READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!

Devotional for First Sunday in Advent, December 3, 2017 based upon Mark 13: 24-37

When you were young, did you play Hide and Seek?  If so, where was your favorite place to hide, and were you able to find a place to hide where no one was ever able to find you?

In playing Hide and Seek, the person who is It will close his eyes, while everyone else runs and hides.  The person who is It counts to a hundred or so and then says, “Ready or not, here I come!”  In our Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Advent Jesus is saying to the world, “Ready or not, here I come!”  But unlike Hide and Seek, this is not a game.  This is dead serious.  We are in the final countdown before Jesus appears on earth to judge the world and to gather the faithful.  Jesus concludes His talking about His return with the words, “What I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”  Ready or not, Jesus is coming.  We had better be ready.  We had better get ready.  But how do we get ready?  In our Gospel lesson Jesus tells us three things that we need to and can do to get ready.

First, JESUS TELLS US TO KEEP AWAKE AND WATCH.  

Now of course, we all need to be asleep part of the time – six, seven, or eight hours a day.  But this is not what Jesus is talking about.  Rather He is talking about the sleep of being unprepared.  The sleep of not caring about what is happening in the world.  The sleep of indifference and unconcern.  Like the cartoon that depicted a couple men talking at a party.  One rather unconcerned-looking man said to the other, “So what if it’s Armageddon?  It’s not the end of the world.”

We need to be awake to the fact that someday Jesus will return – to bring history to a close, to judge the wicked and to gather the faithful.  According to the Bible, there is no question at all as to the certainty of His return.  The only question is when.  A car accident can happen – an explosion can occur – like a bolt out of the blue.  Jesus said that His return will be like that.  Sudden and immediate.  We must be ready before He comes, because we cannot get ready when He comes.  We must wake up from our sleep of business-as-usual, because Jesus is coming – whether or not we are ready.

Second, JESUS TELLS US TO KEEP AWAKE, WATCH, AND PRAY.

But what does prayer have to do with being ready for Jesus’ second coming?  Through prayer we keep in touch with God.  If we daily keep in touch with God, we will not become careless about being ready.  We will always be ready for Jesus’ return at any time.

And then we also need to pray for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  We do not want these people to be found without faith if Jesus should return.  It is our responsibility to pray daily that they will be ready when Jesus returns.  

A young boy was fishing with his grandfather off the coast.  The young lad noticed a flashing light coming from the lighthouse even though it was mid-day.  The child said, “But I thought they used that light only when there was fog or a storm.”  His grandfather replied, “No, son, they use it all the time, because you never know when fog or bad weather might come up.  It’s better to always be prepared than to miss the opportunity to save someone’s life.”

Prayer is our taking advantage of every opportunity to save someone’s life.  In good times and in bad, in sunshine and in storm, we need to keep awake, watch, and pray that souls will respond to the love of God and get ready.

Third, JESUS TELLS US TO KEEP AWAKE, WATCH, AND WORK.

When Jesus returns suddenly and unexpectedly, what will He find you doing?  Jesus expects each one of us to be about His work, so that when He comes, He will find us doing what He wants us to be doing.

A traveler was visiting a castle in northern Italy.  The old gardener opened the gates.  The visitor stepped into the garden, which was being kept perfectly.  The visitor asked, “When was the owner last here?”  He was told, “Twelve years ago.”  “Does he ever write?”  “No.”  “Where do you get your instructions?”  “From Milan.”  “Does the owner ever come?”  “No.”  “But you keep the grounds as through your master were returning tomorrow.”  The old gardener replied, “Sir, I keep the grounds as though my master were returning today.”  As Christians we need to keep awake, watch, pray, and work as though Jesus were returning today.

Whether or not you are ready, Jesus is coming.  If you are not ready, you have reason to dread His return.  If you are ready, you have reason to rejoice.  For He is coming to be with us, to bless us, and to take us home to be with Him in glory.

Jesus is saying, “Ready or not, here I come!”  Are you ready?

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13)

It’s as though the United States Congress just put its entire military at your command, and you respond by saying, “Could they mow my lawn maybe?”  There our Lord Jesus sat, preaching the kingdom of God in all its cruciform power, and this young man wants him to settle a property dispute.  Our Lord’s response was surely just: “Who made me arbitrator over you?”  He’s no arbitrator; he’s the Son of Man and Prince of Peace!

As you come to our nation’s Day of Thanksgiving, remember this great power of the One whom you thank, and His greater, joyful intention for you.  The moisture of the clouds and the grains of the earth are but a foretaste of the “kingdom come,” already pressing its way into earth through the water of Baptism and the Bread of Heaven.  He would give you more than your father’s cash; He’d give you the Father’s kingdom.

How much reason, then, to give thanks!  As you come before Him over the next several days, give thanks not only for the food on the table, but for the Food that ever lasts, His Son, Jesus Christ, and ask Him to share that Holy Feast abundantly, through you and all His Church.

LET US PRAY: O living Bread, my Lord Jesus Christ: thank You!  For what greater reason do I have to give thanks but You?  Unite my gratitude, as poor as it may be, with Your own ceaseless petitions at the Father’s right hand, and make known to all the world the glory of Your cross.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

FIRST WORDS AND FINAL WORDS

Devotional for Christ the King Sunday, November 26, 2017 based upon Matthew 25: 31-46

I retired on June 30, 2014, after serving as pastor of the same southern California congregation for forty years.  My final Sunday was June 29.  What I would say during the sermon on my final Sunday was very important to me.  There were certain things I wanted to be sure to say to the congregation, whom I had known and loved and been pastor for for forty years.  I spent a lot of time and prayer thinking through my final words.

Our Gospel lesson for Christ the King Sunday contains Jesus’ final words – His final message before the crucifixion.  I am sure that what He said during this final message was very important to Him.  What did He say?

In Jesus’ final message before the crucifixion He tells of the day when He will come in His glory.  All the angels will be there, and all the people who have ever lived will be there.  His first act as the newly crowned, rightful King of the universe will be to separate all people into two groups – sheep and goats.  To those on the right – to the sheep – He will say, “Come, you that are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (verse 34)  Then he will give a whole list of human hurts and will describe the response of the sheep to those hurts.  The first act of Christ as the newly crowned King will be to applaud His people’s acts of compassion.  What Jesus makes the biggest deal of in this – His final message before His crucifixion – are the works of compassion of His people, who have received His compassionate work of salvation.  

Now if Matthew 25 contains the last recorded message of Jesus before the crucifixion – the last recorded message of His three-year public ministry – what about His first recorded message?  What did Jesus say during the first time that the Bible says He got up to speak?

To find the answer to that question we turn to Luke 4 – to a time when Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth.  He went to the synagogue – to that community and religious gathering place where He had gone many, many times while growing up.  He went back to the synagogue, where He had studied the books of Moses, the law, and the prophets.  The law He had come to fulfill, and the prophets who spoke of the day of hope when He would be coming.  Luke tells us, “He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. . . .” (Luke 4: 16-17)

As best-selling author Max Lucado, speaking on this passage, points out, this is the only time in the Bible where Jesus chooses a place in the Bible.  This is the only time in the Bible where it specifically mentions that someone handed Jesus a Bible and said, “Here, please pick out a passage for us.”  Imagine handing God a Bible and asking Him to pick out a verse.  Just imagine.  If you were to hand God a Bible and ask Him to pick a verse, what verse do you think He would pick?  What one passage from the entire Old Testament do you think He would select?  Luke tells us, “He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. . . .”

You might think that He would have stopped at Isaiah 53 – the song of the suffering servant that speaks of Him so clearly – “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53: 5)  But instead He kept on going until He got to Isaiah 61, where He read, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.” (Luke 4: 18)

Here we have the first sentence of the first sermon of Jesus recorded in the Bible.  The only time mentioned in the Bible where Jesus selects and reads a passage from the Bible, and whom and what does He read about?  He reads about the poor.  “The spirit of the Lord has anointed Me – has chosen Me – to bring good news to the poor.”  

The only time in the Bible where it is specifically recorded that Jesus reads a passage from the Bible – and a passage which He Himself chooses – and whom does He read about?  It must be those whom He must have a special heart for.  The poor.  And in the rest of verse 18, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed.  

If the first act of our Lord Jesus Christ – after He is crowned as the rightful King of the universe – is to separate the sheep from the goats.  And if the factor that makes sheep sheep and goats goats is the way their faith leads them to respond to the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, and imprisoned.  And if in the first sermon that Jesus gave He talked about God’s concern for the poor, that must have a lot to say to us today, who live in a world where so many people are living in extreme poverty.      

If in His last recorded sermon and in His first recorded sermon, Jesus talked about God’s heart for the poor, we need to ask ourselves, What kind of heart do I have for the poor?  Do I have God’s kind of heart for the poor?  

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“ . . . so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26)

“Just remember, it’s not about you.”  Those were the last words I heard before I preached for the first time.  A senior at Valparaiso University, I was about to deliver the homily at one of the daily chapel services.  The chaplain assistant leading matins, who could probably see my nerves at work, leaned over and whispered, “Just remember, it’s not about you.”

There’s freedom in those words, whatever our walk of life: the freedom to let go of ourselves, even forget ourselves, and simply hand ourselves over to the task at hand.  And according to the apostle Paul, it is this same freedom that stands behind salvation in Jesus Christ.  Even there, it’s not about us: it’s about God demonstrating that He is just.  

While that promise may irritate our old selves (they always like to be at the center of attention!), it makes God’s forgiveness of you even more true and certain.  His decision to redeem, His sacrifice on the cross, and His proclamation of that redemption for you rest not on you, but entirely on Him who is eternal, the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

LET US PRAY: Lord God of hosts, You have raised up preachers, teachers, and martyrs in every age to bear witness to You.  We laud and magnify Your justice; we adore Your beloved Son; and we pray for Your continued grace upon our way; in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thess. 4:18)

St. Paul didn’t act as though he had more than he really had.  He had words, and they were good words.  Words can open minds, console hearts, and change futures.  Words from God, founded on the acts of God, can do even greater things: they can raise the dead.

Here in central Wisconsin, we can know how words work just by looking at the great hunting season that unfolds this month.  Consider how much talk accompanies hunting; think of the photos that people post of their kill to illustrate the stories that they tell.  That conversation encourages hunters in their hope and accompanies them into the woods.

It’s a reflection of the greater glory of Jesus Christ.  His life has authored a deathless word, the Holy Gospel that not only speaks of forgiveness now but also of the world to come.  This holy Word we must steadily proclaim, more and more, to encourage one another and reveal to this present world that there is a happy future to be had.  In the end, that sacred conversation of the Church is the hope that will accompany souls into the woods, however dark the woods may be.

LET US PRAY: Speak, O Lord, we will hear You, for Your Word alone is life.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

USE IT OR LOSE IT

Devotional for November 19, 2017 based upon Matthew 25: 14-30

In the parable for this morning Jesus is talking about money.  But He is talking about something far more important than money.  He is talking about life.  In the parable of the talents Jesus is giving us four principles on how we should invest our lives.

First, WE ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES ACCORDING TO OUR ABILITIES.  The servants were not given the same amount.  To one servant the master entrusted five talents, to another two, and to another only one.  Just like in life today.  We do not all get equal opportunity because we do not all have equal ability, and we do not all share the same level of commitment.  

So sometimes, instead of looking at all the opportunities that God has given us, we look at all the opportunities that He has not given us.  We look at what He has given to someone else rather than to us.  So then, instead of making the most of what we do have, we fret over what we do not have.  Instead, what we need to do is to take inventory of all that we have been given and then ask ourselves, Am I investing it, or am I burying it?  

Most of us probably feel like either the two-talent guy or the one-talent guy.  Very few, if any of us, feel like the five-talent guy.   The difference in what the one-talent guy and the two-talent guy started out with was not all that much.  But the difference in what they ended up with was substantial.  And why?  Because one took what he had and made use of it, while the other one took what he had and buried it.  If God has given someone else more than He has given you, that is never an excuse to waste it.

SECOND, FAITHFULNESS IS ALWAYS REWARDED.  Did you notice that the master spoke the exact same words to the man who had been given two talents as he said to the man who had been given five talents?  “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”  Both had been faithful with what they had been given.  So both of them were promoted.  Even though their original resources were not equal, their effort and faithfulness were equal.  Whether you are faithful with a little or faithful with a lot, faithfulness is always rewarded.

God is looking for those who will be faithful in the little things so that He can entrust them with bigger things.  In God’s economy, one of the biggest rewards for doing a good job is being given a bigger job.  Being responsible always leads to more responsibility.  

Third, THE ONLY REAL FAILURE IN LIFE IS GIVING UP AND DOING NOTHING.  The servant who had received only one talent might have thought, “What if I were to take this money and lose it?  It’s a whole lot safer just to do nothing.”  So that is what he did – nothing.

The other two servants had doubled the master’s money.  Maybe that was something that the third servant was not able to do.  What could he do?  He could have taken the master’s money and put it into a low-risk, low-return account.  So when the master returned, he could have said, “I know my colleagues doubled your money.  I do not have the ability to do that.  So I did do what I could do.  I put your money into a safe account at a safe bank, and the amount has increased by 3 % a year.”  What do you think the master would have said then?  I believe that if that truly was the best that third servant could do, then the master would have said to him exactly the same thing that he said to the others – “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  The reason why the master was so angry with this third servant was because he had just buried the talent and had done nothing.  He did not even try.  

Someone once said, Our greatest regrets at the end of our lives will be all the missed opportunities.  We will grieve far more over what we did not do than over what we did do.  The only real failure in life is giving up and doing nothing.  Because when we do nothing, we close the door to the possibility of God’s doing something really special in and through us.

Today, as you look back on your life, do you realize that you have squandered some opportunities that God has given you in the past?  Do you realize that you have some ability that lies buried in the sand?  If that is the case, then get out that shovel and start digging.  Unbury what you have buried and put it to use.  Do what you can with what you have left.  For accomplishing a little is far, far better than accomplishing nothing at all.  The only real failure in life is giving up and doing nothing.

And then, fourth, USE IT OR LOSE IT.  In Jesus’ parable the master said, “So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.  For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”  You have been given certain skills – certain abilities.  The more you use them, the better you will get at them.  But if you do not use them, you will eventually lose even what you do have.  

And then I would like to close by looking at five words that Jesus used to describe what the one who had been given the five talents did.  HE WENT OFF AT ONCE.  He went off at once and traded them and made five talents more.  He went off at once.  He got started immediately.  Whatever it is that you want to accomplish in your life – whatever it is in your life that you want to change – whatever it is that you feel God is calling you to do – do something about it today.  To finish it and to fully complete it may take days, weeks, months, even years.  Get started and do something about it today.  

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

WE ALL HAVE TO GET OUR OWN OIL

Devotional for November 12, 2017 based upon Matthew 25: 1-13

At one point all ten had brightly burning lamps. All ten had oil. But five ran out of oil. So five were not ready when the bridegroom came.

All ten had lights. Which probably were not some kind of small clay vessel with a little wick sticking out. Small clay vessels do not use much oil, but they also would not have been able to put out much light for a wedding party. They probably were torches – long poles with rags soaked in olive oil tied at the top. That kind of a torch produces a lot of light, but it also consumes a lot of oil, so the rags would have to be re-soaked in oil every certain number of minutes.

The oil that enables us to live our Christian lives is abundant. We can all be filled with the Holy Spirit every day. There is no energy shortage in heaven. And the oil is free. It has already all been paid for. But still, if we want our lives to keep on shining, we must receive a daily in-filling of God’s Holy Spirit. And so, in verse 4, “The wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” The wise had reserve oil. The wise enjoyed a deep, personal experience of the grace of Jesus. The wise had a deeper prayer life – a deeper Bible study life. The wise had a depth to their faith – a depth in their relationship with Jesus – that the five foolish bridesmaids did not have.

Verse 5 tells us, “As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” All ten had thought that the bridegroom would have been there a lot sooner. But he wasn’t there. So they became drowsy and slept. Preparing for a wedding can wear you out. There’s a lot that goes into getting ready for a wedding. Not just the bride – and the bride’s mother – but also the bridesmaids spend hours and hours getting ready for the wedding. No wonder brides and bridesmaids get all stressed out and tired out. Even the five wise bridesmaids were so tired that they fell asleep because of the delay.

Spiritually are you asleep? Are you asleep even though you know that the King of kings is coming? True, there has been a delay. Jesus the Bridegroom has not come yet. And yet the longer the delay, the closer we are to the time of His coming.

Verse 6 tells us, “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!’” When did the bridegroom come? At midnight. Jesus will return at the darkest time of the night. Jesus will come to you in your darkest hour. Sometimes I wonder how much darker it could get than it is right now. The bridegroom will come at midnight. In our hour of deepest need – at a time of greatest spiritual darkness – Jesus Christ will come.

Verse 7 – “Then all the bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.” All ten bridesmaids needed to refill their lamps with oil. But only the wise had brought along spare reserves of oil. What is that extra oil? It is an extra measure of God’s presence and grace in your life. It is the depth and strength of faith that you need to live in those toughest of times.

Verse 8 – “The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” But in verse 9 the wise replied, “No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealer and buy some for yourselves.” You cannot share the oil. Think about it this way. A deep Christian experience – a deep relationship with Jesus – a deep in-filling of the Holy Spirit – you cannot give yours to someone else. We must all go to the source.

Christian parents and grandparents may wish that they could just give their faith to their children and grandchildren. And many Christian people wish that they could transfer their Christian faith to their non-believing husband or wife. But each person must go to the source for himself or herself. The Christian faith can neither be transferred nor sold. Each must get the saving oil straight from the source.

No one can be a Christian for you. Your parent or grandparent can’t. Your spouse can’t. Your best friend can’t. And even your pastor can’t. We all have to get our own oil.

But where do you find oil at midnight? Verse 10 says, “And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.” Even if the five foolish bridesmaids had been able to find oil at midnight, they were not able to do so in time, so they were left out – standing out in the empty street – in the dark night.

In the same way, if you wait until you really need it to get that saving and strengthening relationship with Jesus – if you wait until midnight, you may have waited too long. The Bible says, Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to restock on oil. Today is the day to make your life right with Jesus. If you wait until midnight, you may have waited too long.

What about you? Is your lamp getting dimmer? Is your light beginning to flicker? Is your walk with Jesus lacking or even non-existent? Are you spiritually asleep? Don’t wait too long.

In verse 13 Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” I want to be there and ready. And I want you to be there and ready too. I want all of us to be seated at that table that will spread for miles in God’s great heavenly banquet room. Jesus, our Bridegroom and Host, will be there to welcome us. So what should we do? Before your lamp begins to go out – on a regular basis – stop and get a fresh supply. Daily repent of your sins and receive God’s grace. Daily renew your relationship with Jesus. And always remember – we all have to get our own oil.

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence.” (Rev. 7:15)

The old sinner in us doesn’t always like the term “shelter.”  Are we so weak that we need someone to shelter us?  Didn’t we cut the apron strings?  Shouldn’t Christians, in particular, be more questing, advocates in the public square for what is good and right and true?  Away with this mild Lord of shelter! (says the old, proud sinner . . . .)

And then 26 believers end up dead in a pool of blood as babies scream, mothers weep, and a nation goes on fighting.  Sudden illness cuts down beloved friends and family.  Opportunists prey on the young and deceive the poor, and an entertainment industry peddles vile myths to corrupt the soul.  Even churches quake with heresy, pressing the faithful into doubt, frustration, and a love of division.  

Come, O Shelter of the faithful!  What strength it takes to shelter others: resolve, compassion, and the willingness to go and seek the lost.  It takes a Man who would even bear a cross to overcome the power of death.  This Man is God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows you by name; whose love for you is stronger than death; and who will bring you, with great joy, to the throne that He shares eternally with His Father.  Have no fear, little flock!

LET US PRAY:  Protect, defend, and deliver us from evil, good Shepherd of the sheep.  By Your two-edged sword, that living word, silence the ancient enemy, curb all evil designs, bring us to repentance, and preserve Your Church in perfect peace until the day of Your appearing; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

RUN AND FINISH THE RACE

Devotional for All Saints Sunday based upon Hebrews 12: 1-2

I am inspired by stories of people who did not give up. I really admire people who stay with a commitment all the way through. Unfortunately, there are many people today who start living the Christian life, but they quit when the going gets tough.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews compares the Christian life not to a wind sprint, but to a marathon. I once ran a half-marathon, but I have never run a marathon. In a wind sprint you run as fast as you can for a short distance. Speed is the critical factor. In a marathon, endurance is the critical factor. In your Christian life, do you have endurance? Will you make it all the way to the end? The author of the letter to the Hebrews gives us three encouraging words to help us make it to the end – to help us run and finish the race of life.

First, BE INSPIRED BY THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE YOU.

The author tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses – people who have gone before us. Hebrews 12 starts out with the word “therefore.” Which means that the 12^th chapter is connected to the 11^th chapter, which has often been called the great Faith Chapter. In the 11^th chapter the writer gives us a long list of people who have already run and finished the race of life.

We need to be inspired by those who have gone before us. But we also need to remember that we can be and we need to be an inspiration to those who are coming after us. No matter who you are, someone is watching you. If you stumble and fall – or worse yet, if you quit – someone will become discouraged. Be inspired by those who have gone before you. And be an inspiration to those who are coming after you.

Second, BE PREPARED FOR THE STRUGGLES THAT WILL COME.

The writer of this letter says, “Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.” Prepare for life by laying aside anything that is weighing you down.

What is weighing you down? At the recent Latino ministries Encuentro (Encounter) gathering one of the presenters told about his recent pilgrimage along the five-hundred-mile route in northern Spain called the Camino de Santiago. He mentioned a book that had been written about this pilgrimage. Its title was, “To walk far, carry less.”

Do you have a friendship that is a drag on you and is weighing you down? Are some material things – some big, expensive toys – weighing you down? Do you have a huge debt from all the things that you have bought that is weighing you down? Do you have some bad habits? Are you involved in some activities? Have you made some commitments that are not wrong in and of themselves, but they are weighing you down? They are so time consuming, so distracting, so expensive, that they hinder you from being able to focus on Jesus. The author of the letter to the Hebrews says, Get rid of them. Lay them down so that they do not weigh you down.

And what about the sin that clings so closely? Or, as another translation puts it, the sin that so easily entangles. Just one little white lie, one wayward glance, one harsh, critical, judgmental, or inappropriate word, and it becomes so much easier to do it the second time. The tentacles come out, and we are entangled. The author of the letter to the Hebrews says, Lay aside everything that could hinder you, all those things that could entangle you, and run with perseverance the race that is set before you.

Third, FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS.

The author describes Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter – the author and finisher of our faith. For the sake of the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, He disregarded the shame, and now He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus was mocked and made fun of. He was despised and rejected. He faced great opposition. He even died the most cruel and shameful and painful of deaths – death by crucifixion. And yet He stayed the course. He paid the price. He ran and finished the race. So the writer says, When you grow weary and when you are tired, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Every Christian – every Christian congregation – needs to hear these words often. “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” Because it is so easy to quit. It is so easy to say, “I do not want to – I do not have to – I do not have the strength and energy to do this anymore.” So the author says, Fix your eyes on Jesus. He is at the finish line. He is cheering you on. Keep looking to Him.

Who are the people in the heavenly grandstands who – along with the great heroes of the Bible – are cheering for you? Maybe it’s a parent, or a grandparent, or another person of great Christian faith, who was a source of great inspiration for you. They died in faith in Jesus. And now they are in heaven cheering for you. Who is that person – who are those persons – whom you most remember on All Saints Sunday? In life – and now in eternal life – they are cheering for you.

When you reach your heavenly home and are welcomed by the crowd of people who have been cheering for you, there is One who will step out of the crowd and will give you the biggest hug that you have ever gotten. He will say, “Welcome home. Well done, you good and faithful servant.” But until then, be inspired by those who have gone before you. Be prepared for the struggles that will come. And fix your eyes on Jesus.

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“[Jesus said] to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’”  (Matthew 22:21)

What a horrifying statement.  Is our Lord Jesus Christ actually suggesting that some things don’t belong to God?  Is He giving Christians permission to participate in the sinful institutions of man?  Doesn’t He know that God wants us to be perfect, as He is perfect? (Matthew 5:48)

First, no; second and third, yes.  Of course our Lord knows that all things belong to God.  Engaging debate as a good rabbi, He simply makes a thought-provoking distinction with few words and a strong image.  But yes, He is giving His followers the freedom to participate in government, economy, and other institutions of this world, and He does so precisely because He knows that our Father wants us to be perfect as He is perfect.

For the Father’s perfection is known in this: His beloved Son assumed the flesh of this world, and dwelt and worked among sinners, for the sake of redeeming them—He even assumed the sin of the world on the cross.  Thus gifting us with His enduring friendship, God frees us—He frees you—to take on the burdens of your neighbors, too, even in something as sinful as government or (gasp!) capitalism, for the sake of love, kindness, and mercy.

LET US PRAY:  Father, Your perfection makes all things perfect!  Grant me such faith in Your Son’s mercy towards me that I take up the yoke of loving as He has first loved me; in His name I pray.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau