Nothing.

Oh well. In the breakfast room, the news reporters sounded pretty disappointed by the initial results.

But then after a month, the news was buzzing again. It's confirmed. There is water on the moon.

So now what? What does that tell us? What is the moon's message? I suppose some will see this as a step toward having a colony on the moon. It would be a lot easier if we didnt' have to transport a steady drinking supply from the earth. Of course, there's a cynical side to me that imagines having to slam a 5600 mph missile into a crater every time we need enough water to wash the dishes. I think we have a little ways to go before this leads to colonization.

You and I know that the moon tells us a lot more. God says that he put the moon where it belongs along with the sun to "

serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years," and to be "lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth" ( Gen. 1:14,15 ).

But the moon will one day have another message. Jesus says in Matthew 24, “Immediately after the distress of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

The moon will bear another message. Jesus is coming. Jesus is here. It's not going to matter how much water was found there. Jesus is coming. What a blessed sign it will be on the day. How thankful I will be to God for the moon when it announces what the whole Church eagerly longs for. Jesus is coming. We pray he comes quickly. For his great glory will be that he has saved you and me, and will take us to be with him.

Until then, the moon has its purpose. I don't know if we'll ever set up colonies there. But what does it matter? This world, the moon... they aren't our final home anyway. Jesus is coming, and we are going home with him.

That's exactly the question in Isaiah 49. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?" Ask the man on the street, and I would not be surprised if you were answered with a resounding "no!" It's one of those absolutes in life. Your mother loves you. Even if no one else loves you, even if you think your the most unpopular kid in the world, even if you have no friends at all, at least your mom still loves you. Forget you? It can never happen.

And then the horrible happens. In a town not far from Fort Wayne, a woman has been charged with putting her hours-old newborn into a dumpster. A mother decided that she wanted to forget her child.

God understands. He understands that we are searching for stability. He understands the basic, deep down, gut wrenching need to have someone, anyone, to love us. But he also understands humans. He understand sin. He knows its nature, more than we want admit or see. He knows that human beings are capable of all kinds of sin. A mother can ever decide to forget her baby.

But God again understands. He is our stability. He is our rock. He is the one who will never forget. "Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

He will not forget. He will not turn you away. God will never leave you in some alley dumpster. He will not decide that you're not worth the time or worth the effort. One glance at the cross is proof of that! You meant enough that he would give up his own Son Jesus to suffer and die for you.

I'm happy to say that the baby was found and seems to be doing fine. I pray that the child remains that way. I pray that the child's mother has a true change of heart, repents, and brings that sin to the foot of the cross. But I am especially thankful that you are kept safe too. God has not forgotten you.

Our prayers go up to God for all those affected.

We also give thanks to God that it wasn't worse than it was.  Sirens warned many who were able to get to higher ground.  Lives were saved because of warning systems set in place for just this very thing.  Give glory to God that it worked.

But we too are reminded just how frail our own lives are.  God once sent a flood, not with waves 15 or 20 feet high, but waters high enough to cover the entire earth.  Instead of counting how many people died, the destruction was measured by how many survived.  Eight in all were saved - Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.  And that was with a warning system in place!  For 120 years, Noah continued to build a giant boat in the middle of the land.  For 120 years, he was warning them that a flood was coming, and only God would provide a way out.  Noah and his family listened.  Everyone one else died.

I don't know why those 100+ people couldn't get away.  Maybe they didn't have enough time.  Maybe they didn't hear.  Maybe they didn't care.  It is our hope that they knew of their Savior before they left this world for the next.

Sudden or slow, our end is coming.  Do you hear the warning sirens?  God has promised never to use a world-wide flood again to destroy this world, but this world will one day end.  Chances are, your days here will end first.  Are you ready?  Do you know your Savior?  It is our hope and prayer that he finds you and reveals himself to you in his Bible, so that you may know that in the midst of destruction, you too may be saved.

Pastor Jansen

Father's Day often means let dad take a break from everything.

Well, I'm going to propose that you break tradition this year. Sure, make the day special for him. But how about letting him do the best thing that a dad can do? Let him lead his family in the Lord.

Instead of "Father's Day," make it an "Our Father's Day." Most people know Luther's Small Catechism with its six parts, one of which is the Lord's Prayer. But to go along with it, Luther also wrote the Large Catechism. It covers the same topics, only more in depth. The purpose of the Large Catechism is to be a tool for a father to teach his family the basic truths of God's Word.

This Father's Day, I encourage all fathers to review the Large Catechism on the Lord's Prayer, and take time on Sunday to teach his family again what it means to pray "Our Father." It would be a fitting way to thank our Heavenly Father for the dads that he has given us along with all his other blessings.

Pastor Jansen

How about you? If you were told you had to choose, would you decide to loose an arm or a leg? I would guess that your first choice would be neither! Wouldn't you explore ways to keep both?

That's how I felt at the Southeastern Wisconsin District Conference earlier this week in Milwaukee. Our dear Synod is in some dire straits, and it's not necessarily from poor planning. We had actually built up a sizable cushion ($3.4 million) to soften the blow from economic downturns. However, no one was prepared what happened financially throughout the world last fall. Giving has decreased due to job losses and diminished retirement funds. Regular and reliable contributions that were tied to the stock market are simply not there. While our cushion helped, we are still facing some serious shortfalls.

Two options were proposed. Shall we loose an arm or a leg? That might not even be an accurate picture. It might be better to think of it as losing a whole leg plus a hand, or losing a whole arm and a foot. One option look at our synodical schools (leg) on which our worker training stands. We provide some of the best qualified and Biblically sound teachers and pastors in the world. The other option looks at our missions (arm) with which we reach out to the world. One option proposed to balance our budget would be to cut 53 teaching positions at synodical schools (foot) and be able to keep them open, while defunding 38 missionaries (arm). That's 42% of our missions! The other option cuts 89 teaching positions (leg) and closing MLS, one of our prep high schools, while bringing home 27 missionaries (hand).

Which would you prefer? How about neither? Might this be a good time to take a good look at ourselves? Even in bleak financial outlooks for our nation, God has showered luxuries upon us, such is his love for us! Have we responded in kind? Is my giving regular? Is it proportionate to what I make? Does it reflect that God is first in my life? Can we as a congregation do more to support our Synod more than we are? Can we resolve to inform our Synod that they will have more to work with in the coming years so that we can soften the cuts that are coming?

I ask you to prayerfully consider these things for yourselves and your family. I have done and will continue to do the same. May God bless decisions that we make based on that prayerful consideration to the glory of his Name.

Pastor Jansen

But then something happened that made my shame hit home. I started to think about each of those scholarships being given out. Money for students who showed leadership in all sorts of areas. $150 for a Senior going on to MLC who excelled in music. $150 for a Senior who was not going to MLC, but who would be a strong lay leader in a congregation some day. These weren't just proverbial carrots dangled before the eyes of students to get them to achieve good grades and write good essays. These were acts of love. People had set up these scholarship funds to help and encourage students to advance in the ministry. These were people who were so thankful to a system that produced excellent students who know their stuff, and most importantly know their Lord. These are people who see pastors and teachres go out into our congregations, many of whom started their long road of education at this prep school. These are people who loved their God and loved their schools enough to find ways to keep giving.

26 acts of love. May we all be thankful for each one of them.

Pastor Jansen

Talk about a not-so-smooth criminal.

Since the raffle box had recently been emptied, they store owner didn't even bother chasing after the crook. He simply let him leave, found his raffle ticket (complete with address), and gave it to the police who found the thief at home.

Sometimes a criminal gives us a good laugh like that. We wonder how anyone could be so stupid. We point and chuckle, thankful that we aren't that senseless.

Or are we?

You would have a hard time convincing me that the Old Man in each of us is bright at all. Sure, there are some sneaky, crafty criminals. Sure, even people who don't break the law can become quite skilled in covering up their sins from others. But who of us can honestly believe that we can sin and escape God's notice? Who of us can believe that we can get away with anything from the Lord? The sinful self has to be utterly blind to think that it need not fear the wrath of God. That blindness has shown itself ever since Adam and Eve thought they could hide from God in Eden after the fall. God doesn't need a raffle ticket with our info to find us. He sees everything we do.

We are criminals too, and not very smooth ones at that. But God has chosen to do something amazing. In sending his Son Jesus to live, die, and rise again for us, he has paid the penalty for our sins. And because nothing escapes his notice, not a single one of our stupid sins ever gets by him, we know that he didn't miss any. God's not going to find some overlooked infraction against his law that Christ forgot about on the cross. He has saved us completely.

There's no need for theft here. He gives us that forgiveness freely.

Pastor Jansen

Is it?

What do we mean by those words? I think a lot of times, what we mean is that we forgive that person for what they have done. We want to take away the sting of their conscience and thell them that it won't be held against them. "It's ok."

Or perhaps what we mean is that it really doesn't matter. Two minutes for a meeting isn't a big deal. Angry words were met with angry words, so let's just call things even. Saying "it's ok" like that tries to downplay the problem. It's like telling someone "it's not a big deal. Don't let it get to you."

How can you tell which one someone means? Often you can't tell the difference. And if those words are taken to mean, "it's no big deal," there's a problem. The person feels bad. Hearing that they shouldn't feel bad doesn't make those bad feelings go away. Saying it's ok just sounds like a lie in that person's ears. If it were ok, then they wouldn't be feeling that way.

Here's a challenge for you. If someone apologizes to you, don't just respond with an automatic "it's ok." Tell them what you really mean. Christ has entrusted us with the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Tell them, "I forgive you." Better yet, tell them "in Christ, God forgives you." That will speak to the bothered conscience. That will bring peace for the soul.

And then, and only then, can things truly be "ok."

Pastor Jansen

Does a shepherd understand that?

This week, I am considering the words of Jesus who says that he is the Good Shepherd. What's more important? What's more valuable: the Shepherd or the sheep? Which would you pull out of harms way? Shouldn't it be the Shepherd?

But here you see the love of Christ. He throws himself between danger and his sheep. He lays down his life for us. Some other shepherd might think to himself "My human life is more important than the life of these animals." Some other shepherd would let the sheep perish for the sake of his own life. But not the Good Shepherd. God gives up his life for us.

Pastor Jansen

But the news has recently returned us to the reality of modern day pirates who still try to make waves on the water. U.S. snipers killed three pirates in order to free a ship captain on Sunday. The pirates have escalated their activity to try to show they own the waters. The latest headline says that the French Navy has captured 11 suspected pirates.  We'll keep an eye on what's happening, and pray to God for safe seas.

It's hard to imagine someone trying to hijack ships like that. But can you imagine anyone trying to hijack Easter?

It's been tried, you know. Shortly after Christ's death, his enemies feared that his disciples would try to steal the body and pass it off as a resurrection. So they pressured Pilate to post a guard to keep them away. It didn't work. Christ rose from the dead, and no detachment of soldiers could have ever held him.

But then his enemies wouldn't stop there. When the soldier reported about the earthquake and the angel, they were paid to tell lies about what had happened. Though we may not call them pirates, they tried to hijack Easter, stealing it from us, and leaving us thinking that we had lost.

We did not loose. Christ won the victory for us. And no pirates, past or present can ever take it away from us.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Pastor Jansen

But have you ever heard about an earthquake that didn't send people to their graves, but instead brought them out?

During Holy Week, there was an earthquake that usually doesn't get much attention. Matthew's Gospel says, "The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people."

Perhaps we never hear much about it because all of this sudden life is overshadowed by a much greater death. The quake happened when our Savior died.

Have a blessed Holy Week.

Pastor Jansen

That's right.  They want you to pay to pray.

According to their website, they use speech synthesizers to voice each of your prayers at given times throughout the day to keep you connected to God. "It gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget."¹ 

Are you kidding me?

Don't get me wrong. Computers are a great tool. Give thanks to the LORD for all the people who have contributed to the development and improvement of computer hardware and software. And sure, God never talks down technology in the Bible, especially technology that wouldn't be around for another 1,900 years. But selling a service that has a computer say your prayers for you isn't just silly. It's wrong.

Prayers are not just some collection of sounds that have some magical power to force God to action. Nor is God some kind of celestial slot machine - put in the right tokens, pull the lever, and good things will come out. And if God scolded his people for praying with their lips, but having their hearts far away, who would be foolish enough to think that prayer from a mechanical box is any better? Prayer is a precious gift from God, a way in which we can bring our concerns and requests, our praise and our thanks, all straight to the throne of God Himself.

And guess what? It's free.

Can you imagine if God treated prayer like your cell phone company treats your voice minutes and data plans? What if He charged 10¢ a minute for your prayers? What if you had a limit to how much you could pray a month, with 79¢ overage fees? My prayer life already isn't what it ought to be. I imagine it would be worse if I had to pay for it, even though I ought to be willing to pay hundreds of dollars per month, if that's what it would take.

Prayer is free. At least it's free for us. It wasn't free for Jesus. He paid a huge, one time fee for us to have this unlimited access to the throne of God. He gave his life to make us children of God and save us from our sins. Because of that, we can pray, "My Father, hear my prayer," and we know that he will.

Pastor Jansen

1. http://informationageprayer.com

That's how life is sometimes, isn't it? Things are going along smoothly. We're traveling paths that we have taken dozens of times before. Suddenly, it seems like the ground gives out from underneath us. What was safe before is now deadly. What was easy and sure is now difficult and scary.

Sinkholes in one part of our lives affect other parts as well. Like a bad traffic nightmare, everything seems to gridlock and come to a dead stop, and it feels like we just can't function. How can we get going again?

When I saw the newscast on Fort Wayne's sinkhole, a familiar song popped into my head. It repeats over and over the phrase "When I was sinking down, sinking down." What were the rest of the words? What was the song writer's solution to being in a spiritual sinkhole this Lenten season? "When I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul." Now there's some words worth repeating. "Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul."

Consider this: no matter what is going on in your life, no matter how terrible it may seem, no matter how devastating it may be to the way you usually function every day, it cannot cancel what Christ accomplished. It cannot undo his work, and it cannot break his love. He laid aside his heavenly crown to come among us, not because it would be an enjoyable trip, but to die for you. By his death, he has redeemed your soul from death. By his resurrection, he has promised you new life.

Pastor Jansen

But there's one bailout that I am not ashamed of. In fact, I am thrilled to see it.

Jesus bailed us out 2,000 years ago.

Can you imagine what it would be like if he hadn't? Oh, sure, we could try to dig ourselves out of the mess we're in. But we just can't do it. But Jesus stepped in, took all our bad debts (our sins) upon himself, paid for them, and gave us new life. When it comes to our salvation, thank God he didn't choose capitalism as his system.

Pastor Jansen