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“Lessons from Jesus’ Ministry to Struggling Individuals.”

4/7/2016

Pastor Dan Simons, Ascension Lutheran Church, Macomb
Presented to the 2016 Spring SoutheasternPastor’s Conference
Michigan District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
April 5, 2016

My assignment for this paper was daunting, given the size and scope of the topic it suggests: “We’re especially interested in application of the Savior’s work with individuals to the pastor’s ministry. As you read the Gospels you’ll see them: the woman taken in adultery, Nicodemus, woman at the well, Peter, and many others. You choose how many. What do you learn from the Savior’s ministry? What insight has the Lord granted you as you worked with his Word in three and a half decades of pastoral ministry? What does your experience suggest that will prove helpful to your brothers?” That paragraph is more wide open than the South Dakota prairie. So, this could have been a major work about Jesus’ ministry. As such it would necessarily have had to cover not only the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ pubic ministry, but would also have had to include all that the pre-incarnate Christ did to minister to people. Even more, it would also have required the inclusion of everything that Jesus still does in ministering to people. But with a limit of maximum space of twenty pages and only one time slot over a two day conference, I knew that was a much larger task than we could handle here.

Given the description of the program committee that called for application for the pastor’s ministry, this could also be the basis for a book on pastoral theology.   Perhaps we could call it, The Shepherd Under Christ, or something like that. But that, of course, has already been done.

And while part of this paper is to be the sharing of personal lessons learned for serving struggling individuals over three and a half decades of pastoral ministry, it would be a disservice to the Savior and to you who serve him to make this paper only about that.

Rather, I gather from the instructions provided to me by the program committee that this is a little of all of the above.   So permit me to approach this topic with an outline like this, gleaned from the assignment description I was given:

1. Jesus ministered in compassion with the Word to people who struggled.

2. Some insights from one who has ministered to struggling individuals for 35 years in the pastoral ministry.

1. Jesus ministered in compassion with the Word to people who struggled.

It hardly needs saying, but let’s say it anyway just so that we never forget: people have struggles because of sin. It isn’t any more complicated than that. Ever since our first parents sinned, struggle has been a part of the human experience. And the nature of those struggles has not changed since the first sin. Once they had disobeyed God, Adam and Eve struggled with knowledge of God that was instantly distorted. How else can we explain their thought that they could actually hide from our omniscient God among the trees in the garden? How else can we explain the fear which drove them to hide from God, to shift blame to one another, to Satan, and even to God himself? How quickly their understanding of God’s grace and mercy was lost!

And then, of course, came all the other struggles that sin brought into the world. They would struggle in their relationships. Adam would still continue to be the head of his wife, but he would never be perfect at it again. Eve would be his helper, but how could that relationship not have been changed by that devastating moment when her husband threw her under the bus before God himself? They would struggle in childbirth and child rearing. They would struggle with sexuality. They would struggle in their work. They would struggle with death. And so would their children, all of them, save one - the one about whom the writer of Hebrews writes: “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin” (4:15). And so the Old Testament, as well as the extra-Biblical history of mankind, is a continuous story of people who struggled in all those ways. I am part of that story and so are you. And so are all the people whom we serve in our ministries. The sinfulness and sin of people is old and ever new; the struggles it produces in the hearts and lives of people are ancient and ever contemporary. So what else would we expect to find in the account of Jesus’ earthly ministry but struggling people? There is nothing remarkable or unexpected about that at all. When we stop and think about it in that way it is odd that we may look at the time taken to personally counsel and minister to people who are struggling with sin (their own or someone else’s or both) as kind of an intrusion on the “every day” and “normal” tasks of ministry. Has that been you sometimes? It has been me, to my shame. It’s good to remember that it is not remarkable or unexpected that people struggle with sin.

What is both remarkable and unexpected is how Jesus responded to such struggling people. He himself said it as simply as it can be said: “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Διακονέω – to serve, to wait on the needs of, to care for, to provide for – that’s how Jesus treated the world, despite the fact that “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Paul marveled at this, too. In powerfully simple and clear terms he tells us that Jesus’ whole manner and purpose of coming into the world was to serve: “[Christ Jesus]...being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 4:4-7). Just having come through Lent and Holy Week, we still have it sharply focused in our hearts what John meant when he wrote of Jesus: “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). We understand that that covered everything from washing dirty feet on Thursday to washing away sins at the cross. It was service in which Jesus considered nothing beneath his dignity and held nothing back – not even his own life.

When we talk about world in our paper and discussion today let’s talk about it as Jesus saw it – as individuals, each needing serving and saving, even as all needed serving and saving. Oh, how we see Jesus serving people as individuals in the gospels! Even when he was addressing groups of people, he was keenly aware that there were different individuals there who needed to hear different things. One of my favorite examples of this is the setting and content of Jesus’ parable of the lost son. Do you remember who was there? “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1-2). And so Jesus masterfully crafted a parable that would speak to those lost sinners who wondered if God would ever take them back and that at the same time would speak to the self-righteous Pharisees who were pitching a fit at the very notion that God welcomes repentant sinners home.

But it was always the individual that mattered to Jesus because that individual was a soul for whom he came to give his life as a ransom. In Luke’s gospel the parable of the lost son is followed up immediately with Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep (singular): “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (15:4-7). I love that little phrase “one sinner!” It’s so personal and individual.

The New Testament ministry of Jesus is filled with people who struggled and whom he served. He ministered to people who struggled with all of the following: leprosy, blindness, paralysis, bleeding disorders, deafness, demon possession, the opinion legis, marriage and divorce, child-rearing, the actual or impending death of loved ones, theological confusion and ignorance, false teaching, materialism, racial discrimination, the relationship between church and state, pressure to deny him, and more. To consider every example – or even one of each – would be beyond the time we have. Instead, we will take a look at a few examples that, in my opinion, help us understand better one of the over-arching qualities of the heart of him who came to serve.

But first two notes about how this touches you and me as pastors. For the sake of our own souls and for the sake of the souls under our care, the first struggling individuals that need Jesus are you and I. We need him to serve us for the same the reason others do: we are sinners. We pastors are especially tempted to wear a mask about that because we take to heart Paul’s injunction in 2 Corinthians 6:3: “We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” We don’t want others to see in us what we see in ourselves so that the ministry is not discredited. That seems like a noble motive. The problem is (and perhaps I am only speaking about myself here) that I may start to think that that mask is the reality. From there it isn’t a far journey to the place where I spend the first of my time and the best of my time and most of my time working with the Word to serve others. Is that ever you? When that happens, we suffer and our ministry suffers. There is a very good and practical reason why before every airline flight the flight attendant instructs us in case of emergency to put our own oxygen mask on first. If I pass out for lack of oxygen I won’t be any good to any of my fellow travelers.

Second, because of sin we have all the same struggles the rest of the sons of Adam face. Just two paragraphs above you will find a list. I will leave it to you to list the things on that list you have not personally struggled with. I’ll bet there won’t be many on your list – and even fewer the longer you live and serve. But then, again, perhaps I am only speaking of myself. The point is, I need Jesus to serve me as regularly and as often as the individuals in the congregation I serve need him because I face all the same struggles they do. Pastor and congregation are in it together.

But why does Jesus serve struggling individuals, given their (our, my) sin and sinfulness? The Scriptures give us but one answer to that question: it is God’s essence to do so. When the Lord made himself known to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, he did so with that beautiful explanation of the Tetragrammaton. Here is what God said: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” All of that is who God is.

And all of that was in the person of Jesus Christ, the divine and human natures inseparably joined so that there is just one person. And that one person is all those things he said he is to Moses. Paul said it as clearly as it can be said, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Colossians 1:19) and “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” (Colossians 2:9). He is the great I AM. That is the name he used throughout the Old Testament to emphasize his nature and activity as the Savior God. That is the name by which the angels announced Jesus’ birth:   “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”   That is the name Jesus claimed for himself when he said, “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). Jesus’ enemies immediately recognized that he was claiming the Tetragrammaton as his name, for they picked up stones to stone him for what they thought was blasphemy.

That name is more than just his identity or description; it is his activity, too. In that name all the will of God is bound together. I read that description and I see that God’s antecedent will and his consequent will are in perfect harmony in his essence. How could they not be? Throughout the Scriptures, the attributes of God found expression in his dealings with man. I cannot think of any place where the Scriptures ascribe compassion, grace, love, patience, faithfulness, or judgment to God that does not also tell us what God did or chose not to do. In the ministry of Jesus, then, we find those abstract words taking on concrete action. He does not just feel for people; he acts for people because that’s who he is. It’s entirely proper that when we teach the three-fold offices of Christ we teach it not simply in terms of a position he held, but also in terms of what he did and does.

Is there something there that I would do well to keep in mind about my ministry? It is good and healthy for me to remember that the pastoral ministry should not be understood just as an office I hold. That sounds so static. It is rather what I do. It is my work. I serve people with the gospel.   I go and counsel and teach and preach and help and rebuke and comfort. That is dynamic.

But back to watching Jesus as he does who he is: being and doing that which is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving, punishing those who reject him. We see Jesus does that even when it apparently isn’t accomplishing anything. Consider Jesus’ words as he approached Jerusalem for the last time before his death: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). God’s longing to save his people prompted him to send prophet after prophet to call them to repentance. Maintaining love to thousands, he sent prophet after prophet. Time after time they stoned them, killed them or turned a deaf ear to them. But still the pre-incarnate Son of God longed to gather and continued to send. It’s as if we can see him standing astride time, and as soon as one prophet falls he is saying, “Next man up! Next Man Up! Go! Go!” There is both patience and urgency in that. His longing acted. And do we find in his words over Jerusalem also a flavor of his consequent will? He wept over Jerusalem because he knew that to reject him would bring judgment and disaster. It would be the only alternative left. It should not surprise us, then, that the gospel accounts of Jesus’ dealing with people give ample demonstration of Jesus not just being moved to feel for people, but being moved to act for people – and often with a sense of urgency.

Who of us, in our pastoral ministry, has not watched with a heavy heart as our efforts to call to repentance fall on apparently deaf ears? If we factor out any of our sinful nature’s resentment that “I wasted my time with them,” our sadness come from our knowledge that to reject the God who alone is compassionate and gracious and forgiving is spiritual and eternal disaster. And yet we serve on and we try again and we leave the door open and we try not to burn bridges because, who knows? - perhaps the Word will bring them around. If that sounds like Jesus, good! That means he has been shaping our hearts to be like his.

As I contemplated the assignment I tried in a number of ways to get my arms around such a big topic. Perhaps by now you’ve sensed my flailing. It seemed that to start to follow any one of those “threads” in the Tetragrammaton in Jesus ministry to people, I would be at a loss to see precisely where one left off and another began. It would (should be?) a really challenging and edifying study to look at all the ways that Jesus interacted with people to see where each facet of the diamond of the LORD’s essence can be seen. But that is far too much to accomplish today. Where do I focus in this paper? I struggled with that.

And then I caught a break. Or, better said, God gave me a break. For this I would like to thank Professor Dan Deutschlander. I had the opportunity to attend his pastor’s Bible study on John. With this assignment rolling around in my head, I asked him a very pointed question: “Is there a word or phrase that shows up more often than any other in describing Jesus’ service to people in the gospels?” His answer was, “σπλαγχνίζομαι!” That having been said, I freely admit that ἀγάπη and all words related to it are peppered throughout the New Testament. For that matter, the words (χάρις), together with the closely related concepts of mercy (ἔλεος) and love (ἀγάπη), are found dozens of times in the New Testament in places describing the dealings of God with a sinful world. They are not always found together, but they are all over the place. One such place where they are linked together has found its way into our hearts, probably first as part of our memory work in Lutheran elementary school or confirmation instruction class, but surely oft quoted since in our preaching and teaching: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:1-10) So I freely admit that I could just as well and for perfectly sound reasons have chosen any of those words as the prism through which to examine Jesus’ ministry to struggling individuals. I just settled on σπλαγχνίζομαι because it is found in a variety of cases in Jesus’ ministry and, therefore, can help me understand how it fits in my ministry, too. I also chose it because it seems to me that it lies at the very heart of what we mean by seelsorge – caring for souls.

Σπλαγχνίζομαι comes from the word σπλάγχνa, the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. Those were thought to be the seat of the affections and emotions. Σπλαγχνίζομαι catches the idea of being moved at the very seat of one’s affections and emotions. It speaks of that sensation we get when we see something that gives us a “funny feeling” in the pit of our stomach: we get “butterflies” when we see our beloved wife, our “stomach turns” when we see something disgusting, we get an “empty feeling inside” when we see something particularly sad. It is onomatopoeic, that is, the word itself sounds like what it does in the gut. It is found in the New Testament in the passive voice. Jesus did not “work up” compassion in himself. He is not mechanically fulfilling the divine “duty” of being compassionate. He was (and is) truly moved by what he saw and that, in turn, moved him to action. It is a word that is loaded with homiletical content and brings wonderful gospel flavor to our preaching and teaching on those texts where it is found.

Something else we will notice about Jesus ministry to struggling individuals is that he chose to minister to them through means. That is everywhere in his ministry. It is in the call he extended to his disciples to follow him. It is in the command to fill the stone water jars in Cana and then to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. It is in a boat on a storm-tossed Sea of Galilee as he calms both his disciples’ fears and the wind and waves. It is there in a conversation with a woman at the well in Sychar. It is there outside Lazarus’ tomb. It is in the hem of his robe, the touch of the tongue with his spit, the touch of the ear, it is in the touch of the coffin and in his command, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” It is in a reassuring touch on the mount of transfiguration and in the words he spoke from the cross. We will see that, too, in the examples that we consider today.

If Jesus chose to work through means in his ministry to struggling people, and accomplished so much, we can look at our means of grace ministry with confidence. Jesus himself has given us the means with which we serve people and through which he brings his rich blessings. It is for entirely good and accurate reason that we refer to the gospel in Word and Sacrament as the Means of Grace. In them is the power of God himself at work. That’s not just our Lutheran theological bent talking; that’s what the Scriptures teach. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Jesus said that baptizing actually creates disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). He said that it makes the rebirth happen (John 3) and empowers the Christian life (Romans 6). In the vehicle of his body and blood in the Lord’s Supper he actually offers and gives the forgiveness of sins. His words “for you” speak to each communicant individually, assuring that his body was given not just for all, but also for you. God tells us those means have real power because of his words and promises. When all the world is on fire for smoking hot praise bands and theatrical lighting and whatever else it thinks will bring them in, stoke them up, and get them back next week, it is wonderfully comforting to know that God still speaks with authority in the quiet whisper of the water in the baptismal font, the quiet meal at the Lord’s Table, and the Word faithfully preached and taught in pulpits and classrooms and hospitals and funeral homes and living rooms and jail cells.

Let’s spend some time together now and see what compassion looks like and what it does in the ministry of Jesus to struggling individuals. This will be interactive and participatory. Please take 10 minutes, gather with some brothers sitting around you, and look at one of the σπλαγχνίζομαι accounts below. Appoint someone to serve as your reporter to the group. Be prepared to share your thoughts about the following questions:

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus heart to go out to them?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus’ Ministered to a Man with Leprosy: Mark 1:40-45

“A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ {41} Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ {42} Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. {43} Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: {44} ‘See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’ {45} Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus heart to go out to him?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus Ministered to Harassed, Helpless and Hungry People: Mark 6:30-44

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus heart to go out to them?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus Ministered to the Blind: Mattthew 20:29-34

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus heart to go out to them?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus Ministered to a Father who Appealed to His Compassion: Mark 9:14-27

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus’ heart to go out to him?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus Ministered to Widow and her Son: Luke 7:11-17

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

1.      To whom did Jesus’ heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused Jesus heart to go out to her?

3.      What did Jesus say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did Jesus’ compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

Jesus Teaches Us About His Compassion for Sinners: Luke 15:11-32

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

1.      To whom did the father’s heart go out in this situation?

2.      What was it about this situation that caused his heart to go out to his son?

3.      What did the father say and/or do that put his compassion into action?

4.      What effect did the father’s compassion have?

5.      What can I learn for my ministry from what Jesus did?

2. Some insights from one who has ministered to struggling individuals for 35 years in the pastoral ministry.

A. “What insight has the Lord granted you as you worked with his Word in three and a half decades of pastoral ministry?”

Let’s go to an incident from Jesus’ ministry that speaks so powerfully to me as a pastor and as one who has served in home mission congregations twice. I’ve had the privilege of doing that in the first decade of my pastoral ministry and now - should God be so gracious – in the last decade of it. This incident recorded in John 4, at least for me, encapsulates some really important things about pastoral ministry. Another way of saying that is that watching Jesus here has instilled and confirmed some insights he’s taught me consistently in his Word over the years of my ministry.

Here’s the story from John 4:

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” ...

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. ...

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Here are six insights that have burned themselves into my ministry exemplified in that account.

1. Jesus loves people, meets them where they are, and serves them. I am to do that, too.

The first part of this paper had much to say about that, but here in this story we see it in action. John’s account gives the impression that this was a chance encounter. Jesus had to go through Samaria to get to where he was going. He was tired from the journey and sat down by the well. The woman just happened to come to fetch water as Jesus was sitting there. I will leave it to you to decide whether or not this was a chance encounter with Jesus. On her part, probably so. On Jesus’ part, I’m thinking it was more deliberate. The main point is that Jesus was there and the woman was there and he seized the opportunity to engage her about really important spiritual things.

He had much to talk about with her. Theologically and spiritually, she was a mess. As a Samaritan she would have accepted only the first five books, the books of Moses, as God’s Word. That left huge swaths of Scripture out. Among them are those beautiful words of Job about the Redeemer (Job 19) and the One who would be pierced for her transgressions and justify her (Isaiah 53). She believed that Mt. Gerazim, not Jerusalem, was supposed to be the center of worship. And at that point she was still looking for a Messiah, not recognizing that he stood before her at that very moment.

Her life was a mess, too, wasn’t it? Jesus observed about her life – “You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.” I don’t read that to say, “What a string of bad luck that all your husbands have died!” The implication of the text is that she was currently living in a sinful relationship with a man who was not her husband. How many of the previous marriages had ended sinfully? Some? All? Who broke them? She? He? Whatever the case, she had problems in her personal life.

But still Jesus engaged her in conversation. He was interested in her. The reason for that ought to be evident to us: he had come to seek and to save the lost and this woman was plenty lost. There is not a word here about compassion on Jesus’ part, but since he was present compassion was, too. So also grace and patience and forgiveness and all the rest are present. The LORD met her just as she was and right where she was – geographically, theologically, spiritually, and morally – and he initiated a relationship with her to serve her with his Word because she was suffering theologically, spiritually and morally even if she did not yet realize it at that point. Jesus was going to lead her to realize that and then solve that through his Word.

2. Jesus keeps the message the main thing. I am to do that, too.

Once he began the conversation with this suffering woman, Jesus wasted no time in bringing things around to the message of law and gospel. As we read his words to her it is quickly clear that he is focusing things not just on her sin but also on his person and work: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” That’s the gospel. Even when she does not understand his “living water” reference, Jesus does not let up, but drills down deeper into it. Over the course of the conversation Jesus addresses all the salient points where she suffered. He taught her about sin and grace, about where eternal life is found, about the nature of true worship, and about the identity of the Messiah. It’s like a little Bible information class tailored just for her on this occasion.

To me, the best part of this story is found in the words of her fellow townspeople: “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” In the two days that Jesus stayed there and taught, his Word brought them to the knowledge of the truth and to eternal life. She had arranged the meeting, Jesus had seized the opportunity, put the Word to work – and it worked!

When Jesus called the disciples to be fishers of men, the gospel was going to be the fishing implement. When Jesus commissioned the Seventy Two his message was to be on their lips everywhere they went. When Jesus met Peter by the lake and (re)called him to feed his sheep and lambs, he was talking about the gospel ministry.

He has called us to be his witnesses, disciple makers (though it is the Holy Spirit who makes that happen as we administer the gospel in Word and Sacrament), and gospel preachers. And that is no small power at work. It is God’s own power: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). It is entirely sufficient to get done what God wants done: “...from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures , which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17). It changes hearts and minds and eternal futures. It makes the spiritually dead live. It feeds and nourishes souls. That is the power we are privileged to wield as we serve. God’s Word is powerful and he puts it into our hands to use. It is worthy of our best efforts to be a workman who can correctly handle the Word of truth and who trusts the power of the Word to work. If we make sure that main thing always stays the main thing, then we will make sure that everything that we do or use will serve that Word. If it doesn’t, then it is not worth our time or trust.

3. Jesus was motivated in love to serve his Father’s will. He brings that to my ministry, too.

We see Jesus doing here what he had come into the world to do – that for which God sent him. The pre-incarnate Christ speaking through Isaiah (61:1f) declared “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” We see him at it at age twelve in the Temple and always. What Paul says drives us to worship God with our lives also certainly drove Jesus in his, “...in view of God’s mercy...offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

And did you notice that his love motivated her, too? No sooner did his words sink in and she was off, hurrying back to the village to tell others.   I’m sure that wasn’t easy for her. People back there still knew she messed up her life. We could understand if she would have thought, “Well, I’ve made such a mess of things that no one would ever believe me now.” But the gospel pushed her right through that.

Ministering to people in a fallen world can make us feel worn out and discouraged. Name virtually any of the towering figures in Scripture from Moses to Elijah to John the Baptist and you are likely to see times when they were, too. God motivates us by the good news that even if everything around me breaks bad, we still stand before our God justified in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. And God always has something new for us to do. We stand with the Eleven near Jerusalem where just a month and ten days earlier its leaders advocated the death of God’s Son, and we hear Jesus give us his promise and our assignment: “...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Now and always, “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

4. Jesus teaches me that the ministry of the gospel is the church’s ministry, not just mine.

A more unlikely candidate for a gospel missionary you’d never see: a woman with a tarnished reputation and theological baggage. Did she understand everything? No, not yet. Were all the problems in her life ironed out? No. But once Jesus had shared the gospel with her, and once it had taken root in her heart, it was also hers to share. And she did. Jesus was more than happy to let her rush back to town. Those people needed to hear about Jesus. They needed to meet him, too. Jesus knew that and wanted it to happen. And now, so did she.

Over the course of my ministry I have become absolutely convinced that relationships are often wonderful lines of transmission for the gospel. It happens so often that one person finds a spiritual home around Word and Sacrament in our congregation and then invites and brings friends or members of the family. As each one came to the gospel, they play a part in spreading the gospel.

It was Jesus’ plan from the very beginning to call disciples to follow him, train them, and then entrust to them the proclamation of the gospel: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19). He has never suggested a back-up plan. As Lutheran Christians we believe and confess and practice that is the ministry the church is to carry out: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). He has distributed spiritual gifts to his church that he desires be used for the common good of his church. He has made it a part of our work to prepare his people for their works of service to his gospel and to his church: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:11-16). Seeing to that work is challenging and sometimes messy, but it is the strategy of the Holy Spirit for getting gospel work done. God is the mover and motivator of it all!

5. I am to shepherd the flock over which God has made me an overseer.

The woman at the well isn’t specifically referred to in his story as a sheep without a shepherd, but she was one. Emphasis on the word was. Jesus changed that, didn’t he? Right there by a well he did that which David says the Lord does: “He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). Can’t you see him in this story with the rod and staff of Law and Gospel in his hand, gently but very intentionally guiding this woman into the truth?

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). When Paul said that to the Ephesian elders he was simply restating what Jesus said to Peter by the lake: “Feed my lambs...Take care of my sheep” (John 21:15, 16). Those words were not only spoken at our ordinations and installations, but they are printed on every call we have received. Whether the people I serve call me Pastor Simons or the more familiar Pastor Dan, the part of that I really need to care about is the word pastor. That is not just our title. It is our job description.

6. Jesus served people with a sense of end-time urgency. It is right for me to do that, too.

Again, notice how Jesus got right at sharing the Word with this woman and did not let up until he’d led her to know his person and work. And did you notice how this woman “caught” the sense of urgency, too? Leaving her water jar there at the well, she rushed back into town saying, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” “Come – before he leaves! “Come – you’ve got to hear him for yourself!” “Come now – right away!”

There is always a sense of urgency about ministry. We finally catch that inactive member at home for a visit, and as we sit down to talk with him we need to be keenly aware that we might not have another such opportunity. This may be it – our last shot at bringing God’s Word to bear. We finally get an appointment with that woman who’s about to walk out of her marriage, and as we begin that meeting with a prayer we need to go into it realizing this may be the last time we talk face to face. As we begin the order of private communion with that member in hospice, we go into it knowing this may be the last devotion we share, the last he will hear, and the last time at the Lord’s Table before he steps into eternity. We’re sitting in the living room of a prospect about to share law and gospel. Will we have another opportunity after tonight or will this be it? There is a sense of urgency, of making the most of the opportunity, in all those situations. And beyond that we know that the Last Day could be today. Jesus said it: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 19:4). With Jesus’ words in mind our ministry needs end-time urgency about it even as I seek to instill it in God’s people.

B. “What does your experience suggest that will prove helpful to your brothers?”

There are insights I have gained from experience – not all of it pleasant. And, sad to say, not all of those experiences were unavoidable. I don’t know how one serves a lifetime in pastoral ministry without having some regrets. I have some - about things said or not said, some situations that could have been handled better and some that I just made a mess of. At the same time, there are things that I figured out as the very patient God I serve helped me to figure them out – or sent someone into my circle who helped me figure them out. I’ll share some of those things. I don’t mean to insult your intelligence. I am quite sure that you, my brothers, have lots of insights about ministry to share, too. Part of our discussion today may well be to add some to those I’ve listed. These are things that have been important for my ministry and I offer them here for what they are worth. I’ll try to be succinct. This after-lunch time slot makes that a wiser choice, I think. But in my effort to be succinct, I don’t mean to sound terse or flip. If anything here strikes you that way, please forgive. These won’t be in any grand order. You may disagree with some (or all) but these are things I honestly hold to be important for me and serve me well. I pray they may serve you well, too.

1.      It is helpful for me to remember that no matter how much I study Jesus, no matter how well I know him from the Scriptures, and no matter how hard I try to pastor like him, I won’t ever be as good at it as he was and is. If I just keep in mind that my ministry is all about introducing people to the Master Shepherd so that he can develop a relationship with them through Word and Sacrament, I won’t dwell so much on my shortcomings.

2.      Jesus is omniscient and I am not. When Jesus dealt with people, “he knew all people” (John 2:24). He knew what was in the heart and what they were thinking. He wasn’t left to read body language or try to get people to drop their masks and tell him the truth. He knew. Jesus cautions me against judging hearts and motives which I can’t see, and to focus on the things that I can see.

3.      Jesus is omnipotent. I am not. There are physical limitations I face that Jesus, even in his state of humiliation, could choose to ignore. I had better not ignore mine. I need to take care of the body and health God has given me. I need to eat right and get the right amount of sleep. I need to recharge the batteries. I’d better follow the doctors’ instructions. That honors God who gives me life and breath and everything else, it takes into account those who rely on me, and it shows respect for my ministry.

4.      Jesus is omnipresent. I am not. I can’t even be bi-present. This has to do with learning and always working at balance between those I serve in my home and those I serve outside of it. If I shipwreck my marriage and family on the reef of being busy at church, neither my God nor my brothers nor those I serve will approve. And they shouldn’t.

5.      There are a few examples in the gospels of Jesus’ acting in righteous anger. But they are few and far between. Permit me an observation: There is such a thing as righteous anger, but I have found that it is best left to the One who is righteous. My sinful nature will try to use that as an excuse for berating people, belittling people, and pitching a fit under the guise of righteous anger when in fact I am just ticked off. James and John had a little of that, but Jesus was quick to reign them in. It may even be the reason for their “Sons of Thunder” moniker. That’s not to say I won’t be angry at times when I see sin raise its ugly head. That’s appropriate. But it is also appropriate and wise to keep a tight rein on the tongue at such times. “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19).

6.      Jesus loved people with a hold-nothing-back-and-spend-it-all” kind of love. My sinful nature makes consistent loving like that impossible. But that doesn’t mean I should stop aiming at it and striving for it. I am to love the people God has given me to serve. It’s a risk, I know. If I give people my heart they might break it. The alternative is to not give my heart to those I serve. A shepherd who does not love his sheep is just a hired hand, and that will show. Jesus went on record in John as not thinking much of that.

7.      It won’t work to simply have pat personal policies for dealing with people. It’s easier, but then that was probably part of the attraction for the Pharisees, teachers of the law and the elders. Remember how people were impressed that Jesus spoke as one who had authority, not like their teachers of the law and elders? His practices were shaped by sound law and gospel preaching and teaching and open ears and an open heart to deal with people as individuals. This is harder and takes more time and explanation, but it will produce a better result: people doing and believing the right thing for the right reason, i.e. in response to the gospel and in harmony with God’s Word.

8.      I prefer to think of my pastoral call as something I do rather than something I have or hold. Those two verbs say more than we might think – and they can affect our thinking. Holding or having is static. Filling is dynamic. Holding says “I am.” Filling says, “I do.” The ministry, by its very name, is not what I am, but what I do. Much frustration on the part of the calling body and on the part of the called has arisen over this.   Much mischief has been perpetrated in the church by folks who got this wrong. I don’t want to be one of them. Constant vigilance over my own ministry, accountability to brothers I trust, and an open ear to those I serve are good safeguards.

9.      Do no harm. That does not mean that I should be so uptight about doing harm that I do nothing. It does not mean that I should soft pedal God’s law, nor should I withhold the gospel from the penitent. It rather means that I need to think before I do or speak. Ever had to apologize to a member of your congregation for something you did or said because you just did not think things through? I have, too. That was hard, wasn’t it? And it may well have changed our relationship with that person. Who of us has not had the opportunity to soothe the wound that somewhere, somehow, someone in the church gave to one of Jesus’ sheep? That was bittersweet, wasn’t it? Oh, the sweet joy of seeing the hurt healed! – but, oh, the bitter sadness of knowing that person carried it for too long!

10. One will look in vain for any evidence of “coasting” in Jesus’ ministry, and it does not serve him or his people well if I do it in mine. This one hits pretty close to home and is of more recent vintage for me. Having served in a large congregation for 23 years and then, as I closed in on age 60, suddenly getting a call to serve a mission congregation confronted me with how I saw my near-future unfolding. Although I am a man who is certainly in the last decade of ministry, God nevertheless chose to put me in a position to appreciate that a ministry that is like his will not back off the throttle until the last sermon is preached, the last class taught, and the last service rendered. Jesus’ words in Luke 13:32 speak to me about this: “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’” Barring health complications, I have to be ready to serve hard all the way to the finish line. That, my brothers, takes us back to #2 above.

Conclusion

When our children were in grade school we took a family trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. After driving a lot of non-descript flat-land miles we arrived at one of the most striking places in our country. Our travels took us winding through the Black Hills, along the Needles Highway, through the Badlands, and around the wilderness loop of Custer State Park. What impressive things we saw! – towering peaks, lush meadows, majestic wildlife, and other-worldly landscapes. Every vista was a wonderful testimony to God’s creative power. Our three young daughters enjoyed every minute of it. My wife and I did, too.   It was one of the best trips we ever took.

About a decade later I did it again. Only that time I was seeing it all again from the saddle of my Harley. I saw all the same things and went to all the same places as I had with the family in our van, but the experience was completely different. The Black Hills were no longer limited by the size of the van windows and windshield. They seemed bigger, but that’s because I could see more of them. I wasn’t driving past the lush meadows and sun-dappled valleys, I was in them. The buffalo on each side of the road were even more majestic and thrilling. There was immediacy to everything. I smelled all the smells. I felt the subtle temperature changes as I rode in and out of the sun and up and down the hills. It was all so ”right there.”   I wish everybody could experience that beautiful area the way I did on that trip.

Paul thought the same way about God’s grace. If we only see it as a “drive-by” attraction we point out to others from the comfort of our spiritual tour bus, we are going to miss so much. He prayed that the Ephesian Christians – and you and I – would slow down and take a closer look at God’s amazing, saving love in Christ. He prayed that we would take the trip often and look more intently at that grace displayed in the person and work of Jesus. There is always something else to see we did not spot on previous drives. There is always some new vista opening up that will help us appreciate all the more the length and width and depth and height of God’s love for us.

Wherever God has you serving, enjoy the ride. Stay on the throttle, but don’t twist it quite so hard. Open your eyes and your heart and take it all in. That’s God’s grace over your head, under your wheels, and all around you! Take the time to marvel as you look over your ministry that God chose to use you, despite all that you are and aren’t, to bring good things to his people. If we look honestly at ourselves and our ministries we will acknowledge that there is plenty to go in the category of “in spite of us.” But joyful ministry to struggling people is fueled both by knowing what is in store for us in heaven, and by seeing God’s Word work in people.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, {17} so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, {18} may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:16-18)



To God be the glory!

Pastor Dan Simons

Ascension Lutheran Church

Macomb. Michigan

(Scriptures are quoted from the New International Version, 1984 and 2011)

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Looking Through the Curve

FALSE GOSPELS BRING THEIR OWN DISASTER

“Lessons from Jesus’ Ministry to Struggling Individuals.”

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