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Category: Spiritual Health

How Is Your “Yard” Looking?

How Is Your “Yard” Looking?

In the summertime, my wife and I try to take a daily walk.  Sometimes we drive to a local park for a change of scenery, but usually we simply stroll around our neighborhood.  We vary our paths so the “scenery” varies as well.

Inevitably we spot something interesting.  A decked-out vehicle.  Various projects or intriguing decorations on the homes.  Curious choices for house colors.  Fascinating plants in the yards.  There always seems to be something to see.  For example, just the other day we noticed that the automatic street lights were lit on one block but not the adjacent block.  Not sure why, but it certainly sparked some conversation among us.

As we walk by the many homes, one immediately evident thing is the state of the yards.  The majority of lawns receive a modicum of care; they are mowed somewhat regularly and look fairly presentable.  The yards may or may not have flower beds.  And if there are beds, they may or may not be weeded.  This is the usual.

But there are always some yards that stand out, either because of the great amount of care given to them or because of the complete lack of attention they receive. 

A few of the yards are impeccably groomed.  The lawns are weedless and the grass looks like a golf-course green.  The flower beds are delightfully arranged and immaculate.  Invariably there are some fairly exotic trees, bushes or flowers present.  Clearly someone who lives in those homes loves yard care, (or struggles mightily with perfectionism!).

Then there are other yards that haven’t seen a lick of care in quite some time.  The beds are overrun with weeds, and the grass looks like a prairie, standing tall as a person.  It’s usually impossible to see anything in those yards.  One might hesitate to wander into them for fear of the wild critters that might be encountered, or of getting lost and never finding your way back out again!  Although the other day my wife and I spotted a push mower barely visible in the midst of a jungle of grass.  We speculated that sometime in the distant past either the mower or the owner simply surrendered to the towering turf.  

Of course, there are a multitude of reasons why a yard could be neglected.  Finally, the way a yard looks just isn’t that important.  I know there are some who will disagree with that statement, but that’s the truth of the matter.  There are many matters much more important than the appearance of one’s yard.  

However, it did set my mind to pondering.  It’s very evident how much care a yard receives … or doesn’t.  What if the wellbeing of our souls was as evident as the health of our yards?  What if the amount of care we give to our souls was as obvious as the amount of time spent on our lawns?  How would our soul look?

If our soul was on display, would it be evident that we take good care of it?  Is it well-watered by God’s Word; well-trimmed by God’s Law and well-fertilized by God’s Gospel?  Are the weeds of sin largely removed, or are they sprouting everywhere?  Is the grass mowed and edged, or are worldly blades growing wild and unchecked?  Are the beds clean, or littered with trash and undesirable plants?  Are portions of our souls even dead?

I admit that this concept gives me pause.  I tend to take pretty good care of our yard; our place generally looks fairly-well kept.  But if my soul were visible for all to see, what would it look like?  How would it compare with my yard?

Jesus himself underscores the value of a healthy soul.  “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  (Matthew 16:26).  In other words, the state of our soul is far more important than the state of our yard … or anything else on earth, for that matter!

Thankfully, we have a gracious, loving, and forgiving God … which prompts our hearts to join with David in words of praise! 

“Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).

How is your yard looking?  Finally, it really doesn’t matter!  How is your soul looking?  Now that’s a much more important issue!

When Things Settle Down (WTSD)

When Things Settle Down (WTSD)

I’m not old yet, but I’m older than I used to be.  (Yes, I recognize that we can all make that claim.)  What I’m trying to say is that there’s some wear on the tires.  My body isn’t as spry and sleek as it used to be, but along the many miles I’ve traveled in life my noggin has accumulated a bit of wisdom.  Not a lot, mind you, but a little.

For example, I’ve learned that you absolutely should not leave the large tarp you purchased to cover the camping tents at home because there is no rain in the forecast.  In addition, I strongly advise that you do NOT attempt to slip your fishhook past the tree limb … even if you are an expert caster.  I definitely recommend that you clip your toenails before heading out on a long hike, especially if there are elevation changes.  (You may think this to be strange advice, but the day may come when you realize the profound wisdom in those words!)  And you never say never.  Never ever!  That’s just a small sampling of the hard truths I’ve learned through the years.

I’ve learned something else as well.  I’ve learned there is no such thing as “When things settle down.”  The context for the phrase usually sounds like this: “I’ll work on my marriage issues when things settle down (WTSD).”  Or, “I’ll spend more time with my children WTSD.”  Or, “I’ll get back in shape WTSD.”  Or, “Yes, something is definitely not right; I’ll go to the doctor WTSD.”  Or, “I’ll do something fun and relax WTSD.”

Where this nasty phrase really impacts negatively is when it’s used in a spiritual context.  Such as, “I’ll start reading my Bible WTSD.”  “I’ll get back to church WTSD.”  “I’ll work on my prayer life WTSD.”  “I’ll get more involved in ministry for God and more generous in my giving to God WTSD.”

You get the idea.  Only when we arrive in heaven will things finally (and forever!) settle down.  But here on this world, “when things settle down” is a lousy approach to life.

First of all, if one doesn’t set proper priorities, our sinful natures in conjunction with Satan and influenced by the world, will set them for us.  And we can be certain they won’t be in line with what the Lord encourages.

Secondly, there will never be a time when things settle down in our lives. 

Think about it.  From birth … to toddler … to child … to teen … to adult … to middle-aged … to elderly … to death, we are always changing.  As are the realities of our lives.  From nursing … to eating … to walking … to school … to puberty … to higher education … to moving … to occupations … to marriage … to home-ownership … to children … to health issues … to grandchildren … to retirement.  We all meander different paths and experience varied challenges in our lives, but we all share one common trait: our lives are always unsettled.

Certainly in the midst of this pandemic we are eager to reach a day when things settle down.  With God’s blessing, our lives will eventually regain more normalcy.  But even then, there will still be plenty of unsettled matters.  WTSD is an extinct beast; it died off when sin entered the world.

I spent far too many years and waited way too long for WTSD in my life.  I let improper priorities dominate.  I expected to reach the point “one of these days” when life would finally calm down.  I expected circumstances to stop changing sooner or later.  But, of course, life never really calms down and circumstances are constantly changing.  As a result, I missed wonderful opportunities and forfeited peace and joy because I was dealing with unsettledness.

Obviously I’m not advocating we turn a blind eye to significant issues or abdicate our responsibilities.  There are simply times when we must bear down in life.  But my observation is that these times aren’t as prevalent as we tend to think, and our priorities are frequently skewed.  We are typically slaves to the urgent instead of masters of the important.

“When things settle down” is one of Satan’s most common and most effective lies.  He’s used it to coax plenty of souls to their doom.  And he will utilize all his impressive power to ensure that things stay as unsettled as possible in our lives, because he knows how spiritually distracting this can be for Christians.

Our Savior has a different message. His counsel was this:  “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [that have you so unsettled] will be [taken care of for] you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34). 

Yes, that’s a bit of a paraphrase.  But I believe it still fits the context of Jesus’ advice and promise.  So here’s the key: when we settle our hearts and minds on God and the promises of God above all else, then the unsettled won’t unsettle us quite as much.

What Is Worship?

What Is Worship?

After a hiatus of 3 months, our congregation will finally gather together to worship again inside our church this Sunday.   3 months!  3 LONG MONTHS!  89 days to be exact, but who’s counting?

Yes, the Bible clearly shows us that the church is people and not a building  (Ephesians 5:25-27).  But there is something undeniably special about God’s people gathering together inside a building designated for the worship of God to worship God.

Consequently, it seems appropriate this week that we focus on worship.  So what is worship?  How does one define worship simply and succinctly? 

A stuffy secular dictionary definition describes worship as “formal or ceremonious rendering of honor and homage to God.”   A somewhat stuffy Christian definition states that worship is “an expression of praise from the depths of our hearts toward a God who is understood through His Word.”  A less stuffy definition summarizes worship as “a focus on love – God’s love for us and others, and our love for God and others.”  Yet another describes worship as “God speaking and his people responding.” 

The people who penned those definitions are undoubtedly wiser than me.  But how would I define worship?

As the folks in our congregation know, I recently took a poll of our people asking them to choose the 5 aspects of worship they were most eagerly anticipating after worshiping at home for so long.  I provided a long list of options from which to choose, but 6 choices quickly rose to the top of the list.

And every selection has one common denominator.  It’s not deep or complicated.  In fact, it’s a very simple trait.  The shared aspect of the most frequently selected items could actually be summarized with the word … “sharing.”  In short, worship of our God is a sharing.  Or more accurately, Christian worship is multiple sharings!

In public worship, God shares with us, we share with God, and we share with one another.  And all that sharing is what makes Christian worship so very special.

So what were the 6 aspects of worship that the St. Paul people indicated they were most eagerly anticipating when we returned to formal, united worship?  The choices were God’s Word, the Sacraments, the songs, being together (fellowship), the Sanctuary (worship area), and “the whole experience.”

Probably not overly surprising choices.  And not difficult to see the multilayered sharing aspects in most of the choices. 

God, of course, does the most and best sharing.  He shares truth, love, faith, forgiveness, salvation, perspective, power, direction and motivation with us in his Word and Sacraments.  Best of all, he shares his Holy Spirit – the Spirit silently and secretly sweeping throughout the Sanctuary, flowing into hearts and firing up faith.  This is profound sharing that descends from heaven.

But we the worshipers share with the One we worship as well.  We share our sorrow over our sins, and our grateful praise for God’s forgiveness.  We share our inmost concerns in prayer.   We share our love with he who showed and taught us love, and our devotion and dedication with a devoted and dedicated God.  We share honor and praise in word and song with the God who is the most honorable and praiseworthy.  We share our all with the One who is All.  This is a sharing that ascends to heaven.

And worshipers share with other worshipers as well.  This is a “horizontal” sharing, and it is no less special than descending or ascending sharing.  Being together is a very underrated aspect of worship.  Rejoicing in the same God and the same truths of God with a congregation creates a unique atmosphere and forges a powerful bond.  Speaking, singing, praising, praying, and communing together – being shared with and sharing – uplifts in ways like nothing else on earth. 

Even the Sanctuary is part of the sharing process!  It lends the altar and the cross on the altar, the baptismal font, the stained glass illustrations of Jesus, and so much more as visuals of God’s love and faithfulness.  It offers the pulpit and the screens where God’s Word is shared, the pipe organ and keyboard which accompanies our music and the vaulted ceiling which amplifies our singing.  The church Sanctuary sets the mood and adds so much to the sharing experience.

“The whole experience” of gathered worship is the ultimate in sharing.  God sharing with us and others; we sharing with God and one another.

Luke’s description of the early Christian Church is striking.  In Acts 2:42 he wrote that the early believers … “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship (translated literally, to “sharing!”), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  (Yet more sharing!)

It’s not surprising that David wrote, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’”  (Psalm 122:1).  Nor is it surprising that God’s people would be eagerly anticipating the same thing!

Seeing the Light

Seeing the Light

Seeing the light generally sounds like a good thing.  Of course, there’s the proverbial light at the end of a tunnel.  Most are delighted to see the light of day after a dark night.  And finally “seeing the light” after stumbling about in confusion or a lack of understanding is also considered a positive.

But whether seeing the light is actually a good thing or not depends entirely upon the light that one is seeing.  What if the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train?  What if the light breaking through the darkness is the light of a prowler?  What if the light seen in confusion or ignorance happens to be poor advice or faulty “wisdom?”  The source of the light matters.

The light seen also matters to moths.  Moths and many other winged insects happen to be positively phototactic.  (Phototaxis being the scientific term.)  These type of insects are drawn toward light sources.

Phototaxis happens to be a two-way street.  It’s great when the light seen by the insect is the moon or stars as they apparently aid the moth in maintaining its bearing and sustaining safe travel.  But it’s rather unfortunate if the light seen is a campfire, a hot light bulb, or a glaring headlight on a speeding semi.

It could be said that humans are also positively phototactic.  We are drawn to “light.”  But … what is the source of the light we are frantically circling around?

Make no mistake about it, there are an abundance of “lights” in this world that draw people’s attention.  Charismatic leaders.  The brilliance of science.  The practicality of education.  The possibilities in occupation.  The promises in politics.  The benefits of health, wealth and general success.  Personal pleasure.  Public causes.  And so many more. 

While there’s nothing necessary bad about any of these “lights” in and of themselves, they are ultimately empty, and they leave the seekers of such light empty and dark inside.  Unfortunately, these false lights seem to blaze brilliantly, pulling phototactic people alluringly in.  But there is no authentic light to them.

If these are the primary lights a person is drawn to in life, this becomes a double tragedy.  Not only can these brilliantly bright (but ultimately empty) lights inevitably prove spiritually fatal, but they completely discombobulate lives even before the untimely death.  Like a moth flapping frantically around a porch light and bashing itself repeatedly into the blazing bulb.

How does a discombobulated human circling about a worldly porch light approach life?  Well, deep down they recognize the emptiness and darkness in their soul, and this fosters frustration, fear, distrust, anxiety, anger, grief, hopelessness, hostility and despair.  Consequently they flutter in never-ending spirals of live-for-the-moment activities and driven-by-emotion responses.  Their words and actions don’t need to make sense to anyone else, or even necessarily to themselves, since so much seems senseless anyway. 

In short, the light seekers see and are focused intently on a light, but it’s the wrong light.  And sadly, their light is providing nothing but blindness, headaches, loss of direction and a seemingly meaningless existence.

A horrible thing was done by a Minneapolis policeman to an African-American man.  Suddenly the fear, distrust, anxiety, anger, grief, hopelessness, hostility and despair that false lights foster boiled over in many.  Coupled with the frustrations of on-going racism and pandemic restrictions, pandemonium broke out in cities around the United States.

Most of us simply can’t understand how one wrong, horrible as it was, (or even repeated wrongs!), can make multiple other wrongs right in some people’s minds.  We struggle to relate to the rationale of rioters looting stores and lighting cars ablaze.  How does intentionally attempting to injure innocent people ever make sense?  Is screaming vulgarities ever justified?  Will violence and vandalism quell violence?  Will it remove racism?  It seems to make no sense. 

Why does a moth repeatedly beat its head into a light?  Positive phototaxis.  It sees the light and is inexorably drawn to it, even if it’s the wrong light. 

The reason we don’t understand the rationale of rioters is because we see the real, true and ultimate Light.  Thanks be to God, we have been drawn to “the Light of the world.”  This is no small thing!  Jesus stated that, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).  Translation: in our Savior we have true and abiding light … spiritual light and life … both here on earth and forever in eternity.

In striking contrast to false lights, the Light of the World brings contentment, courage, trust, peace, calm, joy, hope, kindness and confidence.  By the grace of God, we see the Light and our flight through life – and to life – is true.

So as we consider the vandalous and violent mobs in Seattle and other cities, it’s crucial that we not view those involved simply as thugs.  Better that we recognize them as hurting and empty souls chasing after false lights.  They desperately need to see the light … the real Light.

Which underscores the incredible urgency that we, who see the Light and are filled with Light, show and share the Light.  As Jesus himself tells us:  “You are the light of the world.  Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”  (Matthew 5:14,16).

After all, people, just like moths, are positively phototactic.  So shine, Christian, shine!