Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

In life and certainly in ministry, disappointment is a fact.  It's a reality.  It's not a question of whether or not we will be disappointed.  The question is, why did it happen and how will we handle it? 

When it comes to your hopes and dreams, a good way to handle disappointment is to ask yourself, “What was I really hoping for?  The right things?  God’s best?  Or was it merely my fantasy, my daydream?"  If your hopes aren’t coming true, try changing your hopes! Let your hopes be transformed by the Word of God so that they can be conformed to the will of God.  

What about disappointment that comes from other people?  How does God want you to handle it when other people disappoint you?

Here’s the first half of the truth:  Other people are not perfect.  Sooner or later, your best friend will disappoint you.  The person who loves you most will let you down.  Someone you were depending on will not come through for you.  That’s because no one is perfect.  The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of glory of God.  No one is righteous, no, not one. 

Here is the second half of the truth:  That includes you!  You’re not perfect either.  You disappoint people.  You let them down.  You and I don’t always come through for people when they are depending on us.  You may be saying, “I guess that’s true.  But I didn’t mean to do it!  I didn’t do it on purpose!  I just forgot!”  You know what?  You’re probably right!  You know what else?  You can say the same thing about the other people who failed you in some way:  Assume they didn’t do it on purpose.  Maybe they just forgot.  They’re not perfect, and neither are you.  As Martin Luther would say, "Put the best construction on everything."  Treat the other person as you want to be treated when you are the one doing the disappointing. 

There’s something else about you that you need to know.  You are so loved.  Almighty God loves you with such a vast and astounding love that He sent His Son to be your Savior.  The way to handle disappointment is to receive the love Jesus offers you, and to share that love with the people around you.  Receive and share.  Receive the forgiveness Jesus offers you, and share that forgiveness with the people around you.  Don’t expect them to be perfect, any more than you are perfect.  Put your hope and trust in Jesus Christ, the holy, sinless Son of God, who loves you and gave Himself for you.

Jesus did not fail you, and He never will.  He did not forget about you, and He never will.  He did not let you down, and He never will.  Jesus Christ came through for you, and He always will – not only in this short season of earthly life, but for eternity, forever.

I have been talking with a number of pastors concerning available church worker positions.  Most of us get very little information on what is open -- where there are vacancies and needs throughout the LCMS.  (Although, some positions are posted in The Lutheran Witness and Reporter.)  We often stay at the same church for years and are well-placed, not well-placed or somewhere in between.  Some times we wish that someone knew about our God-given skills and abilities. Yes, God knows about them, but the LCMS is large enough that not many other people do.

I was talking to a pastor recently who told about his meaningful experiences in prison ministry and his desire to continue after the program at his prison was cut.  Unfortunately, he only learned about a vacancy in another district when the position had already been filled.

The pastors in my circuit decided to write a memorial (I call them resolutions) for the next LCMS Convention on posting of available church worker positions. (And, yes, we know that these are "calls" and are not to be confused with the filling of secular jobs and some of the methods that are used to fill them.)

What we propose is that the districts post available positions (perhaps on their websites) and that the District Presidents prayerfully consider expressions of interest by church workers.  If the District President so decides, he could add a name to the call list for consideration by the church or school.

Today, for example, if a pastor wishes to be considered for another call, he contacts his District President and asks for his name to be forwarded to certain types of calling situations and districts.  However, it is unlikely that the pastor would have much information on what is open in other districts or of special situations that might be good matches.

What do you all think about how the current system works? Could it be improved?  If so, how? 

The Concordia University System is great for preparing church workers.  I was a second-career seminary student ten years ago and about half of the other students were from a Concordia University.  I learned about their many advantages:

1. Professors and staff that share students' vocational interests and who can guide them in taking the courses and having the experiences that prepare them for further studies.

2.Access to scholarships from churches, university-based scholarships and other donor scholarships designed to encourage and prepare Lutheran church workers and keep the debt-load low.

3.Solid preparation in pre-vocational courses. I noted that the Concordia students had a much better preparation in Christian Doctrine, Old and New Testament, and the Greek and Hebrew languages than those of us who did not attend a Concordia.

4. Better knowledge of the LCMS culture and expectations of church workers.

5. Spiritual development in a faith-based environment. Contrast this with those of us who went to secular (liberal) universities that tried to brainwash us into abandoning our faith in God and who ridiculed us at every turn.  No offers to pray for us to achieve our vocational goals!

So, consider the many benefits of the Concordia University System.  I bet you will be glad you did.

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.  This is my gospel.” (2 Timothy 2:8)

“We believe that Jesus died and rose again, AND SO we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14 NIV)

AND SO . . . Jesus died and rose again . . . AND SO . . . We are confident that our sins are forgiven, our penalty has been paid on the cross, the debt of sin has been canceled by the blood of Jesus, the stone has been rolled away from the tomb, death is defeated, and the door to heaven is opened.  Christ is the open door to life with God forever.

As you breathe your last, Christ will say to you, “Don’t be afraid.  I paid for all your sins.  I am with you now, as I have always been.  And soon, in only a moment, you will be with me.”  And you will open your eyes to behold the face of the One who loved you to death:  both his and yours. 

Jesus died and rose again . . . AND SO . . . Our grief at the loss of loved ones is not a hopeless grief.  We sorrow, yes, but not as those who have no hope.  Those who have died trusting in Christ are now safe in the arms of God.  They are with Christ.  Christ is with us.  In Christ we are still together.  One day Christ will bring all his people together in a resurrection reunion that will be all hello and no more goodbye, all laughter and no more tears, nothing but embracing and no more letting go.

Jesus died and rose again . . . AND SO . . . we who are baptized into his death and resurrection rise daily to live a new life.  We are Easter people!  We are victorious in Christ!  We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself up for us.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!  Death has no more power over us.  Sin is no longer our master.  Satan is no match for the power of Jesus Christ in us. 

Jesus died and rose again . . . AND SO . . . our relationships are renewed and transformed by his resurrection power.  You are a new creation in Christ; the old has passed away, the new has come!  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  You can’t go back to yesterday and change it, but you can start today to make a new tomorrow.  Learn from the past; don’t live in it!

There are battles yet to be fought.  Daily the God-despising world must be resisted and rejected, and accommodation will not work.  Daily Satan must be rebuked and renounced, and you must not be gentle.  Daily the self-serving sinful nature in each one of us must be drowned and crucified; it takes both drowning and crucifixion because it’s so strong and persistent. 

The victory is ours, because Christ has won the victory.  He has called us, and he has claimed us, to be his people: his victorious Easter people.  Whatever struggle or sorrow each day may bring, it bears no comparison to what Christ went through on Good Friday to accomplish our salvation.  Good Friday was not the end for our Savior, and it is not the last word for us.  As with Jesus, so it is for his people.  Jesus died and rose again, AND SO . . . God’s final word, God’s forever word, is LIFE, JOY, VICTORY!

Recently, I was cast as the Reverend Mother in our local theater's production of The Sound of Music.  Since I haven't acted in a few years (actually, about 20!), I have been quite nervous about memorizing all the lines.   Five children down the pike, and my brain's not as sharp as it once was!

I was lamenting to my husband about all my anxiety, when he offered, "You're a product of Lutheran education!  You can memorize anything!"

I laughed, but it did give me encouragement!  Memorizing scripture and catechism passages are integral parts of Lutheran education.   As my chidlren study their own memory work for school, I can often recite along with them (though we sometimes stumble over translations!).  What a blessing to have God's words firmly planted in my brain.  Many things escape me (see above reference to five kids and a loss of brain cells), but those long-ago learned passages remain.

As a pastor, my husband sees many elderly parishioners who are ill or dying.  Often times, they have lost many of their previous mental capabilities.  However, those passages, hymns, and liturgies they learned as children are not missing!  They will sing with him, recite with him, and be comforted by those words learned so long ago.  

I am thankful for the foundation I received at Trinity Lutheran School.  I pray that as I continue to age, all I memorized and learned there will continue to be at the forefront of my mind, a blessing each new day.

One of my students walked up to me near the end of class today, and mind you, this student doesn’t often come up just to chat. “Miss Drier…I just finished Of Mice and Men.” The student’s face was lined with a seriousness that didn’t seem to fit on a face I usually saw smiling and joking with his classmates. And that’s when it hit me. This student had just fallen in love with a book, even though he didn’t want to.

I myself have not read Of Mice and Men since I too was a high school junior. And as I revisit Soledad, California, I find dear sweet slow-minded Lennie with another dead mouse in his hands, oblivious to the truth I’ve now fully lived: “The best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray.” And as I feel Lennie settle into my heart once more, I can’t help but wonder…how often on a daily basis do the words we read truly affect us? New studies have shown that on average, with new technologies and social networking, the majority of our waking hours are spent reading. It may be text messages, online articles, a friend’s Facebook status update…but it’s reading. And again I must ask how much of it hits us, truly sucker punches us in the heart like Steinbeck’s short story of Lennie.

There’s one story I must admit I’ve heard at least a thousand times, and I hope until the day I die I never tire of hearing it. Its main character is most definitely a Lennie, born to two parents who just never really knew what to do with his odd tendencies. By the time he was an adult, he was on the road and telling everyone who would listen about how to best capture men, the end of the world, and water that would make you never thirsty again. This guy worked on weekends and acted like a servant when everyone called him a leader—one might even say a God. He even just stood and took it when his once-followers denied him and spit in his face. I’ll never be able to explain it, but I love this kook of a character for his strange ideas, idealistic hope in humanity, and untimely death that always leaves my heart twisted.

As an English teacher, I wait in hopeful anticipation for moments of unabashed literature love like the one my student had with Of Mice and Men. As a human, I pray we all keep searching for that story will draw us in and sucker punch us in the heart time and time again.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2

Of my 38 years of life, 19 of those years have been spent in a Lutheran school, either teaching or attending as a student.  For 9 of those "leftover" 19 years, I have been a parent of children in a Lutheran school.

Suffice it to say, Lutheran schools hold a dear place in my heart.  As we celebrate our treasured Lutheran schools this week, I am reminded of all the memories of my Lutheran school heritage:   Singing hymns in chapel; memorizing Scripture passages; proclaiming the Christmas story; reaching out to those in our community in need; and most of all, hearing about the grace of Jesus Christ - given to us freely on the cross!

How has your life been shaped by a Lutheran school?

In December I accepted a Call to become the next Head of School at Concordia International School Shanghai.  My wife, our youngest daughter, and I will be moving in mid-July to begin this new adventure in ministry.  Our daughter started her own blog a few weeks ago to describe what the transistion will be from Orange Lutheran.  Here is one of her most recent posts...

Don't Tell Me I'm Brave...

The dictionary would define being brave as being ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage, and being ready to endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behavior) without showing fear.
But I don't like that. I think that puts it all on me. Like there is some inner power that I have that is letting me do this. But since we decided this I have had so many people tell me how brave I am, and we are as a family. Please don't.

I believe that anyone could do this. We aren't special or brave or anything like that. We aren't moving to China for us. We are following God to China. It's a leap of faith into the unknown. God is big, and God is brave. Without God, we couldn't do this. Really.

So I think there has got to be a better word for all of this. I don't know what it is. :)

But please, don't tell me I'm brave.

SDG!

What does it mean to teach as Jesus taught?  Here are some observations for consideration by anyone involved in Christian education.

 Jesus spoke the Word of God.  “Father, now they [my disciples] know that everything You have given me comes from You.  For I gave them the words You gave me and they accepted them.” (John 17:7, 8)  “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”  (John 12:50)  Are we faithfully teaching the Word of God, not only in our “religion” classes, but throughout the day?  Is our communication with parents consistent with God’s Word?

 Jesus personified the Word of God.  There was no gap between His words and His deeds.  He embodied the truth and love of God in His person.  “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”  (John 14:7, 9)  When the students look at you, do they see something of Jesus?  When they hear you speak, do they hear overtones of the voice of Jesus?  When you interact with parents, are they in some way encountering Jesus?

 Jesus spoke to the heart and about the heart.  It doesn’t take spiritual discernment to address good behavior and bad behavior.  Rewards and punishments are the way of the world; they are the best the world can do, and we are grateful when evil is punished and good is rewarded.  Jesus looked deeper inside, into the heart of a person.  “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good . . . Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good man brings up good things out of the good stored up in him.”  (Matthew 12:33-35)  Are we addressing the hearts of our students and their parents, or are we content with behavior modification?

 Jesus was motivated by love.  Christ-like love is all-out, total commitment to the total well-being of the other person.  Everything Jesus said and did came from a heart filled with love.  Whether he was comforting the afflicted or afflicting the comfortable, He was motivated by love for the person in front of Him.  He was doing what was in the total best interests of that person, even if it made that person uncomfortable in some cases.  “A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  (John 13:34) 

The world asks the question, “What’s in it for me?”  Christ-like love asks, “What’s in me for you?  What do I have that you can use?  What do you need that I can share?”  Without that attitude in our hearts, all our high-sounding words and dynamic teaching are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  But with Christ-like love as our motive, miracles can happen.      

As we continue the celebration of Lutheran Schools Week, I am intrigued by another word of encouragement from Luther:

A pastor and schoolteacher plant and raise young trees and saplings in the garden. Oh, they have a precious office and work and are the finest jewels of the church; they preserve the church.

With Luther, we affirm the importance of the work they undertake on a daily basis. Wtih Luther, we commend pastors and teachers as "jewels of the church." And with the 243,212 students served by approximately 18,000 teachers in our Lutheran schools, all of those "young trees and saplings" form quite a forest!

Thanks to the Lord of the Harvest for raising-up our teachers and pastors for work in His harvest field!

Many times it is said with frequency and conviction, drawn from the Great Commission given us by our Lord and Savior, that we are here on earth to make disciples.  That statement gives rise to this question:  What is a disciple? 

A look into Holy Scripture reveals a working definition of a “disciple” of Jesus that contains two adjectives and two nouns.  The first adjective is the word “faithful.”

In John 15:4 Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”  In John 8:31 He says, “If you continue in my word, you are really my disciples.”  Remain.  Continue.  That means determination, persistence, sanctified stubbornness.  Faithfulness results in fullness of faith, spiritual maturity.  “Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (James 1:4)

A disciple is faithful.  The second adjective is the word “fruitful.” 

Our Lord intends for us to be productive.  “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)  But productivity in Christ is not all about being busy, doing lots of stuff, staying stressed out all the time.  It’s about developing the Christ-like character that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  It’s not so much about what you do, but who you are.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  As we read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

A disciple is faithful and fruitful.  Those are the two adjectives.  The first noun is the word “follower.” 

Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”  (John 15:16)  Jesus takes the initiative.  He is the Leader.  “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.”  (1 Peter 2:21).  Don’t get out in front of Jesus and ask Him to bless what you have decided to do.  But don’t let Him out of your sight either.  Stay close to Him.  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.”  (Hebrews 12:2)  If you fall behind or wander off, He will not leave you behind.  “He will never leave you or forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

A disciple of Jesus is His faithful, fruitful follower.  A disciple of Jesus is also His “friend.”  That’s the second noun. 

Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command.”  If you are a friend of Jesus, you will want to do what brings joy to His heart.  Friends enjoy deep closeness with one another.  Jesus says, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)  This is not a friendship between equals.  Loving Christ means obeying Christ, for He is the Lord.  “If you love me you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)  He does not say, “I will love you if you obey what I command.”  His love for you is perfect and eternal.  It is not dependent on your performance, but on His character, and He does not change. 

What is a disciple?  A disciple of Jesus is His faithful, fruitful follower and friend.    

Do you agree with that definition?  What words would you change or add?   

With the celebration of Lutheran Schools Week on March 4-10, I thought it would be appropriate to share a rather interesting quote from Luther regarding pastors and teachers. I hope you enjoy it!

Schoolmasters (teachers) have learned to speak in school with their pupils; they know how the passages of Holy Scripture are properly to be handled and explained. I wish that no one would be elected preacher unless he had first been a schoolmaster. Now the young fellows want to become preachers instantly and flee schoolwork. But after a man has taught school for about ten years, he may quit with a good conscience; for the work is too great and is little thought of. However, a schoolmaster is as important to a city as a preacher. We can dispense with burgomasters, princes, and noblemen; you cannot dispense with schools, for they must rule the world.

If I were not a preacher, I do not know of any position on earth that I would rather have than that of schoolmaster. But one must not look at how the world rewards and regards it, but how God  will consider and praise it on that Day (quoted from Luther by John Mathesius in 1540, What Luther Says, vol. 3, CPH,  p. 1337).

Do you agree or disagree with Luther? Your comments are welcomed!

March 4-10 is Lutheran Schools Week - a time to give thanks to the Lord of the Church not only for these schools, but especially also for the teachers and staff members who serve in them. Here are some amazing stats concerning our LCMS schools from last year's compiled data:

243,212 students served by approximately 18,000 teachers ... Among enrolled students, 17 percent were unchurched, and 39 percent were members of the school's operating congregation ... More than 2,700 children from Lutheran schools were baptized!

This year's emphasis is Securing Each Child’s Future – Equipped. It is based upon 2 Tim. 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Here is a link to more information.

Two activities that seem particularly appropriate during Lutheran Schools week are:

1. Expressing appreciation to, and giving thanks to God for, the teachers and staff who serve in our Lutheran schools; and,
2. Speaking to young people in positive, encouraging ways to consider serving as the next generation of teachers who will carry-on this valuable work in God's Kingdom.

In this same spirit, I invite you to enter a comment about a Lutheran teacher who was particularly influential in your life (by name, or not if you prefer).

I also invite Lutheran teachers to comment about the joys and challenges of their service in Lutheran schools (by name, or not if you prefer).

Finally, I invite parents to comment on the value they find in Lutheran education for their children.

Blessings on your activities in connection to Lutheran Schools Week 2012.

As a national campus missionary, I'm privileged to equip church leaders around the country to share Christ's love on college and university campuses.  Sometimes I meet church leaders - including some pastors - who tell me they've discouraged their children from becoming pastors and other professional church workers.

Their rationale always seems to boil down to this:  "I don't want them to suffer like me/my pastor."

As a pastor who has felt the sting of unjust criticism from well-intentioned and not-so-well-intentioned persons, I know their pain.  (I've also received constructive criticism from some of the Lord's faithful servants who cared enough to share their concerns with me in a God-pleasing way.)

Still, it grieves me to know that some potential church workers are discouraged from seeking what may be a calling from God because other church workers have had negative experiences.

For one thing, I've never known anyone who hasn't had negative experiences at work, some more than others.  Church workers are no different.

More importantly, though, is that these discouragers apparently are overlooking the blessed opportunity it is to be called to serve the Lord - I get to study God's Word and preach/teach it to others and call it "work"! - and the critical need for more workers who will share Christ's love with others.

Recently I met with an undergraduate college student who's interested in attending seminary to become a pastor.  He's somewhat reluctant, though, in part because he's seen the unfair treatment his pastor has received.  I encouraged him to look beyond his pastor's pain to "Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2  ESV)  I also reminded him of these two Bible verses:

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:37 ESV)

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)

You can have a positive impact on a potential future church worker today and every day by offering these and other encouraging Scripture passages.  You can also help your pastor and other church workers by expressing your appreciation for their faithful service.  The Lord may work through you to change their lives so that He can work through them to change the lives of others for eternity.  And be awared that maybe, just maybe, He's working through me right now to encourage you to become a church worker, or to encourage you if you are a hurting church worker.

• I have heard it stated more than once that laity have a greater tendency to "step-up" and serve in a worker-priest model since they realize that their pastor has little time for anything beyond preaching and administering the sacraments;
• The worker-priest model does put the pastor "in the public" on a daily basis where he is not surrounded by "church people" as are most full-time pastors;
• Are there enough jobs in some of the communities that contain non-calling vacancies to allow the pastor to be employed outside of his call to the congregation?
• A worker-priest model is not what most seminary students come to seminary expecting to be.
• Let's face it, there are only so many hours in a week and there will simply be less time for ministry efforts in this model.

Ten colleges and universities across the country. More than 28,000 students enrolled in 160 undergraduate and 60 graduate programs and being taught by more than 1,500 faculty members. But best of all is the Christ-focused context of the Concordia University System. What a blessing these institutions of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are for the church and the world!

Materials are available free of charge (even no shipping charges) for congregations who wish to celebrate Concordia Sunday this April 29. Concordia Sunday provides an opportunity for a congregation to celebrate the blessing of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s  colleges and universities. Materials (including a litany of thanksgiving, a prayer, a children’s sermon, talking points for a sermon, bulletin and newsletter announcements, brochures, etc.) are available from the Concordia University System office.

Special materials for the LCMS church work vocations are also available. In fact, What a Way has served as a catalyst to bring Concordia Publishing House into the celebration of Concordia Sunday through the production of a Sunday school lesson for April 29 that will feature vocation as its main emphasis.

I commend April 29 to you as a Sunday in which a special emphasis on our Synod’s CUS school, the vocations that we all have as baptized children of God, and church work vocations could all be emphasized in a wonderful way! For more information and online ordering of materials, please click here.