Tag: ministry

Ministry Means Care & Compassion

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(Mark 6:30-34)

“I don’t care.” The meaning attached to those words can vary, depending on the circumstances under which they’re spoken. They are spoken when it comes to avoiding having to make a decision. “There are plenty of options, just choose one, and I’m good with any of them. I don’t care which one.” Those words can also be spoken to convey that a certain issue doesn’t matter to one person as much as it does to another.

Whatever the context, the one place we want to avoid those words is when it comes to ministry, because meaningful ministry means caring; it means having compassion. We see that care and compassion expressed in different ways in the short verses from Mark 6. 

We’ll start with the most obvious way Jesus demonstrated compassion, highlighted by the Gospel writer Mark in how he sets the scene and builds tension that needs to be resolved. Jesus and his disciples had been putting the pedal to the metal, ministry-wise, and they needed some down time. As they stepped out of the limelight briefly to recalibrate, Mark sets up some potential conflict. “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them” (v.33). Jesus and the disciples needed rest, and the crowds that had tracked them down threatened that. How would Jesus and the disciples respond?

Jesus and the his apostles were in need of food and rest, and they made a deliberate attempt to step away for a bit to find it. But no sooner had they found it then the crowds once again found them! So much for a little R&R! Knowing how irritable we can become when we get hangry, it would have come as no surprise to see the apostles flare up and shoo the crowds away for a bit. Or, even a polite request for some alone time would have been completely understandable.

It should be no surprise to us at that Jesus showed how much he cared. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (v.34). This is ministry. This is what gospel-geared, Savior-like service looks like in action. Meaningful ministry is not driven by convenience, but by compassion.

That means ministry is not limited to normal business hours. Since ministry is serving people and addressing their spiritual needs, those situations may arise at any time. When they do, we don’t shut the door and ask someone to come back during normal business hours. No, we serve as we’re able to, when we’re able to. 

Jesus’ compassionate heart got the better of him. He couldn’t turn them away, for when he looked, he didn’t see a bunch of time-sucking vampires always in need and draining him physically, mentally, and emotionally. Instead, he saw sheep without a shepherd. So, as the Good Shepherd, he sought to give these shepherdless sheep, these aimless wanderers who didn’t know what they didn’t know, the priceless gift of the Scriptures. He taught them timeless truths that would open their eyes to see Jesus as both their Good Shepherd and the perfect Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. 

How desperately we all need such a compassionate Savior! And not only because we need someone to care so deeply about us, but also because we need someone to care so deeply about others in our place. Even the most tender-hearted and compassionate among us fails to reach the level of perfect concern that Jesus has in his heart for all people. So to see him not only patiently put up with the crowds hunting him down like paparazzi, but to genuinely long to meet their needs – Jesus is out of our league! Jesus is what we are not. His righteousness is demonstrated through his untainted, selfless concern for his neighbor. How essential for our salvation that in Jesus we don’t just have the Savior we need from sin, but also the Substitute who characterized compassion so beautifully for us. 

Oh to view people in need the same way! Instead, we so easily see people as a hindrance to the task at hand. When my plans are put on hold or scrapped altogether because of someone else’s time of need, I don’t look at myself and see the compassion Jesus demonstrates here. Instead, the audible huffing and puffing of reluctance and resentment or the snarky jab that accompanies my begrudging service are much more common. Jesus saw people in need and his heart ached; we see people in need and are annoyed. 

Imagine if Jesus harbored similar sentiments in his heart toward people in need – no way would he ever have made it to the cross! By that point he would have been sick and tired of serving all the needy souls that chased him down! Then, to take it to another level and be tortured and crucified for the same lot of destitute crowds? Not a chance… if it was you or me in that position.

Thankfully, it wasn’t. It was Jesus. Caring Jesus. Compassionate Jesus. Always, at all times. For us, no matter how much in need we may ever find ourselves to be.

And you know exactly what he longs to do with that compassion which he extends to us; he desires to express it through us to others in need. Ministry that is meaningful takes into account what is meaningful to my neighbor in his time of need. It sacrifices my own wants and plans and preferences when care and compassion for others overrides everything else. When compassion calls us to meet physical needs, we do what we can. When those needs are emotional, we support as we’re able. When those needs are spiritual, we jump at the opportunity to point the lost and the hurting to their healing, caring, compassionate Savior.

Jesus didn’t just show care and compassion to the crowds in this account, but also to his coworkers. Remember, it was the needs of his coworkers in ministry that prompted Jesus and the disciples to get away in the first place. Jesus cared about their physical well-being, too. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (v.31-32). While it is absolutely the most rewarding thing we ever get to be a part of, that doesn’t mean ministry is easy. It isn’t, always. It can be exhausting. It can be draining. It can include long days. So we need to be aware of that for each other, as most of us here aren’t full or even part-time paid coworkers, but volunteers. 

There is of course the personal ministry that we carry out in our daily lives, but there is also the congregational ministry that goes on. We want to be sensitive to that for each other, so that we don’t discourage taking care of one’s self or including margin in our schedules. And when you do serve in some capacity, you must always know that it’s good and wise to say no, too, when necessary. Even when it comes to ministry, God has created our bodies and souls to need breaks, to need rest, to need restoration. Let’s make sure we’re giving that to each other, especially because sometimes, as we see this in this account from Mark, that rest can be rather short-lived!

We actually see the final example of care and compassion first in Mark’s introductory description of this account. Those sent by Jesus to carry out meaningful ministry were now reporting on that ministry, and Jesus cared enough to listen. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught” (v.30).

There are really two takeaways here: first, when we carry out meaningful ministry, a trust has been given to us. Since God calls us to carry out this work faithfully, we are responsible for holding ourselves accountable to others. Most often that takes the form of some sort of reporting, either formally or informally. If you belong to a church that has called a pastor to serve you with the gospel, you have every right to hold him accountable in carrying out that ministry. Just as the apostles did to Jesus, so also pastors report all that they are doing and have done in ministry.

You, too, are accountable for participating in this ministry as well. That is, after all, one of the most significant reasons we join a church – to use our gifts to participate in ministry.

Church membership isn’t like a trip to Costco, where I am solely a consumer filling my cart with more things than I need. You aren’t responsible for stocking the shelves at Costco. You don’t check out customers or scan their receipts. At Costco you are simply a customer.

But church is not Costco! At church you are a customer and a coworker. So when you take up a task, when you are involved in ministry, a part of that means caring enough to be held accountable to do what you said you were going to do.

That’s the first takeaway – reporting and accountability.

The second is simply that Jesus listened. They were reporting to Jesus what they had done. Now when you picture this taking place, do you imagine Jesus being the hardline boss, waiting to jump down the throat of us his employees? Probably not. More likely, he listened and offered encouraging feedback and direction to use the opportunity as a teachable moment to equip them for future ministry. 

We can do the same! When we are willing to serve in some official capacity as we carry out our ministry together, this is no small thing to which we have agreed! We are agreeing to give our best for the best, and rather than holding to the “they should be grateful I’m serving” attitude, we want to be eager to provide updates and progress. And on the other side, we want to eagerly hear such reports, so that we might encourage and uplift each other in service, and offer assistance or guidance whenever it’s needed.

Those serving care enough to hold themselves accountable, and those to whom they report care enough to listen and provide support. While it’s not the big picture idea from these verses, it is one more way that meaningful ministry involves caring for each other.

Meeting the needs of others is not the occasional good deed that we’re willing to do when we put “real” ministry on pause; meeting the needs of others is the ministry, the gospel-geared, Savior-like service to which we’re called. It isn’t an inconvenience; it’s our calling. It isn’t a hindrance to getting ministry done; it is how ministry is done as we serve to open doors through compassion that ultimately permit us to point others to their compassionate Christ. 

Is now a good time to consider how your congregation might extend the reach of care and compassion to more in the community? Could care and compassion be a calling card of your congregation? Could you offer grief support or a resiliency ministry for those struggling with addictions? Could you partner with other community organizations already involved in such things to enhance what is already being done?

We don’t have to look very far to see outlets for care and compassion. Could we put Jesus’ care and compassion into practice by meeting more of those needs? Meaningful Ministry is service that is willing to ask those questions and to provide answers as the Lord enables us to. May the Lord grant us such willing spirits.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Support Ministry Partners

Dear Lord,
Thank you for providing so many laborers in your vineyard. As gifted leaders, strong lay workers, and   pastors and teachers work faithfully together, you watch over your flock and bear much fruit. Bless the spiritual care they provide to your people and to each other. Use them to defend against the devil’s attacks and to equip your people to do the same for their families and for themselves. 

Give me an awareness to know when your workers are struggling, so that I may help them shoulder whatever burdens they are bearing. I want to provide them with support in ways that refresh them and make their work a joy. Make me an encourager to them in ways that they feel valued and appreciated. Help me always to speak well of them and to defend them from unkind words and gossip. Use me to build them up so that they effectively continue to build up your church. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Hold Firmly

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(Titus 1:5-9)

Last week, at the start of this Meaningful Ministry (aka, gospel-geared, Savior-like service) series, we began with the reminder that our efforts will not always be appreciated by everyone. In fact, we can expect our efforts to be opposed, sometimes with even great effort. Nevertheless, we carry on with ministry because it’s what God calls us to do. 

Now we find the confidence we need in remembering whose authority backs our ministry, and where we find that authority. As one pastor writing to another, Paul reminded Titus that “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (v.9). Therefore, as we continue to consider what meaningful ministry looks like, we must cling to the truth that meaningful ministry is that which holds firmly to the trustworthy message. Meaningful ministry holds firmly to the Word.

If I may say so, although the title of this post is “Hold Firmly,” some of you are, quite frankly, holding rather loosely to the Word of God. That might hurt a little bit to hear, but if so, thank God that his Word – specifically the law – is doing what it is supposed to do. We might be inclined to push back against such a statement (because after all, what about all the others who are not reading this or who don’t regularly attend church?!?), and to do so wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. But those Christians not reading or listening to sermons aren’t alone in their loose grasp on the Word of God – there are plenty more right there with them who have a rather soft grip on the Word. 

That can happen if Sunday morning worship or reading the occasional sermon online is about as engaged as one ever gets in ministry. If there is one thing that believer and unbeliever alike know about Christianity and Sunday mornings, it’s that Sunday mornings are for worship. While the unbeliever obviously doesn’t see any need to be there, the danger for the believer is to see worship as the bare minimum in his affiliation with the church. Yes, one of the greatest blessings God has given to his church as it carries out meaningful ministry is the blessing of worship; but even that blessing can become a bottleneck to anyone who severely shortchanges ministry by defining it as nothing more than going to church. Such a view is a soft grip on the Word. 

Imagine an actor just showing up for the performance. No study of the storyline or character. No rehearsing lines or any thought on how they might be delivered. Or an athlete just showing up for the games. No practice. No drills. No preparation or game-tape on the other team. Very few could pull either off, and to do so with such little effort beforehand not only reflects poorly on the craft, but also fails to set a high standard or raise the bar in that field.

Why would Christians settle for mediocrity in our ministry, settling for less than our best in carrying out Christ’s calling? Why would some idea of minimal means of grace involvement ever be satisfactory? No, we want to practice like we play. Prepare. Be in the Word. Deeply.

There is great reason to hold firmly to this Word of God. We do so because through it God sends us and serves us. Meaningful ministry is our lot, not because we wisely figured out on our own that Jesus might be good for people to know about, but because Jesus sends us, just as he sent his disciples. They went out with his backing, with his authority. And they went out not because they were qualified in and of themselves, but because they were called. He was the one sending them.

He is the one sending you. Not because you are qualified in and of yourself, but because you were called. You carry out ministry with his backing, with his authority. That started when he made you what you are today, when he gave you your most precious status and title: his. You belong to him. You are his. He made you his when he paid with his life and then gifted you with the faith to believe it. 

I most commonly close my emails with that very signature, “His.” It reminds me of the title that carries more weight than any other ever could. My worth and my value and my significance and my purpose are all wrapped up in the One to whom I belong. In a very real way, one of the simplest little hymns many of us ever learned to sing as children still holds dear in our hearts: “I am Jesus’ little lamb, ever glad at heart I am.” I have different titles. I have various responsibilities and roles. Like an umbrella over them all at all times is the precious truth that I am his – and I always will be. 

And he, dear friends, is the One who sends us. When we forget that bond, that relationship, and all that God did to establish it, ministry is less meaningful. That is when it becomes a job, nothing more than a series of tasks, as if the boss just gave you a list of things he needs you to get done. To lose that bond, that connection with our Savior, and allow it to fray, easily turns ministry into misery. I think you’d agree that Miserable Ministry would be a significantly different sermon series. So remember why we hold firmly to this Word: it is a constant reminder of the One who sends us.

It is also the way he has chosen to serve us. This might be the most significant hurdle that keeps many Christians away from more meaningful service: a willingness to continue to be served by God through holding firmly to the Word. Remember, ministry is gospel-geared, Savior-like service. Another reminder: you are incapable of carrying that out on your own. It must be worked into you through the Word. So there is no, “Jesus did this for me, and now I’d like to graduate beyond that and get busy with all of the work of his kingdom.” No, there is only, “Jesus did this for me, and now he will do this through me.”

So we do not busy ourselves with church work while avoiding church Word & worship. They are inseparable. Service is prompted by being served, and if I don’t have the humility to continue being served a steady diet of Word and Sacrament, then my service will be short-lived and running on fumes in no time. It will become about me. It will become a burden. It will burn me out. It will turn me against other Christians as I begin to resent them for not doing what I’m doing. When I am at that point, I fail to notice how much I have come to resemble Martha, begrudging the others who are too preoccupied with the Word in worship and Bible study to actually do the work to which we’ve been sent.

At that moment we are reminded of why it’s so essential to hold firmly to the Word: my jaded heart daily needs its forgiveness and renewal. In the Word alone do I find what my heart longs for: grace for my misguided ministry that somehow turned what is God’s around and made it all about me. That joy of salvation renews me, taking my me-minded ministry and making it captive to Christ. His sacrifice and salvation for me prompts my sacrificial service to others for the sake of that same salvation. It makes ministry meaningful again.

When I hold firmly to the Word of God at work in all of this, I see that same Word of God at work in me. 

In these verses, Paul laid out quite the list of qualifications for ministry to Titus. While this standard of expectations certainly applies to all Christians, there is an especially important reason Paul emphasizes it for a pastor: because the pastor is understandably associated most directly with God and his authority. As one called by Christians to serve them with the gospel in Word and Sacrament, he is God’s representative. But just as surely as all of these qualifications apply to all Christians, so does the call to hold firmly to the Word of God apply to all Christians. 

In fact, without this final point in this section of Paul’s words to Titus, what precedes is purposeless. Why? Because apart from the Word at work in us, there’s no innate desire to embody the qualifications Paul lists, nor is there any ability to carry them out.

Take note of how Paul refers to the usage of teaching and doctrine, which as often as not seems to get a pretty bad rap – even within the church these days. Many view doctrine as divisive (despite the reality that it is actually what unites). Many view doctrine as a hindrance to Christian living (despite the reality that Christian living flows from it).

But see how Paul touches on it! He uses the word “encourage.” To remain faithful to the Bible’s teachings, to hold the view that doctrine is so very important and matters greatly – this is encouraging. What is discouraging is to see it downplayed, to hear the point of view that only the Jesus and salvation stuff really matters, and we can politely agree to disagree on all the other stuff. The problem with that view is that all of the “other stuff” flows from the Jesus and salvation stuff; it isn’t some add-on or take-it-or-leave-it a la carte menu. It all ties to Jesus, and for that reason, it is encouraging, as Paul maintained. 

So hold firmly to that Word of God – all of it. Our Meaningful Ministry will be blessed as we do so. For it is through the Word of God that he sends us and serves us. And as he does, he will serve us and equip us with everything that we need to carry out faithful, meaningful ministry.

Surviving Snubbed Service

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(Ezekiel 2:1-7)

Would say that you love your job? Do you have the kind of job that makes you dread weekends because you have to wait until Monday to get back to work? Does your job make you pop out of bed in the morning with energy and excitement because you get to go to work? I’m guessing that even if you really enjoy your work, you’d still agree that the scenarios I just described are pretty exaggerated. Some are blessed to really enjoy their work and thrive in it, while others dutifully carry on out of necessity, because it pays the bills.

Regardless of how you feel about your job, as people belonging to God, you have another calling, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it is absolutely the most important thing that anyone could be a part of during their lifetime here on earth. For that reason, it is also more meaningful than anything else we could do on earth. Why? Because heaven and hell hang in the balance, and would you believe it – God uses us to factor into that outcome. How?

It’s called ministry. If we hear that word and all that comes to mind are things like pastors, teachers, church work, and schools, we have far too narrow a view of ministry. Ministry is not limited by a location or a timeframe – it’s possible anywhere and everywhere and at any time. The simplest definition of ministry is “service.” But it’s more than that. After all, the person waiting on your table at the restaurant is involved in service. The librarian assisting you with checking out a book is providing you a service. 

Ministry, however, has a special purpose: it’s gospel-geared, Savior-like service. The ministry to which we are called – all of us as Christians – is in service to the good news of Jesus as Savior of the world. Sometimes our service may include directly communicating that beautiful gospel; many times it is simply service prompted by that gospel or building a bridge to that gospel down the road. Since it is gospel-geared, Savior-like service, that is what makes it meaningful ministry. 

So our focus in this first post of the series may be a bit unsettling. It’s not the kind of inspirational pep-talk that you might expect to get everyone geared up to go out and thrive in their ministry. But it is a hugely important truth that needs to be included anytime we talk about ministry. It’s essentially the sad reality that as meaningful as ministry is to God – it’s his favorite thing, by the way – there will be many for whom ministry is not meaningful at all. In fact, there are and there will be many who not only want nothing to do with it, but who also despise you for carrying it out. 

If anyone could relate, it was the prophet Ezekiel. After having just witnessed quite the strange vision, he had now dropped faced down to the ground and was being given his marching orders. He was being send as God’s spokesman. Awesome! What a privilege! What an honor! To get to be the one to personally relay God’s message? Amazing!

There was just one catch: he wasn’t being sent to people who would be tickled pink to hear it. Oh, they should have been, for sure. God’s chosen people ought to have delighted each and every time God valued them enough to personally send a spokesperson to them. What other nation could make such a claim, that God cared enough about them to repeatedly, determinedly, persistently, send prophet after prophet to them? They should have been honored to have been thought so highly of by God to take such measures. 

But that wasn’t how God described them to Ezekiel. Not even close. In fact, by my count, some form of the word “rebellious” was used five times in just this short section! Sprinkle in an “obstinate” and “stubborn,” here, and “revolt” there, along with the flattering description of “briars and thorns” and “scorpions,” and it sounds more like Ezekiel is being sent to war against the enemy rather than to proclaim God’s Word to God’s own people!

Even that would have had some appeal if God had revealed that this would be the ultimate turnaround story and that the Israelites would return back to God as a result of Ezekiel’s ministry. But God gave him no such promise. In fact, he prepared him for the more likely outcome that that they would fail to listen, based on their rebellious tendencies. 

Wouldn’t our ministry together be easier if we had the kind of promise from God that assured us that whenever we have the chance to be his spokesperson to someone else, it will always be received with a warm welcome? It will always result in repentance? It will always lead others to turn to Jesus in faith? God didn’t give Ezekiel that kind of assurance, so we probably shouldn’t expect it either.

That, however, does not nullify our need to carry it out, just as it didn’t for Ezekiel. God warned him, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (v.7). Ezekiel was sent to carry out his ministry regardless of the outcome – “whether they listen or fail to listen.” So are we. That is both frustrating and freeing.

It’s frustrating because we always want the Word to work the best possible outcome, resulting in eternal life for everyone who hears it. But it doesn’t, and that means at times our ministry is going to feel like a waste of time. Sometimes we’ll get snubbed. Sometimes painfully so. And this may happen rather quickly, right out of the gates at times, or it could be a much longer, drawn out process. 

It may come from something as simple as an offer to pray for someone in a difficult situation, only to have that offer immediately rejected because the person doesn’t want any prayers to some “imaginary” God. It may come from a tersely rejected offer to share with someone else what your faith has meant to you. If you’ve shared your faith enough times, you have stories of rejection. A door slammed in your face. A conversation cut short the minute it became about Jesus. A relationship that suddenly more or less dissolved the moment your religion became a part of it. The butt of jokes from others – possibly even family members. No, we know full well that our service, our ministry, will be flat out rejected at times rather quickly.

Other times that rejection, that snubbed service, may be longer and more drawn out. This could be a relationship that you’ve patiently tried to reconcile over time, only to have those efforts rebuffed by the other person. It might be a family member you’ve prayed for over the years and have been very persistent with in your conversations about Jesus who hasn’t seemed to have budged at all. It’s the unchurched person you have gone out of your way to know and serve as every opportunity has come up who has never once expressed appreciation or thanks. It’s the straying member you have reached out to for months to let them know you care and to check in on them, only to have them fall away and reject their faith altogether. All of these things can happen in ministry, and it’s frustrating when they do.

But it’s also freeing that God involves us in meaningful ministry because he didn’t task Ezekiel and he doesn’t task us with being responsible for the outcome. While it can be extremely difficult to do, we have to keep our faithful ministry efforts separate from their results. The results aren’t your responsibility. They aren’t my responsibility. The results are the responsibility of God alone – and for good reason! That helps us from getting puffed up with pride when God uses us to bring about amazing results in his kingdom, and it keeps us from despairing and feeling worthless when our efforts seem to amount to nothing.

In either case, regardless of the outcome – even if it’s rejection – the reason our ministry will always be the most important thing? Because there is no plan B. There is no alternative method or approach that serves as a backup plan by which people might be saved. It’s only through the gospel. Apart from the gospel, no one can ever know their guilt and shame has been released by the Savior who was pierced and crucified for them. No one can ever know the blessings of sins forgiven unless they hear about and believe in the only One who can forgive sins: Jesus. No one can ever have peace in the face of death unless they hear and believe in the One who died for them. No one can ever have the hope of eternal life unless they hear and believe the gospel. 

That’s why your ministry matters. God can use the gifts he’s given you in ways to serve the gospel, even when you yourself haven’t directly communicated the gospel. Your hospitality to your neighbor or your kindness to a coworker might make such an impression that they want to know more about what drives that. Your offerings support mission work in new churches and in foreign lands so that others can proclaim the gospel (and those same offerings just sent ten of our teenagers to the WELS Youth Rally where they were enriched with the gospel). Your labor or service around the church property reflect positively when guests are present. Your efforts at connecting with new families a school ministry let them know they are welcome and that yours is a place for them to hear more good news. Your invitations to others to come to your church will also bear fruit. There are no little, trivial, unimportant efforts regarding ministry, as God is able to use all of our collective efforts to advance his gospel and build up his kingdom. 

Yes, at times our service will be snubbed. But we’ll survive. We’ll survive because other times our service won’t be snubbed; instead, it will bear spectacular fruit. Other times God will use you in ways you could never have predicted to radically change someone else’s life with the gospel, and to forever change their eternal life as well. What could be more meaningful than that?

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Carry out My Ministry

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. As I gather with fellow believers in worship to be served by you with your rich gifts of grace and forgiveness, I pray that your service to me would equip and inspire my service to others. Involve me in every way possible in the mission and ministry you call believers to carry out. Use my unique talents and abilities to advance your kingdom and to stretch the gospel’s reach as far as possible. Make my service a blessing to others, and make me an example worth imitating as I go about your work. When I am frustrated or discouraged by the lack of results, let my joy be found in the privilege of doing your work, regardless of how big or small the task is. Lead me also to be a leader of others, so that you might raise up an army of godly Christian men who are zealous for ministry.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Fifty Years of Seeing Jesus

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(John 12:20-33)

I recently attended our School’s 50th Anniversary Gala. It was a fantastic evening. Getting to dress up for a nice evening out is just plain fun to do. Doing it surrounded by those I get to do life together with in my church/school family made it extra special.

Yet, as enjoyable as the auction was, as fun as it is to win an item you bid on, or enjoy cocktails and a nice meal, or music and dancing, or an occasional laugh here and there, what made the night amazing was something else altogether. It left me in awe of the number of lives past, present, and future, who have been and who will continue to be so strongly impacted by our school. So this post is a celebration of our school. More accurately, it’s a celebration of the Jesus who is the center of our school. 

There are surely other verses in Scripture that summarize why the church exists, but we words from John 12 might capture it as simply and succinctly as any others: “we would like to see Jesus” (v.21). In the 1960’s, members of Reformation Lutheran, our sister congregation in Clairemont, saw a growing community in La Mesa that needed to see Jesus, so they established Shepherd of the Hills in 1965. About a decade after that in 1974, a school was established in what was essentially an effort to help more people see Jesus. That school has been doing just that for fifty years. We celebrated with a formal Gala, exceeding our goal of $40,000 to enable us to continue helping people see Jesus for future generations as we care for and improve what God has blessed us with for that purpose.

Five decades is no small thing! Most small businesses that start up fail within the first year or so! Being around for fifty years also means that we have outlasted the US space program, the Choco Taco, the Sony Walkman, and Blockbuster Video, to name a few. Sadly, during that same time, many congregations within our church body that operated schools have had to close their doors. By God’s grace, not only are we still operating, but in recent years we’re doing so at higher enrollment levels than we’ve seen in the past fifty years! That has allowed for more and more students to continue to get to see Jesus here. And what does that mean?

Jesus explained to Philip and Andrew what people looking for him would see. He used an agricultural picture to point to his death and why it was necessary. “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (v.23-24). Some of you know what it’s like to have a fruit true that is so productive that it grows more fruit than you can even give away each season. It’s easy to forget how that tree started out. Just like every other plant, it was at one time just a seed. And if that seed had never been planted, it would never have become the tree that now produces such an abundance of fruit. 

Jesus’ death was necessary. It had to happen to bear a much more valuable kind of fruit. He had to die and be buried so that through his saving work others would be saved and blessed. Still today God is producing much fruit through that seed, through Jesus. That fruit continues to be produced where Christians gather around the Word of God and invite others to do so, so that through the Word others are brought to faith. This happens through the ministries that congregations carry out, including those with a school like ours. 

And those blessings come to those who embrace what Jesus said next. “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me” (v.25-26). But losing one’s life and following Jesus are not easy! Not in a world that encourages the exact opposite: love this life here and now and don’t bother with anything else. So we look for support and encouragement to help us along the way. And for fifty years, students and families have found that support and encouragement in our school to keep focused on the real target: eternal life. 

That help is needed. It is needed because we look around at the world today and we are troubled. Although Jesus himself asserted that wars and rumors of war would continue until his return, it still seems shocking that we see the astounding level of violence in the world between nations and among civilized societies. People lack both self-respect and respect for others. People brazenly walk in and out of stores grabbing whatever they like and stealing it in broad daylight. Attorneys promote divorce on billboards. We’ve contributed billions and billions of dollars to the pornography industry and wonder why sex trafficking is such an issue. We’re religiously passionate about politics while indifferent toward religion. And we aren’t only troubled because the world is this way, but also because we’re a part of the problem. We contribute to the very things that trouble us about the world. Our sin factors right into all the trouble we see, and so we are troubled all the more by our own role in it!

Does it help to know that you have a Savior who can relate to feeling troubled? “Now my heart is troubled…” (v.27). Jesus knows how you feel! Admittedly, the intensity of trouble/turmoil facing Jesus was on a level we’ll never come close to experiencing, but that makes us both more appreciative of him and connected to him. He has experienced any level of trouble we’ve faced – and then some! And because he faced the impending trouble of death by crucifixion and desertion by his Father, we’ll never have to process that crushing level of anxiety! Heart wrenching as it was, he knew he had to face it. “No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (v.27). 

What compels someone to face that trouble and follow through with it? His love for and commitment to you. “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (v.31-32). Jesus was intent on destroying the enemy who pesters and plagues us with his hellish desires. Through the cross, he not only dealt a devastating blow to the devil, but also built the bridge necessary for all of mankind to have access God. Two birds with one stone! By the cross, Christ both destroyed and delivered!

How unselfish of our Savior! We live in a world filled with so many clawing and clamoring to get known, to use this platform or that to put themselves out there and secure a following. We’re used to it. We get friend or follow requests from people we don’t know because they’re trying to get known. And why? For themselves. They may or may not have a talent or skill that enables them to actually produce something good, worthwhile, or valuable to others, but it doesn’t matter. They want to draw people to themselves to suit their own purposes.

Not Jesus. Jesus desired to draw all people to himself not because his delicate ego needed validation, but because condemned souls needed salvation. And he provided it. 

For fifty years, faithful teachers have taken their place in the front of our classrooms declaring that truth. Have all the students who have ever graduated from our school gone on to graduate from prestigious universities? Have they all become hugely successful in their lives, because we churn out nothing but lawyers, engineers, doctors, and physicists with PhDs and other pedigrees? Have we equipped them so well emotionally that they’ll never have to worry about struggling with burdens like anxiety or depression? No. We can’t make such claims. But neither are any of those goals first and foremost why our school has existed for fifty years.

But here’s what every student who has ever graduated has heard and seen: Jesus. And you know what happens when people get to know Jesus? They grow. And others get to know Jesus through them. I couldn’t say precisely how many families have become a part of our congregation’s ministry directly as a result of one or more of their children having been enrolled in our school, but it’s a significant number. Because that’s what happens when people come to see Jesus. When Jesus changes a heart, he changes the whole life, and when others see the difference he has made in their life, they wish to see Jesus, too. And we show them – in church every Sunday and in our school Monday through Friday. We show people Jesus. It’s why we’re here. It’s what we do. 

A couple of weeks ago we had a videographer on our campus for two and a half days to gather video footage and record interviews to put together a high-quality video showcasing our school. We were looking forward to being able to share the finished product at our Gala. I say “were” because we never got the video. Unfortunately, as the videographer was putting the finishing touches on the video, his hard drive crashed and he lost all of the footage he had captured. It was a huge bummer to not be able to watch the finished product.

But the real reason it was so disheartening was not just because it would have been a snazzy, well-done, professional video. No, the real reason was because it captured our stories about the impact this school has had. It highlighted the difference Jesus makes in the lives of those who are here to see him. Even though there is no video, I did get to talk with the videographer after he had interviewed a number of our parents, and it was clear to him that our school was making a difference. That’s not surprising. That’s what Jesus does. 

And so that is what we’ll continue to do through our church and school for as many years as the Lord allows it. Show Jesus. 

Who Am I?

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(Exodus 3:1-15)

I don’t imagine anyone other than Moses could really describe what it was like to see a burning bush that didn’t burn up, because I don’t know anyone other than Moses who’s ever seen it. I suppose we could picture those fake logs inside gas fireplaces, some of which look a little more realistic than others. But something tells me the experience Moses had was a little bit different than that. It must have been quite a thing to see; quite amazing to witness it. That would explain why Moses went over to investigate it a bit more.

Then, just like that, his amazement turned to terror as he realize what – or rather who – was behind it all! “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’  ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God” (v.4-6). Moses’ curiosity shifted to cowardice in the presence of God. Holy ground in the presence of a holy God? Surely Moses thought he was doomed – as if hiding his face to avoid looking at God could somehow have spared him if God was indeed there to strike him down.

Do you remember why Moses had reason to be terrified? In an act of vigilante justice, he stepped in on behalf of a fellow Israelite and murdered an Egyptian who was mistreating him. Moses presumed there were no witnesses to his actions because he was shocked when a short time later a fellow Israelite called him out on it. In fear, he fled to Midian where he shepherded for forty years. Forty years is a lot of time to be weighed down with guilt, and now that he found himself face-to-face with a holy God, we understand why he was terrified!

Are we ever terrified of God for the same reason? Amazed at what God does, yes, but terrified? Do we shutter or shiver in the presence of God because we know his holiness and we’re well aware that he knows our unholiness? Does his holiness strike us with alarm as it also exposes our sinfulness? Do we so easily forget the ways God poured out his wrath against Israel’s sin again and again – via the earth opening up or fire consuming or plagues unleashed? God doesn’t have much time or patience for sin! Do we too easily dismiss or forget that?

It was Moses’ awareness of his sin in the presence of a holy God that led the pendulum to swing from amazement at the bush to terror.

Then, it swung back again in the other direction once God explained to Moses why he was there. “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…’” (v.7-8). Amazing! God heard the cries of his people, their misery from slavery in Egypt, and he was concerned about their suffering and was going to do something about it. Hooray! Amazing!

What a great reminder of the God we belong to! When we conclude that any suffering we experience must be an indicator that he doesn’t care all that much about us, look no further than these verses. God cares about the suffering of his people. Experiencing suffering doesn’t mean God doesn’t care; rather it’s an opportunity for him to show his care by how he chooses to deliver us through that suffering. He promised to do just that for his people in Egypt. Amazing news!

And then just as abruptly, once again the pendulum swung completely in the other direction when God revealed how he planned to rescue his people. He would do so through Moses. “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (v.10).

Imagine Moses’ response! “Whoa! Hold the phone! Pump the breaks! Let me stop you right there, Lord! I’m all on board with you rescuing your people, but if you’re planning to do it through me, well, maybe slavery isn’t so bad! There’s gotta be another way.” Moses was terrified! The next phase of their dialogue involves Moses trying to convince the Lord that his rescue mission can be better carried out through someone else. Moses pulled out proof after proof that he felt should serve as more than sufficient evidence to disqualify him from any such rescue mission.

Don’t you just love Moses? Is he relatable or what? We are ecstatic about all the good things God promises and desires to carry out through his people, but when it becomes a possibility that we’re the ones he wants to carry it out through, we do our best Moses impression and provide 487 reasons why we’re not the right person for the job!

This manifests itself in all kinds of ways in the lives of those who belong to a local church. By default, we presume that someone else is a better fit than we are, either because of our own insecurity or because we forget that others didn’t always do it so well when they first started out.

Or we use the old “let’s give some new people the chance to serve,” when what we really mean is, “I’ve put in my time already and it’s someone else’s turn.”

“We’re really busy in life right now, but when things slow down we’d love to be able to do this or that.” But we forget that we’re the ones who choose all that busyness in other areas of life, and until we say no to some other things, the time that we claim to long for in service to ministry never magically seems to show up.

It’s one version or another of the same pushback Moses gave to God: “Who am I?”

And it isn’t just ministry in general where this applies, but also to our consideration of God’s possible call into the public ministry as pastors and teachers. “Who am I?” Not for me. Send others. We may not know what we want to do, but we know we want to make money, so ministry doesn’t make the cut. The hours and expectations extend well beyond the course of a school day, so I couldn’t be a teacher. I could never get up in front of people and preach a sermon, so I can’t see myself being a pastor. These and so many other concerns are different versions of the same question: “Who am I?”

How does God respond to such concerns today? The same way he did to Moses. Moses asked, “Who am I?” but God pointed out that question needs to be asked the other way around. Not “who are you, Moses,” but rather “who am I, God, the Lord?”

God might as well have been saying to Moses, “Get over yourself. Just because I am sending you, just because I am using you, does not mean you’re doing the work. It’s still MY work. I’m still the one getting it done – I just need your hands, your feet, your mouth – really just your heart, and I’ll get done what I need to through you.” 

Note how many “I’s” there are in this section! Moses keeps trying to shine the spotlight on himself as a disqualifier with each excuse he leverages, but each time God turns the spotlight back to himself with one “I” after another. “‘I’ am sending you.” “‘I’ am with you.” “‘I’ am.” Not you, Moses, but I – the Lord, is where your focus ought to be. 

And that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If we are looking for reasons to avoid carrying out the ministry God has given us – whether it be our own personal ministry as Christians or the public ministry as called workers – look no further than the mirror in front of you. Of course it’s filled with reasons or excuses that would disqualify us! If God needed us to measure up to his standards before he could actually use any of us, he’d end up empty-handed! He wouldn’t be able to use anyone!

But have you forgotten what he did to ensure that he could use everyone? He qualified everyone at the cross. There he paid for our sin. There he freed us from selfishness and pride. There he washed away our excuses and insecurities. 

Because ministry, our service, is about him. He sends us. He is with us. He…is.

And that, frankly, is all we need. We remember it’s all about him from start to finish. My service to him and others is not about my service; it’s about him. My ministry in his name isn’t about my ministry; it’s about his name. My calling to fulfill his purposes isn’t about my calling; it’s about his purposes.

Ministry means keeping the emphasis in the right place. It means we can let go of the “Who am I?” and instead recall all of the wonderful answers to that question when God is the one asking it. When God reminds us to think of who he is, there is nothing that can’t be done when he’s behind it. 

So go. God is sending you. Be his hands and his feet. Be his mouthpiece. Be those things and everything else he calls you to be because he is behind it. Who am I? Who are you? Instead, let’s always remember who He is. 

Ministry

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(1 Peter 5:1-4)

What is ministry? While describing what it involves, Peter also provided a good definition with the phrase, “eager to serve” (v.2). Ministry is service. Of course, we have to be a little more specific. There are lots of ways to serve others, but we are speaking specifically of kingdom-related service. The server bringing the lunch you just ordered to your table is serving, but that’s not ministry. The man checking in the back to see if they have the shoes you’re looking at in your size is serving, but that’s not ministry. The mail carrier delivering your mail to your mailbox is serving, but that’s not ministry. 

Yet, each of those roles just mentioned could also be viewed as an individual’s personal ministry. The server, the shoe salesman, and the mail carrier could view their jobs as opportunities to serve the physical needs of others while also keeping eyes open to meet spiritual needs as the opportunity arises. Connections with real people can be made, which can lead to conversations, which can lead to Christ, either indirectly or directly. The server can offer to pray for the table that seems to be hurting. The shoe salesman can consistently serve with a smile and a joy that compels customers to ask the reason why. The mail carrier can take moments here and there to get to know the families along the route to build relationships that might lead to invitations. We could call this personal ministry. 

There is also congregational ministry. When believers join together as a congregation, it is to see that gospel ministry is carried out. Our school is reviewing its mission statement, which would probably not be a bad thing for the congregation, too. A mission statement is a reminder of the gospel ministry that we gather together to carry out.

Are you only involved in congregational ministry if you’re knocking on doors or visiting members or leading a small group? No – however each of us utilizes the gifts God has given us to care for and put to use the facilities and resources God has given us so that the gospel can continue to be preached, taught, learned, and shared, is congregational ministry. Which ones are most important? All of them. 

I could ask which link in the chains holding up the swings on a swingset is the most important. Is it the link by which the swing is attached to the swing set? Is it the link that connects to the seat of the swing? Is it a link somewhere in the middle? They all matter because they all work together to make allow the swing to swing. If any one of them broke, the swing wouldn’t function. So all of the gifts God has given you matter when used in service of the church so that the church can be the church and do what the church has been called to do: communicate Christ. We all work collectively to carry out that congregational ministry. 

God wants to make sure that personal and congregational ministry never dry up or cease, so he established the type of ministry which Peter is speaking about in these verses. We call this the public ministry or sometimes representative ministry. This is where pastors, teachers, or staff ministers have been called by groups of Christians to represent and serve them publicly. God has established this office of the public ministry, but he has not designated one specific form, which is why we see a variety of terms in the Bible that apply to this public ministry. A few examples of these ministry titles are “overseers,” “ministers,” and “elders,” as Peter calls them in our verses. While there may be slightly different titles or designations in the public ministry, God has given guidance as to the responsibilities of anyone holding the office of public ministry.

Peter compares the role and responsibility of this gospel ministry to the work of a shepherd. He writes, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care…” (v.2). The apostle Paul used the same picture when encouraging public ministers as he was saying farewell to the congregation he served in Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:28-29). This is no accident. Why might God use the description of a shepherd to convey what he wants public ministers to do? Because that role is to be a reflection of our Good Shepherd.

Our Good Shepherd looks after us, his sheep. He guides us and guards us. He protects us and provides for us. He corrects us and cares for us. He feeds us and leads us. Every good and beneficial thing in our lives – physically and spiritually – comes to us only because our Good Shepherd is behind it.

And one of the ways our Good Shepherd provides for us spiritually is through his undershepherds – those serving in the public ministry. Pastors are called to carry out the work of the Good Shepherd. Many of the blessings of our Good Shepherd then, he bestows on us through his pastor shepherds 

When you hear the pastor’s comforting assurance of the resurrection at the death of a fellow Christian, you are hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd. When the pastor calls on his wayward sheep, you are hearing the loving correction and discipline of your Good Shepherd. When the pastor faithfully feeds you with Word and sacrament, you are really filled with the food of the Good Shepherd’s banquet. The Good Shepherd has given the public ministry, not for the sake of establishing an entourage around popular preachers or spiritual celebrities, but for you to grow closer to your Good Shepherd, to faithfully follow him and commit all that you are and all that you have to him.

How do pastors carry out this public ministry? In positive terms, Peter writes they are to serve willingly, eagerly, and by being an example (vs. 2-3). No one is forced or coerced into ministry but pursues it willingly. No one is installed or ordained into ministry against their will. It is a vocation that is pursued and prepared for, and it is nothing short of the greatest privilege of all.

It is also an extension of what Jesus embodied on the night before he died – a life of proverbial foot-washing – eager service to others. The pastor is called to serve the sheep, not be served by them.

The pastor will also recognize that he is to be an example for the flock. A shepherd will lead not merely with words, but with actions. The shepherd should not expect to see in his sheep what his sheep fail to see in their shepherd.  

Peter also states how not to carry out this ministry. Public ministry is never paycheck-driven or geared toward making a buck. While spiritual scam artists have always existed and will always exist, there is no place for such abuse when it comes to shepherding God’s flock. The financially-focused pastor cannot give his undivided attention to caring for souls.

Neither will he abuse the authority or responsibility that has been entrusted to him in watching over the sheep. His is not a position of control, but of care; his is not the calling of tyrant but of servant. His is a high and holy calling from God, and one that is to be a rich blessing to God’s flock as he carries out the public ministry.

And if he’s carrying out his work faithfully, God’s powerful Word will see to it that he is equipping you for both your personal and congregational ministry. You can help him in that role. Just as the shepherd is to be a blessing to his sheep, so also can the sheep be a blessing to their shepherd. How do sheep help their shepherd? Let’s begin with our perception.

Do you see yourself belonging to a congregation merely to “go to church”… or to carry out the ministry the Chief Shepherd has given to you and the congregation? Now for some sheep, it would be a grand step in the right direction just to start going to church regularly. Worship is one of the primary ways the shepherd carries out his role of feeding the sheep – work that is difficult to do if sheep rarely show up to eat. 

But there are also sheep who are far too content to feed and feed and feed to the point of being too stuffed for service. They eat, but they do not view the spiritual food as fuel for ministry.

Or, it may be that they are not aware of the personal or congregational ministry opportunities. What are some? Consider a congregation with a school – do they have a school ministry, or do you as a member also have a ministry to your school? How do you view it? When we have Bible classes or services in person and online, are those just for you, or does your ministry also include thinking of and inviting others to those opportunities to be fed? Do you look around as the flock gathers and see other sheep for you to serve or other sheep to serve you? Can you serve your shepherd pastor by heeding his encouragement and applying what he says? Can you see clearly how your personal ministry connects to your congregational ministry? 

As sheep, we need to either shape up or stay in shape. The power God’s Word possesses equips us to be great sheep and be a blessing to the shepherd pastor. When that happens we can all focus on adding more sheep to the flock while the flock also cares for itself under the guidance of its shepherd and ultimately the Good Shepherd.  

Are sheep ever going to carry out that ministry perfectly? No, and how could they be expected to when there is no shepherd who is able to carry out his ministry perfectly? No sheep deserves to be a part of the flock and no shepherd is deserving of such a title and calling.

That is why the Good Shepherd is necessary. Only through the Good Shepherd – Jesus – can anyone be brought into the flock. He carried out the role of the perfect Lamb of sacrifice when he sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins. His blood alone purifies us to be his sheep.

Only the Good Shepherd qualifies sheep to be in his flock and pastors to shepherd and care for his flock. And he will continue to Shepherd both through his powerful Word – now and into eternity. “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).