Have you ever found yourself reading a familiar Bible story when suddenly you are struck with a revelation? Isn’t it a joy to read and receive Good News in fresh ways?!?

 

Recently I was reading Matthew 20 and read once again the story of Jesus healing two blind men along the road outside of
Jericho. Jesus performed so many miracles and healings that we are prone to sometimes gloss over them and miss the
magnitude of what is happening. Compared to his many other miracles, this one can seem mundane.

 

In this particular story, the two blind men had heard that Jesus was going to be passing by on the road. So, they began
crying out to Jesus: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” While the crowds sought to shush them, the blind men were
persistent in their cries. Hearing their persistence, Jesus calls out to the blind men, “What do you want me to do?” The men
replied “Lord, open our eyes.” Jesus healed their sight and immediately they followed Jesus.

As an association of congregations, I love our name: Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. It brilliantly captures our aspirations: a network of autonomous congregations united by a Lutheran theological foundation and a common commitment to a greater mission for Jesus Christ in the world!

 

We recognize four core values that shape our association. We are 1) Free in Christ, 2) Accountable to One Another, 3) Rooted in the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions, and 4) Working Together to Fulfill Christ Great Commission to Go and Make Disciples of All Nations. While all values are important, it is the fourth one that defines our purpose… our mission.

 

Yet as I survey our congregations, this fourth value is far less obvious. If you were to ask someone to observe our member congregations and describe our association based on what our churches are doing and how they are spending time and resources, I doubt that our mission to go make disciples of all nations would be noted as our clear and obvious purpose.

As I sit down to write this article, my mind is full of all the last-minute arrangements that are yet to be completed for our 2023 District Gathering in New Braunfels, Texas. Yet as many of you read this, the Gathering itself will already be in the rearview mirror. I am praying for a wonderful Gathering that inspires and empowers God’s people to be SENT by Jesus to be his witnesses in the world!

 

Our theme this year is SENT and is derived from Jesus giving the Great Commission in Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” It is my firm belief that the church is defined by its mission. We do not simply occupy space in this world while consuming resources. We are SENT by Jesus for a mission! The challenge is for each person, and every congregation to discern what that looks like in your day-to-day life in your community and context.

 

I would like to invite you to take inventory of all the activities that occupy your day-to-day life, both personally as well as for your church. Typically, our lives are filled with those activities that could be broadly categorized in one of three groups: activities required to sustain life, the things that we enjoy, and then everything else! While it may be worth analyzing the stewardship of all three categories, it is this third that needs our greatest attention.

Four years ago, a group of pastors began dreaming about what it might look like to create an online ministry training program that was affordable, accessible, and effectively equipped those God was calling to greater ministry with a solid biblical and theological foundation while emphasizing practical mission and ministry instruction. After all, if we were ever going to plant and revitalize churches, we needed to invest in developing more mission-minded leaders. These conversations eventually led to the Texas District’s most ambitious project to date: Harvest Workers!

 

The program we set out to develop was not intended to be a seminary. Instead, we envisioned a ministry training program for those for whom traditional seminary might not be affordable, accessible, or the best fit. Harvest Workers actually inverts the emphasis of most seminary programs: instead of emphasizing academic studies in Bible and theology while providing a basic introduction to practical ministry, Harvest Workers introduces students to biblical and theological studies while diving more deeply into a wide variety of practical courses in mission and ministry.

One of the things that I love the most about my job is when I get invited to walk alongside congregations in pastoral transition. When a church council or call team asks me to share my thoughts on best practices for a good call process, one piece of advice seems to surprise them more than any other: Do not ask “What do we want in a pastor?”

 

As I speak these words, exasperated church leaders stare back at me and occasionally someone gives voice to the look on their collective faces: “How else are we supposed to figure out what to look for in our next pastor?!?” The answer lies in the sage wisdom passed down from generation to generation in understanding the difference between wants and needs.

 

Parents of young children learn to make this distinction with their sons and daughters. At some point we all learn the hard truth that we don’t always get what we want in life. Instead, we should rejoice and give thanks to God as he provides for our basic human needs. In our faith communities we are reminded of God’s goodness of provision as we pray and ask him to do it again in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

On Sunday, February 26 at 3:28 p.m. I got the kind of phone call that every parent dreads. My youngest son was calling… for a second time. I was in Zoom meeting and had ignored his first call. In our family, we have a code: if the first call goes unanswered and it is an emergency, call back a second time.

 

“Dad, I’m pretty sure my car is totaled. I’m really sorry.” My heart stopped. “Are you okay?” I asked. He replied, “I’m okay, but I’m pretty sure the car is totaled!” I responded, “I don’t even care about that right now, as long as you are okay!” He later was able to describe what happened, that another car lost control around a curve and came into his lane and collided with him head-on.

 

Oh, how it could have been so much more tragic! I really love cars, and I loved my son’s car, but I would much rather mourn a car than my son! Even though he faces lingering challenges of whiplash and the hassles of replacing his car, the main thing is that he was alive…and he was loved and cared for by his mother and father!

Recently I have had several conversations about finances that have led me to think more deeply and biblically about the subject. Even though the financial realities of investing over the past year and a quarter have been less than enjoyable, I thoroughly enjoy personal finance. I also take great pride (undoubtedly sinfully so) in being a good steward of God’s resources. As a full-time church worker, I am ever mindful of spending the resources entrusted to our ministry with great care. I have pridefully shared with others how much we do together as a district with how little resources we spend doing it like it is some sort of badge of honor.

 

While my sin of pride is something I need to confess and repent, good stewardship of kingdom resources is indeed a good thing. But I recently realized just how stark the difference in mindset can be between personal and ministry finances. In the name of good stewardship of precious resources, we in the church tend to strictly guard the financial resources entrusted to us. When dollars are spent, we often see it as kissing them goodbye! If this is the case, it is no wonder we think twice before parting with these dollars!

It is that time of year again! As we ring in 2023 full of hope and anticipation, many will make New Year’s resolutions, resolving to improve one’s life by committing to new healthy habits. While diet and exercise are the most common and talked about, resolve this time of year is often ambitious and can touch many other aspects of life, including spiritual things. Each year, Christians make fresh commitments to bible study, prayer, worship, volunteerism, generosity, sharing faith, etc.

 

Now I ask you to consider an invitation. Unlike a lot of New Year’s resolutions, this invitation doesn’t demand significant life adjustment, but rather one small to medium-size step: schedule a time away to spend with Jesus and others. Jesus himself modeled this pattern with his disciples, perhaps most famously in the story of his Transfiguration when he went up the mountain with Peter, James, and John. So that’s it: take a retreat away for unhurried time to connect with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ to simply be present with your Lord and one another. Pretty simple, right?!?