Lutheran Confessions

Friday, May 16, 2008

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain
of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns
that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

Applies to our own apostasy today as much as to Israel and Judah and the nations of his era.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Ministry: Face to Facebook — Lutheran Forum

Ministry: Face to Facebook — Lutheran Forum

This is my most recent column on the Lutheran Forum web site...

Prayer Desk

Prayer Kneeler - Prayer Bench - Prie Dieu - Prayer Desk - Meditation Bench

Bible at the Prayer Desk | Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Reading and Praying Scripture

Richard Johnson, editor of Forum Letter (www.alpb.org) included this Bonhoeffer quote in their most recent issue, and I thought it most appropriate for those of us seeking to live into the Book of Faith resolution that passed at synod assembly (and may be in process at yours) this year:

"The prayer-desk has disappeared from our offices. Luther, however, had one...Pastors must pray more than the congregation. They have more to pray for. They need the strengthening of their faith and the illumination of their understanding. Prayerful consideration of the Scripture gives us firm footing. It makes us certain of what we should pray for. We need this prayerful refuge when we do not see how we can go on anymore and Satan tries to tear faith out of our hearts. We need it before every hour of decision-making. We need the study of Scriptures when we feel inadequate and unable to pray. It drives us to the cross that Christ bore and brings that which bothers us and from which we suffer into proper perspective.

Every day should begin with meditation on the Scriptures. Before we meet others, we should meet Christ. Before we decide something, his decision should have confronted us... We are neither obliged nor entitled to have something unusual happen in our prayerful reading of the Bible. We do not await special happenings or experiences. We have the commission only to do this work. God intends that the Word of God should be read and prayed over. We leave it up to God what will come of it. In this work the pastor must only be faithful and obedient." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Worldly Preaching: Lectures on Homiletics, Crossroad, 1991)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A Note of Comfort for Church Council Members

Almost everyone who runs marathons knows about "the wall." When you run 26.2 miles, the first 14-17 miles aren't so bad. But somewhere between 18-20, lots of runners hit the wall, when their glycogen stores run dry and they experienced extreme fatigue as their body starts tapping into fat reserves for energy rather than glycogen stores.

The wall is a really hard place to be--you just want to give up, quit running, throw in the towel, and walk home. But if it is expected (knowledge is power), it can be prepared for in advance, and if you know what you are fighting, you also know you are fighting through something to a goal (the race finish) that is worth powering through the wall.

I tend to think that the spiritual life includes a number of such walls. As council members, I think it is very likely you are going through one such wall. As a council member, you have to go into gear as a volunteer in a busy organization, which is tiring in and of itself. Additionally, you probably engage in serious and sometimes trying conversations you weren't involved in before you were a council member. You start to analyze things from a new perspective. You could probably add to my list with quite a few more items that are like "the wall." In any event, serving on council inevitably sends you into some different and challenging stages of the Christian life and maturity in faith.

My prayer for you is that you will try to think of this wall like a runner thinks of the wall. First, they train and try to improve their bodies ability to handle the wall. In the spiritual life, this is probably being persistent in prayer, Scripture reading, and holy conversations. Then, a lot of runners take energy shots or beverages along on the ride for an extra jolt. In church, that probably means in the thick of things doing stuff that really gives you life, like trout fishing or middle school lock-ins. Finally, when you are actually in the wall, you keep in mind the goal. You're in a marathon, and you keep your eyes on the prize. It's important for each of us to keep in mind what that prize is. Faithfulness to the church and the ministry of Christ? A specific goal like improving our staffing, building, or??? Each of us will need to puzzle through that one as well. But I hope you have your eyes on the true prize, which is that the work you are doing, even though it is mundane and sometimes challenging, is a ministry that you have been called to by your election as a council member, and it is for the purpose of making the church as clear a proclaimer of Jesus Christ as we can.

And I hope you know you have companions on this journey who want to support you and are available to jog with you through the wall... including myself!