How Does One Love and Forgive Another Sinner?

On Saturday mornings, I pray and confess through the Ten Commandments.  

The first three commandments are always easy - I'm guilty.  I fall short of loving and trusting the Lord.  I fall short in praying and meditating on God's Word.   

But then I get to the next three commandments:  
- Respect and obey those people in charge.
- Don't murder and don't hate.
- Don't commit adultery, meaning love my spouse.

These commandments deal with sins against other people, and my confession often sounds like this:

Help me to honor and obey my leaders and to pray for them, in spite of their lack of integrity.

Forgive me for being angry at this person who is clearly acting in a self-serving manner.

Forgive me for not loving my husband as I should, and help me to overlook his sins.

Notice what I did?  

I justified myself by blaming other people, other sinners, for my failure to obey God's commandments, my failure to love and forgive my neighbor.

And I mostly do this without even realizing it.

But the Lord never lets me get away with this type of behavior, this type of confession, because next comes the Seventh and Eighth Commandments.

"You shall not steal" and "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

In other words:
- Don't be lazy; don't waste time or resources.
- Don't talk about people who are annoying.

Guilty and guilty.

With those two commandments I know I'm in the same boat with those who rule over me, with people who get under my skin, and even with my family members.

We're all sinners in need of forgiveness. 

In confessing my sin, my guilt, my self-centered ways, I also experience the comfort and the value of the cross.  And it's then that I'm blessed with a small ability to love and forgive others as I've been forgiven.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.                 1 John 4:10–11

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8

Who's to Blame, and Who's Gonna Fix It?

I have a relatively new neighbor.  After moving in, he put a flag pole in his front yard flying both an American flag and a blue Trump banner.  He later added a flag pole at the side of his house.  

But his boldest move has been to etch "MAGA!" on the sidewalk.

In this country, we have people who worship the President.  Likewise, we have people who want to impeach him.  

At the bottom of it all, everyone recognizes that something is wrong with the world.  And we want the world fixed, or at least better.

And because of the predicament that the world is in, people are asking, but mostly arguing about two questions.  First, who's to blame for the mess we're in?  Second, who's going to fix it and how?  

And people disagree about the answers to both questions.

But the truth is, "We live in a broken world," and it's almost always been that way.

I was talking about this with another neighbor, a young father and republican who voted for Trump, but admits that he just doesn't like the President.

We agreed on this, "All men are sinful."  

Some men keep their sins secret, and outwardly appear to have honor and integrity; and some, like the President, have no shame and just say what's on their minds.

So, back to the two questions:

1.  Who's to blame for the mess we're in?

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.  Romans 5:12

We're all guilty, and we're all to blame.  We all deserve death because of sin.  It's not any one person's leadership or any one political party's laws or positions.  It's all of us.

2.  Who's going to do the fixing and how?

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  2 Corinthians 5:18–19

Jesus is the one who's done the fixing, who paid the price for me, for all the guilty, through His death and resurrection.  He's the one who's making all things new.

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  Isaiah 65:17

And my response is to love people and to share this truth with them. 

My friend, the young father, he looks at the world's mess and he just wants a safe world for his girls.  He loves them, as a father loves his children, similar to how the Father loves us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  John 3:16–17

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.  Acts 4:12

Amen, come Lord Jesus.

To Work and to Rest

In the Marvel movies, Tony Stark, the bad boy turned Iron Man, is always working, serving, doing whatever he can to save the world.  He just won't rest.  

Pepper Potts even says, "Tony, trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my entire life."

Tony's relentlessness reminds me of the Christian's walk.  The work never seems to end.  There's always something to do or somebody to serve.

While I was in the Marine Corps, a fellow lieutenant had a sign that read:

If not you, who?  

If not now, when?

I didn't think much about it at the time, but these days...well...I often think, "If not me, then who?"  Like Tony Stark, I see a lot of work, and it seems like I should be doing it.  It'd be nice to stop and rest.

But there's a lot wrong with my attitude. 

Ugly pride rears its head.  The exhaustion of work, the discouragement - pride is mixed in with that feeling.  Yes, I'm commanded to love and serve people, but it's the Lord working through me, with His strength and His gifts.  It's not my talents or efforts that matter, but I often act and feel like it's on me. 

This idea of balancing work and rest reminds me of prayer.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6

So, how does a Christian face and deal with life's issues and problems, pray about them, but not worry?  Likewise, how does a Christian see all the work that needs to be done, join in doing it, but not feel overwhelmed, anxious, or prideful about the work?  

People often say, "Give it to the Lord."  But I ask, "How do you do that?"  

How do I give my work, my problems, to the Lord, but also still continue the work and still live alongside the problems?  Is there some mysticism involved here?  

I tend to focus on the problems, on getting the work done, and praying for help, for things to be better.  Good to do.

But, that doesn't alleviate the personal discouragement and hurts that happen in the midst of life.  Praying about the problems just doesn't help me deal with my despair or exhaustion.

And the answer is always the same.  Sin and grace.

Whatever the situation is, when I pray for help, but also confess my own sin, ask for forgiveness, and give thanks for Jesus's death and resurrection, in that prayer I find peace, comfort, strength, and rest.

It's always about the cross; it's always about Jesus's resurrection.

If not you, who?

Jesus

If not now, when?

At the cross.

At the empty tomb.

 

 He is risen indeed! 

On Women in Combat

During my time in the military, 1980 to 1989, women weren't allowed to serve in combat.  They couldn't be assigned to combatant ships, and they couldn't fly a plane that was designed to engage in conflict.  On the ground, women didn't participate in offensive infantry battles or even train for them.




Looking back at my time in the Marine Corps, I recall a couple of situations that provide some insights.

While attending TBS, a six-month officer training course, I participated in both offensive and defensive infantry instruction.  And on every occasion that we had offensive field training, one other woman and I would always be assigned to join a large group of male lieutenants, along with a crusty old Marine as our instructor.  Despite policy, he'd make us train right alongside the men.  

And I hated it.  It was hard and tiring, the gear was heavy, and I'm not that strong.  I remember one particularly difficult exercise, mechanized assaults.  I was struggling, and one of my fellow Marines asked if I was okay.  And although everyone was hurting, he asked and was concerned about me because I was a woman.

At my last duty station, Parris Island, South Carolina, I was a series commander and a company commander at Fourth Recruit Training Battalion, which is the only unit in the Marine Corps that specifically trains women recruits.  Overall, the women recruits I saw were capable and performed well, but I couldn't see them in combat.  I'm being honest here - women just aren't as physically strong as men, and I saw that.

Fast forward to today.  The restrictions on women's military service are gone.  Women fly all types of aircraft and serve on combatant ships and on submarines.  Some women have even completed infantry training right alongside the men.  And everyone seems to be applauding this breakthrough.  I don't want to take away from these accomplishments. 

Maybe things have changed; maybe women are stronger.  I know there's always a few women who are as capable as or more capable than many men.  I could be wrong, but I'd be surprised if the majority of women are that capable. 

But as I think about this "women in combat" thing, my question is, "Even if women are as capable and as strong as men, should they fight in combat?  Is this good for us, for our society?"

As a Christian, I look to God's Word.  I look to my God as our creator; He created us with order and a plan.  He created us in His image - male and female.  And God commanded:

Be fruitful and multiply.  Genesis 1:28b

It's very clear that women's bodies are beautifully equipped to bear and nurture children, to give life.  As a woman, as a mother, and looking at this situation over time, I see that God has a good plan and order for creation.  For women, His plan includes giving them the ability to bear life.

God also created them male and female, with marriage in mind and the female as a "helper fit for him."  Genesis 2:20b

And that marriage between a husband and wife is a reflection of the relationship between Jesus and His church, His bride.  As Paul writes:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  Ephesians 5:31–32

This is the drama of creation and of God's story.  And we're a part of it, and a living picture of salvation. 

Jesus, the promised savior, lived among man, was born a man, specifically born of a woman.  

Jesus, our bridegroom, fights the battle for us; He dies for us; and in dying and rising again, He defeats sin, death, and Satan.   

And in this picture of salvation, we see and experience the love of God.  And we see this in our marriages, with a husband and a wife, with children - in living as He created us to live.  Yes, it's a mystery, and in this mystery, we testify to the world of salvation through Jesus.   

I don't have a satisfying answer to "women in combat."  It's a complicated issue.

But I do have the answer to, "Who's my God?  Who's my Savior?  What's this life all about?"  Jesus.

...who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

A Martyr's Faith in a Faithless World

Let's be honest - no one really wants to die a martyr's death.  But Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller loves to talk about Christian martyrs.  Telling about the death of a martyr seems to excite him.  I was afraid his new book would be titled Wolfmueller's Book of Martyrs.  It's not. 


The first chapter of A Martyr's Faith in a Faithless World is called Christians Need Heroes.  Going forward with that theme, Pastor Wolfmueller begins each of the book's five sections with a brief account of a famous Christian martyr.  He then teaches about faith by explaining an aspect of The Parable of the Sower.  

In section one, Pastor Wolfmueller introduces the parable.  In the next three sections, corresponding to the first three seeds, he handles the dangers to the Christian faith.  The final section tells of the seed that falls on the good ground and the hope of the harvest.  

And in teaching the parable, Pastor Wolfmueller manages to include many Biblical accounts and probably every aspect of the Christian faith, including Adam and Eve, Job, Christian vocation, sin, lust, money, and more.  

When I read a book like this, I always ask myself, "What do I take with me?  What impacted me?"

But this book is profuse with truth, with each chapter containing  teachings that I could study and meditate on for hours and days.  I especially appreciate the extensive quotations from the Bible, from Luther's Works, and from the Lutheran Confessions.

So, I've chosen one quote from each section to share, and it wasn't easy to choose just one.

1.  ...the death of Jesus is the most significant event in the history of the world, and it is the most significant event in the history of your life (and in your death).  The cross of Jesus is the most important thing to know, to believe, and to understand.  (Page 26)

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  1 Corinthians 2:2

2. The devil can twist everything you do and say and use it against you.  Everything but prayer.  (Page 85)

...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:18a

3.  We know that there are things that the Lord wants to give us - things such as endurance and character - and the only way to get them is in the school of suffering.  (Page 132-133)

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.  Romans 5:3-4

4.  If you had leprosy on your hand and broke your finger, you wouldn't know.  In a similar way, we are so profoundly sinful we don't even know it or feel it.  We must be told in the Scriptures.  (Page 144)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.  2 Timothy 3:16

5.  There is no secret to spiritual warfare.  There is no fast track to Christian maturity.  We finish where we start:  the kindness of God promised to us in the humble preached Word.  (Page 188)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.       Psalm 119:105

Thanks, Pastor Wolfmueller.

The Desire for More

Two years ago, I watched my first Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.  Then my sons took charge.  I watched all the old movies and got "caught up" on the story lines.  I was able to see Avengers: Infinity War at the theater, and join other Marvel fans in waiting a year for the final movie.  Avengers: Endgame hit the theaters in April, and is now available on DVD.  

But I'm left asking, "Is that it?"
  
You see, Endgame is a perfect and a satisfying movie.  Loose ends are tied up; story lines are brought together.  Past story lines are referenced and revisited.  All questions are answered.

But now it's over.  There's no looking forward to future movies or contemplating the "something greater" still to come.

That's the way of satisfaction in this world.  Satisfaction doesn't last, which leaves us constantly wanting more and always moving "on to the next thing."

And I think about the Christian life.  Similar to waiting a year to see Endgame, my Christian life is a waiting - a waiting for Jesus to return, to fulfill His promise.

In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  John 14:2-3

Amen, come Lord Jesus.

But then what?  

As I think about satisfaction, perfection, and wanting more, C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle comes to mind.

The Last Battle is the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, stories that place the Christian narrative in the mythical world of Narnia.  The Last Battle is Narnia's take on the book of Revelation.  And as the characters are taken into eternity, Lewis talks about them going further up and further in - always, always more.  And I love this quote:

But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.             C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

With that paragraph, Lewis nails it.  Jesus's second coming, as anticipated and as glorious as it will be, is only the beginning of the real story.  And it's hard to imagine it or to comprehend it.  I can only read:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4 

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  Revelation 21:22–23

...so we will always be with the Lord.  1 Thessalonians 4:17b

The World's Messed-upness and What Do We Do About It

I've been thinking about this quote:

Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.  G. K. Chesterton

In other words, Chesterton is saying that, contrary to what some people may argue, by nature all men sin, and the universality of sin is easily proven.

We see evil every day - lying, cheating, and stealing.  Sadly, sometimes sin occurs in a horrific manner; the recent mass shootings come to mind. 

And the news reports about any violent incident always include talk of injustice, racism, conspiracies, and the like.  Bottom line - people know something is wrong with this world.  

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  Romans 8:22

The question that follows from Chesterton's quote and from people's complaining is, "What do we do about it?"

Amidst all the arguing, it seems that everyone has an idea of how to fix things.  But what they're really saying is, "The world would be better off if it's run the way I think it should be run, if things are done my way."

I'm not against progress or making things better.  But, but, but...the arguing, the blaming, the fixing...well, it all reminds me of how we break the First Commandment.

We look around at the world, at the situations, at our lives, and we want the world to run as we think it should.  We want to be God.  I want to be God.  I want to fix things.

And we're all guilty.  Chesterton is right, in so many ways, about man's sinfulness.

But the truth is, we can't fix it.  I can't fix it.   

However, once again, Christianity has the answer.  It has the answer to how we respond to the evil we see and what we do with our own guilt.

When we see evil in the world, we recognize it for what it is - a consequence of man's sinfulness.  And we look to our God to make things right again.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  Psalm 103:6

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

Jesus brings truth, comfort, and strength to us in this life.

And, for our sins, our guilt, our conscience?  

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities...As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  Psalm 103:10, 13

Sin is with us; it's not going away.  But in Jesus, we have hope for the life to come.  So, we confess, we receive forgiveness, we forgive, we love, we pray.  And we wait...

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6