Faith hits the Road

There’s a story of an old preacher who served a rural congregation.

Every Sunday, after he lead the announcements, this old preacher would lead a prayer, giving thanks to God for a long list of items: the weather, the health of the members, the township elections, whatever.

So one winter Sunday, the weather was bad. No. Really bad. The wind was blowing. The snow was drifting. The heater in the sanctuary had given out and the church thermometer read a chilly 42 degrees. On the way to church, the preacher’s car slid off the road and into a ditch, so that he was forced to walk the last 2 miles to church. When he got there, he realized that he left his sermon bad in the car.

As you can imagine, the few members who showed up for worship were very curious as to whether these events would cause the preacher to change his tune. But, true to form, as he began the service, his announcements were joyous and chipper, just as always.

During this announcement time, the members wondered just what the preacher could possibly give thanks for this day.

“Lord,” he began. “I thank you… that all days are not like this day.” Was his prayer.

Sometimes it can be hard to rejoice. When life throws us its nastiest, it can take everything that we have to keep from thinking, like Job’s wife, “Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9)

On these days, weeks, etc., what a blessing it is to know that “the Spirit intercedes for us with signs too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26) When we can only pray, “Lord, I thank you… that all days are not like this day…” God knows our hearts, and it is enough.

“Rejoice in the LORD always, Again I will say, Rejoice! “

Someone asked me this past week how I thought the Christian Church could overcome all the challenges it faces today. I responded by asking a question of my own. I’ll ask that question of you as well.

What is the ultimate goal of the church? Why do we exist?

Some people might answer that the whole point of church is to get other people to come to church, to increase our attendance numbers and to increase the collection in the offering plate. While we certainly want people to come to worship, and while we definitely appreciate the financial support, I’m not sure that these are the ultimate goal of the church.

Jesus gives us his answer to this question when he instructs us to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” So when we think that the church’s goal is to make people come to us, Jesus tells us to go to them. It may simply seem like a matter of wrestling with words, but what might be different is we changed the way we looked at our faith?

Let’s take a typical family. Parenting is different for their generation than it was, say one or two generations back. They are dealing with issues that their parents never had to face, as well as some that their parents did face. They want to give their kids the best, and for their kids to be involved in a wide variety of experiences, perhaps ones that they never got to have. So they’re busier than ever. Running kids here and there. Working extra to provide for their family. And when traveling sports or camping take up the entire weekend, worship goes by the wayside.

So how does the church respond? Do we make them feel guilty for not being in church? Or do we reach out and provide them with resources that help them talk about faith in their homes? Is the sanctuary the only place that faith discussions can take place? Where did Jesus do his ministry? On the hillside. Along the roadsides. In the boat (a personal favorite of mine). In the homes of his friends. And occasionally, in the synagogue. So when Jesus tells us to GO and make disciples of all nations, maybe we should go where he went. And when we do, we just might discover that Jesus is already there, wondering when we were going to show up.

If the goal of faith is to “make disciples of all nations,” then our focus ought to be helping those disciples live out their faith to the best of their ability. That means meeting them where they are at, and empowering them to live out their faith where they work, play, study, and serve. If people see that “the church” is wherever they are, then what we do on Tuesday afternoon is just as important as what we do on Sunday morning. Sharing our faith, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, strengthening on another in our disciple’s walk. That is the ultimate goal of the church.

(This is a repost of my current newsletter article. I am sharing it here, so that those of you who do not receive our newsletter might share in this reflection. Blessings!)

“Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”  ~ James 5:13-16

Many of you have inquired about my mother-in-law’s recover from her back surgery June 27. I am pleased to report that she is healing very well and her doctor is very pleased with her progress. Our whole family would like to thank all of you for the prayers and encouragement during her time of hospitalization and healing.

The book of James reminds us that even in this day and age of modern medicine, the power of prayer is never to be underestimated. In good and bad, we can always stay connected to the God who has named and claimed us in the waters of Holy Baptism. Prayer is our primary mode of communication with our God, and ought to be engaged in often and sincerely. Or, to put it another way, “Take two of these and call me in the morning.”

Sometimes it seems like we are ready to pray for others in their time of need, but forget to give thanks afterward for the answer to our prayer. Like the nine lepers who failed to return to Jesus to offer their thanks for being healed, we are all too often rushing off to the next thing, instead of acknowledging the true giver of the gift.

And what about times when our prayer goes unanswered, or we don’t get what we pray for? Jesus does tell us that “If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (John 14:14) But does that mean that I can be foolish in my asking, and God will grant my every whim, like a genie in a bottle? Certainly not.

As we grow in maturity in our faith, we discover that God grants us what’s best for us, not necessarily what we want. We may not always understand why, especially when we’re so sure that we know what God should do for us. But God’s ways are not always our ways. Sometimes the answer that God gives us is not a “Yes” or “no,” but the gift of God’s presence in the midst of our struggle. God doesn’t yank us out of the “Valley of the shadow of death.” Rather, we need not fear, because our God is walking with us through it all. So whether our prayer gets answered the way we want it to or not, we can rest assured that we have a God who loves us, wants to hear the desires of our hearts, and wants the very best for us, even (and especially) when we have no clue what that best may be.

God’s blessings to you, and keep on praying!

Pastor Maurice Schaus

So how’s your baseball team doing this season? Red hot? in a bit of a slump?

How’s your prayer life? Stuck in  a slump or red hot?

Baseball is a bit like faith, if you think about it. The season is long, everyone goes through winning streaks and losing slumps, sometimes your best players get injured or traded, and there are days that you begin to wonder why you even show up to play. Such is the way with baseball, and such is the way with life.

Last week I joined the church softball team, and I must say that I was more than a little bit nervous. We went into the game 6-0, and looking to continue our winning streak. I was nervous because I hadn’t played on a softball team since back in my seminary days. What if coach put me in and I made the error that gave up the winning run? What if I was called on to hit in the clutch and I struck out, when I should have scored the go ahead run? What if my performance wasn’t good enough?

Sometimes we can get caught up in thinking about faith as a performance-rated event. We feel as though we have to have it all together all the time, super–duper rock solid faith, or else we ought not even call ourselves Christians. Sometimes we are tempted to think, “If I can’t preach like St. Peter or pray like St. Paul, then I shouldn’t even be in the lineup.” But God hears our fears, our anxieties, loves us, and says emphatically, “Get out there and play ball!”

Last year I had the opportunity co coach my son’s T-Ball team. It was such a fun time, watching these little sluggers grow and develop through the course of five short weeks. Children who began the season not knowing how to hold the bat or how to stand in the batter’s box quickly learned the basics, and were eager to show off their skills.

There was no fear of failure. There was no performance anxiety. When little Haley got into the box to take her turn at bat, the rest of the world didn’t matter. She just wanted to hit that ball into next week. And the crowd was right there with her. It didn’t matter if she hit the ball or not, they cheered as though she was playing in the world series! Everyone was so proud that she was up there trying. The power of that encouragement inspired all of us to do our best.

Christian Theologian Richard Foster wrote, “Prayer is a little like an automobile: You do not have to understand everything about its inner workings for it to get you somewhere. I have found that if we simply pray–even if we pray in wrong ways–God is pleased with our feeble efforts and Jesus lovingly guides us into more excellent ways. Also, we can be assured that the blessed Holy Spirit will adjust, correct, and interpret our prayer before the throne of God.” (Devotional Classics, p. 113)

How freeing is it to know that God does not look down on us because of our feeble efforts at faithfulness, but loves them, encourages them, and grows us in the midst of them! God is so proud of your efforts, that God is cheering you on, encouraging you to keep praying, keep sharing, keep loving, keep forgiving, keep serving. We don’t need to worry about “doing it wrong,” because any time we step out in faith, our God is pleased and walks with us through it all.

So… Batter up! It’s your turn!

But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.  ~ 1 Peter 3:14-17

I find my thoughts wandering towards this past Sunday’s second reading, quoted above, as I think about our nation’s celebration of Memorial Day. Today is a day set aside to remember those brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice, offering their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Historically, Lutheran theologians have not been especially vocal surrounding national holidays such as Memorial Day, citing the separation of church and state as reason to refrain from comment. Too much patriotism implies that God is on our side, only on our side, and that God ordains and blesses whatever our great nation endeavors to do. Most of us would acknowledge that some our nation’s actions are done out of less than altruistic motives, and that the face of Christ can sometimes even be seen in the face of our enemies. If God were to pick sides, God would side with the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the outcast in society.

But that is not to say that there is no room for pride in our nation. Certainly the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are a sign of God’s generosity, and not be taken for granted. we have been blessed beyond our comprehension, so that we might be a blessing to others. We are at the same time grateful for the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform, and saddened by the reality that we live in a broken world where such sacrifices are necessary to ensure peaceful living.

So Peter writes to a community of faith undergoing suffering for the sake of the Good News. He distinguishes between suffering for doing wrong, and suffering for doing what is right. If we suffer for doing God’s will, we are blessed. When we know what we believe, and are ready to “take a stand for Jesus,” there will be times when saying “Yes” to God will mean saying “No” to other things. Sometimes we suffer for the sake of doing what we know is right. It’s called integrity. It’s not easy to live out the life that Jesus calls us to. It’s not easy to say “No” when everyone around you is saying “Yes.” It’s not easy to uphold parental rules in the face of arguing and whining. But is the alternative worth it? If we suffer for doing what is right, we are blessed. being a Christian isn’t always popular, but the benefits are out of this world.

So when you’re grilling brats and burgers this Memorial Day, take some time to be grateful for all the freedoms we enjoy, and let some of that gratitude spill over into your Christian living. Dare to suffer on account of what you believe. Dare to share the love of Jesus with someone else. Dare to live a life of integrity, even (and especially) when it’s not popular or easy. When we reach out to make life better for someone else, we will indeed be blessed along the way.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Well, I’m finally entering the modern age. I’m getting a blog. I’m hoping that this will be an opportunity for me to share with you insights into faith, life, food, fishing, fun, places where our faith hits the road of life. I’m also working on an online Bible Study, and we’ll see how that goes.

So: read, comment, ask questions. That’s what faith is for, right?

I’ve added a new section to my blog. I’m trying an online Bible Study, for folks that are to busy to make it to a study at their home church, or are looking for a different venue for study. First launched is a study of Paul’s letter to the Ephsians. Read the book, and join in the conversation. Hear what Paul has to say to the churches in Asia Minor, and to us today.

Questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome!