Zap!

A few days ago, we received the advertisement for our local hardware store: AL&M in Sealy and Columbus.  There on the pages was an intriguing piece of equipment.  A hand held bug zapper.

Apparently, these little things have been on the market for quite some time, but for some reason, this was the first time I had seen it.*  I knew it was a must purchase.
Living in the country with dogs and compost piles means an excess of flies.  Couple this with a spouse who absolutely hates the darn things (and has broken several fly swatters to boot), and there was no doubt the thing needed to be added to the arsenal--provided it worked.

After visiting one of my shut-ins in Sealy yesterday, it was off to the store to pick one up.  I think my wife was a little surprised that I actually picked one up.  Didn't think she believed I'd actually do it, but it goes toward our housing allowance.  To me, there was only the possible down side that it wouldn't work.

My wife was the first to open the package and put it all together.  Immediately, she began pursuing a fly that just happened to be in the house.  It didn't seem to work.  "Which side do I use?" she asked.

You know what's coming, don't you?  Yep, your's truly tested the thing on himself, and let me tell you, the results are shocking.  Not stand your hair on end shocking, but enough to make you jump.  (Please see * below.)

So, we knew the thing was charged, but would it actually kill flies and mosquitoes and other such pests?

My wife finally killed the fly zooming around the kitchen, but as I watched, I personally believe it was because she used the racket as a fly swatter.  The ultimate test came later that night, after the kids were in bed.

For some reason, it seems like every night, there is a fly buzzing around our bed.  Last night was no exception.  My wife ran to get the hand held bug zapper.  Darn fly kept buzzing back and forth back and forth as she moved from one side of the bed to the other.

Finally, I said, "Let me see that thing."

The fly buzzed toward me.  I hit the button, and swung.

ZAP!  Blue spark!  Sizzle!  Dead fly.  (I actually think it disintegrated.) 

Celebration ensued.  That the racket actually worked, and that we could read a few moments before bed without a darn fly buzzing around our heads. 

I'm wondering about putting in an order for several hundred of these things and then have them wired to a console in the church sanctuary.  If someone starts falling asleep or if we are in need of a "Mississippi Squirrel Revival", then I could press a few buttons. 

ZAP!   Problems solved.  :-)

* My wife informed me that my mother-in-law actually purchased one of these things for my brother-in-law when he was serving in Iraq.  Apparently, they didn't kill too many flies with the thing, but they had an awful lot of fun with the zapper.  Think about my test above, and then use your imaginations as to what a bunch of Marines might actually do with such a "toy."

Sunday's Sermon: Tradition's Place

There are certain sermons a pastor preaches from time to time that could potentially get him in trouble. This is one of those sermons. It has to deal with tradition, and when dealing with traditions whether they are in families or in congregations or in companies, one is usually walking on shaky ground. If you don’t think so, try to change a particular, cherished tradition in your family, in your church, or in your business one of these days. See what the consequences are. I’m not saying you will come to bodily harm, but if I were you, I’d make sure and protect myself.

Onward into the sermon. Perhaps you might have noticed a little detail which has been absent from our midst for the past couple of weeks. It’s something which is usually front and center in our church; yet because of its ever presence, it is easy to overlook from time to time. I am speaking right now about the eternal flame candle which hangs on the wall next to the altar. For those of you who have not noticed it, it is not flickering back there. It is not lit. There is a reason for this, a reason I will articulate shortly.

Now, this isn’t the first time this candle has gone out or has not been lit. There have been numerous times one candle has expired during the week, and our faithful altar guild ladies replaced it as soon as possible. During those times, I sometimes have a streak of irreverence that runs through me. Before I even realize what is happening, I will usually quip with a smile on my face, "I guess God’s not here right now." So far, no one’s hit me for that one. That might change after this service is done. But for the past couple of weeks, it has burned very rarely. For the past couple of weeks most of the time it has stood without light and without flame. For you see, a few weeks ago, when replacing the candle within, the glass holder broke. The bottom is cracked beyond repair and rather than risk an accident by trying to replace the candle within, or having the glass break and the candle fall out and light the carpet on fire–I mean, I know some pastors who talk about lighting a fire under their congregations, but that would be ridiculous–the decision was made to keep the candle unlit.

Yes, there have been a few folks who have noticed. We have heard their questions as to why the eternal flame was not lit. We’ve explained the reasons, and folks are generally o.k. with it. And, for those who are interested, the council just approved use of some of our memorial funds to buy a new eternal flame so that our congregation’s tradition of having one lives on.

But what do you think would have happened if someone decided, "We don’t need that eternal flame. We can spend that money on something better like giving it to the food pantry to feed people."? How do you think such a comment would have gone over? Do you think it would have been accepted? I mean, what if the person would have been insistent and said, "God is still here even if that flame goes out. We don’t need a candle to remind us God is here. We can keep that in our hearts alone. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we need a candle like that in our church buildings. It does say a lot about what we should be doing with our money though. Why keep spending money on something we have to keep up when we could use those funds to spread the good news of Jesus." Such arguments are indeed true. Do you think folks would actually listen?

Probably not. Now, no one here this morning would argue that because the eternal flame isn’t lit, God is somehow absent. No one here this morning would argue that it isn’t important to feed the hungry or spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We absolutely know these are paramount in the life of the church. But we also know that traditions are important in the life of the church as well. We know that traditions help give us unique identities and set us apart from other congregations and families and businesses. In the church, they bring about good order and help us to teach the faith to one another.

In fact, this is exactly what the reformers understood in the Lutheran Church’s foundational documents, particularly the Apology to the Augsburg Confession. Listen to what is written under article 15:

Although the holy Fathers themselves had rites and traditions, they did not regard them as useful or necessary for justification. They did not obscure the glory or work of Christ but taught that we are justified by faith for Christ’s sake, not for the sake of these human rites. They observed these human rites because they were profitable for good order, because they gave people a set time to assemble, because they provided an example of how all things could be done decently and in order in the churches, and finally because they helped instruct the common folk. (Book of Concord p. 218)

Part of this is exactly why we have the eternal flame here in this congregation. Again, it’s not because anyone truly believes that without it, God is somehow absent, but because it helps remind us of God’s presence–and we also have the opportunity to tell others what it represents. For if someone asks, "Why do you have that candle up there burning all the time?" We can respond, "It helps remind us that God is always with us always shining a light into the darkness. It also helps remind us that Christ told us, ‘Let your light so shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’" This is a good tradition to have and uphold.

But what if the tradition became too important? What if the tradition overshadowed our calling to spread the good news of Jesus Christ? What if it became more important to have an eternal flame than to buy Sunday School materials for our kids or to give to the food pantry or to provide meals for our senior service? What if people became more angry about the eternal flame not being lit instead of being angry there are those who have not yet been reached with the good news of Jesus? What would that mean?

Our Gospel lesson this morning speaks to that loudly and clearly. Jesus lambasts the Pharisees for putting human traditions above God’s Word. The Pharisees believed they were honoring God by setting aside money to give to Him–that’s the meaning of Corban in this text. They believed they were doing something good and holy and just by saving all this money to give to God. However, when they did this, they neglected one small item. God’s Word commanded them to honor their father and mother–that’s commandment number four, by the way. Instead of using their wealth to care for their parents as God’s Word commanded, they followed a human tradition.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with giving money to God. Lord knows, this church wouldn’t be afloat if you weren’t generous in your giving to the Lord. Yet, motivations matter, and if we all decided we didn’t like our parents or our kids or anyone else who wanted or needed our money, and we decided to give it to the church instead of them, then we are giving in spite. Giving in spite isn’t exactly what God expects out of us. God expects us to follow His Word–not only in giving but in our actions as people and as a congregation. Let us remember this when it comes to our traditions. As important as those traditions are, may they never make null the Word of God. Amen.

Through Burnout and Back: Taking Time, Really

Back in the days of seminary, they warned us, "You will have weeks where you have to work 60 hours or so.  Take time off to recuperate."

In my Bowen Family Systems class, they have repeatedly told us, "If you have to work on your day off, take another day the following week."

I thought I had been doing a pretty good job of such things until I hit burnout.  Then, I discovered I really hadn't been doing what I had been taught to do. 

Of course, I made excuses:

"Oh, it's just a couple of minutes I'm having to spend on this.  It's no big deal."

"Well, I really need to get this done.  It can't wait another day."

"These folks really, really need a visit.  I've got to get it done."

And so I pushed it.  Oftentimes too far.  I made funeral preparations and worked on funeral sermons during vacations.  I took moments on my day off to open up buildings and field phone calls and text messages.  I would take a day from vacation to conduct a graveside service.  All of it added up, and the sad part is, I didn't really realize it.

So, when I hit that wall of burnout, I resolved to take back my time, really.  And I discovered a couple of things:

1. It's very good physically, mentally, and spiritually to do just that.

2. It's very hard to break something you've started.

3. Guilt will rear its ugly head.

Last week, I worked close to 60 hours handling a Bible Camp, a member's funeral, our Scholarship Committee's dance and fundraiser, confirmation, and the parties which ensued.  It was a very, very long week emotionally and physically.

So, what did I do about it?

Well, my children didn't start school until today.  Yesterday was their last day of summer, and because I worked so many hours the previous week, I claimed my time.  I didn't go to the office at all yesterday: I spent the time with my family and had one final fling before school started.

We had promised them we would take them to see the Disney movie, "Brave."  Mission finally accomplished.

We've started reading them Bible stories each evening out of The Action Bible.   Now, the kids want to read (or at the very least look at the pictures) even after we finished.  We only had one Bible.  Problem is now solved.  We ate at Chick-Fil-A, and the kids had a great time on the indoor playground.  We shopped around for back to school clothes but really found nothing to add to their wardrobes.  We ended up eating at a nice Italian food place (where kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays) for the evening meal.  All in all, it was a great day with the family.

Were there things that I could have been doing at the office?  Yep.

Were there people who needed to be seen?  Yep.

Were there people who needed to be checked on?  Yep.

Were there things at the office which needed checking up on?  Yes, as well.

But in 12 years of ordained ministry, I have finally let it sink in:  There will always be those things which need doing.  There are always folks who need a call or a visit or what have you.  And when you have quite a few people in your congregation, there is not enough of you to go around.  You've got to do what you can and leave the rest for another day.

For someone like myself who has usually prided himself in his ability to go above and beyond the call of duty, this is a very difficult step.  It's literally made me have to change my nature and change how I approach things. 

But will it be worth it?

I think so.  I need my family and personal time--for my sanity and theirs.  Really.

Why Quantum Physicists Don't Get Fat

Yep, that's the title to a book I've just finished reading.  My wife stumbled across it in the free e-reader books for the day. 

First, I'm glad it was free.
Second, I'm glad it was short and that I didn't spent too much time having to read it.
Third, I'm really skeptical about the premise of the book.

The guy who wrote the book tries to apply quantum mechanics to weight loss management.  He argues the current weight loss industry is built upon old, Newtonian science.  He argues, almost solely based upon his own experience, that a shift in how we approach weight loss is necessary.

Frankly, I can sum it up very quickly: try to have a positive attitude about everything you do to help you lose weight.  Convince yourself you are enjoying exercise.  Convince yourself you are happy eating fruits and vegetables and lean meats.  Believe whatever diet program you are undertaking works, and you will see results.

The author bases much of his understanding on the idea if we believe something, then we will see it.  Now, I've used that maxim when it comes to faith more than once.  For when it comes to seeing God active in the world, you won't see Him unless you believe in Him.  Under the guise of quantum physics, the author tries to apply such thinking to weight loss.  If you believe you will see results in a weightloss program, you will see it, and see it fast.

Your's truly is skeptical--mainly because I believe the author takes quantum mechanics to the extreme.

He uses Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle to discuss reality.  The principle states that we do not know where a given electron will be when we are not observing it.  There are a range of probabilities where it could be, and when we finally observe the electron, then we will see it in a given place. 

Some have extrapolated this into the larger reality we call the world saying that our brains create reality.  We expect certain things to happen and be there, and they happen in that fashion or are found where we expect them.  If we just believed strongly enough, we could literally shape the world differently. 

Now.  Go ahead.  Try it.  Believe with all your heart you can stick your finger in a light socket without getting shocked (assuming the light socket is attached to an electrical current).  Believe you can leap off a 10 story building without a parachute and not get hurt.  Believe all you want that you can play the lottery with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and win every time.  See what happens.  Have all the positive beliefs in these things you want and see if they come together for you.  Tell me if it works.

Our perceptions may shape the way we see reality, but they are not reality itself. 

Furthermore, one must realize even quantum physics is incomplete.  Quantum physics describes very well the way the microscopic world works.  As of yet, (and probably never) quantum physics has not been able to describe gravity and interactions between large objects.  The author of Why Quantum Physicists Don't Get Fat time and again says that quantum physics is the most accurate science we have, but he's wrong.  

In more than one way.

Really?

I've seen a link on Facebook to a quote by Mark Lowry.  It's an intriguing quote:

Love the sinner and hate the sin?  How about: love the sinner and hate your own sin!  I don't have time to hate your sin.  There are too many of you.  Hating my sin is a full-time job.  How about you hate your sin, I'll hate my sin and let's just love each other.

Really?

At face value, this sounds pretty good.  I mean, it would seem to follow right along with Jesus' teaching about removing the log from one's own eye before trying to remove the speck from one's neighbor's eye.  (Matthew 7:3-5)  Yet, in practice?  To really practice such a thing?

Hmmm. 

Let's say a particular Christian business owner pushes his employees to the limit.  He pays them minimally.  He offers poor health insurance.  He doesn't give personal days or allow for family emergencies.  "Your father die?  Sorry, you have a job.  I can't afford to give you time off with pay.  You don't work, you don't get paid."  The business man commits injustice after injustice, and we aren't supposed to hate the sin, confront the sin, and hold the gent accountable? 

A guy walks into a movie theater and guns down a bunch of patrons.  We aren't supposed to hate what he did?  We're just supposed to concentrate on loving the guy?

While I understand what Lowry is trying to say, perhaps he could have said it better.  I posted once before on this whole love the sinner/hate the sin issue.  Some folks are uncomfortable with the saying.  I understand that, but the reality is, the saying is truthful--and necessary.

Hating the sin leads to action.  The very fact God hates our sin led Him to action--first to try and get us to stop by giving us the law and punishing us when we failed to follow it, and then through a response to the grace bestowed by Jesus' death and resurrection.  God doesn't stop hating our sins.  Period.  You would be hard pressed to find any scripture which argues for such a thing.

And there is a little passage from the book of Ephesians (5:1) which gives us insight into how we are to model our lives:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

God loves us.  He hates our sin, but He no longer punishes (disciplines) us for breaking the law.  (Galatians 3: 24-25)

What would it look like for us to do likewise?

Who Gives More?

I would not have written the headline which appears in the article, but you know the news media.  They're always ready to incite conflict.  The headline read:

The Rich Less Charitable Than Middle Class: Study

What I would have written:

Religious People Dig Deeper

From the article buried several paragraphs in:

Religion is the big factor here. "Regions of the country that are deeply religious are more generous than those that are not," the Chronicle said.

Most of the headlines one sees regarding religious belief are negative.  There are many who relish the opportunity to bash the Church or other religious groups because of the actions of their members.  The news media is always ready to run headlines about the next clergy sex scandal--the next fight over homosexuality--the next battle over traditional marriage--the next "religious nutcase" willing to kill himself and others--the groups wishing to take a woman's right to choose what to do with her body away from her--or whatever other negative news they can print. 

I am surprised the author of the article even puts this sentence in the article.  Rarely does anyone print the good that religious folks accomplish, but those of us who are engaged in religious matters know how much good is put forth.  We know the acts of charity and kindness accomplished by our members and those of other faith groups.  We see it all the time.

Religious faith makes a difference in the willingness one has to give and support others, and according to this article, it is a major difference.

Remember that the next time someone tries to tell you religious people are the cause of all the fighting and problems in the world. 

Sunday's Sermon: Come, Receive Jesus

I’ve told the following story before, but I think it bears retelling for this morning’s sermon:

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

They boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The youngest brother gasped for breath and replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time dude. God is missing and they think WE did it!"

I laugh nearly every time I hear that joke, because of the absurdity of it. I mean how can God go missing? Is it even possible? For many of us, the thought is almost unreal.

Yet, for some people, the thought is a very serious one. For some people the thought that God has gone missing isn’t just a joke but a reality. Sometimes, folks find themselves surrounded by circumstances they don’t understand; circumstances that drag them down; circumstances that blot out all forms of hope and happiness. Sometimes when faced with such circumstances and such crisis, people scream out, "WHERE IS GOD?" And they really, really mean it.

When someone asks such a question, it is not to be taken lightly or dismissed altogether. It demands an answer.

Most of the time, my default answer heads straight to the crucifixion of Jesus. Most of you know the story. Most of you know how Jesus was the Son of God who lived out God’s will perfectly. You know how He healed the sick, raised the dead, gave hope to the hopeless, fed the hungry, and brought God’s Word to the people. You also know the reward He got from humanity: being hung from a cross. Perhaps you also remember one of Jesus’ seven last words from the cross? Perhaps you remember when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" The ironic piece of that cry is the fact that Jesus is God incarnate. The ironic piece of that cry is God is hanging from the cross crying out such a thing.
The ironic piece of that cry is at the time when it seems like God is most absent, God is actually most present, hanging, suffering on that cross. When I point this out to people, I try to inform them that even though they perceive God’s absence, He is actually most present with them. Sometimes this helps.

But not always. Sometimes, they can’t fathom this understanding of God’s presence in the midst of their suffering. So, then I pull out another standby. I remind them of Jesus’ teaching of the last judgement in Matthew chapter 25. I remind them how Jesus informed His followers that on the day of judgement, they would be brought before Him. They would be informed that they would enter paradise for the times they had cared for Jesus. Remember how that one went? The saved would ask, "Lord, when did we care for you?" And Jesus would reply, "Whenever you fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, visited those sick and in prison–whenever you did such things for the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." I remind folks that Jesus is those who suffer. Therefore, they may be Jesus to others at that moment which is a humbling thought indeed. Sometimes this works. Sometimes, it doesn’t.

But there is one other thing that must be breached. There is one other topic of conversation that must be brought to the front when people scream out, "WHERE IS GOD?" It is the topic of the sacrament.
In our Gospel lesson, Jesus says, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever."

As I said last week, either the person who said this is indeed God or He is a nutcase. We as people of faith believe the former. We believe Jesus is God. We believe He has left us a gift of unbelievable power–a gift of unbelievable strength. He has left us His body and His blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Now, in one manner, this might cause us to cringe. I am reminded of the movie Gandhi were a Catholic priest is riding on top of a train with a bunch of Hindus. One of the men strikes up a conversation with the priest. The priest informs the man he is a Christian.

The Hindu replies, "Ah, yes. My sister is a Christian. She is a cannibal."

The priest says, "What?"

"Every week she eats the flesh of her Lord."

That’s a show stopper right there for some for eating a person’s flesh is very much outside the norm of acceptable human behavior. Which is why we as Lutherans believe in a little thing called the real presence of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine. We do not believe the bread and wine in Holy Communion actually become the body and blood of Jesus–instead we believe His real presence is there in the Sacrament in a way we simply cannot explain or understand. When we eat, we eat and taste bread. When we drink, we drink and taste wine. Yet, somehow, in the midst of doing such things, we also believe we are receiving Jesus Himself. We believe He is entering into us: forgiving our sins and strengthening our faith.

This is a very important thing for us to remember when dealing with those who scream, "WHERE IS GOD?" For if all else fails, we can say, "Come with me. Come to worship with me, and when we have Holy Communion, come to the table with me. Have an open heart and mind when you head forward for you will find God. You will find Jesus. Come and receive Him and allow Him to strengthen your faith and forgive your sins. Come to the table and receive Jesus for He is God and He is longing to reach out to you in your pain, in your suffering, and in your questioning. No longer ask, ‘Where is God?’ for He is here in the bread and in the wine. Come, receive Jesus." Amen.