Monthly Archives: September 2017

Pastoral thoughts

Traveling in Overalls

I’ve been on a special journey that began in early 1968. That’s when, during my freshman year of college, I woke up one morning and proceeded to write a letter to my folks that God had called me to the ministry. Since then it’s been 4 years of college, 3 years of seminary, and 43 years of ministry. I seldom set the schedule and never really chose the places. It’s been quite a journey. And my heart is full – full of gratitude to God for His faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is one of the most valuable and precious lessons I have learned along the way,

I wrote that letter in my dorm room not because I had been awake in a divine stupor all night, not because there was any dramatic fiery encounter with Jesus during the night. God had been at work from the day I was born – He had been busy fulfilling the promises my parents claimed when I was baptized as an infant, that He would take charge of my life. That morning it just quietly all came together. That’s why I identify so much with Abraham – God told me to go. He didn’t say where or for how long – He just said go, and to trust Him for the next step – He has never shown me more than the next step. He just said He’d be faithful.

And He has been. I see His fingerprints all over my life and His foot prints all around my paths. I had been born and raised in the church, in a faithful Christian family, and knew I was blessed. But God was teaching me there was more to life than how blessed I was. As Paul put it “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Cor. 5:15) Jesus didn’t die to make me comfortable, to make me happy, or to make me safe – He died so I could live for Him. I deeply appreciate the imagery that Evelyn Underhill provided when she said that life is not merely turning over the pages of an engineering magazine and enjoying the pictures, but it’s putting on overalls and getting on with the job. That morning of my freshman year I put on the overalls and got to work – and have been traveling in them ever since.

And God has reminded me over and over again that this is His journey, not mine. I never sought out any of the places where I served – He literally chose them all – even the part-time ministry I am engaged in during my retirement. And with each call God used an individual or a special circumstance to make His direction obvious. The absolute truth is we make our plans but God plans our ways. I still recall a conversation I had during my first year of ministry. Someone from Kalamazoo asked me if thought I’d ever serve in Kalamazoo – and I said ‘No way. You just don’t serve in your hometown.’ They then asked if I thought I’d ever serve in Michigan – and I said, ‘I doubt it.’ Well, never say never – less than two years later I was in Holland Michigan and 18 months later was in Kalamazoo! Never say never. Barb, my wife, actually told me, near the beginning of our relationship, that she would not marry a minister – there was no way she was going to a pastor’s wife. Never say never. God is faithful and plans our ways. As the Palmist wrote, “For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” (Ps. 108:4)

There’s a pattern to God’s plan. We make our plans but He plans our ways. Therefore to travel with God is always to go to a prepared place where God is already at work. That’s why traveling in overalls is a good thing – we focus on the work and God works it out. As I have travelled in overalls these 50 years God’s faithfulness has been incredible. Day by day, moment by moment. No wonder I long for what is yet to come – for even now Jesus has gone to prepare a place – for you and for me. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going thereto prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3) I’ll travel in my overalls all the way – because I know I can trust God – because He is faithful.

Pastoral thoughts

Thoughts on Sainthood

I was recently part of a conversation about ‘true saints.’ We acknowledged the fact that for most people, the term ‘saint’ brings to mind either people who are dead or who are alive but are very special because of their deep faith. It got me thinking about the richness of sainthood but also about the lack of understanding of sainthood. Unfortunately that lack of understanding leads to anemic living. That’s why I love the way the apostle Paul begins his letter to the church at Philippi.

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:…” (Philippians 1:1 RSV).  Paul is writing to the saints in Philippi – to all the believers in Philippi. The truth is if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a saint. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and accepted Him as Lord of your life, you are a saint. True sainthood is an assigned designation not an achieved status. It is given, not earned. It is a status for the living not for the dead. When you come to believe in Jesus Christ, you are given the destiny and dignity of being a saint.

And that empowers you vibrant living. It means you are assigned, designated, set apart to glorify Jesus. You simply need to be who you are. In the Old Testament God designated certain things and places as ‘holy’, meaning they were to be used only in sacred ways and for sacred purposes. In the New Testament God designated people as ‘holy’, to live in a sacred way and to be used for sacred purposes. Paul says your permanent address is in Christ Jesus. Your zip code may be Philippi, Corinth, New York City, South Haven, Kalamazoo, or Chicago…it may not be next year what it is today. But your permanent address is in Christ Jesus – it never changes. No matter where you live or how popular you are or are not, you are rooted in Jesus Christ and your identity comes from Him.

It also means you are special and valuable, because God has chosen to have his Son Jesus shine through you. It’s said pictorially in a little poem entitled ‘What Is A Saint?’

“What is a saint?” the youngster asked; So his parents set out to explain.
By describing Saint Francis, and Bernadette They attempted to make it plain.
They told of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and ended with John and Paul;
But the boy just couldn’t relate to this and didn’t grasp it at all.
Then the parents went to their church and showed him The stained glass windows there; The faces of the elect shone out As they preached or knelt in prayer.
The boy was asked if he understood, And he said, “I think I do;
From what I’ve seen, I’d say a saint Is a person the light shines through.”

]

No matter what others say or think, you are holy, you belong to Jesus Christ and He is wanting to shine His light through you.

I wonder – what if we were all more ‘saintly’ in our living, being the special persons we are. What difference would it make in our lives – and in the lives of those around us – and in our communities – and in our world? I encourage you to embrace your position and identity as a saint – let His light shine through you.

 

Pastoral thoughts

The Storms of Life

It’s been an historic week for hurricanes. I cannot pretend to know what victims are going through. I have no answers or magical words. So rather than try to write something fresh and meaningful I instead offer the wisdom and inspiration of others.

First, from Bryan Fowler / Ryan Stevenson – some words from their song ‘The Eye of the Storm’ (Eye of the Storm lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group):

In the eye of the storm
You remain in control
And in the middle of the war
You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me
In the eye of the storm

Mmm, when my hopes and dreams are far from me
And I’m runnin’ out of faith
I see the future I picture slowly fade away
And when the tears of pain and heartache
Are pouring down my face
I find my peace in Jesus’ name

When the storm is raging (when the storm is raging)
And my hope is gone (and my hope is gone, Lord)
When my flesh is failing
You’re still holding on, oh whoa

When the storm is raging (the storm is raging)
And my hope is gone (and all my hope is gone)
When my flesh is failing (my flesh is failing)
You’re still holding on, ooh

The Lord is my Shepherd
I have all that I need
He let’s me rest in green meadows
He leads me beside peaceful streams
He renews my strength
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid
For You are close beside me

In the eye of the storm
You remain in control
And in the middle of the war
You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me
In the eye of the storm

From the Psalmist (Psalm 46: 1-3, 7):

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Pastoral thoughts

Precious Promises

She was our neighbor and a member of the youth group. She was also our occasional great baby sitter. I had been her youth pastor for about a year. I’ve forgotten the substance of our conversation but I remember her expressing concern that I would move to another church before she graduated from high school. I also remember telling her not to worry, that I would certainly be around for her graduation in a couple of years. A year later I took a call to another church in another state. She looked at me with her sad eyes and said, “You promised you’d be here for my graduation.” What could I say – she was right and we were both feeling pain. I broke a precious promise. And when I did that her trust was shaken.

Perhaps that’s why I am drawn to Moses encounter with God at the burning bush. Moses wanted a guarantee, a word of assurance that he could show to the people, that God could be trusted. (Exodus 3:67-9) God responded, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” (I am the God who was present with your people in the past.) “At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians…” (I am the God who is present with you now.) “… and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey-the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (I am the God who will be present with you in the future.) I am the God who has never let you down. I am the God who has never failed to deliver on my word. I am the God who is faithful to all my promises.

God is both a promise-maker and a promise-keeper. In fact, God has made a promise to be faithful to His covenant. We see it in His call to Abraham – God called him to leave everything he knew and had and head for a place he had never seen – all because God wanted to build a great nation through him. That’s all Abraham had – the promise, the word of God. But he discovered that God delivers on his word – from Abraham, a nation was born. And Moses was called to go face to face and toe to toe with Pharaoh – all because God wanted to rescue Israel from slavery. That’s all Moses had – the promise, the word of God. But he, too, discovered that God delivers on His word – for Israel was set free.

Centuries later, when it seemed as if maybe God had forgotten His promise to send a deliverer, the man named Jesus marched to a cross, shed His blood, was laid in a tomb, but rose again! God’s people – you and I – were set free! God delivers on His word. God is the ultimate Promise-Keeper! On His word, and His word alone, we are free to love and serve – because the future is guaranteed. As the Apostle Peter later wrote (2 Pt. 3:13): “According to his promise, we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth where everything will work right.” We are free to be faithful to our word.

God wants us to be covenant makers not contract makers. A contract states what each party promises to do – you do this and I will do this. But if either party breaks the contract it is null and void. A covenant states what one party promises to do, no matter what. When we are covenant promise makers and keepers, we are like God!

Just imagine what being faithful covenant makers and promise keepers would mean – in our marriages, our families, our schools, our workplaces, our halls of government, our churches. What if, in our marriages, families, schools, workplaces, government, and churches we truly promised, “I am the one who will be there for you” instead of “I will be there for you as long as you provide me with all the satisfaction I have coming?” To be like God is to keep our promises even when we are not getting what we want or deserve. Thomas Carlysle, near the end of his monumental history of the French Revolution, concluded that the revolution failed, not because of corruption in high places, but because ordinary people in their ordinary places neglected to keep their promises. Lewis Smedes wrote, “If we do not keep our promises, what was once a human community turns into a combat zone of (self-centeredness.)” We are free to be difference makers – we can keep our word because God has kept His.

What if you really trusted God? What would your life look like? What would you do if you really trusted God – truly believed that He is with you? What would you do if you really believed that God is – that He makes things happen, that He is the answer to all your needs? What would you do if you truly believed that God was faithful to His word? What promise would you claim? Are you willing to trust God? A little boy was walking down the beach, and as he did, he spied a matronly woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her an asked, “Are you a Christian??” “Yes.” “Do you read your Bible every day?” “Yes.” “Do you pray often?” the boy asked next. And again she answered, “Yes.” With that the little boy asked his final question, “Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?” What quarters do you need to give to God as you head back out into the waters of life? I invite you to establish your trust in Jesus. Lay before Him your needs, your fears, your challenges, your dreams. Give Him your quarters – whatever they may be. For you can trust Him!