Tag Archives: faith

Even Now

Mary, Martha and Jesus

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” —John 11:21-22

The two words “even now” were brought to light to me in a recent sermon. They are spoken by Martha in the midst of what must have been one of the most trying times of her life. Her brother whom she loved dearly had died, and Jesus, whom she knew to be the Messiah, had not come in time to help him. But even in the the midst of this upheaval in her life, she was able, in faith, to say that even now she knew Jesus could be anything. And, amazingly, he did. He raised Lazaras!

Fast-forward to today. Even now, in the midst of wars around the world. Even now, with political unrest in our nation. Even now, with mass shootings and violence. Even now, with those we love sick or dying. Even now, with our own physical or mental struggles, we can still say with certainty by faith, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” And he will.

Going the Distance

I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

The life of faith in Christ is not for wimps. Even St. Paul as he nears the end of his life looks back and is grateful to God for giving him the endurance through the strength of the Holy Spirit to make it all the way to his last days trusting in Christ as his Savior. There can be so many obstacles that get in our way in our race toward the goal of heaven. Struggles, pain, hardships and just the daily grind of living can wear us down and steer us off the path to the prize that has already been won for us in Jesus.

I recently heard about something called “The Magic Hour” in the Ironman competition. It refers to the last hour when people running the race can still qualify as an Ironman finisher. Those who are not professional athletes per se often end up having to muster every bit of strength they have to make it to the very end, to run the distance before the qualifying clock runs out. Some make it at just the last minute, even crawling to the finish line. Others do not make it in time and are understandably crushed.

The blessing for us as Christians is that our strength comes from above and no matter when our last hour on this earth may be or when the Last Day comes, we don’t need to be afraid or worried that we somehow won’t make it across the finish line to heaven. We who believe will always be qualified to enter paradise because of Christ and the suffering and death he endured on the cross for us that we might be released from all pain and suffering forever. We are victorious in him eternally.

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.

Your Emmaus Walk

Emmaus walk

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. Luke 24:13-14

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the Walk to Emmaus. In it, we read that two disciples of Jesus are walking back home to Emmaus on the night of the first Easter after a very eventful visit to Jerusalem, to put it mildly. The One they had been following had been arrested, convicted, tortured and killed on the cross. Their hopes were dashed. You could say they were sulking home.

But then the risen Jesus walked with them, but they did not know it was him. He told the entire salvation story to them. Perhaps this gave them a little spring in their step. They invited this “stranger” into their home for a meal to presumably hear more from him. Then Jesus broke the bread for dinner. They knew it was him right then, just as he disappeared from their sight.

The story in many ways is a mirror of our walk of faith. We start our walk wondering what is really going on in this sometimes crazy and confusing world of ours. Then through his Word, Jesus provides us with the meaning of life we so crave, and in the end Jesus dwells with us where we are, and though we cannot see him now, we know he is our crucified and risen Lord and Savior.

It is our turn to go and tell others about our ”Emmaus walk,“ as these disciples did, when they returned to Jerusalem and said to the Eleven: “The Lord has risen indeed!” (Luke 24:34). Our faith walk is the best walk we will ever take.

Watching Movies

watching movies

I recently attended the Faith and Film Festival at Concordia Seminary here in St. Louis. It was a wonderful learning experience getting to watch five films and then discussing them with others from a Christian perspective.

In some movies, it was easy to find the Christian application; in others it was a little more subtle. But since that gathering, I have noticed myself viewing movies in a much different way. I catch myself looking at what is on the screen through the lens of my faith. What can I learn from these characters that tells me something about Jesus? What lessons can I glean from whatever movie it is that speak to my life as a Christian? It is a fascinating way to approach movies, and more often than not, I have been surprised by what I have found that relates to my relationship with God.

The next time you watch a movie, give it a try. Look through the lens of Christianity and let God speak to you through the words and images you hear and see. Then tell someone about what you discovered.

Passwords

passwords

We spend so much time these days entering, remembering and resetting passwords for all sorts of apps and websites that it is harder and harder to keep up with them. I recently began writing them down neatly by hand in a little notebook I have stashed away in a secret place instead of scrawling them out on Post-Its I have scattered across my desktop and stuffed haphazardly into drawers.

What does this have to do with our Christian faith? I think we often treat the words of the Bible like we treat our passwords. We think about them for a while, then we forget about them. We carelessly toss them around instead of collecting them in a special place. The special place where we can collect our most treasured Bible verses is in our souls.

What, then, do we do with the Scripture we have carefully placed within us? We use these words to open up a whole world of God’s love toward us, an entire network of believers who support and inspire us, and an everlasting kingdom of blessing unlocked for us by our Lord and Master, Jesus. Let the words of Scripture link us always to a deeper connection to him.

Ice Maker

ice maker

I purchased a new refrigerator about a year ago, and one feature I have enjoyed the most is probably the ice maker. I love to come home and push a glass again the lever and have ice cubes clunk into the opening for me to pour my soda and tea over. It’s like having a little day at the beach to have ice in my drink at a moment’s notice.

The problem is, of course, that is doesn’t always happen like that. Sometimes the ice cubes fly out and land on the floor instead of in my glass. Other times, the cubes do not come out and I have to open up the ice-gathering compartment inside my refrigerator to break up chunks of cubes that have stuck together and blocked any ice from being dispensed. What a hassle, I say then. But some of the best things in life come with at least some trouble, though, don’t they?

Think with me for a moment about the Christian life. We consider our relationship with Christ to be the best thing that ever happened to us. What a blessing it is to receive gifts pouring out into our cup from Jesus. What relief and peace we have experienced through his love and salvation enriching us as we drink life in.

But then the good things of God in Jesus can sometimes seem to shoot off into a different direction away from us, and our sense of stability in Christ can come crashing to the ground. Or things between us and Jesus might get clogged up with our earthly concerns and we are left feeling empty. These are normal developments in our sinful human existence and should never be a reason for us to stop going to Jesus for help and guidance and support.

Don’t ever let momentary problems take away from the overall gift that is Jesus. At the end of the day, he will get us through every “glitch,” big or small, and he will always fill us to the full with everything we need to remain close to him.

In the meantime, I will keep using my ice maker every day, come what may.

Stay Rooted

tree with roots

My backyard is currently dotted with volunteer trees that have started to overtake my grass and some of the bushes around the perimeter of my yard. I have clipped the fledgling trees just above the grass line, only for the trees to begin growing back again.

Finally, my brother-in-law helped me to realize that unless I dig into the ground and pull out all the roots attached to these sprouting trees, the trees will keep coming back. The roots under the surface control what can be seen above ground and drive the growing process. Without any roots, no trees will pop up in these places again.

This Bible verse comes to mind when I ponder this situation:

I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  Ephesians 3:16-17

Like the volunteer trees in my yard, if we stay rooted and grounded in Christ’s love, we will continue to grow up and branch out in the faith. Without the roots of Christ’s love supporting and nourishing us, our faith will die and we will cease to make a difference in this world for Christ.

So stay rooted in his love through regularly digging into Scripture, continually deepening our prayer life, and constantly attaching ourselves to the message of his gracious and compassionate mercy toward us on the cross.

The tree of the cross makes the foundation of our tree of faith forever strong.

Paths As Yet Untrodden

graduation

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The above prayer first appeared in a book called Daily Prayer in 1941, but since then has appeared in liturgies of Evening Prayer and is used at retreat centers, and I just recently learned that it is spoken every year at the end of the Baccalaureate service for graduates at Valparaiso University.

Originally entitled “The Call of Abraham,” the prayer seems to be the perfect prayer for this time of graduation when students step out into unknown territory, as Abraham did long ago. Consider praying it over the graduates you know or writing it in a card or note.

The truth is, no matter what phase of life we are in, we really have only one thing to hang onto: the hand of God. With faith, we trust every day that he will lead us on the path that is best for us. Have good courage, graduates and all of us, and hold tight to him!

Going Wireless

earbuds

I know I am late to the game, but I recently purchased some wireless earbuds so I can listen to music and watch videos on my smartphone on my own, without bothering those around me. I also discovered that I am able to listen to the music from my smartphone wirelessly through the bluetooth capability in my new-to-me car.

Everything is wireless these days. No need for cords or holes to plug into for most things anymore. The spread of wireless features, it seems to me, reveals that we as a society do not like to be tied down or physically attached to much of anything. Wirelessness is a symbol of our desire for independence and freedom. In many ways, we want to be unencumbered by connections and have the ability to move around without lugging tangible attachments with us.

Unfortunately, in many ways we have “gone wireless,” if you will, in our relationships with God and others. What I mean is that we have more and more removed the physical connections to God and others. Our leather-bound Bibles have not been opened as much. Our attendance in brick-and-mortar churches has decreased. Our faith has become something that we do on our own without any demonstration to the outside world.

The same is happening in our human relationships to some degree. Not as much hugging or handshaking these days due to pandemic concerns. Not as much visiting one another face-to-face. Most correspondence is done through texts that no one else can see or hear. Many relationships can take place without much actual talking to one another.

What are some ways, then, that we can reconnect with God and others? One way, of course, is through prayer. Consider praying out loud with your family and friends more often. That builds relationships with fellow believers and with God. Another way is through Christlike service. Jesus did not conduct his help and healing alone in a room. He served where people were present. Reaching out to truly touch the lives of others has an enormous impact. Hosting home Bible studies is also an avenue for creating deeper bonds with each other and with God. Reading the Word on paper pages with people in the same space to listen and learn can do a world of good for establishing real community centered on the God we see at work. Let your Christian connections be more visible and less virtual.