Life in Perspective

"The Resurrection of Our Lord Sunday".

What was Easter all about for you? Was it about eggs, pastel colors, frilly dresses, and ham? Was it about getting together with family and friends to enjoy each others company? Was it about going to church very early in the morning, going to breakfast, and then going back to bed? Or was there more to it than that? What is Easter really all about?

Easter Sunday, or as it is more properly known, The Resurrection of Our Lord Sunday, may be considered the most important festival day in all of Christianity. It is the day that we celebrate the fact that Christ rose from the dead. The day of the year on which we celebrate changes every year, but the purpose and importance of it stays the same.

Unfortunately even people who call themselves Christians are believing in it less and less. Since it was 2,000 years ago, and since it is such a far-fetched story people just have a hard time believing it. It doesn't fit into people's brains. People just can't fathom a man rising from the dead. Besides isn't it all just made up anyway?

My friends, it doesn't take faith to believe in the resurrection. The resurrection is a true historical fact. Just like we have as fact that George Washington was the first President of the United States, or that Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address. It is not faith that believes in the resurrection. It actually really happened and there are more than 500 witnesses to back it up.

What takes faith is to believe that Christ's death and resurrection were for you. Here's an example of what I am trying to say. One day I decide that I am going to work all day and give my paycheck to you. I have told you that I am going to do so. It doesn't take faith to see me working all day. You can go to where I am working and verify that I am working. It does take faith in me that I am actually going to give you my day's wages.

It is the same with faith in the resurrection. You could simply deny that the resurrection happened, which is just silly nonsense. The claims and facts of the resurrection would stand up in any and every court of law. To say that you have to have faith that the resurrection happened is nonsense. It is one of the most attested to events in all of human history.

Paul said it best when he wrote to the Corinthians. He said,

"If Christ has not been raised then your faith is futile, you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians. 15:17-22)

This passage from Paul answers everything. It gives another attestation to the truth of the resurrection, and it tells us how the resurrection benefits us. My prayer for you is that you not only believe that the resurrection actually happened just as the witnesses said, but also that you believe that the historical and real resurrection was for you, so that you may hold to its truth all the way to everlasting life. My other prayer for you is that you share this Gospel truth with all people so that He may hasten His second coming to restore that complete and total peace that He has promised.

Life in Perspective

"Jesus" and "forgiveness".

The last few weeks I have been talking about how to deal with conflict in a God pleasing way so that your relationships can be restored. This whole thing can really come down to two words, "Jesus" and "forgiveness".

This is holy week. It all starts on Palm Sunday as we remember Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on a colt as the people sang "Hosanna to the king". On Maundy (command) Thursday we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper and Christ's command to love each other. On Good Friday we remember the "good" death that Jesus died on our behalf. On Holy Saturday we mourn as we remember that it was because of our sins that Jesus lay in that tomb. Then comes Easter Sunday as we rejoice in the victory over death and the grave that Jesus won for us and that because he has risen we too shall rise and live forever.

What does this have to do with reconciliation and conflict? Well, look at it this way, if it wasn't for all that Jesus did in His life, suffering and death we would have no power, nor would we even desire, to reconcile ourselves to each other. Without the forgiveness of Christ we could care less whether those whom we have sinned against forgive us, and we certainly have no desire to forgive those who sin against us.

When we become Christians, we truly have Christ in our hearts, and our desire is for the Lord. Our desire is to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. Our desire is to do what God would have us to do. Our desire is to be reminded, as often as possible, of the forgiveness won for us on the cross on Good Friday and the victory over death on Resurrection Day.

God has restored our broken relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. In order to share that good news and bring it to bear in the lives of others, we should and must forgive others and seek forgiveness from others. We should and must seek to be reconciled with one another and seek to have our relationships restored to ones that truly show forth Jesus Christ.

We should never withhold forgiveness or think that we are in the right when we know that we really aren't. We should never turn our search for forgiveness or our forgiveness for others into some sort of self righteousness where we think that, because we have done what God wants us to do, somehow we are better or deserve heaven more.

This holy week is a perfect time to get moving on reconciliation. You may be getting together with family members on Sunday. Wouldn't it be awesome to go to them and simply ask for forgiveness? Would it be spectacular if you could get a hug instead of a sneer? Wouldn't it be beautiful to feel love and forgiveness instead of tension and hatred? Think about it.

As you go forth in your efforts to reconcile, remember the four "Gs".

1.. Glorify God
2.. Get the log out of your own eye.
3.. Gently restore.
4.. Go and be reconciled.

For more information and help on how to reconcile your relationships go to www.HisAoR.org or give me a call at church at 456-2888.

God's blessings and peace as you mourn the death of Christ, as you remember that His suffering and death was for you, and as you rejoice in His resurrection and yours!

The last few weeks I have been talking about how to deal with conflict in a God pleasing way so that your relationships can be restored. This whole thing can really come down to two words, "Jesus" and "forgiveness".

This is holy week. It all starts on Palm Sunday as we remember Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on a colt as the people sang "Hosanna to the king". On Maundy (command) Thursday we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper and Christ's command to love each other. On Good Friday we remember the "good" death that Jesus died on our behalf. On Holy Saturday we mourn as we remember that it was because of our sins that Jesus lay in that tomb. Then comes Easter Sunday as we rejoice in the victory over death and the grave that Jesus won for us and that because he has risen we too shall rise and live forever.

What does this have to do with reconciliation and conflict? Well, look at it this way, if it wasn't for all that Jesus did in His life, suffering and death we would have no power, nor would we even desire, to reconcile ourselves to each other. Without the forgiveness of Christ we could care less whether those whom we have sinned against forgive us, and we certainly have no desire to forgive those who sin against us.

When we become Christians, we truly have Christ in our hearts, and our desire is for the Lord. Our desire is to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. Our desire is to do what God would have us to do. Our desire is to be reminded, as often as possible, of the forgiveness won for us on the cross on Good Friday and the victory over death on Resurrection Day.

God has restored our broken relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. In order to share that good news and bring it to bear in the lives of others, we should and must forgive others and seek forgiveness from others. We should and must seek to be reconciled with one another and seek to have our relationships restored to ones that truly show forth Jesus Christ.
We should never withhold forgiveness or think that we are in the right when we know that we really aren't. We should never turn our search for forgiveness or our forgiveness for others into some sort of self righteousness where we think that, because we have done what God wants us to do, somehow we are better or deserve heaven more.

This holy week is a perfect time to get moving on reconciliation. You may be getting together with family members on Sunday. Wouldn't it be awesome to go to them and simply ask for forgiveness? Would it be spectacular if you could get a hug instead of a sneer? Wouldn't it be beautiful to feel love and forgiveness instead of tension and hatred? Think about it.

As you go forth in your efforts to reconcile, remember the four "Gs".

1. Glorify God
2. Get the log out of your own eye.
3. Gently restore.
4. Go and be reconciled.

For more information and help on how to reconcile your relationships go to www.HisAoR.org or give me a call at church at 456-2888.

God's blessings and peace as you mourn the death of Christ, as you remember that His suffering and death was for you, and as you rejoice in His resurrection and yours!

Rev. Jeremy Klaustermeier
To God All Praise and Glory!

Life in Perspective: Put meaning in forgiveness

Today we talk about the fourth "G" in matters of reconciliation. This fourth "G" is for "Go and be reconciled."

During a worship service, after the members of the congregation confessed their sins, their pastor declared, "As a called and ordained servant of the word, I announce to you that God says, 'That's OK. Don't worry about it. You should be sorry. Don't ever do it again. I forgive you, but I don't want to have anything to do with you again."

The people couldn't believe their ears. He continued, "What's the matter? Isn't that the way that you answer others who tell you they're sorry? But you don't expect God to forgive you that way. Why not?"Is this the way God forgives us? Does he tell us that he wants nothing to do with us ever again? Does he remember our failures and shortcomings all the time and hold them against us? Does he shove our face in the dirt after we have come to him on our knees? Or does he lift us up with his forgiveness and peace?

Do you want real and true reconciliation in your relationships, or do you just want to feel better about yourself and get your own conscience clear? Do you want to have a relationship restored or do you just want to make the other person suffer for as long as possible? If we want true and real reconciliation, we need to be ready to forgive as God has forgiven us. What does that look like?

Well, when you forgive someone of their sins, you can promise the following things to them:
I promise I will not dwell on the incident.
I promise I will not bring this incident up and use it against you.
I promise I will not talk to others about this incident.
I promise I will not allow this incident to stand between us or our relationship.

If you can't do these things, then maybe you need to go back to the second "G," which is getting the log out of your own eye. If you can't truly forgive someone, it's not the other person's fault, it's your own.

The next question that usually comes up is: When should I forgive? Maybe a better question to ask is, when does God forgive us? According to his word, God forgives us before we know him, before we confess, before we repent. In fact, he forgives us while we are yet sinners, while we are still his enemies.

As Christians, we need to be forgiving people. We need to forgive people before they even sin against us. We need to forgive for our own sakes, for the other person's sake, but especially for Christ's sake, so that he may be praised.

Sometimes we may not immediately announce that forgiveness, though. We may first need to help the other person understand how he caused offense so that he can repent and believe in the forgiveness that is his. This prepares a person to receive the gift of forgiveness that has already been won by Christ.

Again, when we look at this fourth "G," we see it as having Christ at the front and center. He is not just our model but he is the one who makes true reconciliation happen. If it wasn't for his forgiveness won on the cross, we wouldn't be able to forgive others.

To me this has become a lost art. It is something that I have so often failed at. It is something that is foreign even to me as a pastor. If I have been hurt, I want to hurt back. If my reputation has been ruined, I want to ruin the other person's reputation as well. If I want to get my way and make the other person do what I want them to do, there is no better leverage than a past sin. As sinful human beings, these are the things that we hold on to.

Jesus' disciples asked him, "How many times should we forgive our brother who sins against us, seven times?" Jesus replied. "Not seven times but 70 times seven times."

Isn't it wonderful that, no matter how much we sin, our Lord Jesus forgives us? No matter how stupid we are and no matter how many times we slip back into our old ways, our Lord Jesus still died on the cross for us.

As you finish up your Lenten season and look forward to Easter, look to that cross for the answers, look to the Lord Jesus who has saved you from your sins.



The Rev. Jeremy Klaustermeier is pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Warrenton. He writes a column about religious matters for the Journal.