The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for February 28, 2018

“A person becomes sad in conscience and grumbles inwardly about the evil in life.” That line from Martin Luther struck me this morning as I looked at the news and mulled over the day to come. We preachers don’t have to convince people that sin exists, it’s present all around us and, if we reflect upon our deepest thoughts and urges, it’s within us too. What should I do about sin?

Psalm 32 is the second of the so-called “penitential psalms.” The psalmist first stuffed his own sin but that didn’t work. “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me” (verses 3-4). When you’re “sad in conscience…about the evil in life,” God’s hand is on you, oppressing you with the weight of sin. Theologians call this God’s “alien work.” Ever feel it?

Stuffing didn’t work, so “I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin’” (verse 5). Here’s God’s “proper work,” forgiveness through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6).

Be thankful when God oppresses you, and then lay your sins on Jesus. “After a person becomes aware of sin and terrified at heart, that one must watch that sin does not remain in the conscience, for this would certainly lead to nothing but doubt. Instead, as soon as sins have flowed out from Christ and are recognized, so they must be shaken back on him and the conscience emptied of them.” (Luther, “A Sermon on the Meditation of Christ’s Passion,” 175). “Steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart” (verses 10-11).

The Meyer Minute for February 26, 2018

Tributes continue for Rev. Billy Graham, and deservedly so. His ministry was not about himself or an evangelistic empire, but consistently about Jesus Christ. “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

His passing symbolizes the end of an American era. Our society was churched. Sunday mornings were given to worship, not sports. Regular church attendance meant every week, not once a month or so. Demographics after World War II found congregations booming. Judeo-Christian morality was accepted as the American ethic. Statements of faith came off the lips of politicians more easily. Of course it wasn’t a perfect time. Civil rights, inequalities, Cold War, materialism… That and more made America a nominal “Christian” country. It seemed to be a more glorious time for the church than today. Billy Graham saw the deceit of Jesus as a superficial cultural figure and not personal Savior, and so he preached the necessity of the cross of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

The great 20^th century evangelist is gone, but the need to understand the cross is heavier upon us than ever before. That the church is no longer privileged in today’s society should make us rethink the “glory days” of the church in the last century. “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17).  500 years ago Martin Luther wrote, “For those who have not first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil, it is impossible not to be puffed up by their own good works, until they know that they are nothing and that their works are not their own but God’s. (Heidelberg Disputation, 21). Woe to us if we yearn for the “glory days” of the church instead of seeing God’s presence in the evil and suffering of the cross. Only out of the death of sinners at the cross can God create new life.

The Meyer Minute for February 21, 2018

Do I watch Jesus suffer the same way I watch sports or an engaging show, a spectator? Paul saw no separation between himself and Jesus. “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This Lent I ask myself, how can I more identify my very being with Christ?

Part of the answer is to realize that forgiveness has not removed my sinfulness. The first penitential psalm in the Psalter is Psalm 6. It is prayed by a man who is godly, like you and me. “Depart from me all you workers of evil” (verse 8) is something a true Christian prays, and yet this spiritual man feels his guilt, feels it deep in his being. “I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?” (verses 2-3). Here we have no spectator in the pew but a true believer still troubled by his sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Fall short,” present tense, still failing. Shouldn’t that be troubling?

“They contemplate Christ’s passion properly who look at it with a terrified heart and a despairing conscience” said Martin Luther in his 1519 “Sermon on the Meditation of Christ’s Passion.” That is more than looking on as a spectator. It’s desperation focused on Christ, an obsession to know His love. “Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love” (verse 4). Do you as a believer still pray this way?

“Depart from me all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping” (verse 8). Therein the psalmist moves through the conscience troubled by sin to total dependence upon God. Luther again: “If we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live on forever. But if we see that it rests on Christ and is overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this, then sin is dead and nullified.”

The Meyer Minute for February 16, 2018

We are in Lent, a somber Lent because of the Florida school shooting. Here is a small portion of my message for this Sunday on The Lutheran Hour.

“Let’s get into this by thinking about all the mass shootings that have happened in recent years. Do you turn to religion for some kind of explanation about what’s going on? Jesus says, ‘Nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light’ (Mark 4:22). What was deep down in those gunmen came out in most terrible ways. They were fundamentally flawed men…. but you might disagree with what I’m going to say next.

“I am fundamentally flawed. You are fundamentally flawed. Think about the thoughts and feelings that are deep, deep down in your being. What are your secret thoughts about other people? What are your true feelings toward other people? Deep down do you have anger, lust, greed, resentment? Imagine if your deepest thoughts and feelings were revealed for all the world to know. How ashamed you and I would be! If my family and friends knew some of the things deep down in my being, I would be so ashamed, I would hightail it out of town never to be seen again. Wouldn’t you? In Mark 7:21-22, Jesus says, ‘Out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’ Sooner or later everything that is deep down within you will be revealed. Jesus promises, ‘Nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.’”

Steps can indeed be taken to prevent these horrors, and one fundamental move would be for each of us individually and all of us as a nation to humble ourselves in fear of God. Without that, Lent will get ever darker.

The Meyer Minute for February 14, 2018

“Jesus, I will ponder now / On Your holy passion.” Many Christians sing that hymn today, Ash Wednesday. How deeply will we ponder? I’m enjoying a book by Bernard Bull, a professor at Concordia University Wisconsin. “Digitized: Spiritual Implications of Technology,” from Concordia Publishing House, suggests deeper Lenten questions than “shall I give up chocolate?”

“People today are seeking love and answers to their greatest problems not only from other people; we are also turning to technology. We may come to rely on it as our source of hope and comfort, setting God aside. We see technology as the beacon of light and hope for a better future for us and for the rest of the world, believing that it will deliver us from the darkness of disease, disaster, poverty, war, and other troubles in our world and lives. When we seek love, security, healing, solutions to society’s most pressing problems, safety, or any other basic need from technologies or the people who wield them, we are tempted to act as if they play the role of messiah—a role that only Jesus properly fills.” (87)

“Jesus, I will ponder now”? Technology can address the symptoms of sin but cannot forgive sin. Technology can busy our lives but cannot calm our hearts. Technology can eavesdrop on our conversations but cannot answer prayers with fatherly love. Technology can improve our health and prolong our lives but cannot lead body and soul to heaven. Technology crashes, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, God’s Word alone endures into eternity.

“Jesus, I will ponder now / On Your holy passion;

With Your Sprit me endow / For such meditation.

Grant that I in love and faith / May the image cherish

Of Your suff’ring, pain, and death / That I may not perish.

(Lutheran Service Book, 440, 1)

May your Lent be a time of deep reflection. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)

The Meyer Minute for February 12, 2018

Yesterday many churches observed Transfiguration. For a brief time Jesus showed His glory but then He led the disciples down into the nasty business of Lent, of giving His life for our ransom.

From glory to suffering reminded me of a story told by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. He was invited to Viet Nam to preach to the troops, but said he was having a tough time coming up with what to say. Of course he wanted to tell them about Jesus, but how? What’s the most insightful way to arrange the message? Every preacher knows the feeling. With this problem in the back of his mind, he was visiting casually with some of the troops. One of them said, “I can’t wait to get back to real life.” “That’s it,” Dr. Hoffmann said. That’s the way to present the Good News of Jesus. What you’re experiencing now, as terrible as war is, is real life. It comes from the sinfulness of this world, and sin is real.

So also today. What you are experiencing in your life is real life. Don’t wish for an alternate reality. Are you a parent struggling with a child? Are you a caregiver running on fumes? Are you a teacher in a tough school, and underpaid at that? Are you a minister worn down by your congregation, discouraged because they’re not showing the love and joy of the Gospel? Are you a social worker or a volunteer at a foodbank? Are you in jail? You’re experiencing life, real and nasty in this world of sinful people. Jesus comes to bring redemption and hope to you…and through you to the people you serve.

“‘Tis good, Lord, to be here! Yet we may not remain;

But since Thou bidst us leave the mount, Come with us to the plain.

(Lutheran Service Book, 414, 4)

The Meyer Minute for February 8, 2018

Lord, teach me to wait on You. In the busyness of my routine, so many things I want to do, so many things I feel pressured to do, slow me down to wait on You. Calls and texts and connections lead me into the tyranny of the moment, everyone’s business my business, when it’s not. Too often I act like an atheist… How am I going to handle this?... when in fact You, my heavenly Father, are with me, Your child. Oh, me of little faith!

Waiting on You is more than the Sunday church service, more than a daily devotion. To wait on You is continually surrendering my will and ways to You. When I get agitated by something that upsets me, waiting on You composes my mind and shows a peaceful way forward. “In quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). And when something turns out well, the thanks is to You who works all things for good to those who love on You. “Guard my first springs of thought and will, and with Thyself my spirit fill.”

When my energy wanes as night comes, increase my waiting to sweet hours that call me from this world of care. Whatever good I imagine I accomplished today, let me commend it to You for Your blessing. Whatever I did not get done today, give me the courage to let it go. “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself” (Matthew 6:34). And when morning comes, may I invoke Your grace to meet the day’s tasks.  “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Amen!

The Meyer Minute for February 5, 2018

Daily chapel at Concordia Seminary offers rich and varied opportunities to remember whose we are in the ups and downs of life. Last week one service touched all our hearts, “Real Grief, Real Comfort: Miscarriage Memorial Service.” The key text was Psalm 30, including, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. You hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy. Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”

A time was given for worshipers to place flowers on a table in the front of the sanctuary. “May the beauty of the flowers express the beauty of God’s gift of life. By placing the flowers near the altar, we symbolize our faith that entrusts our whole lives into the care of the God who has loved us in Jesus Christ. After the service has concluded, you are welcome to retrieve a flower, and take it with you as a remembrance of this service and the gift of life.”

Almost finally, we prayed a “Litany of Grief and Hope.”

For parents and families whose children have died, and whose grief may seem more than they are able to bear, let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, have mercy

For all those who minister in love to the grieving, that they may have wisdom to listen well and to speak carefully in loving understanding, let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, have mercy

For hearts that need God’s truth, that the promise of Christ’s return and the hope of the resurrection of all flesh may bring a strong foundation and a place to stand, let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, have mercy.

Finally, for these and for all our needs of body and soul, let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

What was final, in the service and in Christian life, was hearing again God’s benediction.

The Meyer Minute for February 2, 2018

Dr. Robert Kolb is a world-renowned scholar of Martin Luther and the Reformation and a dear colleague to all of us here at Concordia Seminary. For decades he has travelled the world and lives both in St. Louis and Germany. He says he’s come to realize the church is his real home. Wherever he goes, it’s the people of the church who receive him, spend time with him, and wish him well when he sets out to his next destination.

Where’s home for today’s children? The next generation after the Millennials is “Gen Z.” Here are some research findings. “Teens 13 to 18 years old are twice as likely as adults to say they are atheist (13% vs. 6%).” “One-third of teens says gender is how a person feels inside, not their birth sex.” “Half say parents are their primary role model, but only one-third that family is core to their identity.” “More than half use screen media four hours or more on an average day.” “Out of 69 million children and teens in Gen Z, just 4% have a biblical worldview.” (Barna, “Gen Z: The Culture, Beliefs and Motivations Shaping the Next Generation”).  

Writing to adult followers of Jesus, Peter says, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.” “House” is the Greek word “oikos,” and makes us think of a building, but it’s much more. “The basic social unit in the Greek world was the family, for which there is no exact linguistic equivalent. The nearest word is “oikos,” which more accurately translates as ‘household.” (Robert Garland, “Ancient Greece,” 63). Given the Barna findings, what can we do so children see the church as a social unit basic to their lives, as their household, family? That Dr. Kolb sees the church as his home is an insight for how we adults shape the life of the church for the eternal sake of our children.