Psalm 46

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“Be still and know I’m God,” Psalm 46:10
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 27, 2019

“Be still and know that I am God.” That’s God’s call to us: to be still. The Hebrew word “still” means “relax.” In some passages it means to relax one’s hands so that they withdraw or drop away from work. In other passages it describes dry grass as it surrenders to the flames or as the sun surrenders to the darkness at sunset. God calls us to calm—to relax ourselves—to be relaxed—to withdraw ourselves from the anxious and wearisome toil of life—to find Sabbath rest—to surrender our grip and delusion that we have life by the horns—things under our control—that we can ride out this life like a wild stallion by our human skill and strength.

“Be still,” the Lord says, “and know that I am God.” Know he is God. Familiarize yourself with who he is. For us that means filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God. Through Scripture alone do we enter a relationship with God and learn who he is—and are assured that God is with us and for us. Know he is God. This call to know God better is a call to relationship with our Creator. It is an invitation to learn more and more about who he truly is—to no longer have a fixed view of who God is but a growing understanding of God.

We have all learned about God growing up—from both the enlightened and darkened imagination of our hearts. We have heard faithful teaching from the Scripture and not so faithful. God calls us to truly know him and it will set us free—free to live lives of peace and quietness. This is what happened more than 500 years ago with a medieval German monk by the name of Martin Luther. There was a lot of bad theology—false ideas and heretical teachings about God. There was a preacher by the name of Johann Tetzel traveling around and exploiting the fear and ignorance people had about God. He portrayed God as an angry God who would like to throw us all into the flames of the lake of fire or purgatory. He taught that for a price, you could buy forgiveness or time served out of God’s eternal punishment—not just for ourselves but for those who have long been dead. I hope all of us recognize how much of an abuse of power this was to generate income for the church. It was why Luther’s call to understand and know the true and living God resonated with so many people. They were starving for grace and mercy even though the church seemed to have lost a clear and plain proclamation of the Gospel.

But even in the recesses of our own minds and hearts there lingers—in all of us—heresies that would make these church walls come tumbling down. We still hold on to fables, superstitions, lies, and inaccuracies about who God is. That’s why we need the Word of God. We are disciples and learners of God through the Word. This is not to add shame and guilt to the idols and falsehoods we create and perpetuate. It is a call to be still—to relax our grip on them—to surrender them into the vast ocean of God’s grace and mercy. Bad theology robs us of peace and joy. None of us has perfect doctrine or understanding of who God is—the One whose ways are not our ways—whose thoughts are not our thoughts. We get to go on a journey of discovery of just how rich—how deep and wide—how overwhelming the love of God is for us—how much of a loving God he is—to be still and know God. Scripture says God is love. He loves the world in this way—that he sent his only begotten son so that all who trust in him will have eternal life. God did not send him into the world to condemn the world but that that world would be saved through him. God is love. He sends Love Incarnate to us.

That is the great insight of this Scripture—“Be still and know that I am God”: To intimately know God is to experience true peace and quietness. To be in a relationship with God is to live a life of resilient confidence in his strength. God invites us to contemplate—to ponder—to find our rest and stillness in the glory and strength of God, our Heavenly Father. We are not saved or sustained by our own strength. We are God’s royal daughters and sons by his free gift of grace alone. We receive this—not by works—but through faith and trust in him alone.

Christ alone was perfectly still and knew God. Just hours before his arrest, he handed his agony over to God—the cup of death he was about to drink in the stillness of obedient prayer with bloody drops of sweat. He surrendered his breath and life on the Cross. Three days later—early Sunday morning—as darkness surrendered to light, death surrendered to life. In Christ we find serene stillness. In him we know the love of God. In him our darkness surrenders to his light. Our anxiety melts away as we  commend ourselves to the person and work of Jesus. We draw near to God in a relationship that overflows with resilient peace and quiet confidence.

With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the Valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this?
Jesus Christ it is.
Of Sabaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever.
                                     (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” LSB 656 v. 2)

“Praying through Despair” (Luke 18:1-8)

Luke 18:1-8

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“Praying through Despair,” Luke 18:1-8
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 20, 2019

“Avenge Me of Mine Adversary” —Anonymous
Pacific Press Publishing Company, 1900

This is one of the few parables whose purpose and meaning is clearly stated. Jesus tells this parable to that we would pray more and be discouraged less—to pray always and not to lose heart. Jesus tells the story of a widow who goes to a judge—a spiritually and morally compromised judge. Basically the judge is the worst kind that one could imagine—he has no reverence for God and no respect for the people he serves. When you enter his courtroom, there is no “In God we trust” sign. When he asks you to say, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth he will not ask you to say “So help me God.” He does not care about being accountable to God. His lack of respect for others follows. He does not care about the plight of the poor, the cries of the oppressed, or the victims of crimes and assault. That is why it is helpful to know who a first century widow is.

Widows were typically young women with small children who had been abandoned. They were the most vulnerable to abuse—forced into prostitution, property taken away, and little recourse or rights as women in a patriarchal society. This judge does not care that the Bible says true “religion...is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27a). He does not care about religion. He does not care about people who afflicted. But because the widow will not stop coming to him day after day to plead her cause—because she is so persistent to tell him again and again her struggle—because he is so sick of hearing from her and just wants her to go away—he grants her his request. He is so annoyed by her he gives her what she wants. It does not matter to him that justice for her is pleasing to God. That she will have a better life and be able to move forward in her life does not make him feel good. Having her out of his life and courtroom—not seeing and hearing her makes him happy. To put it bluntly, this judge is a real jerk.

Why would Jesus tell this story of such a despicable person? Jesus emphatically says “listen to what the unjust judge says”—take a hard look at this corrupt, uncaring, godless, dishonorable court justice. He is not your Heavenly Father. Do not mistake God for him. He is nothing like the One to whom we pray to day after day. Pray always. Do not lose heart in praying. You are no bother. You are not an annoyance. God loves to hear from you. He is God and is never too busy. He respects and loves all humanity—so much so, that he sent his only begotten son to take on our humanity—to give the years of his life—to pray always day after day for us—and to give his life on the cross and take it up again in the resurrection.

Jesus points out something he wants all of us to understand: we do not pray enough for one reason alone. We grow weary in prayer for one reason alone. Why do we fail to pray always? Why do we lose heart to pray? There is only one explanation. It is because we have a wrong view of God. We do not believe in a gracious, merciful, and loving Heavenly Father. We do not cast our every care upon him because we do not trust that he truly cares. This bad news—that we do not pray enough and fall into despair—has a remedy. And that remedy is to know God’s heart for us better. This is good news! Thanks be to God that our view of him falls short of just how caring and loving he is!

That means that we do not just need more time for prayer. It means that we do not just need to be more faithful, try harder, or be more obedient to pray. It means that we get to expand our understanding of “the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:18,19). Martin Luther, the German reformer, said his view of God was so twisted that he hated God. When he finally understood how much God loves him and sinners, he was overcome with peace and joy. He said, “God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and that we are his true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask him as dear children as their dear father.”

Think about the person in your life that you have little to no doubt loves and cherishes you...maybe your mom or dad...a grandparent...your spouse...a best friend. Think about how much they love you, care about you, and love to hear your voice. God’s love is higher still, his care even greater, he loves to hear from you even more.

Let each day begin with prayer;
Praise, and adoration
On the Lord cast ev’ry care;
He is your salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night,
Jesus will be near you,
Save you from the tempter’s might,
With his presence cheer you.
             (“With the Lord Begin Your Task,” LSB 869 v. 2)

“The Unchained Word” (2 Tim 2:8-15)

2 Timothy 2:8-15

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Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger, October 13, 2019

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger was our guest minister. Pastor Jeff serves Concordia University Chicago as campus pastor, director of the pre-seminary program, dean of the chapel, and assists with some church relations work. Pastor Jeff is a husband to Rachel and father to Grace and Andrew. He can often been heard in the choir loft singing in the choir and playing his guitar. We are blessed to have him as part of the church family.

“Audacious Forgiveness” (Luke 17:1-10)

Luke 17:1-10

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 6, 2019

The first time Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that is relatively small but grows large and becomes a nesting place for birds. This is the second time Jesus mentions having faith as a mustard seed in the Gospel of Luke. This time the context is forgiveness—forgiving an offender even who wrongs us seven times a day and comes to repent each time. As citizens of the Kingdom of God we must forgive, Jesus says. “Increase our faith!” the apostles cry. Help us understand why! Help us know how! Their response to this charge to forgive over and over again is refreshingly honest. They have a hard time believing God expects us to be so forgiving. But he does.

Jesus leaves us no other way out but the gift of forgiveness. There is no other option but to forgive when we are wronged and the offender repents. And Jesus acknowledges that is not easy. In fact, without the help of God it is impossible. We just need to believe and trust a little. We need that small but mighty gift we call faith. For we walk by faith not by sight. We inch toward forgiveness by the power of the Holy Spirit who promises to take us the whole mile. We are what the word forgiveness means—loosed—set free from the bondage of sin. We have the joy of forgiveness to celebrate—not just in our own lives—but in the lives of those around us.

Last week the family members made impact statements in the fatal shooting of their son and brother, Botham Jean, who was shot to death by an off duty police officer in his own apartment. Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Botham’s brother Brandt looked at the woman who killed his brother and told her he forgives her, loves her, and wishes the best for her. He challenged her to give her heart to Jesus to find that same forgiveness that will transform her life. He almost quotes Jesus’ words from this morning’s Scripture when he says, “If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you.” Just as Jesus says, “Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.” He asked the judge repeatedly if he could stand up and hug his brother’s killer. Amber quickly entered his embrace. She sobbed loudly and seem to bury her shame into his forgiving, outstretched arms.

Later Botham’s mother spoke publicly. It seemed like a very different message. But it was not. She was not just calling Amber Guyger to repentance. She was calling the Dallas Police Department and city of Dallas to repentance. But there was still the same desire—life transformation—community—city—nation transformation. “Forgiveness for us as Christians,” she said, “is healing for us...but there are consequences.” She lost a son. Amber Guyger lost her career as a police officer and freedom for 10 years.

Both the mother and her son have faith that can uproot sin and drown it in the sea of God’s grace and mercy. The mustard seed of faith for the mother is that the tragic death of her son will not be in vain but will uproot corruption and the abuse of power. The mustard seed of faith for the brother is that whatever it was that would cause an individual to do such an evil thing can also be uprooted by the power of God in that person’s life. Both want forgiveness. Both want justice. Both want evil that has been rooted so deeply in the lives of people and institutions to be miraculously removed and drowned in the baptism of the Holy Spirit’s cleansing and renewing.

That is what Jesus is challenging us to do—to believe the Gospel for others. Just as God has forgiven us by the blood and death of his eternal Son Jesus Christ on the Cross—just as we are declared righteous by the resurrection of Christ, so we believe that others can experience that same forgiveness and redemption. Later, we will confess the Apostles’ Creed together. We will say, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” Well, do we? Do we believe that even after repeated offenses seven times every day day after day that God can break the power of cancelled sin? Later, we’ll pray as Jesus taught us, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Well, do we? Do we understand the connection between the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we extend toward others?

Jesus says that is our duty as believers. We have only done what we have been commanded to do. We have only done what we ought to do—forgive. Do we have the audacity to believe just a little bit that God can transform the hearts of individuals for whom sin is rooted so deeply in their lives? Do we have the audacity to believe just a little bit that God can release us from sin, guilt, and shame that has been so deeply rooted in our lives? Jesus reminds us that we are just doing our duty as Christians when we forgive. Dothan’s mother and brother remind us of the power of forgiveness—true release from the power of sin. That is who we are. That is who we are forgiven to be. It is a miracle—like commanding trees to be uprooted and planted in the sea. We believe God can do the miracle of forgiveness through us. The devil will release his captives. Evil will let go of its strangle hold on perpetrators and abusers of power. We have the privilege of God doing the miracle of forgiveness in us and through us.