An Art Linkletter Moment…

Pastor Warren, Immanuel’s Associate Pastor, joins us as a guest blogger with a recap of a special moment during one of yesterday’s worship services…

Sometimes I feel like Art Linkletter during our Children’s Sermons. Perhaps you remember that show where Mr. Linkletter would sit and talk unscripted with children about certain topics and the “kids would say the darndest things.” Typically, whenever the kids would answer his questions, it would stop Mr. Linkletter in his tracks, and bring about absolute laughter.

Well, I had one of those moments yesterday in our Children’s Sermon. As usual, I had a script in my mind that I would share with the kids and the adults. I was all set to teach them on the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus told his disciples “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” As I invited the kids up to the front, I asked the Elders to stretch a long rope across the altar preventing them from fully coming forward to be with me. It was great. These kids were like herded sheep, all bunched up in the middle aisle, not knowing what to do.  I asked them what was preventing them from being with me…they said the rope was stopping them. As I lifted up the rope and invited the kids to come forward for some “Jesus time” they burst forward running up to the front. They were very excited to spend some time learning about Jesus.

Needless to say, all of this pent-up energy that was just released provided for some pretty squirrely kids. In the matter of a few moments, I could see that all my plans were going out the window as their energy was overpowering any of my plans.

The Art Linkletter moment came when I asked the children, “Would Jesus tell his disciples to get those kids away from me?” They cheered “No!” I then asked “What would Jesus tell the disciples?” I was expecting all sorts of answers. Then it happened; that Art Linkletter moment. Right out of the gate, one child boldly responded by saying “the darndest thing.” Little Malachi shouted very clearly “Let the children come to me!” I was stopped in my tracks. I turned to the congregation and said “Did you hear that?” They responded with applause. At which point I knew that my Children’s Sermon was complete. What more could be said than that – the witness of a little child knowing that Jesus puts up no barriers, and desires for them to freely come to Him?

Indeed, kids say the darndest things! Thanks be to God for that!

God bless your week,
Pastor Warren

Weakness and Strength

I’m living and learning this lesson continually.

Yesterday I preached about weakness and strength — “Being Strong When Weak” to be exact – but I’m “living and learning” this as well, especially the human weakness part.    My message, and God’s lesson for us, was based on the scripture:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV).

Often I have much more to share during my message than time allows. This was the case yesterday. My notes included things I didn’t have time to talk about – instances of times when I have felt weak in situations, only to eventually experience strength.  Some of these experiences are poignant, some are irrational, and some deal with the age-old problem of worrying.

For example, I was visiting a good friend in the hospital recently. He was enduring yet another medical setback and a delay in his treatment.  I found myself searching for words to give him strength and encouragement. I admitted my personal disappointment and discouragement that he was not recovering as initially anticipated. Yet he assured me that he was not worried. And he truly isn’t!  Obviously, he is well-prepared for whatever will be the outcome. God’s power is making him perfect in the weakness of his illness.

Sometimes I have moments of weakness that are really quite irrational. A few weeks ago, I hit a deer at 4:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning on my way to church to preach, and this brought all sorts of “nutty” thinking.  “What happens if my car quits running before I get to church? When will I find the time to get the car repaired?  And the big one, “will people think I am a poor driver?” Well, the car not only got me to church, but also the 75 miles back home.  The car was repaired in a timely manner. And so far, no one has accused me of poor driving to my face, even though I posted a picture of my damaged car on Facebook! God obviously watched over me through the unfortunate event, and I know I have been strengthened by his Grace.

However, my car is not really a big concern of mine. Immanuel is.  There are times when I just sit and consider my church, its school, and the future. Most of the time, I am able to prayerfully and logically deal with the matter at hand, whether it be strategic planning or a routine task.  Yet there are those times…What if our contributions dropped off because I said something foolish, gave an exceptionally bad sermon, or the economy simply collapsed? How would we be able to pay the salaries and expenses? As I look at our growth, I worry that people will no longer join Immanuel, or they will stop attending their small group Bible Study, or simply walk away from the church. My list of possible of bad scenarios is very long. I have seen many churches in distress over the years.  Yet, as we move forward with our Mission and Vision, God will supply the strength we need.

I know that everyone reading this has a list of “weak” times. It is not hard to remember times when we have felt overwhelmed by circumstances, real or even imagined. It can be very discouraging.

I am convinced that we all just need to go back to that passage . . . “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God will meet my needs, your needs, the needs of our friends and family, and the needs of our churches.  In fact, His power is perfect in our weakness!  There is no better way to say it.

See you in church!
Pastor Tom

The Greatest Gift

Long after you and I are gone and our children have raised their children and have seen their children's children, nothing else will matter but that we taught our young ones to know Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. The only thing that will matter will be the Gospel—the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has brought life to us and to our children. That is the greatest gift you can give your child—the gift of life, real life, in Jesus Christ.

As parents you teach your children how to pray at bedtime and before meals, you read them Bible stories from a children’s Bible or story­book again and again, and perhaps you even have family devotions. Immanuel is part of this process with our Sunday school, confirmation instruc­tion and most effectively, through our Lutheran day school. Throughout National Lutheran Schools Week, we shared comments from children (and some adults too), reminding all of us exactly how important is this education.

It is a glorious thing is to witness the faith life of a child whose parents have raised him/her in God’s Word and have themselves believed and taught God’s Word. In 2 Timothy 3:14 -15, we see St. Paul charge the young preacher Timothy to stick with what he learned long ago as a little child:

“But as for you,” Paul says, “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures.”

Perhaps you feel it is too late to start training your child in the faith. It is never too late, my friends! As long as the Lord has given you that child’s body and mind to love and care for, he has also given you that child’s soul to nurture and strengthen in the faith. Today is the day to begin!

“Now is the time of God’s favor,” says St. Paul. “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Long after you and I are gone and our children have raised their children and have seen their children’s children, nothing else will matter but that we taught our young ones to know Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. Nothing else will matter—certainly not the money we saved, the busi­nesses we ran, the houses we lived in, or even the friends and memories we shared—none of that will matter. The only thing that will matter will be the Gospel—the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has brought life to us and to our children. That is the greatest gift you can give your child—the gift of life, real life, in Jesus Christ.

That is why we bother with our Lutheran School!

See you in church and school,
Pastor Tom

National Lutheran Schools Week Posts:

National Lutheran Schools Week and So Much More
Celebrating National Lutheran Schools Week
Connections for a Lifetime…
Why Kids Love Immanuel
The Kids Speak Up!
More From Our Students
Our Students Say…