THE KING IS DEAD
Devotional for the Sunday of the Holy Trinity 2018
based upon Isaiah 6: 1-8

For those who are old enough, where were you on November 22, 1963, when you heard that President John F. Kennedy had been shot? Most people can tell you exactly where they were. The news sped around the world: “The President is dead.” It was shocking – unbelievable. John F. Kennedy – young, vibrant, dynamic – cut down by an assassin’s bullet. Our entire nation was plunged into grief. The following Sunday people flocked to church – and in the greatest numbers since the announcement of the end of World War II.

Twenty-seven hundred years ago another sad announcement was heard: “The King is dead.” Uzziah, king of Judah, had died. He had been crowned king at the age of sixteen and had reigned for fifty-two years. Despite his weaknesses, he was the greatest king since David. The prophet Isaiah was heartbroken. Uzziah was not only his king. He was also his friend. In grief and sorrow he wondered what to do. He made his way to the Temple – like the people after the death of President Kennedy – to find comfort and renewed faith. When in your life have you really needed to go to church to worship, to find comfort, and to have your faith strengthened and renewed?

Now no one else is mentioned as being in the Temple that day. But I have a feeling that the Temple area was full that day as thousands of people came in response to the news that the King was dead. After all, Uzziah had been king for fifty-two years. For many people, he had been king their entire lives. Many people knew no other king. And now the king is dead. When sorrow comes, when life crashes in, when our earthly source of security is gone, the best place to be is in the house of the Lord.

Isaiah went to the house of the Lord. And there he learned that even though King Uzziah had died, God had not died. God was still on His throne. Isaiah might have lost his good friend and earthly king. But that day he caught a fresh glimpse of the King of kings. That day he had an encounter with God that totally changed his life. Today you can have an encounter with God that can totally change your life.

In his encounter with God Isaiah saw four things. First, ISAIAH SAW THE LORD. And that is the greatest vision that anyone can have. To see the Lord. Isaiah writes, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty.” Another translation says, “High and lifted up.” Isaiah saw God as the central object of all praise – surrounded by angels. It was the vision Isaiah needed because Uzziah had died.

How often in worship do you have a vision of the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up? And if not very often, why not? Isaiah had a vision of the greatness and glory of God, and it changed his life. The same living Lord wants to change your life. Earthly kings will come and go. But the King of kings is King forever. He is just as powerful as He has ever been, and just as willing to reveal Himself to you. First, Isaiah saw the Lord.

Second, ISAIAH SAW HIMSELF. And he saw himself as he had never seen himself before. As he saw himself, he did not admire his image in the mirror. He did not think, “Wow! I must be the best person here, because God has revealed Himself to me.” Instead he cried out, “Woe is me! I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

And it’s true. The closer you get to God, the more clearly you see your own sin. The more you see the glory of God, the more you realize just how far you fall short of the glory of God. A weak sense of God leads to a weak sense of our own sin. While a renewed sense of God leads to a renewed sense of our own sin. Seeing the Lord high and lifted up, Isaiah saw himself in a whole new light.

Third, ISAIAH SAW GOD’S CLEANSING POWER. A live coal was brought by an angel from the altar of sacrifice and was touched to Isaiah’s lips. The altar was the place where the priests would kill the animals and then cover over the sins of the people with the blood of animals. For as God said, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

The coal had been touched by two things – blood and fire. Blood speaks of the cleansing from sin – as blood can cleanse a wound. And fire speaks of purifying power. Blood removes the sin, while fire brings power for renewed living. The angel took a blood-soaked and fire-purifying coal from the altar of sacrifice and touched it to Isaiah’s lips. Isaiah experienced the sweet, clean feeling of forgiveness, peace, and power. There is nothing like it in the world.

And then fourth, ISAIAH SAW THE WORLD. Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will go? Who will be a messenger of hope to other people who are grieving over the death of the king? Who will bring the blood and the fire to other people who need forgiveness of sins and power for living?” Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah replied, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”

Isaiah did not say, “Here am I, but please send someone else.” Nor did he say, “Before I sign up I need to find out what all is involved, how long it will be for, and what is in it for me.” Rather he signed a blank cheque. He did not try to strike up a bargain with God. He did not attempt to negotiate a compromise. Rather when God called, Isaiah answered. When God commanded, Isaiah obeyed.

And who would respond like that? Only someone who has seen the vision. Only someone who has seen the Lord high and lifted up. And the same thing can happen for you today. King Jesus was dead, but now He is alive. He died for our sins, but He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore. And He calls us to see Him as He truly is – the holy God. He calls us to see ourselves as we truly are – sinful and in desperate need of Him. He calls us to see that He can cleanse us of all sin and give us power for renewed living. And He calls us to see that other people also need to know what He can do for them.

Today have you seen the Lord high and lifted up? Today have you been cleansed by His blood and have you received the fire of His power for living? Today are you hearing and heeding His call to go and tell others?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

THE CHURCH ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
Devotional for Day of Pentecost 2018

There was a news item sometime back about a man from Mankato, Minnesota, who was fined $100 for trying to set fire to an evangelist while he was preaching. My guess is that there are a lot of Christians today who need to be set on fire in a figurative and positive way. The church on the Day of Pentecost was a church that was set on fire. It was ablaze with enthusiasm, excitement, and power. What was there about this particular church that made these people so responsive to this kind of outbreak of Christian fervor?

First, the church on the Day of Pentecost was A CHURCH OF INTENSE FELLOWSHIP. They really loved each other. They had strong bonds of care and concern for each other.

There is a church in Chicago that officially is named St. Stephen’s. But it is also known as “The Church at the End of the Road.” And don’t you think that “at the end of the road” is a fitting location for a church? For there are many people who are at the end of their ropes and at the end of life’s road. Their hope and strength are gone. “At the end of the road” is also where the church needs to be.

The church at its best is a caring church. A church where love is experienced. And that certainly was true of the church on the day of Pentecost. They ate together, sang together, worshipped together, and even had their possessions together. They gained strength from their intense fellowship.

Second, the church on the Day of Pentecost was A CHURCH OF STRONG UNITY. People of different backgrounds, social classes, languages, skin colors, and national origins all heard the same Gospel in their own native tongue. But rather than fragmenting into tiny, self-serving interest groups, the church on the Day of Pentecost was drawn into a cohesive whole.

When Billy Graham held his historic crusade in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960’s, he insisted on an integrated choir. A local newspaper wrote in an editorial that Billy Graham’s coming to Alabama had set the church there back a hundred years. Billy Graham’s answer was classic. “If that is the case,” he said, “then I have failed in my ministry. For I had intended to set the church back two thousand years – back to the Day of Pentecost.”

When the waters of God rise, the dividers disappear. People are not separated by race, color, or language. Rather we are all precious souls for whom Jesus died. Where the Spirit of God is, there is unity.

And then third, the church on the Day of Pentecost was A CHURCH THAT REACHED OUT TO OTHERS. Where the Spirit of God is, people are concerned about sharing the Good News of Jesus with their family, friends, and neighbors. The church on the Day of Pentecost was a rapidly growing church because they were reaching out.

At the end of World War II, Robert Woodruff, president of Coca Cola, declared, “In my generation it is my desire that everyone in the world will have a taste of Coca Cola.” Today Coca Cola is sold throughout the world, because one man by the name of Robert Woodruff motivated his colleagues to reach their generation all around the world for Coca Cola.

Is it our desire in our generation, that everyone around the world would know Jesus Christ?

Richard Lederer, author and speaker, has become nationally known for collecting what he calls examples of “Anguished English.” He gathers such things as unintentionally funny headlines and signs.

People Magazine once did a story on Lederer. Their photographer asked him to think about setting up a humorous, posed picture that would summarize his work and would lead into his article. He did not have to fabricate anything.

On the outskirts of his town stood a telephone pole with a street sign that read, “ELECTRIC AVENUE.” Right below that street sign was a yellow diamond traffic sign that announced, “NO OUTLET.”

And that is the greatest danger for the church. That we will have God’s electricity, but no outlet. That we will experience God’s power, but then refuse to share that power with others. We will not let that power empower us to do something. That we will experience God’s love and unity among ourselves, but then shut others out. That we will experience the joy of the Holy Spirit, but then not want to and not try to share that joy with others.

The answer is really quite simple. The source of power is the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit is, there is intense fellowship and a strong unity. And where the Spirit is, there is a great concern for reaching out to others.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

MARY: A MODEL OF MOTHERHOOD
Devotional for Mothers’ Day 2018 based upon Luke 1: 26-38

If you were looking for the perfect mother to leave your one and only child with, who would she be and what would she be like? Would she be wealthy? Would she live in a nice house? Would she be famous, well educated, experienced, and mature? Well, think about the young woman whom God chose to give birth to and to raise His Son. As we look at Mary, the mother of our Lord, I believe we see a model of motherhood.

Two times in our Bible reading the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is favored by God. Why? What was there about Mary that caught the Creator’s attention? I believe that God chose Mary partly because of what she already had and partly because of who God knew she would become.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the Gospel writer Luke tells us that Mary was much perplexed and greatly troubled. I am sure that she was troubled simply by the fact that an angel was speaking to her. But even more, the message that the angel was bringing to her was a very disturbing message. After all, she was already engaged to Joseph, and engagements in those days were taken very seriously. If an engaged woman were found to be unfaithful, she could be put to death. As her pregnancy began to become known, Mary, a young teenage girl, would be facing many troubling possibilities. Such as rejection by Joseph, a ruined reputation, and the prospect of raising a child alone in a culture that was not supportive of women.

Mary had many things to be troubled about. Not to mention the fact that Mary probably felt very insecure, unworthy, and insufficient for this great task of being the mother of the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Mary could have easily said, “Lord, I am just a young girl. I am not ready to be a mother. I am not worthy. I am neither wealthy, nor well educated, nor well situated. You need to find someone else.” But instead Mary said, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.”

Mary had the right perspective. She knew who God is – the Lord Almighty. And she knew who she was – a servant of the Lord. And in her saying, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord,” she was also accepting what the angel was saying, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” If God said it, Mary knew it would happen. And even if she did not really understand all the how’s, she would go along with the what because she was the servant of the Lord.

And Mary also had the right perspective about her role as a mother. She saw being a mother as an honor and as a blessing from God. Luke 1 also contains Mary’s song in which she tells how her soul magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God her Savior. She sees herself as being blessed by God in what He was going to be doing in her life. Mary saw being a mother as an honor and a gift.

And mothers today need to be like Mary in seeing being a mother as an honor and a gift. Mothers, you too are God’s servants in all things, including in your raising God’s children. And though there will be times when you, like Mary, will feel overwhelmed and totally inadequate for the task, along with Mary remember that “nothing is impossible with God.” And though there will be times when your children will totally frustrate you, they really are a gift from God and it really is an honor that God has entrusted them to you and your care.

And then I believe that God looked upon Mary with favor also because she had a solid foundation. She knew the Scriptures. In her song of praise she recognizes God as the Mighty One who has done great things for her. She knows God as the Holy One whose mercy reaches out, who lifts up the lowly, and who fills the hungry with good things. Mary’s solid foundation is an example for mothers today. For a mother who praises God and who knows His Word is going to make a huge difference in her child’s life.

Mothers, how solid is your foundation? Do you know God? Do you know God’s Word? Do you know it well enough to be able to quote it and pass it on to your children? Do you set a good example for your children as one who loves, worships, and praises God?

And then I believe that God also chose Mary because of what He knew she would become. First, she would be unrelenting in her protection. From the very moment that Jesus was born, His life was in danger. Mary protected Jesus from wicked King Herod and from many other people and things that could have done Him harm.

And mothers today need to be unrelenting in their protection of their children. Which is obvious when they are very young, when there are many potential dangers everywhere. So mothers must protect their children from germs, electric outlets, sharp things, stoves, and stairs.

As your children grow, they still need your protection. Oh, they may be able to climb the stairs and keep their fingers off a hot stove. But there are many new dangers out there as they grow. And these new dangers can be even more deadly. There are new dangers like low self- esteem, substance abuse, peer pressure, sexual immorality, and thoughts of suicide. Children need their mothers to protect them from the world’s value system, which is being marketed all around them and which stands in total opposition to the Christian faith. And they need their mother’s protection from all the subtle things that really do not seem all that bad, but which totally crowd God out of your life.

Mothers, your children may not always want your protection. They may think they do not need it, and they may even resent it. But, mothers, don’t stop protecting them, for the dangers out there are very real.

And then God knew that Mary would be unwavering in her love and devotion. Mary’s love and devotion for Jesus began before He was born and lasted beyond the cross. The final time the Bible mentions Mary is not at the foot of the cross and not at the empty tomb – though she was present at both. In fact, the last time we see Mary is not in any of the Gospels, but instead in the book of Acts. In Acts 1: 14 it says that the disciples “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as His brothers.” Thirty-three years later Mary is still right where she is supposed to be. Jesus is still the center of her attention. He is still the focus of her being.

Mothers, may God look with favor upon you as He looked with favor upon Mary. May you have the proper perspective and see yourself as a servant of God. May you see being a mother as an honor and as a gift. And may you know and experience that nothing is impossible with God. May you build your life upon the solid foundation of God and His Word. And may you be unrelenting in your protection and unwavering in your love and devotion for your children. For if you do, then you and your children will be blessed by God.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS
Devotional for May 6, 2018 based upon John 15: 9-17

On the eve of His crucifixion Jesus gave an astonishing invitation. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I do not call you servants any longer. I have called you friends.” At the cross Jesus laid down His life not primarily for His followers, students, or servants. Rather Jesus laid down His life for His friends.

Now if I were to guess what kind of word Jesus would use to describe me, I would probably come up with words like “follower,” “servant,” “student,” or “disciple.” But “friend”? That is not a word I would have expected. But Jesus’ invitation here is to something far more – something far better – than we ever would have expected. Jesus invites us to be His friends.

What does it look like to be Jesus’ friend? Here are seven characteristics of a true friend. Jesus more than fulfills each of those characteristics in His friendship with us.

First, A FRIEND ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Proverbs 17: 17 says, “A friend loves at all times.”

Second, A FRIEND ALWAYS STICKS BY YOU. Even though the disciples were riddled with shortcomings, Jesus always stood by them. He stood by them, even when they did not stand by Him. He focused on His love for them rather than on their falling short for Him.

Third, FRIENDS SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON. Proverbs 27: 17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another.” Friends bring out the very best in each other. Which, admittedly, is not always easy. Sparks fly when iron sharpens iron. But it is worth the discomfort. A true friend challenges you to move forward – to step out of your comfort zone and pursue God’s greatest purposes for your life.

Fourth, A FRIEND WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH. Proverbs 27: 6 says, “Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Jesus was a consummate truth teller. He never spared any punches when it came to telling it like it is. He was far more concerned about conveying truth than about being considered “nice.” With straightforward honesty, he sought change in those He cared about. In the words of last Sunday’s Gospel, He pruned His branches because of His love.

Fifth, A FRIEND IS INTERESTED IN WHAT INTERESTS YOU. Philippians 2: 4 says, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but instead to the interests of others.” Jesus always engaged people at their point of interest. Looking at Jesus as our friend will affect what we talk about with Him. If we see Him primarily as our teacher, then we will bring to Him our questions. If we see Him primarily as our master, then we will bring to Him our lists of completed assignments. But if we see Him as our friend, we will feel free to talk with Him about anything. Seeing Him as our friend will change the way we pray.

Sixth, A FRIEND OPERATES ACCORDING TO YOUR SCHEDULE OF NEED. Real friends are there for you when you need them, even when it is inconvenient. Jesus was that kind of a friend. Romans 5: 6 and 8 say, “While we were weak, Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Ephesians 2: 5 says it even more strongly. “When we were dead through our trespasses, He made us alive.” When we needed Him the most – even before we knew we needed Him – even before we knew Him – Jesus already was our true and faithful friend.

Seventh, A FRIEND IS A PART OF YOUR LIFE. Jesus said in John 10: 10, “I came that (you) might have life and might have it abundantly.”

But in our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday Jesus gives an even more astonishing characteristic of a true friend. John 15: 13 – “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” It was at the time when He was on His way to the Garden of Agony and the Hill of Crucifixion that He said this. He said it when He was about to lay His life down for His friends.

A Savior is someone you need. A King is someone you obey. Jesus is certainly our Savior and King. But here Jesus is saying that He wants us to be His friends. A friend is someone you know and love.

We all long for a relationship like that. We all long for a relationship with someone who will love us and understand us and challenge us to reach our full potential. We all long for someone who will encourage us in our dreams, confront us in our foolishness, strengthen us in our times of insecurity, and guide us in our moments of boldness.

Jesus wants to be that kind of friend for you. He does not call you merely to be His servant to come before His throne on occasion for a new list of assignments. Rather He calls you to be His friend. The Christian life is not so much about working harder as it is about coming closer to Jesus, the perfect friend.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Do you know Jesus as your friend, who laid down His life for you?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

THE BLESSINGS OF ABIDING
Devotional for April 29, 2018 based upon John 15: 1-8

Our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday is part of Jesus’ final words to His disciples on the night when He was betrayed. After supper they must have passed through a vineyard on their way to the Mount of Olives. Jesus stops. The disciples gather around Him. He reaches for a branch and begins, “I am the vine, and My Father is the vinegrower.” Then He begins to talk about grapes and branches. It certainly was not what His friends had expected to hear, especially after having been told that one of them would betray Him. But at this moment Jesus chooses to reveal to them what their Heavenly Father wants for them and how He has been at work in their lives to bring it about. And I believe that Jesus was also thinking about you and me that night. For God is at work in our lives, too, to bring about what He wants to see come from our lives. So let’s look at what He is saying.

Jesus is the vine, the trunk that grows out of the ground and ends in a large gnarl from which the branches grow in either direction along the trellis. The Father is the vinegrower, the keeper of the vineyard who coaxes from the plants the largest, juiciest, and most grapes possible. We are the branches – the focus of the vinegrower’s efforts – because it is the branches that produce the fruit. Here Jesus is distinguishing between four different kinds of branches – those that produce no fruit, some fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. How much fruit do you see in your life today? Are you satisfied with that level of fruit? How can all of us live a life that is more fruitful for God?

First, NO FRUIT. Some Christians live lives that produce nothing of eternal consequence. Jesus describes these people when He says, “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He removes.” This is a person who is connected to Christ – a branch that is connected to the vine – but is producing no fruit over a period of time. Most Bible translations use words like “he removes” and “he cuts off” to describe what the vinegrower does to that part of the vine. But I have read that the Greek verb can also be translated, “he lifts up.”

The vinegrower leans over to lift up the branch that is trailing down and growing along the ground, because branches do not bear any fruit down there. The leaves on branches that grow along the ground get coated with dirt. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. They become sick and unproductive. But they are too precious just to cut off and throw away. So the vinegrower goes through the vineyard with a bucket of water, looking for branches like that. He lifts them up, washes them off, and then wraps them around the trellis or ties them up. Soon they are thriving once again.

For the Christian, sin is like that dirt covering the leaves so that air and light cannot get in. The vinegrower will use even painful measures if necessary to bring us to repentance, because His purpose is to cleanse us and free us of sin so that we can live lives that are productive for Him. God loves you so much that He will take whatever measures He needs to to correct you. He will even bring or allow pain into your life to get your attention and to bring about the needed change. So if you are down in the dirt, do not stay there a minute longer. Thank God for the way He is intervening in your life. It is His love for you that motivates Him to discipline you. And He will raise the stakes if He has to. One day you will look back on your determination to stay in the dirt and wonder why you resisted your Heavenly Father for so long.

Second, SOME FRUIT. What does the Heavenly Father do when the branch looks pretty good – it is covered with leaves – yet it is not producing much fruit? Jesus said, “Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit.”

If your life is bearing some fruit, God will intervene to prune you. Left to itself, a branch will always prefer producing leaves over grapes. So the vinegrower must cut away any unnecessary shoots, no matter how vigorous, because the vine’s purpose is to produce not leaves but grapes.

For the Christian, a vigorous growth of leaves represents all the preoccupations and priorities in our lives which, while not wrong, are keeping us from being more productive for God. Without pruning, we will live up to only a fraction of our potential.

The expert pruner removes what is dead, dying, and not fruit producing so that the sunlight can get to the branches that are bearing fruit. In the same way our Heavenly Father wants to cut away from our lives those things that drain precious time and energy away from that which is truly important. In pruning, God asks you to let go of those things that keep you from your ultimate good. But pruning is cutting, and cutting always hurts.

If you feel that God is pruning you, ask Him to show you what it is that He wants you to let go of, and then trust Him enough to release it completely to Him. You might be looking down the fence line of your life and seeing all your favorite branches being hacked away. You might be saying, “God, I never asked for the shears.” You might be wondering what He will do next. He loves you so much that He will not stop tending your life. What God asks of you may seem difficult and demanding. But the results, if you say yes, will be more than you could have ever asked for.

Third, MORE FRUIT. In mature pruning – the kind of pruning that produces more fruit – God’s shears cut even closer to the core of who we are. In mature pruning, God is not just taking away. Rather He is faithfully at work in our lives to make room for more strength, productivity, and spiritual power. Where does it hurt in your life today? That could be where God’s shears are at work. Pain always comes when shears are snipping. How is God shaping and directing you so that He can strengthen you for the season of abundance that He has in mind for you?

Fourth, MUCH FRUIT. I see Jesus leaning forward and placing His fingers at the point where the trunk divides into branches. “Abide in Me, as I abide in you,” He says. And then, directing His disciples’ attention to the branch that is swelling with the promise of a great harvest, He adds, “Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing.”

He points to the place where trunk meets branches. That is where the abiding happens. That is the connecting point, through which the life-giving nutrients flow. Many times Jesus uses the word “abide.” You can feel His passion. He is about to leave His friends. And yet He is saying, “We must stay together.”

Abiding is all about the most important relationship in your life. It is not primarily about how well you know the Bible or how many church committees you are on or even how many good things you do. Rather it is about how much you long for and thirst for a relationship with God. Abiding means wanting and having more of God in your life. More of God in your activities, thoughts, and desires. It means enjoying His company.

So what season of life are you in? If you are in the SEASON OF DISCIPLINE, the Vinegrower is kneeling down beside you, reaching down to intervene in your life. He wants to lift you up and bring you back to fruitfulness. He does not see you as a chronic loser, but as a precious branch that is only one choice away from a better life.

If you are in the SEASON OF PRUNING, the Vinegrower is standing beside you, wielding some rather serious-looking shears. His face conveys delight and anticipation as He carefully and purposefully snips away unwanted, unproductive shoots. He is impressed with your energy and promise.

If you are in the SEASON OF ABIDING, the Vinegrower is learning against a nearby trellis, looking at you with great pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. The huge clusters of grapes that are crowding your branch are exactly what He had in mind for you since you first sprouted from the vine.

Know for sure that God will always be at work in your life. He can use you no matter what season you are in. His plans for you are unique and suited specifically for you. It’s never too late to begin bearing fruit. He wants you to participate in the joy of an abundant harvest.

What Jesus said to His friends that night in the vineyard, He is also saying to you “so that (His) joy may be in you, and so that your joy may be complete.”

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – APRIL 2018

REPORT FROM THE PASTORAL SUMMIT – PHASE TWO

My head and heart were full as I returned home from Chicago after the second phase of the pastoral summit on April 11, followed by an all-day, in-person meeting of the board of Lutheran CORE.  At the summit we heard from six outstanding presenters, who are serving God in very different settings, each one of them being very effective in their own setting.  The day certainly showed us that while certain principles remain the same, and the Gospel is good news for all people, the methods used need to be different, and the style, emphases, and giftedness of the leaders need to be different, for the church to be able to reach all sorts of different kinds of people.

The purpose of the summit was to hear from several different people who are doing something unique and effective to raise up leaders, including pastors, for the future.  We began by hearing from Scott Grorud, pastor of an LCMC congregation in southwestern Minnesota.  It was exciting to hear about what he is doing to raise up young people to do ministry and to provide leadership for ministry.  He told of a very thorough program of faith formation, which begins with the very young.  Fourth graders attend a weekly Bible study in addition to Sunday School, which is overseen by adults but is student led.  Incoming eighth graders are invited to a leadership retreat, to prepare them to be role models for incoming seventh graders.  A youth band helps lead worship, so that confirmation students see youth who are just a little bit older than they are in leadership roles.  High school juniors and seniors gather very early in the morning one day a week to read and discuss theology.  An outreach to college students helps them stay in contact with their home congregation and supports them in their faith in an increasingly hostile environment.  Through a summer internship program college students are involved in children’s and youth ministries, read and discuss theology, receive leadership training, and are mentored.  

We then heard by Skype from Jari Rankinen, director of the Theological Institute of Finland.  This organization was started in 1987 by several orthodox mission societies to provide support and Biblical, confessional Lutheran training for orthodox seminarians, to supplement the education they are receiving from the state church seminary, which is a part of the state university system.

Every Monday morning about one hundred fifty students receive an email describing classes in Biblical studies and theology that will be offered during the upcoming week.  Attendance at those classes ranges in number from five to twenty-five, and the classes are held in rooms in the center of Helsinki, so they are near the university and thus easy for the students to get to.  Last year twenty-five different people taught the classes.  Most of them have doctoral degrees in theology, and many of them are professors at the state church seminary.  Students receive their degree from the university rather than the institute.  There are about two thousand people who support the institute with their prayers and financially.  We were very grateful for current day technology as we were able to hear from and engage in conversation with someone in a time zone eight hours ahead of us.    

Both Scott and Jari are very effective in their own particular setting, and yet how different their settings are.  Scott described his church in southwestern Minnesota as being in the heart of deep, dark Lutheranism, so it is only to be expected that certain methods will work there that will not work elsewhere.  Jari lives in a country that is traditionally Lutheran and where a strong majority of the people are members of the Lutheran church, but only about one percent of the population there attend church on any one given Sunday.  A very different approach is needed – one that supports orthodoxy in a setting that is very indifferent if not hostile towards orthodoxy.

Another very different approach in a very different kind of setting was described by our third presenter, Brian Hughes, pastor of an ELCA congregation in Maryland.  Brian describes his county as 90% unchurched, which is very different from deep, dark Lutheranism.  He said, “The church culture has been bled out.” 

Brian began by asking what it must have been like for the early fifth century Christians in Britain when they saw the Roman church leaders sailing down the Thames River, leaving Britain to return to Rome.  What were the Christians in Britain going to do now?  Christian communities were isolated and surrounded by nonbelievers, so they had to form small groups of people who would learn and practice the faith without the “structural church” headquartered in Rome.  He then compared their situation with the position of Christians today.  Christians today are surrounded by nonbelievers, and church structures and methods that have worked in the past do not work any longer – at least not in most settings.  They have sailed down the Thames.  What are we going to do now?  After describing what happened in the development of Celtic Christianity – a lay led, monastic movement that kept the faith alive – Brian then told of how he is working to develop a similar network of equipped and empowered lay ministers.  He quoted from the words of Jesus, who said, “The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14: 12).  Brian told some amazing stories of lay people in his congregation doing amazing ministry, and then asked whether pastors today are willing to let go of ministry roles and to release, equip, and empower lay people to do ministry – even “greater things” kinds of ministry. 

After lunch we heard from three more presenters.  First, we heard from Gary Pecuch, director of youth ministries at an NALC congregation in Ohio.  Gary and his wife are a blessing to the larger church as they lead their faith webinar seminars for the NALC as well as for the Southern Ohio Synod of the ELCA.  One of the things that Gary emphasized most strongly is that faith formation must begin at a very early age.  A congregation needs to “major in little people ministry.”  He told of how a person’s interests and identity are solidified by the age of twelve, so we need to immerse young people in the life of the church well before that age.  He spoke of the concept of “early and often.”  Confirmation ministry needs to be the sharpest, best ministry in the church.  If a church does confirmation well, chances are that young people will stick with the church or return to it later.  Gary mentioned that many churches want to start with ministry to high schoolers, because theirs are the parents who are panicking.  But the strength of a congregation’s high school ministry will never rise higher than the strength of that congregation’s early elementary ministry.  Gary also spoke of the need for the digital church.  He said that churches who do not embrace technology are either dead or dying.  Finally, he talked about the importance of children and youth having quality relationships with every age group within the church.  He identifies the relational voids that young people have in their lives, and then works to connect young people with the people in the congregation who will help fill that relational void. 

Our fifth presenter was Julie Smith, pastor of an LCMC congregation in Minnesota, member of the LCMC board of trustees, and dean of students at St. Paul Seminary.  Julie talked about the original vision that led to the founding of the seminary – that of training preachers of the Gospel, producing pastors who are deeply grounded in Lutheran theology to serve God in the church and in the world.  Their program is one of contextually based education – learning in place.  The concepts students learn they immediately live out in some fashion in their own ministry setting.  She spoke of one criticism of residential education – it removes people from the real church and replaces it with an idealized church that does not exist.  Pastors can end up hating the real church because it is not their ideal.  The faculty and staff are also all embedded in congregations, which keeps their teaching real.  Mentoring is central to this kind of education.  Not only are the students learning and doing simultaneously, they are also constantly being fed by mentoring pastors.  And the mentors themselves are constantly encouraged to learn, refresh, and deepen what they know, which experience reinvigorates their own ministry.  Congregations invest in theological education in more ways than just sending a check.  They see the development of the person right in their midst, from student to pastor.  This approach also creates transparency in what the professors are teaching, because it is so “immediately there” for congregations.  One significant challenge in this approach is the loss of community and collegiality.  Students need to find other ways to connect with one another.  The seminary holds an annual theological conference, which they encourage all students and faculty to attend. 

Our final presenter was Jeff Christopherson, vice president of Send Network, which is a ministry of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Church.  We were grateful that we could have conversation with and learn from not only our fellow Lutherans of different church body affiliations here in the United States, but also from a Lutheran from another part of the world and even from a non-Lutheran.  This conversation also was by Skype.  Again we were very grateful for the wonders of modern day technology.   

Jeff began by sharing how the Southern Baptist Church planted seven hundred new mission starts last year, but then lost at least the same number of churches, so that even while planting that many, they are not able to keep up.  He said that what is needed in our post-Christian world is not addition – not just the planting of new churches – but multiplication – planting new churches that then will go out and plant more new churches.  What is needed is not inadequately fueling all church plants, but instead jet-fueling those who will be the most effective.  His organization has developed a system for assessing the skills and preparedness of potential church planters and reviewing various locations and situations in order to reserve most of the resources for the most unchurched urban areas here in the United States.  They carefully assess whether potential church planters have a vibrant relationship with Jesus, patience, tenacity, perseverance, and ability to endure pain.  They then participate in a three-year program of intense training.  Jeff shared that the goal is that four percent of the churches will be truly “multiplying” churches, and that ten percent will be more classic “reproducing/additive” churches.  Together that percentage of churches can produce a “tipping point,” where there will be sufficient energy and resources to succeed.  He concluded by sharing that a church planter needs to have a clear sense of call to this work, a high value for personal evangelism, and the ability to figure out not only how to win people for Jesus Christ, but then also how to develop these people into disciples who will win others for the Lord. 

Summaries of these presentations can be found as part of the phase two section under the pastoral formation tab on our website, www.lutherancore.org.  Audio recordings of the presentations will soon be available on our website. 

As you can imagine, our minds were swirling by the end of the day.  The next day the Lutheran CORE board met all day to process what we had heard and to begin to think through what happens next.

One thing that came to the top was this.  For a long time we have been hearing about how many of the ministries that used to be “feeder programs” that would encourage young people to go to seminary and consider becoming a pastor no longer exist, or are not encouraging young people to become the kind of orthodox, outreach-oriented pastor that orthodox, outreach-oriented churches are looking for.  We have also been hearing about how the first place where future pastors are formed is within the Christian home and within the local congregation.  And yet what we are also hearing about is pastors who are not encouraging young people to become pastors because they themselves are not happy about being pastors.  They are not encouraging young people to prepare for ministry because they themselves are burned out and/or are cynical about ministry.  And many parents are not encouraging their children to become pastors because of the bad experiences that they themselves have had in church and because they want their children to be more financially successful.

I am reminded of how the apostle Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians by saying, “Grace be with you all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 6: 24).  But then about one generation later the author of the book of Revelation writes to the church in Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance.  You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not.  You are bearing up for the sake of my name.  You have not grown weary.”  But then he says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2: 2-4).  What the church at Ephesus was commended for during one generation had been lost by the next generation.   

Those who are involved with Lutheran CORE, LCMC, the NALC, and all others who have been a part of the renewal movement within the Lutheran Church have worked hard, have patiently endured, have not tolerated false teaching, are bearing up, and have not grown weary.  But is there any way in which we have abandoned our first love?  If we are going to have pastors in the future who fervently believe that the Bible is the Word of God and who are passionately committed to fulfilling the Great Commission, do we who are pastors, or retired pastors, or other workers or leaders in the church, need to rekindle our first love – our love for Christ, our love for the Church as the Body of Christ, and our love for ministry, the work of Christ in the world?

Blessings in Christ as we rekindle our first love,

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

REFLECTIONS ON THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM
Devotional for Good Shepherd Sunday, April 22, 2018

What do you think David had in mind when he wrote the Twenty-Third Psalm, the psalm for Good Shepherd Sunday? Can you even imagine having such a gift with language and such a close relationship with God that you could write something like that? Later in life, when David was reflecting back on what he had written, what kinds of thoughts and feelings do you think might and must have been going through his mind? Maybe something like this –

“The Lord is my shepherd”

In David’s day, as well as at the time of the birth of Jesus, being a shepherd was an occupation that was looked down on. When Samuel, who had come to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be king, asked whether all the sons were present, Jesse replied, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep” (1 Samuel 16: 11). Later, when David went to visit his older brothers who were in the army, his oldest brother Eliab asked him, “Why have you come here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?” (1 Samuel 17: 28)

David took an occupation that was looked down on and gave it dignity and value by using that image to describe his relationship with God. Reminds me of what the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “So whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10: 31).

“He restores my soul”

There were many reasons why David’s soul needed to be restored. After his sin with Bathsheba the prophet Nathan had told him, “The sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Samuel 12: 10), which turned out to be painfully true. Son Amnon raped daughter Tamar, whereupon son Absalom murdered Amnon. After stealing the hearts of the people, Absalom stole the kingdom from his father, publicly humiliated his father, and eventually met his death after his short-lived rebellion.

David experienced unimaginable sorrow, as the prophet Nathan had said he would. But still, God called him a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13: 14). His soul was also restored in the birth by Bathsheba of Solomon, who would build the Temple that David had wanted to build and would be the ancestor of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.

“Your rod and your staff – they comfort me”

David was confronted by a wise woman from Tekoa for refusing to reconcile with his son Absalom. He also was confronted by the prophet Nathan regarding his sin with Bathsheba. “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12: 7) Realizing the greatness of his sin, David experienced the greatness of God’s mercy and wrote a most powerful psalm of repentance. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51: 1).

“You spread a table before me in the presence of my enemies”

David spent many of his younger years fleeing from Saul, who, because he saw him as a threat to the throne, wanted to kill him. Whatever was happening in David’s life when he wrote Psalm 22 also shows how many enemies he had. This is a psalm which Jesus prayed from the cross, beginning with the lament, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (verse 1) Verses such as “All who see me mock me” (verse 7), “They stare and gloat over me” (verse 17), and “They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots” (verse 18) also show the remarkably close parallels between the experiences of David and Jesus.

“My cup overflows”

David had wanted to buy from Araunah the Jebusite a threshing floor where he would erect an altar to the Lord, but Araunah wanted to give it to him at no cost. David replied, “I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24: 24). First Chronicles 29 records the enormity of David’s gift towards the project of building the Temple. How much David must have rejoiced over the resources God had given him so that he would be able to make such a large contribution and in doing so also inspire other leaders of Israel to give significantly. The Bible tells us that the people rejoiced over the generosity of the king.

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”

The prophet Nathan, who later would confront David over his great sin, earlier in David’s life comforted David with the promise that after his death, his son would build the Temple that David had wanted to build, and his house, kingdom, and throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7: 16). It would not all end with David.

“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

For days David had prayed that God would spare the life of the child that was born out of his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, but on the seventh day the child died. At that point David rose from the ground, washed himself, changed his clothes, went into the house of the Lord and worshipped, and then went home and went on with his life. When asked why he had responded in that way David replied, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12: 23). Normally people go through death only in one direction. David was saying, “Someday I too will die and will go to where my son is. But he will never return to where I am.”

The Twenty-Third Psalm has given comfort, strength, encouragement, and hope to millions of people for three thousand years. I believe it also did the same for the one who wrote it – the shepherd who became king. Could he have written a psalm of such depth, insight, and beauty if it did not speak so powerfully to his own life? How does the Twenty-Third Psalm, the Psalm for Good Shepherd, speak to you and your life?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
Devotional for April 15, 2018 based upon Luke 24: 36-48

Are you a worrier? Do you know someone who is a worrier? I know that for me most of the things that I worry about never happen. And the bad things that happen often are things that I had never thought of to worry about. But still, I keep on worrying. Whenever my wife says, “Don’t panic, but. . . .” I always start to panic.

One father told of when his children were small, he put together a swing set for them in the backyard. But then he started to worry about all the ways in which he might not have put it together correctly so that it might come apart and injure his children.

One person once said, “We used to take life with a grain of salt; now we take it with five milligrams of valium.” A lot of people today are worried and afraid. Many people have good reason to be afraid. In our Gospel reading for April 15 Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you frightened? What are you afraid of?” It is a good question for us as well.

First, MANY PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT AND ARE AFRAID OF THE FUTURE.

Some worry about Social Security. Will it be there when I need it? What will I do if it is not there? Others worry, What if Chicken Little is right? What if the environmentalists are right? What if good old Mother Earth really does become an uninhabitable greenhouse?

The disciples also were afraid for the future. After all, they were facing some pretty tough enemies. Both in the Temple as well as in the State. Their leader had been crucified. It would have been very easy for them to have asked, Where was God when we needed Him the most?

For the disciples it looked pretty bleak. It would have been very easy for them to wonder, What will the future hold? Will we even have a future? They needed to remember what we also need to remember. That there are 365 Fear Not’s in the Bible. One Fear Not for every day of the year. And I am sure that in Leap Year, one of those Fear Not’s will work for two days.

“Why are you frightened?” Jesus asked His disciples. “Why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Then He showed them His hands and His feet. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that He was alive. It was all real. Death had been conquered. The Gospel is true.

But then notice what happened next. Luke tells us that in their sheer joy they still did not believe. It was just too good to be true. They wanted to believe, but they were having such a hard time. They were afraid for the future. Are you afraid for your future? Believe that the same Jesus who has conquered death can also defeat anything that might try to defeat you.

Second, MANY PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT AND ARE AFRAID BECAUSE OF THE PAST.

Have you ever gotten about halfway through a project and then wished that you could start over? A lot of people feel that way about life. They get about halfway through life and then wish they could start over. We all have regrets – over things that we have done and over things that we have not done. We all have plenty of things to feel bad about. We all carry a load of guilt.

Once again, our Gospel reading for April 15 speaks to our needs. Jesus said to His disciples, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins (must) be proclaimed in (my) name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Repentance and forgiveness of sins. There is a way to deal with guilt. And it is a way that will work as no other way will work. It is God’s way. Repentance and forgiveness of sins – made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross. His blood that was shed on the cross for you can completely cover over your past.

And then, third, MANY PEOPLE ARE WORRIED AND AFRAID BECAUSE THEY FEEL POWERLESS TO DEAL WITH THE PRESENT. They feel overwhelmed with the here and now.

Someone was asking General Norman Schwarzkopf of Desert Storm how he was adjusting to life in retirement. He answered, “Only a year ago I could issue an order and 541, 000 people would obey it. Now I cannot even get a plumber to come to my house.” General Schwarzkopf was finding out what it is like to feel powerless.

Many people today feel powerless. Not only in getting a plumber, but in dealing with life. They feel overwhelmed. Defeated. Unable to get on top of and gain control over their lives.

Once again Jesus gives us Good News. In the verse immediately following our Gospel reading for April 15 Jesus said, “I will send upon you what My Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Power from on high. That is exactly what we need. Power from on high. And the Good News of Pentecost, which is only five weeks away, is that we all can receive power from on high. Human power is so limited when we compare it with some of the circumstances in which we can find ourselves. But even the worst of circumstances has no real power when compared with God’s power. And because of the cross and the empty tomb God’s power is available to you.

So what are you afraid of? Why are you frightened? Is it because of the future? God has your future under His control. Is it because of your past? Your sins can be thrown into the deepest sea, and because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead for you, they need never be retrieved again. Is it because of the present? There is power available to all who call upon His name. So call upon His name.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR DOUBTS
Devotional for April 8, 2018 based upon John 20: 19-31

Recently I came across a list of ten top reasons that people give for going to church. Number one on the list was – You just might miss out on something really important if you do not go. Thomas was not there on Easter Sunday evening when the disciples were gathered together, so he missed out on something really important. Jesus showed up. And the news that Jesus was alive and that Jesus had shown up – that news to Thomas was just too good to be true. He could not believe it.

Now I think that Thomas’ not being with the disciples on that first Easter Sunday evening shows the depth of his sorrow and the intensity of his disappointment. But Thomas was making a serious mistake in withdrawing from Christian fellowship. For there is strength in numbers. There is power in staying together. But Thomas was staying away. And because he stayed away, he missed out on the appearance of Jesus. We also miss out on so much if we stay away – if we separate ourselves from Christian fellowship.

It’s really too bad how some people, when facing grief and sorrow, stay away. They shut themselves off. They become like Thomas. But that is the time when they need God’s people the most. Just like that was the time when Thomas needed the other disciples the most.

You know, if Jesus had died on the cross and then had stayed dead, there would be absolutely no reason for us to gather together and to work together. If Jesus had stayed dead, then it would make more sense for us just to remember him with flowers on the altar once a week and then let it go at that. But since Jesus came out of the tomb, then any trivial issues that could sidetrack us become even more trivial compared with, How can we love Him?, How can we make Him known, and How can we be His people in our world today?

Thomas did get sidetracked for a while. He did leave the other believers just when he needed them the most. And so he found himself alone. Mourning over a dead Jesus, instead of being with the living Lord. And so I am so glad to see how the other disciples became concerned over Thomas’ absence. They sought him out. And when they found him, they told him, “We have seen the Lord.” They pleaded for his return. And we today need to be concerned for those who – for one reason or another – have separated themselves from Christian fellowship – just when they need it the most.

There are two things I really like about Thomas. For one thing, Thomas would not say he believed when he did not believe. I really like the uncompromising honesty of Thomas. Thomas would never just rattle off a creed without first understanding what it meant. Thomas wanted to be sure. I think there is more faith in the person who wants to be sure, than in the person who just glibly and casually repeats things, which he or she has never thought through, and which he or she does not really believe. What the church needs today is more people like Thomas, who honestly admit and work through their doubts.

And then the second thing I like about Thomas is that when he was sure, he went all the way. Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

It is really interesting that of all the disciples, Thomas was the first one to call Jesus “God.” Others had already called Jesus Rabbi, Messiah, and even Son of God. But it was Thomas – so-called Doubting Thomas – who was the first one to call Jesus “God.”

There was nothing half-way about Thomas. One person said, “If we, like Thomas, fight our way through our doubts to the conviction that Jesus is God and Lord, then we will attain to a certainty that those who unthinkingly accept things will never be able to reach.” I would rather have a congregation full of Thomases, who refuse to unthinkingly sing the liturgies and recite the creeds and then live lives according to the world’s standards and priorities. I would rather have people who honestly face their questions and then work through those questions.

For Thomas at first the good news was too good to be true. But the fact that he believed with such difficulty in the end made him believe with such a fierce intensity once he was convinced. And in the end, it was not any argument that solved Thomas’ faith problems, but the presence of the Living Lord.

And so we can learn three things from Thomas –
1. Do not stay away from the company of other believers
2. Honestly admit and work through your doubts
3. Once you have worked through your doubts, give yourself completely to the Lord.

We do not know for sure what happened to Thomas. Early Christian tradition says that after the ascension of Jesus, the disciples divided up and went in different directions to preach the Gospel, so that every area could be covered. Thomas went to India. The Christians today in India and Pakistan trace their faith heritage back to Thomas.

Faith did not come easy for Thomas. He had to be sure. But once he was sure, he went all the way in terms of faith, commitment, and obedience. So did Thomas. And so should we.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

DO YOU BELIEVE IN EASTER?
Devotional for Easter Sunday 2018 based upon John 20-21

Do you believe in Easter? I would like to talk about three people in the Bible who believed in Easter and who found out what believing in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter could do for them.

First, MARY MAGDALENE, who learned that believing in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter BRINGS HOPE TO THOSE LIVING IN DESPAIR.

Jesus had cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. Imagine what life must have been like for her before she met Jesus. It must have been a living hell. But then she met Jesus. Not only were the demons gone, she was cleansed. Her sins were forgiven. With a grateful heart, she became a follower of Jesus. Which brought great hope into her life.

How thrilled and proud she must have felt when she saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem, accompanied by the shouts of pilgrims. But how devastated she must have felt when she heard crowds cry, “Crucify him!” After Jesus was buried, she sat opposite the tomb – numb with grief. The person she loved more than anyone else had died a horrible death before her very eyes. It was the darkest day of her life.

And maybe today you relate to Mary Magdalene. Your hopes and dreams have been shattered, just as her hopes and dreams were shattered. If that is you, then I say to you that the resurrection of Jesus means that there is hope in life and hope beyond this life. If you turn to Jesus, who rose from the dead, He will forgive your sins, just as He did for Mary Magdalene. He will deliver you from whatever it is that is holding you in bondage and despair. Yes, believing in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter brings HOPE TO THOSE LIVING IN DESPAIR.

And then, second, I want to talk about THOMAS, who learned that believing in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter brings FAITH TO THOSE LIVING IN DOUBT.

On that first Easter Sunday evening, ten of the eleven remaining disciples were in hiding. They did not know what to do, and they were afraid that they might be arrested and executed, when suddenly Jesus came and stood among them. One moment they were hovering in fear. The next moment Jesus was there. He calmed them by saying, “Peace be with you.”

But one of them, Thomas, was not with them, so he missed seeing Jesus. Imagine his surprise when he returned to their hiding place only to hear the others say, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas could not believe their story. It was just too good to be true. And so he said, “Unless you can prove it, I cannot believe it.”

A week later they were together again. This time Thomas was with them. Suddenly Jesus appeared and, looking straight at Thomas, said, “Reach out your finger and look at my hands; reach out your hand and put it in my side.” Thomas fell to his knees and exclaimed though his tears, “My Lord and my God!”

And maybe today you relate to Thomas. You would like to believe in Easter, but you are not able to. It is just too good to be true. If that is you, then do not be like another Thomas. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote his own version of the Bible, from which he excluded all miracles. Thomas Jefferson’s version of the Easter story ends with, “And so they buried Jesus, rolled a great stone in front of the tomb, and then they departed.”

Do not let the story of your life end with, “And so they buried you, filled the hole with dirt, and then they departed.” Believe in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter who brings FAITH TO THOSE LIVING IN DOUBT.

And then third, I want to talk about PETER, who learned that believing in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter brings GRACE TO THOSE LIVING WITH DEFEAT.

After seeing Jesus in that room in Jerusalem, the disciples went back up north to Galilee. Peter said, “I am going fishing.” Not knowing what else to do, he went back to doing what he had been doing before he met Jesus. He went back to fishing. He and his companions fished all night but caught nothing. Like the results of so many of our best efforts. We fish all night but catch nothing.

When the sun rose, they could see someone on the shore. They did not realize it was Jesus. He told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did, they caught a whole boat load full of fish. Another disciple, John, looked at Peter and said, “It is the Lord!” Peter could not wait. He plunged into the sea and swam as quickly as he could to the shore. By the time the other disciples had brought in the boat full of fish, Jesus had breakfast prepared for them.

Peter had denied that he knew Jesus three times. So it is not coincidental that Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved Jesus as Lord. Peter found grace, forgiveness, and restoration in Jesus.

And perhaps today you relate to Peter. You have stumbled and fallen. Your sins and failures are overwhelming. Do not ignore them, hide them, excuse them, or try to minimize them. Rather admit them. The resurrection of Jesus means that Jesus is offering you grace, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Bible tells us how we can receive that grace. We must confess and believe. Confess means that we agree with God about our sins. We repent of them and want to turn away from them. We must confess. And then we must also believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. We cannot be right with God without accepting the resurrection by faith. Which means committing ourselves to living the rest of our lives in view of the resurrection.

And so, this coming Sunday, on the day we celebrate Easter, you can believe in Easter and in the Jesus of Easter, who brings HOPE to those living in DESPAIR, FAITH to those living in DOUBT, and GRACE to those living with DEFEAT. Do you believe in Easter? Today could be the first day of your life that you believe in Easter.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE