David Bahn - Reflections

Elijah's actions around the sacrifice to the LORD God set up a dramatic display of God's power and control over all of creation. Even after the altar is prepared and drenched with water, God rains down fire from heaven and consumes  everything . "The Lord, he is God; The LORD, he is God!" goes up the cry after this mighty display. Elijah seizes and kills the prophets of Baal. You'd think that...

We need to understand, first of all, that we all need grace. Some people, however, may be extra challenging in their attitude or actions toward us or the gospel message. Those people are called Extra Grace Required people (EGRs). They may live next door, work with you, or be part of your family. In fact, you may be an EGR! They push our buttons, manage always to illicit a negative response in us,...

The love of a human being is a thing of great blessing. I am thankful for the love of my wife, family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and my friends. But human love - of a mother, sister, brother or even a spouse - has its limits. The love of the Heavenly Father has no limits. He sees all. He knows all. And he is writing a narrative that stretches from Hagar to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jesus, and to...

God does not turn his head or heart from pain and suffering. He does not ignore difficult and distressing situations. He draws near. And 2000 years ago he took on all of that in his Son, Jesus. Jesus embraced the pain, suffering, sickness, and sin of the world. He also experienced it himself. And although God forsook him at his darkest hour, the true hero of our faith, Jesus, still called out to h...

We may think we know what we’re waiting for. But truth be told, we have only an inkling of it. Sometimes we may be exactly correct. The result comes back negative (good for medical tests). The wedding day gives way to the honeymoon. The judge calls your name and you’re on the jury. Or not. But sometimes there comes a Crazy Ivan . Sometimes God breaks in in unexpected ways. Like here…God opens Haga...

There will be times of sadness and distress along life's way. We may be put into difficult and near hopeless situations. At those times, the slightest breeze can cool our sweaty brows, and a kindness of someone may be as a cup of refreshing water. Then we must take courage, stand again, and move forward with the assurance of God's presence, and the hope of the ultimate deliverance. I'm wondering w...

If we're consumed with our own desires, and constantly worried about getting our due, we'll forfeit joy. If we see the good things others experience as testimony to God's goodness and grace, rather than resenting them for their good fortune we'll begin to touch the edge of joy. When we celebrate God's goodness to others with them, we come even closer. And when we see that God's goodness is the sou...

When was the last time you laughed because God brought joy to your heart? It need not take bearing a child at the age of 75 to bring joy. In fact, joy is a byproduct of hope, community, and grace. When God's grace visits us, and we enjoy that grace in the community of others who know the blessing of grace, hopes are kindled for a better tomorrow. And that brings true joy. Perhaps we need to reclai...

Much of this Abraham and Sarah narrative is not about the delivery of the promised child. It is about the struggles, foibles, and setbacks that come along the way. Life is not a series of yay God days,  one after the other for most people. We can easily identify with Abraham and Sarah in their times of testing, waiting, struggling, questioning, and nearly giving up hope. The Bible is clear ab...

There is no hiding the fact that sin had been committed. Although Abimelech had not "approached" Sarah, there had been deception, and a dangerous path was afoot. And everyone had excuses for his behavior. Nevertheless Abimelech did what he could to rectify the situation. He returned Sarah to Abraham, and provided gifts meant to show his and Sarah's innocence. On some level you'd have to say that A...

One of the foundational truths of God’s word is that he is creator of all that exists. His creation is fallen, broken, and corrupt(ed). The devil has been at work and had his way with us. And whenever we give into the temptations of the evil one, our own sinful flesh, or the world’s allure, we sin against God. Maybe that’s not profound to you. But it is to me. I need God’s forgiveness. And so do y...

Sunday's message at Fishers of Men Lutheran Church, Port Isabel, Texas

Abraham and Sarah succumb to the same temptation that is recorded in Genesis 12:10-13 . Now more than 25 years later, they try the same scheme. Abraham's and Sarah's fear and forgetfulness conspire to take this path of deceit. Thankfully that path is cut short by God. His intervention takes the form of the dream of Abimelech, and the stern warning to him. Why not Abraham? Why not Sarah? It is not...

God's people are sinners. They are forgiven sinners. And they are also the ones God uses to intercede for others. We serve the Father as broken vessels of God's grace. And if, once in a while, our brokenness becomes evident, we can be thankful that God's grace abounds. And perhaps it will leak out from us and be a source of blessing and favor to others.

We will certainly not place ourselves in this story as the One who orchestrates it all. We're not the One to whom everyone else must answer. We are not the One who holds life and death in our hands. We are not the One who saves and destroys. We are, however, his. And that identity is most important of all. We are the children of God. His beloved. His redeemed. His precious. His delight. His joy. A...

The sins of the world in which we live do not escape his attention. And this is where we live. This is no fairy tale world. Whether it's the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the horrific destruction of earthquake, famine, or hurricane, God's people are not exempt from life as it really is. These may be direct acts of God's judgment or the real and harsh consequences of life in a fallen world. Bu...

I'm serving at Fishers of Men Lutheran Church in Port Isabel, TX during September 2021. This message is about the Priesthood of All Believers and our calling to pray for the lost and erring.

Perhaps Zoar is a symbol for Jesus: a little town, a man of little human consequence (cf. Isaiah 53 ). But his commitment to doing the right thing never wavered. He never flenched from loving God. He never failed in his pure and perfect love for sinners. He is our refuge from the coming destruction of every evil power, plan, pretension, or place known to man and the powers of this world. But step...

How easy it is for us to dismiss the urgent call to repent, reorder our lives, abandon evil pursuits, or escape judgment or destruction! Lot almost falls prey to the lure of waiting and ignoring the imminent danger that will soon befall Sodom and Gomorrah. Had the angels not compelled him - taken him by the hand - he likely would have perished. I suspect there are some lessons for me here. There m...

We may have a lot in common with Lot. His prayer is weak and pleading. We might occasionally feel very weak. While there may be times for us to claim a faith like Abraham's, we can lean into the goodness, mercy, and kindness of God in every situation. In those weak and uncertain moments, we can remember this encounter with Lot and the promise of Isaiah 42:3, which says that God "will not crush the...

Here in Genesis, God's mercy delays the city's destruction to allow Lot and his family to escape. Ours may not be as dramatic or obvious. But one thing remains: God's mercy is a precious gift. If grace is receiving something we don't deserve and mercy is being exempted from punishment we do deserve, we can rejoice in both. We see it here in Genesis. We ought to look for it every day of our lives a...

Is there a warning you’re ignoring? Are you too ready to conclude that people are crying wolf when they sound the alarm? I have no strong opinion about the current crises call about climate change. I’m pretty certain that the COVID-19 crisis is real. But I’m totally convinced that God’s call to repent and believe the gospel is absolutely vital. It is a message that must be heard. And believed. And...

It may not be obvious that we should care to multiply God's kingdom...until we give thought to what Jesus did to bring us into his gracious reign and rule, and why he did it. 

Some people, for fear of rejection or other loss simply don't speak up. They don't want to look silly in the eyes of others. They don't want to sacrifice relationships for the sake of a clear witness. They don't want to sound extremist, or alarmist. Or fanatical. Maybe I'm one of those people. I haven't always been. In college I took my Bible to a philosophy class and shared Jesus' words from Matt...

We might think we can distance ourselves from a dismissive attitude toward God. We might assume that we always pay attention to God's warnings. We might even labor under the false idea that since God hasn't done one of his direct and dramatic acts of retribution in our recent memory, he won't deal summarily with us. We've skated this long. We've been able to bend God's will to ours all this time....