"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" (I Timothy 2:1)
How many people do you encounter everyday? I suppose it depends on the day, but being a part of the society we all live in, you will likely encounter hundreds of people everyday. You probably won't say anything to most of them, and you may not even know most of their names, but living in this corner of the world means living in and amongst people. Even when you don't leave your home, people and their stories come to your doorstep in the form of a newspaper, people are beamed into your living rooms through your television sets, people are put in front of you on your desktop when you surf the internet or check your email. Now, another question: How many people do you pray for everyday?
The NIV heading over the second chapter of Paul's first inspired letter of encouragement to his friend Timothy states: "Instructions on Worship." Certainly we can apply this passage to our worship practices - and our synod does. Christian Worship contains "Prayers of the Church" that include prayers not only for our church, but also for everyone else in our nation and the world. But, we can also take a look at this passage on a personal level and consider just who everyone is that we are urged to personally pray for. If you're anything like me, then if you pray for yourself, your close-family, and maybe for someone who has asked you to pray for them - if you get all these prayers in before you doze off or before you are interrupted by something else - then (sadly) you might consider it to be a good prayer day. But you would have a hard time categorizing this kind of prayer day as a day you prayed for "everyone." Everyone is kind of an overwhelming term. Only God knows the exact number, but there are nearly 7 billion people living in the world today - so there are 7 billion individuals included in everyone! To make it more manageable, maybe we should start with the "everyones" who we come in contact with on our daily paths.
We are encouraged in Thessalonians to "pray continually" (I Thessalonians 5:17) Consider praying continually by praying your way through your day - by praying for those you encounter. If you turn on the radio in the morning - pray for the radio personalities. If you read about someone in the morning newspaper - pray for them - pray for the writer of the article too! If you see your next door neighbor on your way to work - pray for them. If you see a jogger or a dog-walker - pray for them. If you see a crossing guard escorting kids across the street - pray for them. If you are in line with someone at the grocery store - pray for them - pray for the checker or the bagger too! Pray for your co-workers. Pray for the people you talk with on the telephone - even if they are telemarketers! If you are stopped at a red stoplight and there is a family in a vehicle in front of you - pray for them. If you are in a waiting room - pray for the others who are waiting. If you are watching a television program - pray for the actors or the reality show host. These people that you encounter everyday can be your personal "everyones" who we are urged to pray for. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" (I Timothy 2:1)
Now that we have identified and targeted who our "everyones" will be, our next question might be - what should we say in our prayers for them? There are a countless worthwhile things to pray for on behalf of others, but if we want to prioritize, then our prayers will be focused on their greatest dilemma (whether they know it or not) - the fact that they are a part of all the nations who will be gathered on the Last Day and they will either be put on Jesus' right or Jesus' left - and without faith in Jesus they will be in trouble. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:32-33) When we encounter one of our "everyones," we are not able to tell if they are on a path that will lead to Jesus' right or Jesus' left - we are not able to know if their heart is a heart that trusts God, or not. Only God can look at and judge their hearts - we are only able to look at their outward appearance. "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7) So as we construct our prayer for those we encounter, we have to take into account the only 2 kinds of people there are in the world - those whose hearts trust in the LORD and those whose hearts do not trust in the LORD. Maybe we can use a variation of the following prayer as we encounter and pray for our "everyones." This prayer suggestion comes with the following caveat - I am in no way a prayer expert, so this is in no way an expert prayer suggestion. Not to worry, God the Holy Spirit will take our imperfect prayers and step in to help. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26).
A prayer suggestion for the "everyones" that we encounter:
Dear God, you want all men to be saved. If this is a person who is being saved, then strengthen and preserve their faith. If this is a person who is still lost, then please put them in a situation where they will run into your Word, that the Holy Spirit might plant saving faith in their hearts. Amen.
Could all the effort put into praying for the "everyones" we encounter really be worth it, or are we just wasting our time? In James we learn that "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16) There is a little plaque (I think it's a plaque - it might just be a little card) that sits by the entrance to the office at my church that always catches my eye on the way in - it reads, "prayer changes things." Wouldn't it be awesome when we are in heaven one day to meet one of the "everyones" in our life, and to realize that our prayer for them changed things for them - that one of our prayers put a detour in their path - a detour that ran them right into the Word and to the Holy Spirit and the saving faith that he creates? Let's take the time and make the effort to follow Paul's urging and begin praying for everyone by starting with the "everyones" we encounter on our daily paths.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
September 16, 2010
"I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10)
If you have any "German Lutheran reserve" in you - like I do - then you may not be prone to expressing emotion and you may not do a whole lot of outward rejoicing. According to my trusty dictionary, the definition of rejoicing is, "the expression of joy or gladness." If we had to come up with an example of the last time that we actually really outwardly rejoiced about something worldly-related, I imagine we might have to go back to some major milestone in our life. Maybe it was the news from the doctor that the cancer is now in remission, maybe it was a new job opportunity after a long spell of unemployment or "un-happy" employment, - - - or maybe it was the day when our child or grandchild or niece or nephew was born. If you have ever been in a labor and delivery room when the newborn takes in their very first breath and lets out their very first cry, then you will know what a sweet sound that is. That cry signals to those in the room that the baby is alive and breathing - and that cry is usually followed by outward rejoicing by the others in the room. There is a "birth sound" that trumps this sound in terms of sweetness. Jesus once told the Pharisee Nicodemus that, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Jesus also said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6) When the Holy Spirit first breathes life into a soul, and that person is "born again," the angels in heaven rejoice and cry out in excitement. "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10) What a sweet sound that must be!
"One sinner" needs to not only repent, but also be found. "One sinner" can repent until they are blue in the face, and even if it was possible for them to never commit another sin again, they would still be lost because they couldn't pay for the sin they had already committed. Jesus had a solution for this predicament. "Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15) Jesus tells us to repent AND believe the good news - the good news is that Jesus "came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) Jesus came "to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) Jesus' whole purpose in coming to this earth was to redeem. When just one sinner repents and believes this is great cause for rejoicing as Jesus' purpose is being accomplished. In a sermon that I just heard this past Sunday, I was reminded that we as Christians who are "fighting the good fight," are not an "Army of One" - we don't have to battle alone - we have our fellow Christians as allies. But in a way we are an army under one. Because through one, sin entered the world and we all became lost; and through "the One" sin was taken away and we were found. "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17) When even one sinner, who was lost, repents and is found by "the One" - Jesus Christ - then "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God."
Because "the One" has given you the gift of righteousness, when you were found and when you first believed, the angels in the presence of God rejoiced for you - personally! If we reach heaven before the Last Day, we will be able to hear that sweet sound, and even join the angels in the rejoicing over sinners who repent. But we don't have to, and we shouldn't, wait until we get to heaven to join the angels in rejoicing. The Psalms are filled with encouragement to rejoice NOW - the verse from the book of Psalms regarding rejoicing that is probably most often quoted is from Psalm 118 - "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Paul tells us (and then he tells us again) to, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) For us who have that "German Lutheran reserve" in us, when it comes to rejoicing, we should consider getting past that. We shouldn't just rejoice to ourselves - we need to rejoice out loud. We need to rejoice loud enough so that those who are still lost recognize us and ask us what we are so glad about. And then when recognized and interrogated, we must, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have," (I Peter 3:15) so that one of the lost who hears your rejoicing and hears your answer as to why you are rejoicing, might be birthed by the Spirit, be found, repent and believe. Let's pray for the motivation to rejoice out loud - let's keep the angels busy rejoicing over sinners who repent.
If you have any "German Lutheran reserve" in you - like I do - then you may not be prone to expressing emotion and you may not do a whole lot of outward rejoicing. According to my trusty dictionary, the definition of rejoicing is, "the expression of joy or gladness." If we had to come up with an example of the last time that we actually really outwardly rejoiced about something worldly-related, I imagine we might have to go back to some major milestone in our life. Maybe it was the news from the doctor that the cancer is now in remission, maybe it was a new job opportunity after a long spell of unemployment or "un-happy" employment, - - - or maybe it was the day when our child or grandchild or niece or nephew was born. If you have ever been in a labor and delivery room when the newborn takes in their very first breath and lets out their very first cry, then you will know what a sweet sound that is. That cry signals to those in the room that the baby is alive and breathing - and that cry is usually followed by outward rejoicing by the others in the room. There is a "birth sound" that trumps this sound in terms of sweetness. Jesus once told the Pharisee Nicodemus that, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Jesus also said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6) When the Holy Spirit first breathes life into a soul, and that person is "born again," the angels in heaven rejoice and cry out in excitement. "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10) What a sweet sound that must be!
"One sinner" needs to not only repent, but also be found. "One sinner" can repent until they are blue in the face, and even if it was possible for them to never commit another sin again, they would still be lost because they couldn't pay for the sin they had already committed. Jesus had a solution for this predicament. "Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15) Jesus tells us to repent AND believe the good news - the good news is that Jesus "came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) Jesus came "to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) Jesus' whole purpose in coming to this earth was to redeem. When just one sinner repents and believes this is great cause for rejoicing as Jesus' purpose is being accomplished. In a sermon that I just heard this past Sunday, I was reminded that we as Christians who are "fighting the good fight," are not an "Army of One" - we don't have to battle alone - we have our fellow Christians as allies. But in a way we are an army under one. Because through one, sin entered the world and we all became lost; and through "the One" sin was taken away and we were found. "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17) When even one sinner, who was lost, repents and is found by "the One" - Jesus Christ - then "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God."
Because "the One" has given you the gift of righteousness, when you were found and when you first believed, the angels in the presence of God rejoiced for you - personally! If we reach heaven before the Last Day, we will be able to hear that sweet sound, and even join the angels in the rejoicing over sinners who repent. But we don't have to, and we shouldn't, wait until we get to heaven to join the angels in rejoicing. The Psalms are filled with encouragement to rejoice NOW - the verse from the book of Psalms regarding rejoicing that is probably most often quoted is from Psalm 118 - "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Paul tells us (and then he tells us again) to, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) For us who have that "German Lutheran reserve" in us, when it comes to rejoicing, we should consider getting past that. We shouldn't just rejoice to ourselves - we need to rejoice out loud. We need to rejoice loud enough so that those who are still lost recognize us and ask us what we are so glad about. And then when recognized and interrogated, we must, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have," (I Peter 3:15) so that one of the lost who hears your rejoicing and hears your answer as to why you are rejoicing, might be birthed by the Spirit, be found, repent and believe. Let's pray for the motivation to rejoice out loud - let's keep the angels busy rejoicing over sinners who repent.
Friday, September 10, 2010
September 9, 2010
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-26)
I'm not sure if the jingle is still in use today, but back in 1982, a nationwide advertising and publicity campaign was launched by the Isaly Klondike Company with the tag, "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" If you have seen or heard the commercial, then the tune is probably stuck in your head right now - and I apologize for that. I am personally not a huge fan of ice cream treats - they don't really do much for me - so my answer to the question has always been - not much - I wouldn't do very much for a Klondike bar. In our Gospel Lesson for this upcoming Sunday, Jesus spells out what we need to do - to what lengths we need to go - if we are to be considered one of his disciples. The question we need to ask ourselves is, "what would you do to be a disciple of Jesus?" The understood thought that comes before the Klondike bar question is (considering how good they are and what they do for you) "what would you do for a Klondike Bar?" The understood thought that comes before the disciple of Jesus question is (considering how good he is and what he has done for you) "what would you be willing to do to be a disciple of Jesus?"
I don't know about you, but for me there is one word that Jesus uses in these couple of verses that rings in my ears - the "H" word. Many families that I know, don't even allow the word "hate" to be in their family member's vocabulary. And here we have Jesus telling us that we need to hate what most people value most in life - even more than their precious "stuff" - we need to hate the relationships with those who are closest to us. And then Jesus throws in the one thing that often trumps the value we place on "stuff," and even sadly often trumps the value we place on our relationships with others - as he includes "me, myself and I," in the list of things that must be hated in order to become a disciple of Jesus. Of course we aren't supposed to go around literally hating everyone and ourselves - there are countless other passages from Scripture that instruct us to love one another, which would contradict the hate modus operandi. But we are to love God so much more than we love even our closest loved ones, that relatively speaking, how we love our loved ones is actually closer to hate than it is to love. Jesus tells us we are to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40) The second command is like the first, but it is far inferior to the first and greatest command. In Luther's "what does this mean" to the "first and greatest commandment" - we are told "we should fear, love and trust in God above all things." the "all things" includes even our closest relationships. "What would you do to be a disciple of Jesus?" Would you love him so much more than you love everything and everyone else that is most precious in your life, that relatively speaking, it appears that everything and everyone else is hated by you?
Before we answer the question, let's consider what Jesus has done for us. As much as our closest loved ones care about us and would do anything for us - there is still one thing that they cannot do for us - they cannot make our relationship with God right. Only Jesus could do that. After sin created a barrier between God and man, Jesus was faced with the question: "what would you do to redeem these fallen people?" Jesus responded in the most extreme way - his actions matched his extreme love for us. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to come into this imperfect sinful world to become like one of us. And then after 33 years of wrestling and resisting every sinful temptation that he faced, as he lived a perfect life in our place, Jesus even was willing to die for us - and his death was NOT of natural causes - it was a gory painful death being crucified on a cross. Jesus' actions clearly answer the question regarding what he would do for us. "[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2: 6-8) Jesus did all this for us, so that we could have a right relationship with God.
What would you do for a Klondike bar? My answer is - not much. What would you do to be a disciple of Jesus? Considering what he has done for us - we should love him so much that it appears we hate everything else that's important to us. Jesus deserves more than the love that's leftover after we love everyone else - he deserves the first fruits of our love. He deserves it, and he demands it, if we want to be one of his disciples. When we consider and survey what Jesus has done for us, this shouldn't be a difficult command to follow - we will want to love him most. Unfortunately, the good we want to do we often do not do, but the Good News is that Jesus' obedient life and sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sins of omission too - like the times when we fail to love him most. Out of thanks for paying for all our sins, including the times when we fail to love Jesus to the extreme, we will want to do our best to give him what he wants from us, which is our all when it comes to love. "Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a tribute far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." CW 125:4
I'm not sure if the jingle is still in use today, but back in 1982, a nationwide advertising and publicity campaign was launched by the Isaly Klondike Company with the tag, "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" If you have seen or heard the commercial, then the tune is probably stuck in your head right now - and I apologize for that. I am personally not a huge fan of ice cream treats - they don't really do much for me - so my answer to the question has always been - not much - I wouldn't do very much for a Klondike bar. In our Gospel Lesson for this upcoming Sunday, Jesus spells out what we need to do - to what lengths we need to go - if we are to be considered one of his disciples. The question we need to ask ourselves is, "what would you do to be a disciple of Jesus?" The understood thought that comes before the Klondike bar question is (considering how good they are and what they do for you) "what would you do for a Klondike Bar?" The understood thought that comes before the disciple of Jesus question is (considering how good he is and what he has done for you) "what would you be willing to do to be a disciple of Jesus?"
I don't know about you, but for me there is one word that Jesus uses in these couple of verses that rings in my ears - the "H" word. Many families that I know, don't even allow the word "hate" to be in their family member's vocabulary. And here we have Jesus telling us that we need to hate what most people value most in life - even more than their precious "stuff" - we need to hate the relationships with those who are closest to us. And then Jesus throws in the one thing that often trumps the value we place on "stuff," and even sadly often trumps the value we place on our relationships with others - as he includes "me, myself and I," in the list of things that must be hated in order to become a disciple of Jesus. Of course we aren't supposed to go around literally hating everyone and ourselves - there are countless other passages from Scripture that instruct us to love one another, which would contradict the hate modus operandi. But we are to love God so much more than we love even our closest loved ones, that relatively speaking, how we love our loved ones is actually closer to hate than it is to love. Jesus tells us we are to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40) The second command is like the first, but it is far inferior to the first and greatest command. In Luther's "what does this mean" to the "first and greatest commandment" - we are told "we should fear, love and trust in God above all things." the "all things" includes even our closest relationships. "What would you do to be a disciple of Jesus?" Would you love him so much more than you love everything and everyone else that is most precious in your life, that relatively speaking, it appears that everything and everyone else is hated by you?
Before we answer the question, let's consider what Jesus has done for us. As much as our closest loved ones care about us and would do anything for us - there is still one thing that they cannot do for us - they cannot make our relationship with God right. Only Jesus could do that. After sin created a barrier between God and man, Jesus was faced with the question: "what would you do to redeem these fallen people?" Jesus responded in the most extreme way - his actions matched his extreme love for us. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to come into this imperfect sinful world to become like one of us. And then after 33 years of wrestling and resisting every sinful temptation that he faced, as he lived a perfect life in our place, Jesus even was willing to die for us - and his death was NOT of natural causes - it was a gory painful death being crucified on a cross. Jesus' actions clearly answer the question regarding what he would do for us. "[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2: 6-8) Jesus did all this for us, so that we could have a right relationship with God.
What would you do for a Klondike bar? My answer is - not much. What would you do to be a disciple of Jesus? Considering what he has done for us - we should love him so much that it appears we hate everything else that's important to us. Jesus deserves more than the love that's leftover after we love everyone else - he deserves the first fruits of our love. He deserves it, and he demands it, if we want to be one of his disciples. When we consider and survey what Jesus has done for us, this shouldn't be a difficult command to follow - we will want to love him most. Unfortunately, the good we want to do we often do not do, but the Good News is that Jesus' obedient life and sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sins of omission too - like the times when we fail to love him most. Out of thanks for paying for all our sins, including the times when we fail to love Jesus to the extreme, we will want to do our best to give him what he wants from us, which is our all when it comes to love. "Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a tribute far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." CW 125:4
Friday, September 3, 2010
September 2, 2010
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:7-8)
If we were somehow able to travel back in time to when our grandparents (or even our parents) were the age we are now, so that we could take a look at their way of life, we would notice a lot about their way of life that is different from our way of life today. If we were somehow able to travel forward in time to when our grandchildren (or even our children) will be the age that we are now, so that we could take a look at their way of life, we would likely notice a lot about their way of life in the future that is different from our way of life today. Much has changed and much will change. It was the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who came up with the idea that, "Nothing endures but change." Sometimes we translate his quote as, "the only constant in life is change." The Christian recognizes that there is an exception to this rule. The Christian realizes that there is one constant in life that does not change. That constant is Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Everything about Jesus Christ is constant, and Jesus is our constant because he constantly loves us - as he has loved our leaders from the past and will love the next generations. And Jesus is constantly with us - as he was with our leaders from the past and how he will be with the next generations.
One other thing has not changed - the most common denominator between people of all ages is the sinful nature that we all inherit from our most distant relatives, Adam & Eve. The good news is that the universal Good News that takes care of that sin also has not changed and will not change. What Jesus means to people and what he does for them has not changed and will not change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." A fitting slogan for Jesus could be: Jesus Christ - continuing to meet people's greatest need exactly the same way since 3,000 B.C. (or whenever Adam and Eve took the forbidden bites).
School is back in session. For those of us who have children, or grandchildren, or nieces/nephews in Christian Day School or Sunday School, isn't it comforting to know that the Jesus they are learning about is the same Jesus that loves us and that is with us - that very same Jesus who was with and loved those leaders who came before us? Jesus' love for the sinner doesn't weaken over time - he loves us just as much now, as he did when out of love he stayed on the cross to make the final installment in the paying off of the debt of sin. "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:5) Jesus is with us "today" just as much us as he will be with those from the next generation tomorrow and "forever," and Jesus isn't with us "today" any less than he was with those who came before us "yesterday." Jesus promised to his disciples of "yesterday" that he would continue to be with them. That same promise applies to us "today," and will continue to apply for believers like us, right up until the end of time. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
When we "consider the outcome of [the] way of life [of our] leaders, who spoke the word of God to [us,]" we will realize that there really only are two outcomes - heaven or hell. If these leaders remained "faithful, even to the point of death, [and God gave them] the crown of life," (Revelation 2:10), then their way of life - their way to eternal life - is worth considering and imitating. When we consider their way of life, we realize that they are now in heaven for the very same reason that we can be sure that we will one day be in heaven - the unchanging Jesus. One way we can imitate the faith of those "who spoke the word of God to [us]", is to speak the word of God to others - to become leaders who speak the word of God to others. School is indeed back in session, but that doesn't mean we should leave all the teaching up to the teachers. We, as parents, grandparents and aunts/uncles should be speaking the word of God to the next generation. The definition of heritage is: "Something that is passed down from preceding generations." Unfortunately one thing that we all inherit and are passed down from the preceding generation is a sinful nature "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) But, following the pattern of the leaders who spoke the word of God to us, we are also able to pass down from our generation to the next the truth about sin and the truth about our unchanging Savior - we can, and should, "[speak] the word of God to [them]. God's word, and its central theme of Jesus, is our great heritage and we, like those from the generation past who spoke the word of God to us, have the privilege of speaking the word of God to the next generation. The heritage of God's Word and it's central character Jesus doesn't get old - it's always perfectly contemporary with every generation, because who Jesus is and what he means to us remains the same as who he was and what he meant to those who came before us, and who Jesus is and what he means to the believer will continue to remain exactly the same throughout all future generations.
"God's Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever;
to spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way; in death it is our stay.
Lord, grant while worlds endure, we keep its teachings pure,
throughout all generations." CW 293
If we were somehow able to travel back in time to when our grandparents (or even our parents) were the age we are now, so that we could take a look at their way of life, we would notice a lot about their way of life that is different from our way of life today. If we were somehow able to travel forward in time to when our grandchildren (or even our children) will be the age that we are now, so that we could take a look at their way of life, we would likely notice a lot about their way of life in the future that is different from our way of life today. Much has changed and much will change. It was the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who came up with the idea that, "Nothing endures but change." Sometimes we translate his quote as, "the only constant in life is change." The Christian recognizes that there is an exception to this rule. The Christian realizes that there is one constant in life that does not change. That constant is Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Everything about Jesus Christ is constant, and Jesus is our constant because he constantly loves us - as he has loved our leaders from the past and will love the next generations. And Jesus is constantly with us - as he was with our leaders from the past and how he will be with the next generations.
One other thing has not changed - the most common denominator between people of all ages is the sinful nature that we all inherit from our most distant relatives, Adam & Eve. The good news is that the universal Good News that takes care of that sin also has not changed and will not change. What Jesus means to people and what he does for them has not changed and will not change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." A fitting slogan for Jesus could be: Jesus Christ - continuing to meet people's greatest need exactly the same way since 3,000 B.C. (or whenever Adam and Eve took the forbidden bites).
School is back in session. For those of us who have children, or grandchildren, or nieces/nephews in Christian Day School or Sunday School, isn't it comforting to know that the Jesus they are learning about is the same Jesus that loves us and that is with us - that very same Jesus who was with and loved those leaders who came before us? Jesus' love for the sinner doesn't weaken over time - he loves us just as much now, as he did when out of love he stayed on the cross to make the final installment in the paying off of the debt of sin. "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:5) Jesus is with us "today" just as much us as he will be with those from the next generation tomorrow and "forever," and Jesus isn't with us "today" any less than he was with those who came before us "yesterday." Jesus promised to his disciples of "yesterday" that he would continue to be with them. That same promise applies to us "today," and will continue to apply for believers like us, right up until the end of time. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
When we "consider the outcome of [the] way of life [of our] leaders, who spoke the word of God to [us,]" we will realize that there really only are two outcomes - heaven or hell. If these leaders remained "faithful, even to the point of death, [and God gave them] the crown of life," (Revelation 2:10), then their way of life - their way to eternal life - is worth considering and imitating. When we consider their way of life, we realize that they are now in heaven for the very same reason that we can be sure that we will one day be in heaven - the unchanging Jesus. One way we can imitate the faith of those "who spoke the word of God to [us]", is to speak the word of God to others - to become leaders who speak the word of God to others. School is indeed back in session, but that doesn't mean we should leave all the teaching up to the teachers. We, as parents, grandparents and aunts/uncles should be speaking the word of God to the next generation. The definition of heritage is: "Something that is passed down from preceding generations." Unfortunately one thing that we all inherit and are passed down from the preceding generation is a sinful nature "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) But, following the pattern of the leaders who spoke the word of God to us, we are also able to pass down from our generation to the next the truth about sin and the truth about our unchanging Savior - we can, and should, "[speak] the word of God to [them]. God's word, and its central theme of Jesus, is our great heritage and we, like those from the generation past who spoke the word of God to us, have the privilege of speaking the word of God to the next generation. The heritage of God's Word and it's central character Jesus doesn't get old - it's always perfectly contemporary with every generation, because who Jesus is and what he means to us remains the same as who he was and what he meant to those who came before us, and who Jesus is and what he means to the believer will continue to remain exactly the same throughout all future generations.
"God's Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever;
to spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way; in death it is our stay.
Lord, grant while worlds endure, we keep its teachings pure,
throughout all generations." CW 293
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