Now what...

Now that 6pm on May 21 has come and gone let’s talk about the work that needs to be done.

I recently read an article about atheists who are excited about this event because when it doesn’t happen they are looking forward to “rubbing it in Christians’ faces.” How in the world did this happen? Typically when someone talks about the end of the world they talk about someone who will take the express elevator up (themselves) and someone else who will end up extra crispy, and those who are told they will be extra crispy don’t usually like that.

We love to judge don't we. We love to say who is in and who is out and somewhere along the line churches thought it would be a good idea to use this approach as a way to draw people to the faith. Newsflash: it isn’t working. It is widening the chasm between those who go to church and those who don’t. It is increasing the animosity between the pew-sitters and the non-pew-sitters.

Now Jesus preached a message that was challenging but he also tried to reveal how incredible God’s love is. He understood his audience before he spoke so he could share the message that they needed to hear, the message that would lead them to God. It may have been delivered in different ways but the result was always the same, getting closer to God.

The end of the world will happen, someday, but the Bible tells us over and over again not to worry about it. We are to live everyday as if it might happen at any moment.

There has been a Martin Luther quote floating around that I think is excellent. “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” No matter what happens tomorrow we have work to do today. We are called to lead people to God, and by the looks of the animosity that our “atheist” brothers and sisters have towards us, we have a lot of work to do. Let’s stop creating division and start building a better world. Are you with me? Because we need you!

See you in church,

Pastor Chris

A Strange Family

Just this week I was amazed again at how diverse our congregational family is.

At our new member class sitting at the same table was a lifelong Lutheran who great up as a preacher's kid eating lunch with a woman who grew up primarily Muslim. This week I will meet with a guy who was Jewish and once considered being a rabbi but now is interested in converting. I had lunch last week with a guy whose bumper stickers clearly display his suspicion of the government and another person who thought Marx didn't go far enough.

This is our family!

And yet they all have found themselves here at Christ Lutheran. They don't look the same, vote the same, even believe the same. But there is something here that they hold in common--Jesus.

When I look at the Bible and see the mismatch of people who followed Jesus, they look like, well, like our congregation. Rich and poor, conservative and liberal, opinionated and meek, Jewish and Gentile. But they all agreed that Jesus is both Lord of their lives and Savior of their souls.

If there is room enough in just one week of my life for all these different kinds of conversations, then I have to think that there is room for you at this church, too. I don't assume that you will agree with me all the time. But I do assume and expect that you will be engaged in the questions with me.

Because that is what family does. . .even one as strange as ours.

Peace,
Pastor Scott

Finding Perspective

Last night I watched an interview between two Christians. I assumed that both of these Christians believe in Jesus, go to church and read the bible, but for some reason it seemed like these two believers really didn't like each other. The interviewee had recently written a book and the interviewer seemed to be taking great delight in attempting to thrash the book's content and push the author into a defensive position. Have you ever seen anything like this? Why would two people, who seem to be working for the same goal, go after one another with such hostility and anger?

I am firmly convinced that we would rather be defined by our differences than our similarities. We are very good at creating divisions and once these divisions have been established we tend to surround ourselves with individuals who only share our same opinions. What is worse is that churches do this, believers do this and instead of doing God's work we sit and debate.

Now this is not to say that issues shouldn't be discussed, those types of discussions can lead to tremendous growth, but when these debates lead to gridlock it is God's work and God's people that suffer.

We have more in common with each other than we think. We need to define ourselves by our similarities, that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and that, as believers, we are called to go to work. Now you and I may not agree on everything but that doesn't mean that we cant go to work for God's people. That doesn't mean that we can't work side by side building a home or serving a meal. That doesn't mean that we can't live out our faith for the benefit of others.

There is a time and place for debate but not at the cost of God's people. Let's put aside our differences and get to work, for God's sake and his people.

See you in Church,

Pastor Chris

LOVE WINS--A Reminder

I just got back from the senior pastors' conference for large churches in the ELCA and had several conversations about Rob Bell's latest book, "Love Wins." Some think that he is asking the questions that we've been avoiding for years while others think that he crosses the line into heresy. If nothing else, he has rattled the evangelicals' cage and caught the attention of many young people who have turned their back on a church that teaches eternal punishment.

Is Rob Bell a universalist?
Does hell exist and if so is anyone in it?
Doesn't God get whatever God wants--everyone to go to heaven?
Is heaven out there somewhere or is heaven what we create here?
Is our concept of heaven and hell correct?

Get the book. Read the first three chapters. And meet me on Wednesday night, May 11, for three weeks beginning at 7:00. It should be a pretty interesting conversation.

Peace,
Pastor Scott

Searching for the right words.

A lot of people have done a lot of writing this past week. A lot of people have done a lot of talking this past week. I have been searching for the right words. The death of Osama bin Laden has been the topic of conversation since Sunday night and, as only we can do, we have found a way to let this divide us too. Many have talked about justice finally being served, while others have said this death should not be celebrated. Others have talked about closure and the healing this brings while others have worried about the potential repercussions.

As important as these issues are, and they are important, what has consumed me this past week is the question, "How do we, as people of faith, confront evil." Two things come to mind; first: Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was a pacifist, saw pure evil in Hitler and felt the need to stop this evil. He associated himself with a group that planned an assassination attempt on Hitler, an association that ultimately cost him his life. (If you dont know much about Bonhoeffer please look him up, he is a fascinating man that we need to know about.)

The second is Ephesians 6. Verses 10-20 speak of this battle against evil and our need to put on the full armor of God. I find this passage so helpful because it reminds us not to fight evil on our own but only with God's protection.

Now I am not offering any answers here but I am interested in your thoughts, how do we confront evil? Is there an evil that needs to be confronted? If there is, is it our job to confront it? And, what is the best way to carry that out?

I look forward to hearing from you.

See you in church,

Pastor Chris

Responding to Devastation

This morning I was reading through some facebook posts. Folks trying to post funny comments (myself included), one talking about the importance of their upcoming book, and others sharing their coffee orders as they wait in line at the cafe. For some reason these just don't seem appropriate to me right now. I worry about those who have had their lives turned upside down. I feel for those who have lost loved ones. I am thinking about those who are left with nothing. How do we respond to devastation?

It's hard to watch the live footage of the storms and not sense their fear. It's difficult to see the destruction and not feel their pain in our own hearts. If you are experiencing those feelings too, own them, own those feelings. These are our natural reactions to our brothers and sisters when they are hurting. Whether we like it or not, whether we want to admit it or not we are connected to each other. Regardless of the differences or the distance we are connected as God's creation. It is natural for us to hurt when someone else hurts.

So what do we do? First, pray and then pray some more. Pray for those who are hurting. In your prayer ask God how he would like you to respond. If he is telling you to go out there and work with those who are trying to put their lives back together, then get in your car and go. Go and take as many folks with you as possible. If he is telling you to open up your wallets and send some financial aid then do just that. Whatever we do it is important to let those who are hurting know that they do not hurt alone. We are with them during this time and God is with them during this struggle.

See you Sunday,

Chris

"Love Wins," by Rob Bell

Have you heard of this book?

Evidently many have to the point that blogs and articles and TV shows are abuzz about it. Even Time Magazine has the author, Pastor Rob Bell, on its cover.

What the big deal?

In this book, Pastor Bell can't imagine that God would let anyone suffer an eternity in hell. Furthermore, he surmises, because God is God and can do pretty much whatever he wants, and we know that God wants everyone to have abundant life. . .ergo, Love Wins. In other words, everyone eventually, will go to heaven. God's love is so overwhelming that everyone will embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior either during this life or in the life to come.

You either love this stuff or hate it. Which one?

We are going to talk about it during a three part book study on Wednesday evenings on May 11, 18 and 25. Please join me in the Forum at 7:00. Since Wednesdays Together will be over by then, you will have to arrange your own child care and dinner.

So, buy the book, read through it (it's a fast read) and bring your A Game to this lively, heated and controversial subject.

Peace,
Pastor Scott