First Lutheran Church

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” – John 11:25-26

We get confused about the word life. “That’s life” often means, “Too bad, that’s the way it is.” Or we might say, “What a life” meaning, “This is wonderful.” We all value life. We hold onto it as long as we can, and we mourn its loss. Sometimes we are under the mistaken idea that life consists of who we are, what we have, what we do, and whom we know. If those are our thoughts, then these words of Jesus make no sense.

Earlier in this Gospel he told his disciples, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly: (John 10:10). He was speaking to people who were full of physical life. So obviously he meant something else when he used the word.

Jesus, in claiming to be the source of life, is talking about another kind of life. It is not limited to tangible or physical things, but rather to those defined by the spirit. There is an eternal of spiritual life that we can live while we are continuing to live in this present world. That kind of life comes from a close relationship with the source of life-Jesus. It can be described by its qualities–inner peace, honesty, hope and expectancy, a sense of the constant presence of God, direction and purpose, fulfillment, contentment, joy.

While telling Mary and Martha that their brother would physically rise from the dead, even more important, he was offering spiritual life to them.

Lent is a time for Christians to see how sin has made our earthly life empty and shallow. Holy Week reveals the depth of God’s love as he ransoms us from our lives to give us his life. Easter is our celebration of God’s gift of new life.

This month as we continue Lent may it lead us through the awe of Holy Week to the shout of Easter “THIS IS LIVING!”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I receive your offer of life. Fill me with your life today. Amen.

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz

“Do not be seized with alarm and have no fear, only keep on believing.” – Mark 5:36b

Jairus took a considerable risk when he prostrated himself before Jesus and begged for his daughter to be healed. After all, he was a leader of the synagogue, a respected man schooled in the law, a righteous man who knew what God expected of his people and what they could expect of God. In Jerusalem the Pharisees and the scribes had condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, claiming Jesus was possessed by Satan. For Jairus to acknowledge Jesus’ power to heal was to separate himself from all those other religious leaders who denied who Jesus was. And yet, Jairus found himself in such need on that day, that he forgot all the “right” reasons that would have kept him from bowing before Jesus’ feet. Instead, he chose to hope for healing for his beloved daughter, who was at the point of death.

Nevertheless, Jairus would have bigger battles to face before the end of the day. Before Jesus could reach his home to lay hands on Jairus’ daughter, the news had come to them: “Your daughter has died.” Knowing how much Jairus was suffering at this point, Jesus encouraged him, “Do not be seized with alarm and have no fear, only keep on believing.”

Jesus knew that the healing that Jairus had sought for his daughter had suddenly become impossible for an earthly mind. It was one thing for Jairus to believe that Jesus could heal his daughter; it was entirely another for Jairus to believe that Jesus could bring his daughter back from death. Yet Jesus told him simply and directly to “keep on believing.”

God, the one who gives us the gift of faith and all that is necessary for us to believe, is prompting Jarius to use what God has given him. We know that nothing is too hard for the Lord. We can all say those words and our minds can assent to their plausibility. Still, believing requires more than our minds. Believing requires our hearts and our wills. Believing requires that our passions line up with the words we have said and the testimonies we have made. Believing requires submitting all that we are to the one who can transform us into a believing people of faith.

What obstacles are you facing in your walk with Jesus that require him to say to you, “only keep on believing?” Are you discouraged about your life? Do you fear for others? When Jairus cast himself at Jesus’ feet, Jesus took him up and carried him through to the end of his fears. Jairus would never again be the same. Jesus will do the same for you and for me. We must learn to depend on Jesus for the work of faith he wants to perform every day in our lives so we can keep on believing.

Prayer: Jesus, you are bigger than my unbelief. Build within me a heart of faith I believe help my unbelief. Amen.

Pastor Schultz

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

This time of year, as a new school year begins, many are focused on the task of teaching children. Jesus however reminds us how important it is to learn from children.

Jesus used the occasion of people bringing little children to him as an opportunity to give his followers a needed lesson. The lesson concerned the importance of right attitude in receiving the kingdom of God. Jesus told them that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” For any parent or teacher of young children it is clear that the Lord was thinking of their marvelous capacity for wonder and their receptivity for listening and learning. The psalmist expressed these same thoughts in writing about God’s glory above the heavens being chanted “by the mouths of babes and infants” (Ps 8:2)

How wonderful is this gift of simplicity and spontaneity that we see in some children! How blessed are those adults who have been able to maintain this childlike quality of life! I have come to discover that my hobby as a bird watcher has aided my life long faith learning in the same way. Bird watching requires you to be totally involved. Listening and looking in silence as you gather as much information as you can about the subject you are focused on for as long as you are allowed. Size, beak, wing bars, tail, coloration, feet, location of markings, habitat, song, call, eyes, and flight pattern. What is familiar and what have you never noticed before. I use the same approach with the word of God.

Many of us allow our busy lives and the cares of the world to so crowd our lives that we lose this childlike simplicity. The story in Scripture makes it clear that in this respect the disciples had lost their simplicity. Preoccupied with their own agendas, preconceptions, egos, and intellect, they considered the children to be an interruption to an important theological discussion they where having with Jesus. That is why our Lord was indignant with their insensitivity to the needs of the children and the attitude with which they approached him. “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”

Our Father, we pray that the simplicity of Jesus would be the hallmark of our lives. May our knowledge and intel- lect never be barriers to our continuing growth in our faith and life with him. Amen

In His Peace, Pastor Schultz