The Lutheran Hour
-
"Revolutionized Relationships"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: James 3:16-18
-
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, may you be filled with His heavenly wisdom today and always. Amen!
Friendships, relationships, marriage, peer-groups; these are the things that form the web of life in our world. They are essential, for no man or woman is an island unto themselves and no one really wants to go it alone in this world. In fact, we all know that these relationships are vital, essential. Truth be told, we all want good relationships with family, spouse, and friends.
So, what is the problem? If these things, these relationships are what really matter, then why can’t we seem to make them work at all lately? Why, too, do we live in a world that seems to devalue the things that are most precious? Why are there so many divorces in our culture today? We have more things than ever, more material wealth, more food, more leisure, and more brokenness. Why are so many children growing up without fathers and mothers? We live in bigger houses, with cars, cell phones, TV sets, and Disney vacations, but we never seem to have the necessary time for teaching, playing, praying, and growing with our families. Why are there millions of abortions every year, children discarded like trash when we have the means and opportunities for life like never before?
Well, I’m afraid you’re not going to like the Bible’s assessment of these things; that sin, evil, and our sinful hearts are the real problem, the root of the problem. But you must admit, when it comes to relationships today, we don’t know how to do it very well any more.
You see, we need a solution to the jealousy, selfish ambition, and coarseness of this unspiritual world. We need a wisdom that not only cuts through the nonsense, but delivers in time of need.
And that’s exactly what the Apostle James proclaims today. It’s the wisdom that comes down from above. It offers what we cannot provide; real, down to earth, practical, yet eternal solutions.
For revolutionized relationships, the source and power for such things must be a wisdom that is from above, a wisdom that is out of this world, because God, Himself is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of the very relationships that we need.
A young man was talking to an older neighbor about a very precious event that was coming in the near future. It was the biggest moment of his life, his up-coming proposal for marriage to his long time girlfriend. Now this neighbor was more than a friend, he was cherished confidant over the years who, with the boy’s family, had watched him grow into a man. That earned trust between them allowed the young man to confess to him that day that he was really nervous, that he didn’t know if he would be up to the task of being a godly husband, or, when the time came, a good dad. He confessed his hesitation hoping to hear some good counsel that would make the doubts go away. But he got much more than that that day.
Just at that moment, the older man picked a flower, a red rose that was growing in his backyard. He said to the boy, “Try to open this up without losing any of the petals.” “Why?” The boy responded? “Just do it, you’ll see why in a minute.”
Well, petal by petal he tried and, you guessed it, everyone of those petals fell, wilted, to the ground. Discouraged, disheartened and now, even confused, he handed the plucked rose back in failure.
But, that was just what the older man wanted. He took the boy inside, opened a book and read him this poem.
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?So I’ll trust in Him then for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to Him then for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.The pathway that lies before me,
Only my heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.The man said, “Keep your heart and mind on the things of God in Jesus Christ,” and you’ll be up to the task as a husband and a father. Love them, as God in Christ loves you!
James challenges us the same. If you want “revolutionized relationships” in this world and in the world to come, you are going to need God’s supernatural grace and His eternally empowering Word.
That’s why he says, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
So, when it comes to relationships, there is a solution to the problem, the wisdom that comes down from above.
In fact, this wisdom is more than good advice. The Bible speaks of true wisdom as a person (Proverbs 3:34); and the Bible even calls that person the “Word.” And this Bible “Word” is more than a few timely sayings, or philosophical maxims, or religious traditions. No, this wisdom-Word is the Way, the Truth, and the Power that literally created, redeemed, and now even sustains the world. In fact, the Bible goes one further and says that this wisdom-Word has a Name, Jesus, the Messiah, God in the Flesh.
The main message of the Bible is a story about how God revolutionizes all relationships, especially those with you and me. His wisdom is pure and it purifies all those who trust in Him. His wisdom is peace-loving and peace giving, full of mercy and full of abundant life to live now and forever.
What’s needed to revolutionize our relationships is first a revolutionized relationship with the One who created and redeemed us all, and that’s what God offers you today in Jesus Christ, my friend.
But for revolutionized relationships in Jesus, there is a new challenge too.
The Bible summarizes the essence of this heavenly wisdom for us in John 3:16 with the word love. God, so loved the world that He sent His Son, and that Son, the Wisdom, the Word, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, He came down from heaven so that you might have His heavenly wisdom and life in your relationships, now and forever!
When it comes to revolutionized relationships, there’s a new challenge. Because you are reconciled and restored in your relationship with God, love others the way He loves you; or as James says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace (because we are at peace with God in Christ), raise a harvest of righteousness!” with one another.
Don’t give in to your base emotions, or carnal desires. Don’t use that tongue to curse, rather learn to fight those things back, speak encouraging words (both yes and no) and begin to step forward in the power of God’s gracious love with a new way of doing things.
If God can open up and close roses every day so that bees might enjoy their nectar, so that we humans might enjoy their fragrance and beauty, don’t you think He can do the same with your heart?
He can open you up to a new way of treating that problem in your relationship or that issue with a co-worker. He can do that without destroying you or leaving you too vulnerable. Why? Because He’s God, He’s the One who created you, loves you, and gives you the wisdom that you need to make your relationships work again in Him.
If you are willing to be open to the leading of our gracious God today, if you desire more in your relationships, more out of your life, then hear the Word from James.
But the wisdom that comes down from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
I’ve learned a lot about God’s people this last year here at The Lutheran Hour. I’ve seen many of you in action around the country, even around the world, living your lives of faith, caring for others not just because you have to, but because you get to in Jesus’ Name. I’m so proud to be a part of sharing God’s good news to you and with you to others.
I’m amazed at what God can do with us. I know there are so many opportunities in this world then to reflect Christ to others in the way we act and speak; just in the way that we decide to live our lives period. Today, in this lesson, we learn again, that this is how God wants it. God calls us to be His own by grace, to be sowers of His peace, His grace, His generous love to others, just as He continues to be that God of grace and peace for us each and every day.
And the power of gracious love in action can transform others. The power of undeserved forgiveness received and shared can make all the difference in the world. And things don’t have to be on a grand scale to make a difference.
I can relate to a story about a pastor, who after eighteen months in the ministry, went to his file cabinet to pull out the “Love” file, you know stories, articles, testimonies about love etc. He discovered that he didn’t have one. Impossible! It must be misfiled. He searched among Faith and Fasting, between Healing and Heaven. Perhaps it was sandwiched by Christology and Christian Education. After all, these files have to do with Love, don’t they? But it wasn’t there, nor was it found after Money or ahead of Missions.
But, when he stopped to reflect, the Holy Spirit solved the mystery. The Love file was scattered not misfiled. Parts of it were found under Patience, Kindness, Humility, Trust, Hope, Loyalty, and Perseverance. But the pastor found the greatest part of the Love file, squarely-centered and deeply-seated, in Forgiveness.
We live in a broken world. People are sinners repentantly in need of real grace. And James reminds us that we peacemakers, children of the Prince of Peace Himself, get to sow His peace patiently, impartially, sincerely in the lives of others, even being part of God’s harvest of righteousness.
We can make a difference in people’s lives because our God is capable of doing miraculous things through the simple service of His people for others. So peacemakers, get to it, you won’t believe what God can do with your hands, with your brains, with your heart.
That must have been how Keith Taylor felt. You see, Keith Taylor was a person who had benefitted often from the benevolence and graciousness of many who loved him. Like many American Christians, he had benefited from the generosity of other people in different times and in different ways. For example, while Keith was attending graduate school in Tennessee, his car broke down, and the subsequent repair bill caused him to be short on his rent that month. Fortunately for Keith, his boss at his part-time job paid the rent bill in full-a gift, not a loan.
One evening in 2002, Taylor was reflecting on the kindness of his boss, and on the other acts of generosity from others that had contributed to the happiness and stability of his life. And like many American Christians, Keith decided that he would one day dedicate his life to helping others. “When I’m really rich,” he said, “I’m going to start an organization to help the working poor.”
But then Taylor was seized by a remarkable thought. He said, “All of a sudden, it occurred to me that no one who had ever helped me…. had ever been wealthy. They had just been nice. They just had compassion.” And that’s when Keith Taylor was moved from “thoughts of grandeur” to simple acts of kindness. That’s when he began to act as he saw the needs of others, not just when he had the means.
He started small. He decided that he would try to help one person each month get through some kind of financial crisis. So, he set aside $350, about 10% of his income and got started. He also set up a very basic website that invited requests for assistance. But when that site was featured on a popular blog, Keith’s plans went out the window. He received 1,100 emails the next day–most were from people requesting assistance, but a surprising number were from people who wanted to help. And that’s how “Modest Needs” began.
The mission of the organization is “to prevent otherwise financially self-sufficient individuals from entering the cycle of poverty, when this might be avoided with merely a small amount of well time assistance.” Like the communities of yesteryear, where people’s tragic needs were met by the strength of communities ready to be in service to each other, Modest Needs is transforming situations of struggle to opportunities for hope.
I really enjoyed reading the fact that almost 70 percent of individuals who receive money from grants end up donating money back to the organization sometime later. In other words, kindness produces more kindness and generosity produces more generosity-which sounds like a great way to love your neighbor.
“Every day is another miracle,” Taylor says. “It’s beyond my imagination.” Some might say that it’s a harvest of righteousness!
That must be what Gary Thies, his wife Maxine and all the support workers at Mission Central feel. From very humble beginnings in the middle of Iowa, he was asked to raise awareness and resources for LCMS missionaries around the world. Now I can tell you that this is a daunting task even when there are thousands right outside of your door willing to listen. But there aren’t thousands just outside of old missionary Gary’s door. There weren’t resources readily available to support the work of missionaries and their families at work for the Gospel all around the world. How can such a thing work when a person has to travel many miles just to speak to anyone who will listen, to spend many days on the road just to share stories of those serving others in the name of Jesus and His church?
But those aren’t the questions, are they? The question is always, “what can God do with our simple, yet sincere deeds of love in service to our neighbor in His name?”
Well, I know what God can do because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I traveled to the town of Mapleton, Iowa and saw it for myself. I participated in the prayers for our missionaries and in the sending of one of our own, Dr. Lo and his family, back to the mission field in Cambodia. I traveled to the town of Schleswig, Iowa for Immanuel Lutheran’s 100th anniversary and met people who not only serve with Mission Central, but folks who, year after year, continue to share their resources and their lives in summer service to the churches in downtown Los Angeles, churches I served as a pastor in Southern California, even as they came to help. I know what God can do with humble beginnings and ready hands. I know, because I’ve met people all around the country whose hearts are on fire for the Lord and who want others to know how much Jesus loves them. Transformed lives find a way to help those who need it, empowered by a love that can truly be shared.
So, if there is one thing to learn today, it is that God has work for all of us to do with those He has brought into our lives. Ready hands, SINCERE hearts that are willing to sow peace, God’s peace, into the lives of others through kindness, concern, tough love; those willing, transformed lives can and will bless others in the power of God’s transforming love.
Revolutionized, transformed, revitalized relationships; that’s what God has in store for you and me, today, my friend in Christ. Don’t go through another day without faith in Him and the power of His wisdom from above, His revolutionizing love at work in your life. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for September 16, 2012
Topic: Jesus Alone? Is That Fair?ANNOUNCER: Jesus alone? Is that fair? Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. This is an issue that comes up when we’re sharing our faith with others. The great objections to Christianity; in fact, one of its most precious teachings, is that people are saved by grace alone through Jesus Christ, alone. People want to know why salvation through Jesus alone? That sounds so narrow minded, so almost intolerant in this day and age.
SELTZ: Well Mark, the first thing we have to say is that this has always been an issue with the Christian proclamation of God’s love and grace.
ANNOUNCER: Really? What do you mean?
SELTZ: Well, when you think about it, Jesus, Himself was victimized by that question. People loved His message of God’s grace, and love, and mercy, but they didn’t like, no, they even hated that it only comes to people through His work for them.
ANNOUNCER: So, salvation only through Christ and only through what Christ did. There’s nothing that we can do that could ruffle some feathers.
SELTZ: It could. Christianity is a humbling message that either brings one to repentance and joyful life or it really makes people mad.
ANNOUNCER: And, how does that work?
SELTZ: Well, think about it, Jesus literally had to fulfill the law of God perfectly in our place because we can’t. (Just try to really do the Ten Commandments perfectly). He then has to endure our eternal punishment on the cross for sins He didn’t commit and then He literally rises from the dead to give us eternal life that we didn’t earn or deserve. That message is either the best news that you’ve ever heard or it ticks you off so badly that you want to snuff it out so you don’t have to deal with its personal implications.
ANNOUNCER: How would you say this knowledge could help us as we try to share faith with others?
SELTZ: I think you just gave the answer in your question. We need to learn that our care for others is about witnessing and testifying about the uniqueness of Christ, not so much coming up with the right answer to assuage every person’s arguments.
ANNOUNCER: How do you mean?
SELTZ: Well, Christianity is not a religion. It is not a set of moral answers to every problem….It is more so a proclamation of God’s offer to a sinful, rebellious humanity, us included, who, by nature, are running from God and not to Him.
ANNOUNCER: So that when we try to share our faith, we’re not trying to, let’s say, prove God right or something along those lines; we’re actually trying to get people to see that grace active in our life so they might know that it’s there for them as well.
SELTZ: Absolutely. And that’s why it’s important to know how the proclamation “works” in the lives of people. The Bible has two major themes, we’ve talked about it before, “Law and Gospel.” Simply said, “The Law works by not only showing us what is right and wrong, but ultimately showing us that we are “sinners through and through.” That’s how it “works.” People are not only antagonistic to the Gospel at times; they’re first antagonistic to the Law. They don’t think that God has any right to tell them what they can or can not do.
ANNOUNCER: And that antagonism is at the root of this challenge to salvation being in “Jesus alone,” right?
SELTZ: That’s right. Such an attitude is just another way to disobey the 1st commandment. But like you said, “we’re trying to share our faith.” And the power of faith is its object. When that object is Jesus, everything changes.
ANNOUNCER: In that sense, the best thing that we can do, then, when we’re confronted by this “fairness” issue, is get the conversation back to the point where we’re really talking about the Jesus, the uniqueness of Christ for us and also for them.
SELTZ: Yeah, when they say that there is no One like this Jesus in the world, but that Christ isn’t here to show you and me or anyone for that matter, what you’re not, or what you’re supposed to do or not do, but that He’s here to give you what only God can give. That’s good news!
ANNOUNCER: So, in other words, when we’re trying to share our faith with folks, the bottom line: let them see Jesus, His unique message, His uniqueness as a Person, His work for them as a Savior doing for them what they could not do for themselves. Thank you Pastor Seltz. Clearly, it’s great to know that even tricky challenges like this can be met for the sake of others. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” arr. Barry Bobb, text by Rusty Edwards. From Hymns for All Saints: Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs (© 2011 Concordia Publishing House) Text © 1987 Hope Publishing Co.
“Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices” arr. Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House.
“You Are the Way, Through You Alone” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)