Monthly Archives: November 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 14, 2015
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Can Glory be Achieved Through Suffering? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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November 14, 2015

“Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:1 – 10

“In a world where success is measured by how quickly a person can climb to the top and importance is measured by how much glory a person can grab, these words in the letter to the Hebrews tell a completely different story. It is always difficult to come to terms with the call of God as having nothing to do with honor, and everything to do with serving. Even Christ did not glorify himself–it was God who claimed and called him–and it was through his suffering that he was truly glorified. Jesus was never looking for the place of importance and status; he came to serve and that is the call that we share as the people of God. The same God who calls us has promised to be with us, to provide those places of refuge, to bring life and salvation out of suffering and death.” (Luther Seminary, G*d Pause devotions, Gayle Bintliff, Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, Tucson, Ariz. Master of Divinity , 2001)

“He learned obedience through suffering.” Oh, we spend a lot of time and money trying to avoid suffering, to reduce suffering and to avoid growing old. As sure as the sun will rise and set this day, we will all experience some amount of suffering in our lives. We cannot avoid it. So what do we do with suffering? We learn about ourselves and our abilities, and the depth of our mental, physical and spiritual arsenal. There is no glory to be gained through our suffering – but for Christ his glory was achieved through his suffering. That does not mean we try to cause our own suffering. But we do learn from all of our experiences, including suffering. We learn about endurance, about perseverance, and about faith. We learn to put our trust in others, especially our trust in G*d who promises to always be with us and to help us find a way out of all of our experiences. (1 Cor. 10:13ff). Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight… says the Proverb (3:5). I think there is a simple truth hidden here: how can we know how happy we can be, if we have never experienced sadness?

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 13, 2015
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Showing Mercy — Rev. David J. Schreffler

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November 13, 2015

“(Jesus said) “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37

“Most of the time babies crying in church don’t bother me. Crying is what babies do. The only exception to this rule takes place when

1. the crying becomes regular and repetitive, and
2. the crying goes on so long I can see the people in the pews around that baby wincing to the rhythm of the crying.

No, I don’t mind babies crying in church, but in an airplane, that is a different matter. It’s different because the parents can’t take the baby out to deal with the problem, and it’s different because the people around the upset child can’t escape either. This is why I can be sort of sympathetic for two of the people on the 5:30 a.m. flight from Michigan to Alabama. They were already situated when Rebekka Garvison sat down with her four-month-old child, Rylee. When the plane revved up its engines, Rylee did the same. Seeing the discontent on the faces of those around her, Rebekka asked if she could move to another row where there was only one person whom her baby might bother. Rebekka and the still-crying Rylee moved to a new location. This time, rather than receiving a stare of disapproval, Rebekka got a smile. More than that, her new seat mate, Nyfesha Miller, asked if she could hold Rylee and try to calm her down. The switch of holders made all the difference in the world to Rylee. She began looking out the window and soon she fell asleep. Rylee stayed asleep for the rest of the flight and was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when she saw her father, a serviceman stationed in Alabama.

Now the reason I share that story is because it rang a bell. Many years ago, Pam took all three of our children to visit her parents in Arizona. She was traveling alone and our youngest, Kris, was a baby — a baby who got air sick. That day, a man, the embodiment of a Good Samaritan, asked if he might help. He took two-year-old Kirsten and entertained her so Pam could deal with Kris. Although the Bible doesn’t exactly say so, I think there must be a special place in heaven for people who step out of their comfort zones and do that which needs to be done. (“Showing Mercy”, October 14, 2015, Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

How can you ago forward today and be the good neighbor? It may be difficult. You may have neighbor’s who don’t wish to talk with anyone – yet there are always ways to do good deeds that do not require asking permission. Or, you may have neighbor’s who do not like you – there are ways to extend a courtesy or a kindness without them knowing it was you. With the advent of the Internet, and places like Face Book, we can see many examples of ordinary people doing random acts of kindness over and over again. Join the revolution of kindness, when you see someone who you know is being stretched to their limit, or you know your mean neighbor is in need, find a way that you might be able to do something simple and be a good neighbor.

Pastor Dave