Faith: Running with Others

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

This past spring I got back into running with a goal in mind: I wanted to put in a good showing at the Eyota Days 5K road race.  It took a few months of training to get in shape, but by the middle of July I felt pretty good.  Ben and I ran the 5K trail several times prior to the race.  By race day, I was ready to go!

After the Eyota Days race, I grew busy…it got hot…I was out of town…(excuses…excuses…).  My running regimen disappeared for a while, so when Ben asked if I would run with him in St. Charles’ Gladiolus Days race, I wasn’t so sure.  I’d done some running, but nothing near the 3 miles that the race required.  After putting off a decision for a while, on Thursday I finally decided to bite the bullet.  My goal…to finish!

On Saturday morning I lined up with all the other crazy runners.  As the gun sounded I found a comfortable pace and plodded along, winding through the streets of St. Charles.  At about the halfway point of the race I found myself in a ‘gap.’  I had a few runners in my sights ahead of me.  I couldn’t sense anyone behind me.  I ran alone and felt myself fading.  I didn’t have the energy to catch the person ahead of me.  I soon heard the footsteps of someone coming up from behind.  I’d fallen back.  As the runner moved to pass me, something in me clicked.  I wasn’t about to let someone blow by me!  As he moved by me, I picked up the pace to keep up.  Before long I started to pull away from him, but he hurried to keep up.  For the last 1 ½ miles of the race, the two of us ran side by side.  When one person fell behind, he’d kick it in gear to catch back up again.  Together we moved up on the pack and, one by one, we passed the runners ahead of us.  On the home stretch I was able to blow by the winner of the 12 and under girl’s division (so yes, I AM faster than a 12 year old girl!  Barely!).

Had I run the second half of the race alone, I know that would have faded back into the pack.  Once I had someone to run with, I found extra energy.  I had someone to keep up with!  After the race I tracked my fellow runner down and thanked him for ‘picking me up.’  He had a funny response, “I was just trying to run your pace and keep up.”  He pushed me.  I pushed him.  Together, we finished strong.  He helped me to do what I wanted to do all along…run well!

That race is a microcosm of my life of faith.  When I feel ‘alone’ in faith, it’s easy to fade...to lose motivation.  A few years ago I tried (on my own) to read the Bible in a year.  I didn’t come close to making it!  This year we have a group of people all doing it at once.  As of today, I’m up to date!  They are helping me to do what I want to do.  God continually puts people in my life to ‘push’ me in my faith life.  They challenge me to be the person I want to be.  They remind me of the goodness of our Lord. 

I need others to help to throw off everything that hinders me and the sin that so easily entangles me.  They run with me as together we fix our eyes on Jesus.

A life of Christian faith isn’t a solo journey!  Others run with us.  Thank God!

God had a day of rest, so why don't I??

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2-3)

In six days God:

·         created the heavens

·         created the earth

·         created plants

·         created animals

·         created people

On the seventh day God rested.

In six days I:

·         write sermons

·         plan church events

·         organize church youth activities

·         do a zillion behind the scenes church things

·         oversee new ministries in the synod on behalf of Bishop Usgaard

·         do projects at home

·         cook

·         clean

·         do some laundry

·         run my son from event to event

·         garden

·         take care of the yard

·         etc…etc…etc…

On the seventh day, I have just a few one or two more things to take care of.

I think God is on to something! 

We live in a culture that doesn’t know when to stop, and I’m as guilty as anyone else.  The list of things to do never ends.  I wake up early to have some time to catch up.  I often get to bed later than I’d like because I have ‘just one last thing to do.’  I measure the ‘quality’ of my day by how much I accomplished.

When my family goes away to our cabin for a few days, a new list appears: move some rock…push the cattails out of the way…repair the boat…  Last Friday I thought I’d try something different.  After a few 13 hour work days, my family and I headed north.  For one day, I ignored the to-do list.  I slept in…I fished…I grilled lunch...I read a book…I napped…I went jogging…I played cards. Imagine – a whole day without feeling any obligation to get stuff done…a day of rest!  It was lovely! 

I know that when I have some time to relax I’m happier, I’m more fun to be around, I’m a better parent, and I actually get more done.    Why don’t I do that more often?  Why do I keep running the rat race?  It makes no sense.

If God can rest after six days of work, why do I feel the need to keep charging ahead?  My challenge for this fall, as my schedule fills up with new activities, is to find a time of rest.  God created us to take time to unwind and enjoy God’s world.  God calls us to times of peace and reflection.  God reaches out to us in worship and prayer.

I suspect I’m not the only one struggling here!  There’s no glory in having the busiest schedule.  The list of things to do will still be there tomorrow…it doesn’t need to be done now.  Let us join God in a weekly day of rest!  God knows that we need it.

Cancer - Creation Groans!

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22).

Right now my life is surrounded by cancer.  My wife has lived with ovarian cancer for 7 ½ years.  My mother-in-law has endured 17 years of cancer treatments and soon will have yet another surgery.  Joe, my good friend and pastoral coach endures some nasty lung cancer treatments.  Larry, my synod-staff colleague from Southwestern Minnesota, was just diagnosed with a lymphoma.  Enough already!

Last Friday night my family went to the Freeborn County Relay for Life.  A large crowd gathered to raise money for cancer research.  Over 5000 luminaries honored those fighting cancer…and remembered those who succumbed to it.  Cancer touches so many lives.  Enough already!

Everywhere I turn I run into cancer and the horrific treatments that people endure to fight it.  The reality is that chemo and radiation are poisons.  Yes, they fight against the cancer cells, but they also overwhelm the body.  The list of side-effects from most chemo treatments is frightening.  I’m convinced that in 20 years we’ll look back at today’s methods of fighting cancer and say, “How barbaric!”  Sadly, it’s the best that we have right now.  While brilliant researchers work to find better options, people still have to continue enduring the agony of treatment.

The question often arises, “How could God allow cancer?”  The reality is that we live in a broken world.  We live in a world overrun by sin.  Sin is much more than some people doing some bad things.  All of creation groans under sin.... it permeates all things.  Everything in creation works to rebel against God.  People push away the God who created them, preferring to live lives of anxiety and pain.  The earth has the capability of unleashing horrific pain in earthquakes or floods or tornadoes.  Even the DNA of human cells mutates, causing tumors to grow…and destroy all around them! 

All of creation has been groaning as in the pangs of childbirth.  That’s a good way of describing it.  We live in a broken world where pain and suffering will always exist.  Modern technology has helped alleviate some of this…but it will never go away.  There will always be something.  Human progress will never get rid of suffering and death. 

Some people find this world a depressing place to be (and I admit, it stinks sometimes!)…but this is the world Jesus came to live in.  This is the world that God works to redeem.  In the midst of despair, God acts to bring hope and life.  That doesn’t mean that we’ll be cancer free.  It doesn’t mean that we’ll avoid tragedy in life.  It does mean that God doesn’t leave us alone.

Jesus came to earth to walk with us.  Jesus came to wipe away our tears.  Jesus came to earth to destroy death forever.  In the midst of cancer and pain, we as people of God proclaim hope.  The sin that permeates our world will never drive God away.  God acts daily to save God’s people, both in this world…and in eternity. 

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39).

Not even cancer can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.  For that, I thank God!

Growing Faith

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9) 

Last week it felt like I stepped back in time.  My family headed back to the small town of Benson, Illinois to visit the congregation that I first served as pastor, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church as they celebrated 100 years of ministry on July 31^st.  For six and a half years after graduating from seminary (1997-2003) I had the privilege of living among the faithful people at St. Paul.  We had good years together!  I got to be a part of a growing, rural congregation.  New people came to hear God’s word.  The congregation tried several creative ways of reaching out to the community.  I celebrated as they celebrated and I grieved as they grieved.  It was exciting to go back and reconnect with many people I haven’t thought of in years. 

I wasn’t the only former pastor to return for the festivities.  It was fun to hear others tell stories of their time in Benson.  God worked through a number of pastors before I arrived … and several after I left.  While I had a great six and a half year ministry at St. Paul, they never tried to rename the church ‘St. Peter.’   The ministry was never about me.  My job was to point to Jesus.  Rev. Gess tilled.  Pastor Phil planted.  Pastor Earl watered.  I simply tended to God’s garden for a while before handing it over to Pastor Ann.   While God worked through me while I was there, God worked through many leaders in that congregation over 100 years.

 Pastors are definitely NOT the only ones working in God’s field!  In our everyday lives, we all point to Jesus.  Some plan the seed of faith through showing compassion.  Others water the seed of faith by being a listening ear.    Others tend to the soil by telling stories of faith.  Still others nurture the faith by serving people in need.  We work as part of God’s family.  We never do it alone.

People with a healthy ego (like me!) need to be reminded that it’s not all about us.  People don’t come to faith because of our wonderful ministry…people come to faith because God uses a wide array of people to tend to those fragile seeds of faith.  We may plant…or water…or till…but God gives the growth.  God gets the glory.

People with less ‘confidence’ in their faithful witness need to be reminded that it’s not all about you!  God doesn’t call you to make someone believe in Jesus.  God simply calls you to small tasks which can help others grow in faith.  You may plant…or water…or till…but God gives the growth.

God has used many people to tend to my life of faith.  How can God use us to do the same for others?