The Hardest Part

"[Paul said] Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." Acts 20:25

The Hardest Part

I do enjoy moving. Besides the packing part(which I spoke of before), moving itself really isn't that bad. It allows you to see more of the country, to taste exotic food, and, best of all, to know a variety of people.

In my life I have lived in nine different states for a month or more. A couple of them I don't remember(my father was in the military and we moved...A LOT!). A couple I only lived in a few months. But all of them have led me to a greater understanding of the marvelous country that we live in. It's a marvel how people as different as Montanans are from Californians can agree on anything, let alone government and living together.

The hardest part of moving, though, hasn't been the packing or the different cultures. The hardest part has been leaving the people I have grown to love behind. In each and every place I have met the most amazing people! And its hard to say goodbye.

Thankfully we have things like the internet which keeps us connected despite our distances. We never have to say what Paul said to his friends, the Ephesians. "Now I know that I will see none of you again." It's so sad! So heartwrenching! I cannot imaging leaving someone forever without even the hope of seeing them again. Without even the promise of Facebook updates and emails and postcards. With nothing to hold on to...

Except Christ! For Paul to live was Christ, to die was gain. For Paul, who was in Christ, leaving those who were also in Christ wasn't a loss. It was sad, alright. Paul ends each of his letters wishing he could see them again and greeting, by name, the saints that he had met there. But for Paul, whose life was taken by Christ and used to expand His Kingdom, the goodbyes he said was only temporary ones. For someday Paul would see them as Christ returned to take them home.

So as I leave I take on the same mind as Paul. For though I will miss those I leave, I know that the goodbyes we say are only temporary ones. We will meet again, whether on this life or in the life to come. We are together in Christ. Now...and always. Amen.

Almighty God, in Christ we are united with Christians throughout the world. Even in our goodbyes assure us of your grace that we might know for sure that we will meet again, in Christ our Lord. Amen.

Packing... Yuck!

“So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” Genesis 12:4-5

Packing...Yuck!

My family started in earnest last week in what is, for me, the worst part of moving: packing I don’t mind the moving part. And getting to know new people, places, and faces is really quite fun. But there’s something really humbling about taking out everything you’ve stored in closets and basements for years, sorting through it, and deciding what you need and what you don’t need. It makes you feel rather burdened by all the stuff of life.

That’s why it’s nice to remember that, even Abram, that touchstone of faith in Scripture, had possessions that he moved. In fact, Abram doesn’t even “go through” his possessions. There is no downsizing for him. No sorting. Instead, Genesis tells us, he took his wife, his nephew and “all the possessions they had accumulated...” Not only that, but he also took “all the people they had acquired in Haran” which means that all of THEM had to move with all of THEIR possessions too.

Can you imagine the size of their moving truck? Can you imagine Abram telling his people that they need to pick up stakes and move...with everything they have... because GOD told him too?

Abram is the first, I believe, real mover in the Bible. He’s the first one who goes from where he was(in Ur) to where God is calling him to be(Canaan) and goes there with everything in his household. The worst part of all is... HE DOESN’T EVEN GET TO STAY IN CANAAN! That’s right. Once he gets to this promised land God is promising him, God shows him it from a distance...and then Abram settles somewhere else. Near Sodom to be exact. And we know what happens to him in Sodom...right?

But here at the beginning of his adventure Abram is seen packing all his possessions to get there.

We too are called to go where God calls us...with our without all our possessions. Some will go with very little on their backs. A pastor from eastern Montana, Joshua Magyar, went to Tanzania with very little possessions. Others of us(my family for instance) will be packing nearly 10,000 pounds worth of possessions as we follow God’s call.

But however many possessions we do, or do not, have. God’s call remains. And our faithfulness is measured, not in how we pack our things or even how much stuff get go with, but in how we respond to that call of God in our lives. Let us not let our possessions stand in the way of our higher calling. For when God comes knocking...we should be ready for action, no matter where he he calling us. Amen.

Faithful God, you call us on paths uncertain and in ways yet untrodden. Teach us to manage our earthly possessions so that we may follow your call, wherever you are leading us, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: A New Beginning

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 28

Focus Verse: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Meditation: A New Beginning
At the end of every chapter...something new begins. At the end of the school year...the summer begins. At graduation...a new life in college or in the world opens up. At the end of our time with our children...a new life together opens up. At the end of life...a new eternal life.

Here at the end of Matthew we find the same to be true. The Gospel moves quickly from the resurrection experience to the last words of Christ. Here you will find no post-resurrection sightings. Jesus doesn't appear to any of them on the road or in their homes or on the shore. None of them see him until they reach the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And only there does Jesus say anything substancial to them.

On the mountain, we read nothing of Jesus ascending into heaven. The words read on Ascension Sunday are not spoken from the clouds. They are said as Jesus "came to them." Not as he leaves. And they do one important task. They send the disciples forward. They are sending words that transform the disciples, the learners, into the apostles, those who are sent. These words open doors. They pave the way to the greater adventures the disciples will have as apostles, as those sent forth, from Christ.

This chapter is an ending...but it's also a new beginning.

We too are given the chance to begin anew...to move from one ending into a new beginning. SIn the past we've gone through trials and hardships. Leaders we know may have derided us as they did Jesus. We may have suffered tremendously, physically, mentally, or spiritually. But here...at the resurrection and on the mountain where we see the Risen Christ...we are given a new beginning. A chance to start over. And a new horizon to meet.

For me and my family, we too have been through an ending. Our time at St. James Lutheran Church in Columbus, Montana has ended. There we leave people who cared about us. In a sense... we have died to our life there... and now God has opened up an exciting new beginning.

This week I accepted a call to serve as pastor of a church in Peoria, Illinois. Peoria is an exciting place with numerous opportunities for both me and my family. The church is forward-thinking, exciting and enthusiastic about mission and ministry. There will be challenges as there are in every place. But this is a brand new frontier. I feel like the disciples did. Nervous. Anxious. Believing...and also doubting. Wondering what the new future has in store for us. Hopeful. Excited.

But through it all, I know that Christ Jesus is with us. This promise, at the end of his speech, is what sustains us all through all the chapter changes in our life. Jesus says: "I will be with you always to the end of the age." Here at the end of Matthew, Jesus doesn't leave us. He doesn't disappear in the clouds. He doesn't go and disappear into heaven. Instead, Jesus is WITH US! Still, Jesus is still with us even here. Even now! Jesus stays by our side through all the chapter changes of our lives. And that's a promise we can bank on! Amen!

Questions to Ponder...
1) What chapter-changes have you faced lately? How have you gotten through them?
2) What sustains you through all the changes in your life? What gives you faith and assurance of God's grace?
3) Where have you seen Jesus lately?

A Prayer to Pray...
Almighty God, your Son, Jesus, is still among us just as He promised. Open our eyes that we might see him through all the changes in our lives that we might find faith, even in the midst of our doubts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


**Faithful devotion readers... we come to the end of our study of Matthew. Stay tuned as life brings us stories of transition as my own family goes through their own transition this month! **

In Matthew's Steps: Christ's Climax

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 27

Focus Verse: Now when the centurion and those with him who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" Matthew 27:54

Meditation: Christ's Climax
Stories, we learn in school, have certain elements to them. There is the introduction, the beginning of the story in which the characters are introduced. There is the leading action in which the main character is developed and the climax of the story is foreshadowed. This builds into the climax of the story, the point to which everything has been leading. Finally... the story ends with what is called a denoument, where the remaining threads of the narrative are wrapped up and a new narrative may be introduced.

Christ's story takes on the same shape. In Matthew, Jesus is introduced as the one who will save Israel. The magi reinforce this with his gifts, which include symbols of power, wealth, and death. Throughout Jesus ministry, he continually refers to his own suffering and death, something he believes is necessary for the Son of Man. He walks straight into Jerusalem as the story increases its pace until Christ meets his climatic end on the cross as the centurion declares: "Truly, this man was God's Son!"

Without this climax, Christ makes no sense. There is nothing particularly unique about Christ's teaching. Nothing that other teachers haven't said. There is nothing special about his life or his miracles. Other prophets have lived this way. But Christ's death is unique. Very unique. Jesus' whole life led up to his suffering and death on the cross. Here we see the fulfillment of everything that was ever said of the Messiah. Here is the climax of Creation. And the redemption that Christ brings, a redemption that even we, two thousand years later, is not possible without this ending. Without the climax, Christ means nothing. Without Christ on the cross, his teachings are meaningless words and useless presuppositions, but through the cross, they are life! And they are from God!

Here at the end of his life we see everything come together! The kingdom of heaven that Jesus has been announcing and speaking to is now tested. Jesus' kingship is challenged, once by Pilate "Are you the King of the Jews?". Once by the soldiers: "Hail, King of the Jews!" Once by the sign over his head: "This is Jesus, the King of the Kews." And once by the chief priests and scribes: "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him." The persecution promised to the faithful now falls squarely on Jesus' shoulders, as those around him desert him, his own people turn on him, and painful suffering overcomes his body.

We might wonder why Jesus had to suffer this way. Why would this be the destiny of the Son of God? But the truth is... it's all built up to this point! Jesus death does what no other sacrifice could do. It atones for our sins. But Jesus' death on the cross does other things too. It paves the way for the kingdom of God. It places God's presence directly in the center of suffering. It shows us the price one must pay for the kingdom of God to come.

Jesus' death does other things too...for you. Each of us who have heard this story, sometimes more than once, who have walked Jesus' footsteps as he makes his way to the cross, take something else from this event.

Perhaps you hear the love Christ has one the cross. Perhaps you can relate to the insults hurled at him by his people. Perhaps you have felt like you were on trial. Or perhaps you have suffered unjustly for doing right. Perhaps Christ's death reminds you that you are truly forgiven. Or perhaps it's about a New Beginning... a New Creation.

However this story touches you, Christ's death is indeed the climax of his life here on earth. For nothing he did or said makes any sense without it. Amen.

Questions to Ponder...
1) Look back through Matthew sometime. How often does Jesus foreshadow his own suffering and death? At what point do you think Jesus' comes to this realization of his climax?
2) Does Jesus' death make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
3) What does Jesus' death on the cross mean for you?

A Prayer to Pray...
We thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending your Son whose destiny was the cross. We pray as we walk through life that you would remind us of his atoning sacrifice for our sins and lead us to walk in his footsteps, through our crucified and risen Lord's name. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: Facing the Inevitable

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 26

Focus Verse: “You know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Matthew 26:2

Meditation: Preparing for the Inevitable

Can you imagine knowing that at someplace in a month or more a horrible pain will come upon you and you will be forced into an ordeal that will change your life forever?

If you’re a mother who’s had children of her own, you can very well imagine that situation. In fact, you’ve experienced that very thing. Pain on a schedule.

It takes courage to know that this is in your future...and to press on toward it anyway. To know with all certainty that pain and suffering awaits you and to walk into it willingly takes strength from God!

Now imagine that it’s not the precious birth of a baby that you’re waiting for but your own death. People are told throughout the world that they have only a few months to live. And that news is devastating. Imagine having that knowledge brought forward to a few days and to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that pain and suffering will accompany your death. Would you face it willingly? Or would you retreat? If you could prevent that in some way... would you?

That is the situation Jesus faces as he prepares for Passover. His end is coming. “The Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Jesus knows it comes...and yet he presses forward.

As the woman at Bethany anoints his feet Jesus says, “...she has prepared me for burial.”
As the disciples eat the meal together Jesus says, “...one of you will betray me.”
As the cup of communion is passed around Jesus reminds them, “I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
And as Jesus wakes his disciples the last time he tells them, “See, my betrayer is at hand.”

All of these things point to the fact that Jesus KNEW what was about to happen to him...and yet he walked that way willingly. Jesus KNEW what was to take place and how much it would hurt...and yet Jesus walked that way anyway. Jesus walked the way to the cross in full knowledge of what would come upon him and what would happen to him in the end. He trusted that his Father in heaven had some plan in mind...but he knew the path that had been chosen for him.

That trust wasn’t easy...that’s for sure. As Jesus is in the Garden, he prays that the cup of suffering would be taken from him. If only there is another way... but there is no other way. The Son of Man must suffer and die and be raised to new life. Jesus must walk this path in full knowledge of the pain and in the hope of the resurrection.

When we find ourselves in inevitable situations, where suffering is at our doorsteps. When we’ve had cancer diagnosed or face an upcoming surgery. When the news of a divorce settles in our family or our loved one gets ill. When Hospice is called in and we lose hope of them ever recovering physically. Let us remember and know that Jesus has already been there. Jesus knew suffering was approaching...and he faced it willingly.

And Jesus is there too when we face suffering too. When the doctors have nothing but bad news, Jesus stands there beside us, comforting us with his presence, sustaining us in our moments of suffering and pain, whispering in our ear that there is something better in store for us at the end. A resurrection like no other. That he himself has prepared for us. There is nothing to fear...even at the inevitable end of our lives. Amen.

Questions to Ponder...
1) When have you faced the inevitable? How did you react?

2) How does your opinion of the passion of Christ change when you figure in Christ’s pre-knowledge of the situation?

3) How has Christ helped you through the inevitable sufferings of life?

A Prayer to Pray...
Almighty God, your Son knews he would suffer and die... and he goes through with it anyway. Help us when we know more than we wish to. Encourage us when suffering is upon us that we might see your resurrection at hand, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: No Other Way

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 25

Focus Verse: “And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (v. 40)

Meditation: No Other Way

I get lost. Frequently.

I have a hard time traveling from point A to point B without turning around at least twice in the meantime. I’m not sure where this tendency comes from or when it began. I just know that GPS has been my friend, but even with the computer telling me when to turn and where to go, I often get lost in the meantime.

Most confusing of all is the fact that there is always, without fail, more than one way to travel anywhere you want to go. Do you go down Main Street or Hill Avenue? Do you take the freeway or the frontage road? Do you go the direct route or the indirect route? With so many trails to follow, how do you decide?

In faith we might think there are many ways to go there too...but there really aren’t. Whatever direction you take, there is only one road that goes all the way through...that road is grace.

Today Jesus tells three parables about grace and particularly what happens when you refuse grace.

The first parable, the wise and foolish bridesmaids, features two groups of women: one who brings extra oil to wait for the groom. The other who doesn’t. The one who brings extra oil are ready for the groom when he comes late. The other group doesn’t. The other group, the foolish ones, have to run out to the store for more oil and in doing so, misses out on the groom’s entrance. They are left outside.

So...why are they foolish? Is it because they have no extra oil? Or...maybe another reason.

Maybe the foolish women are foolish because they believe the groom cares. What if the groom cared only nothing for whether they had oil in the lamps or not? What if the groom cared if the women only believed in his grace and were waiting for him just as they are? What if it were their false image of the groom that left them stranded outside?

Grace is the only way...

This theme comes to light too in the second parable. The familiar story of the talents. Three servants are given talents. Two use them wisely. One hoardes it and doesn’t. In the end, when the accounts come to bear, two are commended and one is thrown out on his head.

Why again does this happen? Is it the foolish stewartship of the servant? Or maybe... Maybe it’s the false image of the master.

When confronted by the Master, the last servant says: “Master, I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid...”(vs. 24-25a).

What was his mistake? His fear! Exactly! And because he doesn’t believe in the grace of his master... because he doesn’t believe that his master will commend him no matter what he does...the servant hides the coin and returns it in fear and loathing of the master.

God is a God of grace!

Finally, the last parable about the end judgement is again all about grace. Only this time its grace given, not by God, but by the nations on peoples who are the least of them. In this parable, the righteous are commended for offering grace and the unrighteous condemned for not. What’s striking here is the surprise both parties have. They both ask the same question: “When Lord?” And the Son of Man answers them both...

It was when you offered...or didn’t offer...grace!

If grace is the only way...which I believe it is! And If God is a God of grace...which I believe He is. And if God cares most about how we offer grace to others...which I believe He does... How does that change us? How does that change how we deal with others? How we see God? How does this change the way we view everything around us?

There is only one way to go. That way is grace. Grace, found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that says: “I love you...no matter what?! I don’t care how much oil you have...come and see me! I don’t care what you’ve done with your life...I love you! I’m not interested in how good you are... I’m interested in how much you care and love and show grace to the least of my children. Grace is all that matters in the end.”

May these words disturb you, challenge you, and ultimately save you by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Questions to Ponder...
1) Does grace comfort you? Or disturb you?

2) What does it mean to say that you are on the same ground as every other child of God? Does grace make you equal in worth to the Pope? Or Mother Theresa?

3) How can you show and share grace to others around you? Where is God calling you?

A Prayer to Pray...
Almighty God, I believe you are a God of grace who shows mercy and compassion to the world through your Son. Give me that mercy and compassion. Help me show and share your grace and mercy to all, through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: Be Prepared!

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 24

Focus Verse: “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (vs. 42)

Meditation: Be Prepared!

My two sons are in cub scouts. Every other Tuesday or so, they trudge out to learn about life, the world, and how to do important things like tie knots and make bird houses. Apart from all the fun they are having, though, my boys are learning an important lesson. One immortalized in the boy scout motto:

Be Prepared!
This lesson is played out in every single activity they do.
“Be prepared...” when out want to tie two things together.
“Be prepared...” when it comes to home safety.
“Be prepared...” when you go camping, or hiking, or fishing.
“Be prepared...” when riding your bicycle.

I have loved my boys being in scouts for the sole reason that: this lesson is important to learn. It’s important to be prepared...for anything and everything ‘cause you never know when life will throw you a curveball.

This lesson, be prepared, is precisely what Jesus is trying to tell the disciples in this chapter of Matthew. The focus is on the end-times, what happens at the end of the world, and what Jesus says to the disciples he says to each and every one of us: Be prepared!

Be prepared... when the walls come crashing around you. You never know when the very building you’re standing in will be swept away by a tornado, earthquake, or something else and everything you worked for will be destroyed. So be prepared to lose it all.

Be prepared... to face persecution. For the time will come when those you trust most will turn on you. Be prepared to stand firm with what you believe, or like your home, you too will be swept away.

Be prepared...for deception. “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect...”(vs. 22) Not everyone in the world will be in your best interest. When others come in the name of Christ, discover their motivation. Search their heart. See if they come from God...or not. And be prepared for their deception.

Be prepared...for terrible things to happen. “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” Even when all this happens... be prepared to raise your hands and meet your Lord.

Be prepared...even if nothing seems to be happening. Keep your bag at the door, like one who is expecting a child, just in case in the middle of the night something happens. Be prepared!

This cry for preparedness strikes us as it struck the disciples. How often have we thought we have more time than we do. We don’t need to go to church this Sunday...there’s always next Sunday. We aren’t ready to forgive our neighbor or relative quite yet... we still have tomorrow. We’re just not there with God yet...but there’s always tomorrow. How often have some thought these very thoughts only to have their life taken from them that very day.

Be prepared... can act as a call to attentiveness. Be alert. Be alive! For you don’t know when your world will end with your own death...and you don’t know when the WHOLE world will end with its. Be prepared. Always be alert. Have your bags packed if need be. Harbor no regrets. Tell your family you love them TODAY. Do it NOW. Don’t wait. ‘Cause you never know when the thief in the night will come and the world as you know it will end. So...stay alert! And be prepared! Amen.

Questions to Ponder...
1) What have you been putting off doing? What do you need to do TODAY to prepare for Christ’s coming?

2) What would you do if you knew that you only had a week to live? How does this news shift your priorities?

3) Martin Luther said that if he had just a day til the end of the world, he’d plant a tree. How does this statement bring us hope as we look forward to the coming of Christ?

A Prayer to Pray...
Heavenly Father, we know not the day or the hour of your Son’s return, just as we know not the day of our own death. Keep us awake and alert that, in the hour He comes, we may greet Him with joy at the gates, through Christ our Lord. Amen.