October 2012

Smoky Mountain Reflections

October 2012

            Fall greetings! The leaves will turn this month as our Lord puts on beautiful bursts of color, the last big hurrah for all the burgeoning growth that took place this past year. The four-month break from mowing the lawn is just around the corner...even though I enjoy mowing the lawn, I also like the break.  The two volunteer pumpkins that grew in my back yard this year will move to the front porch to join all the fall decorations I pulled down for Gerda just a few days ago.  So as nature goes asleep and we get into a new winter rhythm, longer nights, sunnier cooler days and all the tradition that comes with this time of year, I can’t help but feel upbeat.  Of course being the optimist that I am, it is an easy thing to feel upbeat...all is well in my universe and I hope and pray the same for you.

            Another significant thing that we celebrate along with Hallow'en (yes, the apostrophe belongs there as it is a word derived from Hallows Eve) the evening before All Saints Day or All Hallows Day.  In our Lutheran circles and in much of Protestantism, we also celebrate the 495^th anniversary of the Reformation—that fateful day in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses or topics for debate on the church door in Wittenberg.  Luther was trying to get the church back to its biblical roots and to dispose of non-biblical practices.  While this is a debate within Trinitarian Christianity, one thing all Christians who are members of the invisible church on earth can acknowledge and agree on, is the fact that there are really only two religions on earth—those who are members of the body of Christ and those who are not.

            That may seem to be a bit over simplistic but it is the truth.  Christianity is the only religion in which the god comes to you, and gives His life for you in order for you to have the goal of the religion—faith in Him which leads to eternity in paradise with Him.  From this faith, works of love for God and neighbor flow as a natural response of gratitude for this great undeserved gift from God.  In all other religions you must go to the god seeking to appease, and garner favor through your good works.  This applies even to non-religious belief systems, the goal of which is pleasing the ultimate authority or god in order to earn that authority's approval or kindness. Let’s consider the following examples of other religions or belief systems that are all based on "works righteousness", that is you working to get right with your god, not Him making you righteous through Christ.

            Atheism and Agnosticism: these are only concerned with pleasing one god—self. If I say it is ok, then I am good enough to please my god....me. I am the ultimate authority so if I meet my standard, then I reach the ultimate goal of my belief system...self satisfaction.  Mormonism & Islam:  I cover these together because they are so similar. Both have no concept of hell, just levels of heaven.  Both teach that if you please God you will be rewarded either with your own planet to be god over and populate by having much sex, or a paradise with wine that does not inebriate and 70 virgins with swelling breast to have eternal sex with.  See how similar  they are—they must have the same author. Modern Judaism: It believes that by pleasing God you will be blessed by Him in this life and the next; however because they reject the fulfillment of God's promises in Christ, they end up relying on their own works which are as worthless as ours.  All forms of Eastern  Mysticism: Buddhism, Gnosticism, Hinduism, Kabbalah, Sufism, Taoism—all believe in various ways that all reality is an illusion and by being good (which is hard to define) you will eventually be good enough to reunite with the pure enlightenment or consciousness.  So as you can see, in all of these major belief systems you must be good to get to “god,” however you define “god,” be it yourself, a powerful yet fickle being, or a state of mind.

            Another thing that sets Christianity apart is its existence in time. It is the only faith that functions fully in all of history and has a plan for the salvation of "ALL" from the beginning to the end of time.  Those who lived before Christ are redeemed by Christ through their faith in God's promise and all afterward are saved through faith in fulfillment of that promise.  If anyone does not have access to this redeeming truth, it is a result of human sin, not God's indifference.  With the exception of  Judaism all other faith systems do not concern themselves with anyone who preexisted their religion.  Mormonism is less than 200 years old.  There are at least a half dozen or more belief systems that are less than 500 years old.  Islam is only about 1400 years old and a number of eastern systems are less than 1500 years old. Only paganism and Hinduism predate Christianity, but Hinduism, like all forms of Eastern Mysticism, does not concern itself with history. And what we know of ancient paganism is from the historical sciences, not any modern variations that have little or no root in any history that is not plagued with massive gaps.

            So the two basic faith groups are this: 1) Work to get to your god and if (when) you fall short ....too bad, or 2) God came to you; you will fall short, but He paid the price; work in response to this great gift.

Enjoy your fall season.

In Christ,

Pastor Portier

Smoky Mountain Reflections

September 2012

            A couple of weeks ago, the Scoutmaster of Troop 119 which meets here at St. Paul Lutheran Church sent me an e-mail. He was requesting the use of our Fellowship Hall for a scouting potluck on the 12^th of August.  This short notice request was unlike him.  He knows I need time to ask the Council about such things.  That should have been my first clue that something was afoot.  I decided that since we had nothing planned for the 12^th, I would just let the troop have their potluck and let the Council know at the meeting on the 21^st.

            On a separate occasion, Pastor Dettmer offered to do the liturgy if I was ever feeling tired.  He said later that I had a puzzled look on my face as I thanked him for the offer.  I was puzzled....did I look tired? ...I did not feel tired.  This was another clue that something was afoot.

            On August the 12^th, things got even stranger.  As we were finishing up the Bible study between services, someone arrived with a pot of hot beans.  As I started to put things together, I thought I may have to apologize after the service as we may have two potlucks scheduled for the same time in the same place!!!  I was sure to come out of this with egg on my face and better break out my "I am sorry…it is all my fault speech" which I am embarrassed to say, I am very experienced at making.

            As I was puzzling over this and making the pre-service announcements, all of my worries were about to come to an end.  Our head elder, Dave Roberts, came forward and started making a speech that was making my head very big as he said all kinds of nice things about me.  Then Pastor Dettmer entered all robed up and was ready to do the service liturgy, Then Pastor Derek Roberts from Praise Lutheran Church in Maryville entered, all robed up ready to preach.  Then our head elder told me that in appreciation for my service and in recognition of the 5^th anniversary of my ordination, I was welcome to have a seat in the pew next to my beautiful wife and enjoy the service as a parishioner.

             Not only was I very surprised, because they pulled this off very well and I was clueless, but now I was relieved that there was no potluck conflict following the service!  All of these things had been coordinated; there was no Boy Scout potluck.  The people I am blessed to serve decided to have a fellowship meal in gratitude for our time of service together.  All involved did a very good job of fooling me!  Thanks for the surprise.

            It has been a great pleasure to serve as your Pastor these past five years, and if it be God's will, I look forward to many more years of service in this place.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve as your Pastor, and to you all for your kind cards and gifts in honor of this occasion.

            What follows is some of the information I sent to the paper to announce my ordination and it contains some interesting history.  Enjoy a brief walk down memory lane.  On 10 November 1483 Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany.  After being frightened by lightning in 1505, he vowed to become a monk and was ordained as a priest 500 (and five) years ago in 1507.  On 31 October 1517, he posted the famous 95 Theses that started the Reformation. 

            Fast forward to 3 November 1817.  On the very edge of what is now Sevier County, very close to what many of us know as the location of “Forbidden Cave”, there was a German settlement at Bird’s Crossroads.  Henry Jacob Eli and Jacob Bird acting as officers for the church, purchased an acre of land for $2.50 near Jacob Derrick’s grist mill, and on that land was a meeting house called Saint James Lutheran Church.  Very few Lutheran pastors made it to the East Tennessee frontier, so most of the German descendants start appearing on local Methodist church roles by the late 1840’s. 

            Fast forward another 100 years before another the Lutheran church would again establish itself in Sevier County.  In the late 1950’s, Our Savior Lutheran Church was started in Gatlinburg. In the 1980's, Holy Trinity (now Celebration) was established in Seymour.  Then in 1994, a small group of Lutherans started worshiping in the wedding chapel at the Holiday Inn in Pigeon Forge.  They later purchased and worshiped in a home just off McCarter Hollow Road for 5 years.  On Christmas of 1999, they celebrated Christmas in their new sanctuary at 1610 Pullen Road.  Then in July 2006, I was blessed to become part of the history of this family of believers as their Vicar.  On August the 12^th, 2007, only one week after the 500^th anniversary year of Martin Luther’s ordination, the first Lutheran ordination in the history of Sevier County took place at Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Sevierville, Tennessee.  This was a wonderful day in my life and I am very pleased that you all took the time to make the 5^th anniversary of that event a wonderful day as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Portier  

Smoky Mountain Reflections

September 2012

            A couple of weeks ago, the Scoutmaster of Troop 119 which meets here at St. Paul Lutheran Church sent me an e-mail. He was requesting the use of our Fellowship Hall for a scouting potluck on the 12^th of August.  This short notice request was unlike him.  He knows I need time to ask the Council about such things.  That should have been my first clue that something was afoot.  I decided that since we had nothing planed for the 12^th, I would just let the troop have their potluck and let the Council know at the meeting on the 21^st.

            On a separate occasion, Pastor Dettmer offered to do the liturgy if I was ever feeling tired.  He said later that I had a puzzled look on my face as I thanked him for the offer.  I was puzzled....did I look tired? ...I did not feel tired.  This was another clue that something was afoot.

            On August the 12^th, things got even stranger.  As we were finishing up the Bible study between services, someone arrived with a pot of hot beans.  As I started to put things together, I thought I may have to apologize after the service as we may have two potlucks scheduled for the same time in the same place!!!  I was sure to come out of this with egg on my face and better break out my "I am sorry…it is all my fault speech" which I am embarrassed to say, I am very experienced at making.

            As I was puzzling over this and making the pre-service announcements, all of my worries were about to come to an end.  Our head elder, Dave Roberts, came forward and started making a speech that was making my head very big as he said all kinds of nice things about me.  Then Pastor Dettmer entered all robed up and was ready to do the service liturgy, Then Pastor Derek Roberts from Praise Lutheran Church in Maryville entered, all robed up ready to preach.  Then our head elder told me that in appreciation for my service and in recognition of the 5^th anniversary of my ordination, I was welcome to have a seat in the pew next to my beautiful wife and enjoy the service as a parishioner.

             Not only was I very surprised, because they pulled this off very well and I was clueless, but now I was relieved that there was no potluck conflict following the service!  All of these things had been coordinated; there was no Boy Scout potluck.  The people I am blessed to serve decided to have a fellowship meal in gratitude for our time of service together.  All involved did a very good job of fooling me!  Thanks for the surprise.

            It has been a great pleasure to serve as your Pastor these past five years, and if it be God's will, I look forward to many more years of service in this place.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve as your Pastor, and to you all for your kind cards and gifts in honor of this occasion.

            What follows is some of the information I sent to the paper to announce my ordination and it contains some interesting history.  Enjoy a brief walk down memory lane.  On 10 November 1483 Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany.  After being frightened by lightning in 1505, he vowed to become a monk and was ordained as a priest 500 (and five) years ago in 1507.  On 31 October 1517, he posted the famous 95 Theses that started the Reformation. 

            Fast forward to 3 November 1817.  On the very edge of what is now Sevier County, very close to what many of us know as the location of “Forbidden Cave”, there was a German settlement at Bird’s Crossroads.  Henry Jacob Eli and Jacob Bird acting as officers for the church, purchased an acre of land for $2.50 near Jacob Derrick’s grist mill, and on that land was a meeting house called Saint James Lutheran Church.  Very few Lutheran pastors made it to the East Tennessee frontier, so most of the German descendants start appearing on local Methodist church roles by the late 1840’s. 

            Fast forward another 100 years before another the Lutheran church would again establish itself in Sevier County.  In the late 1950’s, Our Savior Lutheran Church was started in Gatlinburg. In the 1980's, Holy Trinity (now Celebration) was established in Seymour.  Then in 1994, a small group of Lutherans started worshiping in the wedding chapel at the Holiday Inn in Pigeon Forge.  They later purchased and worshiped in a home just off McCarter Hollow Road for 5 years.  On Christmas of 1999, they celebrated Christmas in their new sanctuary at 1610 Pullen Road.  Then in July 2006, I was blessed to become part of the history of this family of believers as their Vicar.  On August the 12^th, 2007, only one week after the 500^th anniversary year of Martin Luther’s ordination, the first Lutheran ordination in the history of Sevier County took place at Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Sevierville, Tennessee.  This was a wonderful day in my life and I am very pleased that you all took the time to make the 5^th anniversary of that event a wonderful day as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Portier  

Smoky Mountain Reflections

August 2012

            "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." .......on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This excerpt from the 16^th chapter of Matthew's Gospel makes clear who will prevail in the end—God and his church. We however must live in the interim—the time between God’s promise to redeem mankind, His fulfillment of that promise in Christ, and His second coming.  So what are we as His church to do in this interim? What does God call us to do in this in-between time?  We can rest assured that the victory is ours, the battle won.....but what about today? That is a big question to be addressed in one little reflection, but let’s give it a go.

            We should clearly live our lives to glorify God in all that we say and do. Seek to love God and our neighbor by living out His law as best we can and regularly seeking His love and forgivness when we fall short. But what does that look like for us as individuals and for the body of Christ, his church? Well for us as individuals, it is clearer than we may think.  It is not easy to do, but God’s will in our lives is clear—make God #1 in all that we say and do. Make weekly use of His gifts in Word, Sacrament, and rest. Honor the authority He places in our lives. Love, respect, and protect the life, marriage, reputation, family and property of everyone in our lives. As long as we keep His design for a peaceful God-pleasing life together as the standard, then the vocation (in the broadest sense of the word) that we choose can and will be in accord with His will.

            But how that looks for the church, while also quite clear in scripture, has become quite clouded and confusing in past decades.  Not just within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, but in wealthy western Christianity.  God's word clearly tells us that His church will prevail as noted above, but what that looks like in how we function as His church in the meantime has become a point of great discord and schism within the body of Christ.  Much of this discord can be summed up with the words "Church Growth".  I once heard a pastor say if you are not for church growth, what are you for? 

            If by church growth you mean an increase in the body of Christ, everyone is on board with that definition.  We can all celebrate together in the growth of the church while being careful to avoid defining success as numerical increase.  If that is a measure of doing the right thing, then Muslims and Mormons are doing the right thing.  However we as Christians must define success as God defines success.  Being steadfast and uncompromising in speaking the truth in love about who He is and what He did for mankind—that  is successful.  It is being the church by boldly and confidently doing what He calls us to do—proclaiming His word, administering His sacraments, loving Him and loving and serving all by caring for their physical and spiritual needs (not felt needs, biblically defined needs, food shelter, eternal salvation).

            If however by "church growth" you mean a body of formulaic practices that have developed in the past few decades focusing on individuals and using marketing strategies to bait them into your church, down playing or dismissing the importance of  all the church’s history and tradition.  Then many are not onboard with that.  While the church in many ways can be run as a business, it most certainly is not a business.  While Pastors or shepherds can and should have, and make use of, some leadership skills, we are most certainly not and cannot function as CEO's of the church. There are things that a good CEO must do for the good of a company that a good pastor could not and should not ever do as a servant leader for the good of the church.  And when these "Church Growth" practices call into question the efficacy of the Gospel by saying how we deliver the message is more important than the Gospel itself, it leads to statements that I have made myself. "I just do not want to get in the way of the Gospel.  Who am I to think I can hinder the Holy Spirit?  Who am I to think that my method is so important that God cannot and will not work unless my method is used?”  Oh little worm that I am, please never think such thoughts again. Those who like to focus on numbers as a sign of success often go to Acts 6 verse 7.  They often miss that right after that verse, Stephen was seized for his good work.  They often ignore centuries of church history where the true church was persecuted.  We should always be suspicious if the world is very approving of what we say and do as His church on earth.  Being in but not of the world is no easy task, but it is ours all the same.    

            God continues to use broken redeemed people to proclaim His Gospel, administer His Sacraments, and live out and speak the Gospel in the presence of the lost. God be praised that His truth prevails as matter of biblical truth.  His power is made perfect in our weaknesses. (2 Cor 12:9)  We should all be thankful that we are blessed with the privilege to take part in the spreading of His good news.

In Christ,

 Pastor Portier

Smoky Mountain Reflections

July 2012

            Communication......an amazing way God has given us to relay information from one person to another. 

The giving or exchanging and/or receiving of information and ideas, which comes in many different forms, some trustworthy and some suspect. We advise, announce, articulate, assert, commune, commiserate, connect, contact, converse, correspond, declare, deliver, disclose, disseminate, elucidate, express, link, mention, notify, publish, read, receive, reveal, talk, tell, transfer, translate, transmit, utter, and write so many things...... that our world is full of information noise and we often end up filtering more than we receive, sometimes even filtering very important information while spending long periods of time on mindless empty information just to take a break from all that endless information.... 

            We have become so good at communicating that we have developed lots of ways to communicate without even ever having to see or talk to each other. This long list of things which are designed to connect us often ends up sending us farther apart.  I write this reflection and it appears in about 90 printed paper newsletters.  It is also available in color at our church website.  I also post it on my blog while e-mailing a link to this blog to over 300 people and posting a link on Facebook as well.  I am sure that one day you will be able to write something and have it call everyone you want it to, and have it read to them on the phone or some mobile device.  Many books these days are available in audio form, read aloud by the author or a professional and pleasing foreign voice.  By my estimation, the different methods I use to send out this article give at least 1500 to 2000 people the direct opportunity to ignore it. Not to mention the multiple thousands that can ignore it online or if it appears in our local newspaper.  I am of course not complaining because I am sure that at least a dozen or so people give of their time to read over the words I so carefully and humbly put together.  And if where two or more are gathered is good enough for God to be present, how can I complain when dozens take time to ponder my words.

            I once read a comparison that noted that in the late 1800's, a person would process in one year the same amount of information most Americans process in a single day.  How much we process and how well depends heavily on numbers.  They are a big part of how we communicate. We see them on our favorite sports player’s jersey or race car driver’s car.  This is so we will know who is being discussed in conversation about the sport.  Numbers streamline and manage our world of communication. Phone #s, Social Security #s, Zip #s, P.O. box #s, street #s, not to mention that all of our electronic communications are all just 1s and 0s.  You may have noticed some symbols there as well (#)—numbers, symbols, words, phones, computers, newspapers, books, letters—all an amazing list of complex tools God gave us to communicate.

            But with all these great ways to communicate...are we drifting farther apart?  Are all these great methods and processes bringing us closer together...or driving us farther apart?  We do not have time for or make time for sitting down over a cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage). We do not have time for or make time for actually being physically present to visit that sick or lonely friend or family member.  We do not have time for or make time for a brief note, card, letter, e-mail, text or post to remember a friend or family member on a day when they need to be remembered. We do not have time for or make time for the niceties of etiquette in e-mails or text...saying hello, or sincerely yours...take time that could be better spent shooting off a dozen other short encrypted messages.  Is it possible that this 50-year old man laments some of the things that our society once held very important and now does not have time to waste on?  Well yes, but I too benefit from all the conveniences that high-speed abbreviated communication gives me...more time to spend on mediocre articles that some people might read :-), more time to spend with my loved ones, being together, being family as best we can, with God's help in this fast-paced world.     

            The most important piece of communication that exists comes from God.  He gives it to us in clear expressions of truth in His word, in His word rightly proclaimed, and in His sacraments rightly administered.  The amazing clear and lucid nature of scripture shows just how much he loves communicating with us.  There is no debate on what God's word says, only on how we apply His truth, or in some circles, if it even is truth.  This much is sure—God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten son for us. When this reality is communicated to us through the Holy Spirit, we crave communication with Him in worship, reading of His word and direct personal communication...prayer.

            Slow down and be selective in what you process. Take time to communicate with God today.  Lay on Him all your worries and concerns, thank Him for all that is good in your life, and ask Him for help to deal with all that is grievous or painful.  He is with you. He will answer. Trust the love He has communicated to you in word and deed.

In Christ,

Pastor Portier  

Smoky Mountain Reflections

June 2012

            This month I would like to share with you a few quotes of the past that are timeless in nature and very appropriate for our day and age.  These caught my attention in my daily devotions over the past few months.  As we seek to speak the truth in love to our society, we may feel this to be a hard task, but a task we are called to all the same as members of the body of Christ. That being said, I think these four quotes do a fine job of diagnosing the problem and acknowledging the one and only cure, as painful as it may be.  Even though these words are from around 100 and 500 years ago they ring with truth as if they had been written yesterday.

            The first is from an early 20th century Frenchman by the name of George Bernanos whose words I found in the Ministers Prayer Book on page 402:

            "Our heavenly Father said mankind was the salt of the earth, not the honey. And our poor world's rather like old man Job, stretched out in all his filth, covered with ulcers and sores. Salt stings an open wound, but saves you from gangrene." Georges Bernanos (20 February 1888 – 5 July 1948)   

            The other three are from one of my favorite writers, Martin Luther.  This past fall our adult Sunday School class went through the "Witness, Mercy, Life Together" Bible study, which was well received and highly recommended by those who attended.  One of the students, Gwen Cody, our volunteer church secretary, was particularly impressed by a quote of Martin Luther from our synod President.  He got this quote from "Luther's Breviary" a meditation for each day of the year.  Gwen was so impressed that it motivated her to obtain a copy for herself and in the process, she decided to bless me with a copy as well.  I have been enjoying the daily insights from Luther and share three with you here.

12 May: Psalm 109:4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.               

            "I teach the truth! For this reason they should treat me better and support me.  And yet they fight against me and use spiteful words to make me into an enemy of the entire human race. What is to be done? They can not bear good deeds so all this must be offered up to God and I must remain steadfast in prayer.  Alas, what sort of devout child is the world? It does not want evil, but cannot cope with good. So let me guess: What does this child really want? Hellfire! and the Devil as well! the Child struggles for this, and this will be its reward. And even if no further misfortune came about, would you not say that it was misfortune enough to have a heart that is obdurate, blinded and hardened, a heart that is incapable of seeing and hearing? Obdurate, I had to look it up (stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.) Harsh words but true in light of our society’s stubborn determination to call good evil and evil good!

4 May: Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

            "There are many people who wait to show God their particular goal, stipulate the time and the scope, and they do not hesitate to tell Him exactly how they should be helped. And if everything does not go according to the plan, they despair and seek help elsewhere. They do not wait on the Lord. God is supposed to wait on them and be immediately ready to hand and to help them only in the exact way they had so carefully mapped out for themselves. On the other hand, those who do wait on the Lord, ask for His mercy. But they still leave it to the good will of God as to when, how and where and by what means God should help them. They have no doubts as to whether they will be helped or not; nor do they give a name to the kind of help they want. They leave everything to Him no matter how long they may have to wait on His help.

6 April Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.            "Oh, how uneven our treatment is of that poor crowd of boys who have been given to us to guide and to instruct. And we shall have to answer as to why we do not introduce them to the Word of God. My advice is that nobody should ever entrust their child to an institution where Holy Scripture does not hold sway. Any institution that does not preach God's Word incessantly is doomed. Our Schools should form people who are pure and learned, so that they will become bishops and pastors and take lead in the fight against heretics and devils and the whole world. But where can such an institution be found? My great worry is that our schools will become the great gates of Hell, unless Holy Scripture is diligently practiced in these places and communicated to our young people." Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546). Wow! Try words like that in a school board meeting and you will be tarred and feathered.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed these hard-hitting words of truth from the past. Have a blessed summer.

In Christ,

Pastor Portier        

Smoky Mountain Reflections

May 2012

            Bees, flowers, graduations, brisk spring showers, cool sunny days, weddings, baby birds, and other furry baby critters…these are all images we associate with Easter and springtime.  A big part of the ceremony that usually accompanies spring, like at graduations or even weddings, is Pomp & Circumstance—what we called in the military "The whole Dog & Pony show".  So why do we do such things? Why do we put ourselves through getting all dressed up in clothes that are usually uncomfortable, spend long periods of time listening to long boring speeches or sermons usually given by someone we do not know and will probably never see again?  In my years as a military brat, a Boy Scout, as student & the parent of students, a sailor and now as a pastor, I have certainly spent much time in my life dressed in uncomfortable clothes, sitting on uncomfortable folding furniture while struggling to pay attention to another motivational speech on how to be a better _______. (Plug in the word that fits the ceremonial situation.) 

            Why do I find myself reflecting on weddings and graduations? Because I am conducting two weddings this spring and will be attending my third graduation this year, not to mention an Air Force officer commissioning.  It is certainly not out of the ordinary for a pastor to conduct weddings in the spring, however in one of these weddings, I will be both giving away the bride and conducting the service (pray for me).  It is also certainly not out of the ordinary for anyone to attend graduations in the springtime, however at the third  graduation, I will also be observing a young man graduate and later get commissioned, to whom I will be giving that bride that I mentioned earlier.  He is a young man whom I look forward to being able to call son.  So as I get teary-eyed even as I write this, I guess I have a love / hate relationship with ceremonies.

            I have a stack of certificates and a wall full of plaques from all the times in my life I have had a milestone marked by a ceremony of some kind, and I have attended dozens if not hundreds of similar occasions in the lives of friends and family members.  While I may lament getting dressed up or listening to longwinded speakers, I would also have to say I not only enjoyed but have only fond memories of most of the ceremonies I have been a part of or attended in the past five decades. (This is not to mention the celebrations that usually follow.)

            I think if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize the value of doing things right and doing them big.  We can all acknowledge that in most cases, the ceremony was not the point of whatever we achieved. However, it did serve to hold up hard work and success as a goal for ourselves and others to strive for.  We can also see that all societies, even primitive tribal ones, have ceremony and rites of passage to encourage and instill in the whole community the values that serve to keep a community safe, peaceful, secure, just and prosperous.  There is a strange parallel between healthy societies of the past and the efforts they took to uphold a code of ethics that in most cases looks and sounds a lot like the Ten Commandments.  I would suggest that God designed His creation to work well for those seeking to function in harmony with His will, so even when hard times come, they are able to push through difficulty using His precepts and the peace only He can provide.

            So even though I am often not excited about attending another ceremony (I got a lifetime’s worth of that in the US Navy), I am never disappointed when I go through the time and effort to adorn myself appropriately for the event because I appreciate what the whole process provides for societal values and stability.

            I must take a moment to differentiate between worship and ceremony. While all divine worship is ceremonial, not all ceremony is worship. I bring this up because we have civil ceremony and divine worship coming together in Christian weddings.  It is definitely good for a society to recognize and legally protect this divinely established building block for healthy communities and nations.  However, all non-worship ceremony is man-centered, while worship is and  necessarily must be Christ-centered.  This distinctly sets apart Christian weddings from all others.  Being legally married is a matter for the state and that is what the license is for.  In weddings conducted by other religions, the individuals are central, to the point of excluding the deity, giving him a wink, or prayer, or offering.  But a Christian wedding is two people acknowledging before God what He instituted in creation as a great gift. Those who are blessed to partake of this great gift get a small glimpse of what God’s pre-sin creation must have been like.  As in all divine worship, in a Christian wedding the congregation and the couple are served by God as His sweet Gospel is proclaimed, and all marital relationships are affirmed as a God-pleasing way to live our lives in accord with His will.

            So enjoy this spring’s weddings and ceremonies with a deeper understanding of their benefit and blessing in your life.