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.”

A man, his men, and the servants of the master

There are really only two kinds of people in the Kingdom of God. Jesus shows this in the parable of the weeds in the wheat. Where do you fit?

Steel Workers
These steel workers, along with the supervisor, plumbers, carpenters, concrete workers, and many other workers will be part of the work force building the new worship center at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.

Matthew 13:24-30

24He put another parable before them, saying,  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The parable of the weeds has a man, his men (the servants), an enemy, and the reapers. The man is God. He is the master of the house. He has sown the good seed of the gospel in the world. His servants are those who seek to further the interests of the Kingdom of God. The enemy is the devil. The reapers are the angels who will go forth at the Great Last Day to gather God’s people into his kingdom of light and life.

Another statement of Jesus helps us identify ourselves in light of this parable: “He who is not with me is against me.” (Luke 11:23) That means that we belong somewhere in the parable – as servants or enemies of God. We would rather not have the line drawn so clearly. It would be easier if there was another group. We could breathe easy if Jesus talked about “some of the workers” or “other members of the household.”

But truth is that we are each either pursuing the purposes of the Kingdom of God, or we are undercutting those purposes. Thanks be to God that his grace and forgiveness is deep and wide to embrace us who don’t always work actively for his Kingdom, and even to those who realize that they have sown weeds among the wheat and repent of it. Thanks be to God that he will let the weeds grow for the sake of his own who will be gathered by the reapers into his eternal Kingdom!

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