The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for August 28, 2019

Sin is deep-seated in us all, even we who confess and trust Jesus for forgiveness. That sin is not dormant; it’s looking for a way to show itself. An awful image comes to mind: A snake deep within a person’s body breaking through the skin to wiggle its ugly way out.

There are two lists of sin in 1 Peter, one is in chapter 4. “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” When Peter talks about ceasing from sin, he means committing blatant sins. He’s not saying we’re no longer sinners. Check that out in Romans 7. Peter goes on to list some blatant sins he has in mind. “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry” (1 Peter 4:1-3). Good enough, we church-goers don’t do those things, at least not normally. But…

…that snake of sin deep within us still wants to become active and get out. How might that happen? Earlier in his epistle, Peter talked about how church-goers interact with one another. He listed some sins we might commit with one another.  “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” (1 Peter 2:1). Malice is ill will. Deceit is hiding or misrepresenting the truth. Hypocrisy is professing one thing but doing another. Envy is jealousy about some one else’s life. And slander here means making disparaging remarks about another person. Unlike the blatant sins, these sins can come out of the heart through our words. “Well, you know so-and-so is…” The sinful snake slips out also among us.

Peter immediately offers a cure. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – since indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2). There is a power in our heart stronger than the sins that want to show up on our lips, the Word of God that enables us to resist temptation. Because we long for our Lord’s pure spiritual Word to get down into our hearts and crush the serpent’s head, we go to church and listen.
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The Meyer Minute for August 27, 2019

Have you ever gone to church feeling guilty about something? I hope so; that shows your awareness of sin. So you’re in the service and recite words of confession. “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You,” or some version thereof. Then the pastor announces God’s forgiveness to you for Jesus’ sake. Guilt gone, right? No. You probably know the feeling, I certainly do, that the guilty feelings often come back. Then your introspective soul starts wondering. “Do I truly believe that I’m forgiven?” “Am I a hypocrite?”

 

I’m in Cary, North Carolina for a Continuing Education Workshop. Our Seminary offers on-site, on-line and print resources for laity and clergy to think through various aspects of Christian faith and life and to grow in knowledge and commitment. About 120 laypeople attended sessions Sunday and Monday evenings. During the days I’m enjoying time with about 20 pastors, some local, others from New Mexico, Arizona, Georgia, and Ohio. Our topic is the importance of your congregation in today’s culture. Back in the days of “Christian” America, when our public culture was favorable to the church, in many ways supporting the church’s message and mission, back then people knew you attend worship. Today I believe we pastors have to show the benefits of weekly attendance.

 

What I said at the top about guilt is one reason. You confess and hear forgiveness on Sunday and feel guilty again on Monday? That doesn’t mean you’re a hypocrite. It means you’re human. We’re wired with emotions, and guilt is one. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our deepest being feels guilt. Add Satan to that, who whispers into your conscience, “You have done wrong.” Old theologians talked about Pharisaic pride, religious self-righteousness, and Epicurean indifference, living for yourself with no thought for God or judgment. I presume you’re neither since you have been troubled by the recurrence of guilt. When you worship each week, you hear the word of forgiveness that comes from outside yourself, “For Jesus’ sake you are forgiven.” That’s beyond emotions, but then you go back into the week and emotions well up from within. Back to church the next Sunday to hear again that Gospel word from outside ourselves. Back and forth, back and forth. That’s sanctified Christian living.  

The Meyer Minute for August 26, 2019

“Vulcanalia” was the festival for Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. It’s hard to put yourself into the Roman world of religion. We Americans have traditionally believed that there is one God, but the ancient Romans had many. Christians historically have understood the faith by the doctrines, the teachings of the Bible, which are systematized and put into books like catechisms for people to learn. That would have been totally foreign to the Romans. And Bible-believing Christians think other world religions may be well-intentioned but are wrong. Romans didn’t think that way; the more the merrier. “You have your opinion; I have mine. Who are you to say that I’m wrong?” So people in Pompeii celebrated Vulcanalia, not taking it too seriously, just having a good time and nodding to the nice gods. The date was August 23 in the year 79 A.D.

The next day started normally, just like your day today. Pompeii was a commercial center on the Bay of Naples, not far from Rome. Bustling life included import and export business, textiles, a large food industry (olive oils, wine, fish, breads, a sauce called “garum”) and millstones, carved from the nearby abundance of volcanic rock. Pompeiians ate dinner at home but breakfast and lunch were often at food stands, sometimes take outs. People pursued their own interests, or in the case of slaves, a third of the population, the business of their masters. At noon the earth shakes. An hour later Vesuvius erupts with a hot cloud of dust and ash reaching 8 miles into the sky. The cloud keeps growing larger, soon 18 miles high. Now we can’t see the sun, dark as night. Some 12 hours later a landslide of volcanic debris heads right at us. Heat over 500 degrees instantly kills us all. Today, August 26, Pompeii is no more.

Apparently their god Vulcan was not pleased by their celebration. The mysteries and terrible powers of the creation, known so much more today because of the discoveries of science, move us Christians to awe, to the fear of the true God. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” He asked Job. We know so little, but one thing we do know. “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). In today’s normal going-here and going there, who knows what may come? We know one thing. He’s with us in the love of His Son, love we share with one another so long as we have life.

The Meyer Minute for August 21, 2019

I sometimes advise our future pastors not to bring up religion in every conversation they have. The reason is to form authentic relationships with people. Of course, a pastor should exude faith in Christ and parishioners expect words, attitudes and actions that show confidence in faith. Be it parishioners or people outside the faith, words I learned years ago from Dr. Eugene Habecker are true. “Don’t tell me what a friend I have in Jesus until I see what a friend I have in you.”

Do our prayers to God exude an authentic relationship or are they mainly self-centered, “gimme, gimme, gimme”? Studying 1 Peter is one of my major projects. It’s a splendid epistle for our post-churched times in America, and begins with a famous passage. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you….” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

These verses are part of an ancient prayer form known as Berakah, from the Hebrew word for “blessed.” In his Concordia Commentary on the first verses of Ephesians, Dr. Thomas Wenger writes, “Two features of these prayers are most notable: (1) they bear the characteristic of true praise in that they (a) speak of God in the third person and (b) proclaim his mighty, saving deeds; and (2) petitions, often thought to be at the heart of prayer, are notably absent.” (211)

“Petitions…are notably absent.” But aren’t there things to ask for? Of course. The people to whom Peter wrote were experiencing trials because of their faith. Many of them would have liked more money in their lives. Some marriages were mixed, Christian and non-Christian. Like us, they had real life issues. We “take it to the Lord in prayer” because something more fundamental has happened. Our heavenly Father has put us in genuine relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. Out of that relationship we do pray and ask for various things, but the relationship itself moves us to praise Him for salvation and be our constant joy. “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” has indeed shown us what a friend we have in Jesus. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:36).

The Meyer Minute for August 20, 2019

I’m reading “Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us” by Simon Critchley. Tragedy, he writes, “shows the limits of our attempted self-sufficiency and what we might think of as our autonomy.” “To disavow the past is to be destroyed by it—such is tragedy’s instruction” (14).

Whether August 20 is the actual date, it’s observed as the day when a ship from Africa brought 20 to 30 slaves to America. It was the beginning of the slave trade from Africa to America. Announcing “The 1619 Project,” the Sunday New York Times published two special sections on this 400^th anniversary. While I question some of The Times’ assertions, there’s much documented historical truth, tragedy.

One example is a photo on the last page of the Magazine. “This spot is the site of the largest auction of enslaved people in American history – an 1859 event the enslaved called the Weeping Time, in which 436 people were brought to the hammer to pay off the bad investments and gambling debts of Pierce M. Butler, the absentee owner of the Butler Island plantation.” The article goes on to tell the story of “a man named Jeffrey, recorded in one contemporary writer’s account begging in vain for his purchaser to also buy his love, Dorcas, Chattel No. 278: ‘Please buy Dorcas, Mas’r. We’re be good sarvants to you long as we live. We’re be married right soon, young Mas’r, and de chillum will be healthy and strong, Mas’r, and dey’ll be good sarvants too.” That’s but one of many heart-rending stories.

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4). The tragedy of slavery, and much more in our public and private lives, draws us to the cross. Partisans promote their ways to lead us to glory; followers of Jesus see the vanity. “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:20-23). “Without the theology of the cross a person misuses the best things in the worst way” (Martin Luther).

The Meyer Minute for August 19, 2019

I wrote this Minute yesterday, late afternoon, a time my chest often tightens up. Tomorrow’s Monday and I dread getting back to work.” It doesn’t matter what’s coming up on Monday as much as the simple fact, back to the grind. You know the feeling?

So I re-read with curiosity Tim Herrera’s column, “Feeling Uninspired? Maybe It’s Time for a Little Break.” “One study from 2018, found that one in five highly engaged employees is at risk of burnout.” So Mr. Herrera offers three ways to counter the “slippery slope of a lack of inspiration.” First is the progress principle. Said Liz Fosslein, “Often you’re not motivated because your goal is too big. So if you can just break that into mini-milestones – like what are you going to do today that you can cross at the end of today?” OK, I get that; what did I accomplish today?  Much or little, isn’t there a greater measure of satisfaction? “In the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

“But ticking items off your to-do list can take you only so far if you’re in a spiral of a lack of inspiration,” continues Mr. Herrera. His second piece of advice: “Research has shown that motivation at work often comes from working with people you care about, and people with friends at work tend to find their jobs more satisfying.” Hmmm…  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful… Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Be like that and you’ll have friends at work.

“But,” our advice giver adds, “when all else fails and you just can’t find that spark of inspiration, fall back on a tried-and-true strategy: Take a little time away from your job” (New York Times, August 12; B6). No news for a follower of Jesus! “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (Psalm 94:19).  

“Thus, Lord Jesus, ev’ry task / Be to you commended;

May Your will be done, I ask, / Until life is ended.

Jesus, in Yours name begun / Be the day’s endeavor;

Grant that it may well be done / To Your praise forever”

(Lutheran Service Book, 869, 5).

 

Happy Monday!

The Meyer Minute for August 16, 2019

We’re getting ready for the new school year. This morning all faculty and staff will meet for updates as we begin our 181^st year. Next week new students go through orientation to Seminary life. August 23 is the Opening Service and August 26 classes begin. And I wonder, so what?

I once asked in a sermon, “If your congregation suddenly disappeared, would anyone notice?” Lutherans aren’t used to shouting “Amens” and “Alleluias” in church, but one older woman called out, “Yes.” I had to refine my question. “You would miss your church, but would anyone in the community notice that your church was gone?” Silence.

Eleven St. Louis children killed by guns this summer. El Paso. Dayton. If our seminaries suddenly disappeared, would anyone notice? That question haunts me, and it’s the question I’ll put to faculty and staff this morning. We’re not just beginning a new school year. More than that, we’re reenergizing our mission to reach people with the help and hope of Jesus Christ.

The theme this year is “Grace. Mercy. Peace. Lives of Significance.” A TV commentator said shooters take lives because they don’t believe life has value. Through Jesus Christ God gives grace, His totally underserved favor. That grace is seen in mercy, really mercies, the many acts of loving kindness that fill our lives day-in and day-out. God’s grace and mercy give you peace. Watching the news this morning, Diane said, “The whole country has gone berserk.” Yes, but living conscious of God’s grace and mercy makes you the kind of person others want to know, a person of peace amid the chaos. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3). That makes your life significant in the mission of God, and leads you to see every life as precious.

Martin Luther: “A Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. Otherwise he is not a Christian. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.”

So if your congregation or our Seminary suddenly disappeared, would anyone notice? The answer will be found less in the walls of the sanctuary or classroom and more in our communities, in the lives God touches through us with Jesus’ help and hope. Let’s get on with it!

 

 

The Meyer Minute for August 15, 2019

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

 

St. Augustine: “Why then do we not exert ourselves on earth so as to be happy with him already in heaven through the faith, hope and charity which unite us with him? Christ, while in heaven, is also with us; and we, while on earth, are also with him.” (In “For All the Saints,” III, 1236).

My dearest Lord Jesus, my heart is troubled. From near and far comes unsettling news. The pace of life is faster than I can handle. The expectations of others are more than I can meet. The hurts of life are heavy. Often I feel a weight on my chest. And how strong is my faith? My heart and mind are like a sieve; the troubling things of life come right in. Too often I hang on only by a thread. Lord, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Luke 9:24). Fill me with Your faith, hope and love for the day ahead!

 

When the first disciples were scared because You had died and seemed gone, Your resurrection changed them. The world was still fearful but now they saw all things in the light of Your resurrection and our heaven to come. You are alive and we will see You when You come again to bring us home.  Strengthen my trust in You and lead me to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). When my heart is weighed down by the strife and battle of life, as it will be, I will stay my soul on You and experience Your peace (Isaiah 26:3). “The strife is o’er, the battle done; Now is the victor’s triumph won; Now be the song of praise begun. Alleluia!” (LSB 464, 1). “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:21)

 

“Help then, O Lord, our unbelief; / And may our faith abound

To call on You when You are near / And seek where You are found.

 

“Lord, when our life of faith is done, / In realms of clearer light

We may behold You as You are, / With full and endless sight. Amen!

(Lutheran Service Book 720, 3, 5)

 

 

The Meyer Minute for August 14, 2019

I went to the web site of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church on 14^th Street in north St. Louis City. The site is attractive, and like many web sites, offers an opportunity to make a donation. “Join us in ministering to the people of North St. Louis by making a tax-deductible donation.” I give to my congregation and assume you give to yours. Holy Trinity is an example of why supporting our congregations is so important, not just with money but with our life participation.

Eleven children have been killed by guns this summer in St. Louis. 7-year-old Xavier Usanga was the latest, killed Monday outside his home. He was supposed to start second grade yesterday. Can you imagine how dark these days are for the Usanga family? Police Major Mary Warneke said, “There used to be a line: ‘You don’t hurt a child,’ and when a child gets hurts, it’s time to call the police. But that’s not happening.” A neighbor said, “We’re scared. It was just kids in the yard.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14; A1).

This has captured my mind, but I’m also stymied. The violence here and throughout the country don’t go to church, don’t read the Bible, and in general don’t fear God. By the way, that is a root problem in today’s society. “If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (1 Peter 1:17). Violent, but also many peaceful citizens don’t believe that we’ll be called to account for our actions. But how do we reach them? Much that we do in church, this Minute too, is preaching to the choir.

When the disciples theologized about a poor, blind man, Jesus said, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). In places like north St. Louis and in your community, the Body of Christ is called to bring the saving works of God to hurting lives. When the Usanga’s home burned, Holy Trinity helped them relocate. Last Christmas at Holy Trinity, little Xavier carried the figure of baby Jesus to the altar. Your congregation in your community is more important than ever. Jesus says, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).

 

 

The Meyer Minute for August 13, 2019

Spending time this weekend with Zacchaeus gave me new appreciation for that “wee little man,” as the kids’ song describes him. I preached Sunday at Immanuel, Bremen, Kansas – thank you for a great day! – and based my sermon upon his story in Luke 19:1-10.

Why did Zacchaeus go to special lengths to see Jesus? He wasn’t sick and demon-possessed, the reason many people went to Jesus. His problem seems to have been guilt, or at least guilt by association, and yearning for reconciliation with his people.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. In the first-century Roman Empire there was no IRS. You might think, “Good,” but it wasn’t. The government in Rome farmed out the collection of taxes to individuals, and oversight was limited. The franchise to collect taxes was an opportunity to collect what was due and also fill your own wallet. Hence these government vendors were a despised group, “sinners” in the opinion of the aggrieved Jews of Israel. The text suggests that Zacchaeus wasn’t shady like most. Note the present tense in what Zacchaeus. “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8). He protests his innocence, that he gives generously to the poor and restores mistakes fourfold. Might Zacchaeus have been an honest person…in a lucrative business…but a business filled with crooks…and hence he was shunned by his fellow Jews?

If that’s the case, then Zacchaeus is more than a crook who got religion. He’s a person with a sensitive conscience about right and wrong, who wants to do right by others, but is suffering guilt by association. Since his fellow Jews have shunned him as a “sinner,” He seeks restoration through the popular prophet Jesus and through Jesus Zacchaeus is reconciled to God. “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9).

So he’s reconciled to God but his fellow Jews? They probably kept looking down on him. “If you suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord” (1 Peter 3:14-15). “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms He’ll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.” (Lutheran Service Book, 770, 3).