John the Baptist Points the Way!

Today (June 24) is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who was born just six months earlier than Jesus (December 24), according to tradition. Witnessing on the Jordan River about 29 AD, he baptized many, including Jesus. He proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His fame decreased as Jesus increased in popularity. John ended up executed because he criticized the government of his day.
I am not sure a movie could convey his message as well as the following altar painting from Colmar in the Alsace region of France, close to the German border.

Matthias Grünewald. Crucifixion (central section of the Isenheim Altar with closed wings). 1510-1515. Oil on panel. Musée d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France.

That elongated finger in the Gruenewald Altar painting says it all!

It's Official -- Summertime!

The clock has passed the magic moment, and we have entered Summer officially! Here in North Texas we probably thought we were already in Summertime with high temperatures over 100 degrees most of last week. The droughts nearby have also intensified the sense of Summertime heat. Temptations arise to pause in the shade and rest through the season. But, no, there is much still to do. Our culture no longer depends on cotton, so the old song "Summertime and the living is easy" just does not ring true. In air-conditioned offices and automobiles we trick our bodies into believing we can continue our regular pace. As a guy who remembers un-air-conditioned Summers, I am tempted to seek that shade and a slower pace, but much remains to do. So, I press on with my neighbors. Besides there are Summer Blockbusters to view! Plus, God, who came to the near year-long Summertime of Palestine for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, calls us even in the Summer to "Go!"

June 1: Interpersonal Wellness - 2

In June, the Interpersonal Wellness stuff gets practical. On June 2 -- Ascension Day, followers of the Lord are told to quit staring at the heavens where Jesus went. Instead the disciples headed for fellowship time, for Bible Study, and witness. (Acts 1 and 2) We Christians still gather for worship regularly to glance heavenward, to receive Christ’s gifts, and to be strengthened for life’s journeys, then we also go out from worship for fellowship time, Bible Study, and witness. By the 12th of June (Pentecost Sunday’s date this year), we are reminded of the gracious gift God has given all the baptized: the Holy Spirit. Again, not a gift to direct our eyes heavenward for long, God’s spirit stirs new gifts up within each of us to assist the community of faith to grow and thrive as well as to serve this world the Lord has created! The following week we are reminded of the ultimate Interpersonal Relationship: “God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.” Just as it takes all three Divine Persons dynamically touching our world and our lives, it takes all persons of faith to work together to present God to the world today. (And the 19th is also Fathers’ Day, a point of contact for many still.) Then the 25th of June, we could remember the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession – a celebration for the Lutheran fellowship of faith, a remembrance of a fellow-laborer in Christ and a friend of Martin Luther’s (Philipp Melanchthon) who wrote the majority of the Augsburg Confession, and thus helped frame the Lutheran understanding of our Christian Faith. Again, we do not have the Augsburg Confession merely to gaze at it or ignore it as a mere historical artifact, but the Confessions also inform our faith and practice, then sends us to gather with others for Fellowship, Study, and Witness!