If you ever want to hear a really weird story, look into the history of Oak Island, Nova Scotia. Oak Island is the site of the so-called Money Pit, a place where numerous excavations have taken place to recover treasure believed to be buried there.
The story begins way back in 1795, when a 16-year-old boy and his friends discovered a circular depression in the sand and started to dig. They seemed to find layers of logs and stones on their way down that had been placed there deliberately. They gave up digging at 30 feet.
Eight years later, a professional company made a 300 mile journey to dig at the same site, and at 90 feet down they allegedly found a stone on which had been inscribed, in ancient characters, “forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.” Since then, approximately ten official excavations have taken place, using a variety of techniques to try and reach the level described on the stone, only to have the shaft fill up with seawater or simply to find nothing. Even so, as of 2005, a portion of Oak Island was for sale with a price tag of $7 million dollars, and as of today, nothing of value has ever been found in the Money Pit. I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not the time, the money, and the loss of life has been worth it.
That kind of makes me wonder what your treasure is and how far you would go to get it. Would you go as far as this Green Bay Packers fan? He tailgated and then stayed through the entire 1997 NFC Championship game. Because the temperature was 17 degrees below zero, he acquired frostbite, and three of his toes had to be amputated. His response to all this? He said, “You know what? I got 7 good toes that I can lose—If I can go, I’ll stay the entire game next time.” It evidently was worth it for him to lose toes to be present at a professional football game. That was his treasure. So what’s yours? How far would you go to get it?
Jesus told a couple stories about treasure that I think you’ll find intriguing. You heard them as part of today’s Gospel lesson, but listen again and let our Lord paint the picture for you. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
As stories go, the plots of these tales are simple enough. Upon further inspection there is an interesting contrast between the two. In the first story, there’s a sense that the man stumbled across the treasure in the field. Nothing in Jesus’ story (or in common sense) suggests this guy was out poking around fields looking for treasure. The treasure, you could say, found him. In the second story, however, you’ve got a merchant actively searching for fine pearls. He was on the hunt, looking for the best. And he found a pearl of great value. And even though one man was looking for treasure and the other one wasn’t, their reaction to finding their treasure is the same. They recognize the worth of what they’ve found, and they sell all they have in order to possess the thing they value most. Although Jesus’ parables lend themselves to a variety of interpretations, certainly one point Jesus means us to “get” in this case is that those who find the kingdom of heaven—the kingdom of God—the kingdom of Jesus Christ—treasure it. It becomes the thing that they value most, whether they were looking for it or not.
That kind of makes me wonder what your treasure is—and how far you would go to get it? Does all the evidence in your life point to the fact that God’s kingdom and His concerns are indeed your greatest treasure? Or does the evidence take you in a different direction?
Let me ask the question a little differently, thanks to our Packer fan. What would you be willing to lose a couple of toes for? A better-paying job? A bigger house in a nicer neighborhood? Would you lose a couple digits for the sake of popularity or power? A better body—or improved health? The chance to meet someone you admire? Would you do without a couple toes if it meant that someone you know would come to faith in Jesus and be saved?
Now that’s a little extreme of course, but you understand my reason for asking is to make sure you recognize what Jesus and His kingdom are worth. Because it’s one thing to know who Jesus is and it’s another to treasure Him. It’s one thing to admire Jesus and it’s another to put all your trust in Him for forgiveness, new life, and salvation. It’s one thing to toss a dollar in the plate as it passes by and it’s another to sell all you have and buy the field; to invest not just your finances but your very self in His kingdom.
You see, Jesus didn’t do what He did on the cross to just make you a better person; He didn’t endure the whip to just give you life pointers; He didn’t let the nails pierce his flesh to make sure you were well off and successful. He did it to prevent you and me from having to endure eternal torment in hell! He did it to save our lives for eternity! He did it so that you can look death right in the eye and say: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that I will see Him” Jesus bought and paid for a full ride to heaven for us with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. That means there’s no hell for you; no bitter separation from all that is good at the end of your life! Do you see and believe that that’s what Jesus is worth?
In a way, you are the treasure that was found in a field. You are a pearl of great price. Jesus sold all He had to buy you. He gave all He could give to redeem you from sin’s downward spiral. And He did so with joy. He did so with passion. He did so knowing that this is what He had been born to do—to lay down his life for his friends, and take it up again on the third day. All because you are his pearl; his treasure; his creation; his child. What is that worth to you? Amen.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
No Other Rock
A recent poll of Americans revealed that 70 percent of those who were asked “Do you think all religions lead to heaven” answered “yes.” Of those polled in Ohio, 76 percent said “yes.” Now let’s be clear: the word “religion” means something different than the word “denomination.” Christianity is a religion. Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran; those are denominations. So seven out of ten people (almost eight out of ten in our home state)—at least the ones that were asked—evidently believe that no matter if you are a Christian or a Muslim or a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Mormon or whatever—it’s all good! All the elevators go to the same floor! I have to tell you, as a pastor and as a thinking Christian, that makes me profoundly sad, because not only does that reveal how Biblically illiterate we have become as a people, but it also reveals how ignorant we are of other religions, because some of those I’ve just named don’t even believe in a heaven where you exist as a person for eternity! 70 percent of a so-called Christian nation doesn’t know or care what the Bible says about the matter—neither do they really have a clue what other religions teach. They’ve bought into the school of thought that says: “You be a good person, you go to heaven.” The only problem is, the principal of that school of thought is the devil, and he is having great success in teaching this lie, not only “out there” in secular society, but also within the Christian Church itself. If you think I’m exaggerating, consider the case of the Episcopal priest in Seattle who has defined herself as both Christian and Muslim. This priest has said about Jesus, and I quote: “I don't think God said, "Let me send this special person so that I can kill him for the benefit of the rest of humanity." That's not the kind of sacrifice I think that God desires.” End quote. Her bishop—the supervising pastor in her area-- says that her declaration that she is both a Christian and a Muslim to be “exciting” in terms of interfaith understanding. This is really happening, and it’s not going away.
What’s so wrong with the thought that all religions drop you off at the same heavenly hotel? Well, just this: If you believe in the God that reveals Himself through the Bible, and you take Him at His Word and you let Him define your reality, then the message you get is that He is the only way to heaven—He is the only true God. And it’s not like he’s silent on the issue of other religions. Consider our Old Testament lesson for today from Isaiah 44. There Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty says: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
Does that sound to you like a God who would say, “Oh yeah, those other gods will get you to the same place anyway?” No way! The God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob; the God who led his people out of Egyptian slavery; the God who lived with his people in tabernacle and temple and who finally put on our flesh to die and rise in our stead will never share the stage with Allah or be put on a double-bill with Krishna. There is no other rock on which to stand when all other ground is sinking sand. It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, or it’s false. It’s reliance, faith, and trust in Jesus’ death and his resurrection or it’s wrong. If the Christian Church loses this truth, the church is lost. If we individual Christians ignore what God has clearly said in His Word and start inventing a God that thinks like we do, then we’re in danger. To say that “All religions lead to heaven” is really to rebel against Jesus, who said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s also to rebel against apostolic teaching. It was Peter who said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4: 12)” And really, it is to rebel against and call into question all that God has said; because nowhere are we given the freedom to cut and paste the parts of the faith we like and to ignore the rest. At that point, we’re just playing god. The God who said “There is no other Rock; I know not one” will not accept us as fellow gods either. Where we have remained willfully ignorant of what God says…where we have heard what God says but ignored it and gone our own way…where we have presumed to know better than God and adopted the world’s so-called wisdom…and where we have concluded that there’s really no sin that sticks to us… we need to repent. We need a wake-up call. We need to truly confess the words of the beloved hymn: “No merit of my own I claim; But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” We need to go to the only true God asking for mercy, which really is a matter of asking the Lord to not punish us as our sins deserve.
So here is the mystery and majesty of the true Triune God: He will not punish us as our sins deserve when we wholly lean on Jesus’ name. He will show mercy, because contrary to what human wisdom suggests, God did desire the sacrifice of His Son as the payment of our sins’ debt. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, could not be clearer on this very point. Jesus’ mission was to be our substitute in death; to die our death; to take our punishment instead of us, which He did on the cross. Because He paid the ultimate price, you and I are forgiven, fully and completely. But God doesn’t stop there. He plants the gift of faith in your heart to believe this Great News. He did not forgive your debt in order to make you an indentured servant, but to adopt you as his child and an inheritor of eternal life. He gives his children his very name in Holy Baptism. The Good Shepherd feeds His flock in the Lord’s Supper. His Word is our Solid Rock through the storms of life. He loves you and lavishes these gifts upon you. And let’s be honest: we don’t deserve them. But that doesn’t stop the persistent love of God, who gives us the treasure Jesus earned again and again and again. This we call grace.
And it’s grace that sets the true Christian faith apart from any other world religion or philosophy. It’s grace that marks the true Christian faith as the one authentic expression of God’s love for His creation. Without exception, every other religion or worldview gives you a list of things to do, and you do the list to earn God’s favor. You do the list to improve yourself. You do the list to make the world a better place. And if you do the list well enough, there might be some rewards for you. But inevitably, people can’t do the list very well at all, and it becomes a burden as they try harder or simply give up. Only the Christian faith, with its focus on the saving words and actions of Jesus, presents the way of grace, of God giving us what we could never achieve as a gift because He loves us already.
When the grace of Jesus hits home, it really hits home, especially if you’ve been laboring under a “do-this-list” religion. Let me introduce you to a man named Joakim. Joakim lives in Africa, but he speaks French, and one day he met a man who as it turned out was a Lutheran missionary. That Lutheran missionary asked Joakim to help him learn the French language. Joakim agreed. So the missionary and Joakim got together and took turns reading from a French-language Bible. They had been doing this for many weeks when one day the missionary asked Joakim if he was a Christian. And Joakim said, “I was a Muslim until the first day that we read the Bible together. I had always thought that Jesus was a prophet like Muhammed and that Islam and Christianity were basically the same. I thought Jesus was a law-giver like Muhammed. I never heard that Jesus came as a Savior to pay for our sins. I had always tried to be a good Muslim but my sin haunted me. Now I know that Jesus came to die for me and because of what He has done, I can be sure that I will go to heaven.”
There are souls like Joakim’s on the line all around us, and the only way they will ever have peace is through the pure message of Jesus’ gracious life, death, and resurrection. Let us always pray for courage to boldly broadcast that apart from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is no God; There is no other Rock who loves with such extravagant grace as Christ on whom we stand. Amen.
What’s so wrong with the thought that all religions drop you off at the same heavenly hotel? Well, just this: If you believe in the God that reveals Himself through the Bible, and you take Him at His Word and you let Him define your reality, then the message you get is that He is the only way to heaven—He is the only true God. And it’s not like he’s silent on the issue of other religions. Consider our Old Testament lesson for today from Isaiah 44. There Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty says: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
Does that sound to you like a God who would say, “Oh yeah, those other gods will get you to the same place anyway?” No way! The God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob; the God who led his people out of Egyptian slavery; the God who lived with his people in tabernacle and temple and who finally put on our flesh to die and rise in our stead will never share the stage with Allah or be put on a double-bill with Krishna. There is no other rock on which to stand when all other ground is sinking sand. It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, or it’s false. It’s reliance, faith, and trust in Jesus’ death and his resurrection or it’s wrong. If the Christian Church loses this truth, the church is lost. If we individual Christians ignore what God has clearly said in His Word and start inventing a God that thinks like we do, then we’re in danger. To say that “All religions lead to heaven” is really to rebel against Jesus, who said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s also to rebel against apostolic teaching. It was Peter who said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4: 12)” And really, it is to rebel against and call into question all that God has said; because nowhere are we given the freedom to cut and paste the parts of the faith we like and to ignore the rest. At that point, we’re just playing god. The God who said “There is no other Rock; I know not one” will not accept us as fellow gods either. Where we have remained willfully ignorant of what God says…where we have heard what God says but ignored it and gone our own way…where we have presumed to know better than God and adopted the world’s so-called wisdom…and where we have concluded that there’s really no sin that sticks to us… we need to repent. We need a wake-up call. We need to truly confess the words of the beloved hymn: “No merit of my own I claim; But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” We need to go to the only true God asking for mercy, which really is a matter of asking the Lord to not punish us as our sins deserve.
So here is the mystery and majesty of the true Triune God: He will not punish us as our sins deserve when we wholly lean on Jesus’ name. He will show mercy, because contrary to what human wisdom suggests, God did desire the sacrifice of His Son as the payment of our sins’ debt. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, could not be clearer on this very point. Jesus’ mission was to be our substitute in death; to die our death; to take our punishment instead of us, which He did on the cross. Because He paid the ultimate price, you and I are forgiven, fully and completely. But God doesn’t stop there. He plants the gift of faith in your heart to believe this Great News. He did not forgive your debt in order to make you an indentured servant, but to adopt you as his child and an inheritor of eternal life. He gives his children his very name in Holy Baptism. The Good Shepherd feeds His flock in the Lord’s Supper. His Word is our Solid Rock through the storms of life. He loves you and lavishes these gifts upon you. And let’s be honest: we don’t deserve them. But that doesn’t stop the persistent love of God, who gives us the treasure Jesus earned again and again and again. This we call grace.
And it’s grace that sets the true Christian faith apart from any other world religion or philosophy. It’s grace that marks the true Christian faith as the one authentic expression of God’s love for His creation. Without exception, every other religion or worldview gives you a list of things to do, and you do the list to earn God’s favor. You do the list to improve yourself. You do the list to make the world a better place. And if you do the list well enough, there might be some rewards for you. But inevitably, people can’t do the list very well at all, and it becomes a burden as they try harder or simply give up. Only the Christian faith, with its focus on the saving words and actions of Jesus, presents the way of grace, of God giving us what we could never achieve as a gift because He loves us already.
When the grace of Jesus hits home, it really hits home, especially if you’ve been laboring under a “do-this-list” religion. Let me introduce you to a man named Joakim. Joakim lives in Africa, but he speaks French, and one day he met a man who as it turned out was a Lutheran missionary. That Lutheran missionary asked Joakim to help him learn the French language. Joakim agreed. So the missionary and Joakim got together and took turns reading from a French-language Bible. They had been doing this for many weeks when one day the missionary asked Joakim if he was a Christian. And Joakim said, “I was a Muslim until the first day that we read the Bible together. I had always thought that Jesus was a prophet like Muhammed and that Islam and Christianity were basically the same. I thought Jesus was a law-giver like Muhammed. I never heard that Jesus came as a Savior to pay for our sins. I had always tried to be a good Muslim but my sin haunted me. Now I know that Jesus came to die for me and because of what He has done, I can be sure that I will go to heaven.”
There are souls like Joakim’s on the line all around us, and the only way they will ever have peace is through the pure message of Jesus’ gracious life, death, and resurrection. Let us always pray for courage to boldly broadcast that apart from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is no God; There is no other Rock who loves with such extravagant grace as Christ on whom we stand. Amen.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
In Memoriam -- Jean Long
My mother-in-law, Jean Long, was received into the Church Triumphant on July 4, 2008. As Pastor Tom Zucconi said at her committal, our loss is her gain. My family has been moved by the outpouring of sympathy and support we have recevied from our Christian family.
The Service of Committal includes a prayer that I am finding to be increasingly beautiful. Here it is:
Almighty God, by the death of your Son Jesus Christ You destroyed death, by his rest in the tomb You sanctified the graves of Your saints, and by his bodily resurrection You brought life and immortality to light so that all who die in Him abide in peace and hope. Receive our thanks for the victory over death and the grave that He won for us. Keep us in everlasting communion with all who wait for Him on earth and with all in heaven who are with Him, for He is the resurrection and the life, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The Service of Committal includes a prayer that I am finding to be increasingly beautiful. Here it is:
Almighty God, by the death of your Son Jesus Christ You destroyed death, by his rest in the tomb You sanctified the graves of Your saints, and by his bodily resurrection You brought life and immortality to light so that all who die in Him abide in peace and hope. Receive our thanks for the victory over death and the grave that He won for us. Keep us in everlasting communion with all who wait for Him on earth and with all in heaven who are with Him, for He is the resurrection and the life, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Do You Really "Love to Tell the Story"?
“I love to tell the story of unseen things above…” If you want to get a congregation singing with gusto, I mean singing to where you forget about how you sound type singing, you can’t go wrong with Arabella Hankey’s classic hymn. “I love to tell the story; twill be my theme in glory; to tell the old old story; of Jesus and his love.” Feels good, doesn’t it? But there’s just a part of me that has to ask everyone—including myself—who just sang “I love to tell the story”—do you really? Do you love to tell the story—and have you told it lately—or not?
If not—and if you honestly don’t always love to tell the story—you’re not alone. The fact is, we face intense pressure to keep quiet about Jesus. The culture in which we live tells us that religious faith is best kept private. Seemingly wise voices—some even from inside the Christian Church-- suggest that the exclusive claims that Jesus made—such as “No one comes to the Father except through me” ought to be downplayed, if not totally ignored, for the sake of tolerance. We won’t even get into the way that our entertainment loves to portray Christians as geeks for God, or severely serious, or downright dangerous hypocrites. Who would want to identify with such a group?
These rather dramatic pressures show up in more subtle ways in our social lives——the everyday exchanges you make with neighbors, friends, co-workers, family members, and even strangers. It may never be explicitly stated, but the Christian is always tempted to go along with the “unwritten rules” that can be summarized thusly: “Don’t talk about Jesus too much. Not at all would be better.” Unfortunately, fear is a willing accomplice to this temptation. Fear says, “Keep bringing up Jesus and you could lose your job.” Fear says, “Keep mentioning Jesus and your friends are going to think something’s wrong with you.” Fear says: “Keep talking about Jesus and you’re going to push away your family member—maybe forever!” Fear says: “Keep your faith to yourself and act like everybody else so they don’t think you’re weird.” Even pastors have the amazing ability to compartmentalize their lives—to say Jesus is in this part of my life, but not that part—and to choose silence for the sake of earning “cool points” or not getting into an embarrassing debate. Bad news, though. The false peace that exists when we don’t speak up for Jesus is not just a false peace—it’s a false god. We’re not doing anyone any favors when we sugarcoat—or worse yet—swallow words that would’ve put the focus on Christ. And it’s not that surprising to learn that the person we’re hurting most when we shut our mouths is ourselves.
Jesus lays it right on the line, as usual, when he says: “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.” Jesus says, “Don’t think you can have it both ways. Don’t think that I can be your little secret. You deny me, I’ll deny you.” This hurts. This exposes all the little deals we make with ourselves to not rock the boat, to just let it go, to promise to get to that Jesus discussion someday…but not today. If we serve the false god of false peace, Jesus’ words here confront us with the fact that we’re denying him at the same time.
What have we done? What can we do? Holy Scripture gives us two vivid case studies to consider: Jesus’ own disciples, Peter and Judas. Judas, of course, went way over the line of denying Jesus and into outright betrayal, setting Jesus up for his execution for a throwaway sum of money. And even though Judas realized his guilt, he didn’t take that guilt to God. He attempted to handle his guilt through the self-punishment of suicide—a tragically wrong approach.
At the same time there’s Peter, who withered in the face of social pressure. Fear whispered to Peter: “Save yourself.” And so Peter denied even knowing Jesus personally—not once—not twice—but three times, selling out for a pathetically low bid. Jesus had called it; Peter knew it. He went out and wept bitterly. And in a way, Peter cries for all of us who have ever said: “I don’t know the man.” But in that very dark place, with tears running down his cheeks, something takes hold in Peter that didn’t take hold in Judas—something that holds onto hope; something that is willing to throw everything we are upon the mercy of God—something called faith. What can we do? We can follow Peter in grieving over our sins, realizing that because of them we deserve nothing but Jesus’ denying us before the Father in heaven. And we can also follow Peter in holding onto hope by throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God. Not only was Peter forgiven and restored, but the Holy Spirit would eventually use his preaching to bring thousands of people to that same saving faith. As you come to the Lord, confessing your sin today, hear once again that He does not disown you; that in order to forgive and restore you, he disowned His own Son on the cross of Calvary. The estrangement from God our sins deserved was placed upon Jesus Christ, so we could be embraced by our Father. Every blow Jesus endured, every scathing word spoken to Him, every agonizing second he spent nailed to the cross, trying to breathe was spent to claim you. He did it all to forgive you. Without Jesus we would be marking the time until the full weight of God’s punishment drops on us. With Jesus, that time will never come, because he took the impact instead of us.
How can we be ashamed of the one who has done this great work for us? That’s the question posed by another hymn, this one written by Joseph Grigg and Benjamin Francis, which reads: “Jesus, Oh, how could it be true/a mortal man ashamed of you? Ashamed of you who angels praise, whose glories shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend on whom my hopes of heaven depend? No; when I blush be this my shame, that I no more revere his name. Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may when I’ve no guilt to wash away. No tear to wipe, no good to crave; no fear to quell; no soul to save. Till then—nor is my boasting vain—till then I boast a Savior slain; and oh, may this my glory be: that Christ is not ashamed of me!”
Christ is not ashamed of me. Christ is not ashamed of you. That means we can live compassionate lives, looking for someone to help. That means we can pick our spots to talk about our faith, and to do so boldly, naming Jesus as our Savior and giver of Life. We can stand for Jesus with out fear, because we have a God and Father who has already given us the greatest gifts and who knows us intimately—to the point that he knows the number of hairs on our heads. We can say along with the apostle Paul, “I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” (Romans 1: 16) Let us find lasting satisfaction and purpose for our lives in telling the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
If not—and if you honestly don’t always love to tell the story—you’re not alone. The fact is, we face intense pressure to keep quiet about Jesus. The culture in which we live tells us that religious faith is best kept private. Seemingly wise voices—some even from inside the Christian Church-- suggest that the exclusive claims that Jesus made—such as “No one comes to the Father except through me” ought to be downplayed, if not totally ignored, for the sake of tolerance. We won’t even get into the way that our entertainment loves to portray Christians as geeks for God, or severely serious, or downright dangerous hypocrites. Who would want to identify with such a group?
These rather dramatic pressures show up in more subtle ways in our social lives——the everyday exchanges you make with neighbors, friends, co-workers, family members, and even strangers. It may never be explicitly stated, but the Christian is always tempted to go along with the “unwritten rules” that can be summarized thusly: “Don’t talk about Jesus too much. Not at all would be better.” Unfortunately, fear is a willing accomplice to this temptation. Fear says, “Keep bringing up Jesus and you could lose your job.” Fear says, “Keep mentioning Jesus and your friends are going to think something’s wrong with you.” Fear says: “Keep talking about Jesus and you’re going to push away your family member—maybe forever!” Fear says: “Keep your faith to yourself and act like everybody else so they don’t think you’re weird.” Even pastors have the amazing ability to compartmentalize their lives—to say Jesus is in this part of my life, but not that part—and to choose silence for the sake of earning “cool points” or not getting into an embarrassing debate. Bad news, though. The false peace that exists when we don’t speak up for Jesus is not just a false peace—it’s a false god. We’re not doing anyone any favors when we sugarcoat—or worse yet—swallow words that would’ve put the focus on Christ. And it’s not that surprising to learn that the person we’re hurting most when we shut our mouths is ourselves.
Jesus lays it right on the line, as usual, when he says: “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.” Jesus says, “Don’t think you can have it both ways. Don’t think that I can be your little secret. You deny me, I’ll deny you.” This hurts. This exposes all the little deals we make with ourselves to not rock the boat, to just let it go, to promise to get to that Jesus discussion someday…but not today. If we serve the false god of false peace, Jesus’ words here confront us with the fact that we’re denying him at the same time.
What have we done? What can we do? Holy Scripture gives us two vivid case studies to consider: Jesus’ own disciples, Peter and Judas. Judas, of course, went way over the line of denying Jesus and into outright betrayal, setting Jesus up for his execution for a throwaway sum of money. And even though Judas realized his guilt, he didn’t take that guilt to God. He attempted to handle his guilt through the self-punishment of suicide—a tragically wrong approach.
At the same time there’s Peter, who withered in the face of social pressure. Fear whispered to Peter: “Save yourself.” And so Peter denied even knowing Jesus personally—not once—not twice—but three times, selling out for a pathetically low bid. Jesus had called it; Peter knew it. He went out and wept bitterly. And in a way, Peter cries for all of us who have ever said: “I don’t know the man.” But in that very dark place, with tears running down his cheeks, something takes hold in Peter that didn’t take hold in Judas—something that holds onto hope; something that is willing to throw everything we are upon the mercy of God—something called faith. What can we do? We can follow Peter in grieving over our sins, realizing that because of them we deserve nothing but Jesus’ denying us before the Father in heaven. And we can also follow Peter in holding onto hope by throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God. Not only was Peter forgiven and restored, but the Holy Spirit would eventually use his preaching to bring thousands of people to that same saving faith. As you come to the Lord, confessing your sin today, hear once again that He does not disown you; that in order to forgive and restore you, he disowned His own Son on the cross of Calvary. The estrangement from God our sins deserved was placed upon Jesus Christ, so we could be embraced by our Father. Every blow Jesus endured, every scathing word spoken to Him, every agonizing second he spent nailed to the cross, trying to breathe was spent to claim you. He did it all to forgive you. Without Jesus we would be marking the time until the full weight of God’s punishment drops on us. With Jesus, that time will never come, because he took the impact instead of us.
How can we be ashamed of the one who has done this great work for us? That’s the question posed by another hymn, this one written by Joseph Grigg and Benjamin Francis, which reads: “Jesus, Oh, how could it be true/a mortal man ashamed of you? Ashamed of you who angels praise, whose glories shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend on whom my hopes of heaven depend? No; when I blush be this my shame, that I no more revere his name. Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may when I’ve no guilt to wash away. No tear to wipe, no good to crave; no fear to quell; no soul to save. Till then—nor is my boasting vain—till then I boast a Savior slain; and oh, may this my glory be: that Christ is not ashamed of me!”
Christ is not ashamed of me. Christ is not ashamed of you. That means we can live compassionate lives, looking for someone to help. That means we can pick our spots to talk about our faith, and to do so boldly, naming Jesus as our Savior and giver of Life. We can stand for Jesus with out fear, because we have a God and Father who has already given us the greatest gifts and who knows us intimately—to the point that he knows the number of hairs on our heads. We can say along with the apostle Paul, “I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” (Romans 1: 16) Let us find lasting satisfaction and purpose for our lives in telling the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
3SR (Three Sentence Reviews)
Here's my tip of the cap to "Matzke on Media"--a new element called "Three Sentence Reviews," where I give you some short takes on the stuff I've been feeding my brain.
3SR: "Everything They Had" by David Halberstam
If you enjoy good writing, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of "Everything They Had," a collection of David Halberstam's sports-related work collected from various periodicals. Halberstam is at his best in essays that probe America's love affair with athletics, such as the article that explores the role sports played in our culture in the wake of 9/11. Whether or not you are a "sports fan," it is extremely easy (and enjoyable) to be swept away by Halberstam's graceful prose.
3SR: "Snacktime" by The Barenaked Ladies
These Canadian pop-rockers have joined the growing wave of artists recording material for children (and their pop-rocking parents). This batch of affable songs has enough wit to make Mom and Dad smile, enough kid-oriented references (ninjas; snacks; ABCs) to perk up young ears, and enough melody to make everybody hum along to the tunes. But the childrens' albums produced by They Might Be Giants (upon which "Snacktime" seems to be directly modeled) mines the same territory to much sharper effect, and I must admit I was put off by a throwaway lyric endorsing darwinistic evolution.
3SR: "Everything They Had" by David Halberstam
If you enjoy good writing, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of "Everything They Had," a collection of David Halberstam's sports-related work collected from various periodicals. Halberstam is at his best in essays that probe America's love affair with athletics, such as the article that explores the role sports played in our culture in the wake of 9/11. Whether or not you are a "sports fan," it is extremely easy (and enjoyable) to be swept away by Halberstam's graceful prose.
3SR: "Snacktime" by The Barenaked Ladies
These Canadian pop-rockers have joined the growing wave of artists recording material for children (and their pop-rocking parents). This batch of affable songs has enough wit to make Mom and Dad smile, enough kid-oriented references (ninjas; snacks; ABCs) to perk up young ears, and enough melody to make everybody hum along to the tunes. But the childrens' albums produced by They Might Be Giants (upon which "Snacktime" seems to be directly modeled) mines the same territory to much sharper effect, and I must admit I was put off by a throwaway lyric endorsing darwinistic evolution.
Monday, June 16, 2008
My Treasured Possession
It is a major understatement to say that my world changed when my son was born. Like many fathers before me, I can remember with absolute clarity the first time I laid eyes on my child—the first time I held him in my arms—the first time he “urped”all over my shirt. A profound shift takes place when there he is or there she is, and this little person now depends on you for everything! You look down at that little one, and the phrase “my treasured possession” would certainly be appropriate. And I think that in particular a father knows that as that little one grows up, it’s not going to be all warm fuzzies and Hallmark greeting card feelings. There will be challenges to rules, arguments, disobedience, rebelliousness, and those must be met with discipline. None of that changes the love that started to flow in you the moment you became a parent.
I bring this up because I believe it relates directly to what the Lord God says in Exodus 19—today’s Old Testament Reading. Those of us who have been blessed to be parents, in a way that is ever so small compared to God, may be able to see where God is coming from, and catch the depth of love issuing from God’s heart. Even if you’re not a parent, but there’s someone in your life that you treasure, you can understand the affection that God is expressing here. God says to Moses, “This is what I want you to say to my people: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Father’s heart is revealed. “Look at all I’ve done for you,” He says. “Keep living in relationship to me, and I’ll do even greater things than these!” Pardon the pun, but God the Father is making an offer that couldn’t really be refused, could it?
However, there is great risk in expressing love to someone else. There is great risk in calling someone else “my treasured possession”—namely, they might not treasure you back. The love you give may not be returned in kind. It’s that thought that chills the blood of every godly parent I know. Whether or not this troubled the Lord God is impossible to say. What we can say is that He didn’t wait around to strike Egypt and part the waters of the Red Sea until He was asked. He didn’t poll the Israelites to see if they wanted their chains broken. He just did it for them, because He loved them, and brought them out of slavery into freedom. With all the power available to God, that was no problem. But He didn’t use His power to force His people to love Him in return. This was the risk God took—He did everything in His power to demonstrate His love for His people, but then He left the ball in their court. “After all you’ve seen me do for you,” God said, “just obey me—trust me—follow me—and you will be my treasured possession.” Talk about being swept off your feet! And according to Exodus 19, the people were! When Moses reported what the Lord had said they responded by saying, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” And they all lived happily ever after.
Oh, wait. That’s not what my Bible says. It says that while God was giving Moses the commandments for his people to follow, they messed up. They gave their love to a calf made out of gold, and indulged their senses in pagan ways of worship. To call it a slap in the face doesn’t quite say enough. God’s risk didn’t seem to have paid off. The people He wanted as his treasured possession evidently didn’t really want Him. And as hard as it is for us to imagine, that hurt the Lord God Almighty. It also made him angry. Quite frankly, God’s thought in Exodus 32 is to destroy his unfaithful people, and if you’ve every felt the bitter pain of rejection, perhaps you can relate to that. God’s thought was to destroy; to punish; somebody was going to pay for this.
And somebody did. But it was not somebody who deserved it. Just the opposite. Rather than wipe out the people who had cheated on Him, God took another risk, and this risk was even crazier than the first. Yes, somebody was going to be destroyed. That somebody would be God’s own Son.
Has the Gospel ever lost some of it’s “wow” factor for you? Has the good news of Jesus ever started to lose it’s “oomph” or impact in your life? If so, then just think in these terms: imagine that person who is your treasured possession, that person your cherish and can’t imagine living without, and now imagine that in order to right a huge wrong, you’re going to have to punish—more than that, execute—your loved one.
Or think of it in these terms: You hear on the evening news the story of an extremely deadly virus sweeping the planet. It’s only a matter of time before it hits home. High-ranking doctors discover that your “treasured possession” person could produce a vaccine that would literally save the world. The only catch is, they would die in the process of creating the vaccine. Would you sign off on the procedure?
God the Father did just that—and that’s the gospel we preach and believe in. The deadly virus is the virus of sin, and it infects us all. The virus of sin makes us all unfaithful, looking for a god that will give us what we want. It makes all of us people who say “We will do everything the Lord has said,” and then we turn around and dance before the golden calf on the way to our graves. Without waiting to be asked, God signed off on the procedure that would create the vaccine against sin, the procedure that would kill his Son. He went ahead with it, still hopeful that there were people who would take this vaccine and live; still hopeful that there would be people who would look to His Son and receive forgiveness through His Blood; still hopeful that He could gather a people to himself that would be his treasured possession, as well as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests; a people that would deliver God’s love to the world.
So what do you think—was God the Father’s risk worth it?
I bring this up because I believe it relates directly to what the Lord God says in Exodus 19—today’s Old Testament Reading. Those of us who have been blessed to be parents, in a way that is ever so small compared to God, may be able to see where God is coming from, and catch the depth of love issuing from God’s heart. Even if you’re not a parent, but there’s someone in your life that you treasure, you can understand the affection that God is expressing here. God says to Moses, “This is what I want you to say to my people: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Father’s heart is revealed. “Look at all I’ve done for you,” He says. “Keep living in relationship to me, and I’ll do even greater things than these!” Pardon the pun, but God the Father is making an offer that couldn’t really be refused, could it?
However, there is great risk in expressing love to someone else. There is great risk in calling someone else “my treasured possession”—namely, they might not treasure you back. The love you give may not be returned in kind. It’s that thought that chills the blood of every godly parent I know. Whether or not this troubled the Lord God is impossible to say. What we can say is that He didn’t wait around to strike Egypt and part the waters of the Red Sea until He was asked. He didn’t poll the Israelites to see if they wanted their chains broken. He just did it for them, because He loved them, and brought them out of slavery into freedom. With all the power available to God, that was no problem. But He didn’t use His power to force His people to love Him in return. This was the risk God took—He did everything in His power to demonstrate His love for His people, but then He left the ball in their court. “After all you’ve seen me do for you,” God said, “just obey me—trust me—follow me—and you will be my treasured possession.” Talk about being swept off your feet! And according to Exodus 19, the people were! When Moses reported what the Lord had said they responded by saying, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” And they all lived happily ever after.
Oh, wait. That’s not what my Bible says. It says that while God was giving Moses the commandments for his people to follow, they messed up. They gave their love to a calf made out of gold, and indulged their senses in pagan ways of worship. To call it a slap in the face doesn’t quite say enough. God’s risk didn’t seem to have paid off. The people He wanted as his treasured possession evidently didn’t really want Him. And as hard as it is for us to imagine, that hurt the Lord God Almighty. It also made him angry. Quite frankly, God’s thought in Exodus 32 is to destroy his unfaithful people, and if you’ve every felt the bitter pain of rejection, perhaps you can relate to that. God’s thought was to destroy; to punish; somebody was going to pay for this.
And somebody did. But it was not somebody who deserved it. Just the opposite. Rather than wipe out the people who had cheated on Him, God took another risk, and this risk was even crazier than the first. Yes, somebody was going to be destroyed. That somebody would be God’s own Son.
Has the Gospel ever lost some of it’s “wow” factor for you? Has the good news of Jesus ever started to lose it’s “oomph” or impact in your life? If so, then just think in these terms: imagine that person who is your treasured possession, that person your cherish and can’t imagine living without, and now imagine that in order to right a huge wrong, you’re going to have to punish—more than that, execute—your loved one.
Or think of it in these terms: You hear on the evening news the story of an extremely deadly virus sweeping the planet. It’s only a matter of time before it hits home. High-ranking doctors discover that your “treasured possession” person could produce a vaccine that would literally save the world. The only catch is, they would die in the process of creating the vaccine. Would you sign off on the procedure?
God the Father did just that—and that’s the gospel we preach and believe in. The deadly virus is the virus of sin, and it infects us all. The virus of sin makes us all unfaithful, looking for a god that will give us what we want. It makes all of us people who say “We will do everything the Lord has said,” and then we turn around and dance before the golden calf on the way to our graves. Without waiting to be asked, God signed off on the procedure that would create the vaccine against sin, the procedure that would kill his Son. He went ahead with it, still hopeful that there were people who would take this vaccine and live; still hopeful that there would be people who would look to His Son and receive forgiveness through His Blood; still hopeful that He could gather a people to himself that would be his treasured possession, as well as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests; a people that would deliver God’s love to the world.
So what do you think—was God the Father’s risk worth it?
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Pharisees Were Right
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost--Matthew 9: 9--13
Well, folks, it turns out the Pharisees were right. Let me explain.
In the Gospel lesson today, the Pharisees confront Jesus’ disciples. They are worked up. They ask Jesus’ closest associates, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” That’s one of those questions that really isn’t a question. I’m guessing they didn’t really care to know why Jesus was doing what he was doing. They wanted to send the message that they were opposed to such irreverence. Filled with self-righteous indignation, they say to all who will listen, “Jesus eats with sinners!”
They’re right. He does.
In their eyes, Jesus’ dining practices—more specifically, his choices of whom he broke bread with—invalidated any claim he had on being a teacher of the people. How could somebody claim to speak for God and then wallow around with the scum of society? The people he shared a table with weren’t even trying to lead righteous lives. It was just not what respectable rabbis did. Doesn’t this young man—from Nazareth, of all places—realize how scandalous this all looks? Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners!
That is correct. That’s how He operates.
Yes, the Pharisees had this one pegged. Jesus did indeed lunch with the lowlifes and sup with the social misfits. He knew the tax collector’s methods of legal extortion and still spent time with them. He was well aware of the reputation of women selling their souls and bodies and he dared to honor them by sharing a meal! He had no problem hanging around those whose diseases made them ritually unclean. There was something seriously wrong here. And there was, but it wasn’t Jesus.
What was wrong (and what is wrong) is when religious people start patting themselves on the back a bit too often. What’s wrong is when people who really ought to know better take a look around and think to themselves, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as that pervert, or that murderer, or that drug abuser, or that fill-in-the-blank.” What’s wrong is when folks who like to come across as very devout also habitually categorize people based on their race or their economic standing or their education, as if slapping a label on them makes it OK to criticize them or hate them or ignore them. It’s not Jesus that’s the problem. The problem is the human tendency to invent traditions, regulations, and self-serving organizations that have nothing to do with Jesus, and everything to do with making ourselves look good compared to others. We are wired for “us versus them,” we are quick to say, “you know how THEY are,” and we can even dress it up in a way that seems to honor common sense. As long as we hang on to attitudes like these, we will never take a seat at the table with Jesus. Why would we? Jesus eats with sinners. If I believe deep down that I’m really a pretty upstanding person, with fewer flaws than the next guy, then why would I want a spot at the sinner’s table? I’m doing pretty well on my own!
Ah, but here’s the catch. The Pharisees were right when they said “Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.” If you’re looking for Him, that’s where you’re going to find him. Hear Jesus say in response to his accusers: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners.” If you’re banking on your good performance to gain an audience with God, you’ve made a tragic error. If you’re hoping to get the Lord’s attention by saying, “Hey, Lord, look at how faithful and moral and good I am,” I have some alarming news for you. Jesus isn’t even looking your way. He’s looking for the sick. He’s looking for people who will admit their sickness; admit their selfishness; admit their anger; admit their inability to love anyone well; admit their disinterest in God; admit that I can not by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord or come to Him. He’s looking for those who have reached the point where they pray with a broken heart, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s who Jesus has come searching for—not the proud, but the humiliated. Not the self-righteous but the one who has given up on “self” as an avenue to God. It is precisely for that person who has made a mess of things and knows it and admits it that Jesus has come. If that’s the secret condition of your heart and life—there is fantastic news for you.
The Pharisees were right. Jesus eats with sinners.
Jesus will not shrink away from you because of what you’ve done. He will not exclude you because of who you are. When you come to Christ with “Lord, have mercy” welling up from deep inside, you are ready, finally ready to hear Jesus say with authority, “Your sins are forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, that how far away your sins are from you now because of me.” Your sins have been dealt with—not excused—but dealt with, paid for, the punishment they deserved has been meted out upon Jesus himself. In the court of God’s justice you are found “not guilty,” because Jesus volunteered to take your sentence. The Lord desires mercy and He is merciful to those who realize their spot at the table, their relationship to God, their life in His kingdom depends entirely on His mercy. It all depends on God not repaying us in proportion to what our sins deserve. That repayment fell on Jesus in His Passion and death. So come, you who have been brought low by your sin and failure, and have a seat. So that His forgiveness could be sent to you today, Jesus sets His Table in the Church. So that His pardon could reach you, He offers His body and pours out His blood for you to eat and drink. So that you could know the joy of fellowship with the Son of God, He brings you into His Holy Supper, where you are treated as an honored guest. More mercy could hardly be shown.
So score one for the Pharisees in Matthew 9. They were right. Jesus eats with sinners. This is our only hope, for life today and life with Christ that never ends. Amen.
Well, folks, it turns out the Pharisees were right. Let me explain.
In the Gospel lesson today, the Pharisees confront Jesus’ disciples. They are worked up. They ask Jesus’ closest associates, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” That’s one of those questions that really isn’t a question. I’m guessing they didn’t really care to know why Jesus was doing what he was doing. They wanted to send the message that they were opposed to such irreverence. Filled with self-righteous indignation, they say to all who will listen, “Jesus eats with sinners!”
They’re right. He does.
In their eyes, Jesus’ dining practices—more specifically, his choices of whom he broke bread with—invalidated any claim he had on being a teacher of the people. How could somebody claim to speak for God and then wallow around with the scum of society? The people he shared a table with weren’t even trying to lead righteous lives. It was just not what respectable rabbis did. Doesn’t this young man—from Nazareth, of all places—realize how scandalous this all looks? Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners!
That is correct. That’s how He operates.
Yes, the Pharisees had this one pegged. Jesus did indeed lunch with the lowlifes and sup with the social misfits. He knew the tax collector’s methods of legal extortion and still spent time with them. He was well aware of the reputation of women selling their souls and bodies and he dared to honor them by sharing a meal! He had no problem hanging around those whose diseases made them ritually unclean. There was something seriously wrong here. And there was, but it wasn’t Jesus.
What was wrong (and what is wrong) is when religious people start patting themselves on the back a bit too often. What’s wrong is when people who really ought to know better take a look around and think to themselves, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as that pervert, or that murderer, or that drug abuser, or that fill-in-the-blank.” What’s wrong is when folks who like to come across as very devout also habitually categorize people based on their race or their economic standing or their education, as if slapping a label on them makes it OK to criticize them or hate them or ignore them. It’s not Jesus that’s the problem. The problem is the human tendency to invent traditions, regulations, and self-serving organizations that have nothing to do with Jesus, and everything to do with making ourselves look good compared to others. We are wired for “us versus them,” we are quick to say, “you know how THEY are,” and we can even dress it up in a way that seems to honor common sense. As long as we hang on to attitudes like these, we will never take a seat at the table with Jesus. Why would we? Jesus eats with sinners. If I believe deep down that I’m really a pretty upstanding person, with fewer flaws than the next guy, then why would I want a spot at the sinner’s table? I’m doing pretty well on my own!
Ah, but here’s the catch. The Pharisees were right when they said “Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.” If you’re looking for Him, that’s where you’re going to find him. Hear Jesus say in response to his accusers: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners.” If you’re banking on your good performance to gain an audience with God, you’ve made a tragic error. If you’re hoping to get the Lord’s attention by saying, “Hey, Lord, look at how faithful and moral and good I am,” I have some alarming news for you. Jesus isn’t even looking your way. He’s looking for the sick. He’s looking for people who will admit their sickness; admit their selfishness; admit their anger; admit their inability to love anyone well; admit their disinterest in God; admit that I can not by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord or come to Him. He’s looking for those who have reached the point where they pray with a broken heart, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s who Jesus has come searching for—not the proud, but the humiliated. Not the self-righteous but the one who has given up on “self” as an avenue to God. It is precisely for that person who has made a mess of things and knows it and admits it that Jesus has come. If that’s the secret condition of your heart and life—there is fantastic news for you.
The Pharisees were right. Jesus eats with sinners.
Jesus will not shrink away from you because of what you’ve done. He will not exclude you because of who you are. When you come to Christ with “Lord, have mercy” welling up from deep inside, you are ready, finally ready to hear Jesus say with authority, “Your sins are forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, that how far away your sins are from you now because of me.” Your sins have been dealt with—not excused—but dealt with, paid for, the punishment they deserved has been meted out upon Jesus himself. In the court of God’s justice you are found “not guilty,” because Jesus volunteered to take your sentence. The Lord desires mercy and He is merciful to those who realize their spot at the table, their relationship to God, their life in His kingdom depends entirely on His mercy. It all depends on God not repaying us in proportion to what our sins deserve. That repayment fell on Jesus in His Passion and death. So come, you who have been brought low by your sin and failure, and have a seat. So that His forgiveness could be sent to you today, Jesus sets His Table in the Church. So that His pardon could reach you, He offers His body and pours out His blood for you to eat and drink. So that you could know the joy of fellowship with the Son of God, He brings you into His Holy Supper, where you are treated as an honored guest. More mercy could hardly be shown.
So score one for the Pharisees in Matthew 9. They were right. Jesus eats with sinners. This is our only hope, for life today and life with Christ that never ends. Amen.
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