Pastor Craig - October 2018

"Children of the heavenly Father, safely in his bosom gather. Nestling bird or star in heaven, such a refuge ne'er was given. God his own doth tend and nourish, in his holy courts they flourish. From all evil things he spares them, in his mighty arms he bears them. Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord his children sever, unto them his grace he showeth and their Sorrows all he knoweth. Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne'er forsaketh. His the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy." ("Children of the Heavenly Father" LBW #474)

 This year in confirmation class we are learning about Martin Luther and the Small Catechism. I have always tried to figure out what is the best approach to explaining Luther's ideas to the kids and parents. It has come to me to think about what "image" of God did that the people of Luther's time have. Once you understand their notion of God as the angry judge the rest follows.

 Each of us has a picture or an image of God. How you understand God to be and act will determine how you respond to God. If you have an image of God as a judge sitting at the bench looking at you, the guilty one on trial, words of a loving and caring will not make real sense to you. If your image of God is of a loving and caring God, you may question the existence of evil or other such events that happen in the world. Our relationship with God is shaped by our images.

 The first 3 Sunday afternoons in November, I will be offering classes that I have called "The Crash Course in Church". It will be a time to look at the Bible, Martin Luther, and the church. It will be a time for you to ask questions and deepen our understanding of the church. We are using these classes as a form of Adult Confirmation, if you so desire. It can also be a membership class, but more than that it is a way to deepen your image of God and how he works through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 For you see, Jesus tries over and over again to help the disciples and us see who God is. I came across this quote concerning a wife admiring her husband playing with the children. She said in loving tones, "It takes a BIG man to be LITTLE with his children." Out of love, we, as parents, are called to get down with our children, to participate in their lives, to find what is important to them, and to make them know that they are not alone, but are loved. I was struck with this quote because isn't that what God did and does for us. Did not God come to this earth as a human being expressly to save us and so that we might again know and believe in him?

 Again I ask, "What is your image of God?" Maybe the best answer is that God is whatever we need God to be at a given moment in our life. Whether that image is one who guides us, or one who picks us up when we fall. Maybe that image could be of a parent crawling and playing making us know we are cared for. Whatever the image, know that God knows you and loves you more than any simple image will ever tell you.

In Christ,

Pastor Craig