Missionary Renegade: The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

Friday, May 26, 2017

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Saturday, May 27, 2017 "A Love Letter"

Melissa Fahy was remodeling her Westfield, New Jersey, home.

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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "A Love Letter" for Saturday, 27 May 2017

Psalm 19:7-10 - The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Melissa Fahy was remodeling her Westfield, New Jersey, home.
As she did so, she came across a letter which had fallen into a gap in the stairs. The date on the unsent letter was May 1945. Having done a little research, Fahy found out the typewritten epistle had been written by a woman named Virginia to her husband, Rolf, a sailor in the Norwegian Navy.
Although the letter's contents don't say much about Virginia's appreciation of the First Commandment, it still reveals a loving, gentle relationship between a wife and her husband. In part, she wrote, "I love you Rolf, as I love the warm sun. That is what you are to my life, the sun about which everything else revolves for me."
Fahy decided she would do her best to deliver that letter to Rolf, or at least his descendants, if there were any. She shared the letter on Facebook and in a few hours that community of people had managed to find a connection. Rolf and Virginia's son was living in California. Through him Fahy found out the couple had been married well over 50 years and although Rolf was still alive, Virginia had passed away six years ago.
After more than 70 years, Rolf's son read that letter of love from his mother to his dad. After more than 70 years, the letter had reached its intended recipient.
That's an interesting story.
What really touched me is how Fahy thought that lost letter was so important she was compelled to make sure it reached its intended destination. Not only did she feel that way, her friends on Facebook were also glad to help her in that quest.
Then I started to ask -- do believers have that same sharing desire when it comes to making sure the Bible, God's "love-letter," also reaches the people for whom it was written? Truly, the story of God's promise of forgiveness and redemption to the lost, and His fulfillment of that promise in the Person of His Son, Jesus, is a letter of love.
It is a personal letter which ought not be put up on the shelf or stored away in a drawer. It is a letter of love which heeds to be delivered.
Getting that letter of God's love to the world is not a duty to be approached with reluctance and the dragging of the feet. It is a privilege, an opportunity, a chance for God's people to share the Lord's good news of great joy, which is for all the people.THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, if a letter of love between people is a special thing, how much more special should be Your letter, which tells of humankind's redemption through the sacrifice of Your Son? May I do my best to share that story with its intended recipients. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by the editors of Newser and various wire services for Newser on May 11, 2017. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written. Please click here

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 20-22; John 10:1-21

Psalms 20:1 ⁽⁰⁾For the leader. A psalm of David:

²⁽¹⁾May Adonai answer you in times of distress,
may the name of the God of Ya‘akov protect you.
³⁽²⁾May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Tziyon.
⁴⁽³⁾May he be reminded by all your grain offerings
and accept the fat of your burnt offerings. (Selah)
⁵⁽⁴⁾May he grant you your heart’s desire
and bring all your plans to success.

⁶⁽⁵⁾Then we will shout for joy at your victory
and fly our flags in the name of our God.
May Adonai fulfill all your requests.

⁷⁽⁶⁾Now I know that Adonai
gives victory to his anointed one —
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.

⁸⁽⁷⁾Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we praise the name of Adonai our God.
⁹⁽⁸⁾They will crumple and fall,
but we will arise and stand erect.

¹⁰⁽⁹⁾Give victory, Adonai!
Let the King answer us the day we call.
21 ⁽⁰⁾For the leader. A psalm of David:

²⁽¹⁾Adonai, the king finds joy in your strength;
what great joy he displays in your victory!
³⁽²⁾You give him his heart’s desire;
you don’t refuse the prayer from his lips. (Selah)

⁴⁽³⁾For you come to meet him with the best blessings,
you place a crown of fine gold on his head.
⁵⁽⁴⁾He asks you for life; you give it to him,
years and years forever and ever.

⁶⁽⁵⁾Your victory brings him great glory;
you confer on him splendor and honor.
⁷⁽⁶⁾For you bestow on him everlasting blessings,
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁸⁽⁷⁾For the king puts his trust in Adonai,
in the grace of ‘Elyon; he will not be moved.

⁹⁽⁸⁾Your hand will find all your enemies;
your right hand will overtake those who hate you.
¹⁰⁽⁹⁾At your appearing,
you will make them like a fiery furnace.
Adonai will swallow them up in his anger;
fire will consume them.
¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾You will destroy from the earth their descendants,
rid humankind of their posterity;
¹²⁽¹¹⁾for they intended evil against you;
but despite their scheme, they won’t succeed.
¹³⁽¹²⁾For you will make them turn their back
by aiming your bow at their faces.

¹⁴⁽¹³⁾Arise, Adonai, in your strength;
and we will sing and praise your power.

22:1⁽⁰⁾For the leader. Set to “Sunrise.” A psalm of David:

²⁽¹⁾My God! My God!
Why have you abandoned me?
Why so far from helping me,
so far from my anguished cries?

³⁽²⁾My God, by day I call to you,
but you don’t answer;
likewise at night,
but I get no relief.
⁴⁽³⁾Nevertheless, you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Isra’el.
⁵⁽⁴⁾In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted, and you rescued them.
⁶⁽⁵⁾They cried to you and escaped;
they trusted in you and were not disappointed.

⁷⁽⁶⁾But I am a worm, not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁸⁽⁷⁾All who see me jeer at me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
⁹⁽⁸⁾“He committed himself to Adonai,
so let him rescue him!
Let him set him free
if he takes such delight in him!”

¹⁰⁽⁹⁾But you are the one who took me from the womb,
you made me trust when I was on my mother’s breasts.
¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾Since my birth I’ve been thrown on you;
you are my God from my mother’s womb.
¹²⁽¹¹⁾Don’t stay far from me, for trouble is near;
and there is no one to help.
¹³⁽¹²⁾Many bulls surround me,
wild bulls of Bashan close in on me.
¹⁴⁽¹³⁾They open their mouths wide against me,
like ravening, roaring lions.
¹⁵⁽¹⁴⁾I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of joint;
my heart has become like wax —
it melts inside me;
¹⁶⁽¹⁵⁾my mouth is as dry as a fragment of a pot,
my tongue sticks to my palate;
you lay me down in the dust of death.
¹⁷⁽¹⁶⁾Dogs are all around me,
a pack of villains closes in on me
like a lion [at] my hands and feet.^[Psalm 22:17 Or: “They pierced my hands and feet.” See Introduction, Section VIII, paragraph 6, and Section XIV, footnote 70.^]

¹⁸⁽¹⁷⁾I can count every one of my bones,
while they gaze at me and gloat.
¹⁹⁽¹⁸⁾They divide my garments among themselves;
for my clothing they throw dice.

²⁰⁽¹⁹⁾But you, Adonai, don’t stay far away!
My strength, come quickly to help me!
²¹⁽²⁰⁾Rescue me from the sword,
my life from the power of the dogs.
²²⁽²¹⁾Save me from the lion’s mouth!

You have answered me from the wild bulls’ horns.
²³⁽²²⁾I will proclaim your name to my kinsmen;
right there in the assembly I will praise you:
²⁴⁽²³⁾“You who fear Adonai, praise him!
All descendants of Ya‘akov, glorify him!
All descendants of Isra’el, stand in awe of him!
²⁵⁽²⁴⁾For he has not despised or abhorred
the poverty of the poor;
he did not hide his face from him
but listened to his cry.”

²⁶⁽²⁵⁾Because of you
I give praise in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows
in the sight of those who fear him.
²⁷⁽²⁶⁾The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek Adonai will praise him;
Your hearts will enjoy life forever.
²⁸⁽²⁷⁾All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to Adonai;
all the clans of the nations
will worship in your presence.
²⁹⁽²⁸⁾For the kingdom belongs to Adonai,
and he rules the nations.

³⁰⁽²⁹⁾All who prosper on the earth
will eat and worship;
all who go down to the dust
will kneel before him,
including him who can’t keep himself alive,
³¹⁽³⁰⁾A descendant will serve him;
the next generation will be told of Adonai.
³²⁽³¹⁾They will come and proclaim
his righteousness
to a people yet unborn,
that he is the one who did it.

John 10:1 “Yes, indeed! I tell you, the person who doesn’t enter the sheep-pen through the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²But the one who goes in through the gate is the sheep’s own shepherd. ³This is the one the gate-keeper admits, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep, each one by name, and leads them out. ⁴After taking out all that are his own, he goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. ⁵They never follow a stranger but will run away from him, because strangers’ voices are unfamiliar to them.”

⁶Yeshua used this indirect manner of speaking with them, but they didn’t understand what he was talking to them about. ⁷So Yeshua said to them again, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. ⁹I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.
¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand, since he isn’t a shepherd and the sheep aren’t his own, sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf drags them off and scatters them. ¹³The hired worker behaves like this because that’s all he is, a hired worker; so it doesn’t matter to him what happens to the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me — ¹⁵just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father — and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep. ¹⁶Also I have other sheep which are not from this pen; I need to bring them, and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
¹⁷“This is why the Father loves me: because I lay down my life — in order to take it up again! ¹⁸No one takes it away from me; on the contrary, I lay it down of my own free will. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”
¹⁹Again there was a split among the Judeans because of what he said. ²⁰Many of them said, “He has a demon!” and “He’s meshugga! Why do you listen to him?” ²¹Others said, “These are not the deeds of a man who is demonized — how can a demon open blind people’s eyes?”

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The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Friday, May 26, 2017 "Tearing down the Walls"

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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries "Tearing down the Walls" for Friday, 26 May 26, 2017

Isaiah 59:1-2 - Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

In his poem "Mending Wall," the poet Robert Frost quotes a line spoken by the man who owns the farm next door to his.
The man says, "Good fences make good neighbors."
There is more than a bit of truth to that.
But there are also times and places when good fences can cause unnecessary deaths. Here is a case in point:
In October 2013 a boat carrying refugees from the troubled country of Syria capsized. The accident threw the elderly, the children - everyone -- into the water. One of the men on the boat, Dr. Mohammed Jammo, had a cell phone he used to make a number of distress calls to authorities on shore.
In those calls he shared how they were going to die if someone didn't respond with assistance.
Now here is where those good fences don't always make for good neighbors. The capsized boat was in waters over which Malta had authority. Unfortunately, Malta had no ships in the immediate area that could help with the rescue.
Knowing they couldn't do anything, the Maltese told Dr. Jammo to call the Italians.
As suggested, Dr. Jammo sent a text to the Italians, who did have a ship in the area. The doctor received a less-than-warm reception to his request. The doctor received the cold shoulder because Italy, like many countries, is having problems with immigrants. It seems many refugees are coming to Italy and are refusing to be assimilated into society. That is why the Italian ship was not overeager to pick up, and then drop off in Italy, hundreds of unwanted and unwelcomed people.
The Italians told Dr. Jammo to contact Malta.
This diplomatic tennis match continued for hours. Finally, a compromise was reached. Italy would send its ship if a Malta fly-over would first check to see if the boat had actually capsized and if there were people in the water who still needed assistance.
During the hours of debate and discussion 268 Syrians, including 60 children, died.
Have you ever noticed that Scriptures records the Lord holding no such discussion or debate as to what should be done after humanity fell into sin? There is no argument about what -- if anything -- should be done to rescue a world that was drowning in transgressions. No, God saw our helpless condition and He did something about it: He sent His Son to take our place under the Law and our death upon His cross.
Jesus' third day resurrection from the dead is God's proof that He would have all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (see 1 Timothy 2:4).THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, accept my sincere thanks for Your grace, which decided to save souls that should have been unlovable. For Your Son's coming, His sacrifice, death, and resurrection, accept my never-ending praise. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Michael Harthorne for Newser on May 9, 2017. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written. Please click here.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 17, 19; John 9:24-41

Psalms 17:1 ⁽⁰⁾A prayer of David:

⁽¹⁾Hear a just cause, Adonai, heed my cry;
listen to my prayer from honest lips.
²Let my vindication come from you,
let your eyes see what is right.

³You probed my heart,
you visited me at night,
and you assayed me without finding evil thoughts
that should not pass my lips.
⁴As for what others do, by words from your lips
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent;
⁵my steps hold steadily to your paths,
my feet do not slip.

⁶Now I call on you, God, for you will answer me.
Turn your ear to me, hear my words.
⁷Show how wonderful is your grace,
savior of those who seek at your right hand
refuge from their foes.
⁸Protect me like the pupil of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹from the wicked, who are assailing me,
from my deadly enemies, who are all around me.
¹⁰They close their hearts to compassion;
they speak arrogantly with their mouths;
¹¹they track me down, they surround me;
they watch for a chance to bring me to the ground.
¹²They are like lions eager to tear the prey,
like young lions crouching in ambush.

¹³Arise, Adonai, confront them! Bring them down!
With your sword deliver me from the wicked,
¹⁴with your hand, Adonai, from human beings,
from people whose portion in life is this world.
You fill their stomachs with your treasure,
their children will be satisfied too
and will leave their wealth to their little ones.

¹⁵But my prayer, in righteousness, is to see your face;
on waking, may I be satisfied with a vision of you.

19:1 ⁽⁰⁾For the leader. A psalm of David:

²⁽¹⁾The heavens declare the glory of God,
the dome of the sky speaks the work of his hands.
³⁽²⁾Every day it utters speech,
every night it reveals knowledge.
⁴⁽³⁾Without speech, without a word,
without their voices being heard,
⁵⁽⁴⁾their line goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.

In them he places a tent for the sun,
⁶⁽⁵⁾which comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber,
with delight like an athlete to run his race.
⁷⁽⁶⁾It rises at one side of the sky,
circles around to the other side,
and nothing escapes its heat.

⁸⁽⁷⁾The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.
⁹⁽⁸⁾The precepts of Adonai are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
¹⁰⁽⁹⁾The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,
¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb.
¹²⁽¹¹⁾Through them your servant is warned;
in obeying them there is great reward.

¹³⁽¹²⁾Who can discern unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from hidden faults.
¹⁴⁽¹³⁾Also keep your servant from presumptuous sins,
so that they won’t control me.
Then I will be blameless
and free of great offense.

¹⁵⁽¹⁴⁾May the words of my mouth
and the thoughts of my heart
be acceptable in your presence,
Adonai, my Rock and Redeemer.

John 9:²⁴So a second time they called the man who had been blind; and they said to him, “Swear to God that you will tell the truth! We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “Whether he’s a sinner or not I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷“I already told you,” he answered, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Maybe you too want to become his talmidim?” ²⁸Then they railed at him. “You may be his talmid,” they said, “but we are talmidim of Moshe! ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moshe, but as for this fellow — we don’t know where he’s from!” ³⁰“What a strange thing,” the man answered, “that you don’t know where he’s from — considering that he opened my eyes! ³¹We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners; but if anyone fears God and does his will, God does listen to him. ³²In all history no one has ever heard of someone’s opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing!” ³⁴“Why, you mamzer!” they retorted, “Are you lecturing us?” And they threw him out.

³⁵Yeshua heard that they had thrown the man out. He found him and said, “Do you trust in the Son of Man?” ³⁶“Sir,” he answered, “tell me who he is, so that I can trust in him.” ³⁷Yeshua said to him, “You have seen him. In fact, he’s the one speaking with you now.” ³⁸“Lord, I trust!” he said, and he kneeled down in front of him.
³⁹Yeshua said, “It is to judge that I came into this world, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the P’rushim nearby heard this and said to him, “So we’re blind too, are we?” ⁴¹Yeshua answered them, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you still say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

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