David Bahn – Reflections

I love Martin Luther’s Sacristy Prayer:

Lord God, you have made me a pastor and teacher in your Church.
You see how unfit I am to administer rightly this great and responsible office;
and had I been without your aid and counsel, I would surely have ruined it all long ago.
Therefore, do I call upon you.
Of your boundless mercy, grant me a faithful heart,
and the right understanding, and skill, to teach.
And may I so exercise this office that I may save my own soul and those who hear me.
Amen.

Luther’s prayer – to which I can say a hearty AMEN!, is sincere and humble. Paul’s claim is the public side of the pastor’s role. We are stewards of the mysteries of God. These mysteries are not ours. We do not own them. We are accountable for our administration of them.

In the New Testament, the “mysteries of God” not unsolvable riddles. They are God’s redemptive work made known for all people through Jesus Christ and received by faith (Rom 16:25–26). Central is the mystery of the Gospel—Christ’s death and resurrection offered to all nations (Eph 6:19). This includes into the mystery of Christ and the Church, where Gentiles become fellow heirs with Jews in one body, with “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:26–27; Eph 3:4–6). Jesus speaks of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven disclosed in parables (Matt 13:11). The incarnation is the “mystery of godliness” (1 Tim 3:16), and the resurrection transformation (1 Cor 15:51) are also identified as mysteries. These mysteries proclaim God’s eternal plan of salvation by grace alone, entrusted to believers as stewards (1 Cor 4:1).

No wonder Luther prayed as he did! These mysteries are profound, and we are entrusted to administer them faithfully. Paul was speaking to the Corinthians to correct their undue attachment of the people there to him, Apollos, Cephas, or any other human teacher. They are clay vessels. The treasure is the gospel and the sacraments by which God pours out his grace and mercy on all who believe.

We who are called to be pastors must be faithful in that calling, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and delivering the fullness of God’s grace and truth to his people. We don’t receive some extra grace that elevates us when we are set aside for this task. We are, however, accountable for faithfully serving Christ and his people.

Lord, grant me your Holy Spirit and hold me to your words of grace and truth so that I may be found faithful; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

I remember the feeling, the event, and where I was sitting when the reality and truth of 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 made its way into my heart. It was in the fall of 2000 at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. Our PLI collegeal group was visiting this mentor church as part of our PLI training experience. They were hosting that same weekend their Courageous Congregations conference, and we were invited to attend.

I had expected 200 or more people to be there. But there were far fewer people present. The staff, presenters, worship leaders never blinked. They didn’t apologize for the smaller-than-expected crowd. They just gave what they had. It was enriching.

I remember more, however, the kairos moment as we sat there soaking it all in. PLI was for many of us an experience of church envy. We visited many large and successful Lutheran churches. They had large staffs, signature ministries, and impressive facilities. We pastors would look at them and think, if only I had a large staff, such a deep talent pool, and the resources they had! It was envy pure and simple. We would even talk about it and repent of it. But it would snake its way into our hearts (at least into my heart).

But sitting at a round table with 6 other pastors and experiencing that moment, I realized: All this is mine. Ours. Christ’s. God’s. I could envy or I could enjoy the blessings of the moment in that place. I even stood up and said something to that effect to the whole group.

Maybe you struggle with envy – that green-eyed monster. Shakespeare speaks of it in these words:

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.

Jesus warns against it:

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts… envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

But Jesus is also the answer to envy. We must realize it’s all his – everything – and that we are all stewards of all we have and everything we experience. Envy is evidence of a heart turned from God. We must simply believe, remember, and trust that God is enough. His love envelopes us. His grace saves us. His mercy attends us. We are his. And that is enough.

I seldom bring the wood chips in from the workshop. That’s preacher talk about bringing all the fruits of our study – especially the nuggets of insights around word studies of the original languages. It can serve to enlighten, but it can also serve to spotlight the preacher more than illuminating the text. But this is different. Here are some wood chips from one of my earliest sermon studies on this text from 2 Corinthians 2.

In my studies I realized that Paul utilized a word that is found only here in the New Testament and never outside the New Testament prior to his writing. It is as if Paul coined a word that began to be used after he used it! He was the first to use the word and others then began to take it up in their writings.

I think he was trying to help the Corinthian Christians to understand that while he could have come to them with persuasive words of wisdom, he chose rather to bring a simple word of grace and truth about Jesus’ suffering and death, and his resurrection from the dead. There is no need for rhetoric in order to serve the cause of Christ.

Some people think they cannot pray because they don’t use eloquent speech. Paul would beg to differ. So would Jesus. Some would say that the highest form of proclamation is in the form or well-honed rhetoric. Paul didn’t choose that tact. Some would say that the messenger has to be well-coiffed if he is to gain an audience.

Paul desired that the power of God would carry the day. So he spoke in plain language about Jesus. This is the power of God: not sophistry. Not clevernous. Not eloquence. These may all be used by those so gifted to bring the message. But we must never mistake the power of human wisdom for the power of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit brings us to Jesus, enlightens us with his gifts, sets us aside for his glory, and uses us to gather others into his kingdom of grace and truth. Never let your perceived inability to speak stand in the way of giving witness to Jesus’ love for you and for your neighbor. People need to hear the gospel in plain and simple words of grace and truth. Let the Holy Spirit do his work of inspiring you to be Jesus’ witness. And the Holy Spirit do the work of persuading, convicting, and converting. He does that through the power of the Gospel not the power and persuasion of man.

Don’t you love it when a turn of phrase captures a truth so perfectly? That’s what I thought of when I read, “Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.” Useless. Unnecessary. Impotent. A waste of time, energy, and effort. But still people yearn for idols. 

Today most people are a bit more sophisticated about their idolatry. Some drive their idols hoping to impress others. Others put makeup or aftershave on their idols. A few paint their faces or bodies(!) with their idol’s team colors and make a show of their devotion. Many sit in front of a large TV to cheer their idols on to victory – or to ogle and salivate over their idol (America’s or Hollywood’s).

I know it’s fun to root your team on to victory. I realize it’s better that I shave, put on deodorant and aftershave most every morning. It can be good entertainment when a favorite movie franchise releases its next film. And we don’t really worship them, do we? Do we???

Worse then scarecrows in cucumber fields are some of the other practices Jeremiah writes of, and that are recorded in 2 Kings 21. Burning their children in the fire! Setting up pagan altars in the Lord’s house! Turning people away from God and ridiculing his faithful people! That’s worse than a scarecrow in any field.

How do we avoid such folly? How do we resist the lure of things that promise things they can never deliver? I know only one way. That is to lean into God’s word, and fellowship with God’s faithful people. There are a million distractions, and multitudes of people who bow down to gold, gin, or guys or gals.

Let’s lean into Jeremiah’s words – the last two verses from above – and give God the glory that only he deserves!

There is none like you, O Lord;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.
⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is none like you.

Amen.

There is so much disunity in the world.

• Political polarization in the United States
• Russia-Ukraine conflict
• Sunni-Shia sectarianism in the Middle East
• European migration debates
• Ideological clashes over social issues
• Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict

Sadly, there is also disunity in the church. I’ve experienced a lack of unity in the church, and it’s not fun. Suspicion. Fear. Distrust. Anger. Accusation. Thankfully it wasn’t all at once nor was it constant. But distrust, division, and discord erupted all too frequently, and it discouraged people and hurt the church.

The division in Corinth was about people. One claimed to follow Paul. Another Apollos. Still another Cephas (Peter). Then some were claiming the moral high ground claiming to follow Christ. While that may have been true, the claim does not carry the humility of Christ or the gentleness of spirit that are the foundations of peace.

Some think unity is all about uniformity. We all say the same things. We all pray the same way. We all follow the same liturgy. We all sing the same hymns. It was even worse in Paul’s day, for beyond the requirement that the people – including the gentile converts – observe the Jewish ceremonial laws, people were attaching personalities to those practices.

But the person to bring unity is Jesus. And he challenged pride and competition on the part of his disciples at every turn. He taught them that if they wanted to be great, they should be the servant of all, and put themselves last. “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last,” he told them (Matthew 20:16). Focusing on Jesus will do two things – if we let him speak to our hearts, and listen to his words. We will seek to love one another – just as he commanded. We will seek unity with him, the Father, and one another – just as he prayed for. We will reflect his humble spirit – just as he lived.

We’ll never do this perfectly. Nor have any of Jesus’ followers. That’s why many of the letters in the New Testament had to be written. That’s why Jesus had to correct his disciples regularly. But Jesus is ever forgiving, ever calling us back, ever inspiring his people to embody and rejoice in this precious gift.

We embody unity when love one another, and rely on the power of Jesus’ cross.

I’ve learned that Martin Luther didn’t actually say, “When you come to a difficult passage in the Bible, praise God and continue reading.” But I’ve said it many times (wrongly attributing it to him!), so unless I hear otherwise I’ll claim this idea. And certainly the first part of Chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians deserves the “praise God and continue reading” advice – in my humble opinion.

The first verses of this chapter speak of the man of lawlessness who is identified as being the antiChrist. It’s understandable on many levels, but the meaning and application is not immediately obvious to me, nor would it be easy to explain, I’m afraid. I don’t want to disregard those verses. They are certainly worthy of a deep dive, but not for this devotional blog post. So dig if you will. But I pray that you will continue here as well.

The remaining verses in this chapter are clear and delightful! We have been chosen to be saved (from the terrible plight described in the previous verses mind you) through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. This Sunday I will preach on John 8:31-36. Jesus says that if we continue in his word we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Jesus says of himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He prays to the Father that we would be sanctified by the truth, and that God’s word is truth.

The truth we believe sets us apart from the world. The world has little to do with Jesus and his ways. From embarrassingly-vulgar so-called “evil beaches” in Egypt, to gaudy Las Vegas shows, to raunchy rave parties, and self-indulgent celebrity galas, the world’s values are anything but those of Christ. We may be tempted by those things – or other things antithetical to God’s ways – but we know they’re wrong, and we resist or repent if we fall prey to their lure.

We’ve been set aside by the grace of God to know and believe the truth. That’s why the closing words of this chapter are so compelling and edifying:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Amen!

Paul begins the body of his second letter to the Thessalonians with words of thankfulness to God. He is thankful for their faith, faithfulness, love, and steadfast endurance even in the face of persecution. He is keenly aware of how noteworthy this is and he is grateful to God for God’s work in them as they lean into his promises.

He also speaks words of encouragement regarding their persecution. In fact he reminds them that God will take vengeance on those who persecute his people. He is not turning a blind eye to their afflictions. He sees it and doesn’t like it. It will be ended and God will repay with affliction those who afflict his people. 

He also speaks of the proper glory that Christ is to receive at the end of all days. They will experience the glory of his might when he comes on that day.  He will be glorified in his saints. And those who believe will marvel at his coming. 

We must remember that we are to live in such a manner that brings glory to Jesus. And while faith gives glory to God because it confesses that He is truthful, we also glorify God when we adorn our faith with good works of kindness and love, and with a faithful confession of the Good News of Jesus. Those good works do not save us but they are evidence of Christ’s work to save us, through his death and resurrection – all to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith from the 1980s TV series The A-Team would famously says, “I love it when a plan comes together.” He was played by actor George Peppard and often delivered the line after his team’s elaborate schemes succeeded against odds.

But I’m not talking about TV programs, or the success of elaborate schemes. I’m talking today about how these words from 1 Thessalonians 5, our recent Live Group meeting, and my current experience at the Harvest Partnership Retreat come together in the words, “respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and…esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

Diane on Sunday evening asked us to mention people in our prayers who had a formative impact in our spiritual growth, thanking God for them. Today we shared experiences from our lives when the blessings of God came to us from others (focusing on one of the Harvest Partnership’s values, No one left alone). I shared the sense of solidarity I’ve experienced in church staff relationships and church members. Others shared how people came along side them and lifted them up in times of discouragement and struggle.

I relayed the flying pointer incident to the others in our group of four who were discussing this. I learned of extraordinary acts of kindness and support, of the need for brothers and sisters in Christ to help us in our walk with Christ, and of aspirations to discern God’s next chapter for ministry through prayer and conversation with other believers. I mentioned my vicarage supervisor, Rev. Dr. Will Sohns, who was a great spiritual mentor and leader. I thank God for them all.

Paul says, however, we are to do more than thank God for these people who lead (and encourage and serve) us. We are to respect them, honor them, and esteem them highly because of their work. They point us toward Christ. They give us hope. They wait with us for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. They need our prayers.

This is a timely reminder for us these days of challenge, opportunity, blessing, and struggle. Thank God for those who help you along. Thank God for those who point you back to the straight and narrow. Pray for them. And may the God of peace sanctify you together with all who wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus.