Rev. Reed Lee Pedersen's
Q: Why did Jesus do what he did? A: John 3:16 I still believe memorization can be helpful when it comes to teaching confirmation. Most of the time we may memorize a part of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, but right now I currently have the confirmands memorizing verses from scripture. This last week I asked them to memorize John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (NRSV) Do you think that without reading the verse above you could remember the gist of it? This verse is seen all over signs at sporting events, jewelry, and tattoos. In my mind, it is overused without fully grasping its meaning. It speaks of the strength of belief and the strength of Jesus. In true catechesis form, here is my take at explaining John 3:16 (John 3:16 NRSV) For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. What does this mean? Or What is this? Jesus came to this world for the purpose of granting eternal life to humanity. How does this come about? Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Three days later he rose from the dead, thus conquering death and the power of sin. It is through faith, given to us by the Holy Spirit, that we come to know of this saving act of Christ and know of the eternal life granted to us. Points to Ponder:
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This question has been running around my head and bothering me. I understand that humans are imperfect. Perfectionists may try their best, but the end result will never be good enough. In my opinion, perfectionism (not to be confused with determination) is a negative life trait with more outcomes of doubt and self-shame then acceptance and happiness. So how perfect can I be?
Jesus was both God and man and did many great things. So how many of the things Christ did can only be done by God and how many of the things Christ did were guides to the human potential to live a holy life? I may not be able to rub a concoction of dirt and spit in a man’s eyes to cure his blindness, but do I have the potential to treat the outcasts of our society with the same respect that Christ did? The epistle Titus says this: “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety (sin) and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” With “grace of God” equaling the good news of Jesus Christ, imagine what this Bible verse is saying. Out of the salvation given to us by Christ’s death we have an ability to resist. We are by nature imperfect, but Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit has given us the ability to resist against our urge to do the wrong things. So the question remains…what stops me from making the right decisions? I can only ponder and answer this for myself. It is up to the reader to do the same. "You stumble through your days
Got your head hung low Your skies' a shade of grey Like a zombie in a maze You're asleep inside But you can shake away" For those that regularly attend church, does this sound like your experience of worship? For those that really don't make the time nor wish to make the time to attend church, is this one of the reasons why you stopped going? I am still on a, "The Greatest Showman," kick and I found this song appropriate to discuss with church life and worship. We have this new life through Christ yet we can still get a case of the "Mondays". Worship is meant to be full of praise, Thanksgiving, and renewal. There are countless verses where the people of Israel praised and worshiped God. Psalm 150 - Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness 1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in [God's] sanctuary; praise [God] in [God's] mighty firmament! 2 Praise [God] for [God's] mighty deeds; praise [God] according to [God's] surpassing greatness! 3 Praise [God] with trumpet sound; praise [God] with lute and harp! 4 Praise [God] with tambourine and dance; praise [God] with strings and pipe! 5 Praise [God] with clanging cymbals; praise [God] with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! How great would it be if worship services felt like Psalm 150? Everyone one would be gathered to praise and worship God through both words and sounds. How great would it be if worship was like this song from "The Greatest Showman"? I want to encourage you to ponder these points and respond. I think it can spark a great conversation about what we look for in our churches. Ponder Points: For regular Church goers: 1. What do you like about your worship experience? What do you feel would help your worship experience "Come Alive!"? For the non-church goers: 2. What keeps you from making time to worship God in a church setting? What do you feel would help your worship experience "Come Alive!"? 3. Imagine Jesus saying these words to you to describe your new life in him: "When the world [revolves around me] [You are] more than you could ever be 'Cause you're believing with your eyes wide open And you know you can't go back again To the world that you were living in 'Cause you're believing with your eyes wide open So, come alive!" Happy New Year! The year 2018 brings with it unlimited potential and possibilities. This is usually a time where people make resolutions. While resolutions are good and can lead you to be healthier, thinner, more fiscally responsible, more active, or more (fill in the blank), they do have a negative side. New Year's resolutions can also be more focused on self-loathing than self-betterment. We try to fix what we do not like or even hate about ourselves. Other people might weigh in too about our "faults". Magazine covers remind us we aren't pretty or handsome enough. Weight loss shows point to how we aren't motivated enough. Many more affluent people try to say that those without money are only that way because they aren't responsible enough. The sad part is that churches do this too. They may ask, "Are you faithful enough?" They may tell you that you aren't good enough for Jesus or ask you to leave because you aren't living life the 'ways God intended'. I have met a lot of faithful people who stopped going to church because they were tired of being told they weren't good enough for their church. The world casts judgement on us every day and churches unfortunately have a history of taking part in that too. I don't have a resolution for you to consider this year. Instead I want to tell you of the revolution that occurred for us: "God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10) This world may come up with a million reasons you aren't good enough, but that is not what God's love does. It may hard to recognize who loves you in this world. "But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God loves you for you! This is something to remember in the midst of all the negativity. If you are feeling from other people or even yourself that you are not good enough, God politely disagrees. Through Jesus Christ God has given us an ability to look in the mirror at our brokenness and shout, "This is me!" Point to Ponder: This song occurs in the movie, "The Greatest Showman". It is a powerful song about claiming self-confidence in one's self. As you listen please consider that Jesus gives us this power through his love. |
AuthorPastor Reed is a first call pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois. Archives
July 2019
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