How?

How do I fall behind so far, so fast?

To Mercy or not to Mercy, That is the Question

Rev. Matt Harrison, Executive Director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, has started a blog. Check it for good quotes and stories of relief that is being done around the world. Matt is a big proponent of the role of showing mercy in the pastoral office. I do not disagree.

However, I have found it is not as simple as that. For the line of those who would take advantage of mercy is long and filled with all sorts of people. How does a pastor decide who to help with the limited resources we have? Are some needs greater than others? More important? Is it first come, first served, and when the money runs out, that's it? How do we know when a shyster is asking for what he does not really need? I wrestle with these questions a lot. I want to help folks who ask for help, but I find myself growing more cynical - especially when I am taken advantage of. Often times when I help one person, word spreads quickly and I get a bunch of phone calls at once, making me suspicious whether these folks really need help or not.

It happened again last week. I believed someone who said they needed help, but I have come to the conclusion that I was suckered. Do I stop helping people? No, I cannot do that. Am I angry? Probably a little. Those funds could have helped someone who really needed help. But I find myself praying that this person - though I believe he was dishonest with me - needed this money and that God will use this for good somehow.

But you know, we do it too, don't we? We take the good and gracious gifts of God and abuse them. We often ask for what we do not really need. We don't deprive others, for God's resources are unlimited, but I should not be so quick to condemn what I see also in myself. And so I'll work at that plank in my own eye, pray for mercy for them, and for forgiveness for myself. And I'll keep helping folks, for we have been so richly blessed . . . and I know will be in the future.

Two Weeks

Well, I've had my new MacBook for two weeks now. There are many things I really like about it, like how quickly it powers up and down, not having to worry about viruses, and Pages works really well and has some neat features. (I do wish it had some of the fonts that I liked using in Word, however.)

There have been some frustrations also. Like, Safari doesn't work as well with my blogging - does some funny things. I have to use Firefox for some things instead. Also, converting documents to Word (for sharing) is . . .  funky. Not all the formatting seems to be preserved. I had to download a program for burning DVDs to do what I like to do, and my laser printer has no Mac driver! :-( I must say, though, the folks at Apple have been very helpful and for the most part knowledgeable. I am happy that I made the switch, even though it has not been a smooth and seamless as I had hoped.

Christ Active in the Liturgy

"For what Christ was and did, he still is and does: it is he who preaches his Word, he who calls us to himself, he who binds the wounds of our sins and washes us in the waters of salvation, he who feeds us with his own life, he who is the pillar of fire leading us across the horizon of our own salvation history, lighting our sin-darkened path. He does it in Word and Sacrament . . ."

(Taft, Through Their Own Eyes, 139-140)

"For to be baptized in the name of God is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself. Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God's own work. From this fact every one may himself readily infer that it is a far higher work than any work performed by a man or a saint. For what work greater than the work of God can we do?"

(Luther, Large Catechism)

LCMS Restructuring

Well, the proposal for the restructuring of Synod was unveiled last week at a special convocation. You can read it here. I am going to withhold a lot of comment for now. I want to think on these things more. Some of what was presented was expected, some a surprise to me. But this was my main overall impression: if this restructuring is to be done at the next convention, we are waaaay behind the curve! Too much "maybe this / maybe that" in the document. I expected a much more concrete proposal in many ways. I understand (and appreciate) the opportunity for feedback and study, but I worry that we'll talk a lot now, and the final proposal will be rushed through at the end when time gets short. Not the way to do it, seems to me.

I'm Now Fruity!

No, not in that way! :-) Me and my household have decided to switch over to Apple computers. There were many reasons behind our decision. So far, we are enjoying them. Going to take some getting used to, but so far so good. I haven't yet installed and tried Bootcamp to run the Windows only programs that I use, so we'll see how that goes.

Patristic Quote

"See how great is the power of the [liturgical] assembly!  . . .  Again, in the most awesome mysteries the priest prays for the people and the people pray for the priest; for "And with your spirit" is nothing but that. Everything in the eucharist is shared, for the priest does not give thanks alone, but also the people [give thanks] with him. For after he has first received their acclamation consenting that "It is fitting and right" to do this, only then does he commence the eucharist . . .  Why are you surprised that the people speak together with the priest, when they send up in common those sacred hymns even with the very Cherubim and the heavenly Powers?"

- St. John Chrysostom

(as quoted by Robert Taft, Through Their Own Eyes, 29-30)