1517 Blogcast

Where Erasmus saw fear and collapse, Luther saw the never-ending comfort of Christ and his gospel.

As much as we may long for heaven, even death itself does not usher us into the final state of the new creation. So, in life and death, we must wait. And as the philosopher, Tom Petty, sings, “Waiting is the hardest part.”

We were lost. We didn’t know where we were going or which way to turn. We had been driving around in circles for hours with nothing to show for it. And now we weren’t sure how to find our way home - and losing hope by the minute.

If we’re alive, we’ll suffer. It’s inevitable. We’re bed-ridden with the flu. Taxes are due. A boss abuses his authority. Our spouse lies to us. People kill and commit suicide. A flood destroys a city.

The dead may tell no tales, as the saying goes, but on All Saints’ Day, those dead in Christ preach the gospel.

As you read the New Testament and early church history, it is clear that believers in Christ where anticipating his return from the moment of his ascension to the Father. As persecution ravaged the church, Christians began to wonder if God had forgotten them, or worse, abandoned them.

On a balmy June morning back in the 1960s, my older sister and I were participating in a traditional western South Dakota kid’s summer activity, namely, running through the sprinkler. The flat green hose hissed sprays of water in the grass alongside our eight-wide trailer house.

Should we celebrate Halloween as Christians? This question came up during a recent discussion with fellow pastors, where I bemoaned the popularity of trunk or treats. 

Humility kills pride. So “humble yourself before the Lord,” as James writes (Jas 4:10). Kill your pride before it kills the things you love. Subdue it before it gets you into the kind of trouble that may even kill you. Conquer your pride before it defeats you. It’s that simple, but we all know it’s not that easy.

“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ Instead of responding to his words as the good news they are, Jesus’ hearers are offended. They buck at the idea that anyone has to set them free. “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:31–33).