Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Michael Moore, famous for movies like Fahrenheit 9/11, has made the claim in his upcoming film, Capitalism: A Love Story, that Jesus would consider capitalism sinful. The hypocrisy of Moore’s net worth (gained from capitalism) aside, it seems worthwhile to ask the question, “What form of government does God prefer?”

In a recent Bloomberg interview, Movie Critic Rick Warner asks, “Several clergymen in the film say capitalism is anti-Christian and that Jesus would have deplored such a dog- eat-dog system. Yet you hear from the right that capitalism and Christianity go hand in hand. Are they reading different Bibles?” to which Moore responds, “The number one thing in the Bible is redemption. The number two thing is how we treat the poor. All the great religions talk about this. The right wing hijacked Jesus 30 years ago. It was all a big ruse, but people fell for it. I don’t think people are falling for it so easily now.”

Moore got the first point right, absolutely. The focus of the entire Bible is redemption: God paying for the sin of the world by sending Jesus to the cross on our behalf. The entire Old Testament lays out God’s preparation for His coming, and the entire New Testament focuses on that singular event and its repercussions.

Is Moore right about how we treat the poor? Yes. “All the great religions” may be an exaggeration if you consider the Hindu caste system, but yes, Christians all should agree that we need to help the poor as much as possible.

But the question comes down not to “whether,” but to “how.” In the United States, the Democratic Party holds essentially that we can best help the poor by giving our taxes to the government, which can then redistribute the wealth where it’s needed. The Republican Party doesn’t generally trust the government to do this properly or efficiently and prefers to encourage people to give of their own free will according to their consciences as they see need.

Of course, both systems, because they’re designed by sinners, fall short of perfection. “Wasteful government spending” is a household expression, so kudos to the Republicans. On the other hand, every time I refer someone in need to a government aid organization, I think of the Democrats. Plenty of other smaller political parties have other ideas which would be best.

So what form of governmental economy would Jesus endorse? If we were to only look at the Bible for governmental advice, we see only monarchies, but even those don’t get God’s stamp of approval. (1 Samuel 8:7-21) In fact, when Chronicles evaluates the various kings, their economic policies never enter into the equations. Rather, their faithfulness to the Living God is the sole scale by which they’re judged.

The Bible, rather than endorsing a specific form of government, focuses on hearts, not legislation. God wants us to help the poor, but out of love, faith, and gratitude, not compulsion. (2 Corinthians 9:7) We can debate about how this can best be done, but God will stay out of that discussion until the last day when He raises the dead and gives us the riches of His Kingdom because of the poverty of Christ. Meanwhile, we rejoice that He has given us the riches of His undeserved love and the promise of eternal life as we live as citizens of both heaven and earth.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

As people live longer, we continue to strive for greater health advances and more longevity. Some futurists even suggest that a lifespan of 200 or more years may become the norm to those born within a few decades. In a recent episode of the Today Show (Sorry–I can’t find a link to the clip), a researcher suggested that the human DNA has no “death gene” and so, by eliminating disease and accidents, life expectancy can extend toward a thousand years. This lack of a “death gene” sounds a bit simplistic, but at the same time, it doesn’t surprise me.

God created human beings for immortality. Had Adam and Eve avoided the temptation to disobey God regarding the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3), we would all live forever on this world. That our genetic structure seems to reflect this just confirms what we’ve known for thousands of years. It also shows the distinct possibility that our bodies after the final resurrection may well be very similar in composition to their current composition, except that it will lack the corruption that causes us to die–which is something called “sin,” a spiritual condition that modern microscopes can’t see.

But while we’d all certainly like to be healthier, and while we treasure life because it’s a gift from God, we need not incessantly pursue an escape from death. When Jesus died on the cross, He conquered death once and for all. He submitted Himself to death to turn it inside-out, and His resurrection proved that death cannot overcome the Lord of Life. Although Jesus raised Lazarus from death, Lazarus died again years later, but one day, He will raise Lazarus, you, and me to live forever, free from sin and free from death forever.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Image by loswl via Flickr

As I write this, school is about to begin. Every store in town has pencils on sale, and they’re flying off the shelves almost as fast as employees stock them. We as citizens, parents, and members of our community put a lot of emphasis on education. We want good schools, and Cleveland’s recent poor school ratings upset a lot of people, but why do we place such importance on school quality? For many, the quality of a child’s education determines that child’s future, or at least places a significant impact on it. We know that and want the best for our children and for the future of our nation and the world, and we know that, the sharper we hone their minds, the more they’ll potentially accomplish throughout their lives. So why then do we place such little emphasis on spiritual education? Earthly education has undeniable importance, but spiritual education has eternal consequence. The Word of God is the only weapon that will fend off the devil’s attacks, but if we don’t train our children to use this weapon, they will be defenseless when the attacks come. To help parents, we offer the Divine Service, Sunday School, Confirmation Class, and other educational opportunities, but ultimately, the responsibility rests in parents’ hands. Assuming you want your child to remain in the faith until meeting Jesus on the Last Day, here are some simple parenting tips to help make that happen:

• Model the Christian life: Show your children that living as a forgiven child of God impacts every aspect of life by doing what you can to help those God has placed in your life.
• Show them Christ’s forgiveness: By His death, Jesus has forgiven all your sins. Show everyone that you believe in that forgiveness by forgiving others, because God has already forgiven them. When someone apologizes to you, instead of saying, “It’s OK” or something similar, say, “Your forgiven” (and mean it).
• Remember the Sabbath Day: Too many people understand this to mean “go to church once a week,” and while that’s included in this command, it doesn’t stop there. God gives us His love every day, so return that love by hearing His life-giving message at every opportunity through personal devotions and Bible reading in addition to study with others that you may grow from their insights. Spend family time discussing God’s Word and how it applies to the situations in their lives. When you see good examples, point them out.

Remember that we live in a fallen world, so sometimes, even the perfect parents will see a child wander from the faith due to circumstances beyond their control, and other times, by God’s grace, the children of atheist parents become Christians, so none of these guarantee anything, but know that God loves your children, grandchildren, Godchildren, and all children and will continue to reach out to them through means beyond our expectations to keep them with Him forever, so rest assured that you are not alone in your efforts. God Himself is with you in your task.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

As the ELCA discusses the role or acceptance of LGBT clergy at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, it seems like a good opportunity to discuss how God uses the sin in the world, not condoning it, but twisting it back to His glory. God never ceases to amaze me as He takes the pain and suffering and evil in the world, evil with no intrinsic good, and brings good from it just as He brought the universe from nothing. Best example: the Son of God is murdered, and the world gains eternal life.

While I’m saddened by the widespread dismissal of the Word of God as He speaks to the issue of sexuality, God will use this through us, and here’s how:

When Christians talk about “gay marriage,” they usually refer either to Leviticus or Romans. While both of these texts address homosexuality, I’m convinced that the “proof text” for Christians is found in Ephesians 5, God’s definition of marriage, and I believe it’s there we need to start in our discussions with others.

God defines marriage with a simple formula: one man, one woman, married for life. The man’s role is to serve his wife, giving his life over to her needs, and the wife acknowledges his loving service and supports him in love, so they give themselves to each other in lifelong service and self-sacrifice, modeling our relationship with Christ and showing that mutual unconditional love to each other.

Our society long ago already eliminated “married for a lifetime” from the equation, so it shouldn’t surprise us when the rest of the equation gets corrupted. But that formula isn’t just God being a bully—He wants us to know His love, and He has given us marriage that we may have a taste of His love. When we change the equation, we either end up with a church with no Savior or two Christs and nobody saved or church and Christ divided from each other without His unconditional love. And even on a practical level, if we eliminate God’s equation, we open marriage up to other corruptions like polygamy and more.

So take this opportunity to discuss the issue—it’s a “water cooler” topic now! And remember these points:

† All sexual sin, including heterosexual intimacy outside marriage, is equally rebellion against God but also equally forgiven by Christ’s blood.

† Jesus died for all people, regardless what sin tempts them. Since they were worth that much to Him, who are we to not love them?

† While some may find satisfaction in a man-made corruption of God’s natural order, God wants so much more for us—He wants us to know His love and experience it through each other until the great wedding feast on the last day.

Our rebellion against God’s good and loving will for us put Jesus on the cross, but on that same cross, we find our loving Bridegroom. God give us the opportunity to share His love through this sinful action and wisdom to season our discussions with the Good News of His true love.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve heard a lot of comments that people hope my presence here will somehow bring people back who’ve somehow slipped through the cracks, especially the younger (under 40) generations whom statistically we see less of at any given service.

What won’t work

Having a younger pastor will not suddenly encourage most absent members to suddenly be present. Most of them don’t even know how old I am, and my generation, in many ways, is the “What’s your point?” generation. Why should they care whether I’m young? Is 37 even all that young? What does that mean to them?

Contemporary services are seen by many churches as a panacea for waning attendance and the need for evangelism, but very few people choose to attend or join a church based on its service style. Both traditional and contemporary styles have pros and cons, and usually, people care more about the people in a church than the service. Yes, I plan to experiment with our service format a bit, starting September 9 & 13, but this is more for the benefit of those already here than those outside. Making the service visitor-friendly is mostly about the format of our worship folder, which we’re busy tweaking each week, and we value your input.

What will help

In a town our size, we need to be friendly without smothering. When you see someone you don’t know, go talk to them. Introduce yourself. Ask about their families, especially kids and grandkids. And really listen. Let them know you care without being nosy. If they’re single, ask what they like to do for fun or where they’re from. If they look slightly familiar or you’re not sure whether they’re members or visitors, say, “Hi, I’m ___. I’m drawing a blank on your name–should I know it?”

This is such common sense, but think about how often you’ve invited a friend to church. Offer to take them out for brunch afterward (which will give you a chance to see whether they have questions or comments about the service), and offer to drive if possible.

Leave a review! Our church is listed at the Google Local directory. Go there, and leave a review. Mention how long you’ve been a member and why you attend here or what you like about our congregation. If your kids are in our preschool, leave a review of the preschool at the same place. As that entry gets more reviews, and as we build our website, we will show up higher in searches and be easier to find when people look for a church in the area.

What will work

Remember that our goal is not to increase our service attendance. Yes, that’s a great way to share God’s love and engage souls with God’s Word, but it’s a strategy, not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is more souls saved from hell, and the way that happens is by loving each other, loving those outside the church, and especially loving those we have the most difficulty loving, as they tend to need it the most.

So the key to accomplishing that mission is loving people. But remember that love is more than just a warm feeling. It means doing what you can to help others: body, mind, and soul. It means making personal sacrifices for the well-being of others. It means stepping outside your comfort zone, changing plans, and making the cross and empty tomb the center of everything you do.

Because that’s what Jesus did for us.