First Lutheran Church

“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?

Pastor Schultz

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

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.

“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.

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

“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

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

– Psalm 136:1