Life "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4) God loves life! This is one of the most basic truths, and it runs through every part of our faith. God loves life. He loved creating life: trees, plants and every green thing for us to enjoy; animals, birds, fish and every creeping thing; and mankind, Adam and Eve and every descendant on through the centuries since. God loves life: and this is personal. He loved creating you, body and soul, blessing you with every breath and heartbeat. And the life He created as He formed you includes your thoughts, hopes, dreams, joys and every other part of your inner life. There are verses in Proverbs (8:30-31) that speak of all wisdom gathered together in Jesus: "then I was beside Him, like a master workman, and I was daily filled with delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in His inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." God loves life and delights in you being alive! If He did not -- would there be such wonders in the world around you, and such amazing things that happen deep within your soul? With each child born, when you came to be, God began to open up the wonders of creation to one more being. It is something like being a parent or grandparent, watching the wonder a child experiences discovering each new thing in their lives. God loves life! And this is a thing to remember when we are in the middle of trouble. When God created mankind He blessed us. And He is not the one who turned away; we did. Adam and Eve turned from God who loves life, and followed the voice of the devil who brought them death. So Jesus came into the world, and the Gospel of John said, "In Him was life." He came to bring life, to bring back and restore what we had lost. And the Gospel of John continues in chapter 2 with the wedding at Cana and Jesus turning water to wine. God loves life, and it shows in the life and character of Jesus. "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." All the way through, from water to wine, to "God so loved the world," to feeding the 5,000, healing the man born blind, to raising His friend Lazarus, to bringing the one thief on the cross into Paradise, to rising from the dead and inviting Thomas to touch and see, to inviting the disciples to share a meal on the beach (John 21) Jesus brings life, light and joy. He is the same Jesus; and in the middle of our trouble He is the One who has life. Another part of good news, hope and light is this -- God does His work through His people, His human beings that He has delighted in creating. Doctors, scientists, and medical researchers are not alone in their work. Whether they know it or not, they have God Himself by their side blessing their work (and God's work) of healing and saving life. He is the light of the world. As you turn to Jesus in prayer day after day, remember our doctors and nurses in your prayers. Pray that the light of God would shine through them, and that the light of Jesus would shine on them. Lord Jesus, You are the light of the world and You are the light of my life. Shine the light of life on us: through doctors, nurses, researchers and medical researchers. Help them to develop treatments and to bring healing to the many thousands all over the world. Bless their work and speed their successes. And let us bring Your light to our neighbors, by caring and watching over one another. Amen.
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Death This meditation is deeply personal. Early this morning a friend in our congregation died; and down in the southern part of our state another friend is nearing the end of this life (both are from cancer). Last night my wife heard news from a former student and friend of hers, that 4 people in her family have died from the virus within a week. It stings. And then we find out (in the news) that more and more young people are falling victim to this virus. How many of us have refused to look at it, to think about our mortality? And now -- there is no escaping. Whether it is this or something else, it will happen. Bodies break. They grow older and shorter of breath, and if we live long enough they will get all wrinkly until something gives out. But right now it is here and is all around us like it seldom has been in our lifetimes. Basically there are 2 ways to die. Yes, I know, outwardly there are thousands of ways. But deep inside there are only 2 ways. With and without something eternal planted in the soul. That is basic. And it is true. No matter how much we heap up, decorate the body, build the illusion, and fight against what we are; we will still be reduced to dust and the years will roll on to the end. The Apostle John said in his first letter, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. ... For all that is in the world ... is not from the Father .... And the world is passing away along with its desires ..." No matter how you chase, hold on to it, and fight to keep it, finally it is lost. And if there is nothing eternal in you so are you. But the same Apostle John also tells something deeply personal and very real. "What was from the beginning [he's talking about Jesus, and listen how he talks] which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked on and have touched with our hands ..." There are only 2 ways to die, and one of them is with something eternal planted in your soul. Jesus came from eternity, bringing words from eternity, and planted them in John's soul. He walked with them and they watched the acts of God, acts of kindness and healing, forgiveness and even humility, acts of God that are also from eternity, and Jesus took those eternal acts and through the eyes and through the experience of John He put those into John's soul. And Jesus touched, broke bread and fed, knelt down and washed the feet, and invited the disciples to touch Him and see that He had risen; and He put the cross and the empty tomb deep within John's soul. By the time Jesus was done John was so filled up with eternal things that the stuff of this world could not compare. And the most eternal of everything was Jesus Himself, within the soul, a Guide and Friend unlike any other That's why John talked the way he did; and Paul, and Peter, and on and on down through the years, and Herb, and Marcia too. It is the way of dying with the eternal there within the soul. It is so completely different from the other way, that it is absolutely the opposite of the other. Oh, you won't get it with your own searching along your own spiritual path; and you won't achieve it by getting yourself "centered" within your own self. The only way to find the eternal is in the One who is from eternity, who came to walk with John, and bring the words of eternity to you too. His plan is to hold on to you with His eternal things and keep you when your time comes. And that is a true Friend, the one we need more than any other in these days. Lord Jesus, I look around and everything is changing. Nothing lasts. And I look within, and look at myself and I am only temporary too! But You are eternal. You have life that does not fail. You have eternal words with eternal truths. Speak them deep within me. Fill the eyes of my soul with Your cross and Your broken tomb; and so fill me again with hope and courage for today. And for all the days ahead be with me as my friend. I need a True Friend. Amen. Hope "... and hope does not disappoint ..." (Romans 5:5) It was on the news today that there may be some treatments available almost immediately. And then it was on the news that there may need to be more testing and more waiting. Hopes rise and it is exhilarating. And then there is a delay and we are back to waiting. The ups and downs in the time of a crisis can be frustrating. So, whatever did the Apostle Paul mean when he said "hope does not disappoint"? It sure seems like hopes disappoint. First, there is a difference between "hope" and "hope." The one is a feeling within and it draws its hope from looking around; what is our situation? What are our prospects? How soon is help coming? How much can I rely on the government, the doctors, etc? The other connects to something more lasting and constant. God is there. He hears our prayers. He give His promises. And I know these things how? Because He has won the victory. Everything lasting and eternal comes together in Jesus. This means my hopes are not just bouncing around inside my own thoughts and feelings; soon to fade away and almost disappear whenever things change for the worse. Honestly, does that not seem to be the way with a whole lot of people in the world? Paul even tossed a thought in that direction when he was writing to the Church in Corinth. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile .... If we have hoped in Christ for this life only we are of all men most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19) He said it in order to show the contrast. There is a hope that does not ride the roller coaster of feelings. It is an anchored hope, connected to something solid. " ... and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Roamns 5:5 - NASB) This hope does not come from within. It comes from God, who makes promises; and keeps them. We have a hope, deep "within our hearts". It is brought there by the Holy Spirit, whose entire work is to point us to Jesus and to the promises we have in Jesus -- to bring the words of Jesus in the Bible, and the words of the Bible about Jesus, and plant them within the Christian soul, so that we can find our hope the only place we can have that one kind of hope -- in the One who came into this world to share our human flesh with all the weaknesses we share. The love of God comes to us through Jesus' words joined together with His living, dying, and rising. Paul starts the chapter (Romans 5) telling how we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. He is the anchor for our hope -- no one else than the Son of God. As long as He is the Christ of the Cross and the Christ of the Empty Tomb I have a hope that is different from any other hope. This is why Christians have held on to the one truth, "He is risen," through every century, every wave of persecution, and every illusion of riches that come along in this life. To simply quote Jesus, " Because I live, you will live also." (John 14:19) Jesus is a living anchor. He is eternal, and constant, and persistent in calling and caring for me. He promised. We need this anchor, not only in the time of the virus. We need Him through every up and down that comes along. We need Him through the days of hope and the days of disappointment. We need Him when life ahead is bursting with possibilities and we need Him when the road is ending and the days are few. Because what He does is walk with us and bring us along and open up all of eternity in front of us. Lord Jesus, in these days when everyone is looking for answers, and solutions, and rescue, be with my soul. Help me to know the true hope, finding in You the only things that transcend the ups and downs of life and life's times of crisis. Guide me through the turmoil of these days. Remind me of Your words and promises, because they are eternal; and You are inviting me to share in eternal things. Amen. Isolation What is the 2nd most extreme location for prayer that we are told about in the Bible? Why that question? We have been asked as much as we can to isolate ourselves at home; and when not at home to maintain a distance of 6 feet from others. It seems hard to do but we try. And doing this can leave us alone. This is something that many are not used to. With all the social media, with all of the things we (and Google, and Facebook) know about each other, how can we be alone? With all the business, noise, entertainments, and so on how are we ever really alone? And so we are confronted by a kind of quietness that we have become unused to with only our thoughts to keep us company. We feel the isolation. Once again, what is the 2nd most extreme place for prayer? The most extreme place of course was the cross, but what was the 2nd most extreme? You can read about it in the Bible. After Jonah had run from God and run away from God's call to go to Nineveh, after he boarded the ship to get as far away as he could, after the storm, and after confessing to the sailors that he was at fault, Jonah was thrown into the sea and was swallowed by a "great fish" that God had prepared for that day. Think of the isolation, there within the belly of the fish (3 days and 3 nights). And "from the belly of the fish" Jonah prayed to God. He was in complete darkness. He had no way of knowing where he was; or knowing which way was home. And he had no way of knowing what the next day or even what the next hour would bring. Does that sound familiar? And yet Jonah addresses his prayer to the Lord, and says, "Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple." (NASB) This is the prayer of faith (remember, "faith is believing the words and promises of God"). It is the prayer of faith because it takes hold of the words and promises of God; and that is so much more solid that a general feeling of hope. Through the words and promises of God the temple of the Old Testament gives way to the Word of God walking among us, carrying all the promises of God in Himself. It is a transforming thing. The promises of God, and our hope in the goodness of the Lord, do not rise or fall with the situation we are in, or our prospects for the future -- because Jesus is there. This time of crisis will end. But even when there is no crisis there is aloneness and isolation. We can have a lot of online friends and yet feel very alone. This is not anything new. For many generations people have recognized that you can be in the middle of a crowd and at the same time be very much alone. It is part of the human condition. Other people do not know our thoughts or our deepest feelings. Deep within the soul we are apart from every other human being. G. K. Chesterton observed that there is a place within where there is only you and God. We ignore this truth to our spiritual, psychological and emotional harm. So Jonah's experience is important for us. Jonah finds out in the belly of the fish that he is not as alone or as isolated as it seems, or as he feels. This is profound, and it is repeated time and again in the Bible. Psalm 46 calls God "a very present help in trouble." Psalm 27 says "He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble" Psalm 139 says "O Lord, You have searched me and known me! ... You discern my thoughts from afar. ... Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether." And in Matthew 28 Jesus promises, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." The reason why Jesus can know our aloneness is because He shared it. The 2nd most extreme place for prayer was by Jonah from the belly of the fish. The most extreme place for prayer was by Jesus on the cross. His time of extreme prayer, beginning in the garden of Gethsemane (praying in great agony) all the way to the final prayer from the cross reached in the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." In those words He carries all our isolation and separation, coming to where we have been so He can bring us back to be with Him -- forever. the reason why He can promise, "I am with you always," because He has conquered. He is risen. Lord Jesus, You know me -- every part, and all the way to my deepest being. Help me to take Your presence seriously, to talk to You in my times of isolation, to talk to You in the deepest parts of my soul; and to hear and hold Your words and promises deep within my soul. Thank You that You are constant as my Friend, and persistent as my Shepherd. Amen. Salt of the Earth An e-mail from a missionary informed us last weekend that The virus is ramping down here, but now is the time when there are opportunities all around to be the salt of the earth. That is what Jesus called us, "the salt of the earth." How can I be that? How can I do the things for my neighbor that Jesus calls me to do? Some thoughts: Keep in contact. Check on family members who are in the vulnerable groups. Keep watch for your neighbor. If you know of someone who needs supplies volunteer to help, pick up, buy, or share. I am actually reminded of a quote from John the Baptist, "Let he who has two rolls of toilet paper share with him who has none." OK, I know, he didn't say exactly that, but you get the idea. Watch over each other, because God has given us to each other to care for each other. Pick up the phone and bring human contact to those who are isolated and lonely. This is part of what we need as human beings who are created in the image of God. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we are created in His image We need community. Without community we do not do well. (Had you heard that when Tom Hanks came down with the virus the nurses in the hospital brought him a volleyball -- just like in the movie "Castaway" that he drew a face on and named it "Wilson"?) Watching over our neighbor is part of what we call "Vocation." God invites us to share in His work, caring for, protecting, feeding, and providing for others. That is the work of God, as the Psalm says, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." (Psalm 145:15-16 -- read the whole psalm.) Watching over your neighbor also means to be careful with your neighbor's health. I asked the small group gathered for Bible Study today, "did any of you take your temp before heading out to be with other people today?" This is not a thing I have heard in the suggestions and guidelines. And it is not the same as being tested. But checking yourself before being in contact with others is another part of watching over your neighbor. This is a sneaky virus, so check yourself. AND PRAY ! Pray for one another. Pray for those who are ill. Pray for those in at-risk groups. Pray a lot. This is not just because it is a good religious thing to do. And it is not a way of turning over all the care and providing to God. When you pray for your neighbor you are talking with God who actually knows their every single specific need. You are talking with the one who opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing. But He constantly answers prayers for one person through another. That is His pattern, involving us in His work, and in the life of God. So what do you think? Is He able to bring to your mind and help you to notice something specific that your neighbor needs, that you might have missed? Indeed and of course He can -- and does! And then you get to have your hands joined with God's hands, His thoughts mingled with your thoughts, and His work happening through your life. (And His life is eternal because He is the eternally living and eternally blessing God -- and this, by the way, is the most amazing part of life.) Lord Jesus, during this time of crisis and confusion Lead me as my Teacher and let me be Your disciple. Help me see Your many invitations to care for my neighbor, to be made strong by Your strength, and then to be the strength in the lives of the aged, the vulnerable, for those within my care, and for all to whom You lead me. Amen. A Brief Meditation in a Time of Uncertainty Jerod texted me yesterday, "Remember God is still in control, not corona virus." Indeed! And the very important point is that when we are not in control, and when we are very uncertain about what the next days, weeks, and months will bring; there is still someone who holds the future in His hands. He is the Lamb of God. He gave a promise, "and behold, I am with you to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) That means we are not alone. And we are with someone who has already charted out the course. (It is like an unfailing GPS that, unlike one of our older ones wanted us to park the car in the river we were driving along.) The path might go through strange and unfamiliar times, but we know our Friend Jesus knows the way and is able to bring us through. It's like the Bible bookmark that says: "I read the last chapter -- God wins." There is a picture in the Book of Revelation. In Chapter 5 we hear, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals." This is a picture of Jesus opening up the glorious future for His Church, that is for each one of His people. He knows the future because He is God, He sees it already, and He is able to bring us safely there. He has conquered, because He is the incarnate Christ, He was born to be one of us and He has mingled together His future and our future. And with that very human body He has conquered, by taking and sharing the dying that was coming our way; and then on the third day bringing eternal life into the human flesh He shares with us. He makes His future mine. So, yes, I have read the last chapter -- God wins, so I win, and you win. Lord Jesus Christ, lead us by Your wisdom and power that we may find our courage in Your promises, and be bold in our daily following, not knowing what the day will bring but only that we are walking with our eternal and almighty and merciful Friend. Amen. |
Rev. Mark WilligPastor Willig is pastor emeritus of Friends in Christ Lutheran Church. Archives
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