Pray for your enemies

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  - Jesus

 

It’s happened again.  The list of tragedies grows long: Oklahoma City, 9/11, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Aurora, Newtown (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg).  We now add Boston to that list.  Innocent people suffer.  Children die, in this case 8 year old Martin Richard.

In the face of the tragedy Facebook exploded with prayers for those involved: the victims, the families of the victims, the first responders, the doctors tending to the wounded, the police, the investigators.  So many people to wrap in prayer in these difficult days!  People need the support of the God who walks with them.

Who is praying for those who planted the bombs?

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Yes, pray for those who persecute you.  Pray for those who feel the need to put bombs on a marathon route.  Pray for those willing to kill.  View them as human beings created by God in the image of God.  Pray for an end to their hate.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would flood over them and ‘renew a right spirit within them.’ 

Not easy, is it?  At this point we have no specific individuals to blame, but that doesn’t stop us from lashing out at the unknown perpetrator(s), demanding vengeance.  Anyone who would kill people in such a wanton way must be evil in human form and deserves to be treated as such.  Death would be too kind.  It sounds a lot like the old ‘Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth’ concept.   People who cause suffering deserve to suffer.  Hit me and I hit you…kill me and someone will kill you.  Retribution is the key.  It feels like the best way to proceed…but Jesus utterly rejected ‘an eye for an eye,’ replacing it with compassion and love.  “Pray for those who persecute you.”  Jesus wasn’t kidding.  The Jesus who died on a cross for you and your sins…died on the cross for ‘them’ and ‘their’ sins.  No action, no matter how heinous, has the power to sever the love that God has for God’s people. 

Soon after the event in Boston, President Obama took to the airwaves with this promise, “Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.”  Any civil society requires that those who commit acts like these must face consequences for what they have done.  The weight of the US government is behind efforts to swiftly identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.  A world that cannot protect people from murder devolves into chaos…just ask the people of Syria!  A stable society demands action when evil deeds are committed.  God works through those laboring to ensure that those who did this never have the opportunity to do it again.

It’s time to pray.  Pray for the victims, the families of the victims, the first responders, the doctors tending to the wounded, the police, the investigators.  As the search for answers continues, consider Jesus’ words.  “Pray for those who persecute you.”  It’s not “Pray that those who hurt you will get what they have coming to them.”  Pray FOR them as fellow sinners in need of God’s mercy.

 

 

 

 

Birthday Reflections - How Did I Get Here??

Birthdays are a time to reflect back…and look ahead.  Today I am halfway to 84 years old, so I guess that makes me one of those 'middle aged geezers'! 

I remember that summer of 1989 as I headed off to college and the new life that would bring.  I

planned to become an actuary (the person at an insurance company who plays with numbers and calculates your rates) and life a calm, comfortable life.   God led me down many other paths.

·         I never thought I would become a pastor.  I still remember telling my dad, “You are a smart guy.  You could have done anything you wanted with your life.  Why did you waste your time doing THIS?”  I suspect the Holy Spirit had a good chuckle over that.   I’m a smart guy.  I could have done many things with my life.  God called me to be a pastor and I absolutely love the work I do.

·         When I first told my mom that I planned to go to seminary she asked me how I would afford it.  I flippantly replied, “I’ll get married and my wife will work me through.”  The next week I headed off to a summer as a counselor at a Bible Camp…and I met Shannon for the first time.  She worked as a nurse at the VA for my entire four years of seminary, paying the bills as I studied and worked on the maintenance crew.  God provided.

·         When Shannon and I were married we agreed on nearly everything but we never could pin down how large of a family we wanted.  I thought two kids sounded like plenty.  Shannon really wanted four.  As things turned out we were able to have one… and that is enough!  For a while people asked us if we thought of adoption, but I can’t imagine any family other than the one that God gave us. 

·         While I ran cross country in high school I hated every minute of it.  I did some running in seminary and the years after and hated every minute of it.  I never thought the day would come when I’d not only go running for ‘fun,’ but I’d complete a half marathon.  God has given me something that can lower my stress and keep me in shape.

·          As a young, rural pastor I always laughed at all the ‘church growth’ literature.  Growing churches seemed to be planted in growing suburbs, a very different dynamic than rural America.  I remember commenting, “Put me in a growing suburb and I could grow a church.  How hard can it be?”  Again, the Holy Spirit chuckled a bit as ‘chance’ circumstances led me to Peace Lutheran Church, a mission congregation in a growing bedroom community.  I love this ministry!

·         I never imagined that Shannon and I would ever become ‘job creators.’  She started Treefrog Treasures on a lark, selling things on eBay back in 1999.  It gave her something to do.  One thing led to another…and another…and suddenly she has become one of the leading toy soldier retailers in the world with employees depending on her for their livelihoods.   We are able to take some of the income from that to really make a difference in the world, feeding the hungry, funding seminaries, and supporting God’s work at Peace!

·         I never dreamt that I would work on a bishop’s staff.  As a young pastor I ‘knew’ that I was called to rural ministry for my whole career.  So much for that!

·         Over nine years ago Shannon received her ovarian cancer diagnosis.   For over half of our married life she has been battling it.  God has given our whole family the strength not simply to endure.  In the midst of some pretty miserable treatments, we have thrived!

Life hasn’t turned out anything like I thought it would.  Sometimes God has chuckled at my ideas…other times I suspect it was more of a full belly laugh!  I truly thank God that I am where I am in life. 

As I look ahead I will still make plans for the second half of my life, but I do so with a grain of salt.  God will likely open all kinds of unexpected doors for me.