Category Archives: Pastoral thoughts

Pastoral thoughts

Fifty Years

Last week I wrote that this week’s blog would focus on identifying and uprooting the weeds in our lives. But I ran into some interference. This past weekend I had the pure joy of participating in the 50th reunion of my high school graduating class. What a fabulous time. And it has led to many reflections.

The first is that life has changed. Things are different now than they were in 1967. For example the 1967 year end Dow Jones Industrial Average was 905. The average cost of new house was $14,250.00, average income was $7,300.00, gas cost 28-33 cents per gallon, a new car $2,750.00 and the Federal Minimum Wage increased to $1.40 an hour. And check out the average professional athlete salaries: NFL – 25,000, NBA – 20,000, and the MLB – 19, 000. Life has changed.

Then, too, when we herd the word ‘text’ we thought of a schoolbook. A Facebook meant mug shots of potential criminals. Twitter was most likely the name of a bird. A laptop was the place where kids sat to get love from grandma & grandma. And if you had a blue tooth it meant a trip to the dentist. Life has changed.

Second, as we dedicated some time to memorializing those of our classmates who have passed from this life I felt a renewed sense of gratitude for life itself.

A third reflection has to do with our shared history. The preacher, in Ecclesiastes 3 said there is a time to be born and a time to die and neither is of our own choosing. So we classmates were brought together by our date of birth and place of residence, neither of our own choosing, and yet were bound together forever. We were peers, friends, sometimes competitors. We learned together, worked together, played together, laughed together, cried together, and grew together. Friendships were forged, memories made, and bonds built. Our lives were deeply intertwined – all because the Lord of history many years ago merged our lives and histories into one. So for two nights we came together – not to complain about where or when we were born or gripe about how life has treated us, but to get reacquainted and to celebrate and share how, though apart, we have lived out our common history throughout the years and to rejoice in how far we’ve come and where we are.

The Psalmist expresses my feelings well: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6) Much has changed in my life over the years. Much has happened over the years – much wonderful much painful. But I am still given the gift of life. And I have a a long history not only with great family, friends and untold numbers of acquaintances, but with God. I can complain about things that have happened or about how life has treated me, or I can rejoice in how far I’ve come and where I am. I choose the latter. No matter what has happened or will happen, I have a delightful inheritance. I know who and whose I am. “I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has also set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.” (Heidelberg Catechism #1) Now that’s worth celebrating and sharing every day.

Pastoral thoughts

More About Those Weeds

As I mentioned last week, yard work led me to think about weeds. I’m still thinking about them – because I now realize I missed some. The problem is I didn’t know, at first sight, that they were weeds. They looked like flowers – pretty, colorful flowers.

I asked my wife (the real gardener in the family) – and even she couldn’t always tell if something was a flower or weed. It left me wondering “How can something so pretty be a weed? How can something so attractive be bad? Why can’t we just leave them there – they’re so pretty!”

Let’s face it, weeds can be deceptive.

Then it struck me. Weeds are just like the devil. He, too, is deceptive. He is, in fact, a master of deceit.  “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9 RSV) To be deceptive is to intentionally misrepresent reality in order to gain an dishonest advantage over others. It’s like the national or international company that wants our opinion or money but knows many of us won’t answer an 800 or 888 number. So it uses a local phone number to trick us into answering. It’s deception.

We first see this deceptiveness in the Garden of Eden. Satan made sin look appealing by saying to Eve, ““You will not certainly die…For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”” (Genesis 3:4-5) Such knowledge sounded wonderful. But it was masterful deception. Eve would not die – physically – and she would know good and evil – in ways she had not imagined possible. But such knowledge was not good; it was destructive. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25) Deception.

Satan tried it again when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He told Jesus that He would have all the glory and splendor of the kingdoms of the world if He would simply worship Satan. Deception. Jesus could gain the glory and splendor, but He would only gain authority over the kingdoms of the world through obedience to His Father.

Another deceptive tactic the devil uses is to encourage the use of synonyms for sin. People do not ‘sin.’ Rather, someone makes a ‘mistake’, a ‘blunder’ or a ‘bad decision.’ A person has ‘shortcomings,’ a ‘weakness’ or an ‘infirmity.’ Someone makes an ‘error in judgment.’ And so it goes. You can change the label on a bottle of poison to read ‘Fruit Punch,’ but it it doesn’t change the poison. Deception.

No matter how pretty they may be, the deceptive weeds must be identified and uprooted – lest they take over and destroy the good flowers or the lawn. And now with each ‘beautiful weed’ I see I’m reminded there are many beautiful weeds all around my life that also need to be identified and uprooted. How we do so – that’s for next week’s blog. In the meantime, let’s not despair. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Pastoral thoughts

Those Never-ending Weeds

Every year it’s the same routine. In the spring my wife and I get busy digging up the weeds – roots and all. We even make sure there’s adequate mulch to help choke out future weeds. After many hours and the accompanying aches and pains, we rejoice in looking at mostly weed-free gardens, trees and shrubs. It’s a scene of beauty and a sense of accomplishment.

But the positive emotions are guarded and restrained – because we know what’s coming. We’ll wake up some future morning and see more weeds – seemingly popping up out of nowhere overnight. Then, after grumbling for days – and sometimes weeks – about how quickly weeds appear and grow and how slowly trees, plants and shrubs grow, and about how no matter what we do we can never completely eliminate the weeds, we get back to digging up the weeds.

It’s amazing – no garden or lawn is exempt. Over the years we’ve learned that wherever there is dirt, there will be weeds. And as I was digging up weeds again this past week it hit me – the reoccurring weeds are a parable of my life. Unwanted weeds keep popping up not only in the dirt, but also in my life. The weeds are the unwanted habits, thoughts and tendencies – the sins – that I try so hard to root out of my life only to have them reoccur on their own schedule. This, too, leads me to grumble about why I can’t keep these weeds down and eliminate them completely.

That’s why I’m so grateful for the apostle Paul. Addressing the Roman Church centuries ago, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote about these weeds: “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” (Romans 7:18-21 NLT) Every time I read those words I wonder if Paul has read my diary! And none of us is exempt.

It would be easy to give up and be miserable. As Paul laments “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24) But he continues: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:26)

I am still frustrated that these sinful weeds keep reoccurring but my guilt is relieved. Jesus has taken care of the power of the weeds. They will always be short-lived. And He supplies me with the only weed killer I need: “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you…And Christ lives within you …the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8:8-11)

I’ll never look at weeds the same again. Oh, I’ll still grumble and complain about them. But I will also thank God who through Jesus has given me all I need to fight the weeds in my life.

Pastoral thoughts

Halos That Fall

When it comes to success – to quote Jackie Gleason – “How sweet it is!” (I know, I’ve just dated myself!) We all love the feelings and adulations that accompany success. The warm glow of the success halo makes us feel good and valued. Even if a certain success genuinely humbles us, we still covet that feeling. It’s hard to feel good and grateful without also feeling proud. And perhaps some pride is good – it can be a great motivator.

Yet it is not without due cause that the Bible warns us in Proverbs 16:18 that “pride goes before the fall.” When the head swells with pride or sways with success, the halo of success quickly drops around our necks where it waits to hang us. As someone aptly said “A halo need only drop six inches to become a noose.”

Perhaps you have had some successes, and have many reasons for a healthy pride. Congratulations. But beware – with each success you raise the bar of expectations; and as expectations rise so does the potential for failure and disappointment. And you will, at some point in time, fail or come up short. Realize this does not need to be a tragedy – tremendous monuments have risen from the ashes of failure. But that’s another blog for another time.

My point is this: do not gloat in glory nor dwell in disappointment – do not over-celebrate success nor over-grieve failure. Instead, be grateful in both cases. In success, be grateful to God for allowing us the privilege; in failure, be thankful for His love which is not dependent on our success. The Heidelberg Catechism explains it this way when defining God’s providence (questions 27 & 28):

27 Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty – all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand.

28 Q. How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?

A. We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from his love. All creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.

Perhaps that’s why Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!” If we heed his divine advice, our haloes will never hang us!

(Halo picture from  https://images.sharefaith.com/images/3/f0103406aa/img_mouseover3.jpg  )

Pastoral thoughts

A Mountain Climbing Lesson

I’ve never climbed a mountain, which is a good thing. I still remember having to ride my bike up a steep hill on the way to school – it left me breathless (and not because of the scenery) and my legs all but exploded. And it happened every time – it never got any easier! I can’t imagine what climbing a mountain would be like! But I do know this about mountains – they can make for some beautiful scenery, and the view from the top is breath-taking.

But when the mountains  are in the middle of the road upon which we’re walking, they’re anything but beautiful. In fact, they’re downright ugly, standing there blocking our path. They’re nothing but a huge obstacle that keeps us from enjoying our walk and that slows our progress.

Often the issues, problems or situations with which we deal stretch out over an extended period of time – months or even years. The longer they last the bigger they become –  like a huge mountain that  blocks our road.  We are stunned when the mountain first appears on the horizon; so we stir up our positive juices and claim we’ll make it to the other side all right. Then we began to climb, and soon we we are breathless and even feel like we’ll explode. Suddenly we aren’t so sure we’ll be able to continue the walk. After all, the mountain is too high, to broad, too imposing. The next thing we know, we’re in the valley, looking up, wondering if we’ll make it to the other side. (But let’s not forget that even in the valley, we’re OK. Even though I walk through the valley…You are with me…”)

We’re not alone. Israel knew all about mountains. So did Isaiah (49:11): “I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.” Or as the New Living Translation puts it: “And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys.” “God will make a way when there seems to be no way…!” If we believe that the mountains and the hills are His, then we can believe He knows the way through and will be faithful as we walk together. God will raise us up or lower the mountain – but one way or another He’ll get us out of the valley and make a straight way.  I even have a sneaky feeling that because of the mountain, we’ll appreciate the beauty on the other side even more. So whatever your mountain, walk on – keep climbing.

As Don Moen wrote: “God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see; He will make a way for me. He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side. With love and strength for each new day; He will make a way, He will make a way.”

Pastoral thoughts

Reflections From A Catcher

Growing up I was the youngest boy in the neighborhood. As such I was ripe to be picked on. What remains deposited deep in my memory bank are the times we boys played baseball. I loved those pickup games – in spite of the fact they were often a hurtful experience. Being the youngest, and therefore the least talented, I was most often the last person chosen when the teams were selected. On the crueler days I wasn’t officially selected at all because, if I had been, the teams wouldn’t have been ‘even.’ But I was still allowed to play – all-time catcher! Have you ever played all-time catcher in a pickup game? Then you know the feeling – what it’s like to be put where the action is least and therefore can do the least damage! How I longed to be accepted, included, given a chance. Rejection hurts!

Perhaps those repeated rejections eventually paid off; the grace of Christ found a hungering, longing heart. I came to learn that God chose me because He wanted to choose me; He chose me because He loved me. My age didn’t matter, nor my size, nor my ability, nor my goodness. As the apostle Paul wrote, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith.” This has always been the heritage of the people of God. In Deuteronomy God reminded the Israelites they were who they were, and were where they were, because of Him: “The Lord did not set his affection on you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you…” (7:7-8) No problem for me – I knew that if I was chosen it had to be a gift!

Paul expands this great truth (Ephesians 1:4): “For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Imagine that! Me – holy and blameless in his sight! Who’d have thought it? And it’s been in the mind of Christ since before the creation of the world! I’m not an accident, not an afterthought, not a problem to be put up with or deal with, not someone for whom an inconspicuous harmless position needs to be found. Rather, God had me in mind before I, or even the world, was created! And what He had in mind was someone who will be holy and blameless before Him!

It really doesn’t matter what others think; It’s really not important whether or not peers or superiors choose me. God has already chosen me!

And when life’s all said and done I’ll be blameless before Him! Most assuredly, I‘m not there yet, but through the Holy Spirit of Christ I’m on my way! Sure, I’ve been rejected many times since those boyhood days – and I will face rejection again. It’s part of the fabric of human life. And at times it will still hurt. But, praise God, the One who created me and who was Himself rejected by humankind, has promised He will not reject me! His grace is permanent; His promise is secure. Even if I’m never more than the all time catcher in this life, I’m on God’s team and I will, when it counts, stand blamelessly before Him.

So when you’re not invited to the party, do not get the part, or make the team – when you don’t get the promotion or are turned down for the job – when you don’t get the boy or girl or the award goes to someone else; in the midst of your rejections, when you’re reeling from the turndowns of life – pause and give thanks to God. Thank Him for His selection of you, His plan for you, His continuing care for you. He loves you, now and always. Your position is secure in Him.

PRAYER: Lord – Thank you for your grace through which you chose me to be blameless before You. Forgive the hard feelings I have towards those who have rejected me; ease the pain of human turndowns in my life, and through Your Spirit refresh and renew me with your grace. May I find my satisfaction and security in you alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastoral thoughts, Uncategorized

When the Judge’s Son Goes to Court

In recent months I’ve been thinking and studying about judgment – wondering if God is in the process of carrying out judgment in our midst. While doing so, I recalled an incident in my life from many years ago.

As a teenager, not long after receiving my driver’s license, I drove through a red light. Since I was right by the police station there were 2 officers in police cruisers on hand to witness my action – one of which instantaneously pulled me over. He was very nice – even as he ticketed me. But here’s the rest of the story. My ticket required me to go to juvenile court to face the judge – who just happened to be my father!

Today I boast about it – not because he let me off the hook, but because he practiced what God required. **


My father acted in steadfast love. He didn’t beat me down, or throw me out of the house, or scold me. Rather, he loved me enough to treat me fairly, as he would anyone else. He knew the system he used and oversaw was redemptive – it was designed to help people like me get back on track and move ahead more responsibly and safely. In doing so, he acted justly – I had broken the law and there was a judgment to be rendered, a penalty to be enforced, a price to be paid. I received the same assignment most other first time teen offenders received. (I was told to write a 250 word essay on the responsibilities of a teenage driver. This standard ‘punishment’ showed steadfast love to all who walked through those court doors in similar situations.) And my father demonstrated righteousness. He did what was right, what the law demanded. He recused himself from handling my case and turned it over to a colleague. No one could say I received preferential treatment. Only now, so many years later, have I recognized the true source and motivation behind my father’s actions and attitude. He understood God.

For God JUDGES WITH STEADFAST LOVE, JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

• God judges with steadfast love. Steadfast love – kindness – is the driving force and underlying characteristic of all God’s actions. Psalm 136 is one long boast about God’s steadfast love. Twenty-six times God’s people utter this refrain: “His steadfast love endures forever.”

• God judges with justice – He is a God of justice. “I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle. For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods…” (Jeremiah 19:3-4) He condemns the wicked. He vindicates the righteous. He will bring every deed to judgment, whether open or secret. It is true, God is slow to anger. Yet he will not leave the guilty unpunished. He is known for his justice: “The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.” (Psalm 9:16) He loves justice. “For the Lord … loves justice; the upright will see his face.” (Psalm 11:7) He gives justice to all the oppressed: “The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed and gives them their rights.” (Psalm 103:6 GNT).

• God judges with righteousness. He does what is right, what the law demands. “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord is our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 33:15-16)

So to boast about steadfast love, justice, and righteousness is to boast about the lavish gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (1 John 3:16).

No wonder the Psalmist concludes Psalm 2, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

“O God of earth and altar,
Bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die;’
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide,
Take not thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.” ***

*This blog is an excerpt from Pastor Curry’s book A Nation Under God. (Still under construction)
**Picture from https://ref.ly/logos4/MediaTool;FormatId=1920;MediaItemId=191357-4410652–;ViewMode=Edit                                                                         ***G. K. Chesterton

 

Pastoral thoughts

The Red Army Attack

It was such a beautiful spring day. Warm temperature and bright sunshine. I was doing some of the outdoor spring stuff – mowing and trimming, and pulling weeds that had powered their way up though the mulch around the trees. I was weeding by our little maple tree when it happened. I felt something on my arm.

So I raised my arm and immediately saw a multitude of red ants on my sleeves and jeans – and simultaneously discovered they were also under my sleeves and jeans. And they were biting. I was literally under attack from this red army for invading their territory.

Believe me, I did a lot off brushing off along with arm and leg flailing. (Quite a sight I’m sure!) Once I was confident I had repelled them all I got some spray and doused the mulch. The next day they were dead and gone. But a week later I still have bodily evidence of the bites – the effect lingers for a while.

While reflecting upon this red army attack I was reminded that a similar attack is pictured in the Bible. Jesus warned “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves… Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (Matthew 7:15 & 24:4-12)

The Apostle Paul experienced it and so warned his followers. As he was leaving Ephesus he said to the Elders “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31) He also wrote to warn Timothy. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron…For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 & 2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Here’s my summary of these warnings: Those who dig into the soil of the Word, who spend time pulling up the weeds that have powered up into their lives, will be attacked. Like the army of red ants the army of those opposed to Jesus and His message attack and bite. I realized again that my task – the task of all Christians – is to consistently brush off the attackers and keep actively flailing the Word.
Perhaps Paul said it best in one of his letters to Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2) As the New Living Translation states it “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” Eugene Peterson in The Message hits puts it most forcefully: “Proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.”

So even as I still itch I’m grateful to the red army for their attack. The reminder of my purpose and mission has been helpful and encouraging. Lord, help me persevere in digging and pulling up in enemy territory and grant me strength and courage to keep challenging, warning, and urging. And fill me with the wisdom to keep it simple.

Pastoral thoughts

Let’s Take a Walk

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

I’m not sure how well I ‘do justice’ or ‘love kindness’ but I do know that for the better part of a week I walked humbly with God. My wife and I just returned from our second visit to the Holy Land where we did a lot of walking. We visited some of the basic tourist places and some places not on everyone’s tour. It was a fabulous, awesome, humbling experience.

We were once again made aware that some sites are ‘traditional’ – meaning they more than likely are not original locations but have come to represent the unknown precise locations. Some sites are ‘true’ – meaning they are locations where what they represent actually happened. That’s important to know but it’s not what makes or breaks the experience. We were there not to venerate but commemorate. We were constantly reminded that it’s not the where but the what – not where something happened but what happened. Once we grasp the what we are pointed to the who. The who – God. God and His history with His people. The who – Jesus and His history with us. To be in that environment is a spiritual experience. It brings the Bible to life as it increases our understanding and awareness of the Biblical scenes and events. But it also instills within us a sense of walking where God has worked in special ways and where Jesus walked, died and rose.I felt a closeness with Jesus that is hard to duplicate in my everyday environment.

That’s why I so appreciate the old song, I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked: (1)

I walked today where Jesus walked,
In days of long ago.
I wandered down each path He knew,
With reverent step and slow.

Those little lanes, they have not changed,
A sweet peace fills the air.
I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt His presence there.

My pathway led through Bethlehem,
Ah mem’ries ever sweet.
The little hills of Galilee,
That knew His childish feet.

The Mount of Olives, hallowed scenes,
That Jesus knew before
I saw the mighty Jordan roll,
As in the days of yore.

I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
Where all alone he prayed.
The Garden of Gethsemane,
My heart felt unafraid.

I picked my heavy burden up,
And with Him at my side,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
Where on the Cross He died!

I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me.

It’s an apt description of the experience.

Yet both times I’ve returned I’ve pondered, “Do I need to be in Israel to feel so close to Jesus?” While the experience of being in Israel cannot be duplicated the closeness can be, to some degree, replicated. As someone has said of the song just quoted, “This song seems at first glance only to talk about the beauty of the Holy Land and relate it to events in the life of Jesus Christ. However, it is so much more. The singer is talking about their own Christian journey, as they “walk where Jesus walked,” as they follow Him from “childish feet” all the way to dying on Calvary – dying to self, and truly becoming a follower of Christ in their heart. This song is about Jesus’ journey, but also about each person’s journey to follow in His footsteps.” (2)

I believe that’s true. Yet I’ve also come to realize that I can also walk today where Jesus walks today. Where does He walk? “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40)

What do you say we take a walk? Lord God, give us discernment and courage to walk today where you are walking and be your presence there. Amen!

(1) http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/religious_music/i_walked_today_where_jesus_walked.html

(2) Ibid

Pastoral thoughts

Number 1

As a young student at Central College in Pella, Iowa, I worked for the campus radio station. Iowa’s governor, the honorable Harold Hughes, had announced that he was not seeking re-election so that he could run for the United States Senate. When word came that he was making a campaign stop at a restaurant in downtown Pella I was asked to go and get an interview. I was both excited and nervous – a big assignment for a rookie radio guy. On the big day at the appointed hour I entered the restaurant and surveyed the crowd. There was no problem spotting the governor – not only did I recognize him but he was an imposing figure; I couldn’t miss him. I eventually identified myself and asked if I could do an interview. He said he’d be with me shortly. So I sat off to the side and waited.

A few minutes passed as people of much greater stature than me kept going up to him and asking for his time. But all of a sudden I heard him say to those gathered around him, “I promised this young man an interview so I need to give him some time now.” Wow – impressive; a politician and a man of his word. (I guess it’s not always an oxymoron!) At that moment I felt I was #1 and on top of the world – and even more nervous! Then he sat down next to me and immediately made me feel at ease. I turned on my little recorder and began the interview. One of the questions I posed to him had to do with whether nor not he had mixed feelings since he was leaving office after a doing good job and could easily be re-elected. He had made many friends and earned deep respect. Yet he was also venturing into new territory and was already being mentioned as a future Democratic candidate for President. I must confess I can’t remember what he said but I do recall that I was impressed with his thoughtful response. I finished my relatively short interview still #1 and on top of the world.

Immediately after completing the interview he began his public remarks so I turned the recorder back on again. I’ll never forget the gist of his opening remarks – he said something to the effect of “I was just being interviewed by this young man here from Central College, and he asked me a very good and thought-provoking question.” He then opened his brief speech by sharing his reflections on my question! Wow! Now I knew I liked this man! And that’s saying a lot for one who born and bred a Republican! If it was possible to feel higher than #1 and on top of the world, I was feeling it. All I could think of was that when we played highlights of his remarks over the air people would hear his opening references to me (true- since he hadn’t mentioned my name very few would know to whom he was referring; but I would know! And, yes, I confess to a little – make that a lot – of pride!) Needless to say I followed his career with great interest. In many ways, he was #1 in my book.

And while I could share much more about the faith and humility of Harold Hughes, my point right now is he became #1 in my eyes because he made me feel like I was #1. He understood that “If you want to be #1, make someone else #1.” I don’t mean to say that we ought to strive to be #1 so we can lord it over others; that is pride and self-centeredness. It has more to do with earning respect and love from others. We gain respect and love when we show respect and love. We gain the right to be heard when we give the right to be heard. We gain the opportunity to speak about Jesus when we live like Jesus. In the context of what I’m saying, Jesus becomes #1 to people because He makes them feel like they’re #1. Just think about the man by the pool, the woman at the well, Zaccheus, the lepers, the lame, the blind…the list of those Jesus made to feel #1 endless.

So this week, wherever you are and whoever you are with: “If you want to be #1, make someone else #1.” I have a hunch that if you do, Jesus will be the real #1.