Angry with God?

When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. Mark 6:48

In recent days, since the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, I have read and heard my share of comments concerning God’s anger. I have read and heard still more comments asking Christians how they could love a god who brings such havoc upon his own people. Truth be told, such comments spell out the differences between the people of God and people of other gods, or perhaps even godless people.

Christians recognize that our world is one of sinfulness and shame. We live in a world where sin is all too common, even in the lives of those who confess Jesus Christ as savior and Lord. In this same light, Christians also know ours is a God of love and compassion; ours is a God of mercy and grace. We cannot explain why bad things happen to people, but we can say with certainty that God can use all things for good. People of God also recognize that it is God who brings comfort and healing. No one understands God, but Christians realize the love of God. That is not to say we don’t have our times of doubt either.

It is human nature to become angry when something robs us of our livelihood. Anger is but one of the emotional responses we exhibit when forces beyond our control affect us so adversely. Sometimes we even become angry with God. “God, why did you allow this to happen?” “How can you simply look away?” These questions and several others are on the tips of many tongues as pictures and video show the destructive power of this latest tragedy. The anger expressed by those struggling with the grief and loss in the aftermath doesn’t bother me as much as the responses of others. God is big enough to handle our anger, and he is compassionate enough to bring restoration and peace.

What bothers me most in situations like this is the announcement of God’s wrath by those who feel it is their place to proclaim judgment. Too many preachers, proclaimers and pontificators feel the need to use events such as this to warn people of their impending doom lest they repent. To them, God is an angry judge just waiting to punish the sinner. These voices proclaim a God of vengeance, a God of wrath and a God that is unbending in his demands. Truthfully, this is not an accurate picture of God. God did not use this tornado in judgment and he did not use it to punish sin. Such messages fail to show a true picture of God.

Ours is a God who saves his people. Ours is a God who rescues, a God who heals and a God who reconciles. With all adverse powers in the world, the wars, conflicts and natural disasters where people are subject to harm, ours is a God who does not cause chaos, but enters into it. God is one who finds lost sheep. He is one who cures illness and restores health. God is one who goes to great lengths to rescue people from danger and protect them from harm. We see this through Holy Scripture as the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one. We see this as Jesus raises the widow’s only son from death. And we become witnesses to God’s rescuing as Jesus comes to his disciples, walking upon a stormy sea.

No, God did not cause the harm that came to people in the Moore tornado, nor does he cause harm to anyone who faces disaster. Yet it is God who stirs the hearts and minds of his people to bring aid, comfort and consolation to those experiencing loss. It’s actually ok to be angry with God. Don’t worry, he can take it. But don’t get lost in your anger. Don’t fall into the trap that God is enacting some sort of judgment because people didn’t live up to God’s law. Jesus already took care of that at the cross.

With all of the collective anger and contempt for God, especially the anger expressed by those who do not believe in him, God’s answer remains;
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

This is certainly visible through the prayers and responses of Christians as the Church works to bring God’s comfort and consolation. Again, keep in prayer those who suffer injustice, calamity, hunger, and pain. In all of these, God will bring healing, restoration and peace through Jesus Christ.

Photo: Tornado: Moore, Oklahoma from  http://www.heavy.com

Stirring up faith

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Acts 2:2

On this Sunday of Pentecost, this day we celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, we also celebrate the birth of God’s Church. In our worship, our learning and our serving, we see God’s Spirit in action. We feel the power of God’s love as the Spirit comes like the rush of a violent wind, stirring the hearts and minds of God’s people to faithfulness. These are the themes of Pentecost; the power of God’s Spirit blowing through the lives of God’s people.

It isn’t about wearing your red dress or shirt to church on Pentecost Sunday. It isn’t about confirming our youth as they complete their initial study of the catechism. It’s about the Holy Spirit of God blowing in the doors of the hearts and minds of God’s people, rearranging the furniture of our lives and filling us with all the confidence, strength, excitement and assurance the disciples had in order to share the good news of God’s redemption.

Think about the world around you. Think about the things you have heard and seen. Think about all the times in your life when you thought you were at wits end, don’t’ you think the world needs to hear this good news of great joy? In so many ways and in so many instances, God makes his presence and power known in ways so clear that no matter what, people can know and understand his mercy and grace are real and that his love lasts forever.

This is exciting stuff folks. This is the stuff movies are made of…good movies!

The gospel of our Lord is the best news you are ever going to get in your life. The times you first realized God’s grace is for you, that you have been rescued from the consequences of sin forever is as good as it gets.

When you are young, prom is a big moment. Some of us know kids who have recently gone to their first prom. Guess what, as good as the prom was, God claiming you to be his child is better. When you get older, graduation comes with all of its pomp and circumstance. Guess what, it can’t compare with all the glory of heaven. There are still bigger moments ahead in your lives. College, your first real love, engagement, marriage, the purchase of a home, and the birth of a child. You know what? All of these are blessings from a loving God, yet because of Christ Jesus, the best is yet to come.

People of God, all of these are wonderful events; they are milestone moments, monumental achievements, and times of great joy. But if that is where you live; if these are the most important times in your life, you’ve missed the boat. None of these can even compare with the fact that through Christ Jesus, God has saved you from sin and death, made you holy in his sight and prepared a heavenly home for you. Nothing can compare with the fact that through Christ Jesus, God has saved your life for all time. That’s good news, that’s exciting.

On this day of Pentecost, as we celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray that God stirs us into such faithfulness that we cannot help but tell others the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. As we strive to follow the example of our Lord Jesus, may we continue to love others as we are loved, feed the hungry, care for the sick and minister to those who are least of all.

Come Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love!

Making Disciples

[Jesus said] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19

Yesterday during a workshop focusing on culture change in the church, this particular verse in Matthew’s gospel got a lot of air time. Specifically we talked about the command from our Lord to make disciples. Many in main line denominations have heard the call to make disciples, but sometimes I wonder if we indeed know how? When is the last time your church offered a “Making Disciples” class? If one were to take seriously Jesus’ call to make disciples, wouldn’t such a person need to first and foremost be a disciple of Jesus before taking on the task?

This is an area where I think church leaders, especially pastors should focus a little more effort (present company included). We need to get back to some basics of faith formation and Christian education. All too often the mantra in our main line churches seems to be “Don’t change a thing, just work harder.” This thinking totally misses the cultural shift happening all around us. Technology also plays a hand in changing the culture in which our church members live, especially those who are at the younger end of the spectrum.

So how do we become better at making disciples? Jesus says teach. Teach people to obey everything he commanded. Teach them to love God above all else. Teach them to love their neighbor as themselves. Teach them that even as we are all sinners, God loved the world so much that he sent his only Son to take the sin of the world to the cross, offering his life as the atoning sacrifice.

Sound simple? Well, it might be, but it sometimes isn’t. In order to teach, we must first learn. We must continue to study the Holy Scriptures, the promises of God from long ago and the example Jesus set for us in his life. We must learn more of the struggles of the early Church, how they faced persecution and persevered in their faith. We must also learn how to share fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, to lift one another up in times of trouble, and to celebrate the good things of God. And in those hard times when it seems too difficult, we need to remember Jesus’ parting words as recorded in Matthew; “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Early Morning Prayer

In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  Mark 1:35

There is something to be said about being up early in the morning while it is still dark. As Jesus shows by his example, it is a good time to be away by one’s self and spend time in prayer. Often, as is the case this morning, I am the only one up and the house is dark and quiet. The sun has not yet made its appearance and it is really quite dark. Certainly, this time alone is holy time.

Spending time alone in a deserted place, especially early in the morning is a perfect time for prayer. It is a peaceful time. It is a time before the business of another day has its opportunity to crowd your mind and steal your thoughts away from a loving Father. Early morning prayer is the time when a person in solitude can be with God without interruption.

As I pray early in the morning, I am able to give thanks for those things I find often difficult to recall; those scant moments when grace shrouds me, even if for only fleeting seconds. Early in the morning, all by myself, I am able to speak to God about those ugly thought that haunt me during the day, those things am sorry for, those instances for which I am ashamed. As God’s mercy becomes known yet again, soon my prayers are for those whom I know and are facing times of sickness, worry, anger and uncertainty. I pray that God will use me in some way to bring the peace of Christ to their situation. Finally, as this holy time begins to expire and there is a hint of sunlight, my prayer turns to the needs for this new day.

God help me to be the shepherd you have called me to be. Give me strength, confidence and faith enough to meet the needs of those whom you have placed in my charge. Guide me by your Holy Spirit so that through my words and deeds, others will know of your grace, mercy and love. Father, thank you for this new morning, keep watch over me and let the evil one have no power over me. Gracious Father, keep me in your grace, for it is your name I pray for my needs and especially the needs of others. This I pray in the strong name of Jesus Christ, my savior and Lord. Amen.

You can’t always get what you want

[Jesus said] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Matthew 7:7

The Rolling Stones had a hit way back in 1969 that reminded people “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.” I’m sure Mick Jagger and company didn’t exactly have Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in mind when they wrote this song, but the lyrics do have some truth to them.

Ours is a consumer driven society, one where lives are driven by competition, wants and desires. All too often we look for happiness in material goods, security in a well-rounded pay check, and love that keeps us immersed in such luxuries. We know what we want in order to live a complete life and we say we will do anything to get it. The difficulty is that none of these things are able to truly keep us happy. None of these items can satisfy our desires long enough that we feel we have what we need. One day we will want more.

When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he preached to a crowd of people who lived under the oppression of an occupying government. They were a society that knew poverty all too well, yet they were also a people who looked to God to deliver them from their daily strife. Some of those who heard Jesus’ teaching believed that he just might be the one the prophets foretold of long ago; perhaps this Jesus was the Messiah of God. Certainly God’s anointed would free them from oppression, and usher in a time of peace and prosperity. However, the deliverance Jesus spoke of was ultimate freedom, liberation from the consequences of sin and the powers that defy God, not simply freedom of choice, freedom from a tyrant ruler or freedom to do whatever was wanted.

Jesus taught the people, as he teaches us today, that God is generous and loving. Our Father in heaven loves his people fully and unconditionally. By God’s grace, through the death and resurrection of Christ, the people of God have all they need to live a god pleasing life, a life of abundance. The problem so many have today is that we want so much of this world that we forget just how much we have with God. We get too caught up living as people in a world of want, that we often lose sight of the fact that we have a God who promises to abundantly provide for our every need.

Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you.” He teaches us that God’s blessings are many and plentiful. All too often we sinful people don’t even realize what it is we need. Jesus says, “Seek and you will find.” God’s blessings are not hidden. We need only to remember God loves us so much that he would give his only Son for our sake. Then Jesus says, “Knock at it will be opened to you.” Keeping this in mind, it isn’t long before we realize God’s presence and power in our lives each and every day. God’s promises are true and they are eternal. Throughout the history of God’s people, our Father has promised to provide all that is needed in this world, and to deliver us from our sin so that we may inherit his kingdom forever.

Jesus teaches us to pray with faith. Jesus teaches God’s people to ask as if they have already received. Indeed we have! Because of Christ Jesus, his life, death and resurrection, we know that we will one day live in the glory of heaven. We don’t need to worry about the wish list we have here on earth, those things we think we need or those we simply want. Instead, as we ask for forgiveness we know we are forgiven. As we pray to live a God pleasing life, we have the assurance of the Holy Spirit as our guide. And when our time on earth is over, we know that by God’s grace through faith in Christ, the gates of heaven are flung wide open and we will enter into God’s glory forever. We don’t need to search for fleeting happiness in this world; we have eternal joy as God’s redeemed people in Christ.

It is true; in this life you can’t always get what you want. But because God loved the world so much, he gave his only begotten Son. In his life, his teaching and by his example of love for all people, Jesus teaches us that we can and do have all we need. Ask, seek and knock in faith, pray as if you have already received, found and entered. Jesus doesn’t give as the world gives; the promises of God are abundant and they are eternal. For this we give our thanks and praise to God.

 

Photo – 1 BIG Mission grocery distribution at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Charleston, SC. – Thanksgiving 2010