Responding to Conflict
It’s amazing how the book of Genesis, written so long ago, shows us so much about God, but it also shows us so much about ourselves as well. In just the first couple dozen chapters we see stories of rebellion, anger, deception and wickedness on the part of people, but we also see our God respond with intervention, provision, promise and love. Not much has changed. We are the same people behaving in the same sinful and rebellious ways and God is the same God responding with mercy and love. So when we read the account of Isaac’s sons Jacob & Esau in Genesis 25, we see conflict. It’s nothing new. In fact, it’s ancient. But it still rings true. Just in this week’s news we saw a tragic shooting in Pittsburgh that took the lives of 11 Jewish citizens in what should have been the safety of their house of worship. Yet sadly, this sort of news has become the norm. Clearly as a people, we still need to learn about our human propensity toward conflict. But even more we need to learn God’s direction in light of it. The brothers Jacob and Esau wrestled from the time they were in the womb:
“The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the LORD.” – Genesis 25:22, NIV
The weight behind the Hebrew word here translated “jostled” is a bit stronger than that – it’s more of a struggle or fight. You could say they were trying to “crush” each other! And even when they exit the womb – Esau comes out first, but Jacob is seen to be grabbing onto the heel of his brother (Genesis 25:24-26). What does this tell us? Conflict is something that is “baked-in.” It is part of our human nature – you can see it, with Jacob and Esau, even inside the womb. I am sure you are no stranger to conflict. The question is not whether conflict happens in your life, but how do you respond in the face of it? In Sunday’s message (You can listen to it here, and download the sermon slides here), I shared ways to deal with conflict. The key is not to let the devil gain a foothold and then use our anger against us. We are warned in Scripture:
“… Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:26-27
The devil doesn’t need to “possess” people who are in conflict – he simply uses that conflict to twist the truth and create bigger deceptions and misunderstandings. Our puffed-up human pride and our equally large fear and insecurity will do the rest! What is the answer to conflict? There only is one that is effective – Love. Any true resolution to conflict is going to be born out of two parties acting in love – and that’s usually the result of one party acting in love first. I shared a video clip during Sunday’s sermon that showed the power of a hug, in response to an act of terrorism and aggression following the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. Notice the smiles in the video. It’s contagious, isn’t it? But notice something else very important about a hug … an embrace takes two. For two people to resolve conflict, both parties must respond in love. And that’s what our Lord wants for us! He has made the first move. He has opened his arms to us in love, as Jesus died for us on the cross (Romans 5:8). In that act He ended the conflict that existed between God and humanity! And in so doing He extended an open and willing embrace for all who would receive it. How will you respond to Christ’s love, ending the conflict between you and God? There’s a bad response, a good response, and a better response. The bad response is what so many choose. Even though Jesus came to earth in humility, (Just as Jacob finally came before Esau in Genesis 33:3-4) suffered and died to end the conflict between mankind and God, so many people still choose to remain enemies of God. They refuse to end the feud, even though the battle is over. Clearly, that is not the right choice. A better response is to do what Martin Luther discovered in the season of his life that would lead to the Reformation – surrender to God. Luther finally realized that he was no longer an outcast trying to earn God’s love, or an enemy needing to cower in fear. The answer for him and us is simply to receive God’s grace. That’s a good response. But an even better response to Christ’s love is to show it to others! So often, I think that we readily receive God’s humble gift of forgiveness to us … but then we fail to share that forgiveness with others! I don’t mean that we don’t tell them about Christ’s forgiveness. Sometimes we do that, but then we still fail to forgive that person ourselves! Jesus warns against this kind of action in Matthew 18:21-35. He tells a parable of a man who is forgiven an extremely large debt, but then immediately after that won’t forgive someone who owes him a mere pittance by comparison. What I see too often in myself and in others is that we readily receive the grace and mercy of God… we even tell others of His great mercy… but then we fail to show mercy to others, choosing to keep the conflict alive. May this not be so with us. May we not only be recipients of God’s grace, but purveyors of that grace to others! In the grace of God, Pastor Augie.
Tower Building and Name Making
Have you ever noticed that God will do what it takes to get His will done in your life? You’ve heard the popular “Footprints Poem?” Well, I think there’s more to it than that. I recently saw this cartoon that says it well:
Luke 10:27: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 6:33: But SEEK FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness…
Philippians 2:2-4 …then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
I think you would agree that we have not followed those simple instructions. And just as He did with the Tower of Babel, God saw to it that even though we were off building our own towers, making a name for ourselves instead of doing what He commanded, (Loving neighbor, seeking His Kingdom first) His will would be done. He “came down” in His Son Jesus (compare to Genesis 11:5) to accomplish His Will!
God’s will is DONE for us in CHRIST …
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! – (Philippians 2:5-8)
What I think is amazing is that everything the people were trying to do at Babel, we continue today – trying to reach heaven, trying to make a name for ourselves. Those are given to us in Christ. In Christ we’ve been GIVEN heaven – We don’t have to exhaust ourselves trying to ascend there on our own!
And as far as making a name for ourselves – God tells us that just as in the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, where His Name was, there His glory dwelt. Even more so in the New Testament, we who believe in Jesus have had God’s Name (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) placed upon us in our baptism!
That “name” we’re trying to make for ourselves is Given to us in Jesus – the Name above all Names! Yes. God sees to it that His Will will be done, and His Will is done for us in Christ! Isn’t that good news?
… may it be done AMONG US also …
So what are we to do in response to this? I think Martin Luther’s, explanation to the 3rdpetition of Lord’s Prayer, in the Small Catechism says it well – as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer “Thy WILL BE DONE” … Luther responds:
“The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.”
What I Love About Redeemer – October
Hiding from God
On Sunday we saw that Adam and Eve went into shame and hiding when they went against God’s command. In church-terms, we call this “The Fall of mankind.” What do you do when you fall? Do you hide from God in shame? In this message of the GENESIS series, I suggest that there’s a better way … Click HERE to hear the whole message.
Ministry Reimagined – Part 2
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Re-imagining “Us with Others”
Re-imagining “Us with Us”
As I wrote in last month’s blog, I think it’s a great idea that while I am on sabbatical for the months of July & August, refreshing and renewing my perspective on ministry, that you use this time to do the same. Over the next couple months, I want to provide you a framework to “re-imagine” your part of the ministry you belong to. In July, you will consider the ministry we do as “Us with Us.” And in August, you will consider the ministry we do as “Us with Others.” As has been said, we cannot export what we do not possess. Our ministry among ourselves first must be faith-strengthening and life-transforming, before we hope to minister to those outside our church. To understand what healthy “Us with Us” ministry is all about, I encourage you to search the Scriptures. I am including here a study based on resources from our friends in the Southeastern District of the LC-MS (se.lcms.org). You can go through these on your own, or better, with others in a small group! Understanding Luther’s doctrine of “vocation” (Ephesians 4:1)
- Read this from Robert Benne’s article on Christian Vocation, com: “A teaching of Martin Luther that has had great historical effect is his teaching on vocation. Protesting the Roman Catholic arrangement in which the clergy had callings of higher religious and moral significance than the laity, Luther taught that all Christians have callings or vocations, and that all callings are equal in moral and religious seriousness. They only differ in function. This teaching unleashed unprecedented commitment and energy to worldly work in the Western world. Paralleling his teaching on the priesthood of all believers, Luther taught that all Christians are called by God through Christ to be his beloved and forgiven children, and that they need no mediators to receive that graceful call directly. At the same time, however, Christians who receive that grace through Christ become priests to their neighbors, mediating God’s love through them to the neighbor. They do that very concretely in their vocations. Thus, Christians become conduits of God’s love received through Christ and offered to the neighbor in the various places of responsibility they have been given. For Luther, Christians do not need to cast about for places to exercise their obedience; they were given in the orders of creation into which each Christian was inevitably placed—marriage and family life, work, citizenship, and church. Each person—lay and clergy alike—is called to work in the world. In fulfilling their work gladly and conscientiously, they serve their neighbor. Plain ordinary work is transformed into a Christian vocation as the Christian exercises his faith-active-in-love. Work is no longer simply a job or occupation; it is a calling, a vocation. It is a summons from God. Vocation is also where the Spirit sanctifies the Christian’s life, not in a self-centered quest for perfection, but rather in humble service to the neighbor.”
- Now ask the Lutheran question, “what does this mean?” What insights does Luther give into vocation, or calling? How does Luther change that thinking and how does it apply to us today?
- Read these sections of Scripture and discuss/consider what they say about “calling”: 2 Peter 1:10-11, 2 Timothy 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, John 15:16, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 Corinthians 1:26, Ephesians 4. How do we use our calling to serve others in our congregation?
Seeking and working for unity within a congregation (Ephesians 4:2-6)
- “A Christian is an utterly free man, lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is an utterly dutiful man, servant of all, subject to all” – Martin Luther
- Discuss this quote from Luther and how it applies to working for unity within a congregation. What makes unity in a congregation difficult? What helps us to overcome the difficulties?
- Read these scripture lessons, then share thoughts on how/why we work for unity in a congregation: 1 Corinthians 1:10, Colossians 3:2-17, 1 Peter 3:8, Romans 12:16, Philippians 2:1-4
- Why was unity in a congregation so terribly important in the 1st century? Why is it just as important in a congregation today?
Spiritual gifts and their use in the community (Ephesians 4:7-12)
- Read these Scripture verses, then consider/discuss what they say about spiritual gifts: 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11, Romans 12:4-11, 1 Corinthians 12:28
- Look at the different gifts that are listed in these texts. How would you describe these gifts in today’s language?
- Consider the others in your group, or in our congregation, and name some of these spiritual gifts that they have. What examples would you offer in how these gifts are being used in our congregation?
- Have you taken a spiritual gifts inventory? If not, consider taking the next “Discovery 301” class – where an inventory is administered and scored for you.
Discipling, or growing in faith (Ephesians 4:12-14)
- Read Ephesians 4:12-14, and paraphrase in your own words.
- How has your faith stayed the same since your baptism? How has your faith changed since your baptism?
- Name 3 things/people that made your faith grow. And name 3 things/people who have challenged your faith
- Grade yourself (letter grades A, B, C, D, F) on the following:
- My prayer life,
- My time spent in bible study
- My intentionally being with other Christians
- Time spent living out my faith each week in serving others
- What things get in the way of improving your faith life? Would an accountability partner help you?
- Read Galatians 5:22-23, the “Fruit of the Spirit”
- Talk to others in your group or at church and tell them one of these “fruits” you see at work in their life. Offer specific examples.
- Which of these “fruits” do you think is one you need to work on the most?
- How could we help members of our congregation to grow in faith?
The whole body growing up together (Ephesians 4:15-16)
- Read the following verses and consider/share insights about collective spiritual growth in our congregation: 1 Peter 2:1-5, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 3:12
- Was the spiritual growth of everyone in a congregation important in the 1st century church? Is that same community growth more or less important in the 21st century church?
- Acts 2:42-47 is the first recorded description of the Christian church (immediately following the Pentecost event described in the preceding verses). Read the verses then consider or discuss:
- Review the list of activities that the early Christians did together (vs 42-45). While they are all important which would you rate as most important and why?
- What were the results of their being together in mission?
- What were some of the challenges that they faced and how did they overcome them?
- What are some challenges that our congregation faces and how can we work to overcome them?
Whether you work through these lessons with others or by yourself in your own devotional time, my prayer is that God’s Spirit will help you grow in Christ’s love for each other (Us with Us) – as you search the Scriptures to see how God calls us to relate to those in our church famly. And then next month as you focus on how God calls us to engage people outside of the church (Us with Others) – our friends, neighbors, coworkers and family – that God will increase your ability and desire to share His love with the people around you. May God’s Word renew and refresh you! In Christ, Pastor Augie
Ministry Reimagined
It got here quickly – my ministry sabbatical. The elders approved a sabbatical for me, back in February of 2017. However, given a number of critical ministry concerns including a significant staff reduction as well as the strategic Mission Advancement and Implementation process that we began in late 2016, that sabbatical was postponed until July-August 2018. And now it’s almost here! But what is a sabbatical and what does it mean for our ministry at Redeemer? This article will try to address that. What is a Sabbatical? “A ministry sabbatical as a period of time, usually three months, when ministry leaders and congregations set aside the leader’s normal responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal toward sustained excellence in ministry. A ministry sabbatical is not an extended vacation nor is it an academic sabbatical that normally involves extensive study. A ministry sabbatical is a release from the routine of the call for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the ministry leader. The word sabbatical is drawn from Sabbath. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to “close or rest” and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested. (Genesis 2:3) God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people. “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11) Jesus affirmed the importance of rest saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) The Biblical example of Jesus’ own frequent withdrawal to a quiet place to meditate, pray and be renewed is a model. In His ministry, the constant demands of people led Jesus to step away on a regular basis. See also: Genesis 1 and 2; Exodus 20:8-11, 23:10-12; Leviticus 25:1-7 (Sabbatical Year), 24:8-25 (Year of Jubilee); Psalm 23; and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.” – From the website: https://ministrysabbaticalresources.com/ As I mentioned in a recent sermon, a number of people have told me that I have “earned it” or “deserve it.” I know that the thought and sentiment is good, but my typical response in to say, “thank you very much. But the truth is, I *need* it.” I am truly grateful that the congregation is affording me the blessing and gift of this time away, but the reason that our synod and districts recommend regular and intentional sabbaticals for their pastors is because what has been observed is that the regular and sustained demands and pace of ongoing ministry have a cumulative effect[i]. After periods of four to seven years, there is a very real need for a season of rest, recovery, and renewal in order to maintain the energy, focus and emotional and spiritual health that are necessary to lead a congregation – especially in these challenging times. Sharpening the Saw In the well-known, and often referenced, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the last of the seven habits is often overlooked, but can become the most impactful if neglected – “Sharpen the Saw.” Just like a carpenter or lumberjack must work harder and harder when their tools get dull, so must ministry leaders. At those times, it takes determination and intentional effort to stop work, halt the production line, and tend to the care of the tools. However, it is far better to stop working with dull tools for a moment and return refreshed and retooled, than to continue forging ahead with ineffective tools. Otherwise what ends up happening is that eventually the work will grind to a halt as the tool becomes completely dull or broken altogether. The analogy is clear. What Happens During the Sabbatical? People have asked me, “where are you going on your sabbatical?” The short answer is that I don’t completely know the physical or geographical locations that I will be going during this time away. But the location is not as important as what will occur during the sabbatical. Sabbaticals can be taken in different ways for different purposes. Some professionals take sabbaticals to complete a writing project or some creative work that just can’t get the attention it needs in the midst of the day-to-day. Others take sabbaticals to gain new experiences through travel or exploration. Others take sabbaticals to dive deeper into learning a particular topic or subject matter. And some take sabbaticals for rest and renewal. The latter is the purpose of my sabbatical. I intend to use the time to simply draw near to God and rest in Him – enjoying His Word, His creation and His blessings of family and good health. I also intend to use the time to discover old and new spiritual disciplines as well as establish new and fresh patterns of balance between work and life; you could say, “Ministry Reimagined.” What Does this Mean for Redeemer? “Ministry Reimagined” is my theme for this Sabbatical. And I am applying that to our congregation as well. It’s not uncommon for pastor and congregation to follow similar trajectories. I believe that Redeemer also finds itself in a season of needing refreshing and renewal. And I believe that our congregation can benefit from using this Summer as a chance to receive from, be nurtured by and be refreshed by God. But even moreso, I believe that both pastor and congregation will benefit from using this as an opportunity to “reimagine” the ministry that God has called us to in this place. Just as I find myself in a season of being stretched too thin and regularly engaged in a flurry of activity, that while good, doesn’t seem to be accomplishing those things that God ultimately desires for His people … so too does Redeemer find itself in a similar season, wouldn’t you agree? It is likely that we find ourselves in this place because of how we’ve “imagined” God desires us to accomplish His will in this place. It’s possible that we’ve placed our effort, our attention and our resources on doing the urgent rather than the important. It’s possible that we’ve actually been working out of our own strength, will-power, knowledge and abilities (the flesh), rather than relying on God, seeking Him and walking with Him in the Spirit. What both pastor and congregation need to do is to reimagine how God wants us to do ministry together, with Him.
Daring Faith
The Reformation of 1517 emphasized and brought clarity to this very important tenet of doctrine – that we are saved by grace, thru faith alone! … Sola Fide in Latin. But what do we mean when we say “faith?” In what (or better in whom) do we place our trust? And what does that then mean for us? That will be the topic of our new message series starting in May – “Daring Faith.” When you and I dare to believe it means that we will not only find comfort and peace through what we believe, but we will find the strength to rise to new challenges that results from that faith! God asks us not just to believe … but to put our faith into action. Said another way, if we believe something it should affect the things that we think, say and do.
Certainly our knowledge that the Son of God entered our world to live and die for us, but rose from the grave and is alive and reigning on His throne in heaven, should prompt us to live with a confidence and hope that affects our actions. Let us not settle for merely daring to believe – but for daring to let our faith affect our life!
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” – Romans 1:17
On Easter Sunday this year, we discussed what we believe about Jesus – His life, death and resurrection; and why we believe it – the evidence and testimony revealed and recorded in the Bible. Now in this series we will discuss how this faith changes us – transforming the way we view and interact with our world!
- May 20 – What Happens When You Have Faith – We will learn what happens when we see with eyes of faith instead of eyes of fear.
- May 27 – Daring to Give God My Best – We will learn from the Biblical examples of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer how to give our very best to God.
- June 3 – Daring to Imagine – We will learn how our imagination and our faith work together to cause us to dream “God-sized” dreams and imagine the world the way that God already sees it!
- June 10 – Daring to Commit – We will explore our deepest needs in life, and the importance of making commitments in each of these areas. Doing so will strengthen our faith and our relationships with others.
- June 17 – Daring to Plant in Faith – We will look at God’s laws of planting and harvesting. From them, we will learn that our relationships, our health, our finances, our careers, and other areas of our life follow the same laws.
- June 24 – Daring to Wait on God. We will learn what we need to remember when we’re in the waiting room of life. And we will learn what to do while we wait. We will find that even our waiting is being used by God.
My prayer for you is the prayer that St. Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus:
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” – Ephesians 1:18-20
Amen! May it be so, for Jesus’ sake,
Pastor Augie