Thursday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (04/30/09)

They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

--Luke 24:42-43

We have this seafood restaurant in town that offers catfish, tilapia, mahi-mahi, etc., and, well, you get the idea! Dishes are served up with cajun flair, but it's the sauces that keep you coming back.

We are not told if the broiled fish Jesus ate was garnished or covered with savory seasonings. The point is that He, Jesus, risen from the dead, ate it. They saw Him do it.

While there are cherished spiritual aspects to the Christian faith, it's refreshing now and again to remember its raw physicality! This was no phantom or figment of the imagination. This was -- and is! -- a real human being that rose from the dead! Among other things, this means that God loves you from the uppermost hair on your head to the very tips of your toes! God loves the whole of you!

PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (04/29/09)

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

--1 John 3:4-5

Lawlessness? Who wouldn't want a little of that? Think of it: no rights, wrongs, rules, regulations, or restrictions. Lawlessness would be perfect freedom, no?


Not according to God. The language is clear: sin is lawlessness. Before God, sin makes us, literally, outlaws. There's a price on our heads. But we don't like to look at it that way. We make rationalizations about sin -- such as "Well, we're all human; we can't expect be perfect or "Mr. or Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes" 100% of the time!"


The holiness of God bulldozes away such thinking. As hard as we try, we cannot "sugar-coat" sin.


Jesus Christ Himself did not skirt the issue, take the avoidance route, or make it something it wasn't. St. John declares that He was revealed to take sin away. This is the blessed irony: Christ Jesus had no sin, yet He came to take ours away. When we get the hang of this, it's just one joyful surprise after another!


PD

Monday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (04/28/09)

You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

--Acts 3:12b

The poor man had a physical affliction from birth. Folks would bring him to the gate of the temple, on a daily basis, so he could ask for money. Peter and John didn't have any ready cash, but they gave him what they could: they healed him.

Astonishment captures all. People start staring at Peter and John. How could these men have such power and piety?

Power and piety are still attractive. We admire folks who lead exemplary lives; we look up to leaders who exercise their power in gentle, beneficial ways.

But Peter and John weren't on the scene so that their power and piety -- as if they had any! -- could gain a following. The miracle happened not in the name of their power and piety. It came in the name of Jesus.

And there's more to it than a miracle. The healing happened to provide opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed. That's what's going on in the church and world: the gospel!

Because of it, we can change our minds about God and learn to celebrate His forgiveness. You live your days in the name, the great and saving name, of Jesus!

PD

EXTRA: St. Andrew Sunday Evening Worship (SEW) Sermon (04/26/09)

Text: Luke 24:36b-48
Theme: “Two Items for Open Minds to Consider”
3rd Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2009
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

It’s Easter III and the last Sunday in April. In beautiful, downtown Denton, Texas, it’s the Arts and Jazz Festival weekend.

Jazz, it has been said, is music that comes from the soul and from the heart. Contrast that with, say, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” by J.S. Bach. Bach is almost mathematical in his precision. It’s music that comes from the mind – although Bach might take issue with that.

But let us not pooh-pooh the mind – whether in terms of music or something else. We all have a thinker – and so do the jazz musicians. The brain, with its synapses firing, sends messages to hands, mouth, and lungs. And the action produces music which, we are told, comes from the heart and soul. But don’t discount the mind.

An open mind, we are given to believe, is better than a closed one. Someone has said that “An open mind is prerequisite to an open heart.” In contrast, another has said that “An open mind is filled with holes.” Which is it? Whatever the case, closed-mindedness strikes us as rigid, doctrinaire, incapable of change, and just plain mean. Closed-minded people already have it all figured out, so no use trying to persuade them. Their aim is to win you over to their point of view. If that doesn’t work, it’s on to the next sucker.

At the first Easter, the followers of Jesus did not have it all figured out in their brains. They were far more involved with their emotions, and clear thinking is hard to do when you’re overwrought with feelings.

Jesus, now risen from the dead, shows up and enters into the mix. He says: “Peace be with you.” The reaction is pure emotion. They are “startled and terrified,” says Luke – adding that “They thought they were seeing a ghost.” Thought! That’s a mental process and not an emotion. Were their minds and emotions playing tricks on them? Could it really be true that He rose from the dead?

Jesus doesn’t appeal to their brains. That would come later. First, he zeroes in on their hearts: “Why are you frightened?” he asks. “Why do doubts arise in your hearts?” he continues. Next comes an appeal to their senses: “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Jesus does a sort of ghost-busting job on the disciples! Then he eats a piece of fish.

And finally, he comes to their minds. Luke says that He “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” In order to understand the Bible, what do you need? An open mind.

There are oodles and scads of closed-minded opinions about the Scriptures these days. Some conclude that the Bible is a famous piece of literature – it ranks right up there with War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Shakespeare, and Gone With the Wind -- and that’s about it. A number of years ago, William J. Bennett, a former Secretary of the Dept. of Education, edited a couple books. One was called The Book of Virtues, and the other was called The Moral Compass. There are those who see the Bible, no more and no less, than a book of virtues. Similarly, they see it as a moral compass. It’s a book of do’s and don’t’s, rights and wrongs, a compilation of morals and ethics. Still others see the Bible as a book of stories whereby God shows His people of all ages how to live. Thus, the Bible is a “how to” book. There are those who view the Scriptures as endlessly mythical and finally boring, so why bother? Others don’t grab hold of the Bible for fear that it might grab hold of them. And some think of the Bible as a set of instructions or directions. Your life is sort of like a new gas grill. In order to put it together and enjoy it, you best follow the manufacturer’s directions.

But what does Jesus say? “We need an open mind to understand the Scriptures,” or words to that effect.

“Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day… .” That’s the first item for open minds to consider: the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord is the beating heart of the Bible.

He goes on: “…And that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” That’s the second item for open minds to consider: repentance – which is to say, a changed mind -- and the exhilaration that comes from sins forgiven!

A fellow named R.W. Knox once said: “Orthodox theology is not easily intelligible, for on the face of it passes man’s understanding. But however difficult it may be to fathom, it can be stated on a half-sheet of note paper.”

Last week I watched the tail end of the movie Bucket List. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star as two men who have only six months to live. They put a list together of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket” – hence, the bucket list. They travel all over the world in Jack Nicholson’s Gulfstream jet.

While they were relaxing one night at thirty three thousand feet, Morgan Freeman was looking the window. He talked about the wonder and beauty of God’s creation. Nicholson was having nothing of it. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He said to Morgan: “I just have a hard time getting the arms of my mind around this whole idea of a higher power.” Morgan replied: “Why don’t you get your mind out of the way?”

It’s not that the mind is bad, it’s just that it needs to be opened. When Jesus opens it, then you understand! And you walk out of here tonight -- to the jazz fest or wherever you’re going – with a changed mind and, best of all, with sins forgiven.

Amen.

Monday in The Week of The 3rd Sunday of Easter (04/27/09)

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

--Psalm 4:8

They always kept my bedroom door ajar when it was time for "night-night." Curtains drawn and door shut completely were unacceptable in the years of my childhood. A little bit of light had to shine through; then, and only then, could I fall asleep peacefully.

Falling asleep peacefully is easier said than done. It's difficulty may occur to such an extent that prescription medication is called for. Or maybe a "Sleep Number Bed" might help. We tend to think that we're entitled to a good night's sleep.

But then comes a night when everything -- and much, much more! -- is on our minds. We toss and turn amid loosely connected shards of thought. We play mental guessing games about the future. Shall we get up and have a glass of milk? Play Solitaire on the computer?

Consider Psalm 4 as a possibility. It's actually an evening song -- as verse eight (above) suggests. You may wish to listen to some instrumental string music as you read and ponder it. Originally, the words were to be sung with stringed instruments. (It's part of the text which comes before the first verse.) Now think of all the reasons why you can lie down and sleep in peace. It may be tough, but stick with it. The very real possibility is that you will discover, as the psalmist did, that it is the Lord who makes us to lie down in safety. Sweet dreams!

PD

The 3rd Sunday of Easter (04/26/09)

There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!" You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.

--Psalm 4:6-7

I know people who always keep an eye on the Dow Jones industrial average. I see one when I look in the mirror every day! As of this writing, that average -- or indicator, if you will -- is trying to rebound from record lows. All across the fruited plain, people are quoting the psalmist without knowing it: "O that we might see some good!" (This has to be somewhat of a disappointment for those who still think that the Bible is irrelevant.) Indeed, "Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!" And, while you are at it, let some of that same light shine on our stock portfolios, IRAs, and 401Ks!

The author speaks of grain and wine in abundance. That's Old Testament shorthand for what we call a thriving economy. Needless to say, there is far more gladness in economic good times. When the economy hits the skids, there are varying levels of panic.

But the psalmist has not given in to counsels of despair. Dark and dreary times -- economic or otherwise -- have not immobilized his heart. Neither has our author tried to gin up some fake happiness to make everyone think he's doing just fine. He didn't join Jerry Lewis in a tearful rendition of "Smile Though Your Heart Is Aching"!

Apparently, none of those efforts were desired or needed, and this for the simple fact that the Lord had put gladness in his heart. Most of the time, we think of gladness as a matter of stimulus and response. Here it is understood as a gift. Aha!

PD

Saturday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/25/09)

Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.

--John 20:29b

The gospel reading for the second week of Easter features a disciple named Thomas. Down through the years, he has been referred to as "doubting Thomas." I think the poor guy has gotten a bad rap! I mean, what's so wrong with insisting on proof? Proof brings certainty along with it, and certainty is in short supply -- in Thomas's day as in our own.

For Thomas, the news that Jesus rose fom the dead required, to borrow a phrase from Hillary Clinton, a "willing suspension of disbelief." That news was too good to be true, so he demanded proof. Only proof would get him past his honest and reasonable doubt.

Doubt is in vogue, and it often brings along with it a sibling called cynicism. When those two (doubt and cynicism) hang around for awhile, the atmosphere turns into one of existential despair.

Thomas had his doubts, but I'm not persuaded that he was a cynic. He was just a straight up, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy. My hunch is that Jesus admired that about Thomas, and I think our Lord was smiling when He looked at Thomas and said: Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen but yet have come to believe!

When Thomas saw the Lord, he exclaimed: My Lord and my God! As I said, he was a straight up, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy!

Friday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/24/09)

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

--Acts 4:32-35

Are the above words a description or a prescription? If prescription, then it looks as though the first Christians were communists and today's Christians are called to be the same. Farewell economic freedom and democracy!


But hang on! Indeed, there is a kind of communism that says: "What's thine is mine." But the kind of communism in our text above (if we can call it communism) is different; in fact, it's the other way around: "What's mine is thine."


We scratch our heads at the generosity of those first followers of Christ. What prompted it? The answer is provided by the italicized reading above: the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ with great power, and, as a result, great grace was upon them all. That grace extended all the way to their material possessions.


As a minister, I can tell you that there are a vast number of "stewardship" programs out there, and most of them, inevitably, address the matter of money. The gospel of Christ, while important, at times can become little more than preliminary information or "window-dressing".


Pardon me, but I'm going to say "poppycock" to that. The gospel is never "preliminary information"; for when the gospel is proclaimed with great power, when it's announced as the good news it really is, people respond to it with the whole of their lives. It's not a law of nature of or economics. It's the working of the Holy Spirit!


PD

Thursday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/23/09)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.

--1 John 1:1

The New Testament letter of John begins with a bold declaration. Pretty clearly, Christianity is not another brand of "spirituality" with Jesus being progenitor and chief guru. The shocking truth of the passage is that Christian faith is real life stuff, physical stuff. It's even a matter of the senses.

John, and the other disciples and witnesses with him, heard the risen Christ, saw and looked at the risen Christ, and touched the risen Christ. That definitely seems to be good enough for them. Is it good enough for us? Are we able to receive, accept, and then rejoice in their declarations? Having not seen Christ, do we still believe in Him? Or do we see faith in more spiritual (and less physical) terms where our thoughts drift and our emotions fly away to a mystical, serene place?

It's easier -- in fact, a piece of cake! -- to see the handiwork of God in a sunset. But what of the hurricanes, the tsunamis, the insurance adjusters and Red Cross personnel who descend on the destruction? We love the sunset because it's, well, beautiful. Surely, God must have had a hand in that, and we comfort ourselves with the thought. But mother nature is a wobbly lord -- a lord we can't quite be sure of. Tornadoes have been known to wipe out entire towns. Where, then, is our ground of confidence? Is it in rising early to see the cloudless sunrise on a Bahamas vacation?

Our ground of confidence is not in beauty itself. Rather, it's in the Lord who gave us the ability to sense such beauty. And the ugly reality of death could not hold that Lord; for He, as St. John declared, is the Word of life! That Word does not produce another version of spirituality. Instead, it creates faith! That's what sees us through!

PD

Wednesday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/22/09)

If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

--1 John 2:1b

Metlife, the insurance company, has an advertising campaign that focuses on the "ifs" of life. It suggests that an insurance product from the aforementioned firm will provide reassurance when you confront the various "ifs" of life.

Reassurance is a hot ticket item these days. Uncertainty is rampant on all kinds of different fronts. People feel as though uncertainty is being forced upon them, and that's not very pleasant. When one excessively ponders the "ifs" of life, a dismal outlook can ensue.

But there's nothing dismal about the "if" of life expressed in our Scripture reading: If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous... . This isn't highly technical theology here. It's simple reassurance. The bonus is that it comes from God. Jesus Christ doesn't come at you with moral two by fours. Quite the contrary! He is your advocate; He's on your side.

At Metlife, you will pay for their products. But on the cross, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate premium for you, in your place!

PD

Tuesday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/21/09)

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

--1 John 1:8-9

Lets do a little math: I am 48 years of age. If I committed only 3 tiny, little, teensie-weensie sins a day, that would be roughly 90 sins per month. 90 sins times 12 months equals 1080 sins per year. 1080 sins per year times 48 years of life equals 51, 840 sins. And dear reader, this is only three little sins a day -- which surely puts me on a higher moral level than Mother Theresa!

And yet the Bible says: Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

The Scripture reading for this day has nothing to do with how many or how few sins we've committed. It has everything to do with what we say about them. If, for instance, we say that we have no sin, the joke's on us; we've lied to ourselves. Psychologists call it "denial." God's truth will not be found relaxing in the living room of our hearts.

However, if we confess our sins, if we acknowledge what we know to be true down to the very marrow of our bones, then God is faithful to forgive and cleanse away the unrighteous dirt.

The only thing to get us in trouble is what we hold outside that forgiveness, what we refuse to confess. It's when we basically say "Jesus, thanks a bunch for cleaning up most of these sins, but there are just a few that I have to take care of myself and I hope you don't mind."

He does mind; for that's not how it works. Forgiveness is not about mathematics; it refuses fractionalization -- as in Jesus takes care of 75% and I have to shoulder the rest. It is, rather, an utter and complete gift. Glad hearts receive it as such.

PD

Monday in The Week of The 2nd Sunday of Easter (04/20/09)

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

--Psalm 133:1

It's free agency that gets us in trouble. Mentally and spiritually, we occasionally wander off on our own and isolate ourselves from one other. We prepare little, delicate resentments toward folks we are angry with. We become experts at rationalization, but we keep it all to ourselves, of course; it wouldn't be "polite" to turn on a caustic torrent of words.

The goodness and pleasantry, of which the psalmist writes, does not occur when we pretend to be unified. Pretending to be unified produces only fake goodness and fake pleasantry. Living together in unity -- the genuine article! -- takes effort, but the results are real goodness and real pleasantry.

Jesus Himself didn't take unity for granted. He prayed for it:

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

--John 17:20-23

No free agency there!

PD

Second Sunday of Easter (04/19/09)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
--John 20:19

My grandson was born last night! He arrived a little bit early, but mother and child are doing fantastic. Gladly, I've sort of taken over the role of family photographer and have managed to capture a few excellent images (if I do say so myself)!


It is difficult not to ponder what kind of world it's going to be for this little one as he grows up. Images of the world as it is, that other photographers have captured, aren't always pretty. Many of them evoke fear. And what of fear? It tends to produce either fighting or fleeing.


The disciples of Jesus were gathered behind a locked door, and the door was locked because they were afraid. Being a follower of the Lord meant that you might be kicked out of temple and out of town. You might be hung up on a cross. So by all means lock the door! Better yet, dead-bolt it.


Getting past the locked door was but a trifle for the risen Christ. And the fear of His followers dissipated with His Word of peace.


One wish I have for my grandson is that he comes to know that peace of the risen Christ and what it all means. The world will try to put him behind all kinds of locked doors, and he -- like every one of us -- will need the risen Christ to break in and speak forth that word of peace.

The peace of Christ be with you, little Noah -- and with us all.


PD

Saturday in The Week of The Resurrection of The Lord (04/18/09)

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
--Mark 16:1

I dreamed a dream in time gone by

When hope was high

And life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they tear your hope apart

And they turn your dream to shame

Have any tigers come into your night to tear your hope apart and your dream to shame?

At last check, the number of hits on YouTube was nearing twenty million for Susan Boyle, the forty seven year old British woman who put countless lumps in throats and tears in eyes worldwide. The italicized words above are a portion of the lyrics she sang on the British version of TV's American Idol. The song was from the musical, Les Miserables, which includes -- and this is classic understatement -- some incredible music.

A pastor and friend that I greatly admire first brought Ms. Boyle's performance to my attention. He was flabbergasted -- and rightly so. "There has to be some illustration here," he ventured. I took that as a gentle and friendly challenge, and this meditation is my faltering attempt to meet it.

That Ms. Boyle wowed an international audience is beyond question. Her vocal talent, heretofore basically unknown, brought people to their feet. All of this in itself is remarkable. Many people have described her voice as angelic, and I share that sentiment.

But I also consider the words she sang, words about tigers in the night that rip your hope apart and turn your best dreams into shame. Could the message of that astounding song, at least in part, capture what those women were feeling as they made their way to the tomb of Jesus on that first Easter Sunday?

The tiger had come in the night. Their Lord was crucified. Their hopes and dreams were pinned on Him, and then He was pinned to a cross. There would be plenty of time -- the rest of their lives -- to ruminate on what might have been. But before that, there was one last labor of love to be rendered. They would go to the place where their hopes and dreams were buried; they bought some spices and went to anoint the body of Jesus.

Upon arrival, they discovered that their hopes and dreams were not buried. In fact, they were not there at all. They were risen! Jesus had risen -- and their hopes and dreams with Him!

If a song of torn hopes and dead dreams can move the world, what does that say about the power of Christ's resurrection?

The hopes and dreams have just begun, and it's okay to stand and clap. That lump in your throat and tear in your eye? The power of love put them there, and the song goes on!

PD

Friday in The Week of The Resurrection of The Lord (04/17/09)

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which you also stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you -- unless you have come to believe in vain.

--1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Modern technology has given us a multitude of ways to remind ourselves of what's coming up. Bells and buzzes and vibrations and ring-a-ding-a-lings are on umpteen software programs and on all the latest, newfangled phones. Schedule your activities on your laptop, synchronize it with your cell phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and off you go. No excuses for missing appointments!

Nevertheless, some folks still use the old reliable printed calendar or scheduling book. If worse comes to worse, you can always tie the proverbial string around your finger. We're getting to the point where we have to remind ourselves to remind ourselves!


The Corinthian Christians got a reminder one day. It wasn't a bell, a buzz, or downloaded ringtone. It came in the form of a letter. The author, St. Paul, simply reminded his readers and listeners of the Gospel, the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which provided forgiveness for all their sins.


Missed appointments -- or failing to heed reminders -- can pose problems. Thankfully, we get to serve a Lord who kept His appointment with a cross. Our lives are held with a love that went through Calvary for us. That's a good reminder for any day!


PD

Thursday in The Week of The Resurrection of The Lord (04/15/09)

We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
--Acts 10:39-41


The disciple Peter talked a big game. He, with unflinching loyalty, would follow Jesus to prison and even to death. He was very sincere.


But sincerity isn't always what it's propped up and promoted to be. For Peter denied the Lord three times. When the pressure was on, fear scuttled his sincerity.


My how times change! Now, in the text above, reckless of his own life (for that didn't need to be protected anymore), he goes on record publicly as a witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He may have denied the Lord, but the Lord didn't deny him.


And neither does He deny you. That is more than sincerity. That is truth!


PD

Wednesday in The Week of The Resurrection of Our Lord (04/14/09)

So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

--Matthew 28:8-10

According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Easter angel "sat" (Mt. 28:2b) on the grave stone! You have to love that! The messenger was just sitting there waiting for the two Marys to show up. Pilate's tomb guards had already been knocked out with fear (Mt. 28:4).


Angels have quite a track record of telling human beings not to be afraid, and that's precisely what the Easter angel said to the ladies. Then the good news of the resurrection was shared, and they, the ladies, were on their way to tell of it.


We are told that they were afraid and joyful at the same time, so they couldn't quite follow the angel's declaration to the letter. But at least, now, there was joy intermingled with the fear.
Joy and fear are duking it out -- like emotional "Rock em', Sock em'" robots! Which emotion will gain the upper hand?


It's all interrupted by Jesus! He greets them; they fall to the ground in the posture of worship. Again, there comes an admonition to not be afraid. But this time it's from the mouth of Jesus. He didn't say to not be joyful; He said to to not be afraid. They can keep the joy!


God grant that we keep ours!


PD

Tuesday in The Week of The Resurrection of The Lord (04/14/09)

This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

--Isaiah 25:9b

It's best to read the entire passage. (See Isaiah 25:6-9). When all is said and done, there's going to be a huge feast. God and His people are going to have a celebration to end them all. Or is it to begin them all? Death, tears, disgrace -- all of that is gone. God will host the family reunion!

When you come to the Lord's Supper, you get a foretaste of it. Every time you gather to eat with family and friends, you have hints of it. We're all on our way to the mountain and to the feast prepared for those who have loved the Lord's appearing. The risen One has cleared the way!

PD

Monday in The Week of The Resurrection of Our Lord (04/13/09)

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

--1 Corinthians 15:3-5

The plain milk chocolate Easter M&Ms were tasty. Of course, I would have preferred the peanut version. To the rescue comes Reese's with their milk chocolate/peanut butter bunny. Earlier in the day, the family gathered around the table for honey-baked ham and all the trimmings.

In our neck of the woods, it rained early in the morning and I wondered if outdoor Easter egg hunt organizers had to go to Plan B. But at the end of the day, by and large, it did seem that Easter managed to hold up under the pressure of every attempt to transform it into another Hallmark holiday.

There was little positive evidence for this from the media. Earlier in Holy Week, just in time for Easter, Newsweek magazine's John Meacham heralded "The End of Christian America". But on Sunday, we did receive word of a successful military operation and noted that the president's daughters now have their new puppy. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods played brilliantly, but it wasn't quite enough to capture another green jacket at the Masters golf tournament.

Now it's Monday, and it brings a peaceful, not-so-easy feeling; it's back to wondering when "the other shoe will fall," as they say. Saint Paul, author of our reading above, was not given to nervous sentiment, feverish speculation, or rampant editorializing on world affairs. Instead, he simply said what he was given to say. The facts of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are of "first importance," he declares. Both of them are "in accordance" with the Scriptures, he proclaims. There they are: the facts on the ground!

Already, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh are tempting us to treat this as yesterday's news. Today, the matter of "first importance" is how we may or may not be feeling.

More sure than our best or worst feelings is the message of the Gospel. At the heart of it is the death and the resurrection of our Lord. We live our Mondays -- all our Mondays and all our days! -- in the confidence that it gives. It is the confidence which my pastor described in his sermon yesterday. Easter is God saying "I'm here, and I love you."

Lord, we believe. Help, Thou, our unbelief. Amen.

PD

The Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Day (04/12/09)

"He has been raised; He is not here."

--Mark 16:6

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

For years, the Christian congregation of my childhood held an Easter sunrise service at Memorial Cemetery in Fremont, Nebraska. Worshippers drove in and parked along the winding lanes. Car seats became pews, and the bell tower became the pulpit. Leaving the cemetery was a considerable image in itself. The departure from that place proclaimed the message of Easter -- that death does not have the last word. Death is left behind. New life -- purchased and won by the crucified and risen Jesus -- is the order of the day.

My mother, my grandparents, and a number of family friends are buried at Memorial Cemetery. I remember riding my bike on the adjacent road as I headed to the golf club as a boy. My loved ones were still alive then. Now, they are gone. My confidence is that they are with the Lord. They are part of the communion of saints for which Christ blazed the trail.

Can I "prove" this to you in an age that all but demands verification? No. Can you look through my eyes and into my heart to see if I really mean it? No. I can only proclaim it, with the "it" being the greatest news the world has ever heard: death was beaten at its own game, and the fruits of that victory are yours!

Sing we to our God above! Alleluia!

Praise eternal as His love! Alleluia!

Praise Him all ye heav'nly host! Alelluia!

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Alleluia!

Amen.

PD

Holy Saturday (04/10/09)

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.

--John 19:39

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were in charge of arrangements. They followed the standard procedure of the day and performed a last labor of love for their friend, Jesus.

Their friend was dead; there was no doubt about that at all. They did not leave the task for others; they did what was right there for them to do.

People dream big dreams and concoct grandiose schemes. This, too, seems to be standard procedure. But, at the end of the day, thank God for those who do the right thing that's right there in front of them to do.

Jesus completed the task He had been given to do -- for Joseph, for Nicodemus, for you and for me.

PD

Good Friday (04/10/09)

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

--Isaiah 53:1

All four Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- set before us the events of the first Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ was executed by way of crucifixion. But it is the prophet Isaiah, in the Old Testament, who gives the occasion a poetic interpretation. Isaiah chapter 53 is nothing if not a running commentary on what the crucifixion of the Lord means for us. You're invited to read it and savor it this day.

Crucifixion was ugly business, a public spectacle, and a shameful way to die. The Romans were grimly efficient at carrying it out. In most cases, the cause of death was asphyxiation. But there was more to this death, the death of Jesus, than simply the cessation of biological function.

The cross of Christ reveals that God takes sin with deathly seriousness. At the cross of Jesus, the forgiveness of that sin was won -- once and for all. Sin is not just the sum total of a few moral smudges on an otherwise clean slate. Sin is what alienates the human race from its Creator. Sin is what forever leaves us to our own devices.

The mission of Jesus Christ was to take care of this problem, and take care of it He did on the cross of Good Friday.

Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great

Here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.

Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load;

'Tis the Word, the Lord's anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation, here the refuge of the lost;

Christ's the Rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast.

Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, sacrifice to cancel guilt!

None shall ever be confounded who on Him their hope have built.

PD

Maundy Thursday (04/09/09)

What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

--Psalm 116:12-13

An old hymn comes to mind today:

The Lord hath helped me hitherto

By His surpassing favor;

His mercies ev-'ry morn were new,

His kindness did not waver.

God hitherto hath been my Guide,

Hath pleasures hitherto supplied,

And hitherto hath helped me.

"Hitherto", a term out of circulation these days, basically means "up to this point" -- as in "Up to this point" the Lord has helped me. That I find myself pondering these things and including them in a devotion is proof sufficient. The surpassing favor of God, up to this very day, has provided mercy, kindness, guidance, and pleasure. This is beyond reasonable doubt.

But what shall be the response for all this bounty of the Lord? The psalmist plans to take up the cup of salvation! Here the Lord's Supper comes to mind. Today, Maundy Thursday, commemorates that astounding occasion when Jesus, on the the night before He died, instituted this Sacrament for the health of the soul. Thus, the response to the help of the Lord is to receive yet more love from Him. What a way to live!

Help me henceforth, O God of grace,

Help me on each occasion,

Help me in each and ev-'ry place,

Help me through Jesus' Passion;

Help me in life and death, O God,

Help me through Jesus' dying blood;

Help me as Thou hast helped me!

Amen

PD

Wednesday in Holy Week (04/08/09)

Now my soul is troubled.

--John 12:27a

No! No! No! We cannot have this. It's not right; it's unacceptable; it's a complete deal breaker; it's insufferable; it's intolerable, and you-fill-in-the-blank with anything else that comes to mind.

A God with a troubled soul just isn't, well, inspiring. A God like that is in a compromised position. How can we expect him, her, or it to help us with our own troubled souls? We need the all-joyful, all-powerful, ready to jump at the snap of our fingers kind of God. We need the God who lifts us out of the storm clouds so we can walk on sunshine.

But a troubled God? Skip it. That's a wobbly God, a God we can't be sure of. And is not certainty where it's at? Is that not what we're after? If God is an emotional wreck, what hope is there for any of us?

Based on the snippet of Scripture above, Jesus Christ -- the Son of the living God -- had a troubled soul as He faced that looming cross. A troubled soul is characteristic of human beings from time to time. Jesus and His troubled soul is a reminder that He's one of us. God is near to us -- as near to us as our own skin.

The problem, though, is that we sometimes want a God who's not so near, who shows up now and then. A God like that is kept at a safe distance and had best not speak out of turn. But God loves us too much and too well for that.

PD

Tuesday in Holy Week (04/07/09)

Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose.

--Psalm 25:12

Fear does all kinds of things to people. It is said that fear is a great motivator. What does fear motivate you to do -- or not to do, as the case may be?

Generally, when faced with fear, we're motivated to battle it or run from it. Stated differently, it's fight or flight.

Pretty clearly, our Lord wants people who fear Him. But here, fear is not the kind of thing that causes heart palpitations and/or varying levels of anxiety. Instead, it's more along the lines of reverence. Reverent people are those who believe that God has the top spot in their lives. And such people are heirs of the wondrous promise issued in today's reading from Psalms: God will teach them the way that they should choose.

Holy Week, at its best, makes students of us. If all we had were elongated video clips of the events of the first Holy Week, we likely would pay little heed. But we have more than a newsreel of Holy Week, we have the "audio", to to speak; we have not only the what, we have the why.

When fear strikes for whatever reason, reframe it into reverence for the Lord. You will learn the way to choose. That's God's promise to you.

PD

Monday in Holy Week (04/06/09)

So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.
--John 12:17

Well, this was turning out to be more of a Passover festival than anyone bargained for. Jerusalem, the holy city, was filled to the rafters with visitors who had come to celebrate the most important date on the Hebrew calendar. Were the authorities concerned about crowd control? It's hard to tell. One might be forgiven for thinking that they may have had some plans in place if things got out of hand.

Of course, they had Jesus pinpointed on their collective radar screens. Over the last couple of years or so, they found it difficult -- if not impossible! -- to manipulate or control Him as they saw fit. For them, Jesus was what we might call a "loose cannon" -- the proverbial "bull in the china shop" of their polished religious sensibilities. And His followers were not keeping silent. Was a riot brewing?

They had a plan. It was presumably to be a covert operation. Jesus would be quietly murdered, and Lazarus (whom Jesus had raised from the dead) would meet the same fate. This was deemed appropriate in order to keep the peace and to save God's honor. After all, we can't have these maverick itinerant preachers running around spouting heresy and sowing seeds of subversion. But now they had a crowd of Jesus-followers on their hands that grew larger by the minute and would not keep silent. This was not going to be a quick, clean hit. Things might get messy.

Pull up a seat for this. Don't "DVR" the Holy Week story so you can watch it at a more "convenient" time. If your twenty first century religious sensibilities are polished enough, you'll likely skip it and look forward to milk chocolate Easter eggs and Sunday brunch at the club. It will surely be peaceful, and it may even honor God.

But think about it: what were those peace-loving, God-honoring folk trying to do at the first Holy Week?

PD

Palm Sunday (04/05/09)

Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!

--Mark 11:9b

Palm Sunday is here and Holy Week is underway! Services are scheduled; messages are being prepared; directors, musicians, and singers are working on the finishing touches.



In Team of Rivals, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin shares the story of Abraham Lincoln's trip to Washington DC for his inauguration as president of the United States. One stop along the railway journey was Baltimore. Before arriving, Lincoln received word of an assassination plot through a detective named Allan Pinkerton. The president-elect was advised to travel through Baltimore ahead of schedule on a night train to confound the conspirators.



Jesus Christ, on the other hand, made no effort to confound His conspirators. His entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem -- right on schedule! -- was marked with palm branches, crowds, and cheers. The word Hosanna comes ringing down the centuries straight into our eardrums. Linguistically, the term pulls double duty. It is a cry for deliverance and an ascription of praise all rolled into one.



As we journey through life, there are conspirators that plot our overthrow. Any efforts of our own to confound the conspiratorial work of the devil, the world, and, yes, our own sinful flesh are of no avail. The situation calls for the One who comes in the name of the Lord! He is not a heaven-sent Allan Pinkerton; He is a heaven-sent Savior. We get to hear the story again this week, and, once more, the word becomes ours: Hosanna!

PD

Saturday in The Week of The 5th Sunday in Lent

I will not forget your Word.

--Psalm 119:16b

There are days when we just plain forget the Word of God. It's not totally erased from our memory, we just don't have conscious recall of it during certain twenty four hour periods.

It was tough, however, to forget the Word of God today. I find myself walking under a tent at a plant sale. Spring is in the air; the temperature is 72 degrees, and the sights, sounds, colors, and smells are delightful to take in. Here, amid the parsley, rosemary, delphiniums, geraniums, and people enjoying one another's company, one recalls the creative Word of the Lord that gave us so much to celebrate and care for.

But meanwhile, far away, fourteen lives are lost in a mass shooting. Thus, the dark, deadly reality of sin is juxtaposed with the wonder of creation, and, at this moment, my mind and soul once again have conflicting signals sounding all around.

But I aspire to more than endless conflicting signals in this life. I ask God that I never forget His Word. That Word has something to say about the tragedies of sin. And it also has something to say about those little flowers that I carried to the customers' cars.

PD

Friday in The Week of The 5th Sunday in Lent (04/03/09)

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.

--John 12:26a

There are days when tagging along with Jesus is like a walk in the park on a pristine day; there's a spring in your step and gratitude in your heart. "God's in His heaven, and all's right with the world" comes to mind.

But then comes news that a friend has a 90% blockage in the heart's artery. An oncologist uses a word like "metastasize". A retirement portfolio is slashed in half during an economic downturn. Fear starts tagging along, and a good walk can be spoiled rather quickly.

Serving Jesus -- in all kinds of different capacities -- is a good thing. It has the benefit, at times, of pulling us out of a preoccupation with self and all of the frettings and fussings that tend to go with it.

The rubber hits the road, however, when it comes to following Jesus. Following is fine when we enjoy a glorious sunset. It's a different thing when we face betrayal, isolation, rejection, and a looming cross. To borrow a phrase: Jesus has "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt."

I'm confident when I say that there is nothing that we will face in life, as we follow Jesus, that He isn't only too aware of. He's been there, and His resurrection is proof that at the end of the following, at the end of the road, there is joy!

PD

(Check out "Amazing Love" on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dooif2-yAoI&feature=related )

Thursday in The Week of The 5th Sunday in Lent (04/02/09)

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

--Hebrews 5:7

Okay, I can accept the prayers and supplications. People fire those off -- or offer them up, to use the language of our text -- all the time. We have written prayers, memorized prayers, formulaic prayers, ritualistic prayers, table prayers, prayers individual and corporate, and prayers at certain times of day. There are prayer groups and prayer "warriors" and prayer teams and prayer chains and prayer beads and prayer cloths

But when "loud cries and tears" are thrown into the mix, that gets a bit too close to our comfort zone. Quick to spot phoniness, we might think it to be choreographed sentimentality. Prayer accompanied by "loud cries and tears" might suggest that the person praying is some sort of crazed fanatic.

Jesus Christ was -- and is! -- as real as it gets. He is not a figment of pious imagination. His intent was not to impress people with His fervency. He is far more than merely a fine example of godliness. He is the Savior of the world who agonized over His mission down the depths of His being.

I find it startling that He prayed as He did because He loved us so.

PD