Respect for Life, Coping with Death

I don’t listen often to “A Prairie Home Companion,” with Garrison Keillor on NPR. But whenever I do, he really holds my attention. He is a great story teller. He told the story of the slaughtering of one family’s hog. He placed himself in the story as one of the young children watching this process. It was a family event. The hog was going to provide food and sustenance for a significant period of time for them. It was also a hog they had raised and taken care of on the farm. The father and oldest brother did the deed. The hog died and then they processed the animal. The younger boys watched this and then began to imitate, in a playful way, leaning toward being disrespectful, that which had just happened. When the older family members saw this growing mockery of the hog’s death the boys were stopped and told this is not something of which to make fun. The parents said, “This hog gave its life so that we could eat.” The message was clear. Instead of making fun, this hog’s life and death was something to respect. That story impressed me. It was just a pig that died after all. Yet God had created this animal as well. But that family had taught their children to respect life at every level. They used this vivid illustration to teach the honoring of life created by God.

Living in awe of God’s creation and knowing that it is He that provides for us at every level and that His provision includes community and relationships, we find the respect for the life that God has given to man and to all of creation is more likely to be established.

And with this respect, children are a blessing to the family and not a burden. Yet the urban life style parent can hardly wait to get their children off to school, so I have had said to me many times. In effect children are not typically embraced as the blessing they are but are seen as a burden that imposes on a lifestyle.

The Elderly, as well, are often seen as burdens to have to look in on, more than as one who contributes wisdom and stability to the family community. One of the tasks that I had in the parish ministry was to visit shut-in members. These are people who want connection and who indeed have helpful and wise things to say were one to listen. I received such encouragement in ministry from these visits. They want to be embraced with a dignity and a respect called for in the life that God has created.

In those same homes where two or three generations lived, people also died. The family gathered around the one dying and made sure they knew they were loved by the family and by Jesus. The children watched. When my ministry was in the urban setting and when my children were young, I often brought them with me to many of the functions of ministry. This included the funerals of members. The thinking behind this was that my boys would not be afraid of the issue of death in the context of life in Christ.

The story is told of the Pastor who was called to the home of a member who was near death. The family was gathered around and the pastor wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. He read a Psalm or two and had a prayer but beyond that he was silent. He sat and watched. The member finally did die. The Pastor was wondering to himself if he had done the right things and could he have said more and what that would have been. About that point in time, one of the family members sat down next to the pastor and said, “Preacher, you did just fine.”

The presence of Christ through the ministry of the church is the coping mechanism for those in the community of believers. We know that life is precious, so much so that Jesus died and was raised again so that anyone, by faith in Him, need not fear death but have life everlasting.

If there is an advantage to the rural or urban culture in this regard, I am not certain. What I do know is that the issues of life and death are not so far removed in the rural context. A birth and a death, significant as it is, in the city is a statistic to the larger community.

The challenge in ministry is to teach that the life we have has been given to us by our Creator. We have to find ways to communicate that all life is precious and yet it is under the curse of the law. Still, our Creator loves what He made and so provides a solution to the curse that is upon us. Your life and my life is so precious to Him that He gave His own Son to die so that we could life forever. This value must not be lost.

A Week of All Weeks

In this week of all weeks there are many things upon which to focus. There is an entry triumphant into Jerusalem within which we learn that if we, as God's creatures, cannot behave the way God made us to behave, namely to praise God in our vocations, then step aside, because the rocks themselves will praise the Living God, simply by being what they were made to be; rocks. God will be adored.

Take some time to examine the righteous indignation of Jesus when He storms through the Temple and says, "You have made this place into something of dishonor." We are mindful that God will not be mocked.

On Maundy Thursday Jesus celebrates Passover one last time and then gives the church an unqualified gift, namely His body and His blood in, with, and under bread and wine.

In the garden, a grieving and distressed Jesus asks Peter, James and John to watch and pray not once, not twice, but three times; and they could not.

Then there is Judas and "the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees" coming to arrest Jesus. The one who would write, "be prepared to give a defense . . . for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15) defended Jesus with a sword (the antithesis of his most recent advice to the church concerning defending the faith) and cut off the ear of Malchus.

Then the defender denies Jesus. Jesus would have to deal with that later at a place where Peter could be found; on the shore of the lake.

A mockery of a trial is held. Protocol is shattered. The sentence of death by hanging on a cross is reluctantly agreed to. "There is no cause to punish this man," says Pilate. That is true. Jesus broke no divine law. And He knew the law. He wrote the law. But His creation, specifically human kind, broke His law. There was only one thing to do about this. It was His love for us that drove Him. It was a Godly love, an unconditional love that carried no assurance of return. He alone assumed our sin, the sin of every one born of the seed of Seth. Because He did, there is every reason for Him to suffer hell on the cross. Because He did, there is no way around it.

I need to add that this was not a spur of the moment, spontaneous idea of Jesus. Jesus, being born to die for the sins of all mankind, for your sin and for mine, was first promised in the Garden of Eden when the Universe was fledgling and starlight was fresh. It wasn't so much a promise as it was a statement of fact, addressing Satan and intended for Adam and Eve to hear. Adam and Eve heard the Word of God, and they embraced it by faith. Hope was alive. Hope was alive because of God's love.

So concerning the crucifixion, appropriate is not the word to use. Amazing, remarkable, astonishing, beyond our ability to conceive, these words fall short to describe that which was accomplished by Jesus on the cross for us. But that which was accomplished brings hope, comfort, peace, and a future. These are ours because of the resurrection. With sin there is death. With Christ, there is a resurrection to life.

As you focus on the events of this week of all weeks, I encourage you also to consider the message of Peter and Paul in the book of Acts. Read this post resurrection record and as you do, notice the frequency of teaching and preaching on the resurrection. Having been sent by the risen Christ Himself, every chance they had, they talked about Jesus being raised from the dead. We are a resurrection people. We are a redeemed people who have been sent with the same message that Adam would teach to his children and their children. We have been sent with the same message as Noah, and Jonah, reluctant though he was. We have the same message as the disciples.

Is your neighbor looking for hope or peace? Assure him of this: "He is risen. He is Risen indeed!"

The Advantage of a Shared Vision

Perhaps the most powerful adhesive in any relationship, whether that relationship involves two, twenty, or two-hundred people, is summed up in what some would say is a cold term used by analytical consultants. The term is Shared Vision.

In Proverbs 29:18, a father explains to his son that, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law." In other words, if there is going to be joy and peace in the living we do, vision has a role to play.

When I was in the position of counseling couples before marriage, one of the exercises that I insisted upon was for the engaged couple to describe their home life in five years. What would it feel like when a guest came to the house? Would that guest be welcomed? Would there be tension in the home? Would it be relaxed? What smells would there be? Answers to these kinds of questions precipitated interesting discussions. How you are going to make your vision happen was a strategic question. But you can't ask "how" until you answer "what." During these conversations, priorities and values were considered, revisited and challenged. The product of these discussions was a developing shared vision for the couple's relationship and for their family.

There is another value to this exercise. As the father of Proverbs indicates, there is a delight in shared vision. My experience tells me that Shared Vision brings purpose in community, peace in relationships, and builds trust as time goes on. A genuinely shared vision insists upon articulating values and priorities and finally calls for action.

While there is much in this to offer married couples this dynamic is no less important for congregations who are pursing the missio dei (mission of God). Vision, in this context, is not some mystical immediate revelation from God. To say it plainly, Shared Vision is simply everyone being on "the same page" when it comes to where the community is headed and agreeing, generally speaking, on what is important.

In fact, here are some bullet points and statements concerning Shared Vision:

• Shared vision is not an idea. It is a driving force in people's hearts.
• At its most basic, shared vision asks the question "What do we want to create?"
• Accompanying Shared Vision is a sense of commonality, purpose, and cohesion to diverse activities that one can find in any congregation.
• A Shared Vision realizes a commitment to one another in the congregation.
• A Shared Vision is not imposed by an individual or a committee. One does not comply with the vision if it is to be shared. One is committed to the vision.
• Commitment implies sacrifice by members in order to realize the Vision.

Extrinsic v. Intrinsic Vision
One last thing to mention at this point is in the question, "What drives the Vision?" There are two options One is extrinsic and the other is intrinsic.

A vision that is extrinsic means that it comes from the outside. In other words, it is most often related to the context, in this case, of the local congregation. An extrinsic vision is competitive by nature. A local congregation wants to be bigger and better than the other congregations in town. Such competition, however, ultimately ends up becoming a defensive position where creativity declines, risk is discouraged, and security is valued. The congregation ends up protecting their "number one" position, if they ever arrived at that position in the first place. A vision predicated upon "defeating the competition" will, in the long run, weaken the congregation or the institution.

There is another kind of vision. It is called intrinsic. This means that the vision reflects the essential nature of the congregation. This kind of vision, issued from a Christ-centered congregation, embraces the call to faith, the giftedness by the Holy Spirit, and the unity of the body of Christ. It also agrees with Paul when he wrote to the Galatians and said, Galatians 2:20 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me."

"Christ in me" is who we are in our Baptism and in our confession. Who we are now lifts us up to the mission of Christ, namely "to seek and save" those who are lost.

In the context of this truth, there is created a climate, a style, and a spirit that seeks to honor Christ and His call in everything that is done. How can there not be joy when we share together the vision and the mission of God?

Developing a Shared Vision takes time and it is not easy to do. But it is worth the investment of a congregation, no matter how small or large. The result will include clarity of call and resting in purpose.

Witness Opportunities

In 1987 I was extended a call to another community. I was a pastor in a remote part of Texas at the time. The question I was asked was, "Why would you not take this call to another place?" My response was, "60% of the population where I live does not know Christ." Over the last twenty plus years, that number has changed -- for the worse. Today, in Texas, the number of people that are in worship on an average Sunday morning is seventeen out of one-hundred.

When a small congregation, for example in Borger, Texas, looks at the context of their ministry and sees seventy other congregations of various shapes and forms, that congregation can easily be discouraged. Having said that, the reality is, fewer people are attending worship than ever before across the country. There is an opportunity.

For Lutheran congregations, the members of which live by the powerful message of the theology of the cross, (a message that addresses sin, hurt, frustration, failure, loss, and hopelessness) there is a tremendous opportunity to witness the work of Jesus for all people.

The door is wide open for God's people to witness. This is particularly the case with the uncertainty and fear that exists in our country today. The message of hope that comes from legislators in various states, courts and national forums is a hope that will evaporate and will never address the human condition in a satisfactory way. In addition to this, the Gospel is not, at its root, behavior modification initiated by human attitude and effort.

On the other hand, the message of hope that comes from the cross of Jesus Christ is eternal, complete, certain; and it is a gift embraced by faith alone.

That is our message -- and it changes lives beyond the grave. That message is unique to what the world says. The cross of Christ and the empty tomb stand alone as Truth. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, ". . . I will build My church . . . " And He would work through you to do so. In that same Gospel Jesus said, just prior to His ascension, "Go, (and as you are going, wherever you go) make disciples of all nations. . ."

Our Christian message of faith and hope is the message that will transform people, communities, indeed the world because it alone can transform hearts.

If you are interested in witnessing and becoming involved in mission opportunities look at the side bar on West Texas Currents. Also, take a look at what one West Texas Congregation is doing, go to the Church Door. For more information you may also email me at steven.misch@gmail.com

The Golden Rule of Evangelism

For a period of time, longer than my tenure in professional church work, I have been looking at and trying "Evangelism Techniques." Looking for the one that "works" I have tried Dialogue Evangelism. I have tried the "Roman Road." I have tried "Injoy Life." I have gone to neighborhood doors "cold turkey." I have visited those who have visited a Sunday morning worship service. I have witnessed to people who come in off the street "just to talk." I have spent time talking with Jehovah Witness types and with Mormon Missionaries. (I made them angry.)

In the 80's, while a pastor at Grace Lutheran, Del Rio, I constructed my own program. Using technology of the day, I put together an eighty-slide presentation including a sound track with music in the background that members could bring into the homes of friends and family. The thinking was that members would bring this tool to the homes of friends and family. Together, they would watch a twenty-minute slide presentation by me on a thirteen inch screen. As creative, resourceful, and doctrinally correct as this was, I'm not sure we could have paid people enough to watch. Still, it was a well-intended idea and the Word was proclaimed in homes.

The question remains. What is the best way? Is there a "method for evangelism" that is better than another?

The answer is unequivocally, "No."

The question then is, "What does work?" The Golden Rule comes to mind. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words, when you engage in witnessing, be who you are and approach people the way in which you would like to be treated. And that is not the same for everyone.

Spend some time reflecting and discussing with a trusted member of the body of Christ which of the following statements best describe you? Do more than one describe you? To what degree?

• One of my favorite things is long talks with friends.
• Personally, I usually enjoy discussions and debates on difficult questions.
• When presented with a choice, I generally prefer to physically assist people in the name of Christ versus becoming involved in religious discussions.
• I am happiest when I am able to include new people in the activities in which I am involved.
• I often identify with people by stating, "I tend to think like that, too" or "I used to feel that way, too."
• I strongly feel that confronting friends with the truth can be more important than hurting their feelings.

Every one of the above is valid. Some people nurture long conversations while others get to the point quickly. Still others subscribe to service in Jesus' name as the greatest form of evangelism. They would agree with what Brennan Manning said: “The greatest single cause of atheism today is Christians who mouth Jesus with their lips but deny him by their lifestyle. That’s what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

With these diagnostic statements you can see the entire spectrum of styles and approaches with which people are comfortable. These are the kinds of situations that apply to the Great Commission. "Go, and as you are going, make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19)

Having reflected and discussed how you might best relate to others according to your God-given personality, what kinds of activities would be the best compliment to your evangelism style?

A simple style may help discover your best environment for "making disciples."

Which is of the following is your style?

• Servant
• Invitational
• Relational
• Witness
• Intellectual
• Challenging

Perhaps it is a surprise or perhaps it is a confirmation of what you have been thinking all along. In either case, reflecting Christ to the people around you according to the person He has recreated you to be seems the best way to reach out to others.

We can embrace the differences of evangelism styles and spiritual giftedness and at the same time celebrate the unity we have in our Risen Lord.

Reference: Evangelization Teams in the Making, by Dorothy Hulbert

A Resolution for Others

I was out walking/running the other morning, (my own personal resolution) and I came up to a stop light. At the light was a construction pick-up with two men in the front seat. The one driving was "over-weight." The passenger was thin. I started to think how nice it would be to be thin (which is why I was out exercising) and then the passenger lit up a cigarette. No wonder he is thin. The driver probably had the resolve to quit smoking and now needed a different resolve if he wanted to be thin.

In the book "Strategy and the Fat Smoker," David Maister observes that people know what needs to be done to improve either a relationship, a product, a team, or one's health. The question is not "what needs to be done." The real question is, "Does that person or team have the resolve to make it happen?"

At the turn of this New Year, resolutions fly through the air like dust in a sunbeam. They have about as much substance as well. And it goes like this: If I want to lose weight, I have to exercise and eat well. As far as exercise goes, the commercial on T.V. says that one can exercise for thirty minutes, three times a week and get into great shape. I like that. I can do that. Which days? How about I do this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'll take the weekend off. Good plan. Monday works out okay. Wednesday comes and maybe I'll do this on Thursday and then Saturday. Thursday comes and I manage to go for thirty minutes. But Saturday is my day off. I'll wait until Monday. It's cold out on Monday and you see how this goes. In a couple of weeks I wonder what happened and so I start a new resolve.

This cycle is the case for most resolutions. Whether one is focusing on exercise or eating, reading or prayer, there is a resolve, the dissolution of which loses the benefit. God bless our resolutions.

In Scripture the word "resolution" does not exist. But the word "resolute" is used once in the NASB. Prothesis is the Greek word for "consecrated" or "purpose" and "resolve." Luke describes Barnabas as "encouraging them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord." (Acts 11:23). But the interesting note here is that this resolution comes from the grace of God in the context of rejoicing. Now the resolution is not a law or something I am determining to do out of my inadequacy. Rather, this resolve comes by rejoicing in the grace of God for the purpose of strengthening those in the fellowship of faith. Now we're getting somewhere.

Another Biblical resolution is reflected in the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2 where Paul writes, "For I am determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." Paul resolved, for the benefit of this struggling congregation to always point them to the cross and to the grace of God in Christ, that they would be strengthened in their faith and to rely on the power of God and not the power of man. This resolution was for the benefit of others.

One other resolution in Scripture comes in the form of a promise. In Genesis 3:15 God says to Satan, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her Seed and your seed. He will bruise your head. You will bruise His heel." I don't know how long the resolution of Barnabas lasted or the extent to which the goal was met. As for Paul, the Corinthian congregation needed a lot of attention and called for his determination. Both have encouraged Christians for twenty-one centuries. But the resolution which has benefit for all mankind is the fulfillment of the promise God made to Adam and Eve and all people everywhere. The resolution of God to draw all men to the cross of Jesus is one that will last for all eternity.

So the question is not, "What needs to be resolved?" Rather, the question is, "Is that resolution the thing in which you rejoice?" Or better yet, "Is that resolution for the benefit of others, specifically for their spiritual life in Christ?"

My personal resolutions have come and gone so many times that I forget what they have been. I only know that they are unfulfilled, and because of that, they are of little value for me or anyone else. On the other hand there is a resolution that has staying power and completion, the fulfillment of which has our best interest in mind. In fact, God's resolve became the restoration of all mankind. For that restoration, we have something in which to rejoice. Now we have something to bring to others this year.

God bless your New Year.

The Season of Contrast

What a story. Dong Yun Yoon asking for help from people who have suffered "more terrible things" pleaded, "Please tell me how to do it, I don't know what to do." The first I heard of this man, he was speaking saying, "They are with God now." He was speaking of his wife, two children and his mother-in-law who had died in a fiery blaze caused by a failed F/A-18D in San Diego.

What incredible insight in the midst of loss.

I wouldn't be so bold as to tell Yoon what to feel or how to react, but his reaction has been no less than supernatural. It is Spirit-filled. The human response would be bitterness and anger and perhaps there will be some of that to come. But then Yoon's story is what Christmas is about. It is about the reality of loss and death and sorrow. And then Christmas is about life and hope and a vision for an eternity to come. The mother of Jesus was told as much by Simeon. When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, Simeon prophesied, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34b-35) In other words, "Mary, your Son is going die before you do, and heart of mankind will be revealed. Have a nice day."

The soul of Mary was pierced three decades following this event. But the grief was short-lived. There would be a death. There would follow a resurrection. Where there was sorrow, there would be joy. Where there was fear, there would be confidence. Sorrow would return to the human heart and fear would raise its ugly head again, but this time hope would remain and finally rule the day because born in a manger was a baby who would be the Savior of all people.

In a season of excitement and anticipation, Yoon's heart was pierced. What a contrast!

Still, this is a season of contrasts. They are all around. We are outside and it is cold. So we come in and stand next to the heater. Now it is too hot. The sun rises too late in the morning and sets way too soon in the afternoon. There is darkness in our days, but then there are the lights of neighborhood decorations. Gifts are given to some and gifts are never received by others. There is family togetherness and there is individual loneliness.

Then there is a spiritual contrast. Consider the contrast of the Gospel in the world. There is sin and death in the world. In the Gospel there is forgiveness and life. In the world, there is destruction and decay. In the Gospel there is restoration and re-creation. The world offers loneliness and rejection. In the Gospel there is a body of believers in heaven and on earth who, as Hebrews 12:1 reminds us, are so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us."

In this season of contrast, Yoon, I am sure, is experiencing loneliness and will for some time to come. I am broken for him. His soul is pierced at the loss of his family, not to mention his worldly possessions. But I am personally encouraged by his initial response. There is sorrow to be sure, but hope at the end. Merry Christmas.