The Place of Trust

The Place of Trust is Martin Marty’s interpretation of Martin Luther’s commentaries and notes on the Sermon on the Mount. It is specifically on the Beatitudes, with some detail paid attention to the rest of Jesus’ message in the Gospel of Matthew. Marty is a noted historian with a specialization on Luther and the Reformation. While keeping much of the original tone and language of Luther’s work, Marty shows how Jesus told us His message of trust, or faith in God. Reading like a single message, it is compromised of the letters and commentaries, Luther wrote on the Sermon on the Mount.

For many of us, like Luther we find faith and trust to be a struggle. That is why this speaks to his audiences, as well as the current generations. For Luther, the trustworthiness of God begs faith in every circumstance. This lets on to Luther’s central message, if God is in control then the day is seen in a different light. Then there should be no anxiety about tomorrow. There is a sharp contrast to the God of Mammon, the god of this world. The Mammon versus Yahweh is similar to the good versus evil metaphor often used. Mammon says to occupy as much wealth and possession as if we were to stay in this world forever. Christians know otherwise, that we are only here for a short period of time, and then the hereafter. Luther expounds on the famous line by Christ about how the sparrows and lilies of the field live a life with no anxiety. We should do the same. Those living a rich life now has already received their reward, thus they are no better off than we are. Our faith is grounded in struggling. Though we may struggle, our struggle is temporary. The Kingdom of God is believing in Christ. It is now. It should be taken seriously and not lightly. That is how the disciples of Mammon live, as if life is not serious and there are no consequences for our actions.

It is a worthy read to see how Luther takes historical and biblical examples to show us not to be anxious about anything. Even when we see those who do not live according to God’s laws prospering. The chief work of a Christian is prayer and preaching. Do not let your work be discredited by worrying about someone else. Prayer is more important. Luther describes it as a three step process that should not be restricted or for show. It is necessary to ensure a life of devotion, one “worthy of the calling.” Prayers should not be a chore, but rather a source of joy. For this reason Luther emphasizes the power of short prayers. He offers The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles’ Creed as examples for those unsure of how to pray.  Prayer ensures that we will continue God’s work by serving one another. God is always at work. We are to continually serve one another. This is something that the world, those followers of Mammon simply cannot understand.

Prayer is our faith lived out. Our faith should come before all else. Faith allows you to “be filled,” which is being able to see the evidence of your labor. Through faith you will see God, and you will see that all good things come from God. Then you will have a pure heart when you pursue God. When the heart is pure, the body will be purified. This goes as far to follow Christ not just by abstaining from breaking the rules but by pursuing a relationship with God. The same thought would be echoes 400 years later by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship. Again, those of this world would not understand such a cost that does not serve themselves but others instead.

Luther wants you to take heart. You will go through struggles, but it is during those struggles that you will see the one who struggled on your behalf.

Back in the 50's....

Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in  Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing,  partying, etc.

One   of  his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but  I'll  go chasing women."

One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblen had him on  his radio show, presumably to poke fun at
him. 

In order  to gather more material for his show, Hamblen showed up at one of  the  revival meetings.

Early in  the service the preacher announced, "There is one man  in this audience who is a big faker." There were probably others who thought  the same thing, but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher  was  talking about. (some would call that conviction but he was having  none of  that).

Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later he showed up  drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2AMdemanding the preacher pray for  him!

But the  preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God, and I'm not going to  get in the middle of it."

But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 AM at which point  Stuart  dropped to his knees and, with tears, cried out to  God.

But  that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women,  quit everything that was 'fun.' Soon he began to lose favor with  the  Hollywood crowd.

He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer  company as a sponsor.

Hard times  were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs, but  the  only one that had much success was "This Old House", written for his friend  Rosemary Clooney

As he continued to struggle, a longtime friend named John took him aside and  told  him, "All your troubles started when you 'got religion'. Was it worth it all?"  Stuart answered simply,
"Yes."

Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever miss it?" and  his answer was, "No." John then said, "I don't understand how you could give  it up so easily."

And  Stuart's  response was, "It's no big secret. "All things are possible  with God." To this  John said, "That's a catchy phrase. You should write  a  song about  it."

And,  as they say, "The rest is history."

The song  Carl Stuart Hamblen wrote was "It Is No Secret."

"It  is no secret what God can do. What He's done for  others, he'll do for you.  "With  arms wide open, he'll welcome you. It is no secret, what God can  do...."

By  the way... The friend was John Wayne. And the young preacher who refused  to  pray for Stuart Hamblen? ...That was Billy Graham.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half- measures are any good. I don't want to cut a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked- the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours...'  What we have been told is how we can be drawn into Christ- can become part of that wonderful present which the young Prince of the universe wants to offer his Father- that present which is Himself and therefore us in Him. It is the only thing we were made for."

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

We really need to give all of us to God. He requires it. It is the condition that all of His promises are based on. People often forget that! That is why soma people take Jeremiah 29:11 out of context! God says, "Do this and you will prosper!" People expect the prosperity without keeping their end of the bargain.I am no different. I compartmentalize. I keep God in one part of my life. But do not give over my drinking and my sexual desires over to Him. That is stopping me from receiving His promises. Those moments of instant gratification have caused relationships to go bad and even prevent further successes in my walk with Christ. Christ demands it all. He wants all of me! I have always said that everything we do either brings us closer or further away from our goals. Our walk with God is no different. Self gratification, the music I listen to, the language I use, all of it should be to glorify God. I should stop others from defaming God. I cannot really do that unless I "live a life worthy of the calling." I feel like if He came to me and demanded it, I would no choice but to hang my head in shame. I'm sure He would lift my head up with welcome arms and say "Follow Me and sin no more." (John 8:11) Jesus requires that i leave everything and follow Him- mores for one that desires not only to be "one in whom Christ dwells" but how much mores for one who wants to write for and teach the teachers? I go on and on about the years I wasted starting my career, not writing and the 6 year lapse in my education. How much more am I missing out on the life I so earnestly yearn for. I miss out my delaying my full disclosure to Christ. While others would say "better late than never" and "at least you are making good now" I am definitely my worst critic and can't help of thinking of Bonhoeffer's words, "It is not about breaking rules, but actually pursuing God." I let myself slide, but knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. Happiness by legalism or by being morally good is of no good. My rebellious nature does not allow me to do good simply to have done good. I am at a crossroads. I can continue to slide, in which case I feel like it may be worse than it has been, or I can head back into The Light. I can show people how Jesus is welcoming me with those open arms. That is the only reason anything has ever come into being, to draw everything towards Christ. But it is not without consequence. It requires a label and an explanation. I am asked to confess at any moment and without warning. It should be a welcome opportunity to minister, but recently I have run and backed myself into my own corner. I have missed the opportunities Christ has given me, I pray for forgiveness. It costs being able to just go out- either people label me as a hypocrite or I impose guilt on myself. I pray for a heart like God's- where the focus is on the Relationship, and not how I have screwed up in the past. Where guilt subsides and I concentrate on God working in my life rather than when I wasn't working. This is the whole reason to exist.  To become what C.S. Lewis called a "little Christ." Rather than worry about what a "little world" would do- be a sex addict, attention seeker, a drunkard, behind on child support, I need to work on what He would do- preach the Word, raise His children right, be active in activities to proclaim a life of Christ.

A Simple Way to Pray

If you don't know how to do something, simply read the instructions. We've all been told that many. Probably too many times. Yet for some reason we never do. The same is true of our prayer lives. A friend of mind who worked in a Christian themed retail store once told me of her distress over the fact that more people bought commentaries on the bible than actually read the bible itself. As a writer, that's good for business. But as a ministry leader, that is disheartening. We do not take advantage of the fact that we have God's Word accessible to us. It is available in several different mediums and versions. Perhaps it is appropriate for me to write this on Reformation Day as I reflect on the fact that not so long ago only clergy had access to the Word. It could not be challenged because they were the authority, they were the learn-ed ones! Take a moment and thank God for those like John Hus and Martin Luther who fought to give us a Bible we could understand in our own language. And it is on the anniversary of Luther nailing his famous debate (95 Theses) to the door at the church in Wittenburg, that I am reflecting on his same letter to his barber. From the pulpit Luther had stressed the importance of prayer. Jesus commanded, and Paul echoed for us to never cease when praying.

Luther's barber accepted his challenge but admitted that he did not know how to pray. Luther's famous reply (letter) to him is the book we now know as A Simple Way to Pray. It is a very light read, and a strong weapon for arming ourselves with Prayer. Luther's approach to prayer is quite simple. The four steps include Instruction, Thanksgiving, Confession, and Prayer. Luther takes the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed (which admittedly is not Scripture but still good for meditating on God's Word), meditating on one line then following his four step form.

The small volume is very Luther rich. BY that  mean it can be a bit wordy, crass in a spot or two, and emphasizes above all justification (or made right in the eyes of God) by faith. Prayer, like salvation, is a gift bestowed on us by God. To not accept it is to turn our backs on God. Like Luther's barber, if we object by saying we don't know how, then Luther notes just spend time with Him. As he finishes one section, Luther lets on, if you have time or feel the need to go on, then go on. I am not sure if Luther sees talking to the Father in the relationship style that is so common in today's liturgy, but he definitely believes that the more you practice, the more comfortable you will be in prayer. Prayer, according to Luther, need not be long but rather "fervent and often."

Babylonian Vegans

Daniel 1 New International Version (NIV)

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The first story in Daniel is actually a few chapters later, The fiery furnace in Chapter 3. But here we lear, not only where Daniel and his 3 friends got their surnames. Daniel and his friends were taken from their land and put into the babylonian academy as slaves. The thinking was that if prominent Israelites took on the customs of the Babylonians that the rest would and there would be fewer uprisings. This is how Daniel and his friends found themselves in such position. 

God gives us many rules. Some lay a heavier burden on us that others. They all have the same goal, to maintain and further our relationship. Tithing, honoring our parents, praying, fasting, baptism, all of these are modern ways of adding to our relationship with God. For Daniel and his friends, it was to continue observing God's rule to not eat food sacrificed to idols. To do so would be to not set his nourishment apart for God. Daniel would rather not eat than to eat savory meat seasoned with guilt. He knew that God would supply any nourishment he would be missing out on. In fact we find (and many of my vegan friends enjoy arguing this point) that they looked better than the captives who ate the forbidden fruit (meat.) For being the first vegans since Adam and Eve, God rewarded them with spiritual gifts. Daniel's gift, the interpretation of dreams, would continually bless him the rest of his life.

BY observing God's laws and keeping His commandments we show Him our love for Him. In return, he shows us evidence of His love, which He initiated first. Take a moment and consider your spiritual gifts. How did you come across this gift? What have you used it for?

Theologians

Martin Luther: The person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looms upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things which have actually happened... He deserves to be a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross.

Karl Barth: A theologian who does not enjoy his work is no theologian at all.

Merriam-Webster: : a person who is an expert on theology


When you think of theology what do you think? I am finding an increasing number of people who when I ask them about their personal theology I am getting two common answers. "That's just the way I was raised" and "well my pastor says." You may not realize it, but you are a theologian. You are an expert on your own theology, on your own understanding about the nature of God.

Read the stories. Read a story. Think for yourself about the meaning and the implication. If you feel a desire to understand it more then ask questions. Do research on the time period.  Ask experts. But evaluate what you hear. Take nothing at a deep level. Evaluate what you hear and with a lot of prayer take up the meaning for yourself.

Don't know how to pray? Start with Jesus' instruction on prayer, commonly referred to as the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, 

The power, and the glory, 

For ever and ever. 

Amen.

Follow Me

In the Book of Matthew there are two noticeable instances where Jesus gives the command. "Follow Me." Sure here was a lot more to it but He put it simply. Follow Me.

In Matthew 4 He calls his disciples with this simple command. Follow Me. Drop what you are doing. It doesn't matter. I have something more important. Follow me and see your entire life change. Follow me and see the life you always wanted to live. Follow me and see. The disciples exhibit an excellent quality (and quantity) of faith. They did not know what they were getting into but they dropped every and followed Him anyway.

In Matthew 16, He lets them know in more detail. They have experienced it firsthand for the last 12 chapters. Perhaps there is some significance to that number. They have walked in His shadow. They know better than anyone what Jesus meant  in Matthew 4:17 when He said, "The Kingdom of God is at Hand." It is the Here and Now, yes for us too, for especially for them. But, nearer to His death and resurrection, Jesus gives them a better idea what will be asked of them. To lay aside everything they have come to know. Every comfort but be put aside. Every necessity is to be put aside as well. He tells them that to follow him means casting their homes, jobs, and yes even their families aside.

In Church Dogmatics (Volume 4, part 2), Karl Barth comments on the call. He says, "Follow me is the substance of the call in the power of which Jesus makes people his saints... the call issued by Jesus is a call to discipleship...the call to discipleship is the particular form of the summons by which Jesus discloses and reveals himself to the individuals in order to claim and sanctify them as his own, and as his witness in the world... and what Jesus demands is trust in himself and therefore, in the concrete form that this involves, trust in God He demands faith in the form of obedience; obedience to himself."

God has already called you for great work. You would not be a disciple of His if He had not. He has bestowed on you a great gift, designed for a particular work. Do you know what that is? Is oration? Are you a speaker? Or is it within you to spread His message with your hands? St Francis is often credited with the axiom, "Spread the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." What are you doing to spread the news that Jesus is King?