Opening Service

Hello.  Today was the official opening ceremony for all first year students and the official opening of the 173rd academic year here in St. Louis.  I wish you all could have been there to hear Dr. Meyer's sermon.  For those of you who don't know, Dr. Meyer is the President of the seminary.  He has won many awards for his speaking abilities and now I know why.  I believe he was the Lutheran Hour Ministries Speaker before his presidency, but not 100% sure on that.  Anyway, he gave an amazing address to us students as well as the whole congregation.  His message will be my main focus, but first I just want to let you know that today was registration.  I have five classes:  Greek Readings, Hebrew Readings, Historical Theology, Pastoral Ministry, and Lutheran Mind.  Basically all five being at the 101 level.  I didn't quite get exactly the few professors I wanted, but I am sure they will all be good.  I am excited to start classes, just hope I can keep up with the work load.  Also, I got great news about a job.  I signed up for snow removal already (basically just to spend as much time out in the snow as I can and still get paid for it, plus I think these beautiful buildings with snow cover is going to be a gift from God to see at sunrise). But since I signed up for snow removal, the lady who is in charge of jobs told me she will hire me for all general labor, which is basically anytime tables and chairs need set up, or dinner events need ushers and bartenders, or just anything they need student labor for, she calls me and lets me know.  She told me I will be a leader of my own snow team, and I already start tomorrow by leading a project that will be done by volunteers, except I get paid.  She also told me its the highest paying position I can get.  So she was awesome and I can't wait to start actually working for her.  Oh, and she is my in to security when a position opens there which is the job I really wanted anyways.  So the Lord blessed me with meeting her and getting this job.
So that was my day, but now back to the main point I wanted to talk about was Dr. Meyer's sermon.  His theme was the 400th anniversary of the King James Edition of the Bible.  The title was "Translation it is that openth the window to let the light shine in".  His main theme was about how even when two people are speaking the same language face to face, they don't always completely understand what the other one is trying to say.  His first metaphor was about a counselor working with a troubled child.  He would ask the child a question and then repeat the child's answer back to him to see if he knew what he meant.  The child would just say, "Yeah that's it."  But the counselor still wasn't sure he knew what the child meant.  So he typed the child's answer in his own words on his computer and turned the screen so the child could read it.  The child got a big smile and said, "Yes now you have it."  Even though they were face to face both using English words, they were not getting each other.  He went on to say that as seminarians, we are the troubled child behind the desk.  The seminary and its professors are the counselor trying to make sure we fully understand and know exactly what we need to know to be good pastors.  It's only when they are able to communicate to us, however that is, and they see us smile and say that's it now we've got it, that they are able to let us out in the real world to now translate that same message to everyone we meet.  It was way more impressive the way he put it, trust me, but that's the gist of it.  It completely makes sense, we have to know the truth of the Bible before we can go spread it and teach it.
Now there are three very specific things I want to talk about that happened during the sermon.  The first was just neat from my perspective because it was Dr. Meyer acting quick on his feet and turning a not so ideal situation into a wonderful addition.  When the two readers (one narrating and one reading the lines of Jesus) where reading the Gospel message, the speakers quit working and you could hardly hear them.  So while they were still reading, I noticed Dr. Meyer start talking to the Crucifer next to him on the alter and then the Crucifer got up and exited through the side door.  Then when Dr. Meyer was in his sermon, he first made a joke about when we don't get what someone is saying, it might be because the Gospel message wasn't read loud enough.  It was good he lightened it with humor, but then he spoke about how sometimes it comes in more clear if you listen again, and the readers (in the balcony) reread the message on cue good and loud this time.  He reacted to something that didn't go as planned, used it in his sermon to prove a point, and then had it reread to make sure no one left without hearing the Word of our Lord.  It was just amazing for me to see that as a pastor someday, not to freak out when something goes wrong, but just find a way to use it to your advantage. I just hope I can think that quickly on my feet when it happens.
The second thing that happened was a sin on my part.  Now before you stone me, I caught myself, and asked for forgiveness right there for sinning in the house of our Lord during His worship.  I was sitting right in front of three of the guys from our Spanish ministry program.  Now I know a lot of guys here doing wonderful things with the Spanish ministry.  It's such a growing program as we find more and more Spanish speaking people in our churches and communities.  However, during the sermon one of these guys was translating the whole sermon to the other two in Spanish.  He was translating so close to me, it was hard for me to hear Dr. Meyer over this guy translating into Spanish.  And I got mad, I just wanted him to stop talking already so I could hear Dr. Meyer.  I was mad I couldn't hear the message or God's Word.   Then I had to stop and just wanted to slap myself.  Could I have been more selfish or more sinful at that point?  I was willing to deny a fellow Christian behind me the right to hear the Word so I could.  And even more ironic, I get mad at the translator when the whole sermon is about translating to those who need to and want to hear our Lord's Word.  I felt ashamed, that I was so worried about me, I wanted someone to stop sharing the Word of our Lord.  I wanted a man proclaiming the same Gospel Dr. Meyer was telling me to stop.  The Devil was clearly effecting my thoughts, because he too wants any man proclaiming the Good News to stop talking and just sit silent.  So I am going to work very hard to make sure I never let my own hearing problems let me wish the denial of the Gospel to any one ever again.  I also urge you, that as Spanish becomes bigger and more common in our churches and communities, make sure no one ever tries to stop those people from receiving the same message we do.  If anyone ever tries to tell you some one is not allowed in the church because of what language they speak, please refer that person to Acts, especially the Pentecost story.  From the Christian Church's birth, again Pentecost, it was meant for all people and all languages.  It was a harsh reminder to myself what being a Christian really means, and hope it reminds all of you before you fall to the same sin I did.
The third thing I want to talk about is a story from the sermon.  Dr. Meyer was sharing this story a fellow Christian speaker had shared with him.  Now I am sharing it with you.  This man, was waking up; slowly, painfully, and just not fully with it yet in the Intensive Care unit after a surgery.  He heard this loud BANG BANG BANG BANG.  He thought to himself as he was still trying to wake up what is that banging.  And it continued BANG BANG BANG.  He cried out O Lord, my head hurts from surgery.  And again he heard BANG BANG BANG BANG.  HE cried out again, O Lord what ever construction they are doing in the hospital let them stop, just let the banging stop.  But it continued BANG BANG BANG BANG.  And then as he started to actually wake up he remembered the heart surgeon who had just put a mechanical pump in his heart told him when you wake up you will hear that pump make some loud bangs.  Then Dr. Meyer had us laughing as he cried out "Lord cancel that last Prayer, I take it back."  The one thing this man wanted most, the Banging to stop, was the one thing keeping him alive.  He went on to say that each one of those Bangs, each beat of his new heart, was a blessing from God.  BANG BANG BANG BANG. Every pump of our own heart beat is that same blessing from God.  BANG BANG BANG BANG  Every beat of our hearts is another chance to do His work and Share His Word.  Now Dr. Meyer's dramatic way of telling this story was amazing and reading it on this blog can not even come close to emotionally sucking you into it.  But it is still an important message.  We take so much of our free time and so much our life for granted, its important to stop and remember every beat of our heart is a blessing.  Take your pulse and feel how many times the Lord blesses us every minute! I know we all want to go to Heaven, but while we are on this Earth, while God keeps giving us each next heart beat, remember where it comes from, and use it to the best of your ability to serve the One who gave it to you.   What a powerful message behind an amazing story.

Dear Heavenly Father, 
We can never thank you enough for EVERYTHING you do for us.  You constantly and continually bless us with more than we will ever know.  Even every heart beat is a blessing from you.  Let us turn all those blessings back into praise and honor in Your name.  Let us never skip a beat of serving You and living our faith.  Let us also not forget besides every heart beat and every daily blessing You give us, You also gave us the greatest gift we could ever receive, the sacrifice of Your Son for our redemption.  Help us to make time daily to remind ourselves what a wonderful God we have, and to send all joys up to You in thanksgiving.  Give us the strength to share our wonderful God and all His blessings with all Your children, no matter what language they speak or how we have to translate it to them.  Let Your message be spread loud and clear, and let us Your servants be the ones to carry that message to all those who need it.  In the name of our Savior who gives us our Easter Hope, Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.  Amen.