Script: 

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy and see if she is there. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Pastor! Pastor! I saw a king this morning!

Pastor: Sammy, how do you know he was a king?

Sammy: Well, he was wearing all of the king clothing. I don’t remember the names of all of his accessories.

Pastor: Boys and girls, can you name some things that a king would wear?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Those are all great things that a king might wear. Did you know that Jesus is a king?

Sammy: Pastor, Jesus is the King of Kings. That’s who I saw this morning. I saw Jesus as I was coming into church.

Pastor: Where was he? I didn’t see him.

Sammy: He’s right there, Pastor. He’s on the stained glass and the banner and the bulletin. And he’s in our hearts. He’s everywhere!

Pastor: I guess you’re right, Sammy. I wasn’t looking close enough.

Sammy: Pastor, I know I told you that Jesus is the King of Kings, but what does that mean?

Pastor: That means that he is the king above all kings. And all people bow down to him. That includes kings, presidents, and other world leaders.

Sammy: Wow! Jesus must be a really great king.

Pastor: Yes he is. Boys and girls, can you please fold your hands and bow your heads in prayer with me? Dear Jesus, Thank you for being the King of Kings. Thank you for being kind and generous with your love. We love you. Amen.

“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” (Mark 4:7-8).

This world is filled with hostility.  The thorns of this world will choke us if we let them.  You have within you the ability to grow.  Prepare yourself by reading scripture so that you are willing to receive every lesson the Lord will give.  Learn to rid yourself of the resistance which is based upon your self-will so that the Lord’s will may be done in you in all circumstances.  The Lord will not stop until He makes of you what He will.

Lord, even in this I do not know many of my setbacks because I am unwilling to walk in the way You have set before me.  Guide me, Lord Jesus, so that I do not resist Your leading.  Teach me to resist the devil and welcome You, and not do things the other way round.  Through all things, grow Your word of truth in my heart so that I produce what it is that the Father intends with my life.

Lord Jesus, You came to redeem all who believe.  You are the author of my faith.  Help me to give up my self-will so that the Father’s will is done in me.  Guide me according to Your purpose so that I may see the growth of the seeds You have planted in me.  Through all things, do not allow the worries of this world choke the faith You have given me.  Increase my faith according to Your wisdom and keep me humble.  Amen.

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Sadly. Hey Pastor…

Pastor: Sammy, why do you seem so sad?

Sammy: Well, the other lambs were really mean to me today. They made fun of me because my fleece is too curly.

Pastor: I’m really sorry to hear that Sammy.

Sammy: Yes. It made me feel really bad.

Pastor: Boys and Girls, has anyone ever been mean to you or hurt you?

Wait for Answers

Sammy: I am really sad to hear that everyone. I don’t understand why people or lambs can be so mean.

Pastor: It’s a part of living Sammy. We can never escape the mean actions of others. People are mean to family, friends, and complete strangers all the time. And if we are honest, we are mean to people too.

Sammy: I guess I have been mean before too.

Pastor: Jesus never promises us an easy life. But he does promise to be with us through tough times and trials. He says, “not a hair of your head will perish.”

Sammy: That really gives me hope Pastor. Thank you.

Pastor: Boys and girls. Can you please fold your hands and bow your head? Dear Jesus, that you for keeping us, thank you for forming us. Thank you for staying with us in times of trial. In Jesus name we pray, amen!

Sammy: Bye everyone!

“Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.  And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away” (Mark 4:5-6).

So many have such hard shells around them that it seems almost impossible for the truth to penetrate into their hearts.  You and I also have a hardness which life in this age grows.  The worries of this world build a hardness, and the word of the Lord is easily rejected.  The heat this world puts upon us scorches us such that we are paying attention to the heat and not to that which is being scorched.

Lord, help me to see things as they are.  In good times, let me not miss things because I am having a good time.  In bad times, help me not miss things because I am lamenting and fretting over circumstances.  You are always with me.  You will never leave nor forsake me.  Aid me to see through the fog of this age so that I do not have a part in scorching Your word which You have placed in me.

Lord Jesus, You wandered through the wilderness of this age.  You know the difficulties I encounter.  Help me so that every difficulty becomes an opportunity to grow into Your likeness.  Where there is scorching heat, teach me to rest in You and be revived.  Through all things, may Your word grow in me in spite of and not because of circumstances.  Grow my faith in You through all things.  Amen.

“And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up” (Mark 4:2-4).

Jesus teaches us many things in a story form that transcends time, place, or tribe.  Humanity has common experiences which speak of the reality of this age.  Seeds in the ground to grow things and birds of distraction to misdirect so that growth does not happen.  How many times are good things sown in us and then flitter away by something that quickly comes and distracts us?  Be on the alert, Jesus tells us.

Lord, You alone know how many times You have planted something in me only to have it taken away quickly by something in this world.  The seed of Your word has been sown in me.  Teach me how to receive Your word and nurture it so that it grows according to Your will.  Keep my will under Yoursl so that I may grow in the goodness and mercy of Your grace.  Do not let Your word be void in me.

Lord Jesus, You know how easily I become distracted in this age.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy so that I may see the things that come along flittering and trying to gain my attention.  They distract me from what You would give me.  Help me learn to understand things with clarity and live into the life which You intend for me.  Lead me so that I abide in You always. Amen.

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land” (Mark 4:1).

At a time when there was no amplification, Jesus went out on a boat to talk to the crowds who were seated on a hillside.  A natural amphitheater.  Should it surprise us that God knows these things?  He invented them.  Do see the cleverness of God.  He tells you who He is with every action.  He will use His creation to impart the truth of His presence.  Listen to His purpose and follow Him.

Lord, we think we are clever when we make a discovery about Your creation.  You know these things and You have given us the ability to know them too.  Help me to be thankful for the resourcefulness You grant in wisdom and help me to apply what I learn to live in, and speak the truth, all the days of my life.  Guide me in the wisdom You give, giving thanks for, and rightly using the wisdom for Your kingdom.

Lord Jesus, You are calm and matter-of-fact about things.  You have come into our ordinary lives and offered us the extraordinary gift of salvation.  Lead me in the way You know I need to go.  You have put Yourself in a place in my life where I can clearly hear as You speak.  Help me to hear Your word, be calm, and follow in the way of the promise which You have set before me.  Amen.  

Many thanks to Brian Hughes for his review of “The Jesus Shaped Way” by Bob Rognlien.  Brian is a dual rostered NALC and retired ELCA pastor and vice president of the board of Lutheran CORE.  A link to Brian’s video can be found HERE. 

Brian writes – “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the Way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:5-6

Lutheran Pastor Bob Rognlien has released his latest book on discipleship, “The Jesus Shaped Way, six steps to being and making disciples the way Jesus did,” and is IMHO, a must read for anyone seeking to launch a discipling culture movement in their congregation.  For most of its recent life the church has concentrated on two words from that text: Truth and Life.  What does Scripture teach us that is True and how do we Live in response?  What if HOW Jesus made disciples, The Way, is equally important?   Drawing from decades of leading two-week pilgrimages to the Holy Land and years of building disciples who can make disciples, Pastor Rognlien brings together those experiences in profound ways.  You can purchase the book and the video training course in the Store at www.bobrognlien.com. 

Once the endless meetings, insulting slurs, character attacks, hurt feelings, and procedural difficulties involved in leaving one ecclesial community and entering another are over, the remaining congregation members are often fatigued. Yet they are often galvanized by the process’ inevitable conflicts and are more committed as disciples of Jesus Christ than ever. They hope that the Lord will reward their faithfulness by swelling their ranks, securing their sometimes-tenuous finances, and allow them to return once again to whatever is identified as the golden age of the congregation’s life.

The Lord, in His mercy, rarely does this, at least in any easily recognizable, straightforward way.  The process of reaffiliating for the local congregation is always, to a larger or smaller degree, a traumatic one.  Before a congregation is ready to properly disciple a significant number of people, there is usually work the Lord needs to do within us first.  There is a gap between what we were and what we will need to be for the mission the Lord has planned for us.  I want to encourage anyone facing this to GO intentionally into that GAP:

Go deep with God:  Lutherans confess that the Spirit uses God’s Word and Sacraments to create and sustain saving faith in the hearts of people and thereby constitutes the Church.  As Luther avers, it is only in this way that we are “called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified.”  Don’t do generic Bible studies but do some focused on God’s promises and power related to healing, mission, and yes, even vengeance upon those who persecute His people (having one’s character assassinated by people you love is a real, though mild, form of white martyrdom).  Let the Lord’s Word be a branch thrown into the oft unspoken tension, pain, and ennui of the bitter waters of church hurt and make them sweet.

Open your heart to the new thing the Lord wants to do:  Paul’s ministry changed radically after he was called by Jesus.  Your congregation has been called by Jesus too, and it is not likely that He has called it to do basically what it has done in the past, just with purer doctrine.  This is not because local traditions are bad or change is good, but because if Jesus has called you into a new denominational affiliation, it is for the purpose of mission, and the mission field is always in flux.  Indeed, learning that the mission field lies at our doorstep rather than in other countries is a radical thing for many long-established congregations.  Please note that what I am issuing here is not a call to radical change, but rather to radical openness to God’s leading.

Get to know your mission field: Don’t assume you know your community’s spiritual needs.  Remember, when you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME.  As a Gen X’er I typically assume that Christianity’s chief rival is atheism.  For those under 40, it is paganism.  Does your congregation’s ministry take this into account?  What are the socio-economic pressures with which your visitors are dealing?  What are the most common family dynamics and dysfunctions?  Learn what people will need in your context to become good Christian disciples apart from orthodox doctrinal commitments.

Align yourself with what God is already doing: Ministry changed for me and my congregation when we stopped having a plan to reach people and started recognizing what the Lord was already doing with those He was gathering, then putting our time, talent, and treasures behind that.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborer works in vain.”

Patiently wait for God, then move decisively: Don’t let anxiety about the future push your congregation to waste energy on mission to which the Lord is not calling you.  The Church’s only mission is the Great Commission, but your congregation is not the Church.  Your congregation is a church, and God is not calling you to do everything.  Instead of trying to reach some group or create some ministry that leadership thinks is essential to the congregation’s long term survival, trust the Lord with your future.  It may be that the ministry everyone thinks critical must have the foundation the Lord wishes to provide now.

GO into the GAP without fear, for it is not the valley of the shadow of death, but rather God’s way of teaching you trust on the way to the green fields and still waters for which He has claimed you.

The Eighth Commandment: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

When was the last time you defended your neighbor’s actions in the kindest possible way? It’s not a very common thing we see done today. But was it ever a very common thing to do? In the charged atmosphere we live in today, a time and an age in which things are “hardening and narrowing and coming to a point…getting sharper and harder” (That Hideous Strength, chapter 13, C.S. Lewis), to speak well of others, especially those we vehemently disagree with on theological or philosophical or political grounds, it makes one wonder if it is even at all possible to do so. It makes one wonder if it would even be prudent to do so. After all, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7). But there is God’s Law staring us in the face: “You shall not bear false witness.” As always, the Law gives no wiggle room. The Law, that hammer of God (Jeremiah 23:29), crushes as it is intended to do. Or, as Saint Paul once so shockingly put it, the letter of the Law kills (2 Corinthians 3:6).

We cannot explain away the 8^th Commandment no matter how tempting it might be. Those who are opposed to the truth, those who do not think Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), those who do not take into consideration or blithely ignore that love rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6), cannot be expected to follow this divine command. But we who are of the truth, we who teach and will be judged with “greater strictness” (James 3:1), take the yoke upon us to honor all the commandments including the one here in focus, the 8^th Commandment.

What others cannot and will not do (and can we expect them to?), the Church and her people must absolutely do to the best of their ability. Again Saint Paul (Romans 12:18): “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” So how, dear Christians, might we defend our neighbor’s actions in the kindest possible way that we may so live peaceably? As we obediently follow the Lord’s commandments as seen and given us in the Ten Commandments, think about the following paragraphs.

As we are all aware, on September 10^th this country, and millions throughout the world, saw the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The fallout of his murder has motivated some to come back to Church. God be praised for this! The fallout of his murder has also hardened the consciences of others, convinced that what he said was hateful and that he deserved what happened. What I have noticed, and perhaps you have too, is that those who hated this man – a champion for freedom, encourager of young men, encourager of discussion and debate on any topic, and defender of Christian values and principles – have not watched very much of what he said in his various dialogues and debates with people. Often all that has been seen by those who despised Charlie Kirk is a snippet, a viral quote, something taken out of context in a longer answer to a question. And for others, they don’t even want to listen to the man himself but are simply taking it as gospel from someone else that he was a mean, bigoted man.

To honor and follow the 8^th Commandment, perhaps we can think about some questions: What motivates someone to paint someone else (like a Charlie Kirk) as hateful, as deplorable?  Why would they not want to interact with the one they deem as a bigoted teacher so as to disprove them? Whom have they been listening to and what books have they been reading? Why does this person you know or work with or are related to feel so strongly against a Charlie Kirk? Against the moral precepts of the Church? What has been their experience of the Church? Of the Bible? Have we read dissenting opinions with which we vehemently disagree and learned from them? Am I just as much in an echo chamber as those with whom I disagree? Is there anything redeemable, anything that can be spoken well of, in viewpoints or opinions that conflict with “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude v. 3)?

In asking ourselves such questions I don’t presume the Church, “the pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), will give an inch to erroneous teaching, to faulty, misguided, or just lazy opinions from those with whom we disagree. But by asking such questions we continue the hard work of honoring the 8^th Commandment explaining “everything in the kindest way.” Like the people of Nineveh, there are many “who do not know their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11). Yet in the midst of all the moral, philosophical, ideological, and theological confusion there remains our Lord Jesus “the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain” (“Old Rugged Cross”). We do what we can until the Lord’s glorious return. We do what we can having “mercy on those who doubt,” hoping to “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude vv. 23-24). We do what we can remembering that “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). And we do what we can so that all thoughts may one day be “captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Honoring the 8^th Commandment can help us in that task, as well as crucify any animosity we might also be harboring or hiding.