CREDIT: Ferdinand Pauwels

Dear Reformed People of God,

The last day of October is a familiar day in the life of most Lutherans – Reformation Day! It’s important to know that this event which took place in the 1500s was not intended to create a new denomination. Nor was it about getting rid of the old church. By the 1500s the church as a whole had adopted many non-biblical practices which, instead of bringing people closer to God, were driving them further away from God. The Reformation was about reforming God’s church and His people around God’s Word. 

Though some didn’t reform, fortunately many did. As a result, the Word of God alone, given by God’s grace alone, received through faith in God alone (Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide) became the norm of Christian faith. Over the centuries since, God has used His church, made up of reformed believers in Christ to bring His saving Word to people throughout His creation.

One of the underpinnings of the “three Solas” found in God’s Word is Romans 3:28, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”  To be “justified” is to be “aligned” with something. For example, this article is “fully justified” because both margins are “fully aligned”. This is the case of our life of faith, we are “fully aligned” with God, not by doing works to earn God’s favor … but by faith, believing in Him and His promise of mercy and salvation through His work – Jesus’ death on the cross to pay the price of our sin and His resurrection to new life to grant us new life. 

God works through His Word – the law which shows our need for a savior from the hopeless, helplessness of our sin … and the gospel which shows us His love for us as a free gift. This is how God reforms us into His image, bringing us together, as His church. Let us let Him shine His love through us onto others, reforming them … that many would come closer to Him.

                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: openclipart.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Ready! Set! Go! And the race is on! Who will win? It’s most often the most prepared who is properly equipped and has trained. I learned this the hard way last week. Just because the beach weather was nice, didn’t mean I was ready for a 4-mile walk on the boardwalk. I hadn’t walked that far in a while. And having only dress shoes to walk in, I was not well equipped. It led to a mild case, thankfully, of shin splints … a painful reminder to be prepared with equipment and training for physical activity.

Okay, what’s that got to do with God’s Word? “Plenty,” says Paul in his 2nd letter to Timothy. God calls us to serve Him and His creation through our words and actions … and to “be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching … do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 3:2,5) 

But to be ready at all times requires proper equipment and preparation. Paul tells us where the equipping and preparation (or training) comes from, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) God’s Word equips and trains us for the good work of serving Him and His creation as His means to bring His mercy and grace to those in need of healing through faith in Jesus.

So let us remain diligent in our preparations, allowing God to equip us for this great work He’s called us into. Let us spend time throughout the week in His Word. To get equipped and trained, click these links to FLC’s Bible Studies and devotional resources or visit www.firstlutheranchurch.org. Then, so we might finish the work He’s given us to do with our lives, let us ask God to help us find the words to speak and things to do in His creation.

                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I joke that I’m a bitter old man. I like my coffee bitter. I like my beer bitter. I like my chocolate with a hint of bitterness. I’m really not bitter – at least in my heart. However, right now, as I type, I’m more than a little disappointed. Why? I had a big weekend coming up with lots of celebrations. And then – COVID! For that I’m a little bitter.

Our Old Testament lesson this week is about bitterness. Naomi is a woman who seems okay. Her family finds refuge from a famine. Her sons get married to local women. Things are okay … until her husband dies and then her two sons die. Leaving her all alone in a foreign country with nobody to look after her. Which means one thing – without a man to care for her, she’d be left to a life of poverty. Her life went from sweetness to bitterness. (Ruth 1:1-5)

But bitterness isn’t the end of Naomi’s story. Things started looking up when she heard “the Lord had visited His people and given them food.” (Ruth 1:6) So she decided to return home. And one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, decided she’d return with her saying, “Where you go I will go … your God (shall be) my God.” (Ruth 1:16) 

What Naomi may not have realized is that throughout her bitter suffering, God was with her, providing for her. As we read the rest of the Book of Ruth we see God providing Naomi comfort, even restoring her family through Ruth. Ruth ends up marrying a man named Boaz and having a son Obed. Obed fathers Jesse who fathers David, the shepherd who would become king of Israel and part of the long line leading to Jesus, the Messiah. (Ruth 6:13-17) 

Naomi’s bitterness was real – just as ours is real. But throughout it, God promises to be with us – sustaining, rescuing, and leading us through the bitterness into the sweetness of eternity. We catch a glimpse of this promise in the life of Naomi.

                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Michelle Arseneault on Wikimedia Commons

Dear Saints,

When we think of laws, we generally don’t think of them as “good”. They might be necessary, but “good” is not a typical descriptor. After all, we don’t typically like things placing limits on us or hemming us in. On first glance, that’s what laws often seem to do. But when we think about it, laws do benefit us by creating order in our lives and helping us see where to go and how to get there the best way.

God’s word has two main themes. One of them is called “the law”. The law describes the things we’re supposed to do or not do to live the lives God created for us to live. But often the law seems to limit our fun and hem us in. However, Paul tells us, “The law is good, if one uses it lawfully.” (1 Timothy 1:8) 

And how is the law used “lawfully”? It’s not intended to oppress us, limit us, or hem us in. It’s intended to show us the ways in which God created us to live. It also shows us the ways in which we all act, in one way or another, as “lawless and disobedient” sinners who need God’s mercy and grace …

Which brings us to the other theme in God’s word, “the gospel” – the good news. We, along with Paul, the other Apostles, and every disciple of Jesus Christ, have all fallen into sin. But the good news – the gospel – for all of us is “the grace of our Lord overflowed for (us) with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus … (who) came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:14-15) which includes you and me (Romans 3:23). Through faith in Jesus, the law shows us our need for a savior, that our savior is Jesus, and that we are forgiven.

And we’re forgiven for a reason … for Jesus to display His love to others through us so others might also believe in Him for eternal life. Yes indeed, the law is good!

                                                                                Saint By God’s Grace,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: StockVault.net

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Three easy steps! Don’t you love it when a problem is solved in “Three Easy Steps”?! The reality is that though the promise of these easy steps is alluring, it’s often not easy. And then, when it gets tough – as it often does – we can get frustrated and quit.

One of the problems we face is sin. But because we’re baptized Christians, we can think this problem is easily solved. Simple – become a disciple of Jesus and be forgiven. And that’s true to a point. But there’s more to living as a disciple of Jesus than simply being forgiven. Jesus tells us there are three steps to becoming His disciples. But He also tells us they are “not-so-easy” steps saying, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own (family and friends) … bear his own cross … and renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, 33) Three steps, but not so easy.

“Hating” is a strong word – and here it means to “disfavor, disregard” in the sense that one must put God and His commands ahead of even family and friends … even if it might cause those relationships to break apart. He also commands us to “renounce” – that is to say, “Goodbye” to our worldly possessions. In between, we’re called to “bear our crosses” – understanding that giving up family, friends, and possessions that get in the way of truly following Jesus might be painful to do while we live this life. But this “not-so-easy” three step process is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.

Fortunately, God doesn’t expect us to follow these steps alone. He sends us the Holy Spirit who guides us to count the cost of what it’s going to take to follow Jesus and then helps us to follow Him to the end. Let us then trust God to do just that … to lay the foundation and then build-up our lives in such a way that we will finish it, entering God’s kingdom for all eternity.

                                                                                In His Grace,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: DALL-E3 AI

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Hearing and listening, these are two very different things. Hearing is passive. It happens automatically. Realize it or not, you hear all kinds of things – cars passing by, a building’s beams creaking, others’ voice. But most of these sounds are tuned out. Listening involves hearing, but it’s active. When you listen, you pay attention and try to understand the sound to learn. Both start with the ear, but listening goes much further … into the mind and even the soul as the sounds heard change you.

God’s word is spoken all the time. The question is, do you listen to it … or just hear it? God desires for us to listen to Him, “See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns from heaven.” (Hebrews 12:25) God speaks to His people – in the old days through the voices of His prophets, apostles, and Son Jesus as they walked the earth. Today He speaks to us through His word and His church. Yet too often, while we might hear it, we don’t listen to it. We’re a little like the people who told Jesus, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” (Luke 13:26) The problem is, they thought it was good enough to simply be in Jesus’ presence. They heard Him teaching, but they didn’t listen. And because they didn’t listen, nothing changed. Their hearts remained hardened. Their words and actions remained selfish. Their faith remained dead. And, as Jesus warns, they wouldn’t be able to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door.

But God desires for us to listen to Him so we can enter His kingdom through the narrow door. So let us actively listen to God and respond, “striving for peace with everyone, and for holiness” that we may “obtain His grace” and see the Lord face to face. (Hebrews 12:14-15)

                                                                                In His Grace,

                                                                                Pastor Jim

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

July 31st is a key date in the baseball season. It’s called the “trade deadline.” By a certain time on this day, teams must trade for the key player they think is going to help them succeed in the season, the playoffs, and the World Series. However, sometimes, it’s not about adding a great player. Sometimes teams unload a player who’s become a distraction. Suddenly, through “addition by subtraction” the team improves.

Jesus has many nicknames, including “Prince of Peace.” It’s odd to hear Him say, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Luke 12:51) Then He describes whole families divided against each other – parents and kids, kids-in-law and parents-in-law. How can a “Prince of Peace” cause so much division? It’s a little like “addition by subtraction.”

For many, peace is only lack of conflict. If you’re not fighting, you’re at peace. To many this often looks like going along to get along. Even if I see something wrong, “I’m not going to make waves. You do your thing, I’ll do mine.” Even followers of Jesus often don’t want to make waves. So they let others do things counter to God’s word without lovingly calling them to repentance for their sin – all in the name of “peace” … a lack of conflict. 

Unfortunately, when “peace” between people exists in this way, peace between God and man doesn’t. Sin is conflict between us and God as we disobey His will for us. In calling for division, Jesus calls on us to call sin what it is - SIN! Even if it creates division in the world’s eyes. He desires people to know their sin and then repent of it to receive God’s forgiveness – the peace that surpasses all understanding and leads to eternal life in God’s kingdom. It's only by dividing people against their sinful nature – even if it causes conflict this side of heaven – that true peace, unity in Christ, is possible. This is the ultimate addition by subtraction.

                                                                                    In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                    Pastor Jim