"He that is not against us is for us." --Jesus, Mark 9:40
"He that is not with me is against me." --Jesus, Matthew 12:30
It is the same Jesus who speaks these words. For abstract analysis these two sayings of Jesus are in irreconcilable contradiction; but in reality they necessarily belong together. Here again we have living experience to prove our case; under the pressure of anti-Christian forces there came together groups of men who confessed the faith unequivocally and who were impelled to seek a clear decision for or against Christ in strict discipline of doctrine and of life. In their struggle these confessing congregations could not but perceive that the greatest of all the dangers which threatened the Church with inner disintegration and disruption lay in the neutrality of large numbers of Christians; they saw in this the true hostility to Christ. The exclusive demand for a clear profession of allegiance to Christ caused the band of confessing Christians to become ever smaller; they saying "he that is not with me is against me" became an actual concrete experience of the Christian Church; and then, precisely through this concentration on the essential, the Church acquired an inward freedom and breadth which preserved her against any timid impulse to draw narrow limits, and there gathered around her men who came from very far away, and men to whom she could not refuse her fellowship and her protection; injured justice, oppressed truth, vilified humanity and violated freedom all sought for her, or rather for her Master, Jesus Christ. So now she had the living experience of that other saying of Jesus: "He that is not against us is for us."
These two sayings necessarily belong together as the two claims of Jesus Christ, the claim to exclusiveness and the claim to totality. The greater the exclusiveness, the greater the freedom. But in isolation the claim to exclusiveness leads to fanaticism and to slavery; and in isolation the claim to totality leads to the secularization and self abandonment of the Church. The more exclusively we acknowledge and confess Christ as our Lord, the more fully the wide range of His dominion will be disclosed to us. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics (emphasis mine)
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Monday, July 22, 2013
Go Ahead, Laugh
This morning as I read our Old Testament lesson from the book of Genesis, I was reminded of the following story I once heard:
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. 'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army engineers build a pontoon bridge while the rear guard held off the approaching Egyptian army. Once the bridge was assembled, all the people walked across safely. When the Egyptian army started crossing the bridge, Moses radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge. All the Israelites were saved, and the Egyptian army was completely routed!'
'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his Mother asked.
'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'
Go ahead and laugh, it’s quite alright to do so. Many studies have shown that laughter relives stress and helps with the body’s healing process. It also releases endorphins which make you feel good. Humor is quite a good thing. I mean, why do you think Joel Osteen begins every sermon he preaches with a joke? It gets people feeling good as endorphins surge through their bodies. Maybe that’s why Otto Reichardt brings me a stack full of jokes every time we have senior service. We need to laugh.
Which brings me to the next story. As a pastor, I’ve been privileged to offer prayers at many, many community functions. One of the recurring functions I go to is the Austin County Soil and Water Conservation Banquet of Champions. Philip Shackleford usually emcees the event, and twice, he’s used the podium to pull one on me. He’s used the same bit twice, but I still think it’s funny.
Phil began, “One day Pastor Haug was visiting in the homes of his parishioners.
At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out his card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.."
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, Pastor Haug found that his card had been returned. The Revelation passage had been scratched out and replaced with "Genesis 3:10", which reads, "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." The room cracked up!
Unbeknownst to Phil, I had a come-back. I went up to the podium to pray, but before the prayer, I turned to the audience and said, “My turn.”
I then proceeded to tell the following story: You know, when I start working in a community, I go around a visit quite a bit, and on another one of those visits, I just so happened to be driving past Phil’s house. Now, there at his gate was a dead mule, so wanting to be neighborly, I drove up to his house, got out of my car, and knocked on the door. Phil answered, and I introduced myself. Then, I said, “I just wanted to tell you there’s a dead mule down by your gate.”
Phil looked at me and said, “Well, Reverend, I thought it was your job to bury the dead.”
Without missing a beat, I responded, “Yes sir, it is, but it is also my job to notify the next of kin.” Pandemonium ensued.
Go ahead. Laugh some more. Laughter is good for the soul. In fact, I would argue we need much more laughter in our society today. We need to allow ourselves to have a few deep, resonant belly laughs. Our society is way, way too serious. We take things so bloody seriously that our practical jokes are seen as dangerous. We need humor–it is vital.
Now, those of you who were listening carefully to our Old Testament lesson might be wondering why I am spending so much time telling you it is o.k. to laugh when laughter seems to be frowned upon in this text about Abraham and Sarah. I mean, let’s take another moment to look at this passage from Genesis.
The Lord comes to Abraham to visit, and Abraham busies himself preparing a feast for his guest. As was custom, they ate and held conversation. At the appropriate time, the Lord spoke these words to Abraham, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah overheard, and she laughed. Now, let’s take a moment to understand why.
Scripture tells us that Sarah had ceased to be after the matter of women because she was of advanced age. Now, I know there are children here this morning, so I won’t go into the exact detail, but let me say this: Sarah was ninety. Her body had ceased its natural functions which make it possible to have children. Is the picture clear? I hope so. Now, you know why she laughed. This had to be a joke. It was impossible for a woman of that age to conceive and have a child. The body no longer functioned in that manner. Laughter is possibly the only appropriate response.
Now, before I go any further, let’s take a moment to examine some of the more humorous things about this faith that we Christians share. I mean, the idea that a 90 year old woman could conceive and bear a child isn’t the most outlandish things we proclaim–not in the least.
I mean, stop a moment and think about some of the following claims from scripture and tell me if they aren’t worthy of a good chuckle:
● God appeared in a bush that was burning, but the fire did not consume the bush. Ever seen such a thing?
● God made the city walls of Jericho fall down because people shouted and trumpets were blown. Ever seen that happen?
● God made bread appear in the desert on the bare ground. Have you ever seen food appear out of thin air?
● Elijah called down fire from heaven which ignited a sacrifice which had been drowned in water–and the resulting fire was so hot, it melted the rock. Has anyone seen a fire like that?
O.K. let’s turn to the New Testament. Here are some more whoppers!
● We proclaim that the virgin Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and that Jesus had no earthly father. That’s not exactly how children get conceived is it?
● We say that Jesus walked on water. Have you done that?
● We say Jesus fed about 17,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Ever tried to do
something like that when unexpected guests show up? Been that successful?
● We say that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried; but that He came back to life. Ever seen a dead person rise?
● We say that God is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three persons; one God. One God; three persons. Does that even make sense? Didn’t think so.
In fact, all of these things are quite laughable. If we try to understand them from a rational, scientific perspective, we would quite scoff at them and laugh a hearty, belly laugh.
But what if...
What if...
What if all those things were true. Just as it came to pass that Sarah indeed conceived and bore a son named Isaac.
Perhaps it is important to realize laughter is important–as long as we laugh at the right things. But the promises of God–those are no laughing matter. Those are real. Amen.
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. 'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army engineers build a pontoon bridge while the rear guard held off the approaching Egyptian army. Once the bridge was assembled, all the people walked across safely. When the Egyptian army started crossing the bridge, Moses radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge. All the Israelites were saved, and the Egyptian army was completely routed!'
'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his Mother asked.
'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'
Go ahead and laugh, it’s quite alright to do so. Many studies have shown that laughter relives stress and helps with the body’s healing process. It also releases endorphins which make you feel good. Humor is quite a good thing. I mean, why do you think Joel Osteen begins every sermon he preaches with a joke? It gets people feeling good as endorphins surge through their bodies. Maybe that’s why Otto Reichardt brings me a stack full of jokes every time we have senior service. We need to laugh.
Which brings me to the next story. As a pastor, I’ve been privileged to offer prayers at many, many community functions. One of the recurring functions I go to is the Austin County Soil and Water Conservation Banquet of Champions. Philip Shackleford usually emcees the event, and twice, he’s used the podium to pull one on me. He’s used the same bit twice, but I still think it’s funny.
Phil began, “One day Pastor Haug was visiting in the homes of his parishioners.
At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out his card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.."
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, Pastor Haug found that his card had been returned. The Revelation passage had been scratched out and replaced with "Genesis 3:10", which reads, "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." The room cracked up!
Unbeknownst to Phil, I had a come-back. I went up to the podium to pray, but before the prayer, I turned to the audience and said, “My turn.”
I then proceeded to tell the following story: You know, when I start working in a community, I go around a visit quite a bit, and on another one of those visits, I just so happened to be driving past Phil’s house. Now, there at his gate was a dead mule, so wanting to be neighborly, I drove up to his house, got out of my car, and knocked on the door. Phil answered, and I introduced myself. Then, I said, “I just wanted to tell you there’s a dead mule down by your gate.”
Phil looked at me and said, “Well, Reverend, I thought it was your job to bury the dead.”
Without missing a beat, I responded, “Yes sir, it is, but it is also my job to notify the next of kin.” Pandemonium ensued.
Go ahead. Laugh some more. Laughter is good for the soul. In fact, I would argue we need much more laughter in our society today. We need to allow ourselves to have a few deep, resonant belly laughs. Our society is way, way too serious. We take things so bloody seriously that our practical jokes are seen as dangerous. We need humor–it is vital.
Now, those of you who were listening carefully to our Old Testament lesson might be wondering why I am spending so much time telling you it is o.k. to laugh when laughter seems to be frowned upon in this text about Abraham and Sarah. I mean, let’s take another moment to look at this passage from Genesis.
The Lord comes to Abraham to visit, and Abraham busies himself preparing a feast for his guest. As was custom, they ate and held conversation. At the appropriate time, the Lord spoke these words to Abraham, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah overheard, and she laughed. Now, let’s take a moment to understand why.
Scripture tells us that Sarah had ceased to be after the matter of women because she was of advanced age. Now, I know there are children here this morning, so I won’t go into the exact detail, but let me say this: Sarah was ninety. Her body had ceased its natural functions which make it possible to have children. Is the picture clear? I hope so. Now, you know why she laughed. This had to be a joke. It was impossible for a woman of that age to conceive and have a child. The body no longer functioned in that manner. Laughter is possibly the only appropriate response.
Now, before I go any further, let’s take a moment to examine some of the more humorous things about this faith that we Christians share. I mean, the idea that a 90 year old woman could conceive and bear a child isn’t the most outlandish things we proclaim–not in the least.
I mean, stop a moment and think about some of the following claims from scripture and tell me if they aren’t worthy of a good chuckle:
● God appeared in a bush that was burning, but the fire did not consume the bush. Ever seen such a thing?
● God made the city walls of Jericho fall down because people shouted and trumpets were blown. Ever seen that happen?
● God made bread appear in the desert on the bare ground. Have you ever seen food appear out of thin air?
● Elijah called down fire from heaven which ignited a sacrifice which had been drowned in water–and the resulting fire was so hot, it melted the rock. Has anyone seen a fire like that?
O.K. let’s turn to the New Testament. Here are some more whoppers!
● We proclaim that the virgin Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and that Jesus had no earthly father. That’s not exactly how children get conceived is it?
● We say that Jesus walked on water. Have you done that?
● We say Jesus fed about 17,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Ever tried to do
something like that when unexpected guests show up? Been that successful?
● We say that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried; but that He came back to life. Ever seen a dead person rise?
● We say that God is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three persons; one God. One God; three persons. Does that even make sense? Didn’t think so.
In fact, all of these things are quite laughable. If we try to understand them from a rational, scientific perspective, we would quite scoff at them and laugh a hearty, belly laugh.
But what if...
What if...
What if all those things were true. Just as it came to pass that Sarah indeed conceived and bore a son named Isaac.
Perhaps it is important to realize laughter is important–as long as we laugh at the right things. But the promises of God–those are no laughing matter. Those are real. Amen.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Becoming Child-like
The more I have contemplated Jesus' teaching on becoming like a child, the more I am convinced of the Church's need to embrace it more fully.
I know some may disagree.
"Are you saying we need to be immature?"
"Are you saying we should accept things without question?"
"Are you saying we should just have a blind faith?"
Do you really know children?
Perhaps this is a bit strange for my readers to hear, but I do not just parent my children, I study them. Yes, I study them. I watch what they do; how they interact with the world; how they act with one another. Here are some things I think I have learned.
Immaturity: I am not suggesting that we adults should be immature. Lord knows, there is enough immaturity in society today. Just a cursory read of the news shows this unequivocally. There is a time to grow up and take responsibility. But taking responsibility does not mean leaving behind some very important things that I believe adults need: a sense of humor, a sense of playfulness, a bit of a mischievous streak, a willingness to laugh even at the simplest things.
Children are playful. They turn all sorts of things into games. They use their imaginations--at least they do if you are willing to force them to turn off their games and televisions. They can instantly go from doing schoolwork to playing in a matter of seconds.
Why is it that we as adults oftentimes have to plan our fun? Why is it that we have to schedule our down times? When is the last time you played at work? When is the last time you enjoyed a belly laugh for no reason? I don't think such things are immature.
Accepting without question: I haven't met a child like this. Nearly every kid I've come across rebels. Nearly every kid I come across and have given a command has either told me, "No." or "I don't want to." or has said, "O.K." but then gone and done the opposite. Children don't accept things without question. Even at an early state they begin forming their own minds and opinions about things. This is not a bad thing, but it must be tempered with a respect for authority and obedience to the authority's wishes--especially when the authority is acting in a just manner.
In our day and age, all sorts of authorities try to tell us what we should and should not believe. I am one such authority. I do try to tell people what to and not to believe. However, I am willing to argue and offer reasons for my belief, and I am also willing to give you space to accept or reject what I have to say. You can tell me, "No." Yet, if you decide to become a Lutheran Christian and member of my congregation, when it comes to matters of theological doctrine, you are also submitting to obedience. So, if I were to confront you in a particular sin in accordance with Matthew 18, you would have to be obedient and repent. Yet, you also have the ability to check and make sure I am on the right track. If I am wrong in my assessment, you can and should question me. Perhaps I am being unjust.
Kids question authority. We should too. Yet, kids must be obedient. We must too.
Blind faith: Nearly every kid I know has insatiable curiosity. They ask questions. All the time. And they don't necessarily accept every answer you tell them. Oftentimes an answer begets another question.
Is this the sign of blind faith? Hardly.
How many of us as adults are insatiable in our curiosity? How many of us continue to ask life's hard questions even after college or grad school? I'd submit that many of us are quite content to bask in what we have learned and engage in activities that do not stretch our minds. Kids don't have this problem. They want to learn. They engage in learning. Not always book learning, mind you, but the world is an open book to them, and they want to know about it. I think as adults we need to do likewise.
I am sure there will be more thoughts on this as time passes, but enough for now.
I know some may disagree.
"Are you saying we need to be immature?"
"Are you saying we should accept things without question?"
"Are you saying we should just have a blind faith?"
Do you really know children?
Perhaps this is a bit strange for my readers to hear, but I do not just parent my children, I study them. Yes, I study them. I watch what they do; how they interact with the world; how they act with one another. Here are some things I think I have learned.
Immaturity: I am not suggesting that we adults should be immature. Lord knows, there is enough immaturity in society today. Just a cursory read of the news shows this unequivocally. There is a time to grow up and take responsibility. But taking responsibility does not mean leaving behind some very important things that I believe adults need: a sense of humor, a sense of playfulness, a bit of a mischievous streak, a willingness to laugh even at the simplest things.
Children are playful. They turn all sorts of things into games. They use their imaginations--at least they do if you are willing to force them to turn off their games and televisions. They can instantly go from doing schoolwork to playing in a matter of seconds.
Why is it that we as adults oftentimes have to plan our fun? Why is it that we have to schedule our down times? When is the last time you played at work? When is the last time you enjoyed a belly laugh for no reason? I don't think such things are immature.
Accepting without question: I haven't met a child like this. Nearly every kid I've come across rebels. Nearly every kid I come across and have given a command has either told me, "No." or "I don't want to." or has said, "O.K." but then gone and done the opposite. Children don't accept things without question. Even at an early state they begin forming their own minds and opinions about things. This is not a bad thing, but it must be tempered with a respect for authority and obedience to the authority's wishes--especially when the authority is acting in a just manner.
In our day and age, all sorts of authorities try to tell us what we should and should not believe. I am one such authority. I do try to tell people what to and not to believe. However, I am willing to argue and offer reasons for my belief, and I am also willing to give you space to accept or reject what I have to say. You can tell me, "No." Yet, if you decide to become a Lutheran Christian and member of my congregation, when it comes to matters of theological doctrine, you are also submitting to obedience. So, if I were to confront you in a particular sin in accordance with Matthew 18, you would have to be obedient and repent. Yet, you also have the ability to check and make sure I am on the right track. If I am wrong in my assessment, you can and should question me. Perhaps I am being unjust.
Kids question authority. We should too. Yet, kids must be obedient. We must too.
Blind faith: Nearly every kid I know has insatiable curiosity. They ask questions. All the time. And they don't necessarily accept every answer you tell them. Oftentimes an answer begets another question.
Is this the sign of blind faith? Hardly.
How many of us as adults are insatiable in our curiosity? How many of us continue to ask life's hard questions even after college or grad school? I'd submit that many of us are quite content to bask in what we have learned and engage in activities that do not stretch our minds. Kids don't have this problem. They want to learn. They engage in learning. Not always book learning, mind you, but the world is an open book to them, and they want to know about it. I think as adults we need to do likewise.
I am sure there will be more thoughts on this as time passes, but enough for now.
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