Blessed Is He

Matthew 21:8-9 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

I remember a time, a few years back, when I was providing technical support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The company I worked for at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) had a contract to provide assistance to state and local agencies in emergency planning around nuclear power plants.  I was introduced at a meeting as being with the Iowa National Laboratory. I came up with a witty reply about “Idaho is the other Iowa.” Who we represent is important as well as how we represent them.

Who we represent in our Christian walk is very important.  As we live our lives outside of the church we worship at every Sunday, we are constantly being judged.  Our actions, our life styles, our interactions with others, and our compassion are prominently on display. We live our lives under a microscope.  Some of those examining us will be looking for the negative. Others will be looking for the positive.  In each case they will leap to judge us and hold in esteem, or ridicule, the one we represent. That is of course Jesus.  If we profess to be dedicated followers of Jesus Christ, how can we justify living a life that stands in stark contrast to the life of Christ?  Therein lies the conundrum for Christians.  We know we are not saved by our actions. We know that we are not perfect. We know that we are saved by grace through faith. And yet, those on earth we are to minister to and guide to be disciples of Christ will hold us to a standard of perfection.  So, what are we to do?  We should accept grace, and keep trying to be better. We strive to be better for all the right reasons. We strive to love others because we were first loved by the Son of God. We strive to reach out to others because the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 calls us to that noble task. We do what we can, examining how we can do better, more effective, more capable. But we do these things with a profound sense of freedom because our salvation does not rest upon our efforts. But the salvation of those who do not know Christ may rest upon what we do. That is our inspiration. And our efforts are blessed when we come in the name of the Lord. The Lord is our guide, our inspiration, our strength and our refuge. We should not be disheartened, rather encouraged. So brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s go in peace and serve the Lord.

PRAYER:  Almighty God, we ask for you peace, and blessings today, and every day. As we go about our world serving You, we ask for Your guidance and blessings in all that we do. We ask that You would lead us where You know we need to go. We ask that our efforts would be fruitful. We also ask for Your peace that surpasses all understanding when we face difficulties. Strengthen us Dear Lord. This we ask in the name of Your Son, who with the Father and the Spirit are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Abound In Hope

Romans 15:12-13 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.


The news of late is filled with the tragedy in Japan following the earthquake and resultant tsunami. Millions are impacted; thousands are lost and feared to be dead. On top of the human tragedy is the unfolding accident at the Fukushima nuclear station. It is for us, as Christians, a time of prayer and supplication. There are many believers in Japan, and even more nonbelievers. Our prayers are for both to find hope, peace, comfort and safety.


Lent can be a difficult time for Lutherans. We tend to be in a constant state of contemplating our sinful lives. Some will chose to give up something. Or they may choose to fast, or spend extra time in prayer or study. And a few may chose to do all the above. Each participant knows that doing so will not earn them anything in the way of salvation. That has already been given freely. What these activities help us to do is to honor and remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But the thing we have to be watchful for is to not let despair break into our meditations. We are sinful by nature. We try, but we are unable to get past that. We can expend no end of effort and end up right back in the same place with the same conclusion. We are sinners. Okay, let’s get over it. But what can we do. We are not hopelessly lost as a castaway adrift in a raft upon some vast sea. We are tethered to Christ by our faith. We have a Savior who has given everything needed for our salvation. We have been gifted with the most marvelous gift of all. And that is what we need to focus on and remember during Lent. We must not lose sight of that in our time of self-reflection. Please, do not lose the hope we all have been blessed with so abundantly. Sure, it is time when we gather on Wednesday evenings and worship. Our messages are filled with reminders that we are not perfect and that YES, WE ARE SAVED! We contemplate Jesus suffering the humiliation of the cross just so that we poor sinners could be reconciled. It is finished. In the words of Jesus on the cross, “It is accomplished.” YES, WE HAVE HOPE! For those who have no hope, what we have is worth more than all the precious metals and gems in the whole world because it sets us apart and sets us free. No longer are we held captive by sin. No longer is there a sting in death. Jesus saved us and gave us hope. That is cause for celebration! Share the good news, invite a friend to worship with you and let them know what your hope is all about.


PRAYER: Everlasting God, You are the one constant in all of our lives. Your love can be counted on at times when darkness falls all around us. During the time of trial for those in Japan who are without hope, help us O God to reach out in love. Guide our efforts to bring hope to the hopeless. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus Christ. Amen

I Come In Peace

1 Samuel 16:4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The Elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said “Do you come peaceably?”


I enjoy watching the old movies. The artistry of some of those classic westerns filmed in black and white is great. And in those movies, when the peace negotiators approached each other it was under a white flag of truce. Someone would say “I come in peace,” and the negotiating would begin. Occasionally, peace would actually result from the negotiation. Only occasionally though. Human nature was the target of the screen writers and the irony of the situation would wind down to the logical conclusion of the conflict that had to begin. Otherwise, it would be a short and dull movie.


Have you heard the phrase, your reputation precedes you? Have you been in the situation where you have developed a track record for being the bearer of bad news? Samuel was not welcome in Bethlehem. Saul, the king who had lost favor with the Lord was out to get Samuel. And people were afraid of Samuel because he was usually the bearer of bad news in the form of the truth. Back in the days of Samuel, just as in our days now, the truth was not normally welcome if it involved bad news. Sugarcoat it, minimize the bad. Happy, happy, joy, joy, was and is the preference. And so when Samuel tells the Elders of Bethlehem that he comes peaceably they are understandably relieved. A kind word goes a long way in breaking the ice and setting everyone at ease. And so it is with Samuel then and our lives now. If you cannot think of something nice to say in conversation, texting, Twittering or Facebooking then maybe your motives should be reviewed. The phrase from 1 Samuel 16:4 “Do you come peaceably?” is equivalent to our modern day equivalent “Do you come in peace?” We as Christians must come in peace. We are representing Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace (See Isaiah 9:6). We are His emissaries and must act accordingly. We must put on the full armor of Christ, and take off our sinful nature and go forward in the light of Christ. To do otherwise dishonors Christ. But what do you do when confronted by conflict and enemies? We take heed to the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:43-48. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We will forgive our brother who sins against us no seven times, but seventy times seven. And oh by the way, if you are keeping track of the number of times you have forgiven your brother who has sinned against you, have you really forgiven him? I think the answer to that question is no. We give grace because we have been given grace. We love because we were first loved. That is what being a Christian is about. Prayer and grace is needed when dealing with those who persecute us if peace is to have a chance.


PRAYER: Father, Abba, as sinners we sometimes struggle forgiving others. The grace given to us by You is easy to take for granted. We are like the wicked servant who when his debt was forgiven demands payment from others. Help us in our frailty to hold close, and dear to our hearts, Your grace. Help us to remember to forgive others and are forgiven. Help us to remember to pray first for those who persecute us rather than lashing out in anger. Let us remember to forgive seven times seventy times. This we ask in the name of Your Son, who with the Father and the Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen