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.”

No Offense

What if your actions actually offended someone? What if no matter what you did you were ultimately going to offend someone? That is either one group or another was going to be offended by your words or actions.

Tombstone Cross
This tombstone cross testifies to the salvation won by Jesus' death and resurrection.

Matthew 15:10-20

And he called the people to him and said to them,  “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

We live in a world where people work on the one hand never to give offense to anyone, and at the same time seem to look for opportunity to take offense at others. The best known Bible verse today is not John 3:16, but Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” So it goes: we dare not impose our morality, beliefs, values, convictions, or doctrine on others. We must not assert that there is absolute truth that would undercut someone else’s world view. Such is the modern ethos.

While Jesus never called for his disciples to be pointedly offensive, he did tell them that they would be hated on account of him. Their words and actions would be offensive to some. Being offensive, however, was not to be a sort of red badge of courage. It simply is a sad fact: not everyone will receive Jesus. The message cross is an stumbling block and foolishness to many (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Some people seem to take this to absurdity. They walk around almost trying to offend others. They seek to be controversial and offensive. This is not Jesus’ call to his followers. But we who do believe in Jesus must not offend him, or other believers by abandoning the truth. We must not be more concerned about political correctness than seeking faithfully to witness to the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. That is not imposing our beliefs on anyone. It is letting the truth of the Gospel speak for itself–not in order to offend, but to call people to repent and believe the Good News of Jesus.

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