OCTOBER 2004
Sunday Morning Religion?
The mark of a great leader is the demands he makes upon his
followers. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi offered his men only hunger
and death to free
Why was He so harsh? He knew what lay ahead:
·
Andrew died on a cross
·
Simon was crucified
·
Bartholomew was flayed alive
·
James (son of Zebedee) was
beheaded
·
The other James (son of Alphaeus)
was beaten to death
·
Thomas was run through with a lance
·
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded
·
Matthew was slain by the sword
·
Peter was crucified upside down
·
Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows
·
Philip was hanged
Only John made it through alive but he was exiled to a small island in
the middle of the
The demands that Jesus makes upon those who would follow Him are
extreme. Christianity is not a Sunday morning religion. It is a hungering after
God to the point of death if need be. It shakes our foundations, topples our
priorities, pits us against friend and family, and makes us strangers in this
world. But with heaven just over the
horizon, taking up the cross of Jesus is a most honorable cause.
Stand For Something
To love
people as Jesus did is to stand for something. To stand for justice is to stand
against injustice. To stand for truth is to oppose hypocrisy and falsehood. G.
K. Chesterton observed that tolerance is the easy virtue of people who do not
believe anything. Some unknown bard has put the observation poetically:
Popularity was his
middle name.
Its prod was pride, its
price was pain.
He never learned the
word called, "no."
They spoke of him as
"good old Joe."
His life was one long
laughing spell,
and how he felt you
couldn't tell.
His favorite words were
"yes," and "sure."
Yes, good old Joe was
Simon Pure.
So when he died they
wrote these lines,
and laid him down midst
whispering pines.
"Here lies a man -
his name was Joe.
But what he stood for,
we'll never know."
You couldn't have
said that about Jesus. You knew where He was coming from.
Not Well Received
A Baptist
pastor fresh out of seminary was assigned to a small church in the hills of
In his first sermon, he
condemned gambling, especially betting on the horses. The sermon was not well
received. "You see, Reverend," a parishioner explain-ed, "this
whole area is known for its fine horses. Lots of our members make their living
breeding race horses."
The next Sunday the pastor
spoke on the evils of smoking, and again, his sermon was not well received –
for many of his members also grew tobacco.
The third week the pastor
preached on the evils of drinking, only to discover after that a major
distillery was one of the town's largest employers.
Chastised for his choice of
sermon topics, the frustrated pastor exclaimed, "Well, then, what can I
preach about?" A kindly, older woman spoke up and said, "Pastor,
preach against those godless communists. Why, there isn’t a communist within
4,000 miles of here!"
There are some sermons
people do not want to hear because they contradict their dearly held values or
their comfortable life styles. Jesus earned a reputation for preaching these
kinds of sermons – sermons that were challenging and demanding, radical and
divisive.
Jesus’ preaching changed
lives because He backed down to no one.
As we think
about what is new and what is old and what is worth holding onto this day,
Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan provides discerning statement as to what is
new, what is old, and what matters. He writes that “tradition is the living
faith of those who have passed, and traditionalism is the dead faith of those
living.” So here we have a guide: Is our faith a dead formalism or a living
faith, a blazing fire?
Offering Ourselves
In 1972,
NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite's primary mission was to
reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth
about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists
regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone
beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite
before it could reach its target.
But Pioneer 10 accomplished
its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November
1973, Jupiter's im-mense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed
toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer
10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at
nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, 25
years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the
sun.
And despite that immense
distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on
Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff,
"those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as
much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach
Earth.”
The Little Satellite That
Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a
useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple
longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter accomplished more than anyone thought
possible.
So it is when we offer
ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt
abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.
Nobody in
this country knows how to do anything anymore. There was a time when average
Americans could get together and, in one afternoon, build an entire barn. Yes!
A barn!
Can you imagine average
Americans doing that today? Not a chance! They'd spend weeks debating the
membership and organizational structure of the Barn Architect Selection
Committee, whose members would then get into a lengthy squabble over the design
of the logo to appear on their letterhead.
Ultimately this issue would
become a bitter and drawn-out dispute, be taken to court, and the people
involved would start complaining of depression and anxiety, and psychologists
would announce that these people were victims of a new disease called Barn
Committee Logo Dispute Distress Syndrome, or BCLDDS, which would become the
subject of one-hour shows by Oprah and Sally Jessy
Raphael, after which millions of Americans would realize that they, too, were
suffering from BCLDDS, and they'd form support groups with hotline numbers and
12-step programs.
That's what we modern
Americans do. Anything but actually BUILD THE BARN.
A young and successful
executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his
new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and
slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children
appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the
brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then
jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a
parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what
are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot
of money. Why did you do it?"
The young boy was
apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what
else to do," He pleaded. "I
threw the brick because no one else would stop..." with tears dripping
down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a
parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb
and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the
boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back
into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the
driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly
lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen
handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him
everything was going to be okay.
"Thank you and may
God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words,
the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the
sidewalk toward their home, it was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The
damage was very noticeable, but the driver never repaired the dented side door.
He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through
life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"
God whispers in our
souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He
has to throw a brick at us.
Received via e-mail
How Wealthy Are We?
From the
standpoint of material wealth, we Americans have difficulty realizing how rich
we are. Robert Heilbroner, who has written dozens of
books on the subject of the economy, suggest that we go through a little mental
exercise that will help us count our blessings. Imagine doing the following,
and you will see how daily life is for more than a billion people in the world.
1. Take out all the
furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket
and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your
clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one
pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the
refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few
potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom,
shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Take away the house
itself and move the family into the tool shed.
6. Place your
"house" in a shantytown.
7. Cancel all subscriptions
to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now
none of you can read anyway.
8. Leave only one radio for
the whole shantytown.
9. Move the nearest hospital
or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your
bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the
family a cash hoard of ten dollars.
11. Give the head of the
family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of
cash crops, of which one third will go to the landlord and one tenth to the
money lenders.
12. Lop off twenty-five or
more years in life expectancy.
By comparison how rich we
are! And with our wealth comes responsibility. We should use it wisely, not be
wasteful, and help others.
The list comes from
economist Robert Heilbroner
Greed is the
logical result of the belief that there is no life after death. We grab what we
can while we can however we can and then hold on to it hard.
Nothing Bad That I Do Is
My Fault
That
precocious little boy from the comics, Calvin, walked into the living room
where his father was sitting in a chair reading. Calvin announces: "I've
concluded that nothing bad that I do is my fault."
Dad's curiosity is peaked,
so Dad says, "Oh?"
Calvin continues:
"Right! Being young and impressionable, I'm the helpless victim of
countless bad influences! An unwholesome culture panders to my undeveloped
values and pushes me to malfeasance. I take no responsibility for my behavior!
I'm an innocent pawn! It's society's fault."
Dad is totally unimpressed
and says, "Then you need to build more character. Go shovel the
walk."
In the last scene, Calvin is
shoveling snow and complains, "These discussions never go where they're
supposed to go."
Many of us are just like
Calvin, we don't want to take responsibility for our actions. We don't want to
be accountable. We don't want to own up to our faults and our sinfulness. We
delude ourselves by blaming the stink of sin on others.
The great
pianist, Paderewski, had a friend whose little girl was going to give a piano
recital. Out of respect for his friend, Paderewski accepted the girl's
invitation to her recital. When she saw the famous pianist in the audience, she
got stage fright, forgot her piece, and broke down in tears.
At the close of the concert,
Paderewski said nothing to her but went up and tenderly kissed her on the
forehead and left. If she had not made the mistake and failed, she would not
have received a kiss of love and understanding from the master pianist.
Likewise, it is when we
stumble and fall into sin and are complete failures that the mercy of God in
Christ is experienced in terms of forgiveness.
It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way
The noted
author, John Killinger, tells a powerful story about
a man who is all alone in a hotel room in
He is a powerful man
usually, the chairman of a large shipping company, but at this moment, he is
absolutely overwhelmed by the pressures and demands of life - and he lies there
on a lonely hotel bed far from home wallowing in self-pity.
All of his life, he has been
fastidious, worrying about everything, anxious and fretful, always fussing and
stewing over every detail. And now, at mid-life, his anxiety has gotten the
best of him, even to the extent that it is difficult for him to sleep and to
eat.
He worries and broods and
agonizes about everything, his business, his investments, his decisions, his
family, his health, even, his dogs. Then, on this day in this Canadian hotel,
he craters. He hits bottom. Filled with anxiety, completely immobilized,
paralyzed by his emotional despair, unable to leave his room, lying on his bed,
he moans out loud: “Life isn’t worth living this way, I wish I were dead!”
And then, he wonders, what
God would think if he heard him talking this way.
Speaking aloud again he
says, “God, it’s a joke, isn’t it? Life is nothing but a joke.” Suddenly, it
occurs to the man that this is the first time he’s talked to God since he was a
little boy. He is silent for a moment and then he begins to pray. He describes
it like this: “I just talked out loud about what a mess my life was in and how
tired I was and how much I wanted things to be different in my life. And you
know what happened next? A voice!! I heard a voice say, ‘It doesn’t have to be
that way!’ That’s all.”
He went home and talked to
his wife about what happened. He talked to his brother who is a minister and
asked him: “Do you think it was God speaking to me?” The brother said: “Of
course, because that is the message of God to you and everyone of us. That’s
the message of the Bible. That’s why Jesus Christ came into the world to save
us, to deliver us, to free us, to change us and to show us that ‘It doesn’t
have to be that way.’ A few days later, the man called his brother and said,
“You were right. It has really happened. I’ve been reading the Bible and I’ve
come to believe in Jesus! I’m a new man! Christ has turned it around for me!”
Well, the man is still prone
to anxiety. He still has to work hard. But, now he has a source of strength.
During the week, he often leaves his work-desk and goes to the church near his
office. He sits there and prays. He says: “It clears my head. It reminds me of
who I am and whose I am. Each time as I sit there in the sanctuary, I think
back to that day in that hotel room in
Martin
Luther, believed in the existence of demons, but he believed in God more. In
that great hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" he writes:
And though this world, with
devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo,
his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That hymn, first published
in 1529, has been called "the greatest hymn of the greatest man of the
greatest period of German history." It has also been dubbed the
"Battle Hymn of the Reformation" and with good reason. The
Reformation touched off one of the most influential movements in world history.
But before this famous
Battle Hymn could be written Luther had to battle his personal demons and
exorcize them from his own life. Luther felt utterly worthless and incapable of
carrying the burdens of priesthood. On occasion Luther even flogged himself in
an attempt to keep himself from sin.
He was often, he felt,
pursued and tormented by Satan and his cohorts. Until one day, while reading
Paul's letter to the Romans, he suddenly understood the meaning of God's grace
and how it is appropriated by faith. In that moment he came to understand that
he was justified before God through faith and not by his works.
You might say that after
this experience Luther was no longer possessed by his demons, he was sitting
upright, dressed, and in his right mind.
His name Is Michael. I’m
Tommy!
One day a
young father was shopping in a crowded super-market. His three-year-old son was
with him. The little boy was riding in the grocery cart - and he was
misbehaving terribly and causing all kinds of problems.
Every time the father would
put something into the cart, the little boy would grab it and throw it back
out. If the cart went close to the shelves, the three-year-old boy would just
rake stuff off onto the floor. At one point, the little boy crawled out of the
cart and ran down the aisle (knocking over every display he could get his hands
on) with his father in hot pursuit.
People who were in the store
at the time could hear the father saying out loud over and over, “Just be
patient, Tommy. It won’t be much longer Tommy. It’ll be O.K., Tommy. Be calm,
Tommy. Hang in there, Tommy.”
Finally, a distinguished
looking woman came up to the man and she said: “I just want to compliment you.
I’ve been watching you and I want you to know that I admire you and the
remarkable patience you have with little Tommy.”
“O, but Lady,” the man said.
“You don’t understand.” His name is Michael. I’m Tommy!!!”
Well, that’s a smart man! He
was right to start with himself. If we are going to set a problem right, we
have to get ourselves set right first.
My Real Problem Is That I
Don’t Like Myself
Some time
ago, a young lawyer came to see his pastor. He was down in the dumps, at his
wit’s end. He said: “Everything’s gone wrong. I have lost confidence in my
professional ability... my wife has left me. I can’t get along with my
children. I’m cut off from my parents and my in-laws. I’m having conflicts with
my co-workers. I’ve been drinking heavily. Everybody has left me... and I don’t
blame them. I’ve been bitter and hostile. I’ve done so many mean and cruel
things... and now I have so many problems…
He paused and took a deep
breath. Then, he leaned forward and said: “To tell you the truth, I think all
those problems and troubles are symptoms. My real problem is that I don’t like
myself… and that taints everything I touch and do.”
Well, he was probably right.
When you are at war with yourself, it smudges and distorts every relationship.
On the other hand, when we feel good about ourselves, we are more loving, more
patient, more thoughtful, more gracious... toward everyone we see.
A lot of
what God had done throughout history hasn't seemed fair to people. Why was Jacob not denounced by God for his
conniving ways? Why was David not
disowned by God for his disgraceful actions?
Why was the adulteress not condemned by Jesus for her open disregard of
the moral laws? Why was Peter not
disavowed by God after his blatant denial of Christ in the courtyard? Why was
Paul not banished by God forever because of his persecution of the Christians
early in his life?
Why? That is the question:
Why? And the answer is because there is
nothing in the world so tenacious and resolute as the grace of God. The Gospel of John tells us: "God did not send the Son into the world
to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through
him." (John 3:17)
Dr. Peil's Science Corner
The Stars
The farthest stars from the earth are on the order of 10 – 15
billion light years away. If the
universe is less than 10,000 years old - as the Bible teaches, how is it that
we can see starlight from stars that are 10 - 15 billion light years away?
One possible answer to this question relates to the fact that God
created a mature creation. For example,
the fruit trees He created were fully mature, barring a full crop of fruit on
the first day of their creation. In the
matter of starlight, I like to say that God created not only the stars, but the
starlight as well.
Another way of putting this is God created starlight "on the
way". Even though there were stars
hundreds of light years away, they would have been fully visible by Adam the
first time he looked into the sky.
Show Me a Dinosaur!
Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible? The word "dinosaur" won't be found,
since that word was not coined until the mid 1800s. However, many think there are creatures
described in the Bible that seem very similar to dinosaurs. In Job 40:15-24, God describes to Job a
creature called behemoth: "Look at
the behemoth . What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of
his belly! His tail sways like a cedar.
His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God. Can
anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?"
The description of Behemoth in this chapter has led many to think God is
referring to the class of dinosaurs known as large sauro-pods
such as the Apatosaurus, Diplodocus or Brachiosaurus. Sauropods were the
largest animals to have ever lived on land, attaining lengths of 100 feet and
weighing as much as 120 tons.
Minnesota
Governor and Legislators Visit The Lutheran Home Campus
The evening of August 25th, Minnesota
Governor Tim Pawlenty and area legislators made an
unexpected visit to The Lutheran Home Campus in Belle Plaine,
Many staff members from nursing homes and services
caring for people with developmental disabilities throughout
Michael Klatt, President
and CEO of The Lutheran Home Association, and other Lutheran Home team members have worked with various
service providers and city, county and state officials to raise awareness about
these issues and speak out for the residents of The Lutheran Home Campus. This
visit was the result of a united effort by many to help make the governor aware
of the challenges in Belle Plaine and throughout the
state.
While the visit was not lengthy or scheduled, the
governor was very pleased to see the large turn out of residents, staff and community
members.
The governor greeted and visited with each person who
had come to see him. A number of residents and team members from the nursing
home and the Hope Residence, which cares for adults with developmental
disabilities on the campus, were present. Governor Pawlenty
also posed for numerous photos.
"It is wonderful to see so many caring,
committed staff here this evening. I want you to know that I and everyone in
Michael Klatt, President
and CEO of The Lutheran Home Association said he was thrilled to have the
governor and legislators visit the facility.
"Many of our staff members had the opportunity
to visit with the Governor," Klatt said.
"They were able to tell the Governor about things that our homes are doing
that work especially well, and also tell him about challenges facing caregivers
who love the work they do every day. I know Governor Pawlenty
appreciated hearing from individual staff members about their work."
As Governor Pawlenty left
The Lutheran Home, he encountered a group of boys from
(Missionary
Terry Schultz,
Our Bible Institute of the Jungle in Tarapoto was into its
second full day of classes. The Chayahuita native communities of Parinari and Nueva Barranquita had each sent two leaders on the grueling
three-day trip to join us. Pelejo, Yurimaguas, El Eden, and Tarapoto also had leaders in
attendance. On this day, our normal class was brought to a crashing halt as the
following extremely peculiar story was heard.
Deep
in the Amazon jungle there existed a Chayahuita village of about 50
natives. Like most of the villages, nearly everyone in the community got
along fairly well. However, there was one rather strange man who lived
there. (We’ll use the name Pisango.) Pisango was married and had
three young children. Naturally, he also had many relatives living in the
same community, - aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, Pisango was living
a troubled life. Many nights he could be heard raising his voice at his
wife and children. And, he was often severely critical of the other villagers.
A
year or two after the birth of his final child, Pisango began doing something
terribly wrong. He became involved with a married woman from the next
village. Like most anywhere, it is not hard for an adulterous affair to
take place in a native community. For early every morning before the sun
rises, the men leave their homes and head out to their rice and corn fields
several hours walk from the village. Those who wish to carry on an
illicit affair have little trouble keeping it a secret - at least for a while
anyway. And so it was with Pisango and the married woman from the village
next door, we’ll call Paloma.
No
one knows for sure when the adulterous affair started. Doesn’t really matter.
Pisango would pretend to be going off to his rice crop, when in fact he
would be sneaking out into the jungle to meet Paloma, whose husband was in fact
off in his rice field.
One
day, Pisango and Paloma met secretly not far from her village, on a small cliff
overlooking a shallow stream. Pisango was by now so involved with Paloma
that, as they sat there in the grass, he proposed a daring plan: “Run
away with me to a village I know several days down the Rio Yanayacu.
There we could live together.” Paloma was shocked at this proposal, as she never
had planned to leave her husband and children. (Just what she was
thinking all those weeks, who knows?) Paloma began crying, and told
Pisango she couldn’t meet him anymore, - the affair must end right now.
Pisango
was absolutely stunned by the unexpected rejection from Paloma. He stood
up, with a look in his eyes that turned from dazed to hurt. Then a look
of deep rage slowly swept over his face. Paloma jumped up off the grass,
gasping at the sight. She began walking backwards away from Pisango, who
was now really scaring her! He began yelling at her as he walked towards
her. Paloma continued slowly backing away, trying to put some distance between
herself and Pisango. Paloma had no idea what he might do. She kept
staring at him, hoping for a sign that his rage was subsiding.
Paloma
lost track of where she was standing, there on that high cliff above the
stream. Unable to take her eyes off the menacing Pisango, Paloma took one
step too many backwards. Suddenly, she fell right off the cliff!
Pisango
rushed up to the edge of the cliff and peered down. Paloma’s
tiny, motionless body, like a wispy, cornhusk doll, lay wedged between two huge
rocks at the edge of the stream. She was quite obviously dead.
Pisango threw his head back in an anguished scream that rang out over the
jungle. Two natives fishing downstream raced to the scene, where they
discovered the dead Paloma and a devastated Pisango.
The
two natives brought Pisango and the dead girl back to her village. News
of what had happened became known immediately. Of course, more than a few
villagers had long suspected the affair was going on. And even though
everyone believed that Paloma’s death was somewhat
accidental, it was hard to keep Paloma’s two brothers
from killing Pisango on the spot.
The
village Apu (chief) himself physically held back Paloma’s oldest brother, yelling at him not to kill Pisango
in the village. With two dead natives, the authorities would surely come
around, bringing all kinds of trouble to the village. The Apu told the brothers they must take Pisango to the nearest
local authority, a mestizo judge in Shucushuyacu, a 6-hour walk away. The brothers agreed
to take Pisango to the judge, where they would insist that Pisango pay with his
life for killing their sister, accident or not.
Six
hours down jungle paths indeed brought the two furious brothers and a trembling
Pisango to the office of the judge in Shucushuyacu.
It was now nearly dinnertime for the portly judge, who wasn’t too fond of
Chayahuitas in the first place. Sitting behind his desk, he listened with
some attention, as the incriminating story of adultery and death was told rapid
fire by the two angry men. The brothers brief testimony culminated in
such a crescendo of rage that the judge slid his chair back a ways from the
sputtering, red-faced men.
Now
the judge hadn’t the least bit of sympathy for Pisango, who didn’t say a word
in his own defense. And, it was quite obvious that the enraged brothers
would never simply hand him over. Then again the judge thought, why not
let the natives deal with it themselves? After all, justice is justice,
and there was no doubting that the capitol crime must be paid for.
(Note:
At this juncture, the storyteller paused for a moment for a drink of water.
Meanwhile, our Chayahuita Bible Institute students were nodding their heads,
agreeing that Pisango must die. “Sometimes natives must kill a community
member for their crimes,” one of the students informed me. “Either sticks or
machetes are used.” (!!)
The
storyteller returned to the story:
With
an icy glare at the defendant and a couple quick comments, the judge officially
declared the distraught Pisango guilty. The judge then motioned for the two
brothers to approach his desk on the side. Not surprisingly, a little
folding money was passed to the judge. And with that, the
vengeance-seeking brothers were apparently free to drag Pisango off and do as
they pleased.
But
just at the final moment, to the complete shock and astonishment of everyone, a
native from a neighboring village burst through the front door and into the
office. Pisango instantly recognized him as one of his relatives.
The man had apparently been told what was going on and had come running before
it was too late for Pisango.
The
man (we’ll call him “the stranger” since he didn’t take time to give his name)
sized up the obvious situation. He immediately approached the desk to
address the judge. Speaking in a clear, even voice that instantly
mesmerized everyone in the room, the stranger began to talk. He said he
was a relative of Pisango’s. He said he was aware of what had happened
and did not question Pisango’s guilt. The stranger even stated that he
agreed that Pisango deserved to die for his actions.
But
then, in a moment too incredible to ever imagine, the stranger made a simple
announcement: He had come to offer to take Pisango’s place. Shocked
beyond words, the judge sat motionless, stunned at the incomprehensible
gesture. Why would the stranger offer to die for the guilty Pisango? The
answer was profoundly simple. The stranger quietly explained that he
loved Pisango as a son, with all his heart. He would willingly pay the
required penalty with his own death.
The
incredulous judge, so moved by the stranger’s words, intuitively sensed that
the man would not be dissuaded. Still speechless, the judge slowly,
stiffly, nodded his assent. He then quietly ordered the brothers to
release Pisango, who immediately made a dash for the door before the brothers
had time to react. Seconds later, realizing the object of their rage had
just slipped away, the brothers regained their senses, and now had no one left
but the stranger on which to pour out their wrath. Not waiting a moment
longer, the brothers roughly grabbed him on each side and headed out of the
judge’s office. The stranger made no resistance. A few minutes
later, as the three of them barely entered the edge of the dense jungle outside
the village, the stranger was immediately killed.
The
students lowered their heads at the mention of the stranger’s death. They
silently nodded as if to indicate that the execution made some sense. In a convoluted way, Pisango’s crimes had
been paid for in the end.
I
let several moments of silence pass. I then stood up to say one more
thing. (You see, it was I who had been telling the story all along.)
“This is a story I made up, although it’s based on a couple true stories.
I just added a few things. I told the story in order to teach us something.”
As
the story apparently had such a ring of authenticity to it, the entire class
had been sucked in. The students were completely taken aback by my
revelation that some of it was made up. However, after a moment to
recover from the surprise, everyone seemed fine. After all, teaching through storytelling is a
very common practice among the natives. The class did however seem more
than a little surprised, (make that a bit perturbed) that I would make up a
story without first telling them.
And
yet an even more startling revelation was about to occur. With the image of
Nathan’s shocking indictment of adulterous, murderous, David flashing in my
head I announce: Pisango is a symbol of each one of you!
The
students stared at me in stunned silence, incomprehension written all over
their faces. You could feel them reviewing the story in their heads and
making no personal connection whatsoever. I quickly added: And the
man who took Pisango’s place is a symbol of Jesus. The entire story is a
picture of how Jesus took your place and died for your sins. Jesus was
completely innocent and we are completely guilty.
With
this additional information, the students again try to process the story and
personally identify with the evil Pisango as their teacher insists. I sat
down and opened my Bible to Matthew, waiting for the first, obvious questions
to start rolling in. I didn’t have to wait long. The natives
whispered among themselves and properly appointed Teodoro, the highest-ranking
village chief among the students, to take on the unenviable responsibility of
correcting their teacher.
“But
Pastor Terry” Teodoro respectfully says, a most painful combination of timidly
and hurt in his voice: “None of us here have ever taken another man’s
wife, and we certainly haven’t killed anyone without cause.” (???) Everyone
in the room nodded in agreement, all looking keenly disturbed. For have I not
demonstrated that I suspect my students to be adulterers and murderers? (Am I
simply yet another outsider with vicious prejudices against natives? - I can
feel them now wondering!) Or, has it been demonstrated that I their respected
professor am all befuddled and confused? The class was obviously in
crisis!
“Turn
to Matthew 5,” I gently instructed. And in a moment, Jesus’ simple,
direct teachings explaining that those who look lustfully are guilty of
adultery and those who hate are guilty of murder has us all indicted. We
understand that we are all guilty of multiple offenses. And yet with that sad
realization, I could now turn our focus to Jesus and His supreme love for us!
When the class finally ended, it was clear that the Holy Spirit had
greatly blessed us: The Law had done its work, in all its damning
directness. And, I suspect the saving Gospel message had never broken
through to these natives so clearly.
After
classes, I couldn’t help thinking: We have spent months and months with our
Amazon leaders establishing who Jesus is. “The God-man Jesus” – “God Himself
coming to earth in human form”, “our Savior from sin,”- it had all been
explained over and over again. Yet at times I have deeply worried about
whether the natives were truly grasping our central teaching, the Doctrine of
Justification: That we poor individuals, guilty of the most horrendous
sins, have been saved by God’s gracious love for us - a love so great that
Jesus literally stepped forward in front of me and offered to die in my
place.
Today,
after our parable about Pisango, a story that’s really the story of every one
of us, I relax a moment, thank the Holy Spirit and think: Yes, the natives
really are getting it.
“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Ro.
5:7-8.
Terry
Volunteer Opportunities
Cancer patients from your community need your help to get to
their medical treatments and appointments. Road to Recovery, an American Cancer
Society program, needs kind people to volunteer their time and use their own
cars to drive patients to and from their appointments. If you are interested in
volunteering, but unable to drive, consider becoming a coordinator and help
schedule rides without leaving your home. For more information, please contact
Mary Wiles at
651.255.8183 or mary.wiles@cancer.org
Spiritual Renewal Weekend For Women
Plans are
underway for the upcoming 12th annual Spiritual Renewal Weekend for Women,
sponsored by St. Peter Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) in
St. Peter, MN. We'd like you to visit our website for all the details.
There are big changes in the works for this year!
A NEW
DATE: April 15-17, 2005
A NEW
LOCATION: Kahler Grand Hotel, Rochester, MN
Please visit the website soon:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jabakken
The Annual Meeting of the Martin Luther College (MLC) Ladies
Auxiliary will meet Wednesday, October 13 at Martin Luther College, New Ulm with registration and coffee at 9:00am.
The theme of the annual meeting is taken from the first third part of
Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord will bless us with His preservation,
His grace, His peace.” Opening devotion will begin the day’s events at 10:00am,
with lunch at noon in the college cafeteria.
Election of officers, selection of new projects, faculty presentations
and student entertainment are part of the day’s agenda.
Baby-sitting is available.
It is the goal of the Auxiliary to raise awareness of MLC and to fund
projects that will benefit faculty and students that are not a part of the
regular budget of the college.
Items for the Married Students’ Food Shelf will be collected through
Sunday October 10.
Please leave them in the box provided in the Fellowship Hall. The items will be taken to MLC the day of
the meeting.
Contact Jean Brown if you are interested in spending a day on the campus
of our College of Ministry.
Jean Brown
A “Shower” For The Fellowship Hall
On Saturday, October 23, we invite all women of the
congregation to attend a PartyLite show to be held in the Fellowship Hall at
Mt. Olive. We will begin at 10:30am and a brunch will be served at
approximately 11:30am. Our wish is to
purchase items to decorate the fellowship area in a tasteful and inspirational
manner. PartyLite has several items that would be perfect for our needs.
Specifically, there is a wonderful wrought iron cross and matching shelf units
that would greatly enhance the space.
We invite you all to attend whether or not you wish to purchase any
items personally. The idea is to have a “shower” for the Fellowship Hall. Any
monetary rewards gained from sales at this party will be used to obtain free
items for the church. [There are also items that would be good for Altar Guild
use and for the Fireside Room.]
If an individual would like to donate an item that we have chosen, or
would like to make a monetary donation in any amount, that is definitely
encouraged.
So, bring a friend if you’d like and join us on Saturday, October 23rd
at 10:30am. It will be a good opportunity to begin your Christmas shopping
also. There are great gifts in every price range.
There is a sign-up sheet located on the round table in the Fellowship
Hall. Please let us know if you plan to attend so that we have plenty of
delicious food for everyone (or, you can e-mail Linda at lkptrsn@aol.com)!
Thank you!
Linda Petersen & Pam Folkens
Sunday School News & Notes
“Time in the Olive Grove” has gotten off to a good start. We
have 15 children this year from ages 4 through 6th grade. The Mount Olive
Players presented a lesson for us and we have seen a video of Jesus' birth. The
children are enjoying the crafts and lighter approach to singing. Our staff is
working hard to make each Sunday an experience with the Word that the children
will want to repeat each week.
The
children will be singing for our Sunday worship service on Nov.7th. This is our
Reformation weekend and the emphasis is on Luther and education. Watch the
children's folders for information and keep this Sunday open so that they can
join us to worship and praise the Lord.
Mt. Olive Altar
Guild Meeting Set
Altar Guild
will hold a meeting on Thursday, October 21, 7:00pm in the Fireside Room. We
have several important matters to discuss, as well as welcoming new members to
the guild. All new and prospective
members, please plan to attend. We also encourage members of
the Chinese Church
Altar Guild to attend so that we might better coordinate our
duties and use of the Altar Guild room.
Refreshments will be
served following the meeting.
If you have any
questions regarding joining Altar Guild, please feel free to contact me at
651.636.1073 or e-mail lkptrsn@aol.com or speak to any current guild member.
Thank you!
Linda Petersen,
Mt. Olive Altar Guild President
Pew
Register Notice
The Elders
will again be reviewing the pew registers for church attendance during the
months of October and November.
Please sign the register in your pew during those months so
that we may have accurate information concerning our church attendance.
Fall LWMS Rally
The Fall Rally of the St Croix
Circuit Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) will be held Saturday
October 9th at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Maple Grove. The topic for the rally is "Reaching Out
to the Japanese - at Home in Minnesota". Women of the WELS (WOW) have
joined together throughout the St Croix Circuit for 40 years through LWMS to
learn more about "Sharing Jesus" with the world. Mt. Olive is a member of the LWMS, and Mae
Schmidt is the reporter for our congregation.
Please remember the Food Drive for the food shelf at Martin
Luther College. The non-perishable food
that is donated will help married students who attend MLC. Please bring non-perishable food items to the
Fellowship Hall as soon as possible.
Thanks!
Reformation Renewal Weekend - 2004 is scheduled for
November 5-7 here at Mt. Olive.
Professor Arnold Koelpin from Martin Luther College in New Ulm will be our guest presenter. He will also preach our Reformation Sermon on
Sunday, November 7th. This
year marks the 475th anniversary of Luther's Small and Large
Catechisms so it is fitting that our weekend focus be "Luther on Education." Exciting presen-tations
are planned for Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning. Please mark November 5-7 on your calendar now
so nothing else is scheduled to take you away from Reformation Renewal Weekend -
2004.
The new, exciting Martin Luther movie will be shown at
a congregational movie night Friday, November 12, 2004, beginning at
7:00pm. (Luther’s birthday is November
10th.) Bring your family and relax from a busy week. Please bring your favorite movie snack to
share. All are welcome! If you have any questions or transportation
concerns, please call Nicole Burkhardt at
763.862.8009.
Christian Life Ministries Ball will be held November 13th at the Prom Center in Oakdale. Items are needed for the Silent and Live
Auction to be held that evening. Items
needed are gift certificates, theme baskets, cash, or any item suitable for
auction. Please call Rita Kruschwitz or Marcella Voss for information, donation
forms, or tickets for the Celebration of Life Ball.
Treasurer’s Report
Contributions have remained strong during the summer months,
and with the reduced expenses we typically have in the summer, we have been
able to catch up on most of our commitments.
At the end of August, we are only $2,800 behind our budgeted amount for
synod support. All other commitments are
current, except for the repayment of the loan to our special funds (which is
our loan for the building maintenance activities), for which we have not made a
payment this year.
Below is a comparison of some categories between last and this year.
Jerry Holen
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All amounts,
Year-to-date thru August |
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