Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)Michael Brown is dead, shot by a police officer. James Foley is dead, beheaded by a jihadist. Dr. Ameyo Adedavoh died after she contracted Ebola when she had to physically restrain an infected patient, American-Liberian Patrick Sawyer, who wanted to leave the hospital. We only know about them because they made the news but along with them scores have died whose names we will never know, precious only to those who loved and knew them or maybe to no one at all.There is no shortage of opinions on the death of Michael Brown, on James Foley, on the Ebola epidemic. There is no shortage of outrage, anger, propaganda, political agendas, and rhetoric. There is no shortage of onlookers, head-shakers, and “what is the world coming to”-ers. There is no shortage of anger, hatred, and violence. What is missing are the mourners, those who weep, those whose hearts are moved, those who feel the brokenness, the senseless, the loss.If I am not careful my observation about the lack of mourning is just my clever tack to have a novel non-involved opinion. Am I mourning? Is the death of Michael Brown causing me to mourn? Am I grieved that there is still a big gap between the treatment of people with different colors of skin? Do I weep over the fact that our police chiefs see a need to assemble military like forces to keep the peace? Do I open my heart to feel the loss of countless Muslims who, like James Foley, have suffered through senseless violence, war, corruption, sectarianism, and religion run amuck? Does my heart hurt so much I dream of better for black teenagers, radical Islamists, and disease stricken, impoverished Africans? Am I willing to plead their cases on my knees before God? Am I willing to get out my check book? Am I willing to turn my back on meaningless talk and opinionating and instead mourn openly, publicly?“Blessed are those who mourn.” There is no blessedness in anger, in violence, in injustice, in poverty, in oppression. There is no blessedness in apathy, on-looking, commentating, disengaging.“Blessed are those who mourn.” We don’t mourn over things we do not care about, we don’t feel their loss. The Prophet Jonah was rebuked by God because didn’t care if 120,000 little kids along with their families got wiped out, but cried and grieved over the loss of his air conditioner (Jonah 4).“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Mourners know how to help. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV). The Greek word for comfort paints the picture of coming alongside, the very word Jesus used to describe the Spirit of God (John 14:16-17). No wonder calls us blessed when we are willing to mourn, we act like him when we do.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans
Easter Questions
Easter QuestionsHow long can you live without breathing? – Minutes.How many days can you live without water? – Days.How long could you live without eating anything? – Weeks.How long can you live without Jesus? – Both milliseconds and years.You and I exist from moment to moment only because the entire universe, every atom and particle, is sustained by the power of Christ, “For everything was created by Him (Christ), in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17 (HCSB, parenthesis mine). On the other hand you and I can ignore, deny, or be against Jesus our entire lives, till our very last breath.What has been the most important day of your life? – The day of your birth? Some other significant day? The day you became a believer in Christ?What has been the most significant event all of human history? - Easter, Jesus Christ, incarnate God, conquering sin and death on a Roman cross, his corpse sealed into a tomb, and risen from the dead three days later. God, through the life of his Son, loving you and me at an unimaginable depth and offering forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, a place in his family, and eternal life to sinners like you and me. There is no more incredible and significant event in all of history.If you are scratching your head saying, “I don’t know?” or if you profoundly disagree consider the words of the Apostle Paul, “The message of the cross (Easter) is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 (NLT, parenthesis mine).My son is a diabetic. He needs insulin to live. He can complain, wail against the unfairness of it, summon his philosophical and theological objections, but that will not change a thing about his condition. No one is making him take his insulin, watch his diet, and adopt the lifestyle of a diabetic, but if he wants to live, if he wants to be well, he will. He can ignore his doctor, play Yoyo with his blood sugar, and drink or bathe in sugar, but he will not be able to escape the consequences that come with that. He can be offended, he can deceive himself into thinking it is all a bunch of …, but none of that diminishes his need for insulin.You and I are sinners; sinners need the cross of Christ, the power of Christ to save them. The cross of Christ is not meant to offend, it is not foolishness, it spells hope and life. None of us will escape the consequences of our sins, none of us can conquer death, no one will survive the scrutiny of God’s judgment, and no one will live in the presence of Almighty and Holy God except through Jesus Christ.“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NASB)Happy Easter, love you, Pastor Hans
No Gospel for Gophers
Gophers and ground squirrels committing acts of subterranean terror, wood peckers in senseless destruction drilling holes into my house or by my office, ants trying to take over our home like Russia annexing Crimea, and termites like the NSA in cloaked secrecy chewing away on what is precious to me – my animosity, my loathing, my outcry over these is no secret.These critters are relentless, the damages attributable to them are significant, and their consciences don’t seem to be all that bothered. I wonder if there is a rodent hell, a wood pecker purgatory, an eternal lake of fire for termites and ants? If not, there should be. This kind of destruction, havoc, senselessness, disrespect, and lack of caring should not go unaccounted for. There should be some kind of justice, shouldn’t there?But what is our excuse? We are the creature with the most advanced brain, we are capable of figuring things out peacefully, we are able to empathize more deeply than any living thing. It is possible for us to make good choices that go beyond basic instinct, beyond emotion, beyond rage, beyond hatred, beyond what is just good for us. And yet no creature God has made is more destructive than us, than mankind. We are politically destructive, ecologically destructive, economically destructive, emotionally destructive, personally destructive, and even spiritually destructive. Yet somehow we are prone to cry foul at the very notion that God would hold us accountable, that he would judge us for our evil, our failure to do good, are unwillingness to live for the highest ends of loving God and loving our neighbor.Another observance of Easter, the recognition and celebration of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conquering sin and death and rising from the dead, is approaching. I wish there was a gospel for gophers and the like. However, there is a Gospel for you and for me, for people. Unlike me, who has trouble eliminating a few gophers and ants, God could have exterminated us all, and no one could have faulted him because our collective and personal history indicts us. He could have responded with pure and justified hatred towards all of mankind. Somehow he didn’t and instead of withdrawing personally and emotionally He drew closer, and engaged himself deeper. He chose to love, to offer hope, to provide atonement and forgiveness, to conquer what we cannot - our sin and the reality of death.I have no desire to become a gopher, to dwell among ground squirrels, to be part of a termite colony. As you well know, I have no love for any of them. But God in Christ chose to dwell among us, that’s incredible. On the one hand it brings incredible hope to our moral, existential, and spiritual dilemma; on the other hand it robs us of our last excuse of having no other option than to be who we are.“Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” Romans 5:7-10 (NLT)To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Easter people, living redemptively
Some things only God can do. Only He can create a universe out of nothing except himself. Only He can lay eternal plans. Only He can execute perfect justice. Only He can save and forgive a sinner. Only He can raise the dead. Only He can instantly restore withered limbs and open blind eyes. Only He can do the impossible. Sometimes the things only God can do become our excuse to do nothing. Often, very often, God chooses to work through you and me, through our capabilities, our limitations, our frailties, to accomplish His glorious will. Remember Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Yes, he illustrates the ultimate redeemer Jesus Christ, who alone can redeem our souls. But Boaz also illustrates God calling us to live redemptively here and now. Redemption is not just about going to heaven but also about our responsibility to engage in the symphony God has orchestrated around us and relinquish our insistence to play our own tune. Redemption is not needed where nothing is broken, where nothing needs restoring, where there are no needs. But that is not the reality of our world, not even cozy Don Pedro. Boaz had to decide, and so do you and I, whether or not he would live redemptively in the context God had placed him in. What does it look like to live redemptively? You use your blessings to bless, you grant mercy because you received mercy, you care because you are cared for, you love because you are deeply loved, you give because you have received (Ephesians 1:3; Matthew 18:33; Luke 3:11; Matthew 11:28; Galatians 2:20; Matthew 10:8; Acts 20:35). What God has poured in, filled up, restored, and healed, you and I pour out and employ where and when we can. It is the week after Easter, the celebration is over, everyday life has returned. That’s where the challenge is, that’s where we are supposed to live like Easter people. There was another besides Boaz whom God gave an opportunity to act redemptively. He thought that gave him an opportunity to increase his wealth, but when it became clear that redemption is about people he checked out (Ruth 4) with some kind of lame excuse. I pray that will not be you and me. Finally, how serious is God about us living like Easter people? What difference does letting redemption play out in my everyday life make? For the answer would you take the next five minutes and read Matthew 25:14-46. To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Redeemeed
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it!Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;Redeemed thro’ his infinite mercy,His child and forever I am. (by Fanny Crosby) This past week someone in New Jersey won a $320 Million Power Ball Lotto jackpot. Talk about a nice sized Easter Egg. In order for that person to claim that winning prize he had to redeem it, take in his ticket and claim it. What would you think of that person if he would have just held onto that thicket and never redeemed his prize with it? My answer would be, “That’s ridiculously dumb, unbelievable!” There is something that needs redemption that makes $320 pale by comparison – your soul. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world (get everything he/she wants), yet forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36 (NIV, parenthesis MSG). That’s what Easter is about, redemption, your and my redemption.Maybe you are one of the many who quickly dismiss this as a bunch of religious horse puckey. But please hear me out. Can you escape death? Have you ever done something wrong? Are you absolutely certain you can stand up to God’s judgment on your own merits? I know my answers, “No, yes, and no.” That’s why I need redemption.Redemption has two sides. Through the death of Jesus Christ a sinner debt is paid for, the penalty of God’s law for sin, death, is forgiven, and God is able to pronounce a sinner justified. We have to be redeemed from, but we also have to be redeemed to. Jesus didn’t just die, He arose from the dead, He has the power to restore what sin and death claimed, to remake a sinner into a child of God, to grant someone destined to die eternal life. All of these you and I are completely incapable of accomplishing. When it comes to these we are utterly hopeless apart from Jesus Christ.You and I could win every lottery jackpot for the rest of our lives, although the chances of just winning one are remote, and they would not compare to what God offers to you and me through Jesus Christ. In contrast to the odds of winning a lottery the odds of dying and appearing before God are 100%. It is vastly more foolish to bypass Jesus Christ, the only source of eternal redemption, than to hang on to the winning ticket of last week’s Power Ball. In order for the redemption God offers to you and me to be applied and realized in our lives we must believe in Christ as your Redeemer, admit our need for redemption, and commit ourselves to following Him. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV). To God be all glory, Happy Easter, Pastor Hans
A Dream Worth Living For, a Vision for a Better World
A Dream Worth Living For, a Vision for a Better WorldGod spoke to and directed Joseph, Jesus step-dad and Mary’s husband, through dreams (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19-20, 22). That’s after his dream of being happily married was blown to pieces by Mary’s confession of her pregnancy.If we are not careful as we get older we will dream less because Joseph is not the only one who had a dream die. So when a New Year rolls around we dream more and more cautiously, and then maybe not at all. How many dreams died at the end of a gun in Newtown CT this past week? And not only dreams but the capacity to dream, the willingness to dream?Joseph didn’t know, he was too busy dreaming his own dreams, but God was working on His dream, not just for Joseph’s life but for all of humanity, all of creation. No one knows history better than God, no one is more aware of human brokenness/sinfulness, no one desires salvation, redemption, and restoration more than Him.Have you ever asked yourself what our world would be like without killing, without murder? What would it be like with no one stealing, no one taking anything that belongs to another? What about a world with healthy families, no dysfunction, no abuse, no divorce? What about a world in which people trusted and honored God, not gods and religions of our own making, but in the One who gave us life and breath and who loves us too much to quit dreaming, as broken and sinful as sinful as we are? That’s the dream God described when gave the ancient Israelites the “Ten Commandments.”Maybe your objection is that this is typical preacher fluff or disconnect from reality? Maybe you think the answer is more guns, more procedures, more surveillance, higher fences, armed teachers, six year olds with survival training, more government control, armed guards and police everywhere, more jails, more...? Where will that end?God invited Joseph into His dream, His vision for this world and Joseph joined in. It didn’t make his life easier but he became a participator in the redemptive work of God. God is still inviting people to join, broken people, devastated people, hurting people, sinners - people who recognize their own need for redemption and our world’s/humanity’s need for salvation and redemption. This is why God asked His own Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life. If you wonder where you begin joining in God’s dream for you and our world the answer is Jesus Christ.“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Romans 12:17-21 (NIV).God has dream, join. Merry Christmas.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Who was that kid that just wanted his two front teeth for Christmas? Then again he used to want candy and toys until those darn two front teeth fell out and now the reindeer can’t understand him, he can’t say, “Sister Suzy sitting on a thistle,” and he can’t whistle anymore (“All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth’” by Don Gardner).Some things just don’t seem that important until they’re gone. Like the “good old days,” I wonder if we recognize them only after they’ve passed by us. The same seems to be true of our health, we don’t seem to be all too concerned until we are hurting, are impeded, or lost functions and abilities.Have you thought about how many wishes won’t show up on this year’s Christmas lists? Maybe because you can’t find them at the mall or Amazon.com? You just can’t conjure up two front teeth like that? But how many kids wish for healthy home? How many husbands and wives are really wishing for something that can’t be found under a tree? How many people are wishing for real love, escaping brokenness, for something better than what is going on right now?He just wanted everyone to get off his back. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted. He was tired of his rich “Old Man” being such a tightwad. So he got his wish, Dad gave him his share. He went off and had the time of his life, until it was all gone. Then he wished for different things, for food, for home, for mercy (Luke 15:11-32).Some things are only found in God the Father’s house, in His arms: forgiveness, restoration, wholeness, meaning, everlasting life, love, and joy. That’s why he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to look for us, to make it possible to return. Christmas is for the broken, the spiritually lost, and all those who in spite of having messed up are longing to be in God’s house and arms.One more thought, what if you decide to give your child, your spouse, your parents, neighbor, friends and even your enemy what they need the most, miss the most, and wish for the most?May this be your best Christmas ever, both in giving and receiving.Love you, Pastor Hans
Redemption
May 22 2011
"We have redemption in Him (Jesus Christ) through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:7-8 (HCSB, parenthesis mine)
Redemption is never cheap, it costs, it requires someone to invest, to care, to act. Driving through different neighborhoods of Washington DC is what reminded me of that. There are lots of old homes in DC, as well as streets lined by brick row houses with narrow facades. Many of them are dilapidated, trash and weeds littering the tiny front yards as well as the streets. If these
homes and neighborhoods are left to their current rate of decay, they will be an urban wasteland of ruins in the not too distant future.
On the third day of our visit to the Capital we were invited to a social gathering at the house of director of the graduate program our oldest daughter had just completed. The trusty and amazing little GPS unit mounted to the windshield of our rental car helped us navigate through the city maze. We pulled up in front of 146 Georgia (not the real address), one of those narrow looking row houses made of brick. But nothing was out of place or broken down here. The front yard was beautiful, carefully planted, and well kept, as were all the other yards and houses up and down the street. This street looked clean, inviting, cared for. That’s when it hit me, “This is a picture of redemption.”
Somehow, some time ago the people living in this neighborhood, or some investor, decided to redeem this neighborhood. I imagine these row houses didn’t look much different from the multitude of their dilapidated cousins we saw on the way getting here. But someone saw potential in this street, in this neighborhood, and they decided to invest the time, the work, and the resources to redeem it.
Daily, on the way to our daughter’s place we drove by a park just a few blocks from where she lives. The houses by the park are unredeemed. The park itself is a beautiful spot if it weren’t for all the trash littering the ground. Frankly it irritated me. It seemed to me the people there had become accustomed to the filth, to not caring. It’s quite a judgment to make, although an inappropriate one even if I am right. Simply driving through a street doesn’t equip me to be certain about what people care about or not. It’s easy to do though, isn’t it, and it oh how it feeds self-righteousness. If I remember right, Jesus’ heart broke when he encountered filth, when he walked through dilapidated neighborhoods filled with people who were so busy trying to survive caring seemed like a luxury. And who knows, just because Georgia Ave is so much cleaner does not mean the people are any better, they might simply be richer.
Jesus came because our world, people need redemption, regardless of what street they liveon. He has redeemed you and me not so we can pass by others and compare our neatness, our cleanliness, and our state of repair or disrepair. He redeemed us so we would be one with him and the Father, and we would engage with him in the work of redemption, looking at our world, places, and people with hope and the certainty that redemption is God’s will, lavishly so. I was reminded to care, to invest in, and to work for the redemption of all of mankind, wherever I am.
To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans