There Are Times...

There are times when I do feel like "Christian" in Bunyan's classic, The Pilgrim's Progress:

"Then Apollyon espying his opportunity began to gather up close to Christian and wrestling with him gave him a dreadful fall, and with that Christian's Sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, "I am sure of thee now," and with that he had almost pressed him to death so that Christian began to despair of life, but as God would have it while Apollyon was fetching of his last blow thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his Sword and caught it saying, "Rejoice not against me O mine Enemy, when I fall I shall arise," and with that gave him a deadly thrust which made him give back as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceiving that, made at him again saying, "Nay, in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us." And with that Apollyon spread forth his Dragon's wings, and sped him away that Christian for a season saw him no more."

"... I am sure of thee now... Nay, in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us."

Prayer: "Father, keep us nimble with Your Word, the Sword of the Spirit, and in Christ Deliver us from evil." Amen.

Admitting Mistakes is the First Step for Improving

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are scouring the copious notes of Dr. Harvey Cushing, who practiced neurosurgery from 1896-1912. He kept detailed notes of his mistakes such as operating on the wrong side of the brain or dropping surgical instruments into a wound. One of the hardest things for any human being to do is to admit to our mistakes and failures. Yet, this is the key to our improvement.

God's word teaches us the same thing:

Proverbs 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be honest and to acknowledge my sins. Remind me and reassure me of Your forgiveness in Jesus. Help me to avoid the same mistakes and to improve in all that I think, say and do. Amen.

Worship: Chocolate or Vanilla?

I was involved in what people today call "Contemporary Worship" long before it was known by that name. In high school (1970s) our youth group asked the pastor if we could have a "Folk Service." He asked us what would be involved in such a service. All we could think of was playing songs on guitars. (Obviously we had no business planning a worship service.) He then asked, "Do you think it might be good to have a few Scripture readings?" "Oh yeah," we said. "How about the Apostles' Creed, a sermon, and prayers?" "That would be great." Little by little he had us back to the basic worship service!

As a campus pastor in the 1980s I came into a ministry that had been using contemporary worship. As a guitarist and singer, I looked forward to the freedom this gave me to explore different worship styles. However I found it increasingly difficult to find music that wasn't repetitive or would fit well with the themes of the Church Year. I also found myself spending a lot of time trying to develop these services, valuable time that could have been used going out to meet students.

For the last twenty years I've been serving in a church that uses very traditional worship.

I used to accept the idea that worship styles didn't really matter, but I've definitely had a change of heart about that. This isn't a chocolate or vanilla question. There are some major differences between the two styles of worship as they have developed to this point. Here are five that I find quite important:

1. Both contemporary and traditional worship can be emotional. But I believe that emotions take a primary role in contemporary worship. The music tends to focus on the mood of the worshiper more than the mind. Sounds are primary; texts are secondary.

2. Traditional worship tends to be more theological than therapeutic. Contemporary worship reverses those. Traditional worship focuses primarily on the person and work of Christ and then the new life. Contemporary worship tends to focus on the new life.

3. I will grant that contemporary worship may be more relevant to the unbeliever. After all I wouldn't expect an unchurched person to have any clue what "Here I lay my Ebenezer" means as it is sung in "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." But if our central worship service reaches low to be relevant, how does the church lift its members to relate more deeply to Christ?

4. Contemporary worship tends to be a much more passive experience for the worshiper. We tend to sit back and watch the show. This is certainly something our culture encourages. Traditional worship engages the worshiper in responsive readings, prayers and songs, creedal affirmations, standing, sitting, and kneeling. In this way traditional worship is counter-cultural.

5. Traditional worship is aimed to serve people of all ages. Yes, even little children often enjoy traditional worship, whereas the more contemporary the more likely the children will be dismissed. Contemporary worship loves to divide up into groups (Boomers, Busters, Mosaics, etc.) Traditional worship loves to unify the octogenarians as well as the eight day olds.

For these reasons (and more that I don't have time to go into) I am convinced that traditional worship should have and will always have a central role in the life of the church.

This doesn't mean that we can't have "lighter" or "age-oriented" worship experiences. As long as we fix some of the issues involved in #s 1 & 2 above, I think there can be a place for these in the life of the church. But their place must always be secondary and supportive of the main worship of the church. They should be designed to lead the worshiper toward the central worship experience of the church and not away from it.

A Prayer for Spiritual Healing

In at least four places the New Testament teaches us about the inner struggle between the soul and the sinful flesh. Paul calls it a war in Galatians five. In Romans seven he describes the agony Christians experience when "the good that I will to do I do not do..." Peter warns us of the "fleshly lusts that war against the soul." James also reminds us that "the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously..."

Above all of this there are spiritual attacks that come from outside of us either through evil spirits or through those under the control of those same spirits. It is inevitable that the Christian will suffer spiritual wounds, either self-inflicted or otherwise.

From time to time I feel great spiritual pain over things I have said or haven't said; things I've done or haven't done. The pain just doesn't go away. The word "Satan" means "accuser," and that is exactly what he does. He makes me feel the pain of deep spiritual wounds. Sometimes it seems to me that my soul has been bitten, and there is a venom that lingers on and on. I am just sick, spiritually sick.

God knows this, and in His love He not only explains what is happening, He also heals these wounds to the soul. Isaiah foretold that Jesus would bring healing through "his stripes." Malachi, the last Hebrew prophet, also said of Jesus, "The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings." Both Jesus and His apostles healed people who were "tormented by unclean spirits."

This is when a Christian begins to understand all those past teachers in the church who kept talking about how sweet the Gospel is. At first we believe it because it is true. But eventually we realize it as we experience the pain of the sinful flesh and of evil spirits. We know how true these words are: "There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul."

So I pray:

Dear God, Holy and Gracious God,

I am so sorry that I acted foolishly. I opened a door and let temptation in. I wasn't paying attention. I drifted into that no-man's-land where nothing good can come. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Have mercy on me, a sinner.

I know You still love me. I know that You are still patient with me. I know I don't deserve it. I believe that You forgive me. I believe that for Christ's suffering and death You take away my sin. I appreciate that in my baptism, in all the promises of Your word, and in body and blood of Christ... for the forgiveness of sin.

Dear God, for Jesus' sake, please heal me and help me. Help me learn from my mistakes. Help me grow through this adversity. Make me wiser for the future.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Immanuel Prayer

O Lord Jesus, my Immanuel*
When I am guilty, Be with me and forgive me.
When I am frustrated, Be with me and give me peace.
When I am confused, Be with me and make we wise.
When I am afraid, Be with me and make me brave.
When I am proud, Be with me and give me Your humility.
When I am sad, Be with me and comfort me.
When I am tired, Be with me and give me rest for body and soul.
When I am in danger, Be with me and save me.
When I am hurt, Be with me and heal my wounds.
When I am tempted, Be with me and keep me faithful.
When I am tested, Be with me and make me strong.
When I am spiritually attacked, Be with me, protect me.
Make Your home with me through Your word. Amen.

*Immanuel means "God with us" in Hebrew.
(Picture: Dan Schutte)

Luther on Friendship

In Luther's exposition of John 15.9 "As the Father has loved Me, I have loved you; abide in My love" he tells us why it is important to maintain the bond of friendship.

"Although we are moved to suspicion and displeasure, we should remember to beat these back and remember not to allow them to sever the bond of love and extinguish its fire; but we should cling firmly to our friendship in the face of them. And if perchance displeasure and disagreement arise, we should renew and improve our love and friendship. For to begin to love is not so great, but to remain in love (as Christ here says) is a real task and virtue. In the estate of matrimony many meet who at first are ready to eat each other for great love and passion, but later on they become deadly enemies. This also happens among Christian brethern. Probably for an insignificant reason the bond of love is severed, and those who ought to be most firmly knit and bound together are torn apart, so that they turn into the worst and bitterest enemies... This is the joy and delight of the devil, who strives for nothing else but to disturb the love among Christians and to arouse pure hatred and envy." (What Luther Says, p. 527)

Help Fight Child Abuse... Here's One Little Thing You Can Do!

Change your Face Book profile pic to help fight child abuse? Okay, but then I read someone's post... "How will this really help?" That's a good question. I changed mine, but then I thought about one thing that I think can really help.

I spent one year serving as a chaplain at a mental hospital in Nebraska. I met many people with tragic histories of abuse. Abuse disrupted their lives so severely that they sometimes attempted suicide and eventually came to the mental hospital.

Many times these people sought me out for help. But where do you begin? I would ask this question: As you look back on your life and see all this pain and abuse, do you ever remember a time when you felt the closest to God? Many times the answer had something to do with Sunday School. "I remember a friend who invited me to Sunday School." Or, "I remember my grandma bringing me to church and Sunday School."

Sunday School is still one of the most helpful ways to reach vulnerable children. It's free. It's age appropriate. And best of all it's all about Jesus. Sunday School was often that glowing ember grace that Satan just couldn't completely snuff out. Because of it, even as they were coming so close to the end of a miserable life, they reached out for Him once again... The One they heard about in Sunday School!

I'm sure there are many ways to fight child abuse. But I believe Sunday School is truly one of the simplest. What can you do?

1. Pray for your Sunday School.
2. Send your kids to Sunday School and encourage them to invite their friends.
3. Volunteer in your Sunday School.