I ran across this phrase and it resonated with me. “It is always easier to fight for ones principles than to live up to them.”

 This appears to be true from what I can see. What do you think? There is a war of words going on in our country and compromise is nothing short of a curse word. Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporter who brought the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration to light believes our nation is in (what he terms) a “cold civil war.” It is a war of words and there are two distinct sides. Each side is trying to either tear down the other or win converts. It isn’t working.

Human beings (us) are more concerned about what others are doing than doing the harder work of defining our own principles and striving to live up to them. We are much better at trying to impose our will on others than the hard work of self-reflection and self-discipline.

The issue itself doesn’t really matter, it could be anything. It is the behavior not the issue(s) I am talking about and it is the behavior that I want to address.

It is a fool’s errand to think we can make someone do (or believe) something if they don’t agree. Yet what do we see? People getting louder and louder about something they are passionate about wrongly thinking that if they are more brash than the “other side” they will either give in or give up. In the end, it will only cause further alienation.

The Christian church in America (not just the Lutherans) is declining because many outside the Church views us  as being hypocritical in our moral pronouncements on certain issues and people even if we aren’t doing that. This hurts all of us but most of all it hurts the cause and mission of Jesus which is all about love. But it is not just that. The world sees the Church acting poorly as individuals and wonders why we don’t live up to our own moral judgments and/or why we are so full of hate and exclusive.

Even if we aren’t doing those things at Bethel, we are lumped in the churches that do. This is hard to overcome.

Did you ever notice that Jesus never made anybody do anything? He never forced his will on anyone. Sure, Jesus instructed the disciples and even sent them out to share the good news of God’s love but he never, ever forced them to do it. He didn’t make the rich young ruler sell everything he had and give it to the poor so that he could follow Jesus and inherit eternal life. Nope, Jesus let the decision rest in his lap and this man decided to walk away. Jesus understood free will better than we do.

Why is it that the Church (in general) and some Christians tend to act more like Darth Vader of Star Wars in trying to impose their version of Christian moralism on others rather than letting people choose for themselves whether or not they want to experience the life changing love of Jesus? There is a big difference between imposing a moralistic ethic on people and loving on them in Jesus’ Name…I’m just saying.

All I am trying to make clear is this, maybe we should worry more about ourselves as individuals and trying to live up to our own principles than trying to impose our moral framework on others.

Let’s just be kind and compassionate.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

Blaise Pascal was quite the human being. Born in 1623, Pascal’s mother died when he was 3, and his father moved the family from Clermont-Ferrand, France, to Paris, where he homeschooled Blaise and his sister.

By age 10, Pascal was doing original experiments in mathematics and physical science. To help his father, who was a tax collector, he invented the first calculating device (some call it the first “computer”).

With this last invention, he had made a name for himself (at age 19!) and began his richly diverse scientific career. He tested the theories of Galileo and Torricelli (who discovered the principles of the barometer), culminating in his famous law of hydraulics.

He wrote important papers on the vacuum (not the cleaning your carpet kind), on the weight and density of air, and the arithmetic triangle. He developed the theory of probability, which is still used today. He invented the syringe, the hydraulic lift, and is credited with inventing the wristwatch and mapping out the first bus route in Paris. See I told you he was quite a person!

Yet he was also a committed Christian (Roman Catholic). He spent many hours studying the Christian faith in the same way he studied the things mentioned above.

It is one thing to be knowledgeable and quite another to know God.

One evening in 1654 he met God and this is what he wrote about the experience…

The year of grace 1654.

Monday, 23 November, . . .

 From about half-past ten in the evening until about half past midnight.

 FIRE.

 The God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob.

 Not of the philosophers and intellectuals.

 Certitude, certitude, feeling, joy, peace . . .joy, joy, joy, tears of joy. . .

 Renunciation, total and sweet.

 Complete submission to Jesus Christ. . .

He recorded the experience (called the “Mé-morial”) on a piece of parchment, which he carried with him the rest of his life, sewed inside his coat.

Can you imagine? A moment so profound that you write it down and carry that piece of paper with you for the rest of your life. This moment “rocked his world.”

It was not (in his words) a philosophical or intellectual encounter. It was way more than that! It was an intimate, emotional, up close confrontation!!!! Blaise Paschal encountered the God of Pentecost! He experienced the grace, tenderness and power of the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday we will again hear the story of the giving of the Holy Spirit to that small group of believers as found in Acts 2. My hope and prayer for all of you is that you feel the touch of that same Spirit promised to us. It is good to hear the story again but it is better to experience the Holy Spirit in our lives.

When you believed, you were marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13b-14

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

Sometimes we keep the sin in our lives well protected, guarded, covered over with lies. Sometimes we are not free enough to own our sin, so we cannot be healed of it. An unacknowledged wound cannot be healed.—MACRINA WIEDERKEHR, Seasons of Your Heart

 Sin always wounds the sinner.—CARYLL HOUSELANDER, The Reed of God

 Is sin a big deal? Is confession an archaic remnant of our faith? I’ll answer these two questions right now: Sin is a big deal and confession is important.

We often think of sin like a minor annoyance in the same way we occasionally get headache or twist an ankle. It is a small problem and it is no big deal. We have minimized sin. We all want to paint ourselves in the most positive light. Even I do that.

When we do that (and we do) we are minimizing our need for Christ. If sin is no big deal or a problem in my life, then I don’t need Jesus as much as others. Yikes! We all need Jesus and what he did for us.

Even modern theologians have tried to de-emphasize the atoning sacrifice of Christ while emphasizing that Christ is present with us in our darkest moments. These two theological ideas do not conflict with each other and both are true. Yet many theologians have made it an either/or proposition.

Christ came to us because we were far off from God. Jesus came to draw us close to Him.  How did He do this? Through his death and more specifically the shedding of his blood to cover (and forgive) our sins. It is our sin that causes a spiritual distance between us and God. Even if God is present in our darkest times, our sin gets in the way of experiencing the peace of God’s presence. Look what Saint Paul wrote: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13

 Confession for the Christian is the activity that brings us near to Christ again and again.

This is what Martin Luther says about confession while quoting an early church John Chrysostom.

“I do not say that you should expose yourself in public or should accuse yourself before others, but obey the prophet who says, ‘Show your way to the Lord.’ Therefore confess to the Lord God, the true judge, in your prayer, telling him of your sins not with your tongue but in your conscience.”- Augsburg Confession, Article XV

 It doesn’t need to be a show and it doesn’t have to be done publicly but it is the vehicle that will allow reconciliation. The same applies to our closest relationships. Asking for forgiveness allows healing between two parties.

However, when we can’t see our own brokenness, we minimize sin and we have a hard time establishing intimacy with others including God. A few weeks ago in church, I referenced this verse from Isaiah 64:6 to help us think through our fragile human condition.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

 We like to think our good deeds are really good! See! I am a good person! And when do mess up, that is an isolated incident. It kind of reminds of me of McDonald’s when they released the Mc DLT sandwich. They featured the packaging that “keeps the hot side hot and cool side cool.” It is called compartmentalizing. It may work for a sandwich but it doesn’t in our lives. The verse above reminds us that even our “righteous acts” are sinful in God’s eyes.

That may seem harsh but it points our need for Christ. I completely understand what God is saying to Isaiah. Imagine if we lived in a mud pit and that was all we knew. Guess what? It would not be a big deal that everything we have (including ourselves) was always covered in mud. That’s just how life is. We cook in mud, we clean in mud, we shower in mud. If we lived like that, we wouldn’t even notice the mud but it is everywhere.

That is the way sin is. It is pervasive and infiltrates every part of our lives including our good deeds.

Once we come to realize how sin covers everything in our lives, we are more apt to confess our sins to God. Remember: confession is a return to our baptism where we are washed clean by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

April 22^ndwas Earth Day. I didn’t have the chance to talk about it on Sunday because we are right in the middle of a sermon series on our core values. (These sermons are available on this website.) Although Earth Day is not on the church calendar, it is an important day because it reminds us that we are stewards. We have been entrusted by God to manage (stewardship) all that He has given us, including the world we live in.

Of course we get conflicting messages found in the two stories of creation within the book of Genesis. (FYI: Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are two different stories of creation. Genesis 2:4 begins the second story of creation.)

In Genesis 1:28 God commands the first humans to “rule over” creation and “subdue”it. Many Christians have pointed to this passage to treat the world we live in without care. As French President Macron pointed out this week while speaking to United States congress, “There is no planet B.” This is the only world we have.

Yet when we look at the second story of creation we find a different command from God. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” The word “work” in Hebrew is “abad.” It means to serve or work for another (steward). That is in addition to God’s command to “take care of” the garden of Eden.

Which one do you believe? Which directive is to be followed? Do they cancel each other out? Throughout scripture, God encourages us to be good stewards (managers) of all the things placed in our care including the world around us. In Deuteronomy 22:6, there is a reference to managing natural resources so that they do not run out. In this case, it is about birds.

In the next chapter, God tells the people of Israel that when they go to war against another nation, they should not chop down the trees of that region because they might produce fruit.

In Exodus 23 there is a command to farmers to let the land rest on the seventh year.

In the book of Proverbs King Solomon writes this, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10It is righteous (a Godly thing) to care for the needs of animals in your care.

When you look at the body of evidence within scripture, it clear that caring for creation is important to God. After creation was complete, “God saw allthat he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

 Most of us are well aware of the potential dangers of climate change and how most of it is caused by humans. Scientist who study such things are in overwhelming agreement over the human impact of climate change. Although this is important work and imperative for humanity to digest and act upon; it shouldn’t make any difference to a Christian. Here is why: we should always be good stewards of God’s creation all the time, period. We should not suddenly start caring just because there is a possible growing problem if not a looming tipping point. As Christians, we should always care for God’s creation regardless of the situation.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

As most of you know, the evangelist and pastor Billy Graham died earlier this year. Some saw him as a saint and others saw him as a sinner. As a Lutheran, I see him as both saint and sinner. He was a child of God and he had the same struggles with sin and being human like the rest of us. He earnestly sought God in his life and he sometimes missed the mark. Billy Graham is like us.

With that said, I ran across some words of his about prayer…

“Prayer is not about using God, it is more often about getting us in a position where God can use us.

 I watched the deck hands on the great steam ship named the “United States” as they docked that ship in NY Harbor. First they threw out a rope to the men on the dock. Then, inside the boat the great motors went to work and pulled on the great cable. But, oddly enough, the pier wasn’t pulled out to the ship; the ship was pulled snugly up to the pier.

 Prayer is the rope that pulls God and us together. But it doesn’t pull God down to us… it pulls us to God. We must learn to say with Christ, the master of the art of praying: ‘Not my will; but Thine be done.’”

 The Bible is filled with prayers, people praying and admonitions to pray. 246 different references to be exact. There are as many reasons to pray as there are troubles and joys in our lives… but I believe Billy Graham has it right. One of the things that happens when we pray is intimacy. We are drawn closer to God every time we pray. Outside of the requests made in prayer, the simple act of prayer creates a closeness with God.

Prayer is an acknowledgement that there is someone who is more powerful than you and is in charge. If that wasn’t true, why would we ever pray? If God is more power than us (He is) then prayer is also act of submission. In prayer we entrust our cares, concerns and joys to the one who holds all things in His hands.

In the south, when a cold air mass moves down from Canada, people sometimes refer to it as a “Blue Norther” and it makes its presence felt! You can feel the wind blow as the high pressure cold air rushes into the warmer area of lower pressure. The greater the difference in pressure between the high and low, the greater the wind speed.

Prayer creates in us a kind of low pressure area as we bow in humility before the Lord. The “lower” we can become through prayer, the stronger the wind will be when the high pressure of the Spirit blows in.

Take the time to pray. Don’t ask for anything. Just talk to God. Let Him know you want more of Him in your life and experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding when we take the time to pray. (Philippians 4:7)

God bless,
Pr. Ben

Let us go back in time. All the way back to 900BC. Life was different back then… very different. At that moment in Israel’s history, they had a king you probably never heard of. His name was King Asa. Over the course of 400 years Israel had both good kings and bad kings. King Asa was a good king. Although his story was short, he should be remembered.

In 2 Chronicles 14:3-4, King Asa does something that we might shrug our shoulders at and say, “so what.” I would argue that there is a spiritual truth that is still relevant to us today.

“King Asa removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands.”

 During King Asa’s reign, Israel had a problem. Instead of being fully devoted to God, they worshipped and followed other gods too. King Asa knew this was not good for the people and that God entrusted him to lead. King Asa removed all the places of worship that were not consecrated to the God of Israel.

Not only did he act, but he also spoked to the people. He instructed them to “seek the Lord…”

 I get it, you are probably wondering what does this have to do with me and my life? King Asa is addressing the most important question of life itself. He gives us the answer, but the question is this, “What will be at the center of my life?”

People place many things at the center of their lives: careers, families, sports schedules, making money, hobbies and the list goes on. These are our false gods. A good gauge of what might be at the “center” of your life is two-fold. Our “center” can be easily identified by what we spend the most time and money on. Throughout of our lives, these “centers” might change based on circumstances.

King Asa reminds us that God should be at the center of our lives. No matter our age or circumstances, God is all we need. Jesus is our rock, our cornerstone and our firm foundation. Remember, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Anything but Christ will eventually lead to disappointment. We humans are fairly predictable, once something let’s us down we begin the search for a new and improved “center” that will also let us down some day. However, if we turn to or turn back to Christ, know that he will lead you and bless you beyond imagination.

What do I mean by that?

With Christ as our center, he will help us answer other questions that are almost as important. Questions like: Can I be a person of integrity? (Yes with God’s help.) Can I make a difference in this world? (Yes with God’s help.) Can I inspire others? (Yes with God’s help.)

King Asa’s actions is a helpful reminder to me to stick with God because there is nothing like having Christ at the center of our lives leading us in paths of righteousness.

Speaking of “centers”, if you went to the center of the Bible (by chapter) you would find that Psalm 117 is right in the middle with an equal number of chapters before and after it. It is only two verses long. In the middle of the Psalm (the center verse of the center chapter) it says this, “For great is his love toward us.” What a great “center” verse!

Now if you went to the center of the Bible (by verse) you end up at Psalm 103:1-2. There are an equal amount of verses before it and after it. This is what it says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” What a response to having God at the center of our lives! I won’t forget all of God’s benefits, I hope you don’t either.

God bless,
Pr. Ben

Here we are. It is near the end of Holy Week. It is arguably the most important week in Christian history. For many the final days of Jesus’ life has no meaning. For some Christians this week has very little impact in their daily lives.

All people are looking for freedom and empowerment but most will not turn toward Jesus to find it. Most would rather find that freedom and empowerment by listening to voices that tell them what they want to hear.

“Do what you want, it is your life.”
“Seize the day.”
“If it feels good for you then don’t worry about the impact.”
“Don’t think about others, do what is right for you.”

Some of those statements have an element of truth, freedom and empowerment. But when these messages are embraced without consideration of consequences or boundaries people get hurt and relationships are damaged. If unchecked, freedom turns to isolation and toxicity.

Christ too offers freedom and empowerment. It is found at the cross and is realized through his death. Yet the freedom and empowerment found in Christ is always within the context of communal relationships and not rampant individualism.

If you are still reading this, I hope you will why Holy Week is so important to the life of the Christian.

As for me, this is more than extra services at church. The older I get the more I see the need for one who can save me from myself and what I selfishly want. I often see that my biggest problems are not other people or issues external to me.  I am reminded of the Pogo comic from 1970 when he said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” I can see that everything is tainted with sin even things that are supposed to be good. That is why Holy Week is so important to me. I need Jesus to forgive my waywardness and lead me on new paths of real freedom. Empowered to love others and not just myself.

Knowing all of this and being acutely aware of my shortcomings causes me to draw close to Jesus versus run away and avoid Him at all costs. I am drawn to the quiet of the upper room. Like a silent intruder watching the disciples and Jesus partake in that first Holy Communion… wanting to eat bread and drink wine with this ragtag group of believers.

Even with all the horror, I run toward the cross. I don’t want to look but I feel I must. It is my sin that Jesus is bearing.

In a painting of the Crucifixion by the famous Dutch artist, Rembrandt, our attention is drawn immediately to the cross and to Jesus who hangs there. (see picture above)

Then looking at the crowd gathered around the Cross, we note the attitudes and actions of these people (if you look close enough). Notice the man in the turban. This is Rembrandt himself.

Yes, the famous painter included himself in this painting. I understand why. All Christians should spiritually stand near the cross to see cost of forgiveness and salvation. As uncomfortable as it is, I find it necessary.

Finally, I wait. I wait near the tomb awaiting the resurrection. I need to hear the good news of God’s love and that all is forgiven. I need to see that nothing can hold back the power of God’s love. Hearing the words “Christ is Risen” tells me that I can have true freedom from myself while I nurture and empower others around me in love.

I wish you a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter.

Christ is Risen!

Pr. Ben

We are about to enter Holy Week. The setting for the entire week is Jerusalem and Bethany. There is so much going on that we can’t possibly cover it all in worship. However, I wanted to give you an overview of the most important week in Christianity.

Here is a possible timeline of the events of the week.

Saturday:

• Jesus arrives in Bethany six days before Passover (Jn12:1)
• Stays with Lazarus, Mary and Martha (his Judean home)
• Possibly the supper and anointing in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper where Jesus is anointed by Mary. (Mt 26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9; Jn 12:1-8)

Palm Sunday:

• Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:1-9; Mk 11:1-10; Lk 19:28-38; Jn12:12-18) Fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9

• Jesus weeps over seeing Jerusalem and predicts its destruction. (Lk 19:39-44)
• Jesus cleanses the temple. (Mt 21:10-17; Mk 11:11; Lk 19:45-46; Jn 2:13-25)

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:

• Jesus curses the fig tree. (Mt 21:18-19; Mk 11:12-14)
• Parable of the wicked tenants (Mt 21:33-46; Mk 12:1-12; Lk 20:9-19)
• Returns to Bethany at night.
• Jesus denounces the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:1-36; Mk 12:37-40; Lk 20:45-47)

• Jesus teaches in the Temple (Lk 21:37-38)
• Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple. (Mt 24:1-3; Mk 13:1-4; Lk 21:5-7)
• Possibly, on Wednesday, the supper and anointing in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper. (Mt 26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9; Jn 12:1-8) Mark’s account is just after he says that it was two days before the Passover.

Holy Thursday, Thursday Night, Early Friday Morning:

• The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and preparation for the Passover for Jesus and the disciples. (Mt 26:17-19; Mk 14:12-16; Lk 22:7-13; Jn 19:14)

• The Last Supper (Mt 26:20-25; Mk 14:17-21; Lk 22:14, 21-23; Jn 13 “before the Feast of Passover”)

• Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; the betrayal of Judas and the arrest of Jesus.
• Jesus taken to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest. Annas sends Jesus to Caiaphas (Jn 18:12-25)

• Jesus taken to the high priest Caiaphas’ home where the scribes, elders, and the chief priests had gathered. (Mt 26:57-75; Mk 14:53-72; Lk 22:54-71)

• Peter denies Jesus three times.
• Jesus was kept overnight in a cistern below Caiaphas’ home.

Good Friday:

• Early in the morning, the Sanhedrin meets, they lead Jesus to Pilate. (Mk 15:1; Mt 27:1-2; Lk 23:1; Jn 18:28)

• Pilate sends Jesus to Herod (Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee) (Lk 23:6-7)
• Herod mocks Jesus and then clothes him in gorgeous apparel, and sends Jesus back to Pilate (Lk 23:6-12)

• Pilate examines Jesus and finds him not guilty of the Jew’s charges against him. Pilate has Jesus flogged and plans to release him. (Lk 23:13-16; Jn 19:1-13)

• Jesus is crowned with thorns. (Jn 19:1-6)
• Jesus is sentenced to death and is crucified at 9:00 in the morning (Mk 15:25)
• Jesus dies at 3:00 and is buried in the tomb. (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34; Lk 23:44)

 Holy Saturday: Jesus’ body in the tomb.

Easter Sunday:

• Early in the morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Joana?) brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body. The stone had been rolled away, the tomb was open, the body was gone, and they were told by an angel (two angels, a young man or two men in white clothes) that Jesus had been raised, and to go tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and would see them in Galilee. (Mt 28:1-10; Mk 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-12)

• The disciples did not believe the women, but Peter ran to the tomb. (Lk 24:10-12)
• Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and tells her to go to the disciples. She is the first person on record to see the risen Jesus. (Jn 20:11-17)

• Matthew’s account: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were on their way to tell the disciples what the angel had said, when Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” “And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Mt 28:5-10)

• Mary Magdalene tells the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”. (Jn 20:18)
• Jesus appears to Peter (Cephas) (Paul’s account in 1Cor 15:5)
• Two disciples walking to Emmaus recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. (Lk 24:13-32)

• The two disciples immediately return to Jerusalem, find the Eleven gathered, and are told that Jesus has appeared to Peter (Simon). (Lk 24:33-35) “While they were saying this, Jesus stood among them…” (Lk 24:36) “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week…Jesus came and stood among them…” (Jn 20:19) “Now Thomas…was not with them when Jesus came.” (Jn 20:24)

See! A lot going on! I have also attached a graphic of another timeline for you to look at.

Even if you don’t read the entire timeline, please take the time to come to church this week. Make the journey from the gates of Jerusalem to the upper room, to the cross and finally to the empty tomb.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

If you were to ask Jesus about the relationship with his family at the beginning of his ministry he might have said, “It is complicated.” When Jesus began his ministry it wasn’t clear what his family thought of his career choice. Jesus’ step-father (Joseph) was either a carpenter or a stone worker depending upon the translation. In those days, many male children learned the family business.

None of Jesus’ family except for Mary and Joseph were mentioned by name until after the resurrection. James, Jesus’ half-brother or step-brother became the head of the Church after Jesus. James even has a book in the New Testament. Although we don’t know James back story, I assume James didn’t believe that his half-brother Jesus was the Son of God during His ministry. Yet after the resurrection, he became a leader within the Church. The resurrection of Jesus changed everything for James and many others.

When Jesus was preaching, teaching and healing, His family didn’t know what to do with Him. In Mark chapter three we hear how Jesus family struggled with his identity.

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

 I know this is a surprising revelation for some for two reasons:

1. Jesus has more family than his mother and step-father.
2. They think Jesus is crazy.

I am sure if you grew up with someone it would be a hard thing to accept that they are now preaching, teaching and healing in God’s Name.

Even people in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth found it difficult to accept that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s love (see Luke 4:14-30). They tried to kill him for the things he said in the synagogue.

A little later, Jesus’ family comes to find him again after they thought he was “out of his mind.”

Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” Luke 8:19-21

Although we don’t know why they came to see Jesus this time, if the past is any indication, they weren’t coming over to say “hi” and tell him to “keep up the good work.

Jesus uses the situation and the moment to teach the people around him. “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

What might be perceived as a slight to his family (if they heard) is a promise for the rest of us.

What I find interesting is that Jesus doesn’t say anything about faith in this moment. He is completely practical. When you hear biblical instruction and then actually do it, you will be a child of God.

We don’t have to be related to Jesus to be in His family. He provides a way for us to be adopted into His royal family: put in to practice the things he taught us.

That’s what I need to hear…every day. A reminder to act like a child of God because I am a child of God! Even when I fail, the cross of Christ reminds me that I can start over at any time. I need lots of “do-overs.”

We don’t know what happened to the rest of Jesus’ family but it is clear that Mary (his mother) and James were also children of God because they followed Jesus’ teachings later in life.

As child of God, I need a Heavenly Father to guide me. I need a divine parent to watch over me and I need a big brother like Jesus show me the way.

God bless,
Pr. Ben