A Reflection based on the Sermon from Sunday, October 1, 2023

What is humility? We probably tend to think that humility is being down on ourselves, even putting ourselves down. However, this may be more indicative of depression or other struggles rather than having a humble spirit. We know that humility is the oppostive of pride, being puffed up with our own sense of self-importance. But what is it like for someone to be humble in everyday experience?

I find the insights of Christian author C.S. Lewis helpful here. His definition: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." In other words, humility isn't about our level of "self-esteem." Humility doesn't stem from either a low/high view of ourselves, nor does it come from what other people think or say of us. In practice, humility is simply thinking of ourselves less of the time. Instead of contstantly focusing on my opinions, my reputation, my tasks, my feelings, and so on, to be more humble would be to think less about all these things pertaining to my ego and to think more about God's verdict of me, and more about the lives and needs of other people.

Humility, then, could be defined as "self-forgetfulness." Tim Keller spoke of humility this way. He writes in his book The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, "This is gospel-humility, blessed self-forgetfulness. Not thinking more of myself as in modern cultures, or less of myself as in traditional cultures. Simply thinking of myself less."

Paul spoke this way to the Philippians: "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4) Paul paints a needed picture of humility for the Church and for everyone. This other-centered humility is needed in Church relationships, marriage and family life, friendship and neighborliness, and beyond.

However, must must always be clear that efforts at humbling ourselves do not make us Christians or bring us salvation. God must do that for us from the outside. Only Christ Jesus saves us! Only in Him do we see the ultimate truth about ourselves - that we are lost and condemned sinners without Him, but that in Him, we are beloved and forgiven children of God. God issues that verdict - He makes us right with Him through Christ alone, who humbled Himself for our salvation, even to the point of suffering and dying for us on His cross (see Philippians 2:5 and following).

Forgiven by Christ and justified by God by faith, we need not worry about what people think of us, nor even what we think of ourselves. We know that the Father sees us as His forgiven children through Jesus, and that is more than enough. Because of that, we are free to focus not just on ourselves, but on others and their needs and interests, just as our Savior has done for us.

A Prayer:  Lord Jesus, just as You thought not of Yourself and Your own interests but of me and and reconciling me to God when You gave Your life for me, help me to live not only for myself and my interests but for You and Your kingdom, as well as for my neighbors and their lives and needs. Help me to take a real interest in others just as You showed such great interest in me and my salvation. Amen.

"Our Hiding Place" - The Pastor's Windshield - September 2023

When Jimmy Buffet died this summer, many people shared their opinions about his life and legacy. Buffet made a career of writing escapist, “beach bum” songs. His most famous line was, of course, “wasting away again in Margaritaville.”

If it’s been a while since your last getaway, maybe wasting away in some tropical sunshine sounds pretty good about now! We all need to get away, perhaps to our own backyards, or to a good book, or to a vacation hideaway. We are created to need rest, time in God’s creation, and other healthy forms of refreshment.

Sometimes, however, Christians have been characterized as escapists, as if believing in Jesus is just a coping mechanism or a way of hiding from the troubles of life. What do you think? Is that what we are as Christians, people running away from life’s stresses and problems and hiding away in our theology or churchly bubbles?

It's my belief, though, that the Christian faith is far more than escapism. I believe that Christianity is objectively true, and I personally believe that Christ is not only our Savior, but also our Strength as we face such things as illness, bad news, broken relationships, and all the other trials of this life.

King David faced no shortage of real-life struggles. In the Psalms, he frequently referred to the Lord as his strength, refuge, and shield, as he lived through war, family strife, and the consequences of his own sinful actions. In Psalm 32:7 he writes, “You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Is this an example of escapism to be avoided or of faith to be imitated?

I once had a parishioner challenge me on how and why “hiding” could be a good thing in our faith. To this individual, hiding was viewed negatively. It sounded like running away, operating from fear rather than faith. But here is how I see it: we can either hide in the Lord or (try to) hide from Him. But imagine trying to outrun God. How far would you get? There is no escape from the One who is almighty and all-knowing! Try as we may – and we dotry – we cannot outrun or hide from God. 

God is after us, to be sure, but is He after us like a bounty hunter aiming to make us pay for our transgressions, or is He after us like the loving Father that He is, wanting only to draw us back to Him through repentance and faith? Through His Word, God clearly shows us that He pursues us out of long-suffering, never-failing love. We try to run away from Him, maybe out of guilt, maybe because He has something to say about how we’re living, or maybe because we’re angry with what He’s allowed to occur in our lives.

But even when we run, God is there, both with us and before us, because what He wants more than anything is for each of us to run to Him, to find our only Refuge and Hiding Place in Him. He is your Hiding Place even when you come to Him with all your sin and guilt – even the “worst” of it! He can handle it. He can forgive you. In fact, He already has at Christ’s cross! 

He is also a Hiding Place for you when people let you down – your spouse, friend, teammate, coworker, etc. Every human being – from those closest to us to those in positions of power and influence – will let us down at some point because they’re sinful people like us. But those are times when God wants us to run to Him in prayer, to “hide” in His promises and His loving presence, and then to turn and face life’s pressures or letdowns once more, in the assurance that He will not fail us.

You may be familiar with the old hymn, “Rock of Ages.” The hymn prays that God would free us from sin’s guilt and power in our lives. The hymn also looks ahead to standing before God’s judgment throne. What hope will we have on that Day? In the words of the hymn, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.”

No other “hiding places” will work – not our good deeds or intentions, nor other people or anything else in this world. We cannot escape from God. But, we can “escape” to Him and hide in Him. 

Christ Jesus is our Hiding Place. We can always run to Him with the realities of our sins and troubles, confident that He will receive us in forgiveness and strengthen us with His grace. Some may call this “escapism,” but for us, it’s simply exercising our faith in Christ our Savior.

In Him,

                  Pastor Kory Janneke

Showing Honor

Our Savior Jesus shows us the most amazing honor! He entered our earth and took on our human flesh, he wore a crown of thorns and suffered in our place upon His cross, and He rose to new life for us and as a guarantee of our crown of life to come. None of this is deserved on our part.

As His people seeking to obey the Fourth Commandment, we are called to show honor in turn. We first honor God Himself by worshipping Him, gratefully receiving His gifts, seeking Him in prayer, living as faithful stewards, and more. We also honor the Lord by how we treat our neighbor, and in the case of the Fourth Commandment, how we treat our neighbors in positions of authority over us. 

The Fourth Commandment teaches us to honor our father and mother. Our parents are the most basic authority figures provided to us by God - and that's the primary reason we honor Him - because they are God-given, not because they are perfect people or because they do what we want or like.

The wider meaning of the Fourth Commandment includes honoring a variety of authorities in our lives: in both the state and the church, in our workplaces and schools, and beyond. It's not easy to serve in positions of authority, having difficult decisions and pressures on your shoulders and having to deal with all sorts of "people issues" on a regular basis. This is a good reminder that the authorities in our lives and in our wider world need our prayer and support, and as long as they are promoting what is God-pleasing, we owe them our obedience and cooperation as well.

Out of fear and love for the Lord our God, Christians must seek to honor parents and other God-given authorities, and in doing so, set an honorable example for others to follow as well.