A thought on the passing scene...
Rider College of Business Dean Cynthia Newman resigned from her position as Dean in response to the New Jersey university banning Chick-fil-A from campus, despite it being the student body’s top pick. The university said in an email to students in November 2018 that the chain restaurant’s “corporate values have not sufficiently progressed enough to align with those of Rider.”
We are seeing more and more of this push for Christianity to “progress” with the rest of the culture around us. We are being called to relax our adherence to orthodox Christian truths and practices and instead join with the world in what it declares is valuable and true.
What I really admired in Dean Newman’s response was the way in which she was not vindictive. Instead, she gives a reasoned and gracious summary of her stand:
“I felt like I was punched in the stomach when I read that statement because I’m a very committed Christian and Chick-fil-A’s values, their corporate purpose statement is to glorify God in and to be faithful stewards in all that is entrusted to them and to have a positive influence on everyone who comes into contact with themand that mirrors my personal beliefs perfectly,” Newman told Campus Reform.
I’d have to believe that the phrase “have a positive influence on everyone who comes into contact” is the key. The Body of Christ is not called to hate anyone. We are called to love one another and to seek what’s best for one another in that love. Such love does not mean a tolerance of “anything goes.” It’s a love that is willing to sacrifice for another’s ultimate well-being. And that example was set perfectly for us by the Savior Who holds us accountable, Who offered Himself on the cross to forgive us, and Who furthermore sent the Spirit to call us to faith and lead us in life.
The Scope of Ministry.
This past week, while friend and associate Phil was attending the Best Practices conference for LCMS congregations in Arizona, the pastoral responsibilities were solely mine. And in that week, as I shared with the Bible class, yesterday, we ran the gambit of pastoral ministry.
There were two baptisms this weekend: a little boy on Saturday and a little girl on Sunday. Both were wonderful celebrations as family members from near and far (Wisconsin and Kentucky) gathered and God’s grace was extended. God bless Clayton and Derby with strong faith and long life!
There were also times to attend to matters at the end of life. During a hospital visit I was able to share the service of the Commendation of the Dying with a husband and wife as she was facing the last days of her life among us. Also, on this past Saturday there was a visitation for a family mourning the death of a son in his early 20s. Sad events, without doubt, but events in which the news of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting is essential.
These latter events, above, necessitated the former. It was the advent of sin in this world that led to the inevitability of death, the wages of sin. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned.Romans 5:12.
Thankfully, our God did not leave us in our misery, but addressed our need for salvation with His own sacrifice and resurrection. Because of that, the former events mentioned above bring us hope and comfort amidst events like the latter. 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.Romans 6:3-4.
God’s blessings to you as you walk in that newness of life, today. And God bring you comfort as you remember your baptism and how, in that, God has promised you life as His child in the kingdom new and glorious upon Christ Jesus’ return.
It's good to be home...
I missed last week’s deadline due to a trip out to Colorado. Please pardon the blog’s absence.
It’s become a regular practice for me to travel to my parents’ home in the mountains each February, before lent. I travel there to celebrate dad’s birthday. It’s good to be with my mom and dad. Their home is not the one in which I grew and the schedule is quite different from my upbringing. But it’s a blessing to be with them and to be able to help around the cabin – moving firewood up on the deck, sometimes blocking and splitting it as well, and taking part in cooking meals and cleaning up after them.
After that trip, I can say with equal fervor, it’s good to be home here. It’s good to be back with my wife, Jami. This is not the house in which we have raised our family and our schedule since moving here, which is quite different, has been tweaked a time or two. But it’s a blessing to be with her and to be back at the tasks as we find our weekly pattern rounding out.
It’s also good to be home, here, writing thoughts I want to share with you. For a number of you this has always been your church home. Others are transplants. And some of our schedules are a bit in flux – especially after the weekends continually subject to snows and cold temperatures! But it’s good to be here taking part in the life of the church, together: sharing in tasks that warm our hearts and feed our faith.
It’s good to be home…