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One Wednesday during Lent, just as we were starting our Lenten meal, a young man showed up at our church and asked to speak with the pastor. He smelled awful, and people were reacting accordingly, but I took him into a room, sat down with him, and spent about ten minutes listening to his tale of woe. I tried to show him kindness and concern, including inviting him to eat with us that night. However, when he realized that I wasn’t going give him any cash, he started cursing at me, ridiculed me, and walked out the door.

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Like so much of Scripture, this is easier said than done.  “As we have opportunity…”  The reality is that we have the opportunity every day, but we fail to act on those chances. It is so much easier to be concerned about a stranger on the news who lost his home to a fire than it is to say a kind word about a fellow believer with whom you’ve gotten crossways! That’s not right! That is not the life to which you have been called.

Think about those in the household of faith to which you belong: How are you showing your commitment to other parts of the body of Christ? Do you want the opportunity to do good for others in your family of believers?

Consider the Shut-ins/Elderly/Handicapped. How much of your time would it take to visit them every other week, or at least call them on the phone or drop them a note?

Consider those who are Single/Divorced/Widowed – do you make efforts to include them in activities where they might not feel welcome? Is there something special you can do for them?

Consider the Youth of your congregation. Do you ever notice them? If so, have you ever spoken to them? A number of years ago when I had that call to another congregation, one of the members of the Youth Group said to Cheryl: “You and Pastor can’t leave. You’re the only ones who talk to us here.” Whether that was true or not, that was this young person’s perception. “Doing good” to the Youth may take nothing more than noticing them, speaking to them, and respecting them as fellow members of your congregation.

Let us do good to all people. I imagine if you think about what this says and take it seriously, it can seem like an overwhelming job – do good to all people, especially believers. With all that God calls you to do, it can seem like the boy who went door to door selling twenty-five-cent pencils to raise money for a $30 million hospital. One woman challenged him saying, “That’s a big job for one kid selling pencils for a quarter!” He replied, “It’s not me alone. See that boy over there? He’s my partner. We’re doing this together!” You should take heart that you are not alone. You have other believers that are to help and assist you in showing care and concern, doing good to others, especially other believers.

Not only that, but you have a God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). He will give you the help and strength and encouragement that you need to live a life that is committed to others. That commitment comes from knowing the commitment Jesus made, one that led Him to the cross in your place.

For over thirty years, my in-laws had a place in the mountains of Southwest Colorado. It was between the cities of Creede and Lake City, a remote location at over 10,000 feet above sea level. It was an old hunting lodge with nine bedrooms, a great room, and a huge kitchen and dining area. It was a wonderful place to literally “get away from it all.” When we first started going up there in the early 90s, there were gas lights with mantles that you would light in the evenings. There was a generator, but we wouldn’t use that very much. All the appliances ran on propane. We had running water thanks to a nearby stream for bathrooms and showers and cleaning. There was no television, telephone or cell service. We were literally cut off from the rest of the world when we went up there.

The name of the place was “Quiet Valley.” And it was glorious. We would visit, play games, work puzzles, make meals together, go fishing and hiking. Occasionally we would drive 45 minutes to Lake City for the kids to get ice cream and buy a t-shirt or souvenir, but we spent most of our time just enjoying the beauty and the isolation. It was good to get away from everything.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

We need to make time to rest and relax. It is necessary for physical, mental and spiritual health. The solitude gives us time to reconnect with God undistracted. I can tell you firsthand that praying while sitting next to a babbling mountain stream is a wonderful thing.

Over time, the family added solar power and a satellite dish to the cabin. That meant people could watch TV, use their phones and computers and other electronic devices. While it was still a great place to go and be, I was kind of sad to see the isolation go away.

You have opportunities for the peace and quiet that you need in your life without going to “Quiet Valley.”  You just need to take advantage of them. Jaroslav Vajda wrote a hymn about finding some of that when you go to a worship service, where you will encounter your Savior through confession and absolution, Word and Sacraments.

Now the silence Now the peace Now the empty hands uplifted
Now the kneeling Now the plea Now the Father’s arms in welcome
Now the hearing Now the power Now the vessel brimmed for pouring
Now the body Now the blood Now the joyful celebration
Now the wedding Now the songs Now the heart forgiven leaping
Now the Spirit’s visitation Now the Son’s epiphany
Now the Father’s blessing. Now. Now. Now.
Lutheran Service Book #910

You should take seriously the invitation of Jesus: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  Spend time with the one who lived a perfect life for you, offered that life to cover all your sin, and rose to give you the certainty of everlasting life with Him. You will be glad you did.

I’m going to share some more of what I have learned about prayer from God’s Word.

For whom should you pray? Everyone – friends, neighbors, enemies – all people. The only exception is those who are already dead. They have already been judged:

Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment

Either they had faith in Christ or they did not. But you should pray for those who are still living.

When should you pray? Scripture is pretty clear on this:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually

Where should we pray? Everywhere. No matter where you are or what you are doing:

 1 Timothy 2:8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer …

The point is clear. No matter where you are or what you are doing, talking and communicating with God can and should be part of your normal operating procedure. In the days of sailing ships, two evangelists were aboard a vessel crossing the Atlantic. When a fire broke out in the hold of the ship, one said, “Brother, let’s go to the far end of the ship and pray!” “No sir,” the other replied. “We’re going to stand right here and pass water buckets — and pray at the same time.”

How should you pray? With confidence: you are offering your prayers to the one in control of everything, and have this assurance:

Matt 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence…

According to God’s will – However, that does not mean that God is simply at your beck and call or that you can manipulate Him. Your prayers are also to be offered up according to His Will. Jesus gave us the perfect example in Gethsemane, not wanting to suffer the agony that lay ahead to pay for the sins of all men, yet still saying “Not my will, but Thine.” Likewise our prayers should be offered in that way:

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

In Jesus’ name – Last, but certainly not least, our prayers must be offered up “in Jesus’ name.” That does not necessarily mean that we must say those three words at the end of each prayer. It means that we offer our prayers to God with faith in Jesus as our Savior. It is because we know who He is and what He did that God listens and answers. It is because you believe that His life of obedience was for you, His death paid for your sin, and His resurrection assures you of forgiveness that God will hear and respond in the way that is best for you. Jesus himself promised:

John 16:23 I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

God does answer the prayers of His children. All of them. One of my pet peeves is when I hear people say “God answered my prayers” or “God didn’t answer my prayers.” I know what they mean. They say “God answered my prayer” when they get what they asked for and they say “God didn’t answer” when they don’t get what they ask for. What they should be saying is “God said yes” or “God said no.” That is a better understanding of how God answers. Prayer offered in Jesus name never goes unanswered. Sometimes you may even find that God gives a third answer: Wait awhile. But He does answer.

Prayer is a privilege. I don’t want you to think of it in clinical terms or over-define it or think you need special instructions before operating. Just talk to God. He is listening.

I’ve been praying a lot more these days. There have been things happening in my life and the lives of people I love that I have been discussing with God on a regular basis. I’ve also been thinking what a tremendous privilege it is to be able to pray. So I thought I would share some things with you that I have learned about prayer over the years. I’ll do so in the form of questions and answers.

What is prayer? It is nothing more than talking to God, being in communication with Him.

Ps 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

It does not have to be a big public display or flowery language. We just speak to God, and He hears us. Christian Prayer is not our idea, something that originates from man. It is God’s idea.

Why do we pray? Because God invites us to do so:

Ps 50:15  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me

We also pray because we have needs:

Matt 7:7 Ask and it will be given you; Seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened to you.

We pray because we are grateful for what He has given.

1 Thess 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

To whom should you pray? That might sound like a silly question, but it needs to be answered. Your prayers should be addressed only to the True God, the Triune God. There have been some studies in recent years about the beneficial effects of prayer in healing. One researcher suggested that it didn’t matter to whom the patients prayed, just that they practice the discipline of prayer. That’s like saying it doesn’t matter where you send your letter, just so you write it.

Electronic messaging is a wonderful thing. But it is not very forgiving. If you do not properly address your email or text message, it will not be delivered to the right person. Type in one wrong letter or character and your message will not get through. It must be properly addressed. The same with is true for the prayers we send to God. They must be properly addressed to the only true God, the one who said:

Is 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

There will be more on this in the days ahead.

Augustus M. Toplady was brought up in a pious family, but as a young man he made fun of religion as many young people do. He made a trip to Ireland with his mother. The people they were staying with decided to attend a revival service, and so as not to be rude to his host, Augustus went along. It was there that the Holy Spirit worked a change in his heart, leading him to joy and new life in Christ. He prepared for the ministry and served well until he died young, at the age of 38. He had written a hymn the same year America declared her independence from England. That hymn has been constantly ranked among people’s top 10 lists of favorite hymns, which is no doubt because it is thoroughly Biblical and uses simple language to describe the heart of the Christian faith.

The first stanza emphasizes that Christ alone is our Redeemer. The second points out our inability to save ourselves. The third stanza is a summary of the core of Christianity, that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. And the final stanza reminds us that even though we must stand before the judgment seat of Jesus, we are safe because of our faith in Him.

This hymn is based on this passage:

 1 Cor 10:4 [They all] drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Reflect on these words as part of your Lenten journey today.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood From Thy riven side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure, Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.

Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill Thy Law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly — Wash  me, Savior, or I die!

While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee!

A number of years ago I was privileged to serve as a Pastoral Advisor to the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. Their focus is to share the Good News of Jesus through their own witness and to support others who do so. In my opinion, it is the premiere organization in our church body. At one of those LWML meetings I attended in St. Louis, there were about 120 leaders of this organization gathered from across the country. We had a very famous and popular preacher from our church body scheduled to speak that afternoon, the former Lutheran Hour Speaker Ken Klaus, who is now in heaven. We got word that morning that He was stuck in another city and may not make it to St. Louis in time for his presentation. The president of the LWML asked me if I would be prepared to speak in his place if he didn’t show up. That was a daunting prospect. It was bad enough that I was on the schedule to lead a Bible Study after this wonderful speaker. Now I was being asked to speak in his place when the crowd was expecting him! And I had nothing prepared! It caused sweaty palms and a dry mouth. I started praying, “Lord, please let Pastor Klaus get here!”

I continued my conversation with God. And then He put this thought in my head: “You represent me every day! That’s all I ever ask you to do.” Wow. It is so simple. It wasn’t about being polished and having a wonderful presentation prepared. It was about being ready to share what I know to be true. That is all He asks me to do. And that is the same thing He asks you to do.

By the way, Pastor Klaus showed up in time and did a fabulous job in his presentation that day. I know I appreciated him being there. But I also learned (or relearned) a valuable lesson that day, something Scripture says very plainly.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Just like the Boy Scout motto says, “Be prepared.” Be ready to share what you know about Jesus.

When Moses was up on Mt. Sinai with God, Scripture says his face glowed when he came back down the mountain. Shouldn’t the world today be able to notice something about those who spend time with Jesus, those who are in worship and Bible study, who spend time in our homes reading the Word and having daily devotions? Shouldn’t there be something about those who remember their baptism and who receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion? Spending time with Jesus is an ongoing thing, something that keeps happening.

Here’s something else to think about: Have you ever considered that all people are God’s People? He made all people, but some will be lost if they do not put their faith and confidence in Christ. That is why he wants you to be out there in the world ready to share Jesus. You have been, are and will be people who are with Jesus. We are with Jesus and, more importantly, He is with us.

Be prepared. You never know when you will have the opportunity to shine for Jesus.

Think about what Jesus did in His ministry. He was always out there. He didn’t spend all His time just with the faithful, the ones who already knew who God was and worshipped Him. He was out there with those who didn’t know Him. Those who were worldly. Those who were focused on themselves. Those who needed him the most. He was all about being out there, with sinners, even eating with them. The Pharisees rightly accused Him of doing this, because that is exactly what He was doing. Jesus went to the sinners, not waiting for them to come to Him! Why do you think that was?

Nahum 1:2–6 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.

This is awful stuff – God’s anger over sin is serious. Scripture tells us the wages of sin is death and God demands payment. That is why Jesus was so focused on being out there among sinners. He was warning them and telling them about what He would do to save them. And that is why it is still so important for us to be out there – where people need to hear how to avoid this just and deserved wrath and anger. The solution is to be with Jesus.

Because you have faith in Jesus, because you have been with Jesus, He is with you. He goes with you so that He can be with others through you. We have come to know that He is the Son of God who came into this world to save sinners – us! After living a perfect life, He offered that as the payment for all sins. He rose to guarantee His victory. And He said He would be with us always. He is with you still today through His Word and Sacraments. It is something you take with you wherever you go.

What does the world see when they look at you? Can they tell you’ve been with Jesus? The opinion of most folks outside the church of Christians is not very good. They often speak of us like this:

• “holier than thou”
• “they think they’re better than us”
• “they don’t do anything but look down their noses at us.”

The truth is that has often been the case among believers. That has got to change. We need to get out there amongst them, sharing His love and forgiveness with a world that has nothing but condemnation waiting for them without Jesus.

Being with Jesus doesn’t always result in us doing the right thing. We will make mistakes, including some big ones. Peter had been with Jesus, had promised eternal loyalty, promised to die with Jesus if need be. Yet, when Jesus was betrayed by Judas and placed on trial, Peter had a betrayal of his own going on in the courtyard “I don’t know the man” (Matt 26:69). The rest of the story is that Peter repented, Jesus forgave him, and he went out and continued living as someone who was with Jesus.

A popular song has the line “I can only imagine…” talking about being in presence of Jesus and seeing Him face to face. It is good to think about being with Jesus later, in that new existence. But don’t neglect the fact that you are with Him now. He is with you. And He wants you to be out there, in the world, with Him.

In Acts 3 we read of Peter and John encountering a crippled beggar in Jerusalem. Peter, by the power of Jesus, healed the man. A crowd gathered and they started telling everyone about Jesus. Acts 4 begins with the Jewish leaders arresting Peter and John and bringing them before the leaders the next day to explain themselves. This is how Peter responded.

Acts 4:8–13 ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ ¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” ¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

“They had been with Jesus.” That makes a difference. Or it should. Others should be able to tell there is something different about those who have been with Jesus.

I came across a story years ago of a little boy standing barefoot on a cold December day in New York City. He was looking through a plate glass window. A woman walked up to him and asked, “Why are you staring into that window so intently?” The boy said, “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes.” The lady looked at him for a moment, then quietly took him by the hand. Together they walked into the shoe store. Inside, she asked the clerk to bring a half-dozen pairs of socks for the boy. Then she asked for a basin of water and a towel. The clerk brought them quickly. The woman took the little boy to the rear of the store, removed her gloves then knelt and began to wash his feet. She dried them with the towel just as the clerk appeared with the socks. The woman placed a pair of socks on the boy’s feet and selected a pair of shoes in his size. She bundled the remaining socks, and handed him the package. As they left the store the woman patted the boy on the head. “I hope you feel more comfortable now,” she smiled. She turned to go but, the wide-eyed little boy caught her by the hand. He looked up into her face and asked, “Are you God’s wife?”

Will your actions let others see that you have been with Jesus? He has come to us through His Word and Sacraments, giving us the assurance of His grace, mercy and forgiveness. We have been with Him and have Him with us. We should all be so conscious of Jesus being with us that people will see Him in our words and actions.

There is an old song that says, “I am covered over with a robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me.”  If that is true, if I am covered with Jesus, then whenever someone looks at me they should see Him!

Lord, help me to live that way.