David Bahn – Reflections

Light from the Word and through the lens

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In 1968 Jerry Snell opened a door in the hallway outside our first hour chemistry class. He invited me into what I discovered was a darkroom. Soon I was on the school newspaper and annual staff as a photographer. Later I learned that Jerry was a Lutheran who was planning to become a pastor. A few years later I was not only a Lutheran, but I was heading off to seminary to become a Lutheran pastor, too. Jerry followed a year later and served as a pastor in Missouri until his untimely heart attack and death. I thank God for Jerry and enjoy photography still today – not to mention rejoicing in having served as a Lutheran pastor in congregations in Utah, Colorado, Arkansas and Texas. I’ve retired now and serve part time as a Congregational Support Specialist for the Texas District of the LCMS. I also provide coaching and leadership training through various PLI cohorts and with individual congregations and organizations. David Bahn is a follower of Jesus Christ, husband to Diane, father and grandfather. He is an avid amateur photographer. His photo website is “Flowers by God Photos by David” He also publishes a devotional blog DavidBahn-Reflections.com. He and Diane live in Cypress Texas and enjoy visiting their grandchildren who live in the United States and Germany. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 1979, and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1991. Diane, his wife, is now retired from PLI (PLIleadership.org). They have offered presentations on Marriage and Ministry Partnership, Leadership, Changing Your Congregation’s Culture, and Missional Living. They look are working with PLI International training pastors and wives of the ELVD Diocese of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania. David’s personal mission statement is “Leading people to realize Jesus’ calling and plans for their lives.”

Back in the Saddle

Whew! It’s been a wild and full couple of weeks. Almost every emotion possible: Sadness because of Diane’s mom’s death. Celebration because of her faith. A campus full of children for VBS (500+) and their guides, teachers, helpers, etc. (120+): Lots of energy and a campus-wide challenge of plumbing and other facility stresses. Today I’ll almost be back in the more normal flow of life: mow the lawn, do some housework, dinner with Diane (she’s scheduled to get home this afternoon).

Vineyard Sunset
The sun sets at the Steinbeck Vineyards in Paso Robles, California. This photo was taken from the top of a hill as we celebrated the goodness of God with friends.

Matthew 13:16-17

…blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Jesus speaks here of the blessing of his disciples because they see and hear the Word of God in the flesh. It wasn’t about seeing a beautiful sunset, a glorious temple, or any thing other than the Kingdom of God and their part in it. Those may be beautiful and should cause us to praise God from the heart. But when Jesus is present there is a greater grounding and better context.

Many people believe they have it all figured out. There are no mysteries they must embrace. There is no need for faith in God, his goodness or his Son. There is no need for the Holy Spirit – they have it all well in hand.The sunset: it’s just a product of atmospheric conditions and the properties of light as the earth spins on its axis. A temple is only a misguided waste of funds or testimony of man’s search for meaning. This is their conclusion.

They miss the deeper beauty of life, however. And more important, they miss their part in the Kingdom of God and the blessing of the King. Jesus’ presence in our lives puts all things in perspective: Sorrow and grief, joy and celebration, hope and discouragement, anticipation and completion. To see ourselves as servants in God’s kingdom allows us to enjoy his creation even as we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the resurrection and the life of the world to come. To see ourselves as servants in God’s kingdom allows us to spend our days doing what is at hand, knowing that we work for the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbor.

I’m glad to be back in the swing of things today. But during these full and eventful weeks, I’ve been no less a part of God’s kingdom; I may have just not had the time to reflect on that as much as I do today. Will you join me today in considering what it means to live under Christ in his kingdom and serve him now and through eternity? That is our calling and God’s gift.

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