New Testament

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Sometimes you just want to stop talking and think about the words just spoken. They seem so perfect that they can't be improved upon. I feel that way some Sundays when I say, "Christ is risen!" And the congregation responds, "He is risen indeed!" And I almost want to stop there because I can't think of anything more important to be said.

But, of course, we need to go deeper. We need to think about it more in order to understand, appropriate, and apply the truth to our own lives. So what about Peter's words here?...

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

Ouch. That's against everything I've learned about making "notifications." Did you know that there are instructions available for how to break bad news? The police officers who show up at your door to tell you, "There's been an accident..." have received training in making notifications. The military officers and chaplains who come to break bad news have gotten the same training.

They all learned that you never just plop the news out there. First you tell the story. You let it out a bit at a time. It may only take 2 or 3 or 4 sentences, but you never, never, ever give the bad news in the first sentence.

How-Not-To-Do-It example #1... "Your daughter is dead."

So what does Jesus do? He breaks the rules too!...

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

Our district, the Michigan District of the LCMS, is currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign. Commemorating the 125th anniversary of the district, we're trying to raise $13 Million together. But one feature of those campaigns that I've always been uncomfortable with is the whole process of hyping the gifts.

You know what I mean. Every week or two a newsletter comes out telling us what this congregation or that congregation has done. These people raised this much. And this church gave that much.

I grew up with a natural reluctance to talk about my giving publicly. Although my parents were generous givers, who supported many charities in addition to the 10% to their church, I didn't learn about their giving until I was an adult. So naturally I'm reticent. And yet, the Apostle Paul was not...

Now we know tha if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling...

Jon and I went backpacking last week in the Smoky Mountains. We drove down there on Sunday afternoon, arriving too late to rent a campsite or get a camping permit. I thought of this Bible passage as we slept in the car. (Those seats are not made for sleeping.) And I thought of it again as we lay on our sleeping pads in our tent after a long day of climbing. My left elbow touched the tent wall. My right elbow touched Jon's left elbow...

"Men of Israel, listen to this..."

You've got to know that a pastor's mood has got to, at least a little bit, affect his preaching and teaching. That's a real challenge, because I don't always get up on Sunday mornings feeling particularly ready to be "up" and enthusiastic and encouraging. And your mood affects how you listen, and what you hear in God's Word.

Today, for instance, as I read these verses the part that stands out are the very first words. "Men of Israel, listen to this!" Of course, Peter was blessed with a large audience that did listen to his message. But over the years that plea would become increasingly anxious.

"Men of Rome, listen to this!" People of Persia, listen to this! Citizens of France, listen to this! People of Great Britain, of America, of New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor, LISTEN to this!!! And yet...

...[the Holy Spirit] will testify about me. And you also must testify...

Do you know someone who incessantly harps on just one topic? Boy, I sure do. Certain people, as you see them coming toward you, you know what they're going to say. We used to make a game of it with some college professors. How long did it take in each class before he or she used a certain word?

We think that such people are dull, but that's not necessarily so. What if the one thing that they keep harping on is the ONE THING that we all need?...

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Task number one, remind yourself that this is not a parlor trick. It's not intended to be entertaining. It wasn't a "prayer language" or anything the benefited the recipient directly. In fact, the real recipient of the "gift of tongues" that day was NOT the disciples... it was the crowd.

The gift of tongues is a gift for the listeners.

That's worth remembering, in view of all the arguing over the gift today. Stop for half a minute and think....

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

In our printed devotions I focused on the first sentence above (verse 15). I was struck by the idea that we were deliberately "left behind" by Jesus. He left us here in the world, and did not even pray that the Father would take us from it, but only that we would be protected from the evil one (Satan).

There are lots of things to think about from those startling words. They suggest a lot about the purpose for our lives here. But this morning when I read these verses again my mind moved on to verse 16. "They are not of the world..." Here Jesus doesn't just suggest why we're left here, but he suggests how we should live here...

Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son...

Wow! Who would have the chuztpah to accuse God of being a liar? That was my first thought when I read this. Then I got to thinking... I've been here before. This is a familiar situation.

The boss says, "At our last meeting we decided to do such-and-such." And you're thinking, "That's not what we decided." What do you do? If you disagree with the boss, he could say, "Are you calling me a liar?" Then what?

My own co-workers know what to say when this happens to us...

"Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry..."

Tonight (May 19)  there's a congregation meeting that will include election of officers. It's funny. In a way we'll be doing the very same thing that these disciples were doing - choosing people to assume places of leadership in the church. And yet there will be one big difference that doesn't show up in the New Testament.

It seems that they easily chose 2 people to put forward who were capable, strong, faithful, met the qualifications for preparation, and were willing to risk their lives. We'll have a hard time nominating even ONE person for each office...

"...test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God..."

We've talked about this warning against false prophets several times recently. But now John gives us a test to use in order to tell who's a false prophet and who is not. But doesn't it seem like an odd one?

"Every spirit that acknowledges the Jesus Christ has come in the flesh..." What in the world? Doesn't nearly everyone acknowledge that Jesus Christ came "in the flesh"? All but the most radical theologians would say that Jesus was at least a flesh and blood person. So are they all OK?...

(Argh! Wrote this once and lost all my work. We'll see if I can do it as well again.)

This bit of church history has always interested me. The early church was growing faster than they could handle it, a problem we would love to have. And the disciples make a remarkable statement...

On April 6 and 13 the first lesson is drawn from the 2nd chapter of Acts, the events of Pentecost, Peter's sermon and its response. I confess to being a bit puzzled, wondering why this lesson appears in the first few Sundays after Easter instead of waiting until after Pentecost. In the first selection Peter confronts the crowd with their guilt in Jesus' death and the promise of forgiveness, and 3.000 come to faith. In the 2nd selection we see the response of these new believers who devote themselves to learning and growing in faith together.

I have often said, "One sermon won't turn everything around."...

It's hard to keep our timeframe straight in the Sundays after Easter. This Sunday's Gospel lesson takes place still on Easter Sunday itself. Although we are 2 full weeks after Easter, these 2 disciples on their way to Emmaus are only a few hours from the first news of the resurrection. For us the Easter decorations are all put away and we're starting to shift our thoughts to summer vacation plans. But as these 2 men walked they were still very much overcome by Good Friday...

(I wrote a post for Saturday, but it didn't appear when I expected it. So here's another one. Perhaps we'll end up with two.)

It's very quiet at church today. I'm here to work on my Easter sermon, and I can't help but think about the disciples and the women who loved and followed Jesus on this day. Did they sleep that Friday night? Did they awaken on Saturday, the Sabbath, and go to the synagogue?...

A day of worship. A day of rest. A day on which Jesus' disciples would have met, perhaps at a synagogue, as was Jesus' regular practice. Would they want to talk or not? What would there be to say?

I often compare our lives to that Saturday. We can easily see the tragedy, the death or failure of things in our lives. Sickness is quite visible. And sin. But we cannot so easily see the Easter Sunday that hasn't yet arrived. Worse yet, we often cannot even see the Easter that we know has already come!

It's all over. The crowds are dispersing. All three of the criminals executed are dead now, their legs having been broken so that they died of suffocation, unable to lift themselves up to exhale. Except for one. They didn't break the legs of the one in the center. Evidently he was already dead when they came for him.

A couple of his friends are there now...

I'm writing this just before our noon hour service. It was at noon that Mark says the sun was darkened. It remained dark until 3pm.

Jesus was brought to Pilate at about 6am. The crowds filled the courtyard while Pilate examined Jesus. You're familiar with the scene. Pilate's attempts to release Jesus - his strategy for escaping the issue by sending Jesus to Herod - his effort to substitute Barabbas - and the final trap in which he found himself, crucify Jesus or face a riot and a possible delegation to Rome to call for his removal. Pilate surrendered Jesus, who was beaten severely and then marched to the cross...

Did you sleep well last night? Like the people of Jerusalem, when we arise in the morning we find that Jesus did not sleep at all.

After the supper with his disciples, they sang a hymn (probably Psalm 118) and left the city. They walked through the dark and quiet streets and out the city gate, across the valley and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives until they came to the Garden of the Oil Press, the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus prayed and prayed, while his disciples dozed and dozed...

We've already spent 6 weeks talking about each piece of the meal (in our Wednesday evening services). What about earlier?

Jesus awoke on Thursday morning. He knew he would not sleep again until his death on Friday afternoon. Arising and eating with his disciples, he gave them assignments for the day. Prepare for the Seder meal in the evening...

(Matthew 21, Mark 11)

The withered fig tree serves as an illustration a second time, this time as they enter the city again on Tuesday and they find it dried up. It is a shadow of the events of the day ahead.

Jesus makes his way to the Temple once again, and today he is greeted by an official delegation, no doubt they were recruited the day before and given their assignment, and now they have been waiting for Jesus to show up. They represent all 3 of the ruling classes of Israel which made up the Sanhedrin, the priests, the scribes, and the elders. Surrounding Jesus, they ask him, "By what authority do you do these things?"...

(Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19 - for the chronology of this week, I am relying on "The Life of Christ" by Adam Fahling, CPH 1936)

The Gospel writers do not break the events of each day into an hourly record. In fact, they blur things together at times so that it's hard to be sure which things happened on which days. The only way to make it clearer is to compare all 4 accounts carefully to find those places where the authors are quite specific. Matthew blends Sunday and Monday, making it sound as if Jesus cleared the Temple on Palm Sunday. But Mark (11:11) has greater detail. The events of Palm Sunday were so lengthy, the parade...

I've got a bone to pick with the ILCW. That's the InterLutheran Commission on Worship, they devised the current lectionary (modified a bit by our own church body) that is used by most Lutheran congregations. There are lots of lectionaries - lists of chosen Scriptures to be read on certain days. Did you know that?...

(Pardon me for not posting on these lessons earlier in the week. It has been a difficult week for a number of reasons.)

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..." Wow, not asking a small thing, is he?

Of course, Paul is not asking us to give up as much as Jesus gave up. Jesus was "in very nature God"...

I've preached on this chapter for numerous funerals. I've read it in who knows how many funeral homes and hospital rooms and by many death beds. I've focused on Jesus' deliberate delay when he knew that Lazarus was sick - and what that means for us when Jesus doesn't *seem* to hear our prayer. (Note that it says "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." And yet he delayed.)

I've talked about...

What can you do when you read these words... and they don't lift you up?

Over the years I have read these verses hundreds of times. I've pointed others to them time and time again. Following Paul's desperate cry in chapter 7, "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" they are are very powerful words. But the other day, in weariness and discouragement, I read these words and I groaned. "I don't feel like being encouraged. Just let me sulk here."...

I've written or spoken on this text numerous times, and often I've made the comparison with the "Who's On First" routine that Abbot and Costello made famous. It's an apt comparison, but let's look at these events through a different lens.

"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind..." 'They' in this case must be the neighbors. But why would they take the man to the Pharisees? It's a little hard to believe that they were really outraged that he had been healed on the Sabbath...

I've only played paintball once. (Although I'd like to do it again.) I was visiting my family and my younger brother had to leave to attend a little party that the guys at our family business were giving. One of the employees was getting married, and the guys in the shop were all taking the groom out to play paintball as a bachelor party.

Here's how it worked...

I know - I'm way behind. I'd just skip the Gospel lesson and move on to the readings for Lent 4, but I can't bring myself to do it. There are too many wonderful things to think about. Of course, that's true of almost all the things we do in the Lord's service, which is probably why I'm so often behind.

Thirst. All 3 of the lessons for this coming Sunday about thirst. The Old Testament in which the people are complaining that they're going to die - the epistle in which Paul reflects on the longsuffering of the people of God - and now the Gospel in which this woman, who doesn't even clearly see or confess her own thirst, is really in desperate need of a drink...

Just in the Gospel of John (21 chapters) Jesus says "I tell you the truth" 26 times. A more literal translation from Greek might be, "Amen, Amen I say to you." He says it 3 times just in these 17 verses, and notice that each time he says it he is already *doubling* the statement. It's not just "truly", but "truly, truly..."

Why all the emphasis on truth?

Have you ever noticed how the appointed lessons sometimes skip a few verses? Usually, the purpose is to keep them to an understandable length - one that people can listen to - and to avoid parts that might be too confusing. (It's hard to explain difficult concepts in a sermon since the listener is seldom taking notes or consulting the Bible for him/herself.)

But it might be interesting for us to take a peek at the part that was left out...

How long is 40 days?

There are a couple of ways to think about that question. What has happened in your life in the last 40 days? Even if you consider yourself pretty boring, I'd be willing to bet that a lot has happened in that time. Forty days ago you were still doing Christmas shopping. The primary elections had many more candidates 40 days ago. The stock market looks very different now than it did 40 days ago. If you were on vacation for 40 days - how would that length of time feel differently than if you were in the hospital for the last 40 days - or waiting for test results for 40 days - or facing an audit by the IRS for the last 40 days?

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man..." These verses are an echo of the Old Testament lesson, aren't they? And if the OT lesson is just a legend, a fable, a story told to illustrate a point, then these words loose much of their power too. We worried yesterday that the story of The Fall is too often taken lightly. It is written in a summary fashion, without living characters that would make it feel more real to us. Paul's letter may suffer from a similar problem, at least for some people...

I just finished reading the latest issue of The Lutheran Witness which is all about evangelism - being Ablaze! to share our faith in Jesus. And then I turn to this text where Jesus says, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

What's up with that?...

What do people do when they manage to get close to a famous person? Whether it's a movie star, a musician, or a politician, they try to get that person's autograph. Better yet, they want their picture taken with the star. I know a man who has many pictures on his family room wall of himself with famous people. Did you notice that Peter doesn't do that?...

Last Sunday was a "mountaintop experience" for our congregation. We had a big service to celebrate our 100th anniversary. Hundreds of people were there. The choir was big - reinforced with students from Concordia. The brass players trumpeted God's glory and the handbell ringers rang out his praises. It was great. But... how much difference do you think it made by Monday?

Many people (and many churches) seek to have "mountaintop experiences" all the time. How much difference would it make to you if God actually took you up on a mountain and revealed himself to you?...

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Can you think of a more "uncool" sermon theme? I think it's a mistake for us to assume that Jesus' words were more acceptable in the first century than they are now. Why would they be? Although people did wear robe-like clothing, they were probably no more likely to stand on street corners and call their neighbors to repentance than we are today.

Preachers of repentance seem weird. Why?...

For many centuries people were suspicious of anything "new." It was older and more time-tested things that were more highly valued and trusted. New ways of doing things were suspect.

Of course, that was a foolish attitude in many cases. Many old ideas and old ways of doing things were wrong and needed to be changed. But... on the other hand, not every thing that was new was better.

Now we've turned 180 degrees. Now we expect every year to be more and better. Housing values must always rise. The stock market must always increase. Our standard of living must move in one direction only - sameness is not good enough. Every year there must be an INCREASE in retail sales. The same as last year is considered a loss. Every year we expect NEW technology, NEW inventions, NEW special effects in our movies. Last year's stuff is not good enough. We throw away almost new things in favor what this year's model.

But God doesn't work that way...

At first it still seems like these first-Easter readings don't fit with the day. Hey, it's Christmas Eve, after all. And yet, listen to what Jesus is talking about. "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven..."

And what words will you hear at the Christmas Eve candlelight worship this evening?...

Are angels really invisible? Or is it possible that they are right there in front of us and we just don't see them?

When other people in the Bible spoke to angels, they were generally astonished, or even afraid. But Mary walked into the empty tomb and the angels spoke to her and she wasn't even phased. Why not?...

Maybe it seems funny reading this Easter text just before Christmas. But I like the analogy with our gift giving. We all want to surprise someone this Christmas. We want them to open their gift and be astonished and happy. And we'd all like to be surprised by what we receive from others (pleasantly surprised, like with a set of car keys if possible).

But Mary had the best surprise of all - opening an empty gift...

What would you like to do for Jesus?

If you could, wouldn't you want to reach the entire city with the Gospel? Wouldn't you want to save a life - rescue an unborn child - start a huge program that would feed the poor - lead crowds of people to saving faith - carry the truth about Jesus into the whole world?

What did God call Joseph to do?

Sigh... Please accept my apologies for failing to change the discussion questions in this week's Gospel readings. I'm afraid everything was done just a little too fast.

And of all chapters for that to happen, this should not have been the one. The events of John 19 deserve long, quiet, serious contemplation. "So the soldiers took charge of Jesus..." In those words you can see it all coming. God's Son is given over - he surrenders himself to those who are weaker than himself - he permits what is about to happen...

Who is actually on trial here?

Jesus is the one who is beaten. Jesus is the one who is questioned. And yet he seems calm and in control. It is Pontius Pilate who is on the spot. He is the one who is caught between two sides and doesn't know what to do...

• "What charges are you bringing..."
• "Are you the king..."
• "Is that your own idea..."
• "Am I a Jew?"
• "What is it you have done?"

Lots of questions in a short space of time. Are these the questions you would have wanted to ask?...

People have marveled over Peter's denial for centuries. Sometimes we sound as if it is an incredible thing that he could deny knowing Jesus. It doesn't seem incredible to me.

You're standing with a group of co-workers and someone makes a snide remark about people who believe that God created the earth in 6 days. You have about 8 seconds to respond before the conversation moves on. 8... 7... 6... 5...

Yesterday's reading (sorry I didn't blog - I awoke with a sick headache and had an excessively full day) included verses we've read a lot. "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message..." Those words are amazing, knowing that even on the night before his death Jesus was actually thinking about us.

But I was even more struck by his words just a few sentences later. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory..." As we said in our worship last week, "When Jesus comes..." What a glorious gift to pray for!

Now in today's reading Jesus is arrested at last. In a way it is anticlimactic...

What's the longest prayer you've ever prayed?

Most of us (and here I'm making assumptions about others based on my personal experience, so don't hurt me if I'm wrong about you) don't pray very long. Most of my prayers are like bottle rockets sent up throughout the day. When I sit down for a "time of prayer" it may be as much as 5 minutes long...

According to 18:1 it sounds like Jesus and his disciples were not yet in the Garden of Gethsemane at this point. After Jesus is finished praying this prayer, he then crosses the Kidron Brook into the garden. However, John has included Jesus' prayer, but omitted other details (like the disciples falling asleep, etc.), so it is hard to be sure of the exact sequence of events.

This is not evidence of a contradiction in Scripture. Rather, it is what naturally happens when several people tell a story in which they each summarize and select what they wish to tell...

"When Jesus comes" we will not grieve. But for now... our daily experience is a mingling of grief and joy.

Jesus compares our emotional state to that of a pregnant woman. Certainly, you can see evidence of the church through the centuries being suddenly seized by cravings for unusual things. More to the point, our every experience, even the most successful and joyful, is intermingled with grief...

"I have some good news and I have some bad news." Ever heard those words before? They are the opener for a lot of jokes, but they're always dark humor. (ie. "The bad news is we removed the wrong leg. The good news is we found out your remaining leg is OK afterall.")

The bad news is they'll kick you out of the synagogue. People will think they're serving God if they kill you. The good news is you'll be better off if I leave you and send you the Holy Spirit.

Huh...

In yesterday's Detroit Free Press (pg.12a), Tony Blair comes out of the closet. Are you ready for this??? He is a "person of faith"!

Are you yawning? I'll be he wasn't. It was a big risk for him to admit this. As he says, "You talk about [having religious convictions] in our system and, frankly, people do think you're a nutter." Worse yet...

At the end of chapter 14 Jesus said, "Come now; let us leave." In chapter 17 he is praying for his disciples and when his prayer is ended he is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. So where do chapters 15 and 16 take place?

It's important to remember that the Gospels are not necessarily a strict chronological recording of Jesus' life. Luke is the most orderly that way, but they all arrange the things they remember of Jesus' teaching and his ministry to fit the message they are working to convey. As a comparison...

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you," Jesus says. But doesn't this entire chapter feel like we are being left... abandoned?

Perhaps it just my own emotional state - our personal circumstances certainly affect how we hear God's Word each time we read it - but this chapter is filled with forlorn statements...

It's the day before Thanksgiving Day. The whole world is getting decorated for Christmas. Here in the church office we are scrambling to be ready for Thanksgiving and Advent. And in our devotions we're reading about Jesus preparing to die - confronting his disciples at the Last Supper.

I wish that everything could always be in neat and tidy chronological order. I tried to arrange our readings so that we could get through the Bible in 2 years, so that we'd have a not-too-challenging option every day, and so that the Gospels would be spread out over the 2 years. But I couldn't make it work so that we would always be reading and thinking about God's Word in synchrony with what is happening in our lives.

Maybe that's for the best. After all...

I have, literally, 5 minutes to reflect on these verses before I have to be off to another meeting. Perhaps it's my personal context, but the text seems to be like that too.

People are coming and going. It's the Passover. Jesus is teaching. People are opposing him. He's getting ready to be betrayed and has all these important things to say before he dies. And here some foreigners come up to say, "we would like to see Jesus."...

On the radio they're always playing snatches of the song "I love a parade" when the news covers big parade events. The traditional idea is that parades are a big family affair, with everyone trooping downtown and lining the sidewalks to see the elaborate floats, listen to grand bands, and wave at cruising dignitaries.

I'm sorry. But I'll have to pass. Yes, I have my own fond memories. And we took our kids to the 4th of July parades when they were small (in a small town, not in giant Detroit). But there are several features of parades that have always bothered me - and they are all present in this Gospel story...

It's just a dinner party! What does that have to do with politics? It's the Bible! There's no politics in the Bible! It's about Jesus' death and burial, not elections. Why does our title today raise the spectre of politics???

Our pastor must have politics on the brain. (grumble, grumble)...

"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days."

Leave where Jesus is teaching his disciples and go back to the house where Lazarus lies in bed, sick. What's happening? Can you picture it?

Finish this sentence. "All I know is..."

No. Seriously. Go back and finish the sentence. What are you absolutely confident of knowing? Which things in your life are you sure of? I suppose there could be many - but there are even many more things of which we are very unsure. In fact, there are innumerable things of which we are almost completely ignorant! But, "one thing I do know..."

I've always loved this chapter because it seems so funny. Everyone is confused about who is really blind - and in the end Jesus says that the religious authorities, the neighbors, the parents are all blind. The only one who can see is the one who was born blind.

However, is it really funny?...

I'm puzzled by these verses. Not Jesus' teaching - that's clear enough. He is clearly saying that those who believe in him are truly God's children - and those who do not believe in him don't really know God, even if they think they do, and even if they follow the traditions and rules of the faith that God gave through Abraham. We take comfort in these words, knowing that we don't have to be born into a special group of people - we're special because Jesus called us to faith by his Spirit.

But... to whom is Jesus talking? "To the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said..."

Once again, I can't escape the striking parallels between these interrogators of Jesus' day and people today who still fear what he had to say.

I don't care what your political party preference is, just imagine a candidate for president saying these words, "I am the light of the world." Wow, I almost wish it would happen just so we could witness the explosion. Newscasters heads would explode! And imagine of the candidate said, "You are from below; I am from above." Yikes! News people nearly burst if a candidate says that Jesus Christ is their hero, or a role model, or someone that they talk to...

It ought to have been a slam dunk. They had Jesus dead to rights, didn't they? They had the clear word of the Law. They had the woman caught in the act. If Jesus wanted to act as a teacher of the Law then here he would have to make a public stand. "What do you say?"

Here's a question I hadn't considered before... Why did they choose this particular issue to bring before Jesus?...

I'm amazed at how familiar the response of the Pharisees sounds. I don't like to bring politics into the picture, but the illustration is too perfect. Imagine the response if a prominent Democrat (let's say Joseph Lieberman, for example) were to say, "Maybe the Iraq War wasn't such a bad idea after all." KABOOM ! Can't you hear the response?

"WHAT? Are you a fan of Bush, too? Have you been brainwashed by Karl Rove? Don't you know that nobody who is anybody thinks that?"

Or, imagine if a leading Republican were to suggest, "Maybe Al Gore is right, after all." KABOOM !...

"How did this man get such learning without having studied?"

OK, I admit to some bias right up front. I was brought up to have a healthy skepticism of advanced education. Not that my parents didn't value it. They did. But that they recognized that education by itself did not make a person wise - or even well informed.

Having said that, I still think that the people who would have the most trouble with Jesus today would be the most highly educated...

People love spy novels, Mata Hari, the Maltese Falcon, the thrill of secrets and things that happen behind the scenes. We like them when we read the books because we are in on the secret that the characters don't know. But we don't like them much in real life when we suspect that things are happening behind our back that we don't know about. Someone is making decisions for us that will be revealed later.

Get used to it...

Some words convey the emotion in them even when they are translated into another language. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked. And it is easy to hear the humility and vulnerability in Jesus' voice. He will not force anyone to follow him - but he offers his disciples the chance to freely follow him... or disown him.

Peter's answer is equally humble...

Gift openings are stressful. I've never seen a study on it, but I'm sure that most people experience elevated blood pressure when opening a gift in front of others. It's not the joyful anticipation, it's the pre-performance jitters. "What if it's not what I wanted? What if it's tasteless and dumb? Will I have to wear it if it's a hideous color?" And worst of all, "How can I act excited and grateful if I really don't like it?"

If you say you've never experienced that, I won't believe you. I've opened gifts from my children (with their eager eyes watching me to see if I like it) that I couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be! That memory makes me more sympathetic to Jesus' listeners in this chapter...

What is the point here? Jesus, walking on the water, comes to his disciples.

In another context this would seem like (dare I say this) "showboating." Adolescent boys love to do this kind of "look at me" stunt. Walking on the top of walls, standing in dangerous places, performing gymnastic feats. Surely that is not what's going on here - and yet, when we read these verses we invariably focus just on the act of walking on the water. What's the point?...

"[Jesus] asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." We've all studied this event since we were in Sunday School. You know about how Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish, a small boy's lunch, to feed over 5,000 people. I'd like to focus on Jesus' question...

I asked a group of people last week to recall a time that they said what they believed. I was a little surprised at the result. Of about two dozen people, half remembered a time they stood up for a moral principle - speaking up that something was wrong. About a quarter had expressed their faith to a family member or friend. And the rest could not remember a time in which they had stated what they believe. They said, if I can paraphrase, that they had not faced any conflict in their life - they had no occasion to "stand up for Jesus."...

I'm not lying when I say, as I read through this story I kept thinking that the heads of Jesus' opponents would explode!

Right now the Republicans and Democrats are holding televised "debates" of their presidential aspirants. And one thing is consistent about them no matter what their party or their position, they are all trying to say what they think people want to hear. Jesus didn't. Not by a long shot...

So you were wondering when I was going to post again? Hey, it was only a couple of days! But I've been gently scolded for failing to write every day. "Pastor, when you don't write every day I get discouraged from checking the blog..."

I understand. I get discouraged too sometimes, wondering when I'm going to "turn the corner" on the calendar, or the budget, or the problem du jour. Funny how well that fits with yesterday's reading and today's. We talked about this at the Parish Council meeting last night...

I often play the mental game "Where Am I in This Story?" In fact, that's what most authors and screenwriters want us to play. They want us to identify with the victim or with the protagonist so that we get involved in the story and keep reading or watching.

But who am I in this tale? Am I like the woman at the well? Like the villagers? Like the disciples? Or am I like Jesus?...

Don't pass over this too quickly. An amazing thing is happening here. John is a powerful speaker, a leader, a man with many devoted followers, and yet as Jesus' ministry begins he is willing to fade into the background. He even says, essentially, that he is happy to lose his "fans" and followers to Jesus. "The bride belongs to the bridegroom."

What is there left to say on these verses? In the Bible there are just a few verses that everyone knows: Psalm 23, 1 Corinthians 13 (misunderstood as a romantic passage), Matthew 7:1 (ripped out of context), and John 3:16. Held up on signs at NFL games - pasted on bumper stickers - worn on shirts - what is left to be said?

Americans seem to be, by their nature, dualists. While Communists are into "dialectical materialism" and believe that events in this world are determined by materialistic evolutionary forces, the philosophical position of many in the West is not much better...

No one has ever called me a "rock." I've been called a lot of things, but never that. Actually, these verses are even more interesting than that. Jesus did not call Peter "a" rock. He renamed him. He called him "Rock."

What name do you wish people would call you? What name do you wish Jesus would call you?

The expression "Lamb of God" only occurs this one time in the Bible. And yet the phrase must have communicated rich associations for Andrew and the other follower of John (unnamed). "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Or, another way to think of it, "Look! The Lamb of God..."

It's worth thinking about how different such an announcement is from those we give to celebrities, to politicians, to rulers and powerful people...

I loved reading through Paul's letters. And I still remember the first time that I ever read the entire Old Testament straight through and how exciting it was when my professors at Concordia helped me put it all together as a coherent whole instead of bits and pieces of Sunday School lessons. But in all the Bible there is nothing like the Gospels.

Is it just me? Or do you too find it refreshing, like a cold drink, to open up one of the Gospels and read the words of Jesus - or even just the narratives that describe what he did. So it is with joy that we come in our reading schedule to the Gospel According to John, the last of the 4 Gospels for us to read.

First, a caveat: I'm in a bad mood. My mood, I know, does not change the truth of God's Word and should not change how I read it or write about it. And yet, it does. The way we feel changes how we see things. I don't know where moods come from - many things, probably. The need for sleep, frustrations with too many unfinished tasks, sinus trouble, and Satanic attack. (Scratch that. I doubt that I merit Satan's attention. We'll just call it demonic attack.)

But God's Word stands there, refusing to change....

Paul tells Pastor Titus, "Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive."

First, let's clear this out of the way. No, Paul is not advocating slavery. But, yes, Paul is telling slaves to be obedient in their condition. That outrages many modern people. But let's look just a bit closer...

"In everything set [the younger believers] an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

It's not possible for us to be perfect, but it should be possible for us to at least control our outward  behavior so that we do not bring disrepute upon the name of Jesus. I can't think of a better inspiration to this sort of life than the response of the 23 kidnapped Korean Christians to their captivity (the surviving 19 have since been released). Take special note of their pastor...

Am I starting to sound like a broken record? I know, we've talked about the importance of "sound doctrine" and the danger of false teachers many times. But Paul keeps coming back to the subject. Why do you suppose that is?

Paul warned at the beginning of chapter 2 of his letter that there are forged letters out there - people writing who pretend to be one of the apostles. Now he closes his letter in his own hand as a sign of the authenticity of his words.

Normally Paul would dictate his letters to an "amanuensis." (That's ah-MAN-you-EN-sis, a secretary or scribe.)

We all know at least two people that we think are lazy. 1) Somebody at work or in the family who isn't pulling their share of the load. And 2) ourselves.

Paul urges the Christians in Thessalonica to keep away from people who are idle. But who is that?

"Pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not eveyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful."

Think of the power in those three words. We should all memorize them. Over and over again we could express all the problems and challenges of this world and of our own lives. "But the Lord..."

I get spam. I get offers for pharmaceuticals. I get endless catalogs in the mail. I get calls from telemarketers. I dislike all of those things but at least they are from people who are just trying to sell something. They're just trying, however irritatingly, to make a living.

But then I get forged letters...

Please note: We're beginning SECOND Thessalonians today, not first. to explain this oddity, I need to remind you that we've been trying to spread out the short readings so that the 4 Gospels would be read at separate times over the 2-year schedule and not all-in-a-row. That meant that we skipped between Gospels and Epistles, back and forth. We read 1 Thessalonians in week 17 (April 2006). I know it's not ideal - and I would welcome input in respect to possible improvements for the new schedule that will begin next January. However, any changes must still achieve our basic goals, a 2-year-through-the-Bible schedule that allows people to participate at a challenging level OR at a very easy level, and which always has some of the more familiar New Testament so that people aren't scared away from Bible reading.

Now to 2nd Thessalonians... The first thing that struck me is the thing that is still with me. Paul praises the Thessalonians and holds them up as an example. He even "boasts" about them. Why?

I write these posts in the mornings, generally. And in the morning a person has a certain mindset. You're revving up. You're thinking about your task list. You're ready to run through all the emails and get to all the projects.

But Paul slows us down here. Paul is not at the beginning. He is at the end. The end of his letter - but also, possibly, near the end of his ministry and life. He is in prison in Rome, awaiting trial and not knowing how that will end. What are his concluding thoughts?

Maybe it's growing older that does this - but as I read God's Word now I find that I want to stop after just a verse or two and have time to discuss and digest what I've read. I used to read so quickly! I once had a reputation with the local librarians in Black River Falls, Wisconsin because I borrowed the Count of Monte Cristo and returned it the next day - having read it overnight.

As a freshman in college I loved our Old Testament courses. Many people complained because there was so much reading with so many complicated names and places...

Have you ever had a child quote your own words against you? I have. And I've done it too. It's not that they have caught the adult in a contradiction. It's that they are "lawyering" their words, interpreting them in a way they were never intended. Whenever I did that, I knew that my mother's next words would be... "Now listen here, young man!"

People quote Paul's words against himself. He doesn't intend to set up a whole system of rules for who should obey who. This is not the organizational chart or the bylaws for social interaction. He is simply making his familiar point that we are to serve Christ by serving one another.

Paul encourages the Colossians to have their "mind on things above, not on earthly things."

When we read that this morning in our devotions, someone (who shall remain nameless) said, "Well, Mr. Pastor, you are privileged to be PAID to think about heavenly things." (With the implication that it is not so easy for the rest to do so as their days are necessarily filled with earthly matters.) My defense...x

We're used to thinking about this problem with our children. We worry that they will make the wrong friends - be led astray - be persuaded to experiment with drugs, alcohol, or sex - be tempted to do reckless things with cars. We are afraid that they will be distracted by their friends from studying and achieving, or worse yet, that they will accept different values and morals, or come home with a tattoo.

"See to it that no one takes you captive..." Paul says. But he's not talking to children. He talking to adults, because even though adolescents may wander this way and that as they follow their peers, in the end they usually follow the adults...

When Paul wrote, "I want you to know how much I am struggling for you..." two questions came to my mind. 1) How is Paul struggling? And 2) Why does he want them to know how much he is struggling?

Is it persecution and suffering that Paul is talking about? I don't think so, because he's already been talking about that in the previous chapter. He uses the word "agona" in Greek. Can you think what that might be in English?...

So you're working in the garage. It's a big construction project. You're making the new shelf unit for your daughter's bedroom. And she is there watching you. "Can I help?" she asks. What do you say?

She's only 8 years old. She can't do a nice job. You want this furniture to last. So you start the nail and drive it almost all the way in and then let her have the last 2 taps. You cut the pieces exactly right, but you let her hold the board...

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds..." Can you remember that time?

Although I grew up during the time of the Vietnam War, I don't remember much of it. No, I don't remember where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember the end of the war and our troops fleeing from Saigon. Even though I don't remember that war very well, I can still see the changes that it effected in my life...

What a morning. I hope that God has blessed yours, as he has mine, with appropriate challenges to give you purpose in life. (ha. hidden meanings there)

God certainly blessed me through these 5 simple verses in Paul's letter to the Colossians. They don't say much...

Jude was a really stern little letter. The author wrote about how the Church was being attacked from outside and inside - the false teachers - the immoral - etc. The funny thing is, St. Paul is writing in approximately the same time frame. He is experiencing all the same problems (and he has often written about them also). But what does he emphasize here?

"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it..."

Yes, I know. The first 16 verses were kind of a downer. Jude expresses a familiar feeling - the frustration we get if we take an honest look at the world and even the church. Look at all the dishonesty, corruption, immorality, and hypocrisy!

"BUT, dear friends..." he says. I love that phrase. It's like the old trumpet fanfare that would play before the hero burst on the scene in old movies.

First, let me acknowledge that the letter of Jude is less accepted than most of the other epistles. Even in the 3rd century some church leaders questioned whether it should be included in the canon of the New Testament. The main reason was that Jude quotes non-Biblical authors (in vs.9 for instance). However, most of the teachers of the church then and now have concluded that Jude could be led by the Spirit and still reference non-canonical writings. It is certainly agreed that his teaching is consistent with all the other apostles.

In movies and books there is often a debate about which is more powerful, hatred or love. The Harry Potter series of stories focuses on this theme. The 3rd Spiderman movie featured it. It was important in the Star Wars movies. But the question that is never asked is, powerful to do what?

Hatred is exceedingly powerful. Not only is it powerful to destroy things, but it is powerful to reproduce itself. To make more hatred. Take a look at this picture...

Words you hear less than you used to:

• Please excuse me.
• Pardon me.
• I'm sorry.
• It was my fault.
• I was wrong.

We don't want to dwell on the negative, and we don't want to insist upon something that might damage a person's self-esteem...

It's funny. We live in a culture that focuses on the flesh and the physical, and yet we don't have very much touch.

Americans (including myself) prefer a generous amount of personal space. We don't like to be crowded in next to others. We give a quick handshake, not embraces or kisses like some other cultures. And in recent years we have become more and more distant, more likely to connect digitally (like through this blog, for instance) than face-to-face.

But touch is still important. And John touched Jesus...

OK, fess up. You looked at that title and thought it was a kooky idea. You pictured a nutcase with crazy hair and a giant sign standing on a city streetcorner and yelling to the people passing by.

It's not just unbelievers. We too can get used to the idea that this world is just going to go on and on and on...

"Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight..."

Let's see how old you are. Can you remember when it was considered impolite to use the word "stupid" in public? Can you remember when it was controversial for someone on television to say, "you bet your sweet bippy"? Can you remember when it was common for characters in TV and movies to smoke cigarettes, but absolutely unheard of for two people to be seen in the same bed? If you can remember those days, then you should be getting an annual physical and taking something to prevent osteoporosis...

What does our world look like to you? Peggy Noonan has a thoughtful essay in today's Wall Street Journal about our "Gilded Age." As much as we complain about the economy, we really enjoy wealth that only one generation ago we could hardly imagine. I'm not elderly, but even I can remember the vacations she describes. People who went to Europe were the super rich. Now most people I know have gone to Europe, China, the Bahamas. We mostly see our world in a sanitized way, distanced from the dirt and ugliness that once were common. People were shocked recently when some hotels were found to have bedbugs, but my mother told us...

Last Saturday I read the 7th and final installment in the series of Harry Potter books. Yes, I know, they're only children's stories. But, in the tradition of authors like Kipling and Lewis, they actually do deal with issues of life and death. (Unlike most contemporary children's literature, which seems to revolve around self-esteem and romance.) This 7th book, The Deathly Hallows, is almost entirely centered on the problem of death.

Like Peter, a main character in the book must finally confront death and arrives at the understanding that death is not to be feared...

Ideas are linked together. It's always that way. Ideas don't occur by themselves. If they seem to it is only because, at best, they are the first link in a chain. So the wonderful concept "God is love" is able to stand by itself, but we cannot think of that idea alone. It always leads us to the next links in the chain, God's love for us, his loving deeds, his love overflowing in our lives...

Today's lesson has many linked ideas...

There is no end to the books on leadership. On my shelves within my failing eyesight there is The Leadership Challenge, Leading Change, Church Leadership, Boards the Work, Leadership is an Art, Good to Great, Lincoln on Leadership, and The Leadership Principles of Jesus. They were interesting to read, but I can't say that any of them made a fundamental difference. Such books keep being written because people are still searching for answers to how to lead others.

There are certain unspoken assumptions of what life is "supposed" to be like...

I had a friend who was a lot of fun. She liked to tease and was rather sarcastic, but she also was quick to serve others. I visited her in the hospital when a minor shoulder surgery had turned into many days of dealing with infection and other complications. It was VERY hard for such an active person to be forced into such complete inactivity. She said to me, "This has been really hard for me, but God has been teaching me. I've always been impatient with other people who can't keep up, or who complain. But when I finally get out of here I'm going to be a lot more understanding of other people's problems."

Suffering changes us. Oh, I know that...

"All's fair in love and war." That's what they say, and it excuses all manner of behavior. The 2008 presidential campaigns have already begun, and harsh and demeaning language is common. The candidates themselves must usually be careful, but their supporters characterize their opponents as fascists, libertines, would-be tyrants, liars.

The same kind of language occurs in religious debate. Since the violence has escalated around religious issues with suicide bombings and kidnappings, it is tempting to use our language carelessly. But Peter says this is unnecessary...

Yesterday's reading was verses 1-7, and I'd have an excuse to skip over them since it was my day off. That way I'd avoid the controversy of those words, "Wives, in the same way, be submissive to your husbands..." But when we avoid the difficult parts of God's Word I believe we miss out on some of the greatest blessings as well.

Peter tells wives to submit in the same way. We have to look back at the previous chapter to see what he means...

It's Harry Potter season again, with the 5th movie just out and the 7th book coming out in a few weeks, and many people are talking about the "horcrux," a magical spell in the stories. But, from Latin, the made-up word horcrux might mean "hour of the cross" or "season of suffering." (Hora means hour or season, and crux means cross or trial.) That seems appropriate for today's reading.

People are constantly discussing freedom - and generally wanting more of it. But I seldom here anyone discussing how to use the freedom they have. Peter says there's a purpose for your freedom.

Everyone thinks of themselves in the context of some group. I have a sense of my identity as a Neuendorf - as an American - as a former machinist and a tinkerer - as a backpacker. We also identify ourselves by what we're not. I see myself as a non-athlete, for instance. We all have many different groups that we would identify ourselves with... or against. But Paul reminds us that there is a primary group to which we belong...

I took the trash out to the curb first thing this morning and came back in the house for breakfast. After a piece of toast and a cup of tea we opened our Bible for devotions and Jon read today's text.

Here's a tip. Whenever a verse starts with "therefore" (or 'for' or a similar conjunction), pay special attention to what it is linking to.

Peter says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action..." That could imply that he has just told them about some danger that they need to be ready for. Or it could suggest that he has given them some law or command that they need to be ready to obey. But if we look back, that's not what he's talking about at all. And this makes all the difference.

For an unlettered fisherman, Peter writes beautifully. Perhaps it is the beauty of his subject that inspires such sentences, but these opening words of his letter are worth memorizing.

Unfortunately, though they are beautiful, they are also rather complicated. I count 10 clauses just in the second sentence (verses 3-5). When a short section is packed with so much meaning as this is, it's helpful to diagram the sentences. (I know, you hate that.) But since I don't know how to do that on this blog, let's just break it down into simple phrases to help us get at the heart of it.

I intended to write on these verses yesterday, Independence Day. But I was otherwise occupied. (Sure was a nice day for a canoe trip.)

Tuesday's reading really applied more directly to the question of freedom. Today's verses are closing words and details about Paul's upcoming visit to Philemon. But even though Paul doesn't directly discuss slavery here, there is an important hint for us about freedom.

I'm back - at least enough to do some posting. The devotions still aren't done, but I'm plugging away at them.

Paul's letter to Philemon has puzzled and provoked Christians for years. Because some people have used Biblical arguments in defense of their cruelty, others have blamed the Apostle Paul or even the entire Christian Church for all the evils of slavery...

It's funny how a few costume elements can change things - not only others' perception of you, but your perception of yourself.

I was once a member of a rifle club. I still remember how it felt to wear the heavy canvas shooting jacket with the bulky pads sewn into strategic places and the shooting "patches" (awards and club badges). It made me feel stronger than the 98 pound weakling that I was...

The Christian Church has been faulted (erroneously) for supporting slavery. Although over the years Christians have been guilty of many things that result from neglecting or twisting God's Word, we can't really be tarred with that brush. The Church never shared the world's view either of slavery or of freedom.

In regards to slavery, people cannot be the property of other people. They belong to God, though they may have earthly obligations that are burdensome. In regards to freedom, people do not belong to themselves. They belong to God, and they are obligated to him and to others whether they acknowlege it or not...

I'm taking a big chance to write on these verses when I'm in a hurry, and yet I don't want to pass it up. When I look at the numerous strained and broken relationships, the sad homes, and the wounded people in our church and all churches, I know we have much more to learn from these few verses.

If a husband could be like Christ toward his wife, what would that look like?...

How many times have I preached or taught about these verses? I confess that I'm getting a little tired of it.

Why is this so hard? Paul gives us a really beautiful picture of love - of mutual submission - two people laying down their lives for one another - of a relationship that is WAY more than just romantic, it's spiritual...

We don't pass this test.

Our churches look good. The Christian church in our country is full of people who listen to Christian music, read Christian magazines, even wear "Christian clothing." But we are... Well, let me use the word my mom liked in this context. We have no modesty.

You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorns

Remember that song? (written by Shel Silverstein and sung by the Irish Rovers in the 60s) We all know that we'll never see a unicorn, but Paul's description of the Church in Ephesians 4 seems even more fanciful. I can easily picture a unicorn...

Paul starts verse 14 with , "For this reason..." But he is not referring to the words he just wrote about his special ministry to the Gentiles. Remember, he interrupted himself. Now he is picking up the dropped thread of his train of thought.

Why does he kneel before the Father and pray that God's glorious riches would be poured out on the believers in Ephesus? It is because...

Monday's reading is a parenthetical remark, a quick explanation. I have often been put off by "specialized ministries." It has always seemed to me like a Balkanization of the Church for us to have special ministries to this group and that group. But this is, in a sense, what Paul was called to do. (Although in his case it was a special ministry to the vast majority - not to a smaller minority group.)

I am "...the prisoner of Christ for the sake of you Gentiles," he writes. "You, the nations" is how it might literally be translated...

Does your brain turn off when you're reading familiar words? Mine does. Every morning when I'm driving my son to his high school carpool I listen to the news, hoping to catch the weather. It always comes right after the traffic report. But somehow the familiar voice of Joel Alexander up in the "WJR Jet Copter" just lulls my brain to sleep. Suddenly the weatherman is finishing his forecast and I missed it.

I do the same with sermons. The pastor begins using old familiar phrases. "Jesus died on the cross to..." "For God so loved..." "For it is by grace you have been..."

I don't need to listen to the rest. I know what's coming, and I know what's coming after that. And that's a shame, because...

(Experimenting with different type sizes. Let me know which works and looks best for you.)

I pray for more faith for myself, wanting to be better equipped to help someone else or to do what God wants me to do. I pray for more faith for my family because I want to see them all in heaven and I'm concerned that they survive attacks on their faith. I pray for more faith for my congregation, after all, if they have more faith they will volunteer and contribute and pray and we will all accomplish things. But why would I be concerned about the faith of people in some other city?

Paul says that ever since he heard about the faith of the Christians in Ephesus he has not stopped giving thanks for them. I heard about some amazing Christians in Portland, Oregon a while back, but I haven't been thanking God for them every day. Should we? What difference does someone else's faith make?...

I'm still fascinated by the greetings among God's people in the Bible. I know I've written and preached on this before. More than once. But I find it simultaneously comforting and challenging.

We often pass over the "standard paragraph" at the beginning of each of the epistles (the letters of the New Testament). We do that too in our own correspondence. The letter from the bank or the school or the church generally begins with what we think of as "boilerplate," the standard opening lines. Some variation on, "I'm fine. How are you?"

Look what is contained in these 2 short verses at the beginning of Paul's letter...

What is the proper balance between entertainment and education? How about between amusement and inspiration? Is it wrong to use interesting stories, or colorful illustrations, or even humor to engage listeners and tell them serious truths?

In our reading for today, King Herod only wants to be entertained. I have often heard him condemned for that fact. But is that all bad? Herod is not so different from others who had followed Jesus, hoping to see a miracle. But there is something different in this case…