The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for December 5, 2023

I’m very concerned about the future of our republic, but what can I do? Yesterday I shared an article about paying attention to what we pay attention to. The fact that we’re not paying serious attention – talking face to face with people about serious issues, reading articles and books, taking time to think, working together to address issues – explains so much of today’s dysfunction.

“We must make attention itself the thing being taught. The implications of such a shift are vast. For two centuries, champions of liberal democracy have agreed that individual and collective freedom requires literacy. But as once-familiar calls for an informed citizenry give way to fears of informational saturation and perpetual distraction, literacy becomes less urgent than attensity, the capacity for attention. What democracy most needs now is an attentive citizenry – human beings capable of looking up from their screens, together.”

The authors, D. Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh and Peter Schmidt, say this must start in classrooms. “The curriculum we have developed takes on a challenge that so many of us face: how to create, beyond the confines of our personalized digital universes, something resembling a shared world. It starts with experience, both individual and collective, with a focus on students’ self-conscious and self-aware experiences of reading, observing, reflecting and problem solving…. That means teachers and students, but also welders, surfers, anyone who does anything with care and immersive commitment, anyone who treasures true commitment.” (New York Times, November 27; A13).

Paying serious attention and collaborating with others to address issues is in the church’s wheelhouse. Loving our neighbor, doing good works, is also the worship of God. So, what can we do?  

The Meyer Minute for December 4, 2023

Advent = Pay Attention

Advent easily becomes Ho-Hum. I’ve been through this religious season many, many times. I know the drill, Jesus’ birth and all that. Or maybe a better description of Advent is Ho-Ho-Ho. Christmas shopping, decorations, parties, happy Santa, our cultural surround sound. Both Ho-Hum and Ho-Ho-Ho show we’re not serious about paying attention.

Advent is about Jesus’ comings, plural. Born in Bethlehem, past. Our Lord sends His Spirit to us today, present. The biggee for me is that He’s going to appear suddenly in glory and make everything in this screwed-up world right. “Therefore, stay awake,” He says, “lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:35-37). AKA, pay attention to what you’re paying attention to.

A few weeks ago, I was on the interstate. I passed a car; she passed me. Several times. I noticed she was typing on her phone. We both got off at the same exit and turning onto Illinois 157, she was still paying attention to her phone. Her driving was erratic. It’s not simply that she wasn’t paying attention to her driving. She was paying attention to what other people wanted her to pay attention to. Advent = Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to.

From the New York Times: “We are witnessing the dark side of our new technological lives…. Pumping vast quantities of high-pressure media content into our faces to force up a spume of the vaporous and intimate stuff called attention, which now trades on the open market. Increasingly powerful systems seek to ensure that our attention is never truly ours.”  

Jesus: “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel” (Matthew 23:24). The lack of personal discipline in today’s digital world, the lack of real self-examination and change in our ways, is causing countless problems. Most personally, it’s warring against our very souls (1 Peter 2:11). If Advent is truly penitential, we digital addicts need to change our ways. “We must make attention itself the thing being taught.” (New York Times, November 27; A13). Giving up “Alleluia” for Advent is too shallow.

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The Meyer Minute for December 1, 2023

Welcome to December, the tenth month of the year! Yup. “Decem” in Latin means “ten.” November was the ninth month of the year, “novem” meaning “nine.” October: “octo” means “eight.” And you can guess September: the seventh (“septem”) month of the year. What happened?

We use time to measure life. In ancient Rome the year began with March, named after Mars, the god of war. When it became apparent that time wasn’t paying attention to the calendar, legend says the Roman king Numa Pompilius added January and February. With that calendar, December is indeed the tenth month. Time still didn’t pay attention to the calendar. So, Julius Caesar, the dictator, added two months: Quintilis (meaning the fifth month) and Sextilis (meaning the sixth month). That’s why December is actually the twelfth month, not the tenth. After Julius Caesar was assassinated (44 B.C.) and Emperor Augustus Caesar died (14 A.D), those months were renamed in their honor, July and August. So here we are.

People talk about “time management,” and on a small scale we can manage time, but in the big scheme of things? Jim Croce sang, “There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.” Sadly, he died in a plane crash. Physical things decline, like old buildings, old roads, old cars, and our bodies and earthly lives as well. “Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives,” began the long-running NBC soap opera. It’s vain to imagine we can master time.

If we can’t master time, who can? The 17th century poet George Herbert wrote, “All things were more ours by being His. What Adam had, and forfeited for all, Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.” “O Thou who changest not, abide with me.” Measure time not by clock or calendar but as moments, days, and seasons with the Master of time.  Live in the present. I am Thine and Thou art mine. “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). We’ll never run out of time with our God!

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The Meyer MInute for November 30, 2023

“Is there Gospel in the Old Testament?” That question was asked last Sunday in our Bible Class. It’s a great question. The answer is “Yes,” which immeasurably increases devotional readings for your spiritual growth.

Jesus Himself inspired the Old Testament prophets about His Gospel ministry. 1 Peter 1:10-12: “About this salvation, the prophets who were prophesying about the grace to you, searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings and the subsequent glories.”

Here’s an Old Testament prophecy with Gospel. When the Ethiopian eunuch was puzzled by Isaiah 53, he asked Philip, “‘About whom does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:32-36). Read Isaiah 52:13-53:11. In light of the New Testament, we see it’s all about Jesus.

Same with Jacob’s Ladder in Genesis 28:10-17. In John 3:51, Jesus promised Nathanael, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus is Jacob’s Ladder. By His incarnation and ascension, He reaches from heaven to earth and earth to heaven. The angels ascend and descend around Jesus.

After the resurrection, Jesus told the Emmaus disciples that the Old Testament was all about Himself. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Jesus stands over both testaments. In John 8:48-59, He was arguing with the Jews about how to interpret the Old Testament. He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” The Jews pushed back. You’re not old enough to have seen Abraham. Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Wow!

Countless more examples could be given. Maybe I will. When you hear and read the Old Testament, keep this rule in mind. “The New Testament is hidden in the Old, the Old is made clear by the New.”

The Meyer Minute for November 28, 2023

Every day, Diane and I ask, “What day is this?” Fortunately, our American culture tells us. Today is “Giving Tuesday.” Charities and colleges and churches want to cash in today, and yes, my beloved Concordia Seminary too. But do I have anything left to give you? Yesterday when we asked, “What day is this?” the answer was Cyber Monday; you should buy stuff online. But did you have anything left? When we woke up Saturday, we were told, “It’s Small Business Saturday.” Go uptown and drop a wad to support local businesses. Of course, that’s a reaction to Black Friday and big box stores. How many televisions does a home need? Me? Ain’t doin’ it. Not giving in to any of these pitches.

A friend likes to relate a conversation he had with an older Christian. “Tithe” said the faithful, older churchgoer. “Are you kidding?” or something like that came the response. “Try it for a year and see.” The younger Christian did, and it turned out to be a blessing. “Tithe” technically means ten percent, but in my years of ministry, which did include appeals for funds, we urged proportional giving. Maybe not 10% but 7%. Maybe not 10% but 20%. On gross income, not net. Here’s the question for faithful reflection. Do you know what proportion of your income you’re giving to the Lord’s work?

Proportional giving to our Lord's work makes realistic budgeting. Maybe you should delay buying that TV. Proportional giving replaces impulse spending with a short-term and long-term plan. Who can you help today? Who can you help when you've been taken to heaven? It all makes for conversation with your spouse. Many marriages hit the rocks over money. It’s putting the faith you profess into action. The psalmist speaks of generous Christians: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing” (Psalm 37:25-26). Today is a day to entrust your spending plan to your Creator and Sustainer. “Rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

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The Meyer Minute for November 28, 2023

Every day, Diane and I ask, “What day is this?” Fortunately, our American culture tells us. Today is “Giving Tuesday.” Charities and colleges and churches want to cash in today, and yes, my beloved Concordia Seminary too. But do I have anything left to give you? Yesterday when we asked, “What day is this?” the answer was Cyber Monday; you should buy stuff online. But did you have anything left? When we woke up Saturday, we were told, “It’s Small Business Saturday.” Go uptown and drop a wad to support local businesses. Of course, that’s a reaction to Black Friday and big box stores. How many televisions does a home need? Me? Ain’t doin’ it. Not giving in to any of these pitches.

A friend likes to relate a conversation he had with an older Christian. “Tithe” said the faithful, older churchgoer. “Are you kidding?” or something like that came the response. “Try it for a year and see.” The younger Christian did, and it turned out to be a blessing. “Tithe” technically means ten percent, but in my years of ministry, which did include appeals for funds, we urged proportional giving. Maybe not 10% but 7%. Maybe not 10% but 20%. On gross income, not net. Here’s the question for faithful reflection. Do you know what proportion of your income you’re giving to the Lord’s work?

Proportional giving to our Lord's work makes realistic budgeting. Maybe you should delay buying that TV. Proportional giving replaces impulse spending with a short-term and long-term plan. Who can you help today? Who can you help when you've been taken to heaven? It all makes for conversation with your spouse. Many marriages hit the rocks over money. It’s putting the faith you profess into action. The psalmist speaks of generous Christians: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing” (Psalm 37:25-26). Today is a day to entrust your spending plan to your Creator and Sustainer. “Rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

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The Meyer Minute for November27, 2023

Here’s to Dustin! Background: I need my daily newspapers, really need them, but several weeks ago the New York Times stopped coming. Yes, the bill had been paid. It just stopped coming. So, I called customer service and got a sweet-sounding robot. Day-after-day I “talked” to her. Eventually I got an email that my complaint had been “escalated,” whatever that might mean, but I still didn’t get my daily delivery. Bureaucracy! You know the feeling?

So last Thursday, this old paperboy and milkman was up at 4:00. I sat on the porch waiting. Here come the headlights. Dustin pulls up. I walk toward his car. He pops out and says, “I knew you were going to be out here one of these mornings!” This guy is good. When I shared the specifics of my case, he said he’d get on it. True to his word, every morning since he’s bringing me the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Wall Street Journal, and yippee! The New York Times. Kudos to Dustin!

Why do I need old-style physical papers? Why do I need hundreds of non-religious books? If I presume to teach what the precious little we can know about God, I must try to know what’s going on outside my Christian life. Seminary professor Martin Scharlemann once said, “A pastor’s job is to interpret reality theologically.” The 20^th century theologian Karl Barth put it this way. “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”

These days some people are using the Bible to support half-truths, conspiracy theories, and stupidity. Bureaucracies don’t care. People can. Thank you, Dustin!   

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The Meyer Minute for November 22, 2023

Growing up, one of my favorite church services of the year was Thanksgiving. Why, I’m not sure. Maybe because “please” and “thank you” were drilled into us as kids. When I became a pastor, I put special time and preparation into the service for Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Eve (more convenient for folks in the kitchen on Thursday). It seems important to me for many reasons.

“Stuff will make you happy,” or so our consumer culture tells us. Thanksgiving worship shows that to be a lie. “Man does not live by bread (consumer stuff) alone.” We all need this reality check, especially our youngsters who are surrounded by media about stuff.

Without gathering in church, Thanksgiving is just a public holiday. You don’t have to be Christian to be thankful; secularists can be thankful too. Thanksgiving may not be a liturgical festival, but it certainly gives the church an occasion for a public witness. Public worship sanctifies this national holiday.

When neighbors see the church parking lot filling up, it suggests to them that there is a spiritual side to a national holiday. And when C&E Christians read in congregational literature that “We’re thanking God with a Thanksgiving service,” their conscience can be touched. Every Sunday worshippers too.

Thanksgiving worship emphasizes creation, the First Article. That’s especially important in our times. Where can you begin a discussion with someone who doesn’t care about Jesus? Creation and caring for creation are a great place to start spiritual conversations. To get to the Second Article these days, we start with the First.  

And it’s bedrock biblically. “I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord” (Psalm 116:17-19). “Were not ten cleansed?” Jesus asks. “Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!  Diane and I will be back next week. “Come to God’s own temple come; Raise the song of harvest home” (Lutheran Service Book, 892:1).

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The Meyer Minute for November 21, 2023

Some men who retire work part time at the local funeral home; others become greeters at Walmart. I sometimes lead tours of Concordia Seminary.

Last Friday I led a tour of campus for the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has a program that introduces young, 20-somethings in business to the city and its institutions. After a box lunch, several presentations were made. I was impressed by Mayor Michelle Harris encouragement: Volunteer. Whether it’s the school board, humane shelter, soup kitchen, whatever… She told these future leaders to volunteer. The great thing is, they will. By participating in this Chamber program, they’re signaling their interest in institutions.

Institutions have been changed. We “have moved, roughly speaking, from thinking of institutions as molds that shape people’s characters and habits toward seeing them as platforms that allow people to be themselves and to display themselves before a wider world” (Yuval Levin, “A Time to Build: from Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream,” 33-34). Please, read that full title. What institution are you helping revitalize?

After the presentations, I led the tour. Each tour is tailored for its audience. Since this was a public group, I presume some Christians, Jews, and “nones,” my themes were different than for, say, a Lutheran grade school tour. The grandeur of our collegiate Gothic buildings let me speak about the importance of this institution for our church and also for our community. We strive to produce good citizens. The beauty of the chapel and new stained-glass windows let me give a gentle witness to our faith. And seeing JS Bach’s personal Bible closed out my time with people who will lead when we are gone.  

Why don’t older people let younger people take over? Why don’t we use volunteering to share the insights of our many decades? One way to be a Good Samaritan is to use your journey to guide young adults to healthy flourishing in life…and in the revitalization of our beleaguered institutions.

The Meyer Minute for November 20, 2023

The Bible teaches that we Christians should “honor all people” (1 Peter 2:17). Honor that Republican or Democrat you think is so wrong. Honor that young person who doesn’t have your values, or honor that old person who is losing it. Honor that Muslim or Jew or atheist. Martin Luther: “Honor includes not only love, but also deference, humility, and modesty directed (so to speak) toward a majesty concealed with them” (Large Catechism, Fourth Commandment). We’re all created by God, all sinners, all need salvation. Honor everyone.

In her typically thoughtful way, Peggy Noonan worried about the loss of civility in our public life. To make her point, she cited recent conduct by public officials. Congressman James Comer called Representative Jared Moskowitz a “Smurf” and a liar.” Last March Representative Jamal Bowman (he’s the child who pulled a fire-alarm in a Capitol Hill office building, there was no fire), screamed about Republicans, “They’re freaking cowards, they’re gutless.” And when Teamster President Sean O’Brien tweeted that Senator Markwayne Mullin was a “moron” and full of s—,” the Senator challenged him to a fight on TV in a Senate hearing. “You stand your butt up.” (Wall Street Journal, November 18-19; A13).

Rosalyn Carter died yesterday. Obviously, I never met her, nor did I closely follow her career, but by all accounts, she was a woman of great accomplishments and refinement. I did meet and interview former President Carter, whose kind civility reminded me of a loving parent. The loss of civility, not just in Congress but in our daily interactions with others, should worry us. Peggy Noonan: “It disheartens parents, who are trying to create rules for the road for their children. It disheartens normal Americans who are worried for their country and see in its increasing wildness and lack of dignity a sign that we may not be able to hold together in the long term… We have to look at ourselves here. Why do we accept this?”

The Church needs to be countercultural in today’s America. “Honor all people.” This will preach!