The Lutheran Hour
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"A Lost Life"
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Text: Text: Luke 9:23
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! It is the living Lord Jesus who has taken upon Himself the work of forgiving us, saving us, and without any merit or worthiness in us, blessing our native land. To Him all praise and glory.
The 12-year-old-boy had just gotten his first summer job working as a newspaper delivery boy. He was glad to tell anyone who would listen about the crosses he carried, now that he had entered the work force. Wearing a martyr’s robe he sadly sighed, “I get up at 5 a.m. and while I’m getting dressed, Mom makes me breakfast. Then, just as I’m leaving for work, Dad gets up. Mom fixes him breakfast, too. When I get home, Mom usually has lunch ready and on the table, but I’m so tired by then, I can hardly eat. Work is so exhausting.”
When asked if Mom had a job, he dismissed the question with a, “Naw, Mom just cleans the house, runs to the store, takes care of the other kids, washes clothes and does some ironing.” The part the boy liked best was to talk about getting paid. He was proud of being paid. Rightly so. He was, after all, earning a wage, “bringin’ home” the bacon. “And Mom, did she get paid?” “Mom, get paid? Of course not,” was his reply, “Mom don’t get paid. She’s got no job. She don’t do no work.”
Every one of you moms, every one of you honest husbands, ought to be smiling at that young man’s ignorance. You know, just because a mom doesn’t have her name on a company’s payroll; just because she doesn’t have an IRA, a union, or a health plan; just because she isn’t building up a retirement account, doesn’t mean she ain’t doin’ no work. You know that boy, that husband, that family is clothed, is fed, is comfortable, keeps on functioning, keeps on running, because she, in her devotion, in her dedication, in her self-denial, and above all, in her love, keeps on doing what she’s doing. She’s lost her life in her family. Not got a job? She’s got the most important job of all. It’s just that sometimes, those who ought to realize it, don’t.
No doubt, some of you are thinking that I, in telling that story, have gone off the deep end. You think I’ve gotten my dates mixed up and am launching into a belated Mother’s Day sermon. Not at all. It is precisely because I know Canada has just celebrated Canada Day and the U.S. is celebrating the Fourth of July, that I tell you that story. I think most of you can recognize how much the son underestimated the value and work of his mother. I think God can understand, too. God understands because so many within our countries are saying, “God, He don’t get paid. God’s got no job. God don’t do no work.”
God got no job. God don’t do no work. That’s what many in the U.S. capital believe. It would be easier to see their point of view if the Washington Monument didn’t keep getting in the way. By law, the tallest building in Washington, D.C.. is the Washington Monument. On the aluminum cap, at the very top of the 555 foot-tall structure are two Latin words: “ Laus Deo .” You need mighty good eyes to see those words up there; most visitors, and I imagine, most of our nation’s leaders, don’t have an inkling they’re written there; most live as if they weren’t there. But those words are there. Laus Deo . Praise be to God.
“But,” comes the all-too-fast reply, “it doesn’t make any difference what is carved on top of a monument, our first leaders were not all good Christians.” I certainly can’t disagree with that. Some of the founding fathers had questionable moralities, spoke with liberal profanity, and embraced dubious theology. But most of them recognized that God ruled over the comings and goings of men and nations. Because they believed that, the greatest source of ideas and quotations made by the founding fathers, are based on, or taken directly from, the Word of God.
God got no job. God don’t do no work. Tell that to George Washington. In Washington’s diary, in Washington’s handwriting are these words: “Let my heart, gracious God, be so affected with Your glory and majesty that I may … discharge those weighty duties which thou requirest of me … Again, I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins … for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered on the cross for me. Thou gavest thy Son to die for me; and hast given me assurance of my salvation.” Tell Washington, “God’s got no job.” He wouldn’t believe it.
God got no job. God don’t do no work. Tell that to John Jay, the first Chief Justice, the “Father” of the Supreme Court, and one of the first interpreters of the Constitution. In 1816 he wrote, “It is the duty of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Tell it to Justice David Brewer who, 75 years later, said, “This is a religious people…this is a Christian nation.” Tell it to Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren who wrote, and this during my lifetime (1954), “I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses … I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I also like to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country.” Tell these Justices God’s got no job. They would declare you, “out of order.”
God’s got no job. God don’t do no work. Is that what the Continental Congress thought when, September 11, 1777, it imported 20,000 copies of the Holy Bible? Is that what the Congress of the Confederation believed when, on September 10, 1782 they approved the printing of Bibles to be used in schools? Of course such a gesture could not go unquestioned; not then, not today. The difference is, back then when the government was asked to remove their Bibles, the Supreme Court ruled, “Why should not the Bible, and especially the New Testament, be read and taught as a divine revelation in the schools? Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?” They thought God had a job back then.
God’s got no job. God don’t do no work. That’s what we’ve been told our first citizens believed, what we should believe. What we’ve been told is so wrong for a lot of reasons. First, it’s wrong because it’s untrue. It is also wrong because anytime we deploy our troops around the world we find a job for God to do. It is right we do so. We ask Him to give us victories and bring our sons and daughters safely home. God’s got no job? I’ve noticed when a plane or space shuttle crashes, when terrorists attack our country, very quickly we find a job for God to do. We ask Him to provide consolation for the mourners. Thank God we ask Him to provide comfort for those who are afraid.
Sadly, as soon as things calm down, the word goes out all over again. God got no job. God don’t do no work. Do you realize if that is true, you and I are here all by ourselves? If people believe that, no wonder they have so little hope in the future. They’ve seen the greed of humanity, the hatred of their fellowmen, the cruelty, the envy, the selfishness of their neighbors. If we are on our own, there’s no reason to hope or dream things will get better. If God’s got no job, then Lincoln was wrong, and the dead of Gettysburg and every other battlefield may indeed have died in vain. If God does no work and is not involved, there is no decision that we can make which is right or wrong, and there is no need to worry about such trite and trivial themes. If God has no job, then we are left to the mercy of our own institutions, organizations and public servants. Sadly, time has taught us that our institutions, organizations, public servants, no matter how good their intentions, are prone to fail and apt to fall.
God got no job. God don’t do no work. If we really believe that, and all too many people do, it is little wonder that corporate executives feel no loyalty to their stockholders; drug dealers are often the most influential citizens in their neighborhoods, and graduation speeches at countless colleges and home-town high-schools, sing the self-centered song, “I can do anything I want, but I must be loyal to myself, and myself alone.” Albert Willis would not understand that kind of thinking. You see my friends, Albert Willis knew both he and God had a job to do.
Of course, you may not know Albert Willis. Allow me to make the introductions. Albert Willis was a member of the Confederacy’s Mosby’s Raiders. Willis and an unnamed comrade were captured and sentenced to be hung. Willis, as a Divinity student, was offered a Chaplain’s exemption. Knowing his friend was married and he was not, young Willis gave his exemption to that comrade; entrusted his soul to the Savior, and then was hanged in place of his pal. During the Civil War, on both sides there were many men and women like Willis, who knew their God, who knew their duty.
Of course, I shouldn’t confine myself to the Civil War. Throughout this country’s history and even today, we have been blessed by many such people. But it has been left to our generation to say patriotism is pathetic; sacrifice is stupid; loyalty is lame and heroes should be listed amongst the suckers that are born every minute. It is with great sadness that I note, when our countries came to believe God no longer had a job to do, it didn’t take long before we were left without powerful principles or profound purpose.
Today I stand before this microphone and say to all who will listen, “God does have a job to do.” God’s job is not to have believers pass laws and legislations which would force all citizens into the camp of Christianity. In a land of freedom, people have a right to believe as they see fit. Even as I would not want someone to compel me to believe something contrary to my conscience, I dare not force anyone to accept my beliefs, even though I hold those tenets as being totally true and thoroughly trustworthy.
God has a job to do. No matter what some might say, God’s job is not to dress Himself in the star-and-striped hat and tails of Uncle Sam or plant a thousand maple trees in Canada. Nor is His job confined to keeping our countries at the top of the world’s pecking order of nations. God’s great job, most simply stated is this: to save your soul so that you might be forgiven of your sins in this life, and be given hope of heaven for the next. To do this work, God’s Son was born into the world. To do this work, Jesus Christ, the world’s Savior lived a life that resisted the worst of temptations.
Doing the work of the Lord, Jesus was betrayed and deserted by His friends. Doing the work of the Lord, Jesus saw His church, His government, His country, turn their backs to His suffering. Doing the work of the Lord, Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit upon, crowned with thorns and crucified. What is the work of the Lord? What is His job? Nothing less than the saving of you from yourself, from the world, from the devil and death.
When Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Franklin were alive, it was God’s work to touch their lives with the saving message of salvation. When Lincoln and Lee walked among us, when Victoria, Disraeli, and Gladstone headed Great Britain’s empire, the Lord did His work summoning potentate and prince, serf and servant to the cross. To all of these, and all who held rank in between, He said, “Repent, believe, trust in Christ as your Savior.” The time of these world leaders has now passed. Their lives are written in the pages of history, their place for eternity is written or not, in the Book of Life. No more can be done or said for them.
But God’s work goes on. God still has a job to do. In every country, in every community, in every town and hamlet, in every house, apartment, condominium, trailer park, homeless shelter, and RV, He continues to work. He wants all to know, “He loves us; has sent His Son to pay the purchase price for our sins.” God’s work continues on, even now as He calls you from darkness to light; from hell to heaven; from despair to the Divine.
It is a great sadness that today, many of our fellow countrymen will prefer to live their lives in darkness and keep their soul’s citizenship in hell. It is a terrible tragedy. Not only will they, if they persist in this error, be lost for eternity; but all those around, families and farms, cities, counties, communities and countries will experience the negative impact of refusing the results the Redeemer has procured. You Christians, surrounded by those who have no use for God, no belief in His ongoing work, will find life challenging. It is hard to remain standing when so many around you are pulling you down; difficult to walk Christ’s path, when so many are eager to lure you to the side. Christians living in a country whose conscience has grown cold, I encourage you: carry your cross, stay close to the Christ. Your witness says, “God’s work goes on.” Your joy says, “God’s work makes a difference.” Your confidence says, “Christ is in charge.”
And for you who do not believe God has a job to do, let me tell you of a recruiter who appeared at an Ivy League University. Representing some of the poorest school districts in the country, the woman stood in front of the students and said, “I don’t think I belong here. I was told this was a Beemer campus, and I can see you are destined for success. There’s no point in asking you to walk away from that, so you can go to a place you’re not sure of, and where you probably won’t be appreciated. I wish you luck.” Then, as the recruiter sat down, she said, almost as an afterthought, “But if by some chance I’m wrong, and you are interested in what I’m saying, visit with me afterwards.” The meeting ended, except for the mass of students who mobbed the woman, the students who thought their lives had a higher purpose.
Today dear listener, you’ve got your life. You may be content with your work, your home, your community, your country. You may well think God’s got nothing to do with what you and your country are. If that is what you think, I wish you luck. But if by some chance you don’t like what you see; if you feel things should be different for yourself, your family, your nation, I’ve got a Savior to tell you about. His job, His work, was and is, to erase your life of sin and sadness and to give you something better. And if enough people believe in this God whose job is to give such good gifts, our nation will have something better as well. If you’d like to know more about this God who has a job to do, call us after the program is over. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for July 4, 2004
Topic: Growing Together or ApartANNOUNCER: And now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from our listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Klaus, a listener writes, “My husband and I are going through a very hard time financially right now. We seem to be growing apart instead of together. What can I do about it?”
KLAUS: I find it interesting this lady is more concerned about her relationship with her husband than she is about the tough financial times they’re encountering. I wonder what her husband would say is his greatest concern – the money difficulties or the home difficulties?
ANNOUNCER: Do you suppose there would be a difference?
KLAUS: It wouldn’t surprise me if there was. We live in a society where a man’s worth is valued by how much he makes. If he makes a lot, he’s valuable; if he’s out of work or can’t support his family, then all too often and quite wrongly, he feels his value has dropped.
ANNOUNCER: But how does that touch upon our listener’s problem?
KLAUS: What I’m saying next might sound old-fashioned, but the age of the thought doesn’t make it less true. When a man doesn’t feel valuable, when he doesn’t feel like a provider, he can lash out, he can withdraw into himself. He can cut off relationships. He can do a lot of things that appear to be, and can be, selfish. Now it’s quite possible that this lady’s husband is selfish and self-centered, but it’s equally possible that circumstances have made him feel frustrated and powerless.
ANNOUNCER: But you know, I always thought adversity brought people closer together.
KLAUS: So I’ve heard some people say.
ANNOUNCER: And I take it you disagree with that.
KLAUS: You know, Mark, I’ve preached close to 200 weddings during the course of my congregational ministry. The last Saturday of this month, I’m going to be speaking at the marriage of my niece up around Chicago. It occurs to me, never, and I mean never, in the course of all my wedding sermons did I say, “I hope you folks have adversity so you can stay close.” More than that, I’ve never heard any other pastor say it, either.
ANNOUNCER: So you’re saying adversity does not bring people closer together?
KLAUS: I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that times of adversity and times of ease come to everybody. I’ve seen people grow closer when they were confronted by difficulties and problems. I’ve seen just as many people grow closer when they were enjoying days of peace and harmony.
ANNOUNCER: And I would imagine the reverse is also true?
KLAUS: It is. People can grow further apart in bad times, and all of us have seen people who possessed every imaginable blessing, but still ended up in divorce court.
ANNOUNCER: So what can we tell our listener and others, who are facing similar difficulties?
KLAUS: We can tell them this – you will have good times and bad, happy times and sad. That’s the way life is in this sinful world. We can tell them that some people seem to get more than their fair share of good or bad. We can tell them sometimes it will seem that you’re going through a long stretch filled only with good or bad. These things come. It’s not what comes, or even the amount of what comes that’s important. It is what you do with what has come. That’s the key.
ANNOUNCER: Now what do you mean by that?
KLAUS: Let’s let St. Paul explain. To the church in Philippi he wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need … and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13). Those words sum it up. “I can do every everything through Him who gives me strength.”
ANNOUNCER: So if Jesus is with you, and the Holy Spirit is empowering you, you can rise above the pains and also not be distracted by the joys.
KLAUS: Exactly. You know, the devil has spent a good many years perfecting his trade. He has a pretty good idea of what tool to use, when to apply it, how much pressure to use, as he tries to drive a wedge between us, God, and each other. We, on the other hand, are amateurs, rookies in these matters. Competing against the devil, left to our own devices, we will ultimately lose.
ANNOUNCER: What can we do?
KLAUS: Like St. Paul, we can turn to Jesus, the One who strengthens us. In Jesus, we are conquerors and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). No longer do we have to measure ourselves by the fullness of our bank account. Because of Jesus, we know how valuable we are. Valuable enough for God to send His Son to redeem us from sin. Knowing that, we can have the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10).