Mother's Day

Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Luke 7:11-17

So how was your Mother’s Day? If you are on Facebook the week preceeding this one, took on a Mother’s Day flavor as people posted photos of their mother as their profile photo. I pray that your Mother’s Day was a joyful celebration of God’s gift of motherhood.

But there is a tough reality… what about all those people for whom Mother's Day is a difficult day? How about the mothers whose children have died- through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, as a child, or as an adult? How about those women who long to be mothers yet their wombs and arms are empty? How about those who don’t feel like they are doing such a great job mothering, or who feel taken for granted by their families. How about those people whose relationship with their mothers is broken, or non-existent?

Mother’s Day, actually holidays in general, can be very difficult for people suffering from disappointment, hurt, loss and brokenness.

Our scripture passage for the day has a broken hearted mother encountering Christ. Look at the words “… the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.” Do you notice Christ’s emotion – Compassion! Christ had compassion on this mother. He has compassion on all mothers, all women.

The people responded to Jesus’ healing miracle. They recognized who Christ is - a prophet and God. Report about him spread – our modern technology has nothing on word of mouth (I got to experience that firsthand during a mission trip to Haiti this spring). What was the report that spread? That he healed someone, and more… the report of his compassion and God visiting his people.

God has visited his people. Christ is Immanuel – God with us… His last words to his disciples are “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Christ is with us and he has compassion on us.

Heavenly Father, we know that tragedy and brokenness knows no bounds, striking people of every nation, age and station in life. Thank you God, for your great compassion in sending Jesus as the Savior for all people. Your Gospel shows He has conquered every foe for us, holidays that are difficult to bear, earthly sorrows, even death and the grave. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Heard- Remembered…Saw-Knew

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel--and God knew.

Exodus 2:23-25

This year brings a milestone birthday for me. I don’t know if it’s the number of years God has granted me, or perhaps the number of children He has given us, but much as I hate to admit it my memory is not what it used to be.

Our memories are fascinating things. An incredible blessing from God, we cherish remembered moments with loved ones. But also memories can become clouded with perceptions, or fail altogether (all those husband jokes about forgetting birthdays or anniversaries).

If we are not careful we could make an inaccurate assumption about God’s memory by putting a human construction on the word “remembered” in Exodus 2: 24. We dare not think that God forgot the Israelites. He was in a covenantal relationship with them, bound together with the people as in a marriage. He knows them and is faithful.

The Lutheran Study Bible on page 843, says this “ ‘Remember’…Hebrew zakar ‘to recall’ or ‘keep in mind’. God could not forget his covenant with His people. When He ‘remembers’ them, He actively works to keep His promise to protect and save them.”

This is not just the Old Testament and past tense. We are new covenantal people. Baptized into the relationship with the triune God and brought into the covenant through Christ’s blood shed on the cross and received in the Lord’s Supper. God hears us, remembers us and is bound with us. He sees us, knows us and is faithful.

Heavenly Father, you hear us, remember us, see us and know us. Thank you for the covenant you have made and your faithfulness to us miserable sinners. Continue to bind us to yourself and strengthen us through your Word, and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in faithfulness to you. Amen

Success?!

And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (Genesis 39:20-23)

Success? You call this success? Joseph was betrayed, falsely accused, punished, and abandoned. Not quite the epitome of what we would call success. I looked it up, one dictionary definition of success is attainment of wealth, favor or eminence. Joseph is considered to be a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. Betrayal, false accusation, punishment, abandonment these are a far cry from attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.

Speaking of success, remember back in your late teens or early twenties? The success that you were sure was to come your way? I just reconnected with a college friend on Facebook this week. We used to sit and talk for hours, we had all the answers. We knew success would come our way, our fiancées would be the perfect husbands, we would have just the “right” number of kids, manage home and career. Hmm, life sure doesn’t look like I thought it would back then.

But wait there is another dictionary definition of success: a favorable or desired outcome. Desired outcome… whose desired outcome? Did Joseph’s imprisonment seem like success? Did Christ’s crucifixion seem like success? They are a success because they are God’s desired outcome. “The Lord made it succeed.”

The Lord was with Joseph, and is with you. He is Immanuel (all year round not just at Christmas time) which means God with us.

O Lord God, you are Immanuel, always with us. Thank you for bringing to pass your desired outcome. Remind us to attribute every success to you. Renew us continually in our baptismal grace so that we may serve you all the days of our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior from sin, death and the devil. Amen.

An Invitation for All

John 7:37-38 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'

When my youngest daughter was a toddler she would walk up to babies whenever she spotted a stroller or carrier and try to talk to them. As a toddler her words and sentences weren’t always very clear but one phrase directed to either the baby or his/her mama was always the same “Baby baptized?”

See, we sit at the front of the church. We have ever since a pastor suggested it when our oldest was tiny. I was skeptical but he was right. The little ones can see better and actually are less restless up front. Sitting in the second pew, my kids get a great view of the baptisms. In my daughter’s mind every baby would be baptized, so as we visited the mall or library she would ask them.

My little one, not yet two years old, understood what Jesus was saying in the text above from the gospel according to John. Jesus’ invitation “If anyone thirsts…” is for all people. Theologians label this as objective justification, Christ died for all on the cross. Knowing about objective justification is important, it is the reason we can witness to anyone and everyone that Christ died for them.

The very next sentence starts with “Whoever believes….” This is subjective justification. We need to make no mistake that just because Christ died for all, it does not mean that all will be saved. Subjective justification is the receiving by faith that which Christ has done.

This passage in John occurs in Jerusalem, it is the Feast of Booths. Jesus went privately, he knew that they wanted to kill him but that the time had not yet come. Yet even knowing others felt violently about him, he went to the temple to teach and the crowds were amazed. This was radical talk, some would have thought God only loved the Jews. But here Christ is inviting all to believe in him.

An invitation for all… even the babies who are given the gift of faith when they are carried to the baptism font. Even the toddlers who have rivers of living water flowing out of them witnessing to God’s love for other babies.

Lord God, You desire that all come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Keep us in your baptismal grace, so that I and my family may be continually empowered to share Christ with those around us and those we come into contact with. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen

Living Water

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. - John 4:14

Perhaps your family is like ours. We have cherished stories that are told over and over. These anecdotes reflect our faith in more meaningful ways than might be apparent on the surface of a cute tale. One of our family favorites is of a time when a toddler comforted an adult. Mom was overwhelmed with the burden of caring for 2 young daughters. As she sobbed one day, her 2 year old patted her on the shoulder and told her “Love makes you happy” attempting to console her.

Our family stories can share our memories of the times when we ministered to one another. In the verse above from the Gospel of John, we are told that when Christ makes us a part of His family, the body of believers in our baptism, he indwells us and gives us “spring of water welling up to eternal life.” That water wells up, then spills over to others around us… just like that 2 year old consoling her mother.

Maybe our reply is like the woman at the well, to whom Jesus was talking in this passage (John 4:7-26)… where do we get this water. God promises that it is in His Word and in the Sacraments, the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

When we corral our children and herd them into church it might feel like all we are doing is getting a headache, or giving a headache to those around us. (Sometimes even bruises or stitches if you are sitting with my kids, but that is another family story for another day). We sometimes say God’s Word is performative. The Bible isn’t just some book with black ink, it is living and active, it makes things happen within us. When we are in the midst of the church pew whispering, the pokes, the scramble for crayons… we are getting the Living Water. Even the littlest ones in their carriers hearing God’s Word, read aloud and spoken in the words of the liturgy, are transformed with the spring of water welling up to eternal life.

God gives to us, keeps giving to us and then overflows from us to others. We can’t even help it, it just happens, it is Christ in us.

Father in heaven, Look upon me with mercy and quench my every thirst with living water. I give you thanks for making me and my children members of the body of believers in baptism. I pray that Your Word and Your Spirit will daily continue to transform my sinful nature so that I may spill over with Your love to all I meet. I pray this in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.