The Festival of Pentecost (05/31/09)

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify on my behalf.

--John 15:26

Among other things, Pentecost declares that Jesus wasn't kidding. He made a promise (to send the Holy Spirit), and He kept it (at Pentecost). Pentecost means fifty. Fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord was when the promise came to fruition. Pentecost has been called the "birthday of the Church."

As befits a festival, we have a "feast" of the Word of God before us as the week unfolds. Note -- and read, if you like -- the following:

• First Reading: Acts 2:1-21
• First Reading (alternate): Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Psalm: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
• Second Reading: Romans 8:22-27
• Second Reading (alternate): Acts 2:1-21
• Gospel: John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

There are all kinds of interconnections in these readings, and it really is fun to try and spot them. The blessing comes when you see yourself in them. The Pentecost story is our story! Down through the centuries, the work of Christ's Spirit goes on. By the grace of God, as we've come to know it in Christ, we're in on that work! So celebrate that the promise was fulfilled; the Spirit came. Don't stop there! Celebrate that the same Spirit is at work in you to God's good pleasure!

PD

Saturday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/29/09)

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

--John 17:17

Jesus prayed the words of today's short Scripture reading on the night before He was executed by crucifixion. He didn't rage at the unfairness of what was about to take place. He didn't point fingers or assess blame. He didn't do the "Oh, woe is me!" routine. He didn't invite His followers to join him in a pity party, and neither did He become a victim of a depressed resignation to His fate.

No, He had something else on His mind. Most precisely, He had His followers on His mind. He wants them to be made holy, to be sanctified. And lies, half-truths, misconceptions, pie crust promises (easily made and just as easily broken) and what have you are not going to accomplish that sanctification. What it's going to take is the truth, and not just any truth; it takes the truth of the Word of God.

For hundreds of years, the scholarly and the not-so-scholarly have battled over the Bible. Opinions run deep, and, in some sad instances, have become divisive. Left to our owns opinions and conclusions, we may get it wrong -- all wrong!

But it's not our word about the Word. It's the Word, period. And the question is: are we going to continue to debate it or be sanctified by it?

PD

Friday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/29/09)

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

--John 17:14

Give the old "heave ho" to the word of God and the world just might love you! In the words of this prayer of Jesus, we grasp the truth that the word comes as a gift. No one is holding a 9 mm Baretta to our temples and forcing us to sign on the bottom line.


There's no point fudging anything here! Followers of Jesus, quite simply, do not belong to the world. The world doesn't own them. The world may influence them and seek to domesticate them to the world's ways, but not if Jesus has any say in the matter.


Jesus went so far as to say that His Kingdom was not of this world. In the words of Stanley Hauerwas, that makes us "resident aliens" here on earth. The more you ponder this, the more it begins to make sense. As we make our way to that Kingdom that is not of this world, we glady receive and follow the gift and guide that is the word of God.


PD

Thursday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/28/09)

They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.

--Psalm 1:3

A dear friend died today after a long and full life. Surrounded by family and friends, the Lord called him home. Yes, there were tears. But there was also much laughter and rejoicing that we have the blessing of knowing the man and also the promise that we'll be reunited some day.


My friend was a biologist. In fact, he taught biology -- to those who taught biology! The psalm appointed for this week -- Psalm 1 -- fits him perfectly. He was like that tree planted by streams of water; he yielded fruit in its season; his leaves did not wither. He prospered in what he did, and his family, friends, and loved ones are living proof of it.

Was he perfect? Absolutely not -- and he would be the first to tell you. What he had going for him was a perfect Lord whose love animated his life and, at the end, carried him home. And so we pray:

Lord, let at last Thine angels come,

To Abr'ham's bosom bear me home,

That I may die unfearing;

And in its narrow chamber keep

My body safe in peaceful sleep

Until Thy reappearing.

And then from death awaken me,

That these mine eyes with joy may see,

O Son of God, Thy glorious face,

My Savior and my fount of grace.

Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,

And I will praise Thee without end.

Amen.

PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/27/09)

I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

--1 John 5:9-13

Read it, study it, meditate on it long enough and the Scriptures never stop giving you new angles and different ways of looking at things. Jesus is praying to His Father. He speaks of those whom the Father gave Him. That would be the disciples. By extension, that is you and me.
We are God's gift to Jesus, and Jesus is praying with these gifts that He has received -- you and me -- in mind.


When you've gone through a particularly difficult time in life, perhaps you've had a friend or family member say something like this: "I'll be thinking of you" or "I'll be praying for you." Such phrases may seem little more than something appropriate to say. But for the Christian, they are nourishing rain on a dry soul. They are said in the way of Jesus who practices what He teaches. He prays for us.


PD

Tuesday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/26/09)

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts.

--1 John 5:9-10a

There is a certain wisdom in telling your story. After all, it's your story and no one else's. When someone shares their story with you, you may spot similarities to your own story as well as some differences.

Countless folks who are in recovery from chemical dependency definitely know the value of telling the story. They talk about how it was (when they were in the grips of addiction), what happened (the steps they took to loosen that grip), and how it is today (the different life they live now). Hearing stories like that produce a kind of solidarity between those who share and those who listen.

On occasion, people are asked to "tell their story" -- or give their "testimony" -- within the parameters of a Christian congregation. These testimonies have value in that they personalize the faith and "bring it close to home," to borrow a phrase.

The One who really brought it close to home was -- and is! -- God! In the incarnation, He became one of us. In His death, our sins were dealt with. In His resurrection, He paved the way for our own. This testimony is in a class by itself. The testimonies of others have their ultimate benefit when they point away from themselves to the testimony of God. Within that testimony, we truly find our own.

PD

Monday in The Week of The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/25/09)

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night."
--Psalm 1:1-2

What constitutes happiness? Nearly everyone, at one time or another, weighs in on that question. Charles Schulz, of "Peanuts" cartoon fame, once said that "Happiness is a warm puppy." That's all well and good when pooches cuddle up and get cozy, but it's a different story when they engage in less appropriate behavior -- as dogs are naturally wont to do.


There's no word on whether the psalmist was a dog owner. But he/she did know that happiness consists in practicing discernment and making some distinctions. There is a way to go that does not end in happiness, and the psalmist is well aware of that.


The better path, the one that includes meditating on the law of the Lord, is the route to go. It is a delightful route. And it's a day-by-day thing; morning and night are prime times for the meditation. Meditation -- that is, spending time with God's Word and prayer -- "bookends" the day, so to speak. There's an every day rhythm to it, and, according to the psalmist, it constitutes happiness and delight!


PD

The 7th Sunday of Easter (05/24/09)

Text: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Theme: “The Matthias Factor”
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 24, 2009
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

Our text this evening is drawn from the book of Acts. Acts begins with the story of our Lord’s ascension. (This past Thursday was the official, time-honored day for the church’s celebration of that event, and it always occurs on a Thursday which is forty days after Easter.) The next big happening is Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which we’ll recall next Sunday along with Confirmation. Do be here for the festivities!

Between the Ascension and Pentecost, it looks as though they put together a pastoral nominating committee – the first PNC! They had a short list of two candidates: Barsabbas and Matthias. They prayed and cast lots. What about this casting of lots? Some scholars have suggested that it was an early version of flipping a coin. In golf, we flip a tee. When it lands it points to someone, and that someone is first to tee off.

In Acts, the tee pointed – or the lot fell, if you will – to Matthias. And we never hear his name mentioned again. As quickly as he appears, he disappears. By the way, the name of Matthias means “gift of the Lord.”

Tomorrow morning, at shortly after 10:00 am central time, the President of the United States will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac river in Virginia. That tomb is guarded 24 hours a day/365 days a year. Such is the reverence and respect paid to an unknown.

Now Matthias was not quite an unknown soldier in the apostolic band (we know his name), but he does fade into anonymity. Without mention of his name, he does, however, show up at Pentecost. Acts reports that on the day of Pentecost the Twelve were there. Peter is standing with the eleven. Peter plus the eleven equals twelve.

The Lord is going to have his Twelve. He had His twelve tribes, and He has his twelve apostles. The sad story of Judas, who betrayed Jesus, does not change this.

On Pentecost Day, the apostolic ministry got into gear. There is teaching and there is baptizing. As a result, disciples are made. See Matthew 28:18-20. At the first Pentecost, we are told that about three thousand people were added to the growing number of disciples. There’s a statistic for you! Unlike our Lord, we might miss somebody with our statistics. You can be sure that the Lord hasn’t left you out of the count.

At the first Pentecost, there was no doubt. The apostolic band was there. The twelve were there. Peter delivered the sermon, and the baptizing started. Disciples were made. And on it goes to our day – even next Sunday at Confirmation!

What about the twelve? We don’t read about them in Acts except when they appoint seven people to take care of the distribution to the needy so they can keep busy with what the Lord put them there to do. After that, they sort of disappear. They simply do their thing where they’re sent to do it. Where those places were we are not told. Tradition has it the Matthias ended up in Ethiopia.

We are told how the Word of the Lord grew. That’s what’s going on: the Word of the Lord. The growth is on account of the Lord, and it’s not due to the popular or not-so-popular style of the apostle.

Much of the material in the Book of Acts centers on St. Paul, and it culminates with his triumphant arrival in Rome, the capitol city of the world at the time. St. Paul has his New Testament letters as well as St. Peter. But Matthias simply drifts away.

Nowadays, the Matthias factor of anonymous faithfulness has few adherents. Job number one is getting your name out there with all the means available: a polished resume’ or a website that broadcasts why you are the best of the best and the coolest of the cool.

But the Matthias’s of the world aren’t out to find the next feather for their caps. They are entirely content to remain anonymous, to simply do what is given them to do, what’s right there in front of them to do – for the Lord and for their neighbor. In their lives they give witness to that repentance and faith that the Word of the Lord produces.

Matthias may have been anonymous, but the Lord didn’t lose track of him. And neither does He lose track of you.

Amen.

Saturday in The Week of The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/23/090

Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth, He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples equity.
--Psalm 98:8-9


As of this writing, the president of the United States is interviewing a number of candidates to replace a vacancy on the Supreme Court. His or her judicial qualifications will surely weigh in the decision, and, according to the president, he is looking for someone with a keen intellect and a practical outlook.


We already know something about the judge of which the psalmist writes. It is the Lord who needs to be interviewed by no one. There will be no judicial axe to grind or any "litmus test" as to what His judgments may be. The judgments, when they come, will be with righteousness and equity.


Righteousness and equity are the ways of our God. They came thundering from the cross and shining forth from the empty tomb. No wonder that the psalmist exhorts humanity and all creation to approach the future with a sense of joyous expectancy!


PD

Friday in The Week of The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/22/09)

This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

--1 John 5:16

Some scholars see references to the Sacraments in today's short reading. Water references Holy Baptism. Blood refers to the Lord's Supper.


Speaking of the Sacraments, are they front and center or only on the periphery of a congregation's life? I have often wanted to conduct a little experiment with the Lord's Supper. Instead of noting in a church bulletin when it will next be celebrated, don't mention it at all. When the regular time comes for the Lord's Supper, don't conduct it. Then see how long that works before someone asks why.

Realistically, I wouldn't employ such an experiment at all. But if it were tried, I suspect that the first person who notices its absence is one who simultaneously rejoices in the Sacrament's significance.

At the cross and empty tomb of Jesus, the gifts of our forgiveness and salvation were won. But they are distributed to us in the Sacraments. Since this is the case, the periphery is not the place for these wonderful mandates/gifts of the Lord to reside. If the Sacraments are not front and center in your congregation's life, ask your pastors why.


PD

The Ascension of Our Lord (05/21/09)

While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

--Luke 24:51-53

The Ascension of Our Lord, traditionally understood, is a feast day. It calls for a festival. At the heart of the word festival is feast. Feasting means having friends and family around with food, fun, and perhaps some frivolity.

Admittedly, it's an odd celebration since the story at its heart appears to be one of separation. Jesus withdrew His visible presence from His disciples and was carried up into heaven. The response to this was not "Jesus, Jesus, come back here right now! How do you expect us to carry on without you?" Rather, they worshiped him! They headed back to Jerusalem and were continually blessing God.


It certainly doesn't appear to be an ending at all. It's a new beginning. They would begin by waiting, and, after ten more days, they would receive the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised. The gift of the Spirit is cause for another feast!

Our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord is into feasting and rejoicing! We get to join in -- with Jesus and with one another!


PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/20/09)

I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

--John 15:15

Upon first hearing, it was a shock. But it made sense. A wise, old professor of mine declared, "Few people have a friend anymore -- as in you and me. Instead, they have some third thing called a 'relationship.'"

Relationships are linear. A lives in relation to B. The relationship is the line of connection. And there are a host of adjectives and so forth that precede the word. Consider the following:

• Good relationship
• Working relationship
• Dysfunctional relationship
• Abusive relationship

With relationships, there is a distance -- be it emotional or even geographical -- between point A and B. That distance allows for periodic assessment.

But friendship is different than relationship. Friendship is just friendship. You're not out to assess a person you have a friendship with. You enjoy their company; it comes naturally.

We Christians sometimes talk of having a "relationship" with God. God is in heaven (point A); we are on earth (point B), and nary the twain the shall meet.

The preferred word of Jesus, however, is friendship: I have called you friends, He says. He has made known everything to us that He heard from His Father. And there is no safe, "relational" distance either. He says, Lo, I am with you always to the very end of the age.

The title of the hymn gets it right: What a Friend We Have In Jesus!

PD

Tuesday in The Week of The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/19/09)

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.

--John 15:9

Saint John is big on love, and we get lots of love talk in the New Testament and Holy Gospel readings for this week (1 John 5:1-6 and John 15:9-17, respectively).


Love is one of those words that lends itself well to word association games. Say love. What comes to mind? The first thing in my mind was the line from that Beatles song, "All you need is love." Years ago, Tina Turner queried, "What's love got to do with it? What's love but a second-hand emotion?" Then there's the old favorite: "L is for the way you look at me; O is for the only one I see; V is very, very extraordinary; E is even more than anyone that you adore could love."


Sure, there is romantic love; we definitely can be hurt in love, and the argument that we need love is a sound one.


Jesus bids us to abide in His love. Abide is one of those words that has fallen out of usage, and that's unfortunate. Simply put, abide means to stick around. Not long ago, I was offered a sample of cheese at a grocery store. I told the clerk, "I love it." But I didn't take the next step and buy a half pound. I smiled and walked away. Apparently, I was content to sample the cheese.


Some folks "sample" the love of God. They may smile, but then they walk away. They're content with a "taste" of it, but it won't be their standard fare.


For Christians, the love of God -- as it is made known in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ -- is our standard fare. We stick with it. We abide in it.


PD

Monday in The Week of The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/18/09)

O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.

--Psalm 98:1

We are invited to sing a new song! Why not stick with the old favorites? Pick your style or genre of music and go to it! If you have a hankering for jazz, there's more than likely a Christian version of it. Rap and rock and roll have their Christian practioners too.

There always seems to be this incessant desire for something new. If it's not new, we might conclude, then it's out of date and, therefore, not useful. We've go to do something new -- for the sake of doing something new!

That's balderdash! We're called to sing a new song for the very good reason that God has done marvelous things. This is not to suggest that the old songs (that once were new) are bad. But singing a new song suggests that our generation employ its own creativity to rejoice in all the good our Lord has done for us.

By the way, it's not a sin if you can't hold a tune!

PD

The 6th Sunday of Easter (05/17/09)

Text: Psalm 98:1-9
Theme: “Christ on the Rainbow”
6th Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2009
First Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

On July 10th of this year, many Christians worldwide will mark the five hundredth birthday of John Calvin, one of the great sixteenth century reformers. Those who hold as their own the teachings of Calvin (drawn most notably from his Institutes) are, at times, called Calvinists, and their theological point of reference is Calvinism. Similarly, those who hold as their own the teachings of Martin Luther are, at times, called Lutherans, and their theological point of reference is Lutheranism. Personally, I came from the Lutheran tradition, but now I find myself in the Presbyterian tradition. I guess that makes me a Lutheryterian!

What about Jesus? Was He a Calvinist or a Lutheran? If you think Jesus was big on the sovereignty of God, then you might say that Jesus was more Calvinist. If, on the other hand, the grace of God is where it’s at with you, then Jesus was more of a Lutheran. It’s a matter of emphasis. But what about everyone else in the holy catholic church that might not be Calvinist or Lutheran? What of the Episcopalians, the Baptists, the Methodists, and the Mennonites and so on? What about those who follow astrology and keep an eye on the horoscope? Well, Jesus would be a Capricorn to them!

The point is that we can make Jesus out to be just about anyone we want Him to be, what we prefer Him to be. Personal preferences are very much in vogue. Everyone wants to have a say – a choice! – in the matter. There is much talk, these days, of spirituality. At the moment, “wellness” is, arguably, the most popular term. “Jesus did do a few miracles and healed some folks. You see, He’s into wellness too!”

But Jesus is not one among many options. He is not spiritual silly putty that we can mold or shape. Jesus is not a game we play on Sunday mornings with coffee before and brunch afterwards.

If anyone knew that, it was John Calvin and Martin Luther. They threw their lives into the God questions. They were both on board for The Apostle’s Creed, and they confessed it just as we do: “He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” That references the Ascension of our Lord that we celebrate this coming Thursday. The next sentence of the Creed goes like this: “From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” The “born of the virgin Mary” part is all well and good, but nowadays we’re not too keen on this matter of Him coming back again to be a judge.

John Calvin spent his productive years in Geneva. Martin Luther was in Wittenburg, Germany. Luther’s study was adjacent to the Castle Church. He once commented on what he saw when he walked from his study to the sanctuary for worship. There was this image of a rainbow chiseled into the granite wall. And seated on top of the rainbow was the cosmic Christ, the Pantocrator, the ruler of the universe, enthroned in judgment. The thought of standing before such a judge as that terrified Luther.

Has anyone seen a rainbow yet this year? I haven’t. But last year I did take a picture of a rainbow that looked as though it ended at our house, but there was no pot of gold! I also remember golfing out at Tour 18 last spring. The afternoon was filled with sunshine. The big sky of Texas was a sight to behold. But off in the distance, there were gathering storm clouds. They came closer as we played our game. All of a sudden the temperature dropped and the wind whipped up. But the sun was still shining. Seventy five percent of the sky was bright sunshine. But twenty five percent was a massive, dark storm. We pulled alongside a putting green and stepped out of our carts. Moments later, the skies opened and the rain came down fast and furious and in mighty drops. But the sun was still shining. It was weird – almost mystical. I thought, “There’s going to be a rainbow and maybe even a double rainbow.” And sure enough, it happened. It was incredible.

In our day, we have all recognized the power of the weather. Programs are interrupted with word of thunderstorm watches or tornado warnings. David Finfrock at StormCenter 5 keeps us informed. The weather, and the results of bad weather, can be a fearful and even tragic thing.

But for Luther, an angry mother nature was nothing compared to the prospect of standing coram Deo (before the face of God). A little thunderstorm on a humid summer night was a trifle compared to the future reality of standing accused before the judge, before the cosmic Christ seated on the rainbow!

It is easy to shrug this off by saying, “Well, Luther and Calvin we’re just coming out of the middle age with all its medieval art, and people were so much more superstitious then. We live in a more enlightened era of scientific progress. It’s a waste of time to dwell on such fables and myths of yesteryear.”

But somewhere, deep down in our bones, we know that we are accountable. C.S. Lewis and others called it the “natural law.” As much as we try to shake it off, we know we are answerable to someone. As much as we might try to deny it, there is no moral free agency!

But then there comes a word that we are not familiar with deep down in our bones. It is a word that comes to us from the outside. It is a word that we never would have thought of. It is the word that prompts what the psalmist has called the “new song.” O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory. The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

What is the victory? It is the victory of the Gospel, the victory of unconquerable life. It is the news that the One who will surely be your judge all the more surely loves you! You are worth Him going to the cross. He paid the debt we could never repay. And, in the place of a dreadful and terrifying judgment, we are clothed in God’s righteousness; our sins are washed away; in a world where the mortality rate holds steady at 100%, we have the promise that, because of Christ, we too shall rise!

And we can forgive the psalmist for getting carried away! A joyful noise is called for. Songs and praises are directed to break forth. Throw in some musical instruments. And don’t stop there.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, cries the psalmist. Have you ever heard the sea roar? Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord. Have you watched floods clap their hands? Has the singing of the hills greeted your ears? The imagery is breathtaking!

All of it is called for because the Lord is coming to judge the earth. The psalmist concludes: He will judge the earth with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

When Luther realized that the Christ on the rainbow, the Lord enthroned in judgment was, first, his crucified and risen Redeemer, Savior, and Friend, the image chiseled into the granite no longer frightened him.
When the Lord does return to judge, that judgment will only make it perfectly clear how it is with us now; for we are God’s dearly loved children. And that calls for a new song, for a joyful noise, for enjoying one another’s company at church picnics, for rejoicing in all the gift God gave through Calvin, for marveling at the next rainbow we see, and for living all our days in the happy confidence that nothing shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Saturday in The Week of The 5th Sunday of Easter (05/16/09)

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
--John 15:8

It would appear that Jesus Christ is interested in His Father's glory. Are we? If so, how shall that glory happen? The answer is both troubling and wonderful. It's troubling because we are going to change, and change puts us out of our "comfort zone." It's going to be wonderful because our lives, to borrow a phrase, are going to "make a difference."

Growth will happen; fruit shall be produced. And disciples will be made. A disciple, simply stated, is a learner. In addition, you may see the word discipline in disciple as well. Pretty clearly, learning doesn't go very well without a modicum of discipline.

Jesus seeks to produce disciples as well as disciples who produce! And His Father is glorified thereby!

PD

Friday in The Week of The 5th Sunday of Easter (05/15/09)

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

--Psalm 22:30-31

On more than one occasion, we hear advice along these lines: Yesterday is over; forget about it. Tomorrow isn't here yet; don't worry about it. All we have is the gift of today; that's why it's called the present.


It's a wise perspective; there's really no doubt about it. We can get into all kinds of mental and emotional trouble when we dwell incessantly about the not-so-nice things about our past. Will it catch up with us? If we look in the other direction, toward the future, we face uncertainty. "Anything could happen," we say. "I may not be here tomorrow." Thus, we adopt -- sometimes unknowingly -- a kind of nervous fatalism about things.


King David, at the tail end of our Psalm for this week, was having none of it. He knew about his past -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. And his future? That had to do with serving the Lord and telling all about Him. Divine deliverance would be proclaimed to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

He (the Lord) has done it. That, among other things, is why we're here today. We rejoice that deliverance was proclaimed, in Jesus Christ, to our generation. And ours is to look to the future equipped with the good news of deliverance. It's done!


PD

Thursday in The Week of the 5th Sunday of Easter (05/14/09)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.

--John 15:1-2

Our Lord's miracles were surely impressive. But with His words and stories and parables, He wasn't out to dazzle us with brilliance. He didn't say things to get a response like this: "Oh, I hope I can be as smart as He is."

Jesus said things in such a way that we could get the hang of it without reaching for dictionaries, textbooks, and so on. Take, for example, His statement about being the true vine. His agricultural hearers could certainly relate to that. The Father is vinegrower, and the Son is the vine. What of us? We're the branches!

If the vinegrower is going to have a harvest, the He will tend to the vine and care for it. That involves pruning. The parts of the vegetation that are useless and dead are cut off. It makes way for new growth.

What in your life may have outlived its usefulness? Can you imagine the Lord pruning that away?

PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 5th Sunday of Easter (05/13/09)

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

--Acts 8:39

Philip was an evangelist -- a proclaimer of the good news! -- for Jesus Christ. One day, at the prompting of an angel, he runs into a high-ranking government official from Ethiopia. Philip hops up on the chariot, and the two begin a conversation.


The official, a eunuch, had been doing a bit of Bible reading. He'd come across a few sections he couldn't understand. Philip cleared away the fog and brought clarity to the official's mind and heart. Recognizing good news when he heard it, this official calls a halt to the chariot after seeing some water. Right there on the spot, he is baptized. Philip disappears. An entirely new life begins for this high-ranking official who went on his way rejoicing.


When it dawns on us that we are loved so much by the Lord, what does that produce if not rejoicing? We are the ones He did the cross and empty tomb for. And, in the midst of our rejoicing, we can keep an eye out for those who, with open minds like the eunuch, don't quite get it yet. We can be the Philip for them!


PD

Tuesday in The Week of The 5th Sunday of Easter (05/12/09)

There is no fear in love, but perfect ove casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

--1 John 4:18

Try this one out: Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. No one was there!

Fear is mentioned in our reading. This business of no fear in love stops us dead in our tracks. There must be some sort of fear in love. For instance, you love someone and you're afraid that you might lose them. A classic example is that of the women who went to the tomb on that first Easter Sunday. They loved Jesus, and their worst fears were realized. He was crucified. They went to that tomb to perform a last labor of love. But perfect love -- that is, Jesus Christ! -- cast out their fear.

Fear has to do with punishment says St. John. I suppose that most folks have tried to avoid punishment at least once -- and maybe more times than that! Punishment is no fun. Somewhere, down deep in our bones, we know we are answerable to someone. We may have convinced ourselves, through constant denial, that this isn't so. But when something negative happens to someone we care about, then the perpetrators most definitely have something to answer for. Why shouldn't we?

When fear knocks on our door, who will answer? Will we seek escape? That would only create more fear. The other option is to let Jesus answer. He is the epitome of perfect love.

Have we reached perfection in love? No. But, with Jesus, we seek progress in love. That seeking is the most difficult yet wonderful endeavor of life!


PD

Monday in The Week of The 5th Sunday of Easter (05/11/09)

God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.

--1 John 4:15

Word came this morning that a dear friend had died. An extended battle with cancer had come to an end. She fought it honestly and with gusto. She served a mighty strong cup of coffee (which is just the way I like it), and it was always ready for me when I arrived. She had a piano. On my first visit, I noticed the sheet music for the song "Memory" from the musical Cats. I sat down and fired it off as best I could.

There was no question of her faith in God. There was more than enough evidence of her regular confession of Jesus as the Son of God. This means, according to our Bible verse above, that God abides in her and she abides in God. Her death does not change that. It only makes it all the more gloriously clear to her -- that she is in God and God is in her.


Perhaps the Lord wanted a good barista and enjoys some strong coffee as well! May choirs of angels greet her on the far side of Jordan!


PD

The Fifth Sunday of Easter (05/10/09)

Text: Psalm 22:25-31
Theme: “It’s Psalm 22 Again!”
5th Sunday of Easter
Mother’s Day
May 10, 2009
First Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! And along with that, happy Mother’s Day! The following words aren’t on a Hallmark card, but they do come from the Scriptures. Here’s something for the mothers from Proverbs 31:

Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

There you have something of a Mother’s Day card from the Lord.

Our Bible text for today does not come from the book of Proverbs. It comes from the book right before it which is the book of Psalms. Psalms, of course, is the hymn book of the Bible. Now, the current Presbyterian hymnal has six hundred and five hymns, songs, or psalms, you could even say. The Bible’s hymnal has one hundred fifty of them – and we rejoice that they’re represented in the Presbyterian hymnal as well; they’re set to music.

This morning, specifically, we’re at Psalm 22 again. We last bumped into Psalm 22 during Holy Week (more on that later).

Psalm 22 is a real humdinger of a psalm. How shall we describe it? It is sort of like Rayzor Ranch over on Bonnie Brae; you’re never quite done with it. It’s this vast, sprawling thing, a piece of holy literature! It covers a lot of ground in its thirty one verses. We are told that it is a psalm of David. That would be King David who also wrote Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”) which we heard in the liturgy last Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, and also at many funerals. FYI: there are six versions of “The Lord’s My Shepherd” in the Presbyterian hymnal. I heard one of them, for the first time, nineteen years ago last month. CNN, on cable TV, broadcast the funeral of a young man named Ryan White to a national audience. Ryan White, you may recall, was the Indiana teenager who suffered from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (A.I.D.S.). In those fearful times, some did not want him to go to public school. But Ryan did – and he went! In his few years, he educated a nation. Barbara Bush, Phil Donahue, Michael Jackson, and Elton John were all in attendance at the funeral at 2nd Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. The CNN camera focused on Elton John as he sang right along with #170 in the Presbyterian Hymnal: “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want.”

But that’s Psalm 23. Today, we have Psalm 22 before us. At the top of Psalm 22, there is a note to the leader, presumably the worship leader, which says …according to The Deer of the Dawn. That was most likely a tune – like “Greensleeves” which is the tune for “What Child is This” that we sing at Christmastime.

But this is the Easter season, and the last words of Psalm 22 have Easter written all over them. Listen: To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.

That’s a happy confidence beyond the farthest reach of death, and it extends to us and our future: Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

When the Lord has done it, it’s done. But one does wonder at times if Rayzor Ranch or Loop 288 will actually be done before the Lord returns!

And also, you have to wonder why Psalm 22, which ends in such a lofty and joyous way, begins on such a dismal note. As the late great radio personality Paul Harvey used to say, “You’re about to know the rest of the story.”

Psalm 22 begins, at verse one, with these words: Eli Eli lama sabachthani?/My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus Christ quoted those words on Good Friday -- as He hung dying on a cross. Did He sing them – cry them! – according to the tune? Good Friday was when we last bumped into Psalm 22.

To be forsaken is be left behind or left alone. There is no one there for you. There’s no one to band-aid your boo boos, to hold your hand or dry your tears. For that matter, there’s no one to offer reassurance for your uncertainties and no one to answer the nagging questions that life in this world raises. There’s no one to offer positive reinforcement or even constructive criticism. There’s no one to rage with you at the unfairness of it all. There’s no one to speak up for you when you can’t speak for yourself or defend yourself. There’s no one to answer that all-but-damnable question of “Why”. You have to go it alone. When that happens in our lives, one option is to put a stiff upper lip on it and smile it all away as if it doesn’t matter. We get all Epicurean: “Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow we die!” We grin with that bit of doggerel that says: “Mine is not to reason why; mine is but to do and die,” or as Jerry Jeff Walker sings: “Just gettin’ by on gettin’ by’s my stock in trade…Livin’ it day to day…Pickin’ up the pieces wherever they fall. Just lettin’ it roll; lettin’ the high times carry the low. Just livin’ my life easy come, easy go.” But that doesn’t stop the questions from their relentless pummeling! So if we can’t rationalize the questions away, if our little philosophies of life fail to deliver, we seek escape. We want anything to stop the stampede of thought going on in our heads. Maybe it’s alcohol; maybe it’s a drug. But eventually you sober up, and the hits – the questions – just keep on coming! Why? Why? Why?

Perhaps the answer is found in religion, or spirituality, or yoga, or jazzercise, or golf, tennis, bowling, boating, or jazzfests. Not that any of those things, in and of themselves, are bad. But they become dangerous when use them to refuse life on life’s terms, when we use them only as a means of escape. Yes, there are times when we want the “Midnight Express” – which is an old prison term for escape.

But we cannot escape because, sooner or later, they come at us again: Why is God so AWOL when I need Him? Why does it feel as if the Lord is missing in action? Why is the only option six months without the chemotherapy or twelve months with it? Why did 28 days in the rehab center not work for my son or daughter? Why has the 401k been cut in half? Why did I get laid off along with another one hundred ninety nine folks in my department? Why do nice guys – and/or gals – finish last? (I seem to remember reading that on Facebook recently!) Why the swine flu? Why the flag-draped coffins? Why the panic attacks? Why the autism? Pick your own personal poison and ask why. Why? Why? Why? Any time you ask why, it’s a mini version of Psalm 22 verse 1 all over again. The more you ask and the more the answers don’t come, the more forsaken you feel.

Get frustrated enough and you might even sit down, start writing, and make a list of all those questions. You’ll come to the quick conclusion that not a lot in this life makes any sense.

You see a cheesy billboard that reads “Jesus is the answer!” My mind always responds with “What’s the question?” Let me share a personal experience with you. A number of years ago, I had to deal with a pretty significant depression. On one occasion, my psychotherapist asked me a question that I will never forget. He said, “Paul, step out of the roles you play in life. Step out of the role of son, brother, father, husband, pastor, president of the Kiwanis club, and so forth. Now, ask yourself a simple question: Who are you?” I didn’t have an answer. And, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure our why I didn’t have an answer. It made me mad – mad at myself, mad at the psychotherapist, mad at life, mad at nothing, mad at everything. Looking back, it was Psalm 22 again! The answer had, in a word, forsaken me.

But there is something about the first verse of Psalm 22 that is so easy to overlook. As the Eagles sang it all those years ago: “So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.” Simply put, we overlook the obvious!

I grew up in Fremont, Nebraska which is about thirty five miles from Omaha. My family had a cabin on a lake in North Bend, Nebraska which was about twenty miles west of Fremont. About half the way to North Bend, there was a curve in road. At the curve was a tiny village. I don’t even remember the name of it. But I do recall that the sign said “Unincorporated.” We would often, when driving by, say of that little village, “Be careful! If you blink, you might miss it.”

In the same way, be careful with Psalm 22, verse 1. If you blink, you will miss it. We’ve considered what it means to be forsaken; we’ve looked at some of the why questions in life. But, dare I say, ladies and gentlemen and brothers and sisters in Christ, we’ve saved the best for last!

King David wrote it. Jesus prayed it – on the cross: MY God, MY God! When the chips are down and all of the questions and every bit of the evidence suggests otherwise, what ultimately triumphs is a confession of faith and a declaration of ownership: MY God, MY God! It’s not the God of nature; it’s not the God of the sparrow; it’s not the God of sugary-sweet spirituality that is sold like candy in our society;; it’s not the God of providence; it’s not the God of the Presbyterian Church (USA); it’s not the God of the bishop, the priest, the rabbi, the shrink, or Joe and Jane Six Pack. It’s MY God, MY God! It’s YOUR God, YOUR God!

It’s the God who beat death at its own game! That’s why I can finish precisely where I started – with this: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hip, hip, hooray, and Hallelujah! Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day too! Amen.

Saturday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/09/09)

The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

--John 10:13

It would appear that one alternative to a good shepherd is a hired hand. Hired hands are indifferent, apathetic, and mostly in it for the paycheck. When trouble comes calling, they head for the hills to protect their own skin. The sheep will have to fend for themselves. Besides, it's humiliating enough to have to tend to those critters. The owner should have exercised more care in who he chooses to keep an eye on things. It sounds reasonable, doesn't it?

The Good Shepherd, on the other hand, is verifiably looney tunes. He is willing to lay down his life for the critters. One of them gets away, gets lost, and He leaves the other ninety nine behind to go looking. And when He finds the poor thing, He's all excited.

Think of God being excited in finding you. It's an incredible thought!

PD

Friday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/08/09)

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

--Psalm 23:6b

I have a problem with the last phrase of our verse for today: my whole life long. (In these meditations, the Bible version used is the New Revised Standard Version.) I much prefer the older, traditional translation: I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


In Cathedral City, California, there is a well-traveled road. On one side, there is squalor. There are signs of significant poverty. On the other side, there is lavish luxury. A rock wall, replete with vines, moves toward a guarded gate with a waterfall in front of it. Behind the wall, there are homes valued in the millions.


In the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant, was sheltered in a tent. Later, it was enshrined in the temple. God is into housing!


But what kind of final home will ours be? Cathedral City offers a study in contrasts. So does a study of the Bible. When King David wrote the words above, he wasn't home yet. But he was on his way. He knew where he wanted to dwell, and, far more importantly, he knew where he would dwell. The house of the Lord was the piece of real estate that he was after. Generations later, that Son of David -- also the Son of God -- bought the property for David and for all of us in His death and resurrection.


PD

Thursday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/07/09)

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

--1 John 3:18

We get quite a bit of talk about love in the first epistle of John. What's so special about John? Is he just another voice amid love's cacophany? In addition, he has this way of calling his readers little children.

If I'm constantly called a child, it doesn't seem to assist in the process of becoming mature. Do we not want to become mature Christians?

If we can get past these peripheral questions, we can get to the point. When it comes to love, Saint John is getting all the cards out on the table. Love is a great deal more than simply saying "I love you," although that is not unimportant.

Real love is not fake or phony. It consists of the truth. Love doesn't relax in an emotional "Lazyboy" rocker. It's a matter of action.

Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we continue to celebrate, was -- and is! -- the epitome of love's truth and activity. We know that from the cross and empty tomb. He is far more than an example of love. It's His love that works in us -- not in word or speech, but in truth and action!

PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/06/09)

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us -- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

--1 John 3:16

A number of years ago I was invited to lead a Bible class at an Indiana prison. Prior to the invitation, I had given sermon entitled "Do You Wear the Cross or Bear the Cross?". One of my church members who was employed at the prison thought the message might be beneficial to some inmates.


This was a whole new thing for me, but I have a penchant for adventure. I went.


Once there, I made my way through more checkpoints than I can recall. We ended up in the maximum security area. There were about twenty inmates who were members of a Christian fellowship.

I gave my message.

When the program finished, a prisoner approached me. He expressed his gratitude, and I gave what encouragement I could. He said, "I'm in here for three days." "Wow! That's great," I replied. "Oh, you don't understand," he went on. My face revealed uncertainty. "Prison lingo," he said. "You don't understand prison lingo. 'Three days' is prison lingo for three life terms. Jesus Christ is my only hope. I have sinned like you cannot imagine. I can only trust the blood will cleanse me. And preacher man, I'd give my life for any one of my brothers."


We surely can doubt the sincerity of people for all kinds of reasons. But there, in the maximum security holding area, I didn't have a doubt that day.


PD

Tuesday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/05/09)

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

--Psalm 23:6

A man by the name of Philip Keller has given us a profound gift in his writing. His experiences involve the development and management of sheep ranches. Simply put, he's a shepherd. He writes about it all in A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm.

What about your experiences? Can you honestly say that goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life? Perhaps, in your view, the jury is still out on that question.

If that be the case, then the gospel is especially for you. For your Good Shepherd laid down his life for you. Now, risen from the dead, His rod and staff bring you comfort and guide you on to the home where joy, real joy, never ends. Goodness and mercy. It's following you!

PD

Monday in The Week of The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/04/09)

He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

--Psalm 23:3b

"Two paths diverged in a yellow wood...I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference," wrote the poet Robert Frost.

If the road is "less traveled," then adventure may be in store. But a well traveled path could suggest that there is safety.

Take your pick: safety or adventure?

The paths of which King David speaks are both adventurous and safe. They are the right paths, David says. But the bigger question -- far more significant than which path you may be on -- involves why you are being led along God's path. It's for his name's sake!

That is the name that was put upon you at your baptism. The Good Shepherd leads you for a good reason: his name's sake.

It's all in the name, and that name is yours!

PD

The 4th Sunday of Easter (05/03/09)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.

--Psalm 23:1-3

A blessed and happy 4th Sunday of Easter to you! The celebration of the resurrection of Christ continues, and this week the focus is on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. No wonder that this day has been called "Good Shepherd Sunday."


King David was a shepherd-boy when he was young. Psalm 23 is attributed to him. Personally, I still love to hear it read in the King James version; modern translations and paraphrases just don't seem to do it justice. Later in the week, I'll have a suggestion on a book for you to read. It's very short and easy to take in. It will tell you what shepherding was -- and is! -- like. Stay tuned!


For today, we learn that we have a shepherd that takes note of our outward circumstances (I shall not wantj) and our inner realities (He restores my soul). And a bonus: there are green pastures and still waters in a burned out and stagnant world!


PD

Saturday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (05/02/09)

Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

--Luke 24:46b-48

Jerusalem is mentioned. That's where it started; that's where it took off from, and it has been rolling on ever since.


We can't lead, for Christ is the leader! We can get out of the way and make our pronouncements about Christianity later. Or we can follow. Actually, it's more like getting caught up in something and you ride along!


If your minister, whoever it may be, has little if anything to say about the death and resurrection of Jesus and/or the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins, don't let him or her get away with it for long. Ministers do tend to have axes to grind. It's best to set the axe down and proclaim what is given to proclaim -- in season and out of season!


Are you caught up in that proclamation?


PD

Friday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (05/01/09)

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

--Psalm 4:5

As you're surely aware, the world will always try to take bits and pieces of you. When life is shattered into little chunks, a certain feeling of nihilism (nothingness) creeps in. There is much talk of "wholeness" and "wellness". We're agreed that they are good things, but we're not completely convinced about what they are, or how they manifest themselves in our lives.

The psalmist is interested in something else: sacrifice. Let them be right sacrifices if you offer any at all. What has to be killed in your life? Stated differently, what will you set aside? What's keeping you from a greater faith in God and, therefore, a greater love for your neighbor? Who is it that needs "your" time?

Ask the Lord while you ponder these questions. And put your trust -- all of it, and not just bits and pieces -- in God alone.

PD