The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for January 18, 2012

I follow with interest the unfolding story of the “Costa Concordia,” the cruise liner that capsized off Italy.  So far 39 people are dead or missing. In 1708 another “Concordia” ran into bad weather and disappeared off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, 130 people were lost.  In 2010 another “Concordia” sank off the coast of Brazil, 64 people saved. I taped that news story to my office door as a reminder that poor leadership can be disastrous when you’re steering a ship or seminary named “Concordia.”  The captain is the focus of attention in the most recent tragedy. He’s been placed under arrest on charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship with passengers aboard. 

Christians who believe that God forgives our sins for Jesus’ sake often have trouble with accountability.  God forgives me, we may reason, so let’s just overlook this mistake I made.  That kind of thinking leads many people to view us believers as naïve. The Bible, in fact, teaches that we will be judged by our works (2 Corinthians 5:10)  Understanding that we are accountable in work and life, that we are punished or rewarded in life for our works, makes God’s forgiveness a most precious gift.  But what does forgiveness mean if we don’t take accountability seriously?  

 

The Meyer Minute for January 17, 2012

Has the pace of life hurried you on, forgetting the story of the Wise Men?  It's the text from Matthew 2, associated with Epiphany, January 6th.  I would have sped on myself, were it not for an insight planted in my mind by a colleague.   

The story is filled with mysteries.  Who were those travelers from afar?  Priests of some eastern religion, astrologers?  Many Bibles simply use the original Greek word, "magi." And what about the "star?" A conjunction of planets, a comet, or a star custom made by God?  Really now, aren't those questions trivial compared to living your life before the great mystery of God? 

The Magi followed the star to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?"  The priests and theologians answered "In Bethlehem," quoting from the book of Micah.  Now to the insight from my colleague, Dr. Jeffrey Oschwald.  The Magi must have been mystified that these religiously learned people didn't go with them to Bethlehem.  They knew the Scriptures but didn't act on them, no change of life, all head, no heart.  Mystifying. 

Do you take the Bible as God's Word?  Do you believe you'll come before Him in judgment?  Don't let the pace of life pull you away from devotion!

 

 

 

 

The Meyer Minute for January 16, 2012

James woke up Monday morning with things on his mind, James being King James I of England and the date January 16, 1604.  He had called a conference to deal with religious strife in England and Monday was his day to hear from Puritans complaining about the Church of England.  They had written, "We, to the number of more than a thousand, of your Majesty’s subjects and ministers, all groaning as under a common burden of human rites and ceremonies, do with one joint consent humble ourselves at your Majesty’s feet to be eased and relieved in this behalf." So they proposed improving the clergy, eliminating some ceremonies, more strictly keeping the Sabbath and writing a new catechism.  Of course, the establishment bishops thought differently and James was in the middle of it all.

Many people dismiss the church because they see how Christians squabble.  Many in the church disdain theological disagreement, I certainly do, but read the Gospels and we see Jesus Himself at odds with the religious establishment.  Often it's out of controversy that truth becomes clearer.  It certainly did when James presided that Monday long ago.    When the flustered Puritans off-handedly mentioned a new translation of the Bible, James seized on the suggestion.  The result was the King James Bible.

 

The Meyer Minute for January 12, 2012

Yesterday the Supreme Court issued a judgment that affirms our religious freedom.  The First Amendment promises, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Yesterday's ruling reaffirmed that religious institutions have the right to hire and fire without the interference of the government.  Hosanna-Tabor, a Lutheran congregation near Detroit,  had terminated a teacher in its parochial school.  This teacher had been religiously trained and called to teach religion and other subjects in an explicitly Christian environment.  The government sued on behalf of the teacher for backpay, reinstatement and damages.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the suit "intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs" as well as "the right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments." It is important to note that all nine justices agreed.

Wall Street Journal Online wrote, "Hosanna-Tabor is an important reminder that the core religious freedoms guarded by the First Amendment were not to protect the public from religion, but to protect religion from government. The case is arguably among the most important religious liberty cases in a half century."

 

The Meyer Minute for January 11, 2012

I once was talking with a childhood friend who's spent most of her adult years struggling with a serious illness.  When I asked how she coped, she said it was most helpful to know that others were praying for her.

Set as we are in a society that functions only with natural causes and effects, prayer for the sick adds the supernatural, asking the touch of heaven upon scientific medical procedures.  God has demonstrated time and again His way of doing things is to step into our closed system of natural cause and effect.  The chief example is the comin of His Son.  From the unseen world into ours comes Christ, and from His coming God's interventions multiply outward.  Our prayers for those in need demonstrate our belief that God truly is involved in day-to-day things.  People of prayer really do live by faith, not just sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

So to any of you who are sick, facing surgery, undergoing treatments, longing for health, we assure you of our prayers.  Life is not just the horizontal dimension of cause and effect that we struggle with day-in and day-out.  Reality is also vertical, and that dimension we invoke for you.

The Meyer Minute for January 10, 2012

In many churches last Sunday the Bible reading was Jesus’ baptism.  By being baptized, Jesus identified Himself with us.  Immanuel, God with us, our Helper today.  Yet how often we suffer various wrongs and ills in life without drawing confidence from this Helper standing quietly at our side!

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight.  A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”  (Isaiah 42:1, 3)

“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:15-16)

When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven.  “You are My Son, whom I love.  With You I am well pleased.”  (Luke 3:22)  Immanuel, God with us.  Let’s not go away from Him when troubles come to us.  Martin Luther said, “Him you must hear, and Him alone, and trust in fullest measure the word that He has spoken.”  (Lutheran Service Book, 406, 3)

 

The Meyer Minute for January 9, 2012

The latest Harvard Business Review is all about happiness.  These early days of January I’m striving to keep some sanity in my daily schedule, to carry over some holiday calm into the workaday routine.  You know the feeling?

An article by Shawn Anchor promises, “Engaging in one positive exercise every day for as little as three weeks can have a lasting impact.”  “Like what?” I wondered.  Mr. Anchor suggested 5 possible new daily habits.  “Jot down three things (you’re) grateful for.  Write a positive message to someone in (your) social support network.  Meditate at their desk for two minutes.  Exercise for 10 minutes.  Take two minutes to describe in a journal the most meaningful experience of the past 24 hours.” 

With the possible exception of exercise, all these are marks of Christian living.  Thankful to God and others, prayer and Bible-based meditation on life… Aren’t these the traits of people who have worshipped at the manger and are following the light of Christ in life?  The holidays, holy days, can continue!  Not because of business principles but because the Spirit of God works those traits into our being. “The shepherds returned (to work), glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  (Luke 2:20)

 

 

The Meyer Minute for January 6, 2012

Today is Epiphany and we think of Matthew 2, the star leading the wise men to the child Jesus.  People speculate but that star is a minor light in the biblical scheme of things; Jesus is the real light.  “I am the light of the world” and He says His followers “are the light of the world.”  (John 8:12; Matthew 5:14)

You haven’t seen the light.  I mean, your physical eyes haven’t seen that light, haven’t even seen Jesus the way the disciples saw Him.  “You have not seen Him.”  (1 Peter 1:8)  At select times Jesus let His disciples see His full glory.  “We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father.”  (John 1:14)  But for us, for now, it’s a mercy that we haven’t physically seen the risen and glorified Son of God.  “No one can see Me and live.”  (Exodus 33:20)

So, how do you “see” the light of Christ?  Jesus says, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really disciples….  Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.”  (John 8:31, 47)  I suggest a new symbol of Epiphany, the otoscope, that light the doctor uses to examine your ear.  For the time being it’s through your ear that the Great Physician shines His light into your soul.  We’re promised that someday our eyes will see the glory.

 

The Meyer Minute for January 5, 2012

Being Christ-like includes all the annoyance that comes with people.  “Garbage in” often happens when people are around, stuff we don’t like gets into our souls, like office intrigue, water cooler speculation, e-mails.  “I hear the slander of many…. They take council together against me” (Psalm 31:13).  Jesus knows the feeling…and knew what to do about it. “In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35).

Devotion is “garbage out.” That relief comes when we name our fear and then light upon a word or two in our reading.  Martin Luther wrote, “Often in my meditation I come across such rich thoughts that I disregard the other six petitions (of the Our Father).  When such a wealth of ideas comes, one should…make room for such thoughts, listen silently and certainly not hinder them from coming.  Under these conditions the Holy Spirit is preaching and in His sermon one word is better than a thousand in our prayer.”  (A Simple Way to Pray)

Private daily devotion not only helps you cope with people; it opens your soul for God to come in.   “He showed me the wonders of His love” (Psalm 31:21).  It is the way of Christ for us today.

 

The Meyer Minute for January 4, 2012

Hi!  My name is Andrew.  People call me Drew.  I spent last week with Oma and Opa.  I crawled all over the house.  Opa has an electric train around the Christmas tree.  I reached for the train but Mommy stopped me.  At home I pulled our Christmas tree down.  I really did!  When I reached for Opa and Oma’s tree, Mommy stopped me again.

The best thing I did all week was go to the nursing home.  Mommy and Oma took me to visit Dorothy.  Dorothy is very nice.  After hugs, I was plopped on the floor.  I crawled toward the hallway.  I got to the door and looked both ways.  Don’t go there, I thought.  I’m only 19 pounds.  So I went back into the room.  People walked by, looked in the room and saw me.  Workers and residents stopped and smiled at me.  Then we went home.

Opa said a study by the Search Institute found that children who learn first-hand about people’s needs are children who grow up with good faith formation.  Opa, I’m only 10-months-old!  I don’t know what you mean.  All I know is I’m glad I went to the nursing home, met Dorothy, and made people smile.