MANNA: Thy Kingdom Come!

Revelation 21:1-6 (click to read)

I am often asked the question, "Pastor, how do I get to heaven?"  Actually, the question most often comes to me from a slightly different direction, "Pastor, is this person or that going to hell?"  This question of how to get to heaven is one that, I think, has been the source of far too much destruction by Christians over the centuries.   Think...Crusades, Inquisition, Slavery...those are some biggies.  But, we can also think about the number of families and friendships that get torn apart because of the softer version of this same thing: religious intolerance.  Too often Christian zeal looks more like hatred to those who do not share the zealot's beliefs.  It's this question that leads to an ethic that focuses more energy on getting people into heaven than on the kind of compassionate ministry that Jesus actually did.  It's as if the correct answer to this question holds in itself some sort of magic power to heal and to save.  But, while Christians can go on mission trips to get thousands and even millions to confess Jesus as their personal Lord, or pray the "sinner's prayer" they don't seem nearly as interested in feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, caring for the sick and dying, advocating for the oppressed...the stuff that Jesus actually did with his ministry.  Interestingly, Jesus himself never asked anyone to pray the "sinner's prayer".  He never asked anyone if they were prepared for heaven, or if they knew they were going to heaven.   Yet, Christians have been dividing themselves and conquering others in Jesus' name with this question for centuries.

Did Jesus really die for this?

Well, I say NO!

The problem with this question is the assumption of movement.
Christianity always seems to answer this question by presuming that people move and heaven doesn't. Heaven is always a stationary destination that exists somewhere other than here, somewhere...out there.....in the cosmos, in the sky, in some sort of holy dimension.    People do all the moving according to the choices they make.    But, this model just doesn't line up with the Bible.

First of all, if this question were the penultimate of Christian questions, which is how our world treats it, then why doesn't Jesus ever ask it?  Wouldn't Jesus himself go around asking would-be converts if they would like to be saved or if they know how to get to heaven.  Wouldn't part of his preaching and teaching have been "the sinner's prayer", or some version of "Follow me, because Heaven is this way"?  Jesus never teaches this message.  When he is asked about heaven, or when he does teach on the subject he always uses the present tense.  Jesus is often saying, "The kingdom of heaven is...".  He never says, "When you die, the kingdom of heaven will be..."    Or, he says, "You already know the way, because I am the way."  Again, he uses present tense, "I am..." Christian orthodoxy has hung all sorts of legalism on these sayings over the centuries to support the assumption that somehow people have to do something right, get something right, pray something right in order to "know the way", but when we allow the Bible a little bit of freedom from the traditions, we see that Jesus simply doesn't say what, possibly, we've always thought he said on this subject.

Second, the Biblical image of heaven is always here on earth.  From the beginning of beginnings...Genesis...we hear that God created all things and placed the primary objects of His creation here on earth and then called it "Good".  Sinfulness enters and corrupts it, and then the goal of the salvation story is to restore God's "good" here on earth.  Nowhere is the image of salvation some sort of abandonment of earth and creation so that "good" goes somewhere else.  Heaven is here!

Third is the Biblical image of the restoration of Eden, otherwise known as heaven, or New Jerusalem in the Scripture cited for today.  Read this text and notice the direction of movement and who is doing the moving.  Heaven (New Jerusalem) is not some stationary destination for those who die in the faith.  It's just the opposite.  Heaven is the thing that's doing the moving, heaven is coming down.  People aren't going up some sort of stairway to heaven, heaven is coming down upon the earth...upon all of us...upon all things.

This is the God of love....the God who comes down!
The God who looks upon our insatiable appetite for legalism...our anthropologically destructive ways of exclusion...
our foolish self-righteousness...
our sin...

And still loves us....all of us!

The question for us to live with and form our ethic around isn't "How do I get to heaven?".
It's "How does heaven get to me?"

Heaven gets to us.

When I've had a terrible day, and part of what made it terrible was my lack of patience shown toward my son, but then at the end of the day I hear him pray his bedtime prayers and he includes me...Heaven gets to me!

When either of my young adult step-sons trust me enough to ask me for advice...Heaven gets to me.

Last week when a little girl in my children's sermon blurted out for everyone to hear, "I love my grandma!"
Heaven got to me.

When my Sunday School class recites the Lord's Prayer all by themselves.  Heaven gets to me.

When a woman with a little girl lights up with joy because I am handing her a check from the discretionary fund to prevent her landlord from evicting her.  Heaven gets to me.

When a man who I've known and been in conversation with for seven years comes to me and asks to be Baptized on Easter morning...Heaven gets to me.

When a youth who I pushed to go to Camp Luther in the summer comes up to me and gives me a hug.  Heaven gets to me.

How does heaven get to you?

Answer that question!
Form your Christian ethic around it.
And pretty soon you'll be living life looking for, and expecting to see, the kingdom of heaven coming down.


Prayer:  Lord God, so often we pray to you the words that Jesus taught us, "Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Help us to partner with you in acts of love and mercy that bring your kingdom down here among us.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

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MANNA: Flowers in Church

Why do we decorate the church with flowers?  That question comes up from time to time.  When church councils compare the costs of fresh flowers to that of silk flowers, an even more common question comes up.  Does it matter if the flowers are fresh, or can we get by with saving money on silk?

Flowers can cheer up someone who is sick.  They can speak of love to a sweetheart, share sympathy for a loss, communicate honor for moms, and respect for veterans.  When it comes to the use of flowers for communicating emotions, well...flowers speak for themselves.

There is a way in which this is true for the flowers in church as well.   Imagine the insides of most any cathedral you've ever been inside.  Beautiful architecture, but a room made of marble, stone and wood is also a bit cold with emotion.  The stained glass windows help to add color and light, but it's the flowers that add warmth and life.  Today's churches are made with an array of different materials including vibrant colors in fabrics on seating, tapestries, and carpeting.  Modern churches do not need flowers as much as the old Gothic cathedrals did to bring life and warmth into the room, but the tradition is still a good one to keep.

One of reason to keep this tradition is as a symbol of new life.
Gordon Lathrop, my seminary professor for worship and liturgics used to say, "Every Sunday should be treated like a little Easter."  Every Sunday we worship the crucified and risen Lord.  One way this weekly celebration of the gospel promise is communicated is by symbols.  Fresh flowers, particularly those that are seasonal, i.e. just like the ones we see outside, are a great way to symbolize our new life in Christ.  The Easter lily is perfect for the spring, but as the seasons change the same message is spoken through the seasonal change of flowers on the altar.

This is one very good reason to resist the financial pressures of saving money with silk flowers.  Consider the Genesis story where God created all things and called them "good".  God's way of creating real flowers is beautiful, fresh and creative.  The best humans can do is try to copy what God has already done with silk.  But, real flowers show God's creativity.  Silk flowers can look very real, but this will not fool the congregation for long.  Awareness of the use of silk flowers communicates a sense of falseness.  They may look life-like, but this is phony, and everyone knows it.  So, the emotional effect is no longer one of new life in Christ.  Instead it is a measure of scarcity, cheapness, and falsity.  Please understand, I'm not referring to actual responses from parishioners.  I'm referring more to the subconscious, emotional, and possibly visceral message that this symbolizes.  Think of it this way.  If your mom were in the hospital and you brought her fresh flowers she is likely to respond with joy and cheer.  However, what if instead of real flowers you brought her a similar bouquet of silk and plastic flowers?  The message you communicate is dramatically different between the two, even if they look the same.

One other reason to use fresh flowers in church is that flowers are used in various Biblical citations as metaphors for God's love and care for His creation and His church.  In the Song of Solomon the lily of the valley and the rose of Sharon are metaphors for God and Israel.  In the gospels Jesus references flowers as a symbol for God's care of creation in his teachings for us to not worry.  The flowers we use in our worship services are, on the one hand, reminders of these Biblical stories, but even more importantly they are ever-present symbols of God's love and care for His creation.

Last, but certainly not least, I must make mention of God's command to Moses and the Israelites on the production of the tabernacle and its accouterments.     In Exodus 25 God tells Moses to make a lampstand that will be in the holy of holies.   In verse 34, he commands, "And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers."  The tabernacle was to be like a moble church.  The land the Israelites were travelling through was very barren, stark of flowering plants.  Even so, inside the tabernacle would be this image of Aaron's flowering staff...a symbol of hope and promise for all of Israel.  God commanded that, at least, the image of a flowering plant adorn the altar area of worship.

 So, there you have it, four good reasons to use fresh flowers to decorate your worship space.
1.  To bring the warmth and life of God's creation inside.
2.  To communicate the new life of the gospel promise.
3.  The bible refers to flowers as symbols.
4.  God commanded that, at least, a flowering plant adorn the altar area.

If you would like to order flowers for Sunday worship at Living God Lutheran Church

Please click HERE to be taken to an online order form.
OR,
Please remember to place your order using the sign up sheet in the foyer.

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MANNA: Peace Be With You

Peace Be With You

John 20:19-23

When I was a younger man I enjoyed horror movies.   Looking back now, I really don't know why.  Maybe it was just the thrill of testing my courage.  The horror movies of my day have since been categorized as their own genre known as slasher films.   It didn't really matter which one you watched, the basic premise was the same for all of them.   Some poor soul was cruelly and unjustly put to death, and now the "ghost" of the victim is out for revenge.  Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th) and Michael Myers (Halloween) were characters that became household names for their creative ways of "slashing" innocent bystanders as they sought revenge on anyone for what had been done to them.

When you think about it, that scenario is almost the same as that of Jesus.  Was he not cruelly and unjustly put to death on a cross?   Was he not betrayed just like Michael Myers?  Didn't his closest friend deny he had ever met him, just like Jason Vorhees?

There's one BIG difference, obviously.

Jesus didn't come back from the grave seeking revenge.  He came back offering forgiveness. 

It's no wonder Jesus had to say it to his disciples three times for them to believe it.

"Peace be with you." 

"Peace be with you." 

"Peace be with you." 

Jesus is not out for revenge. He gave himself willingly, in love.  

There is too much revenge seeking in our culture.  It has become the norm to go after those who have done us wrong and give them what we believe they deserve.  We have become a people who are filled with anger, not peace.  Subconsciously, we go through our days seeking moments in which we feel justified in venting it out in little doses on the people around us.   This is the devil's work, and it perpetuates our own sinfulness.  It's unhealthy, and certainly not peaceful. 

But, can it be true?  

Jesus comes back from the grave not to condemn us, not to remind us of our failures, not to exact revenge, but he comes with words of peace.   

Yes, our crucified and risen Lord comes to us to breathe on us the Spirit of forgiveness and peace.  

Even now, while our nostrils are still flaring in anger, 

while our motives are still seething with hostility, 

and while our thoughts are still scheming for revenge,

He comes to us with a promise of peace in the fresh air of forgiveness.  

Prayer

Breathe on me the fresh air of forgiveness, O Lord.  Help me to inhale slowly and deeply, that I may offer forgiveness and peace to others.  Amen

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