Photo by Manan Chhabra on Unsplash

Dear Members of Christ,

Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. God has laid before us a smorgasbord of gifts. But some of these things can move from being “good gifts” to “enslaving substances” if we’re not careful. Dr. Joseph Gerstein, a specialist in addiction recovery says, “When people cling to activities despite negative effects, it indicates addictive behavior.” It doesn’t matter if it’s food, drinks, or activities – most anything can become an unhealthy addiction which adversely affects relationships and our ability to carry out the life God has called us into.

The Corinthians were diverse people who became believers in Jesus and God’s promise of forgiveness. Unfortunately, they lived in a decadent society committed to idol worship, rampant sexual promiscuity, temple prostitution, and gluttonous eating and drinking festivals. While food, drink and, within the bonds of marriage, sexual activity are gifts from God, they became abused addictions. Paul warns, “All things are lawful … but not all things are helpful … I will not be enslaved by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) Paul then reminds the Corinthians that food and drink isn’t for sacrificing to idols or abusing in raucous debauchery. And sex is limited to husbands and wives who are married to each other.

These reminders are also for us. Too often, just because we can eat or drink whatever we want, watch shows with explicit language and sexual activity, or live with members of the opposite sex outside marriage without social stigma – that doesn’t necessarily make these things right in God’s eyes. Joined to Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:15-19). So, when we abuse God’s gifts, causing negative effects in our relationships with others and God, we’re guilty of falling into sin. Let’s remember, “(We) are not (our) own, for (we) were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) And when we do abuse God’s gifts, let’s also remember God’s promise to forgive us as we turn away from them, confess our sins, and ask Him to help us use them properly.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Photo by Oliver Roos on Unsplash

Dear Fellow Saints and Sinners,

Life consists of choices. Most often you can have or do “this” or “that.” You can’t have it both ways. It’s “yes” or “no” … “black” or “white” … or, to use a computer programming term … “1” or “0”. “Maybe” and “grey” are not choices available to us. Usually it seems …

Notice how I addressed you – “Saint and Sinner.” Maybe we can “have our cake and eat it too.” We can live as both saints and sinners. Paul asks, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1) The premise behind the question – since God forgives sins; why not just keep doing what we want, even sinning, because God will forgive us anyway … the more we sin the more His grace will shower upon us? 

Paul answers saying, “By no means!” (Romans 6:2) Paul reminds us we are joined to the risen Jesus in baptism so we “might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) “Newness of life” is defined by the impact sin has on us as Christ’s disciples, Christians who believe and trust God’s word in all aspects of our lives – new lives in Christ. 

This new life is possible because the old one was killed on the Cross with Jesus’ death. All who believe in Jesus, His work on the Cross to pay the price for all mankind’s sins, and His resurrection to new life are set free from the eternal effects of sin, eternal death – separation from God (Romans 6:6-8). Walking in new life means, “(We) must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

Being “dead to sin” we find sin no longer motivates us, enlivens us. When we sin, we feel its painful sting. We don’t like what it does to us. Being “alive to God” we trust His promises. We ask for and receive His forgiveness as we also ask Him to help us run away from sin. We are all sinners – forgiven sinners, which also makes us saints.

                                                                                        Your Fellow Saint and Sinner,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Megan Leong on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I usually enjoy it when new things are revealed to me. But I just don’t get the “gender reveal.” I know technology shows us a baby’s gender early. But the public reveal seems odd to me. For example, I went a baseball game and a couple, in front of the whole stadium, threw a pie at the mascot to reveal their baby’s gender – a girl I believe – as the pie exploded into a mess of pink frosting. Then there was the unfortunate gender reveal in California, involving fireworks, that went horribly wrong when it started a massive forest fire. I just don’t get this new custom. 

My lack of “getting it” is something I’ll probably get over. After all, God Himself is pretty high on the “reveal” – in fact, one might even say “the big reveal” is His specialty.  He’s constantly revealing hidden things about Himself through His word and His creation. One of His biggest reveals involved the use of a star to reveal to the world the extent of His love and mercy in the birth of His Son. Though the star was there for all to see, it took some special people, “wisemen from the East”, to let God’s people know the star’s significance. The wisemen, following a star, traveled hundreds of miles to Israel. When they got there, those who should’ve known of its significance, the chief priests and the scribes, had no idea it was there. The wisemen, gentiles, revealed it to them. Then they worshipped the newborn King Jesus with gifts fit for a king – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

God has revealed His love and mercy to us in His word. Like the wisemen, we follow the light of His word – word that’s there for all to see. However, its significance remains hidden for many. So, let’s all do more than simply follow the light of God’s word. Let’s also, like the wisemen, allow God to use us to reveal it to others so they too come to see, believe, and be saved.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Photo by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash

Dear Friends and Family of First Lutheran,

For many, Christmas – or any of the numerous holidays that surround it – is about “presents.”  Ever since early November we’ve been bombarded with commercials showing cars with big red ribbons, jewelry with little ribbons, houses wrapped in lights. The list goes on. The idea behind wrapping is for the gift to be a surprise when you open it. However, I know some people who already know what their gifts are because they buy their own gifts, wrap them, and then act like they’re surprised when they open them, “Oh you shouldn’t have!” Know anyone like that? I’ll admit it, I did this once. It wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.

I understand the gift giving tradition. It’s a great way to show our love and appreciation for those we love. In a small way, these gifts can be thought of as symbols of another gift we all received that was wrapped up for us 2000 years ago. Luke tells us, “Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger.” (Luke 2:7) God’s gift to us, Jesus, whose name means “God Saves” was wrapped up for us by His mother. But, unlike most gifts we unwrap each Christmas, this gift is continually given to and unwrapped for us as we worship Him by singing His praises, hearing His Word proclaimed, and receiving His grace and peace in our Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and Holy Communion. 

These gifts nourish our faith continually helping us live our lives in the here and now as God’s children. God desires we continually unwrap His gifts of mercy and grace because He has even better gifts waiting for us one day. He will send His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ again. When that day comes, He’ll bring us into His presence in His new creation. This gift will keep on giving … we’ll receive the love of God and the peace of Christ over and over for all eternity.

                                                                                        Merry Christmas to All,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Dear Friends and Family,

“Love” is – growing up I remember these cartoons with a man and woman and a statement about love. “Love is …” was followed by description of an act of love – often describing one of love’s chief virtues, self-sacrifice for the benefit of another. This is “αγαπη (agape)” love, the most frequent kind of love found in the Bible.

On the fourth Sunday in Advent, we light the final candle on our Advent Wreath. The Love Candle completes the ring of light as we wait for Christmas Day, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. His birth was the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring salvation to His creation. Psalm 89 sings out, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever.” (Psalm 89:1) And God promises to deliver this love by sending His Son as the fulfillment of a promise He made to His servant, King David as David continued his reign on Israel’s throne. “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.” (Psalm 89:3-4) 

A thousand years later, God delivered His promise into the world through Mary and the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel tells Mary, “You will … bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus … He will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David … and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:31-33) With this act of true love, God brought the means for all mankind to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life through faith in Jesus.

True “agape love” is more than a “nice feeling.” It is the sacrificial love for another which requires no payment in advance to receive. At Christmas, we celebrate this love from our Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. We wait for His return to bring us into true love’s light before His eternal throne in the kingdom of heaven.

                                                                                        Waiting in Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Kolby Milton on Unsplash

Dear Saints,

Some people have a name which describes them perfectly. My Aunt Joy was such a person. I’m sure she had her moments, but whenever I was around her, her name was perfect. She was a joy to be around because she always seemed to rejoice in the gift of life she had received from God. 

On the third Sunday of Advent, Paul encourages us to “Rejoice always!” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) Don’t limit rejoicing to just before Christmas – or to times when good things happen – but always! However, in a year like 2020 that’s hard to do. I won’t recap all the reasons – we all know why it’s been such a difficult year for so many of us. Yet Paul calls us to “rejoice” – even in these times of great difficulty. 

The reason we can rejoice, despite the many challenges we’re all facing, is “who” we rejoice in and “why.” Unlike many in the world who are walking in darkness without faith in Jesus Christ, we are filled with rejoicing because of faith in Jesus. The Son of God came to dwell among us when He was born in Bethlehem. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection to new life we rejoice in knowing that our sins are, in fact, forgiven. We rejoice in knowing that, thus forgiven, we also receive the gift of eternal life in His kingdom. In His eternal kingdom there will be no 2020s or any other times fraught with struggle and sadness, intolerance and isolation. Our faces will be uncovered as we come face to face with our Creator, God Himself.

The reality of our lives as we approach Christmas 2020, is this – it’s hard to rejoice always. But we can because God promises to keep us “blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ … He will surely do it!” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). I’m sure this is how my Aunt Joy could “rejoice always.” And one day, I long to join her and all the saints as we rejoice in God’s presence forever.

                                                                                        Rejoicing in the Lord,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Jonathan Meyer on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Many of my sermons start with “Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.”  These aren’t my words. They’re Paul’s – used as he wrote to greet the churches and leaders. With all the conflict we see between politicians, races, nations, religious groups, and even sports rivals I truly pray God’s peace comes to each of us as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace this month and throughout the year. 

Conflict isn’t the way God wanted things. The word “peace” comes from the Hebrew word “shalom (שָׁלוֹם).”  “Shalom,” in its original meaning, has a sense of “completeness, intactness, and unity.” It’s much more than a “lack of conflict.” Entities at “shalom” lack nothing … they’re complete, intact, and unified – each supplying whatever the other might need without concern for any future needs. This is the way God created all things (Genesis 1:26-2:3).

During Advent we spend time preparing to receive the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. God sent His Son into the world 2000 years ago. He has already come into the world. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He has already set the stage for true peace to reenter His creation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we believe in Jesus’ promise of forgiveness and eternal life. Through this forgiveness, Jesus has made peace between us and God. However, we know that not everyone is at peace with our Father. Many still can’t believe in His gift to us. 

But God is patient; “He is not slow to fulfill His promise … He is patient … not wishing that any should perish, but all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) As our Father waits, we also wait in faith for the Prince of Peace’s glorious return, when He will fully and completely restore “shalom.” While we wait, He calls us to break the vicious cycle of conflict by spreading His peace in our words and deeds to any and all we meet.

                                                                                        May the Peace of God be with you always,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim