PASTOR’S FAREWELL TOUR
As I’m guessing you know by now, I announced to our congregation that I will be retiring from full-time ministry at the end of the Church Year. My farewell sermon is scheduled for Sunday, November 24th. To be sure, this has been a long pastorate as I received the call to pastor Faith in1990. Amazing! Most pastorates don’t last this long.

The Lord had other plans. It has been an incredible ride with all the highs and lows, pain and joy that parish ministry brings. The singular greatest blessing that comes from being here so long are the relationships that have been forged over time. I have come to know you – and you have come to know me. One can’t quantify that.

In these last years I have come to de-emphasize numbers. Without question, we want this slice of God's Kingdom to grow – and that always means more people. However, because of our size, I have truly been able to be your Pastor, your friend, your spiritual caretaker in the most deep and personal way. This comes with trust. And trust in a per-son can only be forged over time. I know of thousands. In many ways, I truly see this as what Jesus had in mind, in the book of Acts, as the early Church takes formation and clusters of congregations sprout up in the world of the New Testament. I am guessing there were no “mega churches” when Paul and Peter and the rest of our Lord's posse were preaching the Gospel. It is not just about numbers. It is about relationships. It is not just about numbers. It is about people. And so it has been, for me, here at Faith.

You know where to find me. My door is always open. Come on in – as many of you always do. I find it appropriate that my farewell tour, as it were, begins with the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day this year – February 14th . This year, I, again, will be in pulpit exchange with Berea – two churches – four Pastors. Myself. Pastor Schimm (will make sure he gets to church on time this year!!! We love him!). Pastor May. Pastor Mueller. Our theme is titled: SUFFERING JOY! We will be exploring the Passion story as recorded in John’s Gospel– chapters 18 and 19. Go ahead and get a jump start by read-ing the account on your own.

I encourage you to be intentional in your worship during the season of Lent, making the most of your opportunities to worship the One who goes to the cross for you! Bring a friend. Come with your family. The only thing that awaits you are blessings from on high! See you soon!

PTK

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and
valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the
Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
~ Deuteronomy 11:11-12

Today we stand upon the verge of the unknown. There lies before us the new year and we are going forth to possess it. Who can tell what we will find? What new experiences, what changes will come, what new needs will arise? But here is the cheering, comforting, encouraging message from our heavenly Father, It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. All of our supply is to come from the Lord. Here are springs that shall never dry; here are fountains and streams that shall never be cut off. He is the source of all our mercies, even as He was in 2023! Our God, our help in ages past. Our hope for years to come. No heat, no drought can parch that river, “the streams whereof make glad the city of God. "The land is a land of hills AND valleys. It is not all smooth. The wind is not always at our back. Sometimes, we are marching, moving, maneuvering into the wind. If life were all one dead level of dull sameness it would oppress us; we need the hills and valleys. It is the hill of difficulty that drives us to the throne of grace and brings down the shower of blessings; the hills, bleak hills of life that we wonder at and perhaps grumble at, bring down the showers. How many have perished in the wilderness, buried under its golden sands, who would have lived and thrived in the hill country; how many would have been killed by the frost, blighted with winds, swept desolate of tree and fruit but for the hill – stern, hard, rugged, so steep to climb. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us; because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.~ Romans

We cannot tell what loss and sorrow and trial are doing. Trust only. The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today. Because He carries us, leads us, guides us, it will be a blessed new year!

He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone,
We know He leads us on.
He leads us through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze
Of loses, sorrows, and o’er clouded days;
We know His will is done;
And still He leads us on.

Until next time,
PTK

In these December “notes,” as we ready ourselves for the first coming of Jesus, I want to share with you something written by one of the greatest Christian apologist’s, author’s, and theologian’s of the last century. His name was Helmut Thielicke. He writes about the result of Christ’s first coming for us. Because He came to be our substitute unto death, and rose victorious, this is how it will be at the consummation of all things.

When I have to appear at the last judgment, God will see me in him who has bound his fate with mine. We have discussed this scene of the final substitution with one another before. When the hour of my defense comes and the eternal judge calls out my name, he will ask, “Who are you?” And before I can answer the Pros-ecutor will take the floor and reply, “Who is this?” He is one who has done this and that. Because he has no sympathetic love, he has overlooked the loneliest colleague of his who worked right beside him. He is a slave to his ambition and has only a pitifully small amount of love for others. He has always been his own best friend. He has never noticed that people right and left of him cried for his help, for a kind word, and for just a little mercy. He has been too self-centered to be able to figure that out or even to begin to try.

And, when the Prosecutor says that, my whole past will rise up before me and I will have to admit that he is right, difficult and painful as that will be. For, indeed, I am my past. When I want to know who someone is, I certainly ask about his background, because a man truly is what he has behind him, what he accomplished and what he failed in, what he did and what he left undone. Every businessman who hires and employee asks about his background, because he instinctively says to himself, “This man is what has been up to now.” When it be-comes a serious matter about what I have in my background – and before the eternal Judge – it is awfully and inevitably serious – then there is no escape; I am at the end of my rope. I cannot avoid this identification with my past.

But then my attorney, my defender, Jesus Christ, steps forward and obtains the floor. He says, ‘Mr. Prosecutor, everything you said is correct. And yet it is completely wrong, because this man no longer is what he has in his background; that is really behind him. I have crossed it out and taken it upon myself as my burden. I have blot-ted out the accusation and nailed it to my cross.’ (Col. 2:14). Then He turns to the throne of judgment. ‘Father and Judge, if you ask who this is, I answer that he is the one for whom I died and that I have suffered with him and because of him. I have become his brother and he has let me adopt him. He knew his hands were empty. He knew about his stained conscience. He knew that there was no escape from his wretchedness. And he was pleased when I said to him, ‘be clean!’ He accepted my offer to bear everything for him and with him. He stood beneath my cross and said, ‘I want to stay here by thee. Despise me not, I pray.’ Therefore, Father, he is yours and he is mine, and I bring him to you now. As he has looked at me with eyes full of trust, look upon him now has my brother and let him be with me always in your peace and in your glory.’

Blessed Christmas to you.

Your Pastor

“BE STILL.” ~ Psalm 46

As I write these notes, the Middle East is a powder keg ready to explode. What is going on in the Gaza strip, on the border of Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, has consumed the news feeds, from Fox News to CNN, for the better part of a week at this point. We saw the optics –“ horrific” doesn’t do justice to the terror that has been perpetrated upon the Israelis in the Gaza by the terrorist group known as Hamas. Inexplicable wickedness. That is how we define evil. This is what we have seen. We have no clue, as I write these notes, how this will play out. Israel is positioned to move in, via, ground troops to expunge Hamas and try and find, and rescue, hostages. We have riots, in so many parts of the world, many blaming Israel for their response to what was perpetrated against them. It feels, to me, like we are on the threshold of World War III.

Gaza. This small parcel of land, south of what was the Promised Land, is as old as creation itself. We read about it in Genesis. Ponder that for a moment. Gaza is in the Bible. The Arabs warring against the Israelis. The Israelis warring against the Arabs. The tribalism in that region is as old as Cain taking the life of his brother, Abel. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

We cannot forget about the displacing of the innocent Palestinians from the Gaza, as well. Egypt – as I write – closed the door to Palestinian refugees in fear that, among them, are more of the members of the extreme Jihadist group – Hamas, with the potential of exacting the same kind of terror in Egypt. Displaced at the southern border with nowhere to go and no way in Egypt. Oh, my! The history of Egypt! Joseph, the dream-weaver, with his coat of many colors, interprets the dreams of Pharoah. Four hundred years, after the Pharaoh’s of Egypt are no longer sympathetic to Jew, in fact, as we know, they have enslaved them, Moses is commanded to “Tell ol’ Pharoah to let my people go!”

Egypt. The cradle, crib, home of Moses, raised in the house of Pharaoh – best food, best education, best “digs,” best life until what? Until he finds out that he is a Hebrew. A couple of thousand years later another Joseph, different Joseph – the earthly father of Jesus – is told by God to take the babe and Mary to Egypt to avoid the slaughter of innocence, by Herod, in Bethlehem. Do we see a connection here?

We look at the global landscape and we are wont to wonder, “is anyone in control?” “Is God in control?” “Where is God?” “Is there a God?” These are real and legitimate questions. Only through the eyes of faith, as we search the Scriptures, can we find the answer. There is no Psalm in the Psalter that says it better. Psalm 46. Read it. Read all of it. Go to verse 10. “Be still, and know that I am God.”

In other parts we read the following:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. And we read: He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; he burns the shields with fire. And we read: The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God is never more sovereign then when it seems like He isn’t. He knows. He sees. Part of the purpose imparted upon the chaos is for us to turn to Him; for all to turn to Him. Not Allah! Yahweh! The One true God! The One who, in the deepest love for us, sends His Son to be terrorized on a cross so that we can become part of the eternal habitation of the Lord.

As we see the optics, we pray. We pray for peace. We pray for ALL who are innocent. We pray for God’s will to be done. Through such praying we are empowered to adhere to the imperative: BE STILL. And so we will – “though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea.”

Until next month,
PTK

THE BIG QUESTIONS OF LIFE

On Sunday, September 10th, I begin a five-part series of sermons that will seek to answer The Big Questions of Life. I had an epiphany, regarding this series, as I was/am in the process of reading a most disturbing, disruptive and sobering book about the digital age in which we live; the digital age that is in the DNA of our children, or so it seems. The epiphany was that, “Wow! These questions would make for a great sermon series!” The title of the book is FAITH FOR EXILES – 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon. The authors are from The George Barna research group.

As you may or may not know, The George Barna group is one of the foremost research groups measuring the “temperature” of Christianity in the United States. In the front pages of the book they share this quote from J. R. R.Tolkien: Certainly there was an Eden on this very unhappy earth. We all long for it, and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most humane, is still soaked with the sense of ‘exile.’ This is a profoundly insightful jumping off point for the book. Let me give you just a brief flavor of the issue this book deals with.

In reference to our Lord’s parable of the sower – you recall that parable, right? It is about the different kinds of soil the seed is planted – the authors write: As in that ancient story, today the soil of many hearts is rocky, dry, and dusty, or filled with thistles and weeds, stifling what really matters. The age-old questions of being human remain unasked, shriveling like neglected seedlings. Deep spiritual longings, are choked to death by binge television, immersive gaming, and social media scrolling. As we will say many times in the coming pages, technology and the lighted rectangles we gaze at all the time aren’t bad in and of themselves. But if we are not vigilant and intentional, digital Babylon glitzes and blitzes our days so completely that we never get around to pursuing the deeper things of life.

What are the deeper things? The deeper things are The Big Questions of Life that need to be asked and answered. Thus, the series that I will launch. What are those questions?

Questions of identity? Who am I, really? Where do I find my truest self?
Questions about how to live: How should I live in today’s world? Do my choices matter?
Questions about intimacy and relationships: Am I loved? Who are my friends? Does anyone care about me?
Questions of meaning and purpose: Does my life matter? Am I made for something?
Questions about legacy and significance: Can I make a difference? What really matters? What counts for a life well lived?

These are the deeper things. We will hear God’s answers to these questions that, far too often, don’t get asked. I could not encourage you more to commit yourself to these five weeks. If you cannot be with us, every week, in worship, dial us up at our website. My prayer is that this series will provide a spiritual break-through and transformation for you! Invite a friend to listen with you. Bring someone else with you who is searching and seeking the answers to the big questions. Hope to see you on the 10th!

Until next time,
PTK

In Spanish the word is “BASTA.” It is short for the Spanish word, “bastante.” What does that word mean? It is an imperative. It is translated as, “enough.” How is it used? When is it used? Those of you who have young children, and those of us who can remember when our children were young, used/use it often. It was applied – is applied when our kids have gotten on our last nerve. You know the scenario. They are bickering, antagonizing each other. They are being unruly, disobedient, obstinate, pushing the envelope. What is it we say to them, when all other reasonable efforts have been exhausted? We loudly shout: BASTA! Enough! Is this resonating with you parents? Sure it is.

In Hebrew, the word that we translate as “still,” literally means, “basta.” “Enough.” The imperative, then, that God sets before us in this comforting Psalm, which is a favorite for many, is for us to “be quiet.” In relationship to what? In relationship to those things that cause us sleepless nights, great angst, concern, fear, worry, anxiety. To those things that so disturb and disrupt us God says: “Basta!” “Enough!” “Be quiet!” “Be still!” In the Psalm we read about some of things that cause such chaos in life. Let’s take a look.

The Psalmist writes: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas; though waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling.
Do you see and feel the chaos? But, oh, the Psalmist continues.

There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High. God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn. The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted His voice and the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. And then: BASTA! ENOUGH! BE QUIET! BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

He is still God. He has always been God. He will always be God.

The waters roar in our midst, don’t they? Gender identity is up for grabs. We pray for our children as they are confronted with this ruse. Gender isn’t a choice. “Male and female He made them.” Genesis chapter two hasn’t changed. Our heart breaks and aches for those who struggle with something for which they need not struggle. The Church is not here to judge, but to help and heal, and teach the truth of Jesus. Mountains tremble. The war in Ukraine rages on with no end in sight. The Russian monster by the name of Putin is like a “dog on bone.” Our country seems to be on this horrific inertia toward “Sodom and Gomorrah!” Perhaps we have arrived. The “mean streets of Milwaukee” are a mess. Kids killing kids. Kids stealing cars and killing more. Are not the mountains among us crumbling into the heart of the seas?

Thus, what an amazing declaration, imperative God speaks over us, His children! He sees our concern, our worry, our hurt, and our fear and He says: BASTA! How can He say that to us? There are a couple if reasons. In the chaos He remains our refuge. He is in our midst, even when it doesn’t seem so. How did Luther put it? “A mighty fortress is our God.”

Secondly, most significantly, He remains God. He is sovereign. He sees it all. He is in charge of it all. He will let evil and sin go so for. This the devil’s day. His day will come to an end. Jesus will return to bring us into His eternal habitation; His glory and majesty; His peace and rest that never ends. Thus for you – for me – for us – for all who retreat to this refuge in our midst, we hear and heed the imperative: BASTA! ENOUGH! BE STILL – AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!

Until next month, 

PTK

I recently stumbled upon the following. I wrote this true story many years ago. It still touches
the heart and remains profoundly relevant. I thought I’d share anew. Perhaps it is exactly what
you need to read.

ROBIN AND HER “JEHOVAH JIREH” EXPERIENCE!
 

Robin’s washing machine could no longer wash. She had received her Washer and Dryer as
wedding gifts from her mother many years before. As washing machines are wont to do after many of years of
use, it stopped washing. Robin had four children (all adults now and out of the house) and lots of laundry.
When her washing machine spun its last cycle, she didn’t know what to do. Purchasing a new machine at the
time was a far reach because the very day her washing machine stopped, her husband’s car also went on the
“fritz.” Robin didn’t carry credit cards (very wise was she) and they didn’t have ready monies available to
have both washing machine and automobile repaired. The machine would have to wait. Robin was in tears.
Who wouldn’t be?
Robin thought about God’s provision over our lives as she was drawn to the story of Abraham and Isaac. As
the Biblical account goes, God calls Abraham, in a testing of his faith, to offer up his only son, Isaac, as a
sacrifice. This seems rather harsh and extreme, does it not? The point of the testing was to make sure that God
was still Abraham’s first love.
The dramatic story tells us that just before Abraham is going to put the knife to his beloved boy on the altar of
Mount Moriah (modern day mountain and site of Jerusalem), an angel intervenes and tells Abraham to put the
knife down and look away to the bushes just beyond. In those bushes, in that thicket there is a ram – a
sacrificial ram. The ram will be rendered on the altar, not the son.
Was this a coincidence? Not likely. Not hardly. Was this an answer to a wish, a “hail Mary,” a prayer? No
doubt! Because such provision was made on Mount Moriah, Abraham named that place JEHOVAH JIREH.
Translated: “The Lord will provide!”
 

Jehovah Jireh.
 

Robin got on bended knee, in the middle of her living room, the morning the washing machine would no
longer, and prayed for God’s provision; a miracle; a ram in the thicket; a washing machine. When she said,
“Amen,” she got up from bended knee to get her children to school on time.
Little did she know that, in taking her kids to class, there would be a ram.
In the hallway she ran into one of her close friends. Her friend could see that Robin had been crying and that
something was on her heart. “What’s wrong, Robin?” her friend asked.
Robin hesitated, and then went on to share her lament. After the story was shared and more tears shed, from
heaven came a ram in thicket. Without a blink Robin’s friend said, “You can have our washing machine.”
Robin could hardly believe what she heard. “I can’t take your washing machine. What are you going to use to
wash your clothes?” Robin replied.
Her friend’s husband just completed his medical residency, as a surgeon, and was just beginning his career.
Toward that end, they just purchased a new home along with appliances, not the least of which were a new
washer and dryer. They didn’t know what to do with the old ones. Old? All of two years old! Amazing stuff –
two prayers were answered in that hallway.
If Robin wanted either or both, all she had to do was get them. And so she did. There in that hallway God
revealed a ram for Robin. Get this! God’s grace extends all the way to our laundry!
 

May the Lord continue to provide whatever ram you need as you read these notes.
 

Until next time,
PTK