Some hurts can't be healed

"The realm of Sauron is ended!"  said Gandalf, "The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest."  I just reread that portion of Tolkien's The Return of the King (For the 15th time?  Maybe, I know I've read the series at least that many times; it is, afterall, my favorite.) today.  In the book, a great evil is removed from the world with Frodo's victory over Sauron.  Sauron hopes to enslave the world in his lust for power but is done in by a humble hobbit who has no desire to lord anything over anybody.  That moral lesson is itself a profound one for Tolkien, but another emerges as you read the last few chapters of the book.  Over time, it becomes clear that all of the hurts caused by Sauron, and others, cannot be healed.  Some of the wounds are too deep, some must be lived with even when evil has been defeated.  Tolkien's brilliant novels are a work of homage to those who risk everything in service to a greater good and whose sacrifices he witnessed first-hand in life on the Western Front in WWI.  His service in war taught Tolkien that evil cannot be wholly removed from our world.  The "war to end all wars" only put a stop to war long enough for a new generation to grow in its shadow and start a new bloodier war.  For many veterans, Tolkien's words hit especially close to home.  They may have returned "whole", or nearly so, from war, but a part of them has been forever left behind with the brothers in arms they lost and the horrors they witnessed.
In the end, Tolkien's hero Frodo, and his trusty servant Sam are permitted to sail over the sea to the Undying Lands where they can find rest and peace at last.  In our world, we can offer comfort to those who mourn, honor to those who have sacrificed, and gratitude to those who have served, but we cannot heal all wounds.  It is beyond our power to do so. 
Is there hope, for healing in the end?  How can troubled souls find peace?
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  - Revelation 21:3-4
There is hope, there will be peace, and sorrow will be turned to joy when one day we all stand in the presence of our savior and feel the warmth of the embrace of God's own Son.

Sermon Video: "I am the way and the truth and the life" John 14:6

"How do I get to heaven?"  What is the answer to that question?  Is it a place, a thing, or an idea?  Jesus tells his disciples that the answer to that question is a person.  Jesus himself is the way to heaven, he is the truth that we long for, and he is the life that our hope is in beyond the grave.  Are there any other options?  No, as Jesus makes clear, nobody is getting to the Father except through him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

You have to do more.

The philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".  It seems that in all of the explosion of coverage about Penn State this sentiment hits the nail right on the head.  Evil doesn't take vacations, evil doesn't call in sick, evil doesn't turn a blind eye when good is at work.  We live in a world where the lines of obligation have been blurred, where strangers can walk by a child dying in the streets and do nothing (as happened recently in China).  You may think that this is a testament to the downfall of modern man, but remind yourself that Jesus spoke the parable of the Good Samaritan with this same theme in mind.  In the parable (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus warns against those who feel that only a select part of humanity is their neighbor.  He reminds us that we all are created in the image of our Father, and therefore it doesn't matter who is in need or in trouble, our obligation remains the same.  We must act.  We must do whatever we can to safeguard the weak, to protect the innocent, and yes, to save children from those who would prey on them.
It isn't a choice we have, it is a moral obligation.  One of the students protesting the decision to fire Paterno mentioned that she was aware that he had violated "morality or whatever", but she didn't see what the big deal about that was.  Why let something as uminportant as morality get in the way of football.  There is money to be made, fans to satisfy, and entertainment to be produced.  Why would anyone object on moral grounds?  Sad, but true, and very un-Biblical.  The reason we have a faith that can save us from our sins is because Jesus considered us all worth saving.  We hadn't done anything to warrant God's love, in fact we were in rebellion against him, but Jesus came just the same.
In the end, you have to do more.  I don't care about the legal obligations, they always fall short of our duty to others.  I do care very much about our moral obligations.  Everyone is your neighbor.  Any child in danger is your business.  You have to do more.

Sermon Video: "the word of Christ" Colossians 3:16-17

As Christians, we're supposed to "let the word of Christ dwell" in us "richly".  What does this mean.  Paul explains that in order to mature and grow in our faith we must be willing to teach each other and learn as well.  In addition, we must embrace worship of God as a way of expressing our gratitude to God and ensuring that whatever we do will be done in the name of Jesus.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

A new ministry, a new beginning

On December 4th of this year, Nicole and I will be in Franlin PA where I will be preaching at the First Baptist Church of Franklin.  After the service the members of the church will be voting on whether or not to call me as their next pastor.  As many of you know, Nicole and I have been looking for a full-time ministry position for several years.  I love my church at Palo, and have had a wonderful ministry experience there, but in the end, I need to be a full-time minister.  For the past nine years I've been teaching alternative education in Porltand, but it is time to move on.  Earlier this year it was hoped that I could become a reserve chaplain in the U.S. Army and stay with my current ministry.  When that fell through, another path was needed.  We've had several churches that I've talked to that seemed to be the proper fit, only to have them choose someone else.  Finally, after speaking with members of the search committee in Franklin, and going down there to preach at a nearby church last weekend, it appears that our prayers (and those of many others to whom I owe a debt of gratitude) have been answered.
It is not a move without its challenges.  It will pain us to leave the family and friends that we've found at First Baptist of Palo, the Cathedral of St. Andrew, and here in Saranac as well.  It will be difficult to be a sizeable distance away from our families, and I will certainly miss the weekly basketball game that has been a part of my life for the past twenty years (that leaves you, Russ, as the only one of us left from those youthful days).  I will be accepting a major responsibility and a significant task in the ministry in Franklin, but for the first time in my life, I will be able to concentrate all of my working time and effort in one place.  For that reason, and many others as well, it is time for me to move on to a new challenge in my calling as a minister of the Word of God.
This blog will continue, as will Nicole's, and we'll continue to return to Michigan on a regular basis for holidays and vacations.  Our hearts will remain here, at least in part.
God bless you all for your support, it has meant so much to me when disappointments have wrecked so many of the plans I had hoped to lay out.  In the end, God is good, he had a plan for us, and we will continue to serve him who saved us from darkness and brought us into his wonderful light.