Did you see the story about the “recently” discovered painting by Pablo Picasso?

Here is a part of the story…

A painting discovered by a junk dealer in the basement of an Italian villa six decades ago is actually the work of Pablo Picasso and could sell for millions, according to experts.

Luigi Lo Rosso used to spend his days combing abandoned houses and landfills in search of treasure to sell in the family’s pawn shop in Pompeii, Italy.

In 1962, he found a rolled-up canvas with an asymmetrical painting of a woman in the basement of the villa on the nearby island of Capri.

Luigi’s wife wasn’t impressed by the painting. He put the painting in an old frame and gave it to her anyway.

She didn’t think it was pretty enough to sell, so it hung in the family home for about 50 years and later in a restaurant they owned.

She simply didn’t pay any attention to the artists name scribbled in the corner.

40 years ago, Luigi’s daughter contacted the authorities about the painting and the journey began to authenticate this mini masterpiece. Just last month, the verdict finally came. It is an authentic Picasso painting and could be worth six million dollars.

Imagine possessing of immense value and not even knowing it!

But you do!

As a child of God, you have something called integrity. And it is priceless!

Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

I would define it as doing the right thing even if no one is looking.

Doing the right thing is invaluable in every age. Don’t check your morals at the door and don’t look up to people whose integrity is compromised.

Sure, we all make mistakes, that’s not what I am talking about.

When we idolize people who have a questionable moral compass, it will affect us as well.

Saint Paul puts it this way, Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Their character, their actions, their mindset will rub off on you.

Choose role models worthy of emulation.

People think they can keep secrets. Eventually, all deeds come into the light.

The person of integrity walks securely, but those who takes crooked paths will be found out. Proverbs 10:9

Your priceless treasure is your integrity.

Remember the words of Solomon…

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Your riches won’t help you on Judgment Day; only righteousness counts then. Proverbs 11:3-4

Choose integrity!

God bless,
Pastor Ben

There was a major shift in thinking that has contributed to the polarized times we live in right now.

Sometime in the 1990s, truth became relative.

What do I mean by that?

For a very long time, we could agree on what is true for everyone and there was very little discussion about these truths. Truths as simple as “the earth is a sphere” and as complex as “there is a consequence for every choice you make”. The list goes on and on about truths that disputed today.

In other words, your “truth” is whatever you want it to be, and my “truth” is whatever I want it to be. That change in thinking has led to a more conflict between individuals and groups.

Yet as people of faith, we follow the One who clearly stated, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 14:6

Jesus is truth and his words are true.

Right before Jesus’ crucifixion, he said this to the Roman Governor, “I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37

Jesus is truth and Jesus tells the truth and Jesus expects the truth from his children. Not your truth, but THE TRUTH.

This past week, the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA (our denominational home) met and discussed truth. They too recognize the danger of “relative truth” and half-truths.

In a wonderfully written letter to us, they clearly lay out the importance of being truthful.

Here is a portion of that letter…

We refuse to accept the ongoing normalization of lies and deceit.

We recommit ourselves to speaking the truth and pointing to the one who is truth. We find courage in our collegiality and implore the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as our partners and friends, to join us as we:

• Pledge to be vigilant guardians of truth, refusing to perpetuate lies or half-truths that further corrode the fabric of our society.

• Commit to rigorous fact-checking, honoring God’s command to “test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

• Reject the use of humor that normalizes falsehood, remembering that our speech should “always be gracious” (Colossians 4:6).

• Boldly advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, emulating Christ’s love for the least among us.

• Courageously interrupt hate speech, standing firm in the knowledge that all are created in God’s image.

• Lean in with curiosity, engage with those who think differently and “put the best construction on our neighbor’s action” (Luther’s explanation of the Eighth Commandment).

• Amplify voices of truth.

These are good words, and they remind us to avoid and denounce: lies, half-truths and personal truths.

Above all, seek Jesus and the truth he speaks.

Let me offer a verse from Proverbs to close. This is my prayer, and I hope it is yours too.

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8

Amen.

God bless,
Pastor Ben

The full letter can be found here: Conference of Bishops Letter regarding truth.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

Words to live by from Saint Paul.

It is good to authentically and deeply love others.

It is commendable to cling to what is good and who is good in this life.

Even hating the evil in this life can be the right thing to do if we are spiritually clear about what evil is. Not everyone has spiritual clarity.

Hating others… is evil. Hating evil stuff that happens is not.

If you think someone is evil, you feel justified in hating them. I have seen a lot of focused hate on both candidates running for president this year. I have seen how both are labeled as evil.

Let me be clear, not everyone you hate is evil.

Second, your hate does not affect them in any way, shape or form. Hate affects you. That’s right, your hate is a boomerang that comes back to you.

A person reaps what they sow. Galatians 6:7b

Your hate affects the quality of your relationship with others. Your hate affects your relationship with Jesus. Your hate taints everything in your life.

Simply put hate is bad for you.

Hate is not only a spiritual issue. Medically, hate is not good for you either.

According to Dr. Rohini Radhakrishnan,  “Hatred negatively impacts the nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system. Extreme emotions trigger the release of stress hormones in the brain. Over time, these stress hormones lead to increased inflammation throughout the body, resulting in significant health consequences. The more intense an emotion becomes, the more physically demanding it is to contain it.

The opposite of hate is often considered love, but this is not true. Opposite of hate is mental and emotional detachment. Hatred creates an attachment to the thing or person hated the most. Hatred is an intense repulsion. Hatred falsely inflates the ego and makes one feel very superior and self-righteous against the thing or person who is hated, which only results in more pain.”

(Dr. Rohini Radhakrishnan, ENT, Head and Neck Surgeon, Reviewed by: Dr. Shaziya Allarakha, MD)

From a medical and physiological standpoint love is NOT the antithesis of hate. To move beyond hate, one must let go of the thing or person they are hating, because there is an unhealthy attachment. Hate can become obsessive, because it is the only thing you think about. Hate creates tunnel vision.

Before you can move towards love, letting go of what you hate must come first.

One can love and support something without having to hate its counterpoint, unless it is actual evil. But that can be a slippery slope (see my comments above).

As for me, I pity hateful people. I have no room in my life it. As the senior pastor of CLC, there is no room for hate in or around church.

I will be following Titus’ (found in the New Testament) instruction moving forward.

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such a person is warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11

I don’t have the energy for hate anymore. I only have room for love.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

This past weekend, I shared a on message about Ruth, specifically chapter two of the book named after her in the Old Testament. A part of my sermon addressed our own personal reputations.

I asked this question, What is your reputation? What are you known for? How would someone describe you?

Whether we like it or not, someone has been told something about you at some point in your life. That’s your reputation.

The good news is that you are totally in control of your own character from which reputations are forged.

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we quickly learn that Ruth’s reputation was tied to what she did for her mother in-law Naomi and her hard work. People will tell others about how you treat people and what you do.

This is how it played out in Ruth chapter 2.

Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is that?”

The foreman replied, “She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” Ruth 2:5-6

Boaz wanted to know about Ruth (they had not met yet). The foreman tells Boaz everything he knows about her. Ruth’s reputation stems from her compassionate care for Naomi (Ruth’s mother in-law) including gathering food for their survival.

Like everyone in the world, your reputation precedes you.

King Solomon knew the value of having a “good name” in the community.

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

Why would Solomon write that?

Life is about relationships and not stuff. The meaning of life is not discovered in the accumulation of wealth. How you treat others matters more to God than what you possess.

A good reputation draws others close to you and relationships are deepened. We see that in Ruth’s story. It begins with her character and yours.

As much as we might want to be perfect, we occasionally do dumb stuff, and our reputations can take a hit.

Solomon speaks to this as well in Ecclesiastes.

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1

Those are the times we own our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Often that is a time for repentance (change in behavior) so that mistake never happens again.

In my sermon, I said that there is great integrity in owning your own mistakes and moving forward. People will see that too and will admire you for it.

My caution to you would be to guard your heart moving forward because…

“A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.”  Bishop Joseph Hall

It may not be fair, but there is truth in those words. What should we do in those moments of brokenness? Scripture points the way…

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:23-27

Remember, someone is always watching.

Reach for Jesus and His wisdom… others will see that and follow you as you seek Jesus.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

Last weekend we finished our KCLC Radio Sermon series. We ended with the hit, “We Are the World.”

Although the song was written in 1985, it conveys a spiritual truth contained within scriptures. This truth reflects the heart and wisdom with God.

Here is that truth: Our personal well-being, our personal futures are tied to the rest of humanity.

We are created to be in community because it is good for us. Life is better when we are in relationship. When we spurn that gift of community, we isolate ourselves from our own security and well-being.

We love to differentiate ourselves from others. We want to be unique and special, just like everyone else. There is nothing wrong with that up until the point we tear down others for not being or believing the same as us.

Jesus once prayed for you regarding this very topic. At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for us. (I am still amazed that Jesus actually prayed for us during his ministry.)

This is what Jesus prayed…

“My prayer is not for the disciples alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (all of us), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. John 17:20-21

Jesus prayed for our unity. Jesus prayed that we would embrace each other despite our differences and the difference of opinion.

This is easily accomplished. IF we keep Jesus and his teachings as the primary thing in our lives.

All of us (at times) put people and positions ahead of the love Jesus and the love of our neighbor. When that happens, community breaks down and your own well-being is compromised.

When we come together as one, under the name and banner of Jesus, we are made complete.

Paul tells the church in Philippi this very thing.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2

We are being called to let go of the hate, stop drawing lines of separation and put Jesus first in all things. Let’s put unity back into our community.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

Jesus said this to Nicodemus the Pharisee,

I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? John 3:11-12

Jesus was of course talking about horizontal and vertical learning and living. I talked about this in my sermon recently. (Click here to listen to that message.)

Jesus spoke about this very thing almost 2000 years ago. Let me just say, if Jesus sees it as an issue, we need to be on guard and fully informed.

Here is the essence of what I said about it in my sermon.

Most of the world lives horizontally. What do I mean by that? Taking life as it comes and only seeing what’s right in front of you. We all do it to some degree.

We build relationships with others at this level. We sort people into categories at this level by picking and choosing who you will associate with and who you won’t.  People acquire knowledge at this level.

Naturally we surround ourselves with people we like and hold the same positions. As a result, our horizontal lifestyle becomes deep-seated.

You do this long enough—and you will suffer from confirmation bias, and not even know it.

Wikipedia defines it this way, “Confirmation bias, a phrase coined by English psychologist Peter Wason, is the tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed.”

This is what happens when we exclusively live a horizontal life. We gather information that supports what we agree with and discount anything that might call into question our beliefs. The people we choose to spend time with reinforce what we believe with contributions from our favorite news network and personally cultivated social media follows.

Living horizontally can get in the way of the higher thing, the things of Jesus. Vertical living and learning come from above. Jesus calls us to live higher and better than the rest of the world by loving everyone. Even Jesus reminds his disciples at the Last Supper that Christians “are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:16

One of the biggest obstacles to vertical living and learning are the people around us if they don’t point to Jesus in their lives. Your social circle may be all Christians, but if they never talk about their faith (but lots of other things), this can impede your walk with Jesus.

Remember what Jesus said, I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

Extreme horizontal living will cause you to question or ignore the more important vertical living that is found in Jesus.

Imagine a cross for a moment. It is the horizontal beam that is supported by the stronger vertical beam. That vertical bar supports the horizontal plank.

What comes from above is always better than what we conceive of from below.

Jesus puts this teaching into practice when he was pointing out how some religious leaders were living.

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Matthew 23:23

Horizontal living is concerned with appearances. “Look at what I am doing or what I believe.” The teachers in Jesus’ day pointed to their offerings.

Vertical living is concerned with the well-being of others within the confines of relationship and building community. Therefore, concepts like justice, mercy and faith take precedence over appearances and horizontal living.

That is why when Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38

First and foremost, love God and keep a vertical mindset. Keep God and the love of Jesus as the number one thing in your life. This is primary.

But Jesus highlights a second command that falls under the first. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:39-40

Vertical and horizontal living put in their proper place.

Horizontal living isn’t bad. It only becomes a detriment when we forget what comes first and we forget to love.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

Near the beginning of the greatest sermon ever preached (The Sermon on the Mount), Jesus said this..

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-20

Wait a minute, are we supposed to be following the Jewish Law as Christians?

Is Saint Paul wrong when we wrote, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14

It seems like these are two contradictory statements!

Before we jump to any more conclusions, let me take a moment to unpack this.

Jesus tells us that he came to fulfil the law. He came to do what we and countless generations could never do: live up to God’s expectations for how we live in relationship. (Romans 3:23)

What is the fulfilment of the law? Or to ask it another way, what does it look like if we lived according to God’s will 100% of the time?

Saint Paul gives us the answer…

The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:9-10

Love. Love God, love each other. Just love. When you boil it all down, the Law of Moses tells us to love.

Clearly, we don’t do that very well. God knew that and came to us (in Jesus) to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. Jesus showed “the full extent of his love” (John 13:1b) by dying on the cross for our forgiveness. Specifically for the times we couldn’t love others.

Jesus takes on our brokenness and, in the process, fulfills the law (God’s expectations for his chosen people).

We no longer need to wonder about God’s intentions towards us. We see it clearly in Jesus. (John 3:16)

At the same time, Jesus encourages us to live out our faith by loving others without the fear of judgment and punishment. “…whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven…”

Our salvation doesn’t depend upon how “good we do” but we are encouraged to be a people of love wherever we go. Every loving thing we do is in response to what Jesus did for us. That is called discipleship.

God bless,

Pr. Ben

To state the obvious, it is another election year. Recently, election years have escalated a tribal instinct within all of us.

What do I mean by tribal? We draw lines in the sand and make judgments like, “you are either with me or against me.” We “circle the wagons” and insulate ourselves from those who are different (for any reason) than we are.

There is a tribal instinct within all of us. It may stem from a dormant biological need to protect ourselves. Often this tribalism is expressed in benign and innocuous ways like, “I spend time with people who I agree with.”

The dark side of tribalism is that we start to hate the other. Once that hate grows, any means to shame or hurt the other is justified. Why? Because they are in the wrong and they are bad. To be clear, anyone who takes a side in anything, if they are passionate enough, it can lead to hatred if they do not guard their heart.

We see an example of this in the gospel of John when the Pharisees bring a woman who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They wanted to stone this woman to death and catch Jesus in a trap to arrest him.

The religious leaders hated this woman for breaking the law and they hated Jesus for teaching about love and forgiveness.  They absolutely felt justified in their actions.

This was a “two birds one stone moment” for the religious leaders. It was just short of mob action.

Most of you know, Jesus deescalated the situation by saying, “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’” John 8:7

The religious leaders were ready stone her and arrest Jesus because of their hate of her sin and Jesus’ message of grace and love. They knew they were right and they would be justified in their response.

Tribalism evokes that sort of response today. That person is wrong, that group or individual is terrible… let’s go after them.

Yet Jesus stands between the woman who is wrong and the religious leaders who are hateful and says, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone…”

Two wrongs never make a right.

Jesus would say the same thing to us if we resorted to the same kind of hateful attitude or action. I’ve said it at church but let me say it again, “we are a no stones church.“

In a tribal mentality, people get spun up by others and it eventually leads to hate. And hate leads a person away from Jesus.

Jesus knew this and is why he said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27–28

This applies to “perceived enemies” and people you don’t agree with. Once hate takes hold, people will say and do very ugly things and can justify every single negative action.

Even King Solomon knew the dangers of hate when he wrote Proverbs 900 years before Jesus.

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12

In other words, give love a chance before reaching for hatred and conflict.

We have been given a gift that is so unlike the world we live in. The gift is the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church stands above all notions of tribalism and line drawing. Jesus calls us into a new reality where the lines of division can be erased if we let love and forgiveness lead us into a true reflection of the Kingdom of God.

Remember, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

I want to be a known as a child of God, what about you?

If you are struggling with having a tribal mindset, if you are quick to jump on a bandwagon of hate and anger. It’s time to take breath and breathe deep the Spirit of our loving God.

Like I said earlier, elections years have made all of us a little edgy. Turn to Jesus, turn to his love.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31

If, while reading this you thought, “so and so should read this.” Maybe they should. However, go back and read it again for yourself.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

Last week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) I was in Mesa, AZ for our annual synod assembly.

Community Lutheran Church is connected to a larger church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Within the ELCA, we are located within a synod (think area or district) in which we are connected to other ELCA Lutheran churches.

The Grand Canyon Synod’s boundaries include Saint George, UT, Southern Nevada and all of Arizona.

We gather once a year to do the business of the church. Last weekend was that meeting.

I went early to report to our synod council (like our church council) about the work of the national church. https://benbergren.com/article-april-elca-church-council-meeting/

At our synod assembly we re-elected our bishop, Deborah Hutterer to another 6 year term as our bishop.

We also heard reports about thriving ministries in our synod and how churches are innovating and doing their best to make an impact in our hurting world.

When we think of the church, we often think of our own congregation and rightfully so. Let us not forget that we are not only connected regionally but also nationally! Through our partnerships we are connected to the global Lutheran church through the Lutheran World Federation.  We are not an island.

I am reminded of what Presiding Bishop Eaton of the ELCA said at our last ELCA council meeting.

I am paraphrasing but essentially our Bishop said, “We are not a social service and we are not an NGO (Non Governmental Organization). We are the Church and we are called to share the good news of God’s love found in Jesus. That is our first and most important priority.”

Yes, we serve the community and each other. Yes, we do good works because of our faith in Christ. Above all, we are to share the name and love of Jesus with all who will listen.

As Saint Peter once wrote…

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… 1Peter 3:15

God bless you,
Pastor Ben

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Some of us are really good at making snap judgments about other people. In the blink of an eye, we assess someone and decide if they are beneath us or someone we strive to be. Once we do that, we start to disdain others who don’t measure up to our standards or beliefs.

It feels like we are wired to establish a pecking order and where we fit into that order.

Societal rules quietly reinforce the notion that we are better than others.

This stands in stark contrast to our calling as people of faith and even how Jesus views us.

Christ could look down on us and view us as poor lost souls without any redeeming qualities. Instead, Jesus loves us, invites to be a part of his family, and then equips us serve others with the help of the Holy Spirit. Wow.

Rather than God looking down on us and shaking his head in disappointment, Jesus invites us in and tells us that we are siblings!

If God doesn’t look down on us why do that very thing to others?

Saint Paul reminds us to be humble. Humility is looking to God for all things and giving God all the credit (glory) for the good things in your life. When we look to God for all things, we are also acknowledging that God doesn’t negatively look down on us.

When we adopt a humble mindset, we treat others more equitably. We are less condescending and recognize the gifts and qualities that others bring to a situation.

Being humble also insulates you against being selfish and self-centered. Rather than always looking out for yourself, you keep others in mind and their needs.

The church (the family of God) is at its best when we care for and serve one another.

This is what happens when we hold others closely in care and kindness…

When we serve others in the church we are not only preparing  “God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” But the end result will be this… “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness humans in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:12-14

Our relationship with Jesus and our unity within the church insulates us from the hate and anger of this bitter world.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben