Good Morning, Meet Pastor Dan, readers…I’m up even a bit earlier than usual today. I have a pretty full day, which includes two guest-appearances by both me and the Associate Conductor of the Saint Louis Wind Symphony. This morning we have a radio interview at 11:00 with RAF (Radio Arts Foundation, 107.3), then this afternoon we are going downtown to tape a segment for STL Live that will air at 5:00 today and at 9:00 am tomorrow. This is to promote this weekend’s upcoming concert by the STLWS, which will include the premiere of Symphony No. 5, “Heartland Portraits”, a magnificent new work by Julie Giroux, one of the foremost composers of wind music today. This work was commissioned for, and dedicated to, the STLWS by one of its members, Pete Poletti. It is to honor the memory of his parents.
That is the good news. The sad news is…this will be the last concert of our regular concert season (September-March). After Sunday we are off for about two months, then our summer season kicks in. What will I do with my Sunday afternoons? Enjoy the time with my beautiful wife, Pam.
But now, on with my blog! The essence of Christianity is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Grace. When we hear the Good News and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are called to live “a life of faith” based on the truth found in God’s Word – the Holy Bible.
But the critics say, “how can you do that?” What evidence do you have for something you can’t see?” I would say, “When you flip a light switch, can you see the electric current that makes the bulb light-up”? or “If you are standing by a pond and hear “splash” and then see the resulting ripples, aren’t you convinced that someone or something disturbed the calm of the water, even though you didn’t see exactly what happened?” You make that assumption based not on “blind faith”, but “evidential faith”. And so it is with the truths of the Bible. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
We have seen the majestic qualities of our Creator: the sun, the moon, the stars, and the roaring ocean. And we’ve experienced the His personal side: “that he would never leave us or forsake us.” (Deuteronomy, 31:6 and Hebrews, 13:5) Romans 5:6 reveals his unconditional love for us: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” The more we experience the truth of our object of faith, the more our faith grows. The perfect example of that can be found in the story of Jarius, and Jesus’ charge to him. It is told three times in the Bible (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5: 35-43 and Luke: 8:49-56), so that in itself attests to the importance of the story.
Luke 5:22, 35-36: “A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jarius, came and fell down before him (Jesus), pleading with him to heal his little daughter. ‘She is about to die’ , he said in desperation. ‘Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live. But a bit later,“…messengers arrived from Jarius’ home with this message, ‘your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now. But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jarius, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just trust me!” That charge to Jarius is still alive and well, and it is the same charge to all Christians today. So let’s examine the circumstances.
Jarius came to Jesus because he knew Jesus WAS the answer to his problem. How did he know that? Well, he certainly had heard of Jesus and his healing miracles…perhaps he even witnessed some of them. He certainly saw Jesus heal the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. (This story is in the midst of Jarius’ story. He was there standing beside Jesus, so he had to have heard His parting words to her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed.)
But even prior to the above experience with the woman, Jarius’ own words when he met Jesus was, “Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” No doubt he came to Jesus with the expectation of healing for his daughter. He had total faith in his object of faith – Jesus. (That, my Friends, is THE indispensable answer; knowing and trusting without doubt.)
But the reception of Jesus when he arrived at Jarius’ house is typical of unbelievers today. “When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing. He went inside and spoke to the people, ‘Why all this weeping and commotion. The child isn’t dead; she is only asleep’. The crowd laughed at him.” Unfortunately, the crowd still laughes at Jesus. And unless they “come to know him”; unless they “come to believe that he IS the author of all miracles”, they will continue to laugh.
The only way to rectify that situation is to have the willingness to participate in THE process of change. And that process is defined in Romans 12:2: “Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
The key phrase in the above scripture is, “let God transform you into a new person”. That happens according to Hebrews 11:6 listed above: “God rewards those who sincerely seek him.” God’s Word also tells us in John 15:7: “If we abide in Him, his words will abide in us.” In other words, the more we stay in His Word, the more “revelation of truth” we experience. Unfortunately, the unbelievers of the world aren’t seeking him, so they are conforming to the behavior and customs of the world. Their hearts are hardened. They are incapable – and will remain incapable – of grasping the truths contained in His Word unless they humble themselves and become a “seeker of God’s truth”.
The perfect example of this revelation is evidenced in this conversation between Jesus and Apostle Peter: “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is’? Well, they replied, ‘some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.’ Then he asked them, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon, son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
As a non-denominational Pastor, I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God – not that everything contained therein is literal, because the Bible is written in prose, poetry, metaphor, allegory and parable. But I believe that everything that is there is there for a purpose, and we are to learn from the truths contained in these stories. And when we experience these truths coming alive in our own heart, that is when we begin changing our thoughts, attitudes and behavior. That is also how our faith grows. This is why, and how, we can still respond to Jesus’ challenge to Jarius: “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.”
Where are you on the faith scale from 1-5, with 1 being the highest? Remember, the greater your faith, the easier it is to step out in faith.
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Best Wishes to Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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