For God’s anger lasts only a moment, but the Lord’s favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

These words reflect the thoughts of a songwriter in ancient Israel. This psalm could be almost 3000 years old. Their experience of God tells them God’s goodness and favor is not fickle or short-lived which is definitely good news!

Yet, there might be moments of anger. I want to ask in return, “Are there?” I am not so sure. Why? The cross of Jesus tells me that my sin and brokenness do not obstruct God’s love. The psalmist doesn’t have the same perspective because they lived before the time of Jesus. In other words, they may not have as complete a picture of God’s nature as we do.

However, many people interpret God’s anger through the lens of “there are consequences for my actions.” Or to put it more biblically, “A person reaps what they sow.” Galatians 6:7

It may not be God’s anger or even judgment at all. Instead it is the consequences of poor choices. You are free to choose your path, but not the ramifications of that decision.

Whoever wrote this has been through some stuff. Yet, there is some clarity in the next phrase. …weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

We have all had heartbreaking moments in our life. Some of us have cried for more than an evening because of loss and devastation. I am also certain there will be more because the world we live in is broken.

But the promise made is that once the dark clouds have passed, once the sun has risen… there will be joy in the proverbial morning. God’s joy gets the final say.

Our future is promised to be unending joy. One day we will wake up in heaven… a place of perfect and perpetual joy.

King David expressed this in a song he wrote about God…

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.
1Chronicles 16:27

Life is a lot like the night of weeping but joy awaits us. Don’t give up hope! We still can have joy in this life too! But greater joy is ahead!

As we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of joy, we are encouraged to hold on because joy is our destiny!

God bless,
Pr. Ben

What do these things have in common?

Taking a trip

A home cooked meal

Taking a test

Getting married

Welcoming a newborn into your home

A new school year

Throwing a party

Christmas

This appears to be a random list without a thread connecting them, but there is an association.

All these things either take preparation or go better with planning ahead of time. One packs for a trip, buys groceries for a meal, studies for a test, makes wedding plans, decorates a nursery, buys school supplies, organizes a party and one prepares for Christmas.

Like I said, you don’t have to prepare for any of those things, but life will be better if you do!

Even Christmas. No, I don’t mean buying presents and decorating the house because you don’t want to be seen as a Scrooge.

In the Christmas hymn (now designated as an Advent hymn for some reason) “Joy to the World” you find the phrase, “Let every heart, prepare Him room”.

The season of Advent is the time to prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas. Maybe there is a need for some pre-Christmas clean-up for our hearts. Could there be some past resentments we need to let go of? Or quite possibly a change of heart about something in your life that is holding you back?

Advent is the time to focus on: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. All these things originate from God. More than that, Jesus wants to give them to you in abundance. That is more difficult when we don’t prepare ourselves to receive them and Jesus.

As King Solomon once wrote, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Let Jesus in now and your Christmas will be wondrous.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

I am back from Chicago where I attended my first Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Church Council meeting.

I now am on the church council for the entire ELCA. I am honored to fill this role for the next two years.

I am happy to report that it is good that Community Lutheran Church is a part of the ELCA. We are in alignment on a lot of different issues and ideas.

During the council meeting, we discussed and acted on various items including:

• A report on the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility audit of ELCA governing documents. This will ensure our governing documents for the ELCA are fair to all and not biased.
• A prayer vigil for peace in the Holy Land hosted by the Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage. We also heard a report from two Lutheran pastors serving in Jerusalem on behalf of the ELCA.
• An update on the work of and a listening session on the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. The ELCA is working diligently to be a more engaging church in the near future.
• An update on and discussion of churchwide organization priorities, including the Future Church: God’s Love Made Real initiative. Our churchwide office is doing the hard work to reorganize to be more effective in the coming years.
• Reports and updates from home areas and teams of the churchwide organization. We heard from every department within the ELCA.
• A report from the Conference of Bishops. All of our bishops meet regularly and we heard about their work together.
• An update on the ELCA’s Peace Not Walls Campaign that impacts the Holyland
• An update on the 50th anniversary of ELCA World Hunger in 2024. Our church has been engaged in combating hunger issues and famine for almost 50 years now!

As you can see, a lot is going on and our national church is actively engaged in the world and being responsive to the needs of others. The ELCA is keenly focused on tasks that we as a local congregation cannot do. They represent us nationally and in the world. I am proud of their work on our behalf.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

In 2015, the smartphone company Samsung came up with an idea for new advertising campaign emphasizing connection through communication.

The commercial revolves around Muaharrem, a deaf man in Istanbul who uses sign language to communicate. Muaharrem spent every day communicating with people in his town the best he could. He may have gotten by in the world but was never able to truly thrive because he never connected with people on a deeper level except his sister who knows sign language.

Samsung set up a scenario (unknown to Muaharrem) that everyone he interacted with that day would communicate in sign language. Absolutely everyone.

At first, it was surprising then it became amazing to Muaharrem!

Samsung had contracted the locals to learn sign language as a promotion for its new technology for the hard of hearing but ended up giving Muaharrem the best gift he could have gotten: the gift of communication and connection in the community.

It may sound a little bit of a “set up” because it was. However, he was still touched by the moment, even though it was for a commercial.

In a different way we might feel disconnected from others and even God when life is difficult.

I want you to know that God is always trying to connect with us! I want to be clear that Jesus speaks to us through different experiences. If our hearts and minds are not open to this, we can completely miss it and wonder if God actually exists.

The Bible speaks to this very idea, For God does speak—now one way, now another— though people may not perceive it. Job 33:14

Let me share with you three different ways God can speak to our hearts.

1. Reading the Bible. Paul writes, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:16
   
   Simply put, God speaks through the Bible. More specifically, when we read the Gospels, we hear the heart of Jesus when he speaks. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2
   

2. God speaks through Nature. Paul again writes, For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20

A sunset, majestic mountains, the waves lapping on the ocean can speak to our hearts to help us connect with the master architect who created it all.

3. God speaks through the Christians around us. Yes, Jesus can speak through others. It happens all the time! Since we are the body of Christ and Jesus is the brains of the operation, he can send messages in and through us. How do we know this? The Spirit of God is given to every believer of Jesus. We all have the capacity to let the Holy Spirit work through us.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

If you are feeling disconnected these days, use these as a guide to hear from God.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben