Monthly Archives: June 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 11, 2015
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Vain Grace or Grace in Vain (I don’t like the sound of either) — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 11, 2015

“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” 2 Corinthians 6:1,3

“So Paul appeals to the Corinthians as cooperators with God not to accept his grace in vain. The phrase in vain means “without effect or result.” Paul’s concern is that God’s grace will not have any meaningful impact on their lives. The story is told of a small boy who closely watched a neighboring pastor build a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. The youngster did not say a word the entire time that he watched. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said to the boy, “Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?”

“No,” replied the boy, “I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.” (A Plea Not to take G*d’s Goodness for Granted BibleGateway)

So many things can become a stumbling block within the church and the Christian community. We, as Lutherans place primacy on the issue of Grace for our justification with G*d through faith in Jesus Christ. Just that alone, trusting in the promises of G*d through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus can be a stumbling block for many. Then you place the trust of delivering the message of that Grace through faith to a body of “human” believers — who can find it hard not to be the sinful, egocentric, selfish and graceless people because these behaviors come to us by our very nature — well you can see why there can be many stumbling blocks to the faith of “believers” and “potential believers” alike. Even pastors, those who are called to be the shepherds of the flock, can become selfish shepherds trying to lead a flock to their own selfish desires — or leading a flock of people who are simply waiting for the pastor to “hammer his own thumb”. It seems almost every day that we hear a story about a church or a church body and how they are dealing with clergy who have behaved badly — behaved outside our calling to be servants and role models of the faith.  G*d’s Grace is too costly to cheapen it through behaving badly.         

How might you be a stumbling block to someone’s faith today? And, how might you help remove a stumbling block from someone’s faith today?

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 10, 2015
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Hope Beyond The Grave — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 10, 2015

“For we know that when this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 5:1

“Paul is tackling the topic of the Christian hope beyond the grave, and more specifically, what happens to the believer at the point of death. In our culture the subject of death holds a certain fascination as well as repulsion. On the one hand, we try to mask the fact of death with euphemisms such as “he passed on” and “she went to a better place” and with funeral rites such as viewing the body, remarking how well someone looks and placing flowers on the grave. On the other hand, our culture, especially in recent years, has displayed an attraction to the topic of death in the form of accounts of near-death experiences…

God’s intention for the believer is bodily existence, not disembodiment as some would claim. More specifically, those who face physical hardship and suffering as a result of their labors in the gospel ministry are assured that, come what may, a house of God’s own designing (ek theou–from God) awaits them. This house is distinguished in three ways. It is of heavenly versus earthly origin (in heaven). It is a permanent (eternal) as opposed to a temporary structure. And it is assembled by God rather than by human hands (not built by human hands).” The Christian Hope Beyond the Grave, BibleGateway

We can look at the home that G*d is preparing for us in two ways. In John 14, Jesus talks about a mansion, that has many rooms that awaits all of us when we die. Here, Paul is describing something more tangible — that our earthly bodies will no more be our “home”, but G*d will provide an “eternal” if not “permanent” structure for us all. Although what will happen exactly to us once we cross the threshold of death is uncertain, to say the least, we can at least expect the following:

First, through the resurrection we will experience a transformation.
Second, our “house” will involve some form of material existence.
Finally, through the Spirit we are insured continuity between present and future modes of existence.

To go beyond this is to speculate without more justification than what Paul could tell us. But if G*d promises existence beyond this earthly existence, then it will be most certainly true. And we can all wait for that day when Jesus ushers us to our new home.

Pastor Dave