admin, Author at First Lutheran Church

Choosing What is Better

Posted on Jun 27, 2024 in pastors pen, Uncategorized |

“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”

– Luke 10:40a NIV

Luke tells us that Martha had opened her home to Jesus and his disciples. Custom required that she welcome them properly, and this was no small undertaking. Martha was busy seeing that all the details of meals and lodging were suitably observed. When she had invited Jesus, she most likely was counting on her sister, Mary, to help make his visit a success. However, Mary made a different choice. From the moment that Jesus arrived, she had focused her attention on him. Seated there at his feet, she listened intently to all that he had to say.

Martha was piqued. When she discovered Mary sitting “idly” at Jesus’ feet, she was no longer able to contain her anger. She admonished Jesus, saying, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Her outburst betrayed her. She wasn’t the gracious hostess she sought to be. She not only accused her sister of laziness, but at the same time she accused her guest of being uncaring. She demanded that he remedy the household situation!

Martha’s distraction, I believe, came partly from her personal list of musts and shoulds. We all have such a list. They include the way that we feel particular tasks must or should be done. They are the best ways of doing things, our way, a way that grants our personal stamp of approval and helps us feel good about ourselves. We invest much personal energy in our way of doing things, the personal energy that Jesus encountered in Martha’s outburst. While the standards of Jewish hospitality could have been met adequately by her household servants and friends, Martha’s personal list became her distraction. She needed to oversee things personally to make sure they were done properly. Martha had lost her focus on spiritual things. Jesus was at Bethany. By fulfilling her own agenda, she was about to miss being with him.

Jesus didn’t go to Bethany to approve Martha’s hospitality. He doesn’t come to judge our way of doing things, either. On the contrary, he comes to free us from the personal anxieties and habits that rule our lives, separate us from others, and distract us from our relationship with him. Do you know what is on your list? Ask him to show you. Once he shows you, ask for his help to choose what is better.

Prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see the things on my agenda that separate me from others and from you. Give me grace to give them to you, and to find your peace. Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

On Forgiveness and Love

Posted on Jun 3, 2024 in pastors pen |

“Therefore I tell you, her sins which are many, are forgiven, because she has loved much; but

he who is forgiven little, loves little.” – Luke 7:47

Does it surprise you that Jesus relates our ability to love to the amount we have been forgiven? Many think that a person can learn to love: that some- how we can set our wills to love and it would just happen, like learning algebra or physics. But Jesus makes it very clear that our receiving forgiveness has a great deal to do with our loving others.

What would you have thought had you seen the woman in the story making such a public display of affection for Jesus? Why did she do such a thing? Why would an “especially wicked sinner” (Amplified Version) be drawn to Jesus who was so pure and holy? One might think that such a person would run away from righteousness and purity. Perhaps she recognized in Jesus One who would not judge her or reject her. What she needed was not rejection, but forgiveness and healing. It seems that by just being in His presence she received exactly what she needed. It is no wonder that she began to weep and affectionately anoint his feet with perfume. She has been set free from all the hurt and destruction of her past. She had an opportunity for a new beginning. She could realistically hope for a better life ahead. She no longer felt condemned to a life of sin, shame, and despair. In that light it is understandable that she “made a scene” and disregarded what others would think of her. She was grateful for the forgiveness Jesus had brought her and for His making it possible for her to love someone beside herself.

This story gives new insight into how we can grow in our love for others. It is not simply a matter of making some persistent effort on our part. It is not simply by sweet words or good deeds. It is by confessing our sins and acknowledging our need for forgiveness that we are opened to the ability to love others. It seems that so many of us are afraid to admit who we are. We posture and pretend to be somebody other than who we are – a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness and healing. It is when we acknowledge our need that we draw close to Jesus and, in experiencing His incredible love for us, our own capacity to love Him and others is increased.

Prayer: Lord help me to admit my need of You and to freely receive Your forgivneness that I might express my love to You unashamedly and then be a better channel of Your love to those around me. Amen

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Don’t Hold Your Breath

Posted on May 4, 2024 in pastors pen |

“And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.”

– Acts 2:2

Scientists tell us that most of us take a breath at least twenty thousand times per day. It is an understatement to say that this is a great deal of activity. Yet, when was the last time you noticed yourself breathing? (I know, probably as soon as you read this question!) Breathing itself is a primal act that we usually take for granted. The experience, or even the thought, of not being able to breathe can fill us with fear and panic, for we know it means certain death –

“When thou takest away their breath they die and return to dust” (Ps 104:29). The account of our beginnings in the book of Genesis depicts God, as if bent over his newly formed clay creation, as he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). At that moment, “man became a living being.” The breath of God is the spring of our life, yet its very quietness and subtlety can delude us into thinking that we are independent and self-sufficient, unless something comes along to remind us again of our life’s source.

The church, as the climax to the entire Easter season, celebrates the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day, the perfect fulfillment of God’s promise (7×7+1). And Easter is the story of our salvation through Jesus Christ, the hope of our own resurrection, the pledge of our inheritance of new and eternal life, even as the Son of God “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46). It is perhaps no surprise, then, that one of the signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence among Jesus’ disciples on that day of Pentecost was the sudden blowing of a “mighty wind.” Contained within a single room, such a squall must have caused a frenzy of sight and sound!

Here is the genesis of the newly born Body of Christ, a new beginning for the people of God. By this storm, the Spirit comes to resuscitate a dying world. Into the lungs of the infant church, God is breathing the breath of life. The image of that event is a vivid and vibrant reminder, throughout the generations, that only God can give life, and that when he does, wonderful things begin to happen. For the Spirit still comes breathing, moving, and blowing where he will (John 3:8). Is there any better day than the Day of Pentecost to ask that he breathe afresh in us?

Come Holy Spirit, by whose breath,

Life rises vibrant out of death;

Come to create, renew, inspire;

Come kindle in our hearts your fire.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Easter Tears

Posted on Apr 2, 2024 in pastors pen |

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” -John 20:15

I have discovered that my eyes tear up at movies more often than they used to. Perhaps it is that I am just getting older and closer to heaven. Recently I noticed there are three kind of scenes that bring a lump to my throat and make my eyes well up. The first are quite sad, others are actually quite happy, and a third kind is neither sad nor happy, but scenes brimming with nostalgia. My reaction in all three cases suggested that I was more than a distant observer. I was there.

There is a tradition within the church which considers tears to be a gift of God, and the shedding of tears an expression of some of our deepest affections for God — repentance, longing, joy, love. When something (or someone) touches our lives, deeply enough to cause us to cry; we know that more than our mind is engaged in the relationship. In some way, we have given over our hearts. This was surely the case with Mary Magdalene. Her early morning search for Jesus was driven by a love which could not let him go, even in death. We can only imagine the sorrow which had torn at her soul as she watched her Lord suffer and die (Mark 15:40). Finding that his tattered body, placed in the tomb so carefully two nights before, was now absent from its resting place, must have broken her heart. Of course she wept. She was no distant observer. Jesus was her life, her love.

We have heard the Easter message probably more times than we can count. The risk of such familiarity, of course, is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes a ‘matter-of-fact” announcement. We were not there, nor can we recreate the event no matter how many times it has been scripted and acted. Are we simply distant observers? I think not. This Easter season, let us recall that Jesus has taken over our hearts. Let us remember that we have met this Person, that sometimes we wish he were here by our side, and that we know he is alive. And, if anyone wonders why eyes well up as we hear the Gospel readers proclaim: “Now on the first day of the week,” or as we sing: “Jesus Christ is risen today,” we can tell them, “Because this is all about my Lord.”

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you that I am not a distant observer of Easter and for the gift that allows me to express the depth of your love for me. Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Easter Tears

Posted on Apr 1, 2024 in pastors pen |

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” -John 20:15

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you that I am not a distant observer of Easter and for the gift that allows me to express the depth of your love for me. Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Lenten Transformation

Posted on Feb 29, 2024 in pastors pen |

“The Lord Jesus Christ will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil. 3:21b)

As Christian we desire to become Christ like. This transformation is a lifelong process. The Scriptures tell us that Christ will do this work in us. We, however, short-circuit this process by ignoring his will and living for ourselves. This drive to live for ourselves is at the core of our nature, pervading our minds, our emotions and our will. We would prefer to avoid the process of transformation, live unto ourselves, and rationalize that we are sufficient and able to do most everything. We turn to God only in dire circumstances.

Paul laments over some who have received Christ, but refuse his will for them. He says of them “their god is their belly.” They like Esau sell their spiritual birthright for a mess of pottage. He says that they “glory in their shame.” They justify themselves, and convince themselves of such unreality, that evil becomes good, and they rejoice in their delusion. He says their minds are set on earthly things, and they lose their relationship to the living God. They are “enemies of the cross.” They refuse to deny their natures, and walk with God as he seeks to change them. Their end is destruction.

Just as Jesus yearned to gather Jerusalem under his protection, so he longs to help, heal, nurture, and protect his followers. He likens his desire to care for us to that of a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings in comfort and security. Will you yield to our Lord as he seeks to transform you into his likeness, or will you cling to your nature against his? Lent is the season of inner change. Let us take advantage of the power it provides.

Lord Jesus, convict me of my pride and rebellion. Reveal to me the full strength of your nature. Transform me into the person you have in grace created me to be, and allow me to reflect your nature to the world around me.

Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Traveling on the Low Road

Posted on Jan 30, 2024 in pastors pen |

Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor.” – Luke 6:20b

I have a friend who once noted in surprise, “When I first believed, I thought I understood the kingdom of God – but now that I have entered more deeply into my Christian walk, I realize I was looking at a negative: the blacks are white and the whites are black. Everything in this life is opposite of what I expected.”

Is this not true in what Jesus says in the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany? “Blessed are you who are poor…Blessed are you who are hungry now…Blessed are you who weep now…” (Luke 6:20-21). One would have expected the opposite: misery for the poor, the hungry, and the sad. With money we can buy what we want, with a full stomach we can focus on other matters, with diversions we can forget our problems and enjoy life. What a contrast between Jesus’ goals and those of the world we live in!

The poverty of which Jesus speaks is poverty of spirit, as Matthew interprets it (5:3). The poor are those who know their need of God, their dependence on his grace, his guidance, his love. The hungry are those who long for God’s goodness in their hearts, and his way to be observed between nations in our world. Those who weep are the earnest hearers of others, who listen without condemnation and enter another’s pain, offering a hand up, a word of truth, or questions whose answers lead to God.

The way of Christ is not one of triumphalism, nor of winning, not of being on top. It is the path of serving, of allowing others first place over oneself. Instead of climbing a ladder of hierarchy, Christians dance in a circle of peers. Rather than putting others down, we put others up. These are the ways to the blessings of God.

Grant us your gracious Spirit, O Lord, that we may find your way none other than the way of blessing and of peace; in Jesus’ name. Amen

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

A Prosperous New Year

Posted on Dec 30, 2023 in pastors pen |

“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything

he has belongs to you.” – Galatians 4:7

Many of the cards we have received this past Christmas have included not only and “Merry Christmas” but also “A Happy New Year”. Some well-wishers even add “Prosperous” to their blessing of our New Year. St. Paul shows us the connection between “Christmas” and “A Happy Prosperous New Year”. He succinctly reviews what Jesus has done for us, and how we have been brought so close to God that we are adopted into his family. God is our Father, not a distant authoritative father of rules and stipulations, but one who cares for us, his precious children, the same way he cares for his Son, Jesus.

Part of letting God care for us and allowing ourselves to be open to his moving in our lives, is realizing that not only what we have is his, but what he has is ours. The more literal translations say that we are heirs with him, but being an heir means much more than waiting for a future inheritance in heaven. As children of God and heirs we can fully take part right now in the ongoing life of the kingdom of heaven. As heirs we are actively included in God’s family, so that when our inheritance is fully received, we will be comfortable with it and ready to use it responsibly. The father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son said it very clearly to his eldest son, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31).

It is quite astounding to realize that everything God has is ours, and since he is God that means there is no end to what he has in store for us. Of course we can handle only so much now, given our earthly limitations, but what we do receive is given in preparation for our receiving the whole inheritance. In the meantime, we need to take advantage of the heavenly wealth which belongs to us and which is ours for the asking. Our maturity in the faith depends upon it, because the more we explore what God has for us, the closer we are led to him. The more we know him truly as Father, the more we become liberated from our old patterns old isolation. The more we discover the riches of heaven, the more we have to give freely of ourselves.

Yes, it is hard to believe that everything that God has is ours and that God wants to give us as much as we can accept. His generosity knows no bounds. The proof of it is that God gave his Son, who gave his life, so that we might be one with God and be brought into the loving circle of his family.

We have a “Happy and Prosperous New Year” ahead of us!

My Father in heaven, thank you for your love and care and gifts which keep me aware that I will someday enter into my full inheritance. Help me to live more in the reality of the boundless wealth of your kingdom each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

Christmas Blessings

Posted on Dec 3, 2023 in pastors pen |

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was
spoken to her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:45

Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary was a spontaneous expression of bursting joy and gratitude, for in her young cousin she saw the handiwork of God, and on her face she saw the unmistakable signs of trusting faith. Mary was God‘s favored one, a chosen instrument for his work of salvation. But Mary was also hardly more than a girl; one of countless Jewish girls whose simple lives were lived in the homes and villages of Palestine. Nothing unique. Nothing profound. Really quite ordinary. Just the short of “earthen vessel” through which God often works out his most astonishing miracles.

Among the other wonders of Christmas, we remember that God does not bypass even the weakness of human
frailty in order to work out his purposes. In fact, the message of the Incarnation is that it is often precisely through
finite and fragile human nature that God reveals the splendor of his eternal being. Christmas is a day to rejoice,
for no person is despised by God, no person is useless in his hands; no person is too sinful and flawed to be the
“blessed of God.”

Only one thing was required of Mary in order that she might bear the Son of God. Faith – the gift of faith in the
love and power of God. No Super-human strength was necessary and no extraordinary level of belief. The angel
Gabriel was sent to one who, in answer to God’s call, would believe and utter a simple “Fiat” (“Let it be”). This
Christmas let us greet with our own burst of joy and gratitude the God who came directly into our midst to save
us, and may our hearts be lifted by the remembrance that he used one just like us in order to do so. How “blessed
of God” we are.

Why lies he in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here, The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through, The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The babe, the son of Mary!

In His Peace,
Pastor Schultz

Thanksgiving Beggars

Posted on Oct 26, 2023 in pastors pen |

“Oh give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy endures forever.”

– Psalm 136:1

To celebrate true thanksgiving is to get everything in proper perspective. It is to admit that ultimately we are not self-sufficient but totally dependent upon the grace of God. It is said that some of Martin Luther’s last words were: “We are all beggars”. That is for sure. If we believe that God is the Creator and Owner of all of the earth, then we are in a sense “beggars” indeed. That is to say that ultimately we own nothing. We leave this earth with empty hands.

And all that we have even now is really owned by God and given to us as good stewards if we would but acknowledge it. Gratitude is a natural quality in every person who is not entirely given over to selfishness, and the expression of gratitude is the simplest and surest way of giving honor and paying respect to another person.

It is to be expected, then, that expressions of gratitude to God should be among the most basic aspects of our relationship with him. It is all too easy for us to overlook the ordinary, everyday blessings that we enjoy: food and clothing, shelter, friends, health. Too often these things are taken for granted as though they were our due. But the fact that so many of God’s good gifts have been with us all our lives is a circumstance that ought rather to increase our sense of thankfulness.

It is good for us to pause and recollect, for the comforts and blessings of our lives always outweigh the unpleasant things, and, for this very reason, we tend to overlook them. Yet, even things apparently undesirable or evil can be made occasions for thanksgiving to God, since he never fails to extract from even the most unpromising situation some element which can be turned to our good.

We give thanks to God for his many blessings, and not the least for the opportunities he has given us of learning patience and forbearance through our adversities, and learning to know ourselves better; of learning, perhaps even in failure or neglect, that the only ultimate value in our lives is the love he has for us.

Thanksgiving Day offers us an opportunity to stop and express our appreciation for the preciousness of life, the goodness of life, the bounty given to us by God “Good measure: pressed down, running over.”

“Oh give thanks, unto the Lord for his mercy endures for ever.”

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz