I wrote this a year ago today. As I re-read it, I feel the same way today as I did a year ago. I hope you find this both thought-provoking and meaningful…

Today is July 4^thand I started thinking about a monument on the other side of our country: The Statue of Liberty. 

It was a gift from France and the statue arrived by boat in 1885. The only stipulation of this gift was that the United States would build a platform for the statue to be erected upon. Eager to receive such a wonderful gift, fundraising began several years before the statue arrived in New York. 

Jewish American author and poet Emma Lazarus wrote a poem called The New Colossus, which she wrote for a fundraiser auction to raise money for the pedestal upon which the Statue of Liberty now sits. The poem did not receive much recognition and was forgotten about shortly after the auction.

In the early 1900s and after Lazarus’ death, one of her friends began a campaign to memorialize Lazarus and her New Colossus sonnet. The effort was a success, and a plaque with the poem’s text was mounted inside the pedestal of the statue.

The well-known part of this sonnet goes like this…

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

A beacon of welcome for those coming to start a new life.  Lazarus also calls The Statue of Liberty the “Mother of Exiles.” A symbol of new found freedom where one can pursue the words enshrined in the Declaration of Independence that was ratified on this day 243 years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

When I reflect on both Lazarus’ and the Declaration of Independence, I know we still have a ways to go before this is a reality for all. Even though I have the ability to take hold of “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” I also know that others within our nation do not for various reasons including racism and economic disparity. 

One could rightfully lament the inequity and partisan divisions in our nation today. I am sure we could make a long list of things that need to be addressed by our legislators right now. As sit in my living room typing this, I have decided that the best way I can celebrate Independence Day is to be thankful for the vision put forth by our “founding fathers” and continue to advocate for those who do not have the same opportunities as I have had here in the United States.

I will be thankful and I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless. 

God, you have given all peoples on common origin.
It is your will that they be gathered together
as one family in yourself.
Fill the hearts of humankind with the fire of your love
and with the desire to ensure justice for all.
By sharing the good things you give us,
may we secure an equality for all
our brothers and sisters throughout the world.
May there be an end to division, strife, and war. 
May there be a dawning of a truly human society
built on love and peace.
We ask this in your name. Amen.

– Author Unknown

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

In 2010, an 89-year-old art and antiquities collector by the name of Forrest Fenn hid a treasure chest filled with gold and diamonds. Why? To inspire people to explore nature and give hope to people affected by the recession of 2008.

Clues leading to the treasure’s location were included in a poem published in Fenn’s autobiography “The Thrill of the Chase.”

Thousands of people have ventured into the Rocky Mountains searching for the treasure chest estimated to be worth over $1 million.

Fenn estimated that as many as 350,000 people from all over the world went hunting for the treasure.

Two weeks ago, on June 6, 2020, Fenn confirmed on his website that the treasure has been found.

“It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago,” he said. “I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot. I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries. 

Who hasn’t dreamed of finding a treasure chest full of gold?!? 

I know people are still trying to find the elusive treasure on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. The idea of finding something worth millions is alluring. I always enjoyed watching Antiques Roadshow on PBS when someone would discover an old forgotten antique was worth thousands of dollars.

Even Jesus talked about hidden treasure!

Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

We don’t need to go hunting for buried treasure. There is no map and no “X marks the spot”. Jesus tells us exactly where to find it. We find our treasure the same place our heart is located.

Let me ask you, where is your heart today? What is your treasure? This is an important question, take your time.

What is the thing or things you value most… because that is your treasure. 

These past few months caused me to think about where my heart is. This is what I discovered:  My heart is here in Las Vegas at Community Lutheran Church. I wish the circumstances (COVID-19) were different but my heart is here wanting to lift the name of Jesus to our community and beyond. 

Of course, like everyone else, I want the church to be open without risk of COVID-19 infection. However, this moment caused us to work differently to lift the name of Jesus and that is good. We now broadcast every day of the week. This is something we would not have done earlier this year. Yet we discovered that what we are doing is making a difference! It reminds me of something God said in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

My heart is here with you and my heart is with Jesus. That is my treasure.

What is yours?

Below is a link of one of my favorite songs that reminds me of my treasure. Here are the lyrics…

Knowing You

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Refrain:
Knowing you, Jesus Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Refrain

Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die

Refrain

God bless,
Pr. Ben

On August 9^th, 2014 Michael Brown was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer. The event set off a series of both protests and then rioting. The subsequent riots wreaked havoc on this suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri. 

What you will read below were my reflections of that moment in time. I believe they are still relevant today… 

In any situation I believe it is my calling to point to Jesus in all of this. And where is Jesus in all of these situations and countless other conflicts—even the ones between individuals?  He is right in the middle between them. Jesus isn’t called the Prince of Peace for nothing. Jesus stands in the middle waging peace. Notice I didn’t say status quo. A lot of people confuse peace with status quo. They want to go back to a time when it was peaceful for them regardless if it was good for anyone else. Jesus calls us to move forward into a new reality that brings good for all.  

Jesus certainly is calling those who considers themselves disciples of Jesus to stand in the middle and call for transformative peace as well. The type of peace where everyone has a seat at the table and a voice about what happens next.  

Long ago Jesus said to a crowd listening to him preach. . . Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. 

God’s favor is with those who stand in middle and help bring transformative peace. 

Notice Jesus didn’t say, Blessed are the peace-lovers. I think the vast majority of humanity likes and wants peace. It takes more than sitting on the side lines hoping for it to happen. We need more peace-makers in the world. 

And if you are not a news junkie like me you might have missed it. There were some peacemakers out there in Ferguson, MO during a most violent time.  Or at least they were attempting to be peacemakers.

A pastor was shot with a rubber bullet on Wednesday (6 years ago) during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, as clashes with police continued over the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

Pr. Renita Lamkin, an African Methodist Episcopal church pastor, told reporters that she was “standing in the middle of the street, with people behind me, and the police were in front of me.” Lamkin said she was attempting to mediate (peace-making) between police and protesters. 

She told the police, “They’re moving, they’re leaving.” 

“And then there was a pop!” she said, as a rubber bullet struck her stomach. There are pictures of the injury—they are too graphic for this post.

A widely circulated photo of Pr. Lamkin’s injuries shows a large, bloody bruise. She said she was hit while standing, because her motto is, “Pray on your feet!”

Pr. Lamkin said the best way for people of peace to heal the community’s wounds is to “love people. Listen to them.”

Notice what she is saying. It isn’t about whose right and whose wrong (even when there is a clear sense of right and wrong). It’s about peacemaking. Listening to people—as opposed to talking over people— those are the seeds of peace.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 3:35

Then there was Pr. Willis Johnson. He is the one standing in front of that angry young man in the picture below. Read what Pr. Johnson had to say about this moment.

“People who are hurting need to be affirmed in their hurt; people who are angry need to be affirmed in their anger. Let me say it like this: I needed that as much as he needed that. We kept each other from harm’s way and from doing something that we would need not to do…

If you’re going to fuss and cuss and be mad, I want you to do it with me. Do it in my ear. And at the same time, I just begin to pray with him and to say, ‘Give him the strength — give us the strength — to be courageous enough not to do what they expect us to do.’”

Later on, in the same interview Pr. Johnson says this about the peacemaking process…

“I wasn’t out there marching on Monday, wasn’t out there marching on Tuesday. I was doing the things that I thought were necessary and I continue to do that. 

But I also know that it requires by every means necessary to do what is going to bring about the sense of awareness, the attention, that will allow people to not only express and attempt to explain but to expedite and encourage us to some point of not only reconciliation but resolution and resurrection. Because we have to (continue to) live when everybody else goes and leaves from this place.”

Reconciliation, resolution and resurrection. Think about that last word for a second. New life—where there was only death and destruction.  Jesus knows about death and he certainly knows about new life.

Peace isn’t just a truce. General McArthur said “A truce just says you don’t shoot for awhile. Peace comes when the truth is known, the issue is settled, & the parties embrace each other.” A truce is a return to status quo. 

Peacemakers don’t just try to stop conflict. They’re doing something far more meaningful; something healing and transformative. They try to bring about reconciliation and relationship, even if it means going through the conflict.

Peacemakers stand in the middle and work for peace—even if it is one person at a time.

The author of Hebrews says it this way–Make every effort to live in peace with all people and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15

That is some active peacemaking right there between Pr. Johnson and Pr. Lamkin. Watching for those bitter roots and addressing it before things got worse.

It’s hard to do that when we have demonized the other. It’s hard to love someone when you’ve made them the enemy. Standing in the middle helps minimize those attitudes.

Jesus cautioned us about the kind of peace the world offers. Often it is weak and stilted toward those with power. Kingdom peace is different. It offers redemption and a new way of living that values all. This is how Jesus put it, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” John 14:27 Let us not confuse the two. 

Let me close with the words of President Lincoln.

During the Civil War, Pres. Lincoln was asked if God was on his side and the cause of the north. 

This was his reply–“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side,” “my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

God bless you,

Pr. Ben

In times of uncertainty, in times of conflict and in times of evaluation, I turn to this verse…

Do not be over-righteous, 
neither be over-wise— 
why destroy yourself? 

Do not be over-wicked, 
and do not be a fool— 
why die before your time? 

It is good to grasp the one 
and not let go of the other. 
The person who fears God will avoid all extremes.

Ecclesiastes 7:16–18 

I sometimes have a hard time believing that something somebody wrote 3000 years ago can apply to my life today. Then I remember that God’s word is for every generation for a reason: it is timeless and true.

King Solomon wrote this, and he makes an astute observation about human behavior. There are some who are overly dogmatic, unbending, rigid about things. These people see only one way of doing something and their way is the right way. They are quick to point out how everyone else is wrong. Everyone else should change their mindsets and do whatever it is… their way. Solomon refers to them as the “over-righteous.”

Then there are the “fools.” To the “over-righteous” that is everyone else that doesn’t agree with them. However, Solomon defines them as people who do whatever they want. They are only concerned with themselves and they do what they want without regard for others. Or as King Solomon says, they are “over-wicked.”

I don’t want you to miss this, both of these groups have something in common. They both alienate others. They do it by different means, but the result is the same. No one wants to spend time with a selfish person or someone who is always right (and never fails to tell you). 

The questions in the forefront of our minds may be this: Are we doomed to one category or the other? No! King Solomon dispenses some of the sagest wisdom found in the entirety of scripture: The person who fears God will avoid all extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:18

Extremist thinking no matter the position or topic not only alienates people but also falls outside of God’s will.  It doesn’t make any difference if it is religious or political, left wing or right wing… extreme points of view are harmful to community building. 

I understand why King Solomon chose the words, “The person who fears God…” He is reminding us that God is not interested in extremism of any kind. Jesus cares about two things: that we love Him and we love our neighbor. The “over-righteous” and the “over-wicked” tend to love themselves (and their opinions) over genuinely caring for those around them.

If these two ways of living were on a continuum, being in the middle is where it is at. It is the place where all the cool kids hang out. It is where the regular people are. Smack dab in the middle of God’s love. 

For the sake of Solomon, let’s tone down the extreme rhetoric and the selfish careless behavior and meet in the middle so that we can love one another and lift the needs of the community above our own.

God bless,
Pr. Ben  

Do you like science fiction movies? I do. I wish I had the time to watch more of them! A number of years ago (like 21 years) I really enjoyed the movie trilogy that began with “The Matrix.” Now, I am not telling you to go watch the movie(s) or even recommend that you watch them, I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed them. If you decide to watch this movie at some point be aware that there is quite a bit of violence in it. I will admit that I used to have a “Matrix” screensaver on my computer at CLC back when I was the associate pastor.

The movies revolve around a “Christ-like” messiah character who doesn’t know he is the “chosen one” to save humanity from their enslavement to robots. Weird huh? Humanity isn’t aware of their bondage to this unseen overseer. As the first movie progresses the hero doubts his status as the savior of humanity until the very end. His name is Neo which means “new.” He is new and different than the rest of humanity (in this movie).  

However, there is one loyal disciple through it all. His name is Morpheus. That is also the name of the Greek god of dreams. In this movie, Morpheus is trying to wake the world from its illusory sleep! Morpheus believed in the main character (Neo) even when this hero didn’t. At one point in the second movie this loyal disciple talks to a group of people about a big plan that involves the hero of these three movies. 

Needless to say, they didn’t believe in Neo’s power either. 

“Not everyone believes what you believe Morpheus.” 

Very calmly and boldly Morpheus replies “My faith doesn’t require that they do.”

I find that line compelling because I agree with it. However, it has nothing to do with the Matrix movies and everything to do with my faith in Jesus who is the savior of the world. My faith doesn’t require anyone else to believe what I believe. 

My trust in Christ is not predicated upon anyone else believing in Him. I would believe in Jesus even if I was the last person of faith in the world.  Humanity does not define my relationship with Jesus! Opinions don’t form my faith either. It is Christ who shapes me, and it is scripture that guides me. 

That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t share the love I have discovered in Christ! Our current sermon series reminds us that the story continues! I can’t help but talk about my faith because God has been so good to me! Some of you are probably tired of seeing me online! (Use the mute button when necessary.)

Like the movie, Christ is calling us to see the unseen bondage to sin that many deny. Jesus wishes us to see that there is more in this world than meets the eye. There is a new reality that is just beyond our vision and it is called “The Kingdom of God.” A place where sin does not cloud our judgment and doesn’t hold us back. When we step into the Kingdom of God (through faith) we see the world differently than everyone else. 

I don’t have to go look for this mystical place called the Kingdom of God and neither do you. Jesus who is the Way tells us exactly how to find it.  

Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

I encourage you to own that statement. Believe it with your whole heart. The Kingdom of God is not found at 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. It is within you right now as you read this. Jesus is with you in this moment. 

Awaken and see the truth! Feel the love of God!

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

King Solomon wrote, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

The above verse from King Solomon is the ancient variation of: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Keep these quotes in mind as I tell you a story from the Bible…

Have you ever heard of King Rehoboam? He was King Solomon’s son. King Solomon’s wisdom was legendary. Unfortunately, King Solomon didn’t seem to pass on any of his wisdom to his son. 

Aside from Jesus, we know that King Solomon was the wisest human to live (1Kings 3:10-12).  After King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king of Israel.  Despite having a most excellent role model in his father as it related to wise leadership, Rehoboam’s reign had immediate and dire consequences for the Kingdom of Israel.

Shortly after ascending the throne, a labor leader went to the king and asked for easier working conditions. If they were granted, King Rehoboam would have a happy and loyal workforce. 

King Rehoboam told this labor leader he needed to think it over and he consulted two completely different groups of people who gave him two completely different answers. 

First the king consulted his father’s oldest and wisest advisors. These were people with experience and proven track record. They advised King Rehoboam to ease the working conditions and all would go well for him and the nation because these laborers would be loyal.

Then the freshly minted king went to his friends. These were people with no experience and no expertise. They told King Rehoboam to exert his power and to make things harder for those who served as laborers—and this is exactly what the king wanted to hear!

The young and inexperienced king had two sets of advisors who presented him with two wildly different solutions. If only Rehoboam had listened to his father (King Solomon) when he sat on the throne. Solomon wrote, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 12:15

King Rehoboam did not take the counsel of his father’s wise and more experienced advisors. Instead he acted upon the advice of his young friends who only told him what he wanted to hear. 

We know this because King Rehoboam went to his friends AFTER he heard the recommendation of his wisest counselors. Listen to this, “But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him…” 1Kings12:8 The young king surrounded himself with “yes people.” He listened only to the people who affirmed his point of view. 

A similar scenario is playing out throughout our communities and our nation in the midst of this pandemic. Many are not listening to mainstream experts or physicians or even the Centers for Disease Control. Instead some are listening only to points of view that reinforce their personal point of view. 

As Solomon said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9  If we do not heed the advice of our wisest and most knowledgeable medical and scientific experts, we  risk repeating “Rehoboam’s Folly” and what happened in the 1918 pandemic.  

We are all prone to want to listen to our own point of view.  Myself included!  However, scripture tells us differently. We should heed the advice of those who are experts in their field.  Shouldn’t that be true especially when facing a global medical crisis? 

If we don’t learn from King Rehoboam’s mistake, we will repeat history. 

Unfortunately, for King Rehoboam, he followed the advice of his friends and it caused the country of Israel to be divided in two. Yes, King Rehoboam’s poor judgement and arrogance caused the nation of Israel to be fractured! 

I know that some of you who read this will think that I am making commentary on our president or other government officials. I AM NOT. 

Instead, I am asking members of our community—the CLC family—to prayerfully and objectively consider to whom we are listening?  Who is guiding our decisions and actions?  Are we listening to the mainstream experts and wise counselors in this moment?  Or, are we listening to those opinions that reflect our own point of view? 

As the pandemic began in the United States, Kristen Theile asked a friend of Community Lutheran Church who is a medical doctor to come and talk to a few of us about what we should be doing at the church to respond to this crisis. We listened intently as they educated us on the dangers of COVID-19. We encouraged people to stay home and a few days later we closed the buildings. I talked to this doctor again this week and they still see this situation as dangerous.

Believe me!  No one is more anxious to return to our “normal” way of life at CLC than me!  But we will continue to be closed until we know it is medically safe to be together. I will listen to the experts and not just what I want to hear. 

Saint Paul instructed his protégé Timothy on such things too. Although Paul was referring to theology and not a global medical crisis, his words have application in this situation too:

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine (facts). Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 1Timothy 4:3-4

I trust our medical community. I give thanks for our nurses and doctors who serve this city and our nation. I value their expertise in this moment. Please say a prayer for them this day. I just did.

God bless you,

Pr. Ben