June 28, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Rage of a Poet

Battling the Devil

“We’re all in the same game; just different levels. Dealing with the same hell; just different devils.” (“Rage of a Poet”, Big D)

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’  and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”  Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.” Matthew 4:1-11

Battling the Devil

In the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” Luther wrote:

Though hordes of devils fill the land, all threat’ning to devour us, we tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot overpow’r us. Let this world’s tyrant rage; in battle we’ll engage! His might is doomed to fail;    God’s judgment must prevail! One little word subdues him.

Martin Luther dealt with the devil in a straightforward and “in your face” contempt. He wrote: “Satan may be overcome by contempt, but in faith, not in presumption. However, he is certainly not to be invited; for he is a powerful enemy, seeing and hearing everything that lies before us and that we are now talking about. And God permitting, he spoils everything that is good.  When the devil comes during the night to plague me, I give him this answer: “Devil, I must sleep now; for this is God’s command: Work during the day, sleep at night.” If he does not stop to vex me but faces me with my sins, I reply: “Dear devil, I have heard the record. But I have committed far more sins which do not even stand in your record. Put them down too. . . . . ” If he still does not stop accusing me as a sinner, I say to him in contempt: “Holy Satan, pray for me! You never have done anything evil and alone are holy. Go to God and acquire grace for yourself. If you want to make me righteous, I tell you: Physician heal yourself.”

Too many people today do not believe that the devil is a true presence. Oh they believe that evil does exist in the world, but for them evil is more the absence of good, rather than the presence of the devil. Jesus encountered the devil as a person, and faced the devil head on – and so did Martin Luther. We don’t know how the devil manifested himself to Luther, but ML even threw an ink well at the devil in an effort to get him to leave him alone. 

We too must face evil and the devil head on, or evil will get more of a foothold in this world, and in the lives of our friends and family.  How?  The one thing evil hates is the idea of people doing good for each other, whether it is good in the name of religion, or good in the name of living in community.  When we fill the world and our lives and our communities with good, then the devil will have less places to get a foothold within our midst. 

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, the devil will never stop trying to do us harm – and will always seek to divide us. Help me to never give up on doing good. This the devil cannot stand. Amen.

Pastor Dave

June 27, 2022 — Words of Wisdom, Audrey Hepburn

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

“I love people who make me laugh.  I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh.  It cures a multitude of ills.  It’s probably the most important thing in a person.” Audrey Hepburn

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

We all know at least one person who is naturally funny. I had a friend in high school who could just give me a look, and I would start to laugh. I used to play in a brass group with a friend who seemed to remember every joke he ever heard.  As Reader’s Digest used to remind us—“Laughter is the best medicine.”

Perhaps the most famous example of using laughter as part of their healing occurred in the life of Norman Cousins. In 1964, Norman Cousins, editor of the Saturday Review, discovered he was dealing with a connective tissue disease in his spine – and he was given a 1 in 500 chance of surviving. He made the decision to lock himself into a hotel room and watch a non-stop supply of Candid Camera episodes and movies of the Marx Brothers. At first, the most relief he got was several hours of pain-free existence – the result of the laughter sending a course of endorphins through his body. But over the next few weeks, he laughed himself, literally, back to health, and published a book about his experience.

In the words of 19th century humorist Mark Twain, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” Indeed, the reaction of laughter is a bit of a mystery to scientists, but it truly is a blessing from G-d. When we can laugh, we can forget the worries and troubles of the day, even if for just a few moments, and experience joy and laughter – two of the greatest gifts G-d has given to the world. We all need to find what brings us joy – and find some laughter in our lives – and sometimes that seems almost impossible because there is so much sadness and hurt in this life. It is in those moments we can remember:

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.  (Psalm 30:2, 5)

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, it is true that weeping may linger for a moment, but your joy comes every morning that we wake up and greet another day. Help me to remember the joy I find in knowing you are my hope and salvation. Amen.

Pastor Dave