The Lutheran Hour: Sunday, June 23, 2024

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
The Lutheran Hour Bringing Christ to theNations. What are you into? Doctor
Michael Ziggler talks about pursuing personal passions, but cautions don't expect them to give
you, but only God can provide. Maybe it's your career or gardening,

(00:30):
golf or mountain climbing. Maybe it'sdiets or grandkids, or volunteerings, some
charity. All these things can begood, but they can't save you because
you were made for a trusting relationshipwith Jesus, for an adventure with his
people. Only He can save you. Doctor Michael Ziggler today on the Lutheran

(00:50):
Hour, and we'll get a previewof next week's program with guest speaker,
Pastor Keith Haverstock. Hi, thisis Mark Eischer. Thanks for making the
Lutheran Hour part of your week,and thank you for your faithful support.
To learn how your gifts and prayershelp to bring Christ to the nations and

(01:12):
the nations to the church, goto Lutheranour dot org now with a message
titled You're really into this, aren'tyou. Here's our speaker, Doctor Michael
Ziggler. This last May, Iwas at a pizza party, one of
those ends of the school year events. I'm sitting at a table with some

(01:32):
folks that I knew but didn't knowwell. So we talk about our plans
for the summer, about our jobs, about what we like to do we're
not working. But mostly the conversationfelt stilted, like it wasn't really going
anywhere. But then it happened.Everything changed when Bernie, a woman a

(02:00):
table with white hair and glasses inher late sixties, opens her mouth and
out comes the phrase D and D. Bernie said it to her adult daughter
Tammy, after I had asked Tammywhat she likes to do when she's not
working, and Tammy politely gives somegeneric answer, and Bernie elbows Tammy and
says, oh, and don't forget. We play D and D together with

(02:23):
our group on Monday nights. Dand D. If you don't know,
it stands for Dungeons and Dragons.I've never played it, but I hear.
It's a fantasy role playing game inwhich players imagine themselves as fictional characters
in a fictitious world, and oneplayer, called the dungeon Master, stands

(02:46):
sort of half in the game andhalf above it, something like a chief
story maker and referee. Who summonsand sends the others out on a campaign,
a campaign to fight battles or seektreasures and the like. Now,
if you were alive in the nineteeneighties, you might remember how D and

(03:10):
D came under attack by some conservativeChristian groups. They said the game was
dangerous, satanic. Even I rememberhearing about this as a kid, and
maybe that's partly why I never playedthe game. But over the last forty
years I have gotten to know severalpeople who do play, and they are,

(03:31):
for the most part, completely welladjusted, normal humans. Some are
even Christians, even some pastors Iknow that played D and D. So
honestly, I think that those fearsabout the game might be a little overworked.
Having never played the game myself,I asked Tammy and Bernie questions,

(03:54):
is it like a board game?How long have you played with your group?
What do you like about it?And I listened and I learned that
they are really into this. Theyderived such joy from playing the game they

(04:15):
spontaneously became evangelists for it, sharingthis good news with me, inviting me
in, not because they were groomingme to be some part of some sinister
subgroup, but because it was anactivity that brought them joy and community,
and they couldn't help but share it. Also, while they were sharing their

(04:39):
enthusiasm, I couldn't help but feela bit like an outsider because of the
terms they were using. The jargonshared history and stories went over my head
and I felt a little lost.But at the same time, their interest

(04:59):
kept me interested. So here's mypoint. I think that what we do
on this program every week is likethat, not because we're playing a game,
but because every week you'll hear meor a guest speaker talking about Jesus
and his campaign. And though wetry to speak in plain terms, we're

(05:21):
inevitably going to be using some insidertalk, hopefully not too much jargon,
but we are constantly referring to thisshared story that goes back thousands of years,
even stretches to the beginning of time, and as layers and themes and
characters with strange names, and sometimesit all sounds weird, but I also

(05:45):
hope that you can hear our joyin being part of a of a larger
story and community. Joy we cannotcontain. That makes us spontaneous, contagious
evangelists. That's inviting you in becausewe want to share what we've been given.
And of course it's different because it'snot a game for us. This

(06:10):
is life for us. And evenif you're not ready to receive it on
those terms, maybe there's something aboutour interests that'll keep you interested, at
least for a little while. Youknow, there was a time when this
thing, this Christian campaign, soundedeven weirder than it does today, two

(06:32):
thousand years ago, when conservative membersof Roman society viewed Christians something like conservative
Christians viewed dungeons and dragons. Inthe nineteen eighties, there was a moral
panic in Rome and a smear campaignagainst these Christian subgroups. People called Christians

(06:56):
atheists because they didn't honor the Romangods. They called Christians cannibalistic because they
talked about eating flesh and drinking blood. They accused Christians of engaging and incests
and orgies and dangerous superstitions. Butsomehow, not altogether different from how d
and ds survived the nineteen eighties,the Christian campaign has thrived through the centuries.

(07:23):
How did it happen? I thoughtyou'd never ask. I'll share just
a little bit from the Bible's Bookof Acts. The Book of Acts reports
the beginning of the global campaign ofthe crucified and risen Lord Jesus to take
over the universe and everything in it. It is a campaign, but not

(07:46):
with imaginary monsters and many figures anddice. It's a campaign but not with
drones or tanks or swords, butwith zealous evangelists and local subgroups convinced that
only the truth of Jesus' self giving, sacrificial love and forgiveness can save the

(08:09):
universe. One of the main charactersin the Book of Acts is a man
named Paul. Paul is Jewish,and he has come to believe that Jesus
is the long awaited Jewish Messiah,the Christ, the eternal son of God
who created the universe and will putit right again. So Paul, along

(08:31):
with some of his compatriots, areon a campaign. The story picks up
with Paul and his friend Silas what'stheir protege, Timothy, heading north along
the northwest coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They're just passing through because for some
undisclosed reason, they've been forbidden bythe Holy Spirit, their chief storymaker and

(09:00):
referee in this campaign. They've beenforbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the
word of God in that region.So they started into the next region and
attempted to go there, but thespirit of Jesus prevented them, so instead
they went to Troas, a cityon the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
That night in Troas, a visionappeared to Paul, a man from Macedonia

(09:26):
standing there, leading with him sayingcome over to Macedonia and help us.
And after Paul had seen the vision, straight away we got ready to go
to Macedonia because we concluded that Godhad summoned us to speak the good news
of Jesus to them. The nextday we put out to sea and set

(09:50):
sail from Troas on a direct voyageto the first island, and on the
next day to the second island,and from there Philippi, a major city
in the district of Macedonia and aRoman colony. We stayed in the city
for some days. On the Sabbathday, we went outside of the city

(10:13):
gate to the riverside, where wefigured we'd find a place of prayer where
the Jewish people in the area gatheredfor prayer. We sat down and spoke
with the women we had come togetherthere. One of the women there was
named Lydia, the city of Thyatira. She was a dealer in purple goods,

(10:37):
expensive cloth and such, and Lydiawas a worshiper of God. The
Lord opened her heart to pay attentionto be interested in what Paul was saying.
And after Lydia was baptized, sheand her household as well. She

(10:58):
urged us, saying, if youhave judged me to be faithful to the
Lord, then come to my houseand stay. And she prevailed upon us.
She persuaded us. Now it happenedlater as we were going back to
that place of prayer, we weremet by a girl who was a slave

(11:20):
who was possessed by a spirit bywhich she predicted the future, and she
made a lot of money for hermasters by telling fortunes. This girl started
following Paul and the rest of us, and she kept crying out, these
people are slaves, slaves of theMost High God, and they are announcing

(11:45):
to you all the way to besaved. And who knows what the people
of the Roman colony of Philippi thoughtwhen they heard this. Who was this
most High God? The girl wastalking about Zeus or Jupiter? And what
did it mean for them to besaved definitely not what the Jewish people thought

(12:09):
it meant to be saved, thatis, saved on the day of judgment,
saved when God comes to put theuniverse right again. Saved for Jews
was being found among God's people asheirs of the new creation, and not
to be saved, just to bedamned under God's judgment, separated from God

(12:30):
and from his people forever. Butthat picture being saved wouldn't have occurred to
the people of Philippi. Being savedfor them might mean being rescued from some
personal tragedy or calamity, or savedwith wealth and health or personal glory,
whatever it was that the people thoughtabout. When this girl kept shouting that

(12:52):
these are slaves of the Most HighGod, proclaiming to you the way to
be saved. After it had goneon for self several days, Paul started
to get annoyed, and he turnedand he said to the spirit, I
charge you in the name of JesusChrist, come out of her. And

(13:16):
it went out of her at thatvery moment, and so also went out
her master's hope of making money offher. So they grab hold of Paul
and Silace and dragged them into themarketplace to face the authorities. They brought
them to the city officials and said, these men are disturbing our city.

(13:37):
They are Jews, and they're advancingcustoms not lawful for us as Romans to
practice or to accept. Then thecrowd joined in the attack against Paul and
Silas, and this city officials orderedit to be stripped of their clothing and
beaten with clubs. And after theyhad been severely beaten, they were thrown

(14:01):
into the jail. Now the jailerwas commanded to secure them, and when
he had received this order, heput them in the inner cell and fastened
their feet in the wooden stocks.Now, in the middle of the night,
Aul and Silas were praying and singingsongs to God, and those who

(14:26):
were locked up in the jail withthem were listening tently. And suddenly it
happened such a great earthquake that thefoundations of the jail were shaken, and
the doors of the jail were thrownopen, and the shackles came undone.

(14:48):
And the jailer was jarred awake.And when he saw that the jail doors
were thrown open, he drew hissword and was about to throw it himself
on it to kill himself, becausehe thought the prisoners had all escaped.
But Paul shouted, don't harm yourself, because we are all here. And

(15:11):
the jailer called for lights, andhe rushed in, and terrified, he
dropped to his knees and he fellon his face before Paul in Silas,
and he led them outside, andhe said to them, sirs, what

(15:33):
must I do so that I maybe saved? And who knows what he
meant by being saved. Maybe hewas just asking, how do I get
out of this mess? Or maybehow do I find some peace and security

(15:54):
in my life, some solidarity,some purpose and meaning and reason for living.
Whatever he meant, Paul and Silassaid to him, believe trust in
the Lord Jesus, and you willbe saved, you and your household.
And they started speaking the word ofthe Lord to him and to all those

(16:19):
who were in his house. Andhe took them in that very hour of
the night, and he washed theirwounds, and he was baptized at once,
and all those who were with himbaptized, and he brought them up
to his house, and he setout food before them, a feast in

(16:44):
the middle of the night. Andhe celebrated with joy because he had trusted
in God, he and his household. Now it happened. The next day
the city officials sent the local policesaying, let those men go, and

(17:06):
the jailer reported this word to Paul, that the officials were releasing them,
and he said, so, nowgo and continue your quest in peace.
But Paul said to the police,they beat us publicly without a trial,

(17:26):
even though we are Roman citizens,and they threw us in jail. Now
secretly they're trying to throw us out. No, let them come themselves.
Let them come themselves and escort usout. So the police reported this message
to the city officials, and theofficials were afraid when they heard that Paul

(17:51):
and Silence were actually Roman citizens.So they came to appease them and they
escorted them out, asking them togo oh out of the city. But
coming out of the jail, Pauland Silas go in to the city to
Lydia's house, where they met withthe brothers and the sisters and encouraged them,

(18:17):
and then they went out. Vestfrom the Book of Acts, chapter
sixteen with a little color commentary.And I don't know about you, but
it makes me wonder why didn't Pauland Silas run away? Why didn't they
escape from the jail after the earthquake, And for that matter, why didn't

(18:40):
they mention the fact that they wereRoman citizens before they were beaten and thrown
into prison. And I also wonderwhat if the man that Paul saw and
his vision back in troas the manpleading for him to come to Macedonia and
help. What if that man wasthe jailer or looked like the jailer,
and Paul recognized him from the visionand he was just waiting for the right

(19:04):
moment to tell him. The Bibledoesn't say, but it does say the
reason why Paul and Silas were there, and it's the same reason, the
same campaign that drives us to dothis program every week. Two hundred years

(19:26):
ago, an enlightened European king saidthat in his kingdom, every man can
be saved in his own way.This is sort of the good news of
our time, isn't it that eachperson can be saved in their own way.
Bernie the woman who plays D andD with her daughter on Monday nights.
She's the eldest member of her Dand D group. She says that

(19:49):
there are some folks in her groupthat are even more into it than she
is. They are hardcore gamers.Bernie says, D and D is life
for them. Maybe it's their wayto cope, their way to escape,
their way to be saved. Maybeyou're not into D and D, but

(20:15):
it's your fantasy baseball league or footballor pickleball. Maybe it's your career or
gardening golf or mountain climbing. Maybeit's diets or grandkids or volunteering at some
charity. All these things can begood, but they can't save you.

(20:40):
You know, none of them willsave you, because you were made for
a trusting relationship with Jesus, foran adventure with his people. Only he
can save you. I asked Bernie, so what do you like about D
and D? She says, forme, it's just the idea of getting

(21:02):
to play with people that I've cometo care about. But D and D
isn't life for Bernie. Jesus is. Bernie and her daughter Tammy are followers
of Jesus. They've been enlisted inthis campaign to win everyone Jews and Gentiles

(21:22):
and hardcore gamers included. Sometimes Berniewears thought provoking T shirts. When she
plays D and D. Her favoriteone has a picture of a crown of
thorns across and an empty tomb.The caption reads, a lot can happen
in three days. She doesn't pushher faith on people at game night,

(21:47):
but she does show it by heractions and by the way she cares for
them. Bernie also says that gamenight can get pretty raunchy at times.
One night, she got caught upin it, and out from her mouth
slipped a single cussword, one ofthe bad ones. Everyone in the room
fell silent and shock. Bernie clapsher hand over her mouth, mortified at

(22:11):
what had just come out of it. And someone says, Bernie, I've
been waiting a whole year for youto say something like that, And Bernie
says, what can I say?I'm human. See, she can't save
herself. She knows who can.Something else came out of Bernie's mouth.
At the end of my conversation withher. It didn't slip out, but

(22:36):
shined like light radiating from within her. You could tell that she'd said it
many times and that she was reallyinto this. She said it's something that
they say at her church every timea new person is baptized, and if
you're not baptized, you might considerfinding one of our weird Christian subgroups and

(23:00):
campaign baptized. Child of God.They say at Bernie's Church, you are
loved by the Father, you areled by the Spirit. You belong to
Jesus and no one else. Amen. Amen. You're listening to the Lutheran

(23:26):
Hour. For free online resources,audio on demand and more, go to
lutheranow dot org. Now back toour speaker, doctor Michael Ziggler. Thank
you Mark. Today I'm visiting withPastor Keith Haberstock. Welcome. Pastor Keith.
Hey, thank you very much.Michael. It's good to be bored

(23:47):
well. Pastor Keith, you're callingin from Canada, and our listeners if
they were listening about this time lastsummer, they got to hear a message
from you. But if not,tell us again a little bit about where
you're calling from. Calling from FortMcMurray, alberta Lutheran Church, Canada as
a daughter church Lutheran Church, MissouriSenate. I'm in our most northerly congregation,

(24:11):
Trinity Lutheran Church. Fort McMurray's onthe map for two main reasons.
It sits in the area sits onthe third largest oil reserves in all of
the world oil sands, and becauseof that, everybody here up north is
connected to the oil patch totally.I ask people who they work for,

(24:37):
and I hope they'll ask me whoI work for, and if they do,
I say, I work for theguy who put all the oil in
the ground. And we'll see wherethat goes with conversations. The other reason
Fort McMurray's on the map is eightyears ago Canada's largest force fire evacuated ninety
thousand people from the city. Notone life was lost according with that whole

(25:06):
situation, and so ninety thousand peopleand the Lord took care of them all.
And so oil and fire and allright, not a good combination.
Oh yeah, fire, But theLord is faithful. So you're going to
be bringing a message to us nextweek on the program. And we're still

(25:29):
in our series on the Book ofActs. This is going to be on
Acts, chapter seventeen. So whatis something that the listeners could do or
consider to prepare their hearts to receivewhat God would have them? Here next
week on the Luther Hour. Yeah, I pondered your question, and thank
you for that. And this isgoing to sound odd, but here's a
question for people to ponder. Whatdo you think of dogs? What do

(25:52):
you think of dogs? Not catsand dogs, dogs, but Jews and
Samaritan dogs, Jews in Roman dogs, Jews and the gentile dogs. Because
this is what was going on inPaul's head and heart, and God Jesus
changes him. So our question iswhat do you think of dogs? Yeah?

(26:15):
Okay, so thank you. Sothis is coming from Acts chapter seventeen,
and Paul is going to be amongthe outsiders in a marketplace and he's
going to be striking up conversation withthem, all right. So we'll have
that on our minds as we prepareour hearts to hear what God has to
say to us next week. Greattaught by Jesus, trusting in his promises,

(26:47):
we are bold to pray our Father, who art in heaven, how
it would be thy name, ThyKingdom. Come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. Us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, aswe forgive those who trespass against us,

(27:07):
and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil. Resign is
the kingdom and the Power and theglory forever and ever. Amen, receive
the blessing of the Lord. TheLord bless you and keep you. The
Lord make his face shine on youand be gracious to you. The Lord

(27:30):
look upon you with favor and giveyou peace. Amen. Role playing fantasy
games inspire enthusiastic participation. So doesGod's mission. The Lutheran Hour is made
possible by faithful listeners like you.We rely on your prayers and gifts.
To learn how you can support theworldwide outreach of the Lutheran Hour, go

(27:53):
to Lutheranour dot org. This hasbeen a presentation of Lutheran Our ministries.