Monthly Archives: May 2024

Emergency Notification

alert

For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:16

We have all been getting weather alerts on our phones lately simultaneously. Whenever there is a thunderstorm warning or a tornado watch in the area (which has been frequently as of late), there has been a cacophony of loud beeps, rings and alarms emanating from people’s pockets, purses and backpacks. We recently got one such warning at 4:45 a.m. in the St. Louis area, waking nearly every resident from slumber.

What I have noticed about these alerts is that they do not immediately send people into any kind of panic or excitement. I have witnessed people (me included) glance at the message, roll their eyes and go on with their day. Even at 4:45 a.m., the alert did not get most people out of bed. We all just went back to sleep for the most part.

Our apathy toward these now more prevalent jarring sounds designed specifically to get our full attention makes me wonder how we will react when the trumpet sounds on the Last Day. Will we be ready, willing and able to go to meet our Savior with great joy, or will we be so immersed in our earthly activities that we will fail to notice or care that Christ has come? My hope and prayer is that when the unmistakable instrumental fanfare of our Lord’s return hits our ears, we will get up and go out directly to where he is, that our new life with him might begin with energy and enthusiasm welling up from our very souls.

Windows

windows

The stunning stained-glass windows in the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University in Indiana rise up and surround the circular altar space at the front of the church. These colorful windows depict in various imagery the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are breathtaking to behold when you are around that altar receiving Communion.

But what is even more interesting is that when you descend the stairs and return to your seat, the floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides of the nave are clear, giving you a vivid view of the world outside the walls of the sanctuary.

James Wetzstein, campus pastor at VU, reminded students on May 5, 2024, “This morning is the last Sunday of this school year, and for many of us we’re not going to have much of a chance to look at these windows much anymore. But you will always have windows through which you can see God. They are everywhere.”

So how have you seen God through the windows where you are this day, this month, this year? Maybe you have seen your neighbor, your child, your spouse, a friend or stranger. What is God calling you to see through those people? What is God calling you to do to help those on the other side of that glass? What are you simply grateful to God for as you gaze out into the world? Take notice of the windows around you, and let God focus your attention on what he wants you to see.

Body of Christ

body of Christ

I have recently begun to work with a coach to help me with strength training since my body is so out of shape. One thing I have noticed after each workout session is that I can feel soreness in certain areas of my body a day or two later. That pain, that ache is my body telling me which part of it is the weakest and needs some special attention to become stronger. So my coach has helped me to focus on exercises that help those areas of concern to become better and more useful to me in my daily living.

This makes me think about what the Bible tells us about the Body of Christ:

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,  which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. —Romans 12:21-26

As with our own physical body, we as the Body of Christ work together to help and support each other for the good of the whole body. So if a fellow Christian is going through pain of any kind, we exercise our caring muscles to bring them relief. If another Christian is feeling weak, we stretch out our hands to encourage them with the message that we each can be strong in the Lord in the role that he has given us to advance the Body’s abilities. Be a blessing today to the members of the Body of Christ around you, and give them a leg up, if you will. The Body of Christ will be better for it.

Tune My Heart

girl singing

My pastor recently pointed out the phrase “Tune my heart to sing thy praise” in the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” It is an interesting turn of phrase and got me to thinking, “Does my heart need some tuning when it comes to my approach to God?”

So often our first notes to God are clashing chords of frustration, anger, disappointment and doubt. Or we start our song to him in a minor key with feelings of sadness, grief and loss. But the hymn reminds us that our hearts should be tuned first and foremost to praise. From the outset, our melody to him should be filled with gratitude and joy, love and devotion. He is truly worthy of praise, no matter what else is happening around us.

This is not to say that we should never share with God anything that it bothering us. It is only to say that our default setting, our initial approach, our main mindset should be all about praise. With praise as our theme song, the rest of what we have to say to God can become more in tune with him, and, as a result, easier to handle.

Coffee Cups

coffee cups

Have you ever noticed in movies that when office assistants carry coffee cups into a building for the staff, you can tell there is no coffee in the cups. The actors hold the carriers too lightly or too freely. If the cups were full, the person would be carrying the cups more carefully and seriously, lest anything might get spilled.

This idea reminds me of how we often carry messages to one another. We can present what we have to say flippantly or with empty words that have no meaning. Or we can carry our words with seriousness and full of meaning. The Bible wants us to know that it is important to approach one another with fullness. St. Paul assures the Romans, “I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ” (Romans 15:29). St. Paul later tells us that we should “be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

Consider your approach the next time you come to a gathering of people with news to share. Let what you have to give be full of Christ’s blessing and have the weightiness of God’s outpouring of love. The results promise to be good to the last drop.

Major Details

car in pool

I am a big Seinfeld fan and have been watching the episodes again on my streaming service. In one of my very favorite scenes, Jerry is asleep in a car with his agent when he wakes up and says, “Is this even a road?” His agent Katie says, “Oh, we lost the road half hour ago.” “Why didn’t you wake me up?” Jerry asks in a panic. “You told me not to bother you with minor details,” Katie responds. To which Jerry exclaims, “No, road is a major detail!” before they crash into a pool.

I relate this scene to you because it reminds us all how important it is to focus on the major details of our faith. If we don’t, we can veer way off course and crash. What are those major details?

• Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose to give us new life.

• We are loved by God and are a part of his family forever through Jesus.

• We are called to love one another as Christ loved us.

• We are to tell the Good News of Jesus to everyone we meet.

If what we are doing is not related to any of these major details, then we do not need to spend too much time worrying about those activities. This is not to say that minor details do not need to get done. Just never let the minor take over the major, and don’t ever ignore the major details.