The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for September 5, 2022

I still see the old man’s face in my memory. Thirty some years ago, I was in central Illinois speaking to committed church people, very committed church people. I mentioned that I appreciate reading non-Lutheran material because different faith perspectives often help me better understand why we believe as we do. The old man shook his head in strong disagreement. “Only read what your church puts out.”  

Today is Yom Kippur for our Jewish friends. “It shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves… For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins” (Leviticus 16:29-30). Every year the High Priest offered sacrifices for his own sins and for the Holy Place “because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins” (Leviticus 16:16). The New Testament stresses that Jesus Christ is our High Priest who made sacrifice for our sins once and for all time in His death on the cross (Hebrews 9:26; 1 Peter 3:18).  

Has this truth led some to take their own sins lightly? “After all, I’m forgiven, I’ll do as I please, and Sunday I’ll hear again that I’m ok.” One truth, forgiveness once and for all, pushes aside another truth, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The unfortunate result is that many in the church do not practice daily repentance, including amendment of life. 

Yom Kippur’s yearly sacrifices remind us sin is never to be taken lightly, especially by us who are forgiven once and for all. “Ye who think of sin but lightly Nor suppose the evil great Here may view its nature rightly, Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed, See who bears the awful load; ‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed, Son of Man and Son of God” (Lutheran Service Book, 451:3). That old man, in days before the Internet, was already practicing the tribalism, the affinity groups, the Internet has increased. “I don’t need to listen to anyone else; I’m right.” Yom Kippur reminds me that the more I learn what others believe, the more I can grow in my own faith.   

The Meyer Minute for October 3, 2022

Someone took a calculator and multiplied 150 by 52. The result led to my sermon yesterday. I was in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, for the 150^th anniversary of St. Paul Lutheran Church. 150 years times 52 weeks per year equals 7,800 weeks in the history of that church. Much happened in those many weeks, but one thing was consistent. Every Sunday the last word worshippers heard was the benediction. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” Every Sunday you go home with the face of the Lord upon you. 

But now it’s Monday. Who’s in your face? A coworker gets in your face and takes away your peace? Is it someone in school, in the neighborhood, even in church who gets in your face and takes away your peace? I was in the St. Louis airport, standing, and noticed a row of seats. 8 of the 10 people had their face in their cell phone. Screen time can take away your peace. Think about what the news puts in your face: Putin, Hurricane Ian, Trump or Biden, whichever one you love to hate. We left church yesterday with the face of God upon us, but we let so many other things get in our face and take away our peace. 

Have you looked out at the nighttime sky? Jupiter is shining bright, “only” 59 million miles away. Last week NASA crashed a probe into an asteroid, “only” 7 million miles away. Closer to home, “only” one million miles away the James Webb Space Telescope is giving us photos of galaxies never seen by us earthlings. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). So, I cannot begin to imagine what “the face of God” looks like, but God has given us an image, a relatable way to know our great, mysterious Creator. “God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Every time over those 7,800 weeks, every time you leave church, when the pastor has pronounced the benediction, “Jesus Christ is in your face.” May that give you peace today. 

The Meyer Minute for September 30, 2022

I have the habit of starting projects but never quite finishing them. Dear Lord, please give me time! I think of Noah. How long did it take Noah to finish his carpentry project? “The Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh; his days shall be 120 years” (Genesis 6:3). People assume Noah spent 120 years on that project, but a short article Bodie Hodge of Answers in Genesis suggests maybe 55 to 75 years. Governor DeSantis said that Sanibel Island suffered a “really biblical storm surge.” One definition of “biblical” is “very great, on a large scale,” but what was God teaching, what’s the biblical message of the Flood?     

It is God’s patience, His long-suffering with sinful humanity. He gave Noah’s contemporaries 120 years to center humble, repentant lives upon Him. “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). 120 years! “The sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 8:11-12). No doubt there were weather disasters during those 120 years. They were God’s way of saying, “Come unto Me.” Hurricane Ian is saying the same to all of us. 

“From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood from plague, pestilence, and famine, Good Lord, deliver us. In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, Good Lord, deliver us.  That it may please thee to support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. (The Great Litany, Book of Common Prayer). 

“My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:20-22). The greatest project I have, we all have, is daily hope in God’s deliverance. One day our project will be finished. One day, “the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1). 

The Meyer Minute for September 23, 2022

“Show the crowd!” Diane shouted. It’s 6:00 am this morning and we’re watching the local news. The NBC affiliate in St. Louis is featuring Lutheran South High School, where grandsons Christian and Connor attend. “Get off the cheerleaders and show the crowd!” No offence to the cheerleaders. We wanted to see our boys. 

Meanwhile, another part of my brain was thinking about the most recent Pew study on religion. More and more Americans are leaving Christian churches, especially younger people. Think your children and grandchildren. Here are some opening sentences from Pew’s exhaustive study. “What if Christians keep leaving religion at the same rate observed in recent years? What if the pace of religious switching continues to accelerate? What if switching were to stop, but other demographic trends – such as migration, births and deaths – were to continue at current rates? The Center estimates that in 2020, about 64% of Americans, including children, were Christian. People who are religiously unaffiliated, sometimes called religious “nones,” accounted for 30% of the U.S. population. Adherents of all other religions – including Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists – totaled about 6%. Depending on whether religious switching continues at recent rates, speeds up or stops entirely, the projections show Christians of all ages shrinking from 64% to between a little more than half (54%) and just above one-third (35%) of all Americans by 2070. Over that same period, “nones” would rise from the current 30% to somewhere between 34% and 52% of the U.S. population.” 

What can our congregation do? What can our seminaries do? My mind went to many opportunities, but each time I thought, “Yeah, but who knows? Is any church program or emphasis guaranteed to keep our grandkids with the church?”  

While Diane and I are watching for Christian and Connor, the reporter interviewed a member of the Lutheran South Student Council. Sorry, I can’t remember her name or position. After praising the school and her fellow students, she testified the school is teaching them about Jesus Christ. Aha! The Pew study is about religion in America. The Bible is about Jesus, not about religion. I’ve experienced many things in Christianity and my denomination that make me want to walk away, the hypocrisies of religion, but Jesus? He’s as true and personal as it gets. I can’t give Him up. He’s the only guarantee we have. “Let the children come unto Me….”      

The Meyer Minute for September 21, 2022

How do you picture Jesus? The question helps us assess our spiritual life. 

It’s natural to try and visualize the unseen God. Statues of Zeus and the gods of Mount Olympus, the idols described by the Bible, the Golden Calf… People try to visualize the unseen God. “If an ox could paint a picture, his god would look like an ox,” said Xenophanes, a Greek philosopher of the late 6^th and early 5^th century B.C. A scholar from our time writes, “Divine images are indeed shaped by human imagination, by the imagination of a society longing for the visualization of the invisible in word and image…” (Joannis Mylonopoulos in “Divine Images and Human Imaginations in Ancient Greece and Rome,” 18). So, how do you picture Jesus? 

The disciples saw Jesus in different ways at different times. Up to the time of His death and burial, Jesus looked like a typical human being. After the resurrection, they saw Him as a different kind of human, one who had come through death. “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself” (Luke 24:39). They saw Him do things we can’t do, suddenly appear and disappear, or hide his identity from the Emmaus disciples until He wanted to reveal Himself. But that time passed too. What does Jesus look like after the ascension? Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of His brilliant glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8). Paul on the Damascus Road saw a bright light from heaven and heard a voice (Acts 9:3). So, how do you picture Jesus? 

How the Greeks and Romans pictured their gods shaped their spiritual life. Mylonopoulos: “These divine images—conceived, invented, visually and verbally produced in various historical and ritual situations—in turn became models that would ‘mould’ human imagination.” Likewise, our mental images of Jesus shape our spiritual life. If we see Him before the resurrection, in the manger, walking here, walking there, doing miracles, preaching, teaching, finally dying on the cross, we’ve got a partial picture. Picture Him as resurrected, that too is only part of the picture. Now He is ascended, at the right hand of God ruling all things, and soon to return in judgment. How do you picture that? John had a vision of the exalted Christ. You can read it in Revelation 1:12-20. What’s your dominant image of Jesus? How do you picture Jesus as He is now?     

The Meyer Minute for September 19, 2022

Monday usually brings us back to the troubling things of this life, to the tedium of work, to unsettling times in relationships, to national, local, and even church partisanship, to stress coming at you from all sides, to countless other reminders that this world and life has been corrupted by sin, in short, to all that would take away peace from your heart and mind. Today’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth II gave me that peace which the world cannot give.  

Since her death September 8, we have been learning more about the personal side of this very public leader. The memories of people close to her tell of a woman who was graced for life and leadership, in good times and in bad, by her Christian faith. The service, based upon the ancient Book of Common Prayer, was thoroughly centered on Jesus Christ. The Scriptures read and the hymns sung were dear to her, and she planned that this final service would convey the faith and hope that sustained her. 

The Queen did not wear her faith on her sleeve but in her heart and life of service. The archbishop of Canterbury began his sermon: “The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death. The pattern for all who serve God – famous or obscure, respected or ignored – is that death is the door to glory.” Would that America took that to heart! Service to others is laid upon all who are baptized into Christ. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). And as Christ, who went from hardship and suffering unto death, was exalted to eternal glory at the right hand of God, so comes His promise to us. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26)   

A little thing, but it gave me hope for the future. The hymns selected by the Queen are hymns known to many of us. The words were printed in the order of service, but I often saw the eyes of King Charles III leave the printed page to sing from memory. We pray love for God and love for the neighbor continue from generation to generation and be restored in our national life. 

The Meyer Minute for September 16, 2022

Civics was taught back when I went to parochial grade school. It’s the study of the rights and duties of citizenship, from “civis,” the Latin word for a fellow citizen. From what I hear, civics, American history too, isn’t taught the way it used to be. The church is partly at fault. I’ll give you an example, but first. 

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing the sight of God our Savior.” That’s Sunday’s epistle lesson, 1 Timothy 2:1-3.  

Tomorrow is Constitution Day, a holiday mandated by the federal government in 2004 to commemorate the creation and signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. During most of my years as president of Concordia Seminary, I ordered free of charge and distributed copies of the Constitution to our campus community. One year a student complained, “Why are we doing this?” The Dean of the Chapel responded, “Because the president said so!” Yes, and for a reason. In 2005 the United States Department of Education mandated the observance of Constitution Day by any school receiving federal dollars. That includes the Seminary and many other colleges and universities.  

I often hear people say government regulations and laws don’t apply to us because of the separation of church and state. That is naïve. For example, our Seminary must account every year to entities of the federal, state, and city governments. We even report to the Metropolitan Sewer District, which gave me stuff to joke about! Your congregation doesn’t have all those accountabilities but try to get a building permit, have someone allege harassment, someone embezzles church funds… You need to know civics.  

James Madison, principal author of the Constitution wrote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” We may not be “of the world,” but we are “in the world.” The church can help the civics deficit in our country. 

The Meyer Minute for September 14, 2022

You’ve seen this, maybe done it yourself. Parents of young children mark feet and inches on the wall so they can measure the growth of their children. “How big are you?” we ask a toddler. “So big!” comes the delightful answer. The pastor in me wonders if churchgoers are that intent about our growth in faith. The doubter in me fears many people go to church because, well, that’s what we do.  

The doubter in me knows many of us aren’t disciplined when it comes to Bible reading. For many years, Michelle was my faithful, hard-working executive assistant. Sometimes she’d say, “Dr. Dale, you have to read this carefully. Don’t just skim it.” In our age of short social posts, channel surfing, rushing here, rushing there, skimming Scripture is what we naturally do. Like a stone skipping on the water, we take in this biblical thought, then the next, and sooner or later sink. We may not sink eternally but we certainly don’t grow into spiritual maturity that helps us cope in the hardships of sinful life. 

Using Psalm 119:5-8 (NLT), let’s experiment with disciplined reading. “Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!” When I skimmed those verses earlier this week, I thought they’re about living by God’s words. Yes, but “Dr. Dale, don’t just skim it!” Disciplined reading tells you more. The psalmist confesses he’s not consistently living by Scripture, but sincerely wants to grow. “Then I will not be ashamed… I will thank you by living as I should!” And he begs, like a child to parent, “Please don’t give up on me while I’m still growing!”  

Salvation is by grace through faith, but ultimately you alone are the steward who will give an account to the Father. Thanks to Dr. Matthew Borrasso for this quotation from the German theologian Helmut Thielicke. “My plea is simply this: every theological idea that makes an impression upon you must be regarded as a challenge to your faith. Do not assume as a matter of course that you believe whatever impresses you theologically and enlightens you intellectually. Otherwise suddenly you are believing no longer in Jesus Christ, but in Luther, or in one of your other theological teachers.”   

The Meyer Minute for September 12 , 2022

Saturday, 8pm, I’m in crowded Midway airport in Chicago, standing at gate B20, waiting to board a Southwest flight for St. Louis. People watching, I survey the row of seats closest to me. Everyone has their faces in their phones. The next row is about 75 percent faces in phones. 

My barber is a sincere Christian and a big time Trumper. Watching News Max got him pumped up. I told him, yes, there is some truth in some things he was bringing up but, no, I do not put those specifics together the same way Trumpers do. He smilingly responded that I’m naïve. 

Have you had this experience, you google something and soon you’re getting pop-ups about similar products? In like fashion, I have the app “Smart News” and like it. There are certain topics I follow and, voila! “Because you follow…” pops up. Or the Wizard of Oz behind the screen tells me, “Your screen time was up 42% last week” or down.  

“Social psychology exploits predictable forms of irrationality to ‘nudge’ subjects in particular directions, whether online, at work or in public policy.” So wrote Professor Tamsin Shaw in a review of “The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World” by Max Fisher. The book “should obliterate any doubts about the significance of algorithmic intervention in human affairs.” I can’t understand what an algorithm is, but I don’t need to understand it. We do need to see the effects upon us. “The enjoyment of moral outrage is one of the key sentiments Fisher sees being exploited by Google (for YouTube) and Meta (for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), which discovered they could monetize this impulse by having their algorithms promote hyperpartisanship. Divisiveness drives engagement, which in turn drives advertising revenues” (New York Times Book Review; September 11, page 11).  

We’re being manipulated, some succumbing more than others, but we’re all being lured to follow something that will benefit someone or some corporation that doesn’t care about you or me. Though digital tech is new, this is an old problem. “I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions” (Romans 8:14-15). Paul is talking about the contest within him, within us, between doing what God wants and what sin wants. For Christians, manipulation by social media is a place of spiritual warfare. Think about it.  

The Meyer Minute for September 9, 2022

Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force, said yesterday in an interview, “the propensity among Americans to serve has gone down.” 

This Sunday marks the 21^st anniversary of 9-11. In the aftermath of that terrible attack, Americans did step up and serve. Many enlisted, first-responders were honored, and the country came together. Since then, the smart phone was introduced, social media enabled everyone to be smart or stupid in public, the Great Recession hurt many deeply, partisanship paralyzed government, illegal immigration, January 6^th, Covid… Polls show most people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. At every turn we’re seeing what theologians call “incurvatus in se,” “man turned in on himself.” “The propensity among Americans to serve has gone down.” The antidote is turning outward in service to others. 

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). 

The Spirit of God motivates those who follow Christ to selfless service. A follower of the Suffering Servant does not ask, does not notice, if you agree or disagree with me, if you are in my affinity group or not. Think of the Good Samaritan. Martin Luther: “God’s love does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. Human love comes into being through that which is pleasing to it.” “Human love avoids sinners and evil persons. Thus, Christ says (Matthew 9:13): ‘For I came to call not the righteous, but sinners.’ This is the love of the cross, born of the cross, which turns in the direction where it does not find good, which it may enjoy, but where it may confer good upon the evil and needy person.” (Heidelberg Disputation, 28) 

After 21 tumultuous years, our present sorely divided, we’ve got work ahead of us, selfless work for neighborhoods, communities, and country. “The ultimate soul-forming institutions in a free society are frequently religious institutions. Traditional religion offers a direct challenge to the ethic of the age of fracture. Religious commitments command us to a mixture of responsibility, sympathy, lawfulness, and righteousness that align our wants with our duties. They help form us to be free.” (Yuval Levin, “The Fractured Republic,” 204)