to reconsider how much time and energy we put into arguments about politics and politicians, and, instead, come back to the Kingdom of God and work on things that will really make a difference in people's lives.

Do we really want to try to get the world out there to follow God's commands without first knowing God's grace and love?   The Bible passage we read from John 14 (see below) says that the world as whole cannot receive God the Holy Spirit and cannot see Jesus!  That's the battle I choose!  Let's pray and love and share the good news so many will know Jesus Christ and be saved--one by one.

So where should we be investing what God has given us?  How do we move our energy and time and resources from the old world to the new?  In the Spiritual Warfare class that we just finished on Monday nights, we learned about things that will really make a difference... preaching and sharing the good news in various ways with various groups of people--with the young, the old, those who come to church and those who don't, serving suffering people, giving our money--this breaks the hold our money has on us, reacting rightly--that is, reacting to adversity in God-honoring ways--not panicking or reacting with fear or hate--reacting with trust--knowing that God will eventually have the victory, fasting--setting aside what we think we need or what we want so we depend more fully on God, repenting of our sin and exercising faith, giving our money generously--giving money instead of hanging onto it breaks the power money has on us, persevering in doing God's will--not giving up when things get hard, worshiping and praising God--honest praise and heartfelt worship pushes the darkness back spiritually and psychologically, and, most of all, what we learned about from Bjorn Pedersen last week, praying, interceding, coming with our requests to God, putting our requests in words and praying consistently and specifically--grieving over those who are lost and praying that they might be found!

These may not seem to be as effective or as important as building up our military or making sure we have good and god-honoring laws, but the Bible teaches us that these are the most important things indeed because they flow out of a loving relationship with God, a relationship he initiates with us when we come to know that he gave his life for us on the cross.  But in order to do these things more effectively, it will be necessary for us to pick and choose our battles based on God's Word, and not based on what others may think.

A more complete version of this will be, God willing, shared tomorrow morning in worship.

Jesus is here speaking to his disciples in John 14:

  ... ¹² I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

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A Trip to the Zoo

On Wednesday I had the privilege of driving a bus-full of second graders (with teachers and chaperones) to the Minnesota Zoo.  Since I didn't have responsibility for kids I could take my time and read about some of the animals, especially on the "Tropics Trail."  While reading, I saw the word "evolve" many times.

What do you think of evolution?  I've never been convinced by those who completely reject it.  Because I don't believe the Bible is intended to tell us everything there is to know about science, I have never had any problem believing God could very well have used natural processes (such as natural selection) in order to bring the incredible species into being--every one is, I believe, a wonderful creation of God!  Evolution, if it exists, is simply the means by which the creation may have occurred over time.

Here's a summary of what seems close to my own position that I've referred people to before on Wikipedia:

Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. In short, theistic evolutionists believe that there is a God, that God is the creator of the material universe and (by consequence) all life within, and that biological evolution is simply a natural process within that creation. Evolution, according to this view, is simply a tool that God employed to develop human life.

Theistic evolution is not a scientific theory, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to religious belief and interpretation. Theistic evolution supporters can be seen as one of the groups who reject the conflict thesis regarding the relationship between religion and science – that is, they hold that religious teachings about creation and scientific theories of evolution need not contradict...

What do you think?  Let's talk about this!  Do we all need to agree?  Faithful Christians have read the Bible accounts of Genesis more or less literally or poetically for centuries.  I hope we can respect one another and the scientists who continue to learn about this wonderful world God has made.

------
For a 2008 post on this topic see "No Discussion?"


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Planting Time

Last night we had our second Crossroads Community Church transition team meeting.  We're getting a lot done on necessary details.  As I've mentioned before, the Biblical basis of this team is found in Acts 6, where the early Christian church found it necessary to appoint certain people to take care of getting things organized. Important to do.

But life goes on, and we can't wait until everything is all in place to be praying and acting in faith!  Before last night's 7:30 meeting, there was a time for prayer.  As we heard last Sunday, prayer is the most important thing we can do.  As we pray, we open ourselves to the purposes of God and allow Him to speak to us, urging us on to those actions and plans that God himself chooses.  Please, as a matter of first importance, be in prayer for all, including for Crossroads Community Church.  Please gather with others for prayer as you are able!  Jesus promises to be with us in a special way when two or three are gathered together in his name!

We began last night's meeting with a reading of several Bible verses quoted in The Custom Designed Church -- a book we will soon be looking at in more depth.  I then read the following passage from the Brazilian Lutheran author Lindolfo Weingärtner. In this book, entitled Planting Time (Tempo de Plantar) the author introduces us to a young Lutheran pastor (Orlando) who is just returning to work after a long hospital stay--he had been badly injured in a car accident and was on his way toward a full recovery.  The book follows a pastor through the ups and downs of his work in a multiple-point parish in southern Brazil, an agricultural area where generations of Lutheran Christians have lived since the 1800s. 

No sábado, além do casamento programado...

On Saturday, besides the wedding that had been planned for that day, Pastor Orlando led worship at one of his small congregations -- and on Sunday he led three others in different locations.  Because Orlando still had his broken leg in a cast, Avelino drove the pastor to each church in his pickup truck, and Orlando asked him if he would participate actively in leading worship, reading scripture and the prayers.  At the last service, in the afternoon, in Pedras Brancas, the blacksmith (Avelino), at Orlando's suggestion, stepped up to speak to the congregation, improvising what he said at the moment.  He gave a wise and clear personal testimony, using words that were simple and down to earth.  It was the first time he had spoken at worship. 

Pastor Orlando noted that Avelino, who was accustomed to beat red hot iron with a heavy hammer in his work, spoke with great sensitivity, using words that carried weight with the people, bearing the authority of someone who had lived as a real every-day Christian man.  Orlando realized that there could a lot of benefit for a church in having the pastor laid up at times.  His deficiencies had encouraged Avelio to actively engage in the public proclamation of the Gospel.  If Avelino had felt that the pastor already had everything ready, in his notebook or in his head, ready to exercise the theological monopoly of an educated man, it would have been difficult for him to gather the courage to open his mouth.

It would be necessary to continue in this direction.  There were many spiritual gifts among the people of the church, but also many that had atrophied from a lack of use!  The Lutheran tradition, in this area, was not good.  That tradition practically restricted the preaching of the Gospel to the pastor.  Such a monopoly was not biblical, it was not apostolic.  It would be necessary to awaken those suffocated gifts and allow them to bear fruit for God!

What parallels can you find between their situation and ours?  How can we encourage one another to step out in faith even before we have everything all put together?  Can we, like Avelino just "do it," trusting God to supply what we need? 

It is spring!  It's time to plant!  The fall will be here before we know it!  Talk and PRAY with others about what the Lord lays on your heart, and let's go!

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Real Isn't Instant

http://youtu.be/hsB4UGLQ5C4

I remember the song "Instant Breakfast" from the 1970s or 80s. Pastor Bryan Lowe refers to it in his blogpost from earlier today (Alaska time).  As I read or hear the words (see link to song from the group "Wendy and Mary" above) I think of how many things have changed since then--Polaroid cameras and Avon ladies are are gone--but we still like things quick and easy, including our relationship with God. 

Here are the lyrics:

“Instant breakfast, instant life,
Anything easy ‘cuz that’s what we like –
Fast food places and banks with no lines,
Anything easy, that will do fine.

Microwave ovens, mom's dream come true -
Put it on credit, take it with you.
Drive through car wash only 2.98 -
Very convenient the American Way.

Polaroid cameras, remote garage doors,
Instant coffee, K-Mart stores,
Avon ladies right at your door,
Home computers, who could want more?

Instant Christian, changed overnight,
Anything easy ‘cuz that’s what we like.
Help me grow, Lord.  Show me how.
Give me the patience!  I want it now!”

Real Christianity, however, is anything but easy!  Here's a reflection on this truth from Pastor Bryan Lowe at http://brokenbelievers.com/2011/05/25/instant-breakfast/

“Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” 2 Cor. 4:10, ESV

Somebody has been pulling your leg! There isn’t any provision added to your contract with the Father that releases you from “any pain or duress while acting as a disciple while in this dark world.” This “rider clause” doesn’t work, it has no validity or legal precedent–it simply is not true.

Not everyone agrees with me on this point. But becoming a saint is not an automatic or a painless process. Discipleship is like being mashed until you are soft and gracious inside, and that my friend, takes a lot of time and tears, in equal proportions. Painless Christianity and spontaneous sainthood is definitely fiction. It is a lie, and a crooked one at that.

Just pour a little water on it, and presto-chango! And stand back and watch it grow.

Perhaps our “hi-tech” culture gives us false expectations. We have the microwave, high-def TV, fast food places and the computer/internet (my fave.) I guess that I’m trying to say is that we think that there is a corresponding effect into spiritual things. But there isn’t.

Spiritual growth or discipleship is a definite growth process. The incredible redwood forests of Northern California where all once tiny, vulnerable seeds. But something happened! They grew and grew. It took centuries to attain their amazing heights. We see them in the present, the “now” –and never what they used to be.

Unquestionably, the life-giving, Holy Spirit can accelerate growth. But the standard set in the Word is more like “slow and steady.” Even God’s favorites in scripture had periods of waiting and testing. I suppose that’s where faith comes in to play. All too often we look for a formula when we should be seeking an obedience. (But honestly, formulas are fun– and nice, and clean and quick.)

Formula-istic faith isn’t really real, we just insist that it has to be. But the Father has different plans for raising his children. No shortcuts or detours, we walk through the floods and then we take a lap (or two) through the fire (my theory, this is to dry us off after the floods, lol.) Otherwise, he would have to write an apology to the martyrs that came before us.

But I beg, and plead for you, to accept the real terms of your discipleship. You will only fool yourself if you think instant is better then real. But to accept the foolish may seem to be faith to some; but to walk through the darkness with just a candle takes real faith. I’m not a “palm reader,” but I predict you are going to face hard times and challenges that will “rock your world.”

“Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in Derbe and won some people to the Lord. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. They encouraged the followers and begged them to remain faithful. They told them, “We have to suffer a lot before we can get into God’s kingdom.” Acts 14:21-22, CEV

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Communicating the Kingdom

What's up in the Kingdom of God?  Crossroads Community Church is not the kingdom--but God is working through this little church in ways that are far beyond my understanding or control.  I am so thankful!

This last Sunday (May 22), Toni and I were in Ladysmith, Wisconsin for an ordination service.  Jody (Kurth) Becker was ordained and installed as pastor of Bethany and Bethel Lutheran Churches in Hawkins and Catawba.  Jody was a 9th grader when we moved from Ladysmith (Jody's hometown--we lived and served there 1986-1992) but I remember her fondly.  She was a babysitter for our three children back then and has since graduated from high school, college and, most recently Luther Seminary.  Though Luther is a seminary of the ELCA, Jody was ordained into a new church body, the North American Lutheran Church.

While we were there reconnecting with friends, Pastor Bjorn Pedersen was preaching at Crossroads.  Fortunately I was able to listen to his sermon and prayer ministry time by going to http://sermon.net/crossroadsdc/sermonid/2689515.  I strongly recommend that you take time to listen to the May 22 service that you will find there.  Pastor Bjorn has been used by God to help many of us understand and appreciate God's gift of prayer.  As you listen you'll also hear other parts of the service (except the music which we don't have rights to put up on the internet), some important announcements and a greeting from Eloise (Ellen) Ponsford, a worker with Wycliffe Bible Translators, a Cokato native whose work through Wycliffe has been supported by several churches in our area for many years.

Announcements on Sunday included updates on the upcoming Vacation Bible School and the work of the Crossroads church "transition team."  The transition team met for the first time last Wednesday and plans to meet again this Wednesday.  This team did some great work on bylaws, setting out some structure for how the church leadership will organize itself.  This church organization, while not in any way equal to the Kingdom of God, will help the Kingdom be extended in our local area and beyond.  Please pray for the transition team and their work.  If you have questions, just ask!  I can't wait to see what God will be up to next as we continue to pray.  Please join us for prayer at Crossroads tomorrow night at 6:30.

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Be Of Good Cheer

From Martin Luther's Commentary on John 14:17 - "...the world cannot receive [the Spirit of Truth] because it neither sees Him nor knows Him..."

“These words also contribute to the consolation of Christians. When they let their eyes roam about in the wide world and see the incalculable number of those who despise, blaspheme, and persecute our doctrine, and see that these are not simple and insignificant people but generally the wisest, the most learned, and the mightiest folk, and also those who presume to be the most pious and the saintliest—their weak faith is puzzled and offended, and they begin to reflect: 'Can all these prominent people be wrong, and can all that they say, maintain, and decree be untrue and damnable?' For our reassurance Christ affirms clearly and bluntly here that it is not and cannot be otherwise. He declares that these people cannot understand it; nor can it be expected or hoped for that the great multitude—composed as it is of the world’s greatest, noblest, and best, the notables of the world—should have the truth.

“...  Thus Christ wants to console His own with these words, as if He were saying:: 'Be of good cheer and unafraid regardless of what you see and experience. You will never succeed in making the world righteous. It is, to be sure, a matter of grave offense and great pain to see so many excellent, learned, prominent, and wise people, together with the great multitude, strive and storm against God’s Word and the clear truth of the Holy Spirit. Yet you must realize that it cannot be otherwise. There must be many great, mighty, wise, and "holy" people... fine, honorable citizens, both men and women, compared with whom you are as nothing—who fume against My Word. Therefore pay no attention to this, even though you are but a small number and all alone. For you hear that there is a large number of people who cannot hear and see the Spirit of truth. Even though we preached ourselves to death, even though we sang and sounded it before their eyes and ears, even though we painted it very clearly before their very noses, it would be of no avail. They cannot receive this Spirit but remain with their spirit of lies. But you, on the other hand, must remain with the little group which gladly hears and receives My Word and has the steadfast Spirit. Do not be afraid if the other multitude refuses to follow you. Take note that whatever you do in My name must be right and good in the sight of God and all the angels. And in the end even the world must involuntarily admit and praise this.'”

Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 24: Luther's works, vol. 24 : Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 14-16 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Jn 14:17). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

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