Sunday was a truly “Spirit filled” closing for Trinity Lutheran – Warren.  While closings always have a certain amount of sadness built in, this congregation did everything right (in my opinion).  Their process leading up to the service, the communication preparing people for the event, the worship service, and even the plans following its closing … all reminders that God is good – all the time … including those “down and out” times in which Jesus re-defines the term into his way of working.  Yet, even then, it remains tough stuff.

Yesterday morning I googled the definition of the phrase “down and out”.  It told me that someone who is down and out has “no job and nowhere to live, and they have no real hope of improving their situation.”  AI suggested “a person is in a difficult situation, often financially, and may be struggling to make ends meet, lacking resources, and feeling hopeless or defeated – at rock bottom, with little prospect for improvement.”  No surprises here.

On a recent podcast I heard a Christian apologist offer what I felt was an excellent response to those who try to enter into an argument with him regarding creation verses evolution.  His suggestion: “I hear you asking me what I, as a Christian, believe regarding evolution.  Before I give you a response to this, I must first tell you who I am as a Christian.”  From there he gives a brief explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then says something like, “Now, what is your question?”  His purpose is clear.  If one immediately gets into a conversation about creation (or name your topic), one seldom will ever have the opportunity to share the Gospel.  And since it is through the Gospel that Jesus saves people and changes things, when all is said and done, he can walk away and say, “I have done what I am asked by Christ to do.  The rest is up to Jesus.”

For many people, forgiveness is something they struggle with – in many ways (such as in giving and in receiving … horizontally and vertically).  So, let’s start with a simple definition and go from there:  “Forgiveness is the act of letting go.”  Thus it is a choice … and a gift.

I was given a fun challenge last Sunday as I was asked to be the guest preacher at Bethany Lutheran, Detroit.  I mistakenly thought that the biggest challenge was being asked to preach on a prescribed obscure text on the topic of “peacemakers”.  However, that turned out to be the fun part of the challenge … while the difficulty came in me getting to church on time!