New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Spoiler alert! We’re going to read the end of the Book. We’re going to see how everything turns out. But this is totally ok. It’s not like insider trading or anything like that. We are allowed—invited!—to have the inside scoop that gives us an edge in life. Want to know more?

I think an NDE would be quite disappointing. NDE? Near Death Experience. If I died, went to heaven, and then had to come back here again I’d be upset. But we all know someone who suffered this anticlimax so that we would know that death is not the end of life.

Do you look forward to Judgment Day? How about old age? Does old age feel like a cruel judgment? Do you dread these things? How do we live our end today in anticipation of the greatest of all new beginnings?

What can you really count on? Leading gurus tell how to lengthen your life and how to get better life in that length … but many who apply these principles die young and many who ignore them live long and rich lives. What should you expect of life?

What can we really know, after all? The more we truly learn, the more we learn we truly don’t know very much. Ironically, learning what we cannot know helps us leverage what we do know. Want to know what we cannot know?

He who dies with the most toys is still dead. Yet, we often hear it—and say it ourselves—“You only live once? For those who die twice, life lasts forever. For those trying to rob death, death lasts forever. One experiences lifestyle inflation, and the other lifestyle appreciation.

We wish our lives away but feel that we grow old too quickly. There is a time for everything, but rather than enjoying the moment, we’re always looking forward to something else. God gave us the gift of time—and life—to be enjoyed.

Prepare to Die. Learn to Live. Our mortality underlies everything we do. We do not want to just be dust in the wind, but life is short. Life is elusive. Life is repetitive. We want more out of life because the echo of eternity resounds in our hearts.

An eagle cannot swim, but a duck can. A duck cannot soar like an eagle. We all have different abilities that depend upon our context. Where were you made to thrive?

You’re gifted. When you hear of someone who is “gifted,” you may think of gifted students or artists. Gifting is broader than that.

Are you who you are because of nature or nurture? Was your personality formed in the womb or by your environment? Knowing who you are gives insight into your destiny.

When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s easy to get stuck in a negative mental-loop. When you find your thoughts spiraling around bad and worse, faith gives a better response.

When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s tempting to fight fire with fire. When the desire to lash-out at others wells up in you, faith gives a better response.

When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s tempting to withdraw from the world. When pulling the covers over your head feels preferable to any other option, faith gives a better response.

If anyone had reason to question God because of injustice, it was Jesus. But there is the rub: when you see evil, you assume goodness. And when you see Jesus, you see the crux of the matter when talking about good and evil in our world.

I like to think I’m in control. I like to call the shots. When I lose control, I feel powerless and even afraid. Therefore, depending on others is not what I want—and that includes God. But my picture of the freedom of autonomy is an illusion.

Have you ever heard someone described why they stopped believing in God? Could you hear their failed expectations? Wouldn’t we do well to evaluate our expectations of God as much as we evaluate God’s failure to meet them? What should we expect?

Tell me about the god you don’t believe in. Perhaps I don’t believe in that god either. All of us don’t believe in some gods. Therefore, all of us are atheists in some way. Maybe we need to discuss the unknown god and we’ll find ourselves connecting much better.

Should we really believe something because the Bible told us so? Before the writings of the Old and New Testaments were combined into what we call the Bible, conversations about Jesus centered on an event—not a book. What is the basis of our faith?

Most atheists didn’t choose their outlook on life because atheism is more appealing than theism. Most atheists began their journey to their belief in “no god” because of a dissatisfaction with religion.

We do not need psychology’s input (helpful as it is) to know that thankfulness is a preferred mindset. Gratitude trumps the power of positive thinking. After all, we are blessed by a bird in hand and by two in the bush! This attitude depends on how you count your blessings, but when you give thanks FOR (not IN?) everything, you can count anything!

We cannot stay where we are. Try as we might, God’s will for our future points away from where we are. Want to fast forward to what God has in store? Let’s talk about your future.

Who is your who? Who are you who to? Do you know your who and that you’re one, too? Dr. Seuss has nothing to do with this weekend’s message, but you do!

What is worship? What you say and what I say will probably not match, but I think you’ll agree with me when you hear what I have to say. So don’t miss worship on this day! Ok?

Want to know a very powerful response to hard questions you cannot answer? “I don’t know.” These words are the perfect response when you don’t know. They are authentic and humble. These words show we’re in process, like everyone else. And these words let us speak of Jesus.