FaithIsland

To sentimentalize something is to cling to how we feel about something or someone instead of holding to the truth. The greatest challenge is accepting that WE are the problem. We may try to point to a particular person or group or church or belief system and how they need correcting - but the truth is none of us are perfect and we all need correcting. That is why Jesus left heaven, get born in a stable, dealt with all our garbage, suffered, died and got resurrected. He didn't do it for "them" - He did it us in...

We carry around the darkness and sin and pain of this world like a snail carries his shell. We know it's there - but we don't have to look it. We feel the weight of the shell but can still pretend it isn't there. We occasionally try to slide underneath something and discover we don't fit because our shell is too big - but even then we just look for another way in rather than deal with the reality of our shell.

The Christian faith is based on death and resurrection. We die and we rise again...

It takes faith to trust in this Book and I know that doesn't always come easy. Just a reminder - this book doesn't save you - no book on earth or in the heavens can do that. What saves you is Jesus and only Jesus. This book just opens up your heart and soul to the amazing story of God's love for you. When you get to heaven you won't need a Bible any more - because as St. John said in his Gospel, "in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word...

Can you see what Jesus is sharing with us? If we want to build a perfect kingdom on earth - and put a big gate around it to keep all the bad people out - God will let us. But it may be all we get. Lazarus didn't have to be poor or homeless or dying - he could have been me or you waiting at the bus stop outside the gate on our way to work or driving past the gates taking our kids to school. It isn't Lazarus poorness that gets him into heaven - it's his...

One of my favorite Eugene Peterson quotes is, "when Jesus told parables the people all stood around listening and applauding and when He was done they shouted, 'great sermon - loved it - really spoke to my heart.' The truth was they weren't really listening and had no idea what He was saying - until later that night when they were sitting around relaxing and suddenly - like a time bomb - the truth of the parable plowed through their brain like a runaway freight train. Jesus was talking about them. He snuck a story about them...

That's where I had my aha moment. The reason the value of the sheep is more than $2.15 a pound is because the value is not decided by the sheep or even decided by the market. The value is determined by the shepherd. The shepherd said I will come and find you. You - even though you are a lost sheep - are important enough to me that I will do whatever it takes to bring you back.

The words of Frederick Buechner from his book, A Room Called Remember. "The words 'You shall love the Lord your God" become in the end, less a command than a promise. And the promise is that, yes, on the weary feet of faith and the fragile wings of hope, we will come to love him at last as from the first God has loved us - loved us even in the wilderness, especially in the wilderness, because he has been in the wilderness with us. He has been in the wilderness for us. He has been acquainted with our...

When you get to heaven - and Jesus says there will be an amazing banquet waiting for you - everyone will know everything about you. No secrets. No hidden agendas. And the person sitting next to you might be Jon Bon Jovi - or it might be the homeless man you see on the way home who is picking through the rubbish can looking for something to eat. It might even be that kid with the bloated stomach on the late-night commercial for World Vision. It could be a Raiders fan - or a Yankees fan or even a...

One of the biggest questions we will ever wrestle with is: can we be absolutely, unfailingly certain we are going to heaven when we die. Working through that is one of the fundamental questions in life of a Christian - but even not-believers ask, "what happens when I die?"

When Jesus says, "Do you think I came to bring peace?" Our immediate reaction is, "yes - Jesus - Isaiah said you are the Prince of Peace - so we assumed you came to bring peace!" Jesus continues, "I have brought division." And that stops us cold. When He continues, "families are going to be divided over Me" - and gets very specific - we are lost and confused and hurt all at the same time. Why would Jesus do that?

We need to broaden our understanding by seeing these verses in context. When Jesus says, “ I ca...

This whole Gospel is about Jesus’ giving us a glimpse into the heart of God. And when I say heart - I'm not talking about the blood pumping organ - I'm talking about the very core of God's being. When St. John said, "God is love" - he wasn't trying to create a branding logo for God's Instagram or TikTok - he was stating a facet of who God is at His core.

Far too many people complain they don't know God or don't know enough about Him or are confused by His essence. If God's core is...

The church isn't perfect - but it was given a gift from God to share with the world. I can't eliminate the pain and fears from your life - but I can promise you that you don't have to through them alone. When you confess your sins - when you lay your burdens before the cross - the stories are always difficult - and some people will never understand - but don't worry about them - some will - and that's the point.

Forgiveness is the justice of God. A society that has forgotten how to forgive can never be truly just. Because the best that justice can do is set the stage for forgiveness. Justice can’t make things right. Even forgiveness can’t make things right on its own – but forgiveness begins the process of reconciliation which leads to healing. It is not simple and it isn’t quick - but it all starts with forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t the end - it’s the beginning.

God made a promise to you at your baptism - a covenant so holy He will never break it. He promised to be your God - to love you and forgive you and care for you - to make sure when you finally make it home there is a place with your name on the door and the lights on. Your life will not be perfect - you will experience trauma and heartache, pain and sickness, lostness and fear. Weaving its way in and out of all those will be joy and hope and love and peace. And every...

If we reread the parable again - we realize the lawyer had no problem with Jesus saying, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength" - he passed right over that because he thought he had that one covered. He wanted clarification on the "love your neighbor." What Jesus pointed out was - you love God by loving one another - even those, perhaps especially those, who aren't like you. And if anyone had doubts about whether Jesus really believed what He preached - it wasn't that much later that He allowed Himself to...

Let me give you a verse - if you remember only one thing from today - this is it: Romans 12: 8, “As far as it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Did you hear that: “As far as it is possible” - because sometimes it’s not - “as far as it depends on you” - you are not responsible for the other person - “live at peace with everyone.” And this is because you have better things to do than walk around being angry or hoping birds poop on people’s cars. You do not hav...

St. Peter quoted Proverbs 26:11, but he added, “a pig returns to the mud after a bath.” I am amazed how well Bible writers know me. I finally throw up all the bad stuff I gorged on - and like a dog return to it. God finally gets me cleaned up and I jump back in the mud. Jesus sets me free - and I run back into the cell and lock the door.

The world loves “me-based solutions to all our me-based problems.” How long do you think it will be before we figure out we cannot “hate ourse...

What Jesus offered Legion - what He offers us - is more than healing. He offers forgiveness. C.S. Lewis differentiated between the two in his classic, The Problem of Pain, “We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. I have heard others, and I have heard myself, recounting cruelties...committed in boyhood as if they were no concern of the present. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ: if we have re...

The mystery of Holy Trinity Sunday is this simple: God created you as a unique an unreproducible miracle. Jesus paid for all the junk and mistakes in your life. The Holy Spirit is with you e

You can tell Jesus He is full of demons. You can build all sorts of barriers between you and Him. You can listen to the demon on your shoulder. You can do whatever you want. It doesn't change the truth that God loves you - forgives you - has a place in heaven with your name on it - and is...

Everytime someone tells me only pastors can preach - I point to this verse. It may be my job to deliver a sermon on Sunday - but you, whether you are male or female, young or old - have a calling to preach. You don't have to be long-winded like me - you just have to tell people what God has done and is doing in your life. And you don't need to go into great detail - sometimes it's as simple as, "I was lower than a snake's belly the other day when I heard my favorite Christian...

People who through the gift of faith believe the resurrection happened, live in a world where death and satan and evil no longer have any power over them. It doesn't mean death isn't scary. It doesn't mean they don't work to avoid it. But ultimately when death comes - the believer looks it straight in the eye and says, "do your worst - you can't win" because even if you steal my last breath - one second later I will wake up in heaven and get to live forever where you can't touch me anymore.

The difference between a myth and the truth is not if you believe it or not. It's whether it really is true. You cannot change truth just by believing or not believing.

This is why we live by faith. As much as I would love to live in complete certainty - knowing everything without doubt or fear - it is impossible. My brain will not allow me to completely trust God. It works to sabotage me over and over again as it tries to convince me I know more than God and everyone else. My self-deception is...

As we look around, we see signs of a world so deeply loved by God that even as it spirals into nothingness He refuses to give up. And the only thing God said that was worth saving from this world and this universe was you. There will be a new heaven and new earth - and you will get to see it take place. And because I know God - I know you are going to love it - because what you were really searching for your whole life will be found in what is new which as it...

We cannot avoid pain or suffering or uncomfortable moments or the judgment of the world. When we run away from God - we get further and further away from His voice - the voice that speaks Truth. And I know we are often afraid of the truth - and yet there is a truth we need to hear. I know we don't like being told we're sinners or that we shouldn't have said that or done that - but that is not the only thing God says.

The voice of God also calls out to us to...

Revelation was written for a very specific purpose - and it wasn't to create anxiety, fear or doubt in the minds of God's people. People are always saying they want to study Revelation because it's filled with 7 headed beasts, angels fighting demons, dragons and other science fiction worthy scenes. But all of that is just creamer in the coffee, icing on the cake, the pickle on the Chick-Fil-A sandwich. You can boil the whole book of Revelation down to just two words: God wins. All those demons and beasts and dragons and fire and darkness and death and threats...

The church is not a group of people who all believe the exact same things. That is the goal - but it ain't going to happen until we get to heaven. The church is a group of people caught up in a story that has Jesus at the center. We are drawn into that story and the life of Jesus as the Holy Spirit works in our heart, mind and soul to deepen our relationship with God and one another to the point where we no longer see God and heaven and theology and the church from our perspective...

Easter is the epitome of the Christian identity. We are people who every single day stand completely exposed to death and pain and all the rest of the world's evil deeds. Faith allows us to declare they cannot hurt us.

When someone asks how we could say that - it would never be enough for us to give the reason for our faith as - an empty tomb. They would just stare at us and think we were crazy.

But a living Jesus - one who is alive and breathing and...

Jesus’ resurrection makes redemption possible. The Holy Spirit is breathed on us by the risen Christ in ways we cannot describe - but we can experience. What Easter says in the boldest possible statement - God’s pursuit of you is relentless. His scars tell His story of a cross, a grave, an empty tomb and offer endless possibilities.

The last words - and a walk through the darkness to the Light

Sampling the Seder - a walk through the Passover Meal

If you knew Someone would save you when you died - would you be afraid of dying? In a preview of that grace-filled and merciful unbinding that will take place on Easter Sunday - Jesus throws a parade today. It's a simple thing to show people what the world sees as an end is really just the beginning. If, by God's gift of faith, you believe the cross is more than a fairytale - there is a happily ever after waiting for you.

When People Knock our Rocks Down. My life, like yours, is what it is today because of what we believe. Like St. Paul, I don't know everything - and still have some "aha" moments. Theology and doctrine are not moving targets - but our life and this world is always moving - which is why when people knock the stacked rocks down - and we find ourselves a little lost - we need to make sure we know who to trust and not be afraid to ask the right questions.

Is this a parable - or is it the real-life story of God and prodigal children? And if we're talking about the word prodigal (spending resources freely and recklessly; being wastefully extravagant) - is it the son or the Father who is more extravagant? One thing is certain from the text - whether we are the prodigal or the older, self-righteous, brother - God doesn't give up on us.

Justice and Mercy are not opposites. They are both necessary parts of our earthly life. Henri Nouwen wrote, “We tend to be compassionate to the extent that we have suffered the Passion in our own lives.” If we view life through the cross of Jesus, our own pain and suffering and failures and losses - the manure of our life - tend to make us more understanding of others - and the "grammar of justice is softened by the poetry of mercy."

When the pastor speaks - who do you hear? What rules are there for pastors when they say things like, "thus saith the Lord?" And so - part of what is supposed to happen when we come to church is our hearts and minds and souls are to be continually baptized - not with water - but with grace and mercy and peace so we are able to take all that we are - and all that the world is made of and use it for the sake of the Gospel. I forget to remind you as often as...

We live in the wilderness - and as long as we are on this earth the wilderness will be where we lay our head, scratch out a living and try to make sense of this life. satan and sin will always be here. There is a reason Jesus went into the wilderness immediately after His baptism - He was reminding us of what we have through that simple water and few words. At baptisms, the pastor asks everyone present to "renounce satan and all his empty promises" - what an amazing moment that is for us. As Luther used...

Once a year, on a Wednesday, we mix ashes with oil. We light candles and confess to one another and to God that we have sinned by what we have done and what we have left undone. We tell the truth. We smear the ashes on our foreheads and together acknowledge the single reality upon which everyone agrees: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” It’s the only thing we know for sure: we are going to die. But grace teaches us to ask the most important question: "then what?"

You don't need a mountaintop or voice from the clouds or even Elijah and Moses showing up. Transfiguration Sunday is about how we don't need to "Climb to Glory" (sorry 10th Mountain Div) God's holiness came to dwell with us - in the valleys and plains of our existence. It isn't about where we are or what's happening around us - God is with us in all of it.

It's the story of Joseph (the one with the Techicolor Dream Coat) When the puzzle you are putting together doesn't look anything like the picture on the box - and you're missing a couple of pieces - then you know that God has something amazing in mind and in the end, you'll wind up looking just like God knew you would!

The disciples recognized Jesus because of His scars - maybe there is something to that. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for the world to recognize us by our scars. The scars of the past do not define us. They have led us into the scarred hands of Jesus. Scars remind us we are alive - that we are not done yet - and we have stories to tell - especially the one about our Jesus and His scars.