David Bahn – Reflections

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you. Leviticus 19:34

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God. 3 John 5-6

Jorge works for a friend. He is paid in cash. He is an undocumented alien. He is also a good and faithful worker who has been in the United States for many years. Maria and her daughter live at Abba’s House, a ministry that specializes in helping families make the transition through the refugee and immigration process to full citizenship.

The texts above are the kind that are often used to validate a very liberal and open borders concept of justice in the face of the immigration questions facing our nation. Recent developments have pitted Congress against the President regarding building a wall along the southern border of the United States.

You may be relieved or disappointed to learn that I have no wisdom in regard to how to navigate the political complexities that go along with these issues. But you and I both have the wisdom of God’s word in regard to how we are to treat the people we come across – whether friend or stranger.

The New Testament was written in a time when hospitality was essential to the spread of the Gospel. Had people not received those scattered because of the persecution of the earliest followers of Jesus, we would not have the same growth of the Early Church. Had Paul not been received by Lydia (Acts 16:11-15), the manner in which his support would come while he was in prison would have unfolded quite differently. God would have seen to it in other ways, but he did see to it through the hospitality and generosity of people along the mission trail.

A recent Lutheran Hour Ministry/Barna study about family spiritual vitality showed something quite enlightening. The study was of 2500 self-identified Jesus followers and the households in which they lived. They identified four kinds of spiritual vitality or lack thereof:

1. Vibrant
2. Devotional
3. Hospitable
4. Dormant

Families that opened their homes to others on a regular basis were found to be much more spiritually vibrant than those who did not. Spiritually-vital families also tended to have fun together.

On the one hand we are commanded to offer hospitality in the name of Jesus. Some, the Bible says, have even entertained angels without knowing it as they have offered hospitality. It ought not be a surprise to us that families that align themselves with God’s values toward offering hospitality toward all people are most often also the most spiritually alive. Perhaps this calling is good not only for strangers and friends, but also the ones who welcome them.

“In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive. Jeremiah 50:20 NIV

We even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:11

I walked down to the mailbox in the entry area of our government subsidized apartment in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was the second year of seminary: 1976. We had moved from Springfield, Illinois to Fort Wayne. Diane had just recently gotten a job at Lutheran Hospital. But the funds to continue my seminary education were evaporating before our eyes. I had considered dropping out of school for a year, taking an early vicarage, or finding a full time job and going to school part time. Just in the nick of time, however, help arrived.

The letter in the mail that day was unremarkable. In these pre-junkmail days I didn’t stand by the recycle bin as I went through the mail. I opened every piece of correspondence. When I opened this particular envelope it contained a single half page note with the words:

The Lord cares about everything.

The paper was wrapped around 3 $100 bills! Just in the nick of time we were able to consider continuing not abandoning my seminary education. Perhaps if I had received this sooner I would not have been so keenly aware of God’s timing. I might have taken very much for granted how God supplies our needs and provides for us in real time according to his good will and plan for us.

God’s work is timely. It’s not merely eternally wistful in nature. He doesn’t work only in the abstract, offering comfort, peace of heart and mind, forgiveness and mercy – as vitally important as these may be. He work in our lives at times of his choosing. But in real time. The Lord does care about everything. All the time, and in his time he will provide for all our needs. Now is the time for us to praise his holy name.

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16

Al is a baseball fan. He travels to far-away places to attend spring training games. He follows his home team assiduously: stats, players, pending trades, and the disabled list players. When his team signs a key player, he’s all over it. He can’t stop talking about it! And when the playoffs come watch out. You won’t be able to get a word in edgewise.

Sarah and Brenda are good friends. They are also movie fans. They love Academy Awards night to the extreme. They dress up, get together, and watch the awards program. Watch out the next day. That’s all they’ll talk about.

Perhaps you know a Rodeo, country music, or Texas Barbecue fan. Get around him and he’ll talk your arm off. She’ll go on and on and on. Sometimes these folks are just too much. You tune them out. Their drone becomes white noise. Some, however, are truly engaging. They know their subject and they manage to engage you in talking about it.

Do you know someone, however who is willing to talk about God at the drop of a hat. They will tell you about God’s promises, power, past, and presence in their lives. They will engage you at your point of need and help you to see how you fit into God’s story of love and redemption.

The best of them will also stop you in your tracks with a truth that is so cogent that you simply must pause to consider the truth they speak. True praise speaks truth about God in a manner that causes you to reconsider your plight. True praise centers you in the glory of God, his faithfulness, and glory. True praise calls no attention to the praiser, but to God the One we properly praise.

You might be like Al, Shara, Brenda, or any other number of folks who have their special love. You might know all the statistics, players, stars, and recipes. Perhaps it’s time to learn more about God so you can tell his story, and bring him the glory he deserves and let the grace upon grace you have received overflow into other’s lives – to the praise of his glorious grace.

But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Psalm 19:12

Jesus said, “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37

My heart sank as I read the recent exposé in the Houston Chronicle about sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist church. Lord, have mercy! I can’t imagine the pain, shame, and distress those who have suffered such abuse must live with. To be betrayed by those who have spiritual authority over them – ones to whom they look as examples and spiritual guides – is treachery beyond imagination.

One might jump to conclusions about why this was allowed to happen. The Southern Baptist Convention is an association of more than 46,000 churches in the United States. Each congregation is autonomous, with little if any hierarchical structure. Some say it is because of that lack of control that the reported abuses occurred and were allowed to continue. Pastors and others were passed on from one church to another without warning or any centralized database to check.

Sadly, it seems not to be so easily solved. The Roman Catholic Church is on the other end of the spectrum of congregational control and oversight. The continuing sexual abuse scandal in that church body shows how little control the church actually has over these kinds of behaviors – even those with highly-developed oversight and hierarchical control.

I think of the church I serve and pray that God protects us from such horrific behaviors. When I see these verses I realize what a vitally significant role shame plays in all this. Shame prevents those who are lured into the darkness of sexual abuse from coming into the light. The victims do not wish to be known as having endured such abuse. The predators are afraid to come into the light because their deeds are so evil.

Shame is the caustic emotion that eats away our souls. Shame is all about me, not just about what I’ve done. Shame is embracing the reality of one’s sinfulness without any sense of God’s redemptive love. Jon Bloom writes about shame.

The key to breaking the power of pride-fueled shame is the superior power of humility-fueled faith in the work of Christ and the promises of Christ. Shame pronounces us guilty and deficient. Jesus pronounces us guiltless and promises that his grace will be sufficient for us in all our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). Christ is all (Colossians 3:11). As we trust Jesus as our righteousness (Philippians 3:9) and our provider of everything we need (Philippians 4:19), shame will lose its power over us.

I don’t believe we need to air our dirty laundry, but I do believe we need to be honest about our sins and faults. We must learn to admit – as Martin Luther is reported to have said on his deathbed – that “we are all beggars. This is true.” But we can also say we are loved by God, and received by Jesus. No one – shame-ridden or racked with pain and illness – will be turned away from Jesus. These are Jesus’ own words, and the foundation of humility-fueled faith which we all so desperately need.

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalm 143:6

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

We recently had a little fun getting to know each other through an office scavenger hunt. We each offered clues to other staff members, and invited each other into our offices to see if they could figure out what our special item was. One particularly touching item was a thank you card from my mother to our office manager some years ago. That was Lorene’s special item. She will one day give it to me, she said, this card in my mother’s own handwriting.

The item I chose is pictured above. The plaque was a gift from my wife on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of my ordination – nearly 30 years ago. It is special to me not only because it was a gift from Diane, but also because it is my confirmation verse and the verse used at my ordination by the pastor who confirmed me. It hangs on the wall you face as you walk into my office.

It expresses a powerfully important truth that, as often as I remember it, sustains me in my calling. Some days I do “get weary and sick of tryin’” (Thanks George Gershwin, for putting words to a sometimes deeply felt emotion we all experience from time to time). The challenges of ministry and of leadership sometimes loom large. On some level that’s no different from any other job. If you are dedicated to your vocation, and give yourself to your calling, sometimes the burdens of your calling can weigh heavy.

But no matter one’s calling, and how heavy the burden, Jesus invites us to come to him. He is the source of true rest and stamina. In those difficult times we also learn something we might otherwise never realize. We all thirst for the refreshment that only God can provide. In challenging times as we become aware of our weariness and thirst we can reach out to God.

Jesus refreshes our souls. He renews our spirit. He gives our body strength. Recently I have been yearning for that refreshment. My thoughts have been focused toward a getaway, a vacation. Preferably on some warm tropical island with no internet or phone connections! But these words are for me today. I’m turning to Jesus and seeking the refreshment he offers and taking his yoke. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

My soul languishes for your salvation; I hope in your word. Psalm 119:81

Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples.” John 8:31

When I was six years old each of the children in our Sunday School class were given a Bible. The pastor of First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau signed it, “W.T. Holland.” To receive a Bible at our church was a rite of passage of sorts. The intent was that we would learn to use it, read it, and be grounded in God’s word as young Christians.

There was another reason for giving us the Bibles. It would prove to be not only a ground of our faith, but it would engender in us a love for the Word of God and a respect for the Bible. In both cases the intent and hope was fulfilled. I did and still do read the Bible, look to God’s word to shape my faith, and have a great love for and respect for God’s Word.

There are plenty of people who mock Bible lovers. Some say the Bible is outdated, old fashioned, and worthy of no more than quaint curiosity. Very few of those who make that charge have read it or looked deeply at the message it contains.

Our staff recently considered one of the values we have identified as important to us at St. John: The Grace and Truth of Scripture. We looked as passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 1:14-18; Psalm 119:105; and Hebrews 4:12. Important to this value is the fact that the Bible isn’t merely a collection of religious sayings or spiritual thoughts. It’s not just the ponderings of holy men or godly women.

The Bible, rightly understood, is a book of grace and truth. Grace that is centered in Jesus Christ and truth that is clearly declared in God’s word (cf. John 17:17). Grace makes truth palpable. Truth makes grace precious.

If we are to discern the fullness of God’s love and salvation we will learn, ponder, believe, and trust God’s word. If we are to be true disciples of Jesus we will not abandon that path. Jesus’ disciples will find truth and grace and overflowing refreshment for their souls – all through the precious words of the Bible.

God wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal. Job 5:18

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

I’m not certain she was a glad hander: the girl on the bus when I was in 6th grade who told me I was cute. I suspect she may have been sincere, but she could have been after an invitation to come to have a swim in our new swimming pool at the motel my mom and dad owned, and at which we were living at the time.

I did have one cool shirt at that time. It was the kind that had a little loop of matching material at the top of a pleat in the back. We called it a “fruit loop”. But to this day I don’t really know what that meant. Girls would yank them off boys’ shirts as a sort of trophy. I think I had a fruit loop shirt on that day. She may have wanted to gain the trophy. I suspect she might attribute it to some really cool guy. But I digress.

Glad handers – at least those who are good at it – have a way to sound so sincere and reassuring. I would never doubt a glad hander’s motive. One such a man was a business associate of my dad. He gave me a really cool looking (emphasis on “looking”) watch one day. He said we were really good folks, but he was really saying he was a good man. His actions were not to make me or my dad feel good. They were to make us feel indebted.

What if, however, you have a true friend who will risk hurting your feelings for the benefit of your betterment. This is the one who will never pull a punch. He’ll give it to you straight. He is the friend whose wounds can be trusted (cf. Proverbs 27:6).

Better, even, than a friend who wounds is our God. Sometimes his words and the truth he brings to our minds and hearts are difficult to hear. Sometimes they hurt. Sometimes they expose things we would rather keep hidden. But he exposes only to heal. He brings to light only to disinfect.

Sometimes we bridle under the heavy hand of correction. Some people will learn only the very, very hard way. Some will resist to their own peril. Some kick against the goads (cf. Acts 26:14). They are wise who will humble themselves under God’s mighty but healing hand. For he exalts. He lifts up what cannot be toppled. He strengthens those who align themselves with his will.

I have been tempted on occasion to force God’s hand. I’ve been known to seek to get my will at nearly all costs. In kindness and love God has stood in my path and redirected me to his ways which are far better, and of eternal blessing. Perhaps I should do that more often.

Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. Psalm 66:8-9

We, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:12

I’ve been listening to Andy McCabe speak with Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes, the CBS Sunday night news magazine. McCabe is the former acting director of the FBI, and ultimately was fired from the FBI. There is great political intrigue and many eddies of personal and political nuances and alleged conspiracies from all sides. I have my opinions about all who are involved in this, but that is not the point of this paragraph. I share this to contrast the affairs of men with the ways of God.

Those who hope in men will never be truly secure. The ways and whiles of man are twisted and without solid foundations. Men and women will always seek to undercut one another. There will always be deception, duplicity, deceit and dishonesty.

This is why God’s providential care, gracious love, compassionate protection, and faithful promises are so precious. In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther speaks of God’s Fatherly divine goodness and mercy as the reason for God’s care. Then he says, “for all this it is [our] duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

There will always be those who seek political power; those who take advantage of others; those who abuse the power they have amassed to themselves. Sadly sometimes that happens even within the church. Those who are thusly abused must turn to God, seek justice, and rely on his promises.

This is no glib platitude. Nor should our praise be thoughtless and trite. We who hope in Christ have a secure, good, reliable, and guileless One to whom we may turn in every situation. May we praise him from our hearts and entrust ourselves only to him.

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me. Isaiah 46:9

Let us look to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2

Recently World founder, Joel Belz, offered this observation in a commentary about remembering the works of God.

It’s pretty hard to remember something you didn’t know in the first place. And that fact, sooner or later, could put a lot of people in jeopardy when they come face to face with God.

God tells us repeatedly in the Bible to remember his mighty acts. That involves two crucial steps: You have to know the acts themselves. And you have to recognize them as coming from God.

People’s ignorance today on both fronts is profound. They’re ignorant of the simple facts of what is happening in the world. And they’re ignorant of the reality that what is happening is God’s doing.

It is vitally important that we know what God has done in order that we remember what he has done. That seems obvious. But to remember in the biblical – and especially the Old Testament – sense is more than finding the correct piece of data on the spinning hard drive. It’s more than calling something to mind and having that oh-yeah-I-had-forgotten-that moment.

Good as that may be, there is a deeper sense of meaning around remembering that requires faith. In the Old Testament the act of remembering was not so much a matter of having data in one’s brain as it was about placing yourself back into the event which you remembered. In other words, it was an act of imagining you were actually present at that time and place of God’s acts. To remember the Exodus was a visceral experience of slogging through the receding waters of the Red Sea as they dried up before your feet and walking that path with the whole throng on dry ground (cf. Exodus 14:22).

Such is a faith-requiring and faith-bolstering experience! Put yourself into the story because God desires all of us to receive the gifts of his redemption. Put yourself with the armies of Israel as David slays Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Place yourself at Isaiah’s side as he encounters God (Isaiah 6). Go with the disciples into the upper room at the Last Supper where Jesus commands, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22).

I love to ask people what is their favorite story of Jesus. I have received some interesting answers from time to time (including some references from the Old Testament!). It is good to remember those stories and to place ourselves in them in some manner. Perhaps you will recognize yourself as a judgmental Pharisee when the sinful woman came to anoint Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:36-50). If that’s the case listen ever more clearly to the story Jesus tells of the forgiven debtor, and remember that God welcomes sinners and even eats with them. Enjoy the meal!

You, O Lord, are our father; our Redeemer from of old is your name. Isaiah 63:16

Jesus said, “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Matthew 6:9

We exposed our children to the Star Wars saga very early in their lives. In fact our oldest son was just weeks old when we saw the movie ourselves, and we took him along! They, on the other hand went far beyond us in learning about the intricacies of the plots and memorizing lines from the movies. Some have even read books about the movies.

Of course, high on the list of quotes from Star Wars is the shocking revelation in The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader says to Luke, “…I am your father.” It was so remarkable that people had to check with others before they talked about that lest they would spoil the surprise! If you’ve not seen this movie yet, too late! The secret is out. Sorry.

It ought be no secret, however, that God is our Father. The earliest references to God as Father in the Old Testament is found in Deuteronomy 32:6. “Is this the way you repay the LORD, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” Isaiah (above) speaks of the LORD (YHWH) as their father in the sense of being the One who gave life to Israel and who also redeemed them.

That’s what dads do. They bail out their children. They pay their fines, get them out of hock, rescue them from the bullies, falls, and fails that go along with being a son or daughter, growing and maturing as the years go on. They teach, direct, discipline, provide for, and protect, and correct their children. So do mothers. This is not a father-exclusive job description.

To be fair there are some references to God that reveal a motherly heart toward his people. God speaks through Isaiah, “For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant” – Isaiah 42:14. Isaiah 62:14-15 reads, “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

Jesus’ example leads us to speak to God as “Father.” As such God is all that we could ever wish our earthly fathers to be. Even the most dedicated, faithful, conscientious, loving, and good human father will fail his children at one time or many. We cannot help it. We are of limited power, knowledge, resources, and character. We are fallen creatures.

But fallen fathers and forgotten children may call upon God our Heavenly Father with all confidence, hope, certainty, and boldness. Just as a young child runs to his father when he is hurt with abandonment of fear, God invites us to come to him with every hope exposed, every need acknowledged, every failure confessed, every joy held high. Our Father will not turn us away. He is the good, good Father. The great I AM (YHWH) is our Father. May his name be holy among us all!