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Dear Followers in Faith,

There’s a saying that “possession is 9/10^ths of the law.” The famous Hatfield and McCoy feud from the 1800s is based in part on this saying. Though other circumstances were involved, a key part in the feud centered around a pig Floyd Hatfield had which Randolph McCoy claimed was his. In court, the Hatfield’s relative, “Preacher Anse” Hatfield ruled the hog belonged to those who possessed it, the Hatfield family. From the world’s perspective, “possession might be 9/10^ths of the law.” But, we should remember the source of all we have … God. All we have is really His.

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. In the story, a man hires some people to work his land while he’s away. The tenants began to feel they “possessed” the land because they worked it daily. They grew to assume they owned the land and all the land produced. The problem … they didn’t. When the landowner sent people to collect some … not all … of the produce, they objected and sent away, beat, and even wounded his servants who tried to collect some of the produce from the vineyard. Finally, the landowner sent his son. He figured the tenants would honor the son and provide him with a portion of the produce. Of course, they didn’t. Instead, figuring that if they killed the son, the land would become theirs when the landowner died since nobody could inherit it … “possession is 9/10^ths of the law.”

A key to understanding any parable Jesus tells, is who He’s talking to. In this case, He’s talking to the people in the presence of the temple’s chief priests, scribes, elders. For centuries these temple leaders and their relatives ruled over the religious life of Israel. They had grown comfortable with their power and prestige. However, they forgot that the temple and the people weren’t theirs … they were God’s. God had placed them in charge of these things in order that they would serve Him and His people – not themselves. He intended that they would teach people about Himself and His Word so they would fear, love, and trust Him in all things. However, they didn’t. They served only themselves. So, God sent prophets, His servants, to get them to correct their ways. They still didn’t. Finally, God sent His Son Jesus. Jesus foretold what would happen in just a few short days … He would be killed by the tenants His Father placed in charge of His people. He also foretold what would happen to “the vineyard” in 70 A.D. when Rome would destroy the temple, the center of the Jewish nation. Then God would give the vineyard of His people to others … those who believe in His Son Jesus – His Words, His work of salvation on the Cross, and His resurrection.

We remember … the world is God’s vineyard, not ours. As His children, He’s left us in charge of it. God calls us to follow Him in faith to produce fruit for Him, using the gifts He’s God has given us, by bringing more people to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We remember – we live in God’s creation, but He owns it.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I remember my first car … a 1966 Ford Mustang.  I saved money from years of yard work, pool cleaning, and babysitting. When I had enough, it was mine. It wasn’t much to see, but at its heart was a 289 cubic-inch V-8 powerhouse. Believe me, there was a lot of life in that engine. Probably too much for a new driver. One day day though, as I drove it, the engine started smoking and it flat quit. Good news is, I’d saved more money. So, I towed my car to the garage where a mechanic rebuilt the engine … restoring it to like new condition.

This memory brings to mind how God works in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul encourages Christ’s church in Corinth and His church today, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) As human beings, born with human nature inherited from our first father and mother – Adam and Eve, we are sinful. Our hearts, the source of love within us, become clogged with filthy sin – causing our spirit to decline and die over time. Much like my old Mustang, due to sin, the engine of love within us falls apart and stops working as God intended. God never created us to live with hearts broken by sin. He created us to have whole hearts capable of loving, selfless service in His creation.

Like my Mustang, our hearts cannot repair themselves. My Mustang required me and a mechanic to step in to restore its engine to new life. And together we did. When it came out of the shop, my ’66 ‘Stang ran like new again. Paul reminds us of the one person who can restore our hearts. He reminds us to remember … remember God’s mercy. In His mercy, He alone can restore our hearts to better than new condition. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He reconciles … restores … our hearts to His originally intended condition. He restores our hearts to be capable of selflessly loving Him and those around us.  Through Jesus’ sacrificial and loving death on the cross, our Father mercifully forgives the sin that continually seeks to clog our hearts … keeping them from loving as He intended. Paul writes, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself … in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

But God doesn’t stop there. He reconciles us for a purpose. Paul reminds of God’s purpose, “(He is) entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (Making us) ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) In this Lent to Remember, we remember God’s mercy so we can help others, by the power of the Holy Spirit, discover and remember that same mercy! Jesus didn’t come to restore a select few. He came to save the entire world (2 Corinthians 5:19). He’s called us to be His ambassadors, His representatives, to that world … proclaiming His good news of reconciliation to all continuing to live in darkness so they too can be restored to better than new condition.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear First Family and Friends,

Patience … it’s a virtue.  Says so right there in Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones … patience, bearing with one another …” Yet patience is hard to come by. In our “instant world” of on-line access we can see any movie, hear any song, gather any information instantly.  And if I have to wait even 5 seconds for the “hour glass” to spin … GRRRR! The world seems to have taught us patience is useless. This Lent, a Lent to Remember, God helps us remember through His Word … and we remember – in His grace, mercy and love – God hasn’t forgotten patience.

Jesus helps us to remember just how patient God is with His people … you and me included. As He often does, He uses a visual image to help us remember – a fig tree. Why would a farmer plant a fig tree? To bear figs. However, like any fruit tree, it must first mature. The farmer seems to have forgotten this concept saying, “I’ve had this tree for three years … and nothing! No fruit! Cut it down!” (Luke 13:7 (paraphrase)) This guy might not be a very good farmer as he’s forgotten most fig trees can take up to six years to produce fruit.[1] In addition, it’s possible that even a mature tree won’t produce fruit if it’s not properly nourished. Fortunately for this poor tree, the vinedresser knows his fig trees and urges the farmer to hold off until he’s had time to nourish and tend the unfruitful fig tree (Luke 13:8-9).

God is patient with His people. You and I are works in progress. He’s called us His own children in baptism … giving us faith. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. He’s done this so we produce fruit in His kingdom. Yet, we often don’t remember this as we head off on our journeys. However, through His Son, Jesus Christ, God patiently remembers us … and His promises to us. He patiently works at us through His Word and Sacraments … He nourishes and strengthens our faith. He patiently cultivates the ground of our souls so that … slowly but surely, we begin to bear the fruits of faith in our lives.

By right, our Creator could certainly ignore us and cut us down for our failure to bear fruit in His creation. But our Creator loves and cares for all of us. He sent His own Son to patiently teach us … to suffer and slowly die on a cross as payment for our sins … to eventually, three days later, rise from the dead to defeat the effects of sin and death. And one day, He will return to judge the living and the dead and bring all who believe into His eternal kingdom … while condemning all who don’t believe to the fires of eternal death. He could return any day … but He’s also patient. He says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live …” (Ezekiel 33:11) Let us remember … God’s patience … and give thanks to Him for His infinite mercy and grace toward us and all mankind.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear First Family and Friends,

Have you ever experienced being “the messenger?” It’s great to be asked to deliver “good news.” But how about being the bearer of bad news … or hard news? In my Air Force career, I received a lot of good news. But one day, I got called into the General’s office to hear bad news. “Jim, I have some bad news. You didn’t get selected for promotion.” It wasn’t the General’s fault. He was just the messenger. I really feel for people like doctors who need to tell patients they have a serious illness … or lawyers who have to tell people their case is hopeless … or friends who have to tell friends they’re making a huge mistake. In these cases, I’m reminded of the old saying, “Don’t shoot me! I’m just the messenger.”

Jeremiah was just the messenger. But what He had to say didn’t please the religious and political elites of Judah. They heard Jeremiah’s words, but didn’t listen because they didn’t like what he had to say. They rejected his message from God in the harshest terms possible, “You shall die!” (Jeremiah 26:8) If anyone could’ve said, “Don’t shoot me! I’m just the messenger,” it’s Jeremiah and the rest of God’s prophets.  Jeremiah told those threatening him, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. Now mend your ways ...” (Jeremiah 26:12-13) The people he spoke to weren’t acting as God commanded. But rather than destroy them, God, in His love and mercy, sent His prophet Jeremiah to warn them, “Obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that He has pronounced against you.” (Jeremiah 26:13) Nevertheless, the priests, false prophets, and officials of Judah all turned their backs on God’s prophet.

Centuries later, Jesus returned to Jerusalem, the place where many of God’s prophets were killed for being “the messenger.” Jesus reminds us of the Father’s love. It’s a love that caused Him to put His word in the mouths of prophets to warn Israel and Judah of their sin. It’s a love that caused Him to send His Son, Jesus, to do the same and more. God wants the world to remember His love. “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that all who would believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God doesn’t want any of His creatures to die.

This Lent we remember all God has done for us out of love.  Why has He gone to such great lengths – sending His prophets … sending His Son … sending His church – into the world to proclaim His love for all to hear? Because He loves His creation. He desires for His creation to return to Him … to believe His Word and promise … to receive His mercy and grace … to find protection against the devil and his lies in Him. This Lent, I pray you can spend a little extra time listening to God’s messengers. As you do, I pray you find protection in remembering God’s love for you … expressed through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray you have one close friend … a close relationship. Not just physically close though. I pray you have a close friend who understands you – whom you understand … the one who gets your jokes, finishes your thoughts, or knows exactly what you need even when you haven’t expressed the need. I pray you have a close friend you can go to when you have a challenge in your life or who comes to you with their struggles. If you have such a relationship, try to remember how it came about …

My guess is it came about because, for whatever reason, you dug deep into each other’s lives. You got into each other’s hearts and minds. To do this required communicating … using words … to share feelings, emotions, ideas, and even a good joke. Words are critical to developing close friendships. They help us to remember the basis for our relationships.

If you think about it, you can get no closer to a person than to be in their heart … the core of their being. Paul, remembering the basis of his relationship with God – remembers God’s Word found in Deuteronomy 30:14 and says, “‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” (Romans 10:8) In Deuteronomy Moses, preparing for his death, also speaks with God’s people as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Some in the congregation might’ve been wondering how they’d get along in this new place. Without Moses, they wouldn’t have their leader. And then, would God still be with them? What would happen to their close relationships? Moses reminds them to remain strong in faith … don’t worry … God isn’t going anywhere. God is found in His Word. And that Word isn’t far off. It’s not in heaven … out of reach. It’s not in some far-off land … waiting for someone to come get it. It’s right here … inside us … in our mouths … in our hearts.

Though we may drift away at times, ignoring His Word; God never leaves us. His Word is in our mouths and hearts. He’s right there with us. And when we need Him, all we need to do is call on Him in faith, and we’ll be saved. God will remember His Word of promise, also remembered by Paul, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

We all have a special close relationship. God our Father is always with us. His Word dwells in our hearts. It dwells in our mouths. This Lent, as we journey through Good Friday to Easter, God helps us remember – He’s never far away. Lent is a good time to pack God’s Word into our hearts through devotions and prayer.  He helps us remember His Word, dwelling inside us, when we, or those we love, are struggling. As we speak His Word in prayer, He helps us remember – He hears and answers our prayers. God is close to us. He understands us. He knows our needs. Through His Son, the Word made flesh, He shows His love for us. We remember …

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear First Lutheran Family,

When I fly across the country, I try to get a window seat.  I’m fascinated to see the world from 35,000 feet.  I especially enjoy flying over a place I’ve been, like the Grand Canyon.  At ground level, the Grand Canyon is interesting.  But it’s hard to truly understand the scope of this amazing piece of God’s creation.  At 35,000 feet, on a clear day, you can see why it’s called “The Grand Canyon!”  It’s definitely “grand” in its scope! 

Moses got a high-level view of the Promised Land before he turned over his leadership to Joshua.  He went to the top of Mount Pisgah where God showed him the entire Promised Land.  What a view that must’ve been as God said, (Deuteronomy 34:4) “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’”  Moses was blessed to see the entire land, all at once, that God promised His people.  Then Moses died, unable to enter the Promised Land because of a transgression against God years earlier (Numbers 20:10-12).

As we get mired in the day-to-day existence of life, it can become difficult to see the bigger picture.  We’re so focused on what’s going on right in front of us … sometimes it’s the struggle of the day-to-day troubles that seem to have no end.  Sometimes, it’s the unbelievable joys we’re experiencing we wish would never end!  Peter had this kind of moment as he experienced another unbelievable view from a mountaintop. 

Peter witnessed first-hand the full glory of Jesus as well as the presence of Moses and Elijah.  Peter was so engrossed in the immediate moment, that he lost the big picture.  He didn’t want the moment to pass.  He wanted to stay on the mountain … with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  He said, (Luke 9:33) “Master, it is good that we are here.  Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and Elijah.”  Peter had forgotten the purpose Jesus had come to dwell in the world.  It wasn’t to live on top of a mountain bathed in glory.  He was the Christ, the Son of God, and He came to suffer and be killed and rise from the dead (Luke 9:20-22).  This wouldn’t be possible if Jesus remained on the mountaintop.  Jesus needed to go down the mountain, into the world, to fulfill the mission His Father had sent Him on.

We can be a little like Peter too.  It’s indeed good to spend time on the mountaintop in our worship of God with our friends.  It’s great to hear the stories, sing the hymns, and talk to God in prayer.  But God calls us to this mountaintop so we can receive His grace … the forgiveness of sins … hear His promises … eternal life in the new Promised Land … and be nourished to go into the world as the hands and feet of Christ.  We come down from our mountain to be the means God uses to bring His grace to others so that one day, we can join together dwelling with Moses and Elijah … Peter, James, and John … and Jesus … in the new Promised Land.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Body of Christ,

Many of us may have made a New Year’s resolution sort of like this, “I need to get this old body of mine in shape … I’ll eat better, exercise, and get more rest.”  Now, almost 60 days into the year, many of us are back in our old habits.  The longed for “new body” … well, we’re happy with the old one.

We’re often fascinated by our bodies. And many wonder what their bodies will be like in eternal life.  Which one will they have?  The Corinthians wondered this too, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” (1 Corinthians 15:35) People asked because they thought talk of the resurrection of the dead was foolish.  How can a dead person live again?!  Their lack of hope in the resurrection led to moral decay within the church.  The thought being, “Why should I strive to live in accord with God’s Word if there really is no eternal life?” 

Paul reinforces our belief in one of Christianity’s key beliefs … the resurrection of the body into new, eternal life through Jesus.  How’s this possible?!  First of all, Jesus Christ, paved the way for all who believe in Him by being the first man to rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:23).  We may not be able to explain “resurrection” scientifically, and we don’t need to.  We believe the truth found in God’s Word.  To help us understand, Paul uses the analogy of a seed … a dead object that’s buried in the ground which returns to new life in a glorious new form.  You can’t stick the living plant in the ground to create the new form.  The plant must live its life and die to live again.  And this new body is radically different from the body planted in the ground.  “God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.” (1 Corinthians 15:38) Which body will we have?  We don’t know.  But, we believe God will raise us to new life in a new and glorious body of His choosing.  And this glorious body will live forever (1 Corinthians 15:42).

I opened saying many resolutions made on January 1^st fall by the wayside by February.  Here’s a thought you might want to consider … a “Resolution Redo.”  Lent begins March 6^th when we observe Ash Wednesday. 

A common practice during Lent, to help us continually recall the life, suffering, and death of Jesus on our behalf, is to give something up.  I have another idea to help us do the same thing, add something to your daily practices … add a few extra moments of prayer and reflection on God’s Word to get your spiritual life in shape … and … enter into a “Resolution Redo.”  As you commit to getting the body God blessed you with into shape … you can also reflect on God’s gifts offered to you through His Word – the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in our glorious new bodies.  Then, on Easter, as we celebrate the Resurrection, perhaps your physical body will be strengthened … more importantly your spiritual body and faith will also be renewed.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim