They Are Human

The month of October in recent years has been known as Pastor Appreciation Month. While I am not sure why October was chosen for this observance, I celebrate that pastors are getting some appreciation.   Though October is gone, I want to take time today to focus on Christian pastors and religious leaders of all faiths in general.    Though there are many things I know little about in this ever-changing world, I think that I can speak about pastors since I have been a pastor now for over 40 years.   At the same time, I also speak as one who has a little distance from the pastoral role since I am semi-retired. 

The thing I want to center on today is a truth about pastors:   they are human.   Though they are set apart to serve an immortal God, they are quite mortal.   Though they live in the world, they have been called to serve One whose “kingdom is not of this world”.  The truth that pastors are human means several things.   

First, the humanity of pastors means they are not perfect.  While they serve a Savior who is without blemish, all pastors have blemishes.   They are saved by grace through faith as are all folks.  While I believe most pastors earnestly want to be outstanding in pastoral care, preaching, administration, community involvement, and leading worship, most pastors are outstanding in some responsibilities and not outstanding in others.   

Secondly, the humanity of pastors means they cannot do everything.   The Psalmist declared that “he who keeps Israel neither slumbers or sleeps”.    While that is true about God, it is not true about pastors.    The Eveready bunny might keep going and going, but pastors need to take time to rest just like you.   I have served part-time as a pastor and full-time as a pastor, and I don’t believe that I ended any week having done all that I hoped to do.    If a pastor fails to meet your expectations or the expectations of your church leadership, perhaps the reason is not because of their skill or work ethic but because pastoral responsibilities you do not even know about got in the way. 

Thirdly and finally, the humanity of pastors means they do not know everything.   While God knows all, the pastors called by Him do not.    They do not know of your deepest hurts and hungers, of your hopes and dreams as a church, of your sickness and heartaches unless you share them.    A pastor does not know the unwritten traditions of a church or community unless you tell them.    ; Talk to your pastor, and talk to God in prayer for your pastor asking God to direct their paths.     If all persons in the pew would spend  as much time praying for their pastor as they did talking about their pastor I believe not only would pastors be more equipped, but communities of faith would be more vital.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:  O God, I thank you for those called by you to be leaders of communities of faith.  Bless all pastors to be faithful to you.  Show me, Lord, how I can be an asset for your kingdom and your Church; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

It's Used, but Are You?

My wife, Ann, and I went to our local Goodwill Store a few weeks ago.   I was the one that suggested we stop by.     When we left the store, we had purchased a tie, men’s sport coat, ladies jacket, and a men’s shirt for a grand total of a little less than $13.  (Our savings were more than they usually would have been because it was “Senior Day”.)   

There are all kinds of places where one can buy used items these days.   The Goodwill Store, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, and yard sales are just a few examples.  While on the one hand we might congratulate our self on getting a bargain on a used item at one of those places, on the other hand there is a shadow that is cast over things that are used.    Even though my friend Ralph Davis used to say that “everybody drives a used car”, we think a new car is better.  We take pride in the possibility of buying a recently built, new home instead of a home that had former occupants.   

While used and second hand are sometimes considered second class, isn’t being used the aim for all of us in our life?   The devout Christian surely wants to be used by God.  The faithful employee wanted to be used in their job to be an asset to a company and its customers.   While purchasing something used might be considered second class, I don’t know about you, but I think being used should be our goal in this life by the God who created us.   Have a joy-filled week. -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, use me in this day and in this life.   Use, me, Lord, for your work and for others; through Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

Persons The Light Shines Through

Today is  November 1.  It is the beginning of the 11^th month of the year.   The turning of the calendar to November means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the end of the year is not very far away.   November 1 is also a special day on the church calendar as it is known as All Saints Day.    

Saint is a word that brings to mind for many people a life lived without blemish and filled with the performance of miracles.   The Roman Catholic Church has a process for designating a person as a saint. The performance of  miracles and living a blameless life are two criteria that are a part of the process.   It is interesting to me that you will not find the word “saint” at all in modern translations of the Bble like the New International Version or The Message.   The word “saint” that we find in the King James Version is often translated to mean “holy ones”.     I am grateful to God for the saints that we read about in church history like St. Augustine and St. Peter, but I am also grateful for the saints who I have encountered in my own journey.

The story is told of a pastor who had the tradition of having a “childrens time” at Sunday worship.   One Sunday, he asked the children:  “What is a saint.?”   One child thought for a moment  and observed the stained glass windows showing images of people in the sanctuary, and exclaimed:   “Pastor, a saint is a person that the light shines through.”

I give thanks to God for those saints I have encountered in my life who have allowed the light of Christ to shine through them.   My life is better because of them.  Perhaps this All Saints Day is a good time for you to think of those saints who have touched your own life.   Thank them if you are able, and give thanks to God for them.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, I thank you for the saints who have crossed my path and have shown me the goodness of you.   Help me to follow their example and live more like you;   through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

500 Years Old and Still Growing

The end of October is only days away.  The date of October 31 brings different thoughts to different people.  For the young and the young at heart, perhaps October 31 brings thoughts of Halloween and the need to prepare by buying candy for costumed children or a mental note to get a costume for your children or grandchildren.  For the business man or business woman, it may be that the end of October reminds them that time is of the essence if there are matters that must be completed before November 1.  There is something else that is worthy of note about October 31 of this year as it is the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant reformation.  Church historians tell us that on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.   Those theses (or complaints or abuses) are the beginnings of churches that would be conceived like Baptists, United Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians.  

There is not space in this blog to say all that could be said about Martin Luther or the Protestant reformation.  This 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation does remind me of a phrase that one of my seminary professors said to our church history class many years ago.  The phrase that Rev. Dr. David Steinmetz introduced me to was this: “semper reformanda.”   That is a Latin phrase that means “always being reformed.”    From some brief investigation, I discovered that the phrase is a derivation of a phrase first made popular by the late Karl Barth many years ago. 

While Christ is blameless, perfect, and without blemish, His Church (the body of Christ) is not perfect because the Church is made up of people.    Christ died not just for the sins of the whole world, but He died for the sins of every person that is and has been a part of the body of Christ through the ages.  Through its commissions and omissions, people in the Church have not only failed to be perfect images of Christ, but they have caused the Church to not fully be the body of Christ.   History is filled with many examples where the Church has not only failed to be whole, but failed to be the holy people of God.   

And so, in 2017 as in 1517, let the body of Christ, the Church, seek “semper reformanda.”   “Always being reformed.”    Being made more fully into the body of Christ.  That is my hope and prayer for this October 31 and every day.   Have a joy-filled week.  -- Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, I thank you for the Church, the body of Christ.  Forgive your Church for the times it has failed to be all you would have to be.  Let the winds of reform continue to blow; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

The Last Thing or the First Thing?

I have been having some minor health issues lately.   Since July, I have been having pain in my right shoulder and my right arm now and then.   I have been to the doctor two times about the issue.   I have taken a few prescriptions for the problem, and have taken over the counter pain relief pills regularly.   I am currently in the process of having some tests to accurately diagnose what is the problem.  Though I continue to engage in regular exercise, I have changed my exercise regimen to not aggravate the problem further. 

A few weeks ago, I discovered that there was something that I had failed to do about my health issue and it is this:   I had not prayed about it.    I had talked to my wife about the issue and to various family members.  I had consulted with my doctor about the continuing pain.   I had changed my exercise routine.   I was dismayed that I had not prayed about the issue.  Instead of making prayer the first thing I did about this physical issue, I had made it the last thing. 

During the time, I have experienced this pain in my shoulder and arm, there has been much happening in our world.   There have been natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.   There have been people I know and love who have died or who have had loved ones to die.   Almost daily I read in the newspaper or on the internet of some major international incident that seems on the threshold of beginning.   During those events, pain in my shoulder and arm seems to be quite minor.   Yet, I believe that the God who created all of us is concerned not just about billions of people in this world but each one of us. 

I share this personal experience not just because I would appreciate your prayers for my health but because I suspect that there are some others out there who are quick to pray for others and diligent about caring for their health but are slow to pray for themselves.      Years ago, I remember being in the home of a woman named Mildred who had nine grown children.   On the wall of her living room, she had a framed piece of cross stitch that said: “A Mom is a person who has enough love for all her 9 children, but who loves them as if there was only one.”   I believe that Mildred learned such love from the best teacher and example of all:  our God.   That same God loves me and you the same way.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer: “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”   Thank you, God for prayer.  I pray this day for myself and my needs.  Thank you for hearing my prayers; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Loose Lug Nuts

A few weeks ago, I had my truck serviced for some minor maintenance.   Among the items that needed attention is that my truck needed new rotors and new brake pads.   My truck was ready at the time promised, and I gladly paid the mechanic for his service.   Unfortunately, my truck did not perform so well when I drove it from the place of service.   The brake issues had been corrected, but to my dismay my truck had this vibration in the left side of the truck that had not been there before.   A few hours later, my truck was back in front of the mechanic.  After going on a test drive with the mechanic, the mechanic could see that there was a problem.  After looking underneath my truck and examining many things over the course of about an hour, the mechanic discovered the problem and it was this:  to his dismay and embarrassment, the mechanic had failed to tighten the lug nuts on the front tire on the driver’s side.   After tightening those few lug nuts, I got in my truck and it drove quite well.

Little things mean a lot.   A few lug nuts weighing ounces made all the difference in how a truck weighing several tons drove.  In I Corinthians, the apostle Paul uses the human body as a metaphor for the health and vitality of the body of Christ, the Church.    Read these words from I Corinthians 12 which say:

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be?²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

No one would argue that an eye that weighs less than 1 pound is unimportant for a 250-pound man to view a sunrise or that an ear that weighs less than 1 pound is unimportant for a 125-pound teenager to hear the voice of her sweetheart.   Little things mean a lot in the parts of the human body, and they mean a lot in the health and vitality of the church, the body of Christ.   As winter comes near, we will be grateful for that person that flips the switch to turn on the heat in our church buildings.   As people come near, I am grateful for those who offer a kind smile or a warm embrace.   Thanks be to God.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Lord and God, I thank you for the little things that mean much in my life and your kingdom.   As I graciously receive them, help me to graciously give; through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

A Tiring and Wearisome Week

I am tired and weary today.   My fatigue has nothing to do with lack of sleep or the busyness of these days, but it has everything to do with what I see and hear in this week.  I am tired of turning on the news to see stories of people in masses  killed  or wounded by a shooter or a bomber for reasons known or unknown.  I am weary of  words of hate spewed from  mouths or on social media from leaders and common folk alike seeking to spread their values and agendas and chastising those who have other opinions.  I suffer fatigue from all the rancor, division, and hostility that seems everywhere I turn.  My heart grieves the  texts and phone calls I receive too often  from  persons being wounded by family members  and friends who cut deeply with their words and stifle the spirit of ones they say they love. 

Some of you may remember the book The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West or the movie of the same name starting Anthony Quinn.   I recall   a scene where the Pope seeks to escape the life of the papacy in Vatican City and get out in the real world.   He comes into a neighborhood where a person is dying and answers the plea for a priest.   The Pope in disguise is there as the person transitions from this world to the world to come.  After administering last rites for the deceased, the Pope lingers there until someone says to him:  “Come on, Father.  It is okay.   Dying is easy, for it is the living that gets us down.”  

A world filled with senseless death, hate, division, and the like gets me down and perhaps you.   Today, I am weary of it all.   In a world filled with hate, I yearn today for love.  In a world filled with division, I hope for unity.    And so today, I turn again  briefly away from the words of the news and social media to hear The Word where Jesus says,  “Beloved, let us love one another.”   In a world where the number of people going to Church seems to be growing less,  I yearn for Sunday to come to be with a people who, when they are at their best, serve and love as the body of Christ.   Amid  the chaos and confusion, I turn to and cling to what I believe and find rest to go on.    Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Lord and God,  help me as I live in this world to know that our help and hope is not found in this world but in you.   Change us, O  God, by your love; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.