Category: Brother Al (Page 28 of 68)

The title of this blog might surprise you.  It is the title of an article by Robert P George,  professor of law at Princeton.  He points out that secular liberals or “progressives” are making little effort to maintain “the pretense of  neutrality.”  “Having gained the advantage” notes George,  “on battle front after battle front in the modern culture war, and having achieved hegemony  in elite sectors of the culture….there is no longer any need to pretend.”

Steven Smith in his book “Pagans and Christians in the City” names this aggressive liberalism as “paganism.”  What he [Smith] perceives,  notes George, “is that contemporary  social liberalism reflects certain core ideas and  beliefs …… that partially defined the traditions of paganism that were dominant in the ancient Mediterranean world……..until the point at which they were defeated….by the Jewish sect  that came to be known as Christianity.”  Christians were like “resident aliens” in the world,  following a God who was transcendent, whereas pagans located the sacred within the world. 

These two worldviews clashed with the spread of the gospel in the first centuries of the church.  No where was the clash greater than in sexuality.  “The Christian view of sexuality was not only radically alien,” notes Smith, “it was close to incomprehensible.”  There was a fear that Christians would “turn the lights out on the party.”  In the West, the Christian sexual ethic prevailed until the present time.   

But now in our day the lights have been turned on once again and the party is going again.  It is “live and let live” when it comes to sexual morality.  The old Christian ethic is “no longer operative.”  We are entering into what George calls a “new Diocletian age,”  similar to the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. 

“The culture war is over; they lost,  we won…..Taking a hard line is better than trying to accommodate the losers who are defending positions that liberals regard as having no normative pull at all” declares Mark Tushnet.  The neo-pagans are not willing to accommodate Christians in the public square, when they dissent from progressive orthodoxy.  

There are people “who want to ensure that we never again get near the light switch and that we are properly punished for having switched off the lights to the party in the first place.”  So what are believers with a biblical worldview to do in the coming days. 

George give three options.  First that of capitulation and acquiescence.  There are whole denominations that practice a visible evidence of faith but have  no moral substance.  George believes they have made themselves “useful idiots” of neo-paganism. 

The two other options are between “flight or fight.”  Rod Dreher has a strategic retreat in his promotion of the “Benedict Option.”  Christian are to build arks in order to endure the coming flood.  Believers would still be involved in the affairs of the world, while attending to intentional community for the sake of maintaining to faith.   

The third option is that of staying in the public square and fighting.  George opts for fight, saying “the cost of discipleship is a heavy cost……the days of comfortable Christianity are over.”  We are, in his opinion, “back in the position of our forebears in imperial Rome.”  

So men we are at a crossroads.  Accommodation is not an option.  Will it be flight or fight?  I personally lean toward flight ( building an ark through my church) rather than fight.  But I know that I will need to take a stand among the pagans.  God give me grace to stand for Jesus 

I am a product of the Jesus Movement.  I was a seminary student and a young pastor when the Jesus movement began in California in the late 60’s and early 70’s and than spread throughout the rest of North America and even into Europe.  Like today,  those days were marked by political strife, racial tension, government instability and economic volatility.  I remember embracing the title “Jesus Freak.” 

The movement was also a predecessor of the  charismatic movement, which moved through the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches.  I attended large gatherings of believers throughout the 70’s and early 80’s.  God was awakening the whole church to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who had had become “the forgotten member” of the Trinity. 

The movement left its impact on the church.  I witnessed this first hand as a young Lutheran pastor.   There was tension as God was pouring new wine into old wine skins.  Many Jesus people left and formed other churches, while some of us stayed, wanting to be a leaven with the traditional denominations.  I am forever grateful for what God taught my wife and I during those years.  We still treasure “the Scripture Songs” we learned as a family.

I bring up the Jesus Movement because some observers wonder if we are about to experience another Jesus Movement.  Don Whitney notes, “Perhaps no year in modern history so parallels the turmoil of 2020 than 1968……But in retrospect, it’s encouraging to realize that rumbling beneath it all, the Jesus Movement was gathering  momentum as a work of God’s power that would flourish across the country in the years immediately following.”  

Now there was folks reporting on a “beach revival” talking place in Southern California.  Worship leader Sean Faucht, leader of worship during the beach revival believes the church is in a time similar to the late 60’s and 70’s.  “What we’re seeing how  is a return to a gritty, raw Gospel, Jesus people movement foundation,” observes Faucht.  “What it’s doing is stripping off the sheen and the polished nature of what we’ve built in America and it’s allowing us to return to the simplicity of the power of the raw Gospel.”

Wow!  I read of other revivals taking place in other parts of the country, even at the place where George Floyd was murdered.  Could it be that in the midst of all the chaos, conflicting politics and anger, God  is sending awakening.  Could this be “times of refreshing ” from the Lord (Acts 3:19). 

As I write this blog I have several gut responses to the reports of revival.  First and foremost, there is an excitement in my spirit, of another move of God like the 70’s.  It was glorious time to be a “Jesus Freak.”

But secondly, I am reluctant to admit fear and hesitancy getting involved in a move of God’s Spirit that will surely confront the powers of darkness that war against our nation.  Lord, forgive me for my lack of trust in your sovereign power to protect me and my bride during the coming battle for the soul of our nation.   

Thirdly,  I am convicted that I have not prayed in Faith, with my face and hands raised to heaven, crying out, “God has mercy on us.”  Daniel helps me with his prayer, “We do not make requests  of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, listen!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord hear and act!  For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name” (Dan 9:18-19)

The term “cancel culture” was not part of our national consciousness only a few years ago.  But very quickly free speech and open debate are being called into question.  Biblical views of marriage,  sex and abortion are being met with intolerance.  We are living in a post-Christian culture. Jesus warned us: “Stay alert.  This is hazardous work I’m assigning you.  You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves.  Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove” (Matt 10:18 mgs).

 Concerned about the growing intolerance, 150 high-profile writers of liberal persuasion signed a letter, entitled, “A letter on Justice and Open Debate” published recently in Harper’s Magazine. The letter expressed  a collective concern over a cancel culture.  They warned of “an intolerance of opposing views” that was leading to “a vogue for public shaming and ostracism,” along with the “tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.”  

The letter asks for the following to be honored: “The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.  We refuse any false choice between justice and freedom, which cannot exist without each other.  As writers we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk taking, and even mistakes.  We need to preserve the possibility of good-faith disagreement without dire professional consequences.”

The reaction from the left was rather shift and nasty.  As one observer put it, “the reaction to the letter denouncing cancel-culture demonstrated why a letter  denouncing cancel-culture was necessary in the first place.”  The signatories  were  called “totalitarians in the waiting.”  

I bring up this letter to show conclusively how times have changed.  It is now those who are opposed to a biblical worldview who are intolerant.  In the past it was only the Christians who were accused of being closed minded.

I must confess that after following Jesus for over 60 years, I have mellowed.  As a young Christian  I was more of a fundamentalist in my outlook.  I had my convictions, but out of my insecurity as a person of faith, I was closed to other opinions and perspectives.  As a pastor in a fairly liberal denomination (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) I had to learn to think clearly and articulate a minority view point.

Early on in my ministry I lived with a lot of insincerity about my Christian worldview.  With my  personality, I knew in my heart what I believed, but I had difficulty giving verbal expression to my convictions.  After many years of simply hard work, I was able to combine my head with my heart.  I became a more integrated man, who know what he believed, because it fit with head and heart

Men, it is vital that we live as integrated men,  with our head integrated with our heart.  The truth will need to lived out, in thought and deed.   But it is “hazard work.”  Here is my advise from  my journey.

First,  stand firm on the truth of Scripture.  It is our foundation.  The bible give us an objective view of reality.   Secondly,  learn to integrate your head with your heart.  For me it was getting my head in line with my heart.  For you it might be the other way around.  But get integrated.  Thirdly, you will be shoot at and wounded.   But you need to stay in the fight. Fourthly, listen carefully to others even when it hurts.   Fourthly, when you speak aim at the wounded soul of the other. 

If you want to get a fresh, objective, and unbiased perspective on Western society, it is helpful to see it through the eyes of an informed spiritual leader from the developing nations.  Such a person is Robert Cardinal Sarah from Guinea, West Africa, who was made a archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI.  In his book “The Day is Now Far Spent” he has a revealing chapter entitled, “Hatred of Man.”

He takes us back to the origin of the hatred of modern man and his very nature.  “At the root,” maintains Sarah “is a mysterious process of fear.”  “Our contemporaries have been convinced that in order to be free, it is necessary for them not to depend on anyone.”  “The modern mistrust of all dependence,” explains Sarah, “explains many ills.”

Other people (including God), become potential enemies.  “Filiation,” the dependence on a father and mother, therefore becomes a hindrance to full freedom.  “This first experience is unbearable for contemporary man, who wishes to be the sole cause of everything that happens to him and of all that he is.”  Receiving is contrary to his dignity.  Sarah thinks it is time to “liberate man from this hatred of all that he has received.”

Sarah sees this as the “death of the father.”  It is an ancient, destructive desire to receive nothing from anyone so as not to owe anyone anything.  Sarah asks, “If a man were deprived of a receiving nature, what meaning would his freedom have?”  At the heart of the hatred of man is the refusal to accept oneself as a creature, who has been created by a loving Creator.

Sarah wonders, “How can we make a lifelong commitment if we suspect the other a priori of not wanting our good?”  The suspicion of a loving God as Creator has “spread throughout human society like a slow, paralyzing poison.”  Our culture is going through a “lethal crisis.”  It has reached the limits of self-destructive hatred.  “The barbarians,” believes Sarah, “are no longer at the city gates… they are in position of influence and in government… Never will I be complicit by my silence in this new ideology of hatred for man and for human nature.”  I agree! 

Men, we see this hatred being expressed in the many riots and mass shootings that are now commonplace.  So many of the young men, both black and white, are expressing their freedom, with no idea of who they really are.  They do not know that they are created and loved by God.  We are, notes Sarah, “in danger of becoming ‘perpetual orphans.’”

Let us celebrate “the Good News” of the Father’s delight in us as men, created in his image to uniquely express our God-given masculinity.  “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10).  There simply cannot be a sense of being and well-being in the soul of man outside of his receiving and knowing this truth in the depths of his soul: “I have a Father in heaven who delights in me.”  

It has taken me a lifetime of trying to walk with the Lord to start grasping the importance of being able to simply receive.  It is a posture of humility and dependence on the Lord.  “I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.  Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,  my soul is a baby content” (Ps. 131:2 MSG). 

Mark Regnerus, a leading Christian sociologist has done extensive research on marriage.  In a recent article he observed  that among many academics, marriage, “is now considered the ‘M’ word, almost in the same category as other dirty words.”  He has found, “the institution of marriage is under severe strain.”

Regnerus warns, “marriage is getting rarer.  Fast.”  It is declining even among conservative Christians.  “Studying the demise of marriage, ” writes Regnerus, “has been live watching a invasive fungus slowly destroy a stately old oak tree.  Despite all this bad news, though, there is reason for hope.  The oak will not perish.  In fact, marriage will increasingly become ‘a Christian thing,’ which means the church will bear increasing responsibility for an institution with an uncertain future.” 

What is expected  of marriage today has changed profoundly, while what marriage  actually offers has not.  Men, he gives us a challenge that we should take to heart.  “It’s time for the church to re-demonstrate to the world what marriage is.  We have on our side a timeless and transcendent motivation for matrimony.  The task is not a glamorous one.  But it just might work.”  The challenge – is our modeling of marriage going to make a difference.  

He wonders if the West is not, “living off the fumes of countless sacrifices” of Christian marriages of the past.  He sees marriage as being, “a corporeal and spiritual act of mercy…..The West’s successes have been built upon this family social structure.”  

After 55 years of marriage and being in the last quarter of our journey, Judy and I can testify to the blessing of  our marriage.  But it has not always been a “bed of roses.”  Marriage is a covenant gift of God. A man and  woman are invited into relationship with the triune God of grace.  But there is a lot of “death and resurrection” in such a covenant.    Russell Moore sees marriage becoming more, “a vehicle of self-actualization” rather than  “self-sacrifice”. 

 I personally praise God for the  gift of my wife and the strength I have found through our life together.  Her support, encouragement and spiritual counsel for her “ragamuffin” husband has been a continually source of thanksgiving to the Lord for my soulmate.  She has been truly “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).  In other words, I would not be who I am in the Lord without my “suitable helper” (Gen. 2:20).    

Regnerus  warns against two trends  that we need to avoid in “this hard-but-hopeful space” of modern marriage in which we have all the “raw materials for reviving marriage.”      

The first trend is among young Christians having, “a high expectations for matrimony and a low tolerance for sacrifice.” Today younger believers see marriage as a capstone on a successful young adult life, rather then a “foundational hallmark of entry into adulthood.”  A capstone puts the finishing on a structure, while a foundation rests on a lot of work.  I agree marriage is sacrifice and work. “In the foundational vision, being newly married and poor was common, expected and difficult, but often temporary.” 

The second trend is expecting too much of a marriage partner.  One psychologist called this the “suffocation model.”  Tim Keller has said, “people are asking far too much in the marriage partner.”  Fewer people are interesting in participating in demands of marriage.  It is more then sharing affection.  Regnerus points out that marriage, “still concerns the mutual provision and transfer of resources  within a formalized sexual union.”  Younger adults shy away from the “specialization and exchange” expected in marriage.  Demand too much without giving and there will be disappointment.  

I have been reading the memoirs of my mentor, James Houston.  God has given him a rich and rewarding life as leader in the Evangelical spirituality movement.  He is now 98 years old. His books and recordings have impacted my life, just when I needed the wisdom and insight he was able to offer.  I am eternally grateful for the influence of Dr. Houston at the right time in my life.

At the beginning of his book he shares a previously unpublished poem from John Innes.  I want to quote the whole poem, because it reflects so much of my journey with Jesus.  I hope it will be an encouragement for someone reading this blog.  

“Dear love! Your love, that flows through Calvary, springs through my heart – like fountains in the night. Flushes clean the dawn, lifelines my drowning plight, breaks loose my weighting chains and buoys me free

Great Mystery! I can but ask, “Why me, a savage soul, whose life of fumbling flight, crept underground in catacombed delights,  remaining shamefully where none could see?”

O Grace! I breathe, inhaling you in me, exhaling sighs of thanks for your invite.   You, touching me, dis-covering me of fright , transforming lonely ‘I’ to glorious ‘We.’

Entombing deadness darkness rolls away,  reviving Life in Love’s embracing way.”

I must confess that I am not drawn to poems.  But for some reason this poem has spoken to my heart.  Here is what it is saying to me.

First stanza –  “Thank you, Jesus for freeing me from myself!”  The love of God, demonstrated by Jesus suffering on the cross, is a fierce love flowing and reaching out to rescue me.  My heavenly Father desires that His love would fill the emptiness of my heart.  “Like fountains in the night,” I do not have to preform or understand, just learn to receive this inflow.  This inflow “flushes” me clean, recuses me from my “plights,” “breaks loose” the chains within, and  “buoys” me in freedom.  “I thank you Jesus for the new found freedom in me.”

The second stanza – “Thank you, Jesus for coming to my deepest place and rescuing me from myself!” The “Great Mystery” is the deep, deep love of Jesus for me.  In fact He actually likes me.  He “crept underground” into  my “savage soul,” to those dark and shameful places within my heart, shedding His  bright, flaming love for me.  The great wonder is that he was not surprised at what he found.

Third stanza  –  “Thank you, Jesus for the infilling of your spirit!” I receive the grace of God.  It is as simply as “inhaling”  life moment by moment.  Then in “exhaling” I give eternal thanks for knowing He always welcomes me home. Jesus you touched me at my deepest place, while I was in “flight,” fleeing in my shame and insecurity.  Indeed you transformed a “lonely ‘I'” to a “glorious ‘We.'”

Finally- “Thank you, Jesus for calling me out of my tomb!”  You broke through the years of misunderstanding and neglect, that entombed me in my “deadness” and “darkness.”   The door to my tomb “rolled away.”  You brought me out into the bright light of you overflowing love.  Your loving embrace, brought life to this sick, dying soul, and made me new.

I “thank you, Jesus” for reaching deep within, allowing me to live for you, not by my effort or knowledge, but knowing you have turned my lonely “I” into a glorious “we.”  You did what I could never do.

Many my interpretation of this wonderful poem set a fellow pilgrim free to live for Jesus.  

Years ago, as a young pastor I became acquainted with the writings of Henri Nouwen.  A quote from a book about Thomas Merton, has stuck with me  through all these years.  It certainly applies to our day. 

“Bitterness is the reaction of one who expects some thing from another without daring to look into his or her own heart, and therefore, become quickly disappointed.  Merton know only too well that the sin, evil and violence that he found in the world, were the same sin, the same evil and the same violence that he had discovered in his own heart through solitude, silence and prayer.  The impurity in the world was a mirror of the impurity in his own heart.”

I honestly desire to be loving to all people, regardless of race.  But I know the seeds of prejudice are lodged in my own heart.  Jesus is speaking to me today, when he says, “How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get ride of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your  friend’s eye” (Matt. 7:4-5 NLT). 

But I will not be intimidated by the voices that cry out “racist.”  I will remain respectful, being aware of my fallen condition, yet wanting to  show love and respect.   I will continue to keep my eyes on the Lord.  I will grieve in my spirit for all the hate and bitterness that has sprouted up in this last month.  I will humbly admit that I am a flawed man, deeply in the need of grace and mercy.  

Most of all I will take my stand at the foot of the cross.  I hold to Paul’s words  in Ephesians 2:14-16, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…….His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”  Only through the cross will there be true peace and reconciliation. 

Here I will take my stand with all who genuinely want the peace of God to rule in their hearts.  I will not compromise or forsake the message of the cross.  For Jesus died for such a time in which we are now enduring.  Make no mistake, we are in a intense battle for the soul of our nation.  The powers of darkness are wanting to put out the light of the good news in Jesus.  

Paul encourages us to live in the light and not be intimidated  by the darkness of our day. “But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this?   You’re sons of light, daughters of Day…….So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others.  Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart……Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it.  Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love and the hope of salvation” (I Thess. 4:4-8 MGS).

Jesus gives us a warning,  “So, whatever you do, don’t go to sleep on the switch.  Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36 MGS).

Theologian N.T. Wright has expresses a concern about the danger with e-worship.  He detects a societal shift toward Christianity as being a “private” movement that would have no place in public life.  He sees a danger in virtual church gatherings giving the impression of church as a private club only for the like-minded, cordoning it off from the rest of society.  “Public worship of the Triune God,” he maintains, “in a public place – observing whatever security measures are appropriate – has always been a major part of sending out that signal to the watching world.”

How will church life be different when we get back to normal?  Will some believers prefer to stay home and be content connecting with the church on line?  Will the church “triumphant” become more invisible and private in the days to come,  just when the witness of the good news will be needed more than ever? Even more importantly, how will believers receive soul care?  Will men tend to become “lone rangers” in the post coronavirus era, believing they can manage their spiritual life on their own?

Men, I exhort you to take the lead in making sure you and your family connect  with flesh and blood believers.   You are going to need the strength that comes from being “a part of” rather than being “disconnected” from fellowship.  Who will stand with you in the days to come?  The battle will be great.  There is going to be confusion and outright despair about the future.  We need to “man up.”

Paul has some strong words for us men.  “No prolonged infancies among us, please.  We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators.  God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love – like Christ in everything.  We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.  He keeps us in step with each other.  His very breath and blood, flow through us, nourishing us so that we grow up healthy in God, robust in love” (Eph 4:14-16 MSG).   We need the nourishment that only comes through life together. 

Being on line for our Sunday church service has been a new experience for Judy and I.  We long for face to face fellowship. Like you, we are part of the body of Christ.  “The human body has many parts, but the many parts  make up only one body.  So it is with the body of Christ…..Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is separate and necessary part of it” (I Cor 12:12 & 27 NLT). 

Recent data from Barna has revealed a new cultural reality and spiritual landscape in our nation caused by the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic. With churches featuring digital formats, among practicing Christians approximately half have been steaming their regular church online.  Around one-third have been streaming a different church, and the rest have done neither and have taken time out from church.  Men, don’t fade away.

David Kinnaman of Barna maintains that the coronavirus, “has merely accelerated the disruptions  that were already occurring in culture, accentuating a sense of a deep cultural chaos, which is impacting many spheres of society.”  He warned, “We’re not going back to normal.” 

He asks a very searching question: “The COVID crisis is going to accelerate many needed changes for the church.  How is is that we are going to show up in an anxious moment for an anxious generation, for an isolated generation, for people that are struggling with questions but maybe aren’t all that hungry for spiritual answers.”

My wife grew up in south Minneapolis.  Much of our courtship took place in the area where George Floyd was killed.  It is hard see pictures of the destruction that has taken place.  In the midst of the ruins is a mural.   At the corner of East 36th Street and Chicago Avenue, on the wall of a local business, is a large mural dedicated to the memory of George Floyd.

A group of local artist came together to paint the mural.  One of them said, “It provides people a place to process.  I think having a place for people to come and cry or scream or pray or do whatever they need to do is really important.” The artist went on to say, “I think a mural is a good format [for] saying, ‘Don’t look away from this any longer.'”  

Like most of you  I have given thought to this senseless death and the chaos it has brought to our country.  The words, “I can’t breathe” have become a rallying cry for many demonstrations.  Those words were upsetting for millions of people who watched the video.  It depicted a man suffocating, because he could not breathe.  He cried out “please.”

Harold Floyd was not able to physical breathe.  He died a horrible death on the street.  But what about spiritual breathe.  By all accounts, Mr Floyd was a believer, a flawed pilgrim like the rest of us.  At the bottom of the mural were these liberating words, “I CAN BREATHE NOW.”

In the midst of a tragedy that has gripped to nation, we find words of life pointing to the ultimate reality.  George lost physical breathe,  but was able to breathe spiritually.  We read in Ecclesiastes, “Yet God has make everything beautiful for its own time.  He has planted eternity in the human heart” (Eccl. 3:11). 

George Floyd, the one in whom the spirit of the living God lives, has now been release to be with Jesus.  In Genesis 2:7 we read, “and the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathe into it the breath of life.  And the man became a living person.”  Paul picks up on this when he reminds us, “The Scriptures tell us, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living person.’  But the last Adam- that is, Christ – is a life-giving Spirit” (I Cor 15:45). 

To the Philippians, Paul shared that he really wanted to leave and be with the Lord.  He was hard pressed. “For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.” (Phil 1:21)  Then he says “I’m torn between two desires; Sometimes I want to live; and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ.  That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live” (Phil 1:23-4).

I pray that those we read about or actually see the mural will consider their spiritual state.  Are they ready to die?  Are they afraid of death?  How will they die?  These are all questions we all ask.  George Floyd died a tragic death.  But where is he now.   With Jesus.  Many don’t have the assurance of this hope. 

Listen to these wonderful words from Paul.  “For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long.  Yet they  produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.  For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” ( II Cor 4:17-18). 

I received an unexpected surprise yesterday (May 26th) when the mail arrived.  It was an certificate, acknowledging my  “50th anniversary of ordination” into the Holy Ministry of Word and Sacrament.  I was ordained on May 24,  l970 in my home town of Negaunee, Michigan.  

Why do I mention my ordination certificate?  It is a symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy.  “The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!  By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin fresh each day” (Lam 3:22-23 NLT).   

In my Cambridge New International Version, I have Ps. 71:18 marked  “my retirement (5/11/10),” the day I retired from full time ministry.  These words have become my guiding light as I now approach my 79th year.  “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”   Men, this is why I write!

Isaiah 46:4 has been a great encouragement in these later years. “I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age.  I made you, and I will care for you.  I will carry you along and save you.”  Every morning when my bride and I pray together I thank God for how he has cared for us for almost 55 years.

So men, here is a brief testimony.   “Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One – of someone who could never had made it apart from sheer mercy” (I Tim 1:14-15 MGS). 

First and foremost,  God loves you unconditionally.  I am a “beloved” sinner.  It took me many years to let this reality sink into my heart.  Remember you are love in all your stink! You are loved as you are – period. Take it from me – you can only receive this by faith.  “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (I John 4:18).   Receiving God’s love for you is foundational to all the rest of your spiritual journey.

Second, trust Jesus.  Sounds simple.  Trust means to lean totally on Jesus.  There have been times, when all I could do was to cry out to God for mercy, as I wallowed in my darkness and despair.  When you trust Jesus fully, you can cry out for help and be met at your point of need.   Jesus tells us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world  (John 16:33). 

Third, Jesus is Lord.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Always have that up and out posture, as you seek to follow Jesus.  “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’  Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Ps 27:8).  All authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth.  He will see you through anything that comes your way

Fourth, live in daily repentance.  Humbly see yourself as ”an unfinished follower.” “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Fifth, make sure that you are a kingdom man.  Jesus reigns and already has won the victory for us.  We read in Revelation, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth (Rev 5:10).   We know the rest of the story as we follow Jesus. 

I could say a lot more, but if I were talking with one of you, this is what I would want to know from someone ordained to be a pastor 50 years ago.