Why Satan Works Like the Devil to Ruin Your Day

Picture day started off great. The girls were kindof excited, cause that’s what happens to girls on picture day, and they got up without too much hassle, got dressed and headed down for breakfast. I was still trying to nail-down what exactly I was going to do with Clare’s hair. We both had some ideas that had been discussed the night before. It involved braids and the Pinterest How-To didn’t look too bad, so I really DID think I could do it.

What the heck. I forgot my creativity goes no further than paper. Hair is NOT part of the package and I’ve known that forever. Why do I put myself in these situations?!
An hour later the girls had missed the bus, they were LATE for school, and I had been in tears most of the time, AND Clare’s hair looked nothing like we planned. In fact, after she got out of the van at school we took almost all of it out and I sent her into school with one braid and the rest of her hair looking like it usually does. I was SO mad. I was spitting fire and all kinds of other things I shouldn’t have been saying in front of my kids. All of it was about me being an idiot. So not only was Clare heading to class without a cute hairstyle, she was carrying all my baggage about how incompetent I am.

Not cool.

The day pretty much went downhill from there. See, I had just returned the day before from an awesome weekend in Minneapolis. And as inspiring and energizing as that had been, the first day back from a long weekend doesn’t go smoothly. I was playing catch-up and didn’t have a good plan and man I was crabby after the picture-day-fiasco.

I can’t even remember what additional incident I complained about to a good friend that afternoon when she wisely pointed out (as she often does), “Dude, It’s the Devil.”


Oh wow she was so right. The weekend had been SO amazing, Satan was working his tail off to get in my way and bring me down.

Some of you know mid-September brought the opportunity for me to do a workshop with one of my talented brothers, working with Team World Vision runners. Brother is stationed in Minneapolis as Twin Cities Area Team World Vision Events Director (except since then, he has been promoted to Team World Vision Manager of Operations! Woohoo!!). I headed up there for a weekend and we worked with a group of runners to help them tell their story. Brother and I have discovered on our journeys, this truth: life and its truths are not a series of bullet points, but are narratives with the power to make change. He saw the opportunity to share this with his runners and help them harness the power of their own stories, to help bring access to clean water to communities on the other side of the world.

Every single one of us has a story that we've lived, that's taking us to the next place. Knowing your story will help you better understand yourself, and I dare say, your Savior.

That weekend I had the rare opportunity to “chillax” (as 7-year-old Clare says) with my brother and sister and sweet nephew and niece. I was privileged to worship with a dear friend and Sister-in-Christ. I learned so much about myself as a presenter and even more about my own story. I met people who are sacrificing their own comfort for the sake of those suffering in another world - people they don’t know and will probably never meet. There was so much Truth to my weekend I could barely process it all.

Enter: Satan.

Oh, man, he was bound and determined to do everything he could to subtly get under my skin and make it so I put all of that fabulousness away. All that stuff about the Holy Spirit leading my words, and about sacrifice, and about people believing in each other as change-makers.


And he probably did do some damage. After all, a week later, harvest would begin. I would be swamped with duties of work and family, and writing would have to get in the back-seat, except tractors don’t even have a back-seat. I would find myself thinking that that my current usefulness ended when I walked off that plane. Put your ministry stuff away. You don’t have time for that right now and you don’t have anything to offer anyway.

He’s such a jerk.

The truth is, I am at peace with God and He has given me the work of helping others find peace with Him too. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting men’s sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore God’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.
2 Corinthians 5:18,19

The truth is, our stories comfort. 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
For just as the sufferings of Christ
flow over into our lives,
so also through Christ
our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5

The truth is, the Spirit works through us. 

But thanks be to God,
who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ
and through us spreads everywhere
the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
2 Corinthians 2:14

The truth is, the devil is my enemy. He is tricky and a liar and loves to gain the upper-hand, even if just for a minute. His goal is for me to feel incompetent all of the time. His goal is for me to lean on myself instead of the story and person of Christ’s saving grace. 
Constant. Saving. Grace.

This time of year is always tough. But my story continues to develop anyway. No matter what spots I find myself in: not trusting, not following-through, not giving thanks... God’s strength is constant and faithful and not dependent on me AT ALL. And when I wake up the next morning and start over with his grace and mercy, my story will reflect that and be a comfort to someone else who needs to see how great His mercy is.


So take that, Satan.

Finding God Right Next to Me

As my summer kicks off, I realize I am not the same person I was a year ago. Sure the basic stuff has stayed the same - I love dark chocolate and writing (put them together and I’m in heaven); my house is almost always on the verge of total disaster-zone; and my fashion sense is non-existent.  My life probably looks the same too.  Raising amazing kids, married to my hard-working sensitive husband, and working part-time on my dad’s farm.

But the way I see things is very different, and it has everything to do with this phrase:

When we are at the edge of ourselves, God shows up.

photo credit: Aaron D. Feen via photopin cc

Last week I was privileged to attend my first writing conference, the Write To Publish Conference in Wheaton, IL.  Christian writers, editors, and publishers from all walks of life gathered together to share, encourage, and enlighten.  Evenings were graced with joyful messages from Pam and Bill Farrel - authors and speakers who have over 3 decades of marriage and over 2 decades of ministry and publishing experiences to inform their ministry.  (Check out their books on relationship!)  They are a hoot to listen to and definitely gave me a few things to think about.  

When Pam said “When we are at the edge of ourselves, God shows up,” my heart and soul burst with agreement.  The last few years have really driven this home for me.  I’ve faced some painful moments, and the less of myself I could count on… the more of Christ I was forced to lean on.  

When we are at the edge of ourselves, God shows up. 

Actually He’s always been there.  He’s so consistent and perfectly faithful to His children.  His love never fails.  There is no doubt He is right alongside us.  

But when we are at the edge of ourselves, looking out over the brink (our own strengths and confidence like gravel under our feet), our eyes darting desperately seeking the help of something greater than ourselves….  We find Him. 

When we are at the edge of ourselves, God shows up.  We couldn’t see him before, because we were in the way.  

Like a blurred photograph, out of focus because of our rush.

Like a dirty, streaked window covered with fingerprints and lipstick kisses, puddle splashes from recklessly speeding away.

Lost in a crowd of ourselves, our multiple personalities and vocational positions filling up the room, the sound of our ego deafening. 

One by one our important endeavors, fancy skills, and self-declared strengths can’t finish the job.  Misfortune is too shocking.  Mistakes too frustrating.  Messes too overwhelming.  

We are at the edge of ourselves.  Nothing left to solve our problems or get us out of these too-often self-imposed disasters.  

Then we are forced to look up.  We are forced to look outside of ourselves and see the One who has faithfully been waiting for the prayer, “God, help me.”   

Whatever it is inside us that the Holy Spirit can work with, He moves the heart to turn.  He brings into focus the mighty God who loves us and whose strong arms will hold us when we feel like we’re falling.  

And God shows up. 

A year ago I was not so willing to look outside of myself.  I didn’t know what it was to desperately seek the eyes of God.  I’d yet to experience truly frantic need.  

Since then I’ve seen God up-close and I’m much happier leaning on His strength than mine.  I’ve experienced the Peace that He offers, that makes no sense other than the rationale of His promises.  Furthermore, I know I will fail to be consistent and strong.  But I know He will always show up when I turn to Him and admit there’s too much of me and not enough of Him.  

When we are at the edge of ourselves, God shows up. Thanks, Pam, for that reminder.  

Have you experienced this desperate edge? Have you experienced the peace that makes no sense? Leave a comment, and encourage someone else with your story.

When Our Feelings Are Hard to Live With: Angie's Story

Today is Hearts at Home's monthly blog hop. If you'd like to know about Hearts at Home (it's a great organization with a life-changing yearly conference), go here.

Take part in today's blog hop by checking out the other blogs involved! Today's theme is Love Your Feelings. This is a reflection of the 2014 conference theme Love Your Life. Moms, you have one more day to sign up to get the discounted registration price. If you've never been before, I highly recommend it. You can read more about why I love Hearts if you click here.

Love your feelings?

Ugh.  So often I don’t.  

But I feel like due to today’s Hearts at Home Blog theme, I have to tell you about a time when I listened to my feelings.  I respected my feelings.  And eventually I came to love the whole mess of it. 

I was pregnant with our second.  Less than 6 months along, when I started feeling a certain way. 

Panic.  Desperate.  Anxious.  Laying awake wondering.  

How was I going to do this?  

How was I going to maintain my full-time job and also have 2 little ones at home?  

How was I going to keep it all going?  I was barely doing it with just one. 

I knew it was possible.  Lots of women were doing it.  My friends.  My co-workers.  Women I respected.  How did it work for them?  It was not working for me. 

But there was no way I could quit my job.  I had to keep working.  There was no way we could afford the house with only one paycheck.  Brad had only been self-employed now for a couple years and we were still a little nervous about steady work (even though he had stayed busy so far).  What was I thinking?  This was just crazy. 

But one day when we were driving somewhere - it’s always easier to have these difficult conversations in the car, right? - I just broke down.  I fell apart.  Sobbing I said to him, “I can’t do this.  I can’t go back to work after this baby is born.”

I’ll never forget that moment.  It was so clear to me that something had to change.  I didn’t know how it would possibly work.  I had no idea how we could make this happen.  But I had to be honest about the way I felt.  

My husband was sympathetic, but probably mostly because I was super-hormonal-pregnant-lady.  He really thought I was nuts.  He had no idea how this could possibly be a realistic conversation.  But clearly we were having it anyway. 

I started looking into taking a leave of absence at work.  I started searching for options.  We bounced ideas off each other.  

Then one day he called on his way home and was telling me about Grandma and Grandpa moving to the nursing home.  And what would become of their house?   Their kids didn’t really want to sell it right now.  Would it just sit empty?

Without thinking, I joked we should move into it.  He was working nearby there so often.  We could just move home.  

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.  And then he said thoughtfully, “Yeah…..?  Hmmm, that could work.”

I was floored.  He had always been so committed to the house we were in.  It was our dream home.  A big four-square fixer-upper in the country.  What we’d always wanted.  We loved it.  But now he was opening up to the idea of moving… so I could stay home with our kids?  It was the craziest thing I’d ever heard.  And it felt like a miracle. 

As plans started to unfold, the picture got clearer.  My feelings were being heard.  I had the clarity I had been praying for.  

Clare Elizabeth was born in May.  While I was delivering, the couple interested in our house called again.  They wanted to come back for a second visit.  

We sold for a profit in July of 2007.  3 months before the housing market crashed.  Before the economy fell apart.  Before things got scary.  We used the money to pay off our debts.  And we moved into a tiny house way too close to family.  (That’s another story.)  

Now, there are some more great elements to the story that follows.  But I don’t want to mislead you.  It wasn’t ideal really.  The house was super little.  The transition was brutal.  The rest of the story is actually crazy and it has been a roller-coaster ride.  Much of it has been recorded on the pages of this blog.  But those feelings that I listened to - they ended up giving me a clarity I had never had.  They were there for a reason.  God was constructing a path for me to do something I had never thought was possible.  It was opening up in front of me, and responding to it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Rarely does a day pass when I don’t think of the emotions that led me to become a more available mom to my kiddos.  

That day - those months - I did NOT love my feelings.  I loathed them.  They haunted me.  I fought with them.  They persisted.  I stared blankly at the ceiling wondering if there was any escaping the feelings that gripped my heart… or the tough decisions that would have to be made. 

But now when I look back?  I love those feelings.  I love that they stalked me day and night and wouldn’t be ignored.  I love that God placed them on my heart and gave me sound wisdom from wise women I cried to.  I am thankful for the feelings that changed my life.  For the whirlwind of emotions that birthed clarity when the clouds parted and the wind died down.  These days, I love the whole mess of it.  

Why does loving our feelings always seem to be messy business that isn’t that fun and requires admitting hard things or change?!  If you know the answer, please share!

12 Messes that Made My Christmas "Perfect"

12. The weekend of Thanksgiving I was swamped.  But my girls (9 and 6) were ready to decorate.  So I let them.  It kept them busy for an afternoon.  Turned out they did a great job.  I love the way they put the greenery on the banister.  Plus my eldest came up with a cool place to put our stockings above the fireplace even though we don’t have a mantel yet.  I let go of the control and the results were great.  Praise the Lord.

11.  Snow. Lots of snow.  Well, up until like the day before Christmas.  While it lasted, it forced us to take our time when we left the house.  Made my kids smile.  Very festive.  These are good things. 

10.  When I finally got the tree up, it stood there for a week with ⅓ of the lights not working.  Finally got the tree lit and brought the ornaments up from the basement.  Eddie dumped most of them on the floor before I could get around to hanging them.  That day when the girls got home from school I told them to put the ornaments on the tree.  Results = room got picked up and tree got decorated.  Double score. 

9.  My siblings and I couldn’t make a decision about gifts this year.  Exchange?  Homemade gifts?  Nothing?  While this felt a bit stressful at first, it resulted in some [hilarious] phone conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.  It allowed each of us to peer into one another’s lives and connect in a way we hadn’t in a while.  Thankful. 

8.  Somehow managed to neglect putting our nativity up.  Finally remembered like 4 days before Christmas.  This year the 3 year-old is being trusted to not destroy it, so for the first time in his life I put in down low.  This meant he could help set it up.  To my delight, he took great care with the pieces, crowding them all around baby Jesus, as they gaze upon him in wonder. 

7.  Watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas with my 3 year old almost daily.  I pulled it out at the beginning of the month and he took to it right away.  Since then he has watched it.  And then watched it again.  And again.  Good things about this:

a. Get to hear Linus orate Luke 2 in the middle of my day.
b. Eddie thinks the whole movie is hilarious, so I get a lot of 3 year-old laughter.  Always great.
c. He’s been saying “Oh Brother” just like Charlie Brown does about Sally, but about his own family.   

It cracks me up. 
d. The other day we were snuggling while watching it and I realized: these opportunities are here on a 

limited-time basis. 

6. I still had Christmas shopping to do 2 days before Christmas.  But if I didn’t, then I would miss out on the annual Finish-It-Up Shopping Trip with my Mom.  We usually spend most of a day and night scrambling to get done either the 22nd or the 23rd.  Typically there are a lot of laughs and we get some good deals.  This year was no different.  Loved it. 

5.  Never got around to putting together a Christmas card.  That was a bummer, but it’s not like I had an AMAZING picture ready to go.  We tried to do pictures of our family and/or our kids on at least 4 separate occasions.  Nothing really spoke to me.  Upshot: Probably saved a solid $50 and I’m not scrambling to use every “spare” minute to finish addressing envelopes. Plus I have some hilarious pictures of my kids. 

4.  For the first time in 4 Christmases, our family was healthy.  #4 on this list is not ironic at all.  It’s just straight up - I’m so glad no one in my immediate family vomited this year. 

3. I put about $150 worth of gifts on a credit card.  The great thing about this is that ALL THE OTHER GIFTS WERE PURCHASED WITH CASH.  This is a huge deal and, while I didn’t make it 100%, it was still groundbreaking for us.  This is the first year we really followed thru on the thing we’ve been talking about doing for the last 10 years.  I highly recommend it.  

2.  T’was the night after Christmas and my kids were up till 10.  Could be worse, but I know we will pay for it tomorrow.  The thing is, we got home, and even though my kids were exhausted, they started playing really nicely together with some of their new toys.  ALL 3 OF MY CHILDREN.  Talk about a Christmas miracle.  Husband and I looked at each other like, uh, do we break this up or just wait for the meltdowns to begin?  We opted for an escape into the bedroom with our computers, pajamas, and some uninterrupted conversation.  It was crazy!  Eventually the 3 year old came in rubbing his eyes, and I headed upstairs to get him tucked in.  The girls came up shortly after - WITHOUT ARGUING - and everyone was asleep within 20 minutes.  Tomorrow morning we may have a crabby crew, but it might be worth it for the peace on earth that existed in our house for 40 minutes tonight.  Perfect way to end our day.

1.  It’s been a really tough year.  But when relationships survive the havoc life wreaks (and pretty much all of my relationships have been sustained, by the Grace of God), those relationships come out stronger.  Those people emerge closer and more thankful for what they have sitting right in front of them.  Not for what might be waiting around the corner.  Not for what they wish for this New Year’s Eve.  They thank God for what they have and hug it tighter and love it more.  Thank you, Jesus.

Saturday Morning Love

My house is a disaster. Working so much has seriously taken its toll around here.  But it's warm and beautiful nonetheless. The soft carpet under my feet, radiates thru my tired body and gives me comfort. I have a working dishwasher and washing machine to clean the piles that surround me. There is good food in the refrigerator for us to eat at mealtime. 

I am grateful. 

My kids are in their pajamas. Hair knotted, overdue for baths. But they have found each other today. First wrestling on my bed. Now gathering pieces for a tea party. The oldest made eggs. Yes she is mad they won't build a tent with her, but it will blow over. They have warm clothes to put on and very little schedule to abide today. They have watched almost no television on this Saturday morning. 

I am grateful. 

My husband has a million things he needs and wants to do. He wrestles with where to start and he feels overwhelmed. But he has his health and his options and a truck that runs and a job. 

I am grateful. 

I am grateful for my first world problems. I appreciate the ability to think thru my challenges, to talk out the disputes, and the loving friends I can lean on. 

Today it is easy to see that my problems are wrapped in blessings. I pray that on days when it feels much harder, God will comfort my heart with the knowledge he grants me today: I am grateful. 

About Fear

Here is me walking along with my plans and my intentions and I want everything to be neat and tidy. 

I've got my lists and my calendars and it makes me feel better. 

Especially as I enter into a new school year. Or new circumstances. Or a new season...of life.

photo credit: dlemieux via photopin cc

Well, that's what I want to do. The reality is, when I'm really struggling with fear I can barely get to work on time, let alone plan out my day. I walk around my life seeing things that need to be done, but feeling bound and gagged. I start desperately looking around for something I can do to fix this - a plan, an answer key, a flow chart. A list, a system, a fix.

But nothing lands. 
I grab for them and they crumble in my hands. I'm still lost. I can't lean on my lists or my plans, for security. The rug has been pulled from beneath me. Now I'm even more afraid.  I'm still falling thru mid air with no safety net to catch me. 
I can't stomach the ride.

What can I do?

"You aren't helpless," he said to me. "You have the help of the helpless."

I don't think it's going to be a magical moment where all the sudden I’m not afraid anymore. 
It will be hard work to cling to God’s promises. 

It will be gradual.

It’s going to require moment-by-moment responses to his promises.  It’s going to mean feeling uncomfortable and having to settle into this new reality.  
My new normal: not being in control.

Clinging to God’s promises in the midst of fear is all I have left.  And it is serving me well.  There have been a few specific Bible verses that I desperately hold onto in fearful moments.  

I re-read them over and over.  

I repeat them in breathless moments when I’m frantic for peace.  

Sometimes I cry them out.  Sometimes I just stare at them and ask God to wrap them around my heart.  

I want to encourage you to cling to God's promises in the midst of your fear.  Here are some Bible verses serving me well. 

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:10

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perpelexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-9,16

Do you have a go to verse or prayer in the midst of fear?Have you felt the desperation of losing control of your circumstances?  Do tell!  Sharing could mean encouragement for someone else struggling with this today.  

Feeling Good Devotion - Published!

Today I am thrilled to share the link to my devotion published on Christian Devotions! So privileged to get to share my trials and thoughts with a bigger audience today. Hoping it can be of use to readers!  So much to boast about in Christ!

Feeling Good - Angie Wagner

…let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me… Jeremiah 9:23

Gonna be a good day. I picked up the toothpaste. The image in the mirror boasted back at me: “Not a bad hair day. Rested. Nice to not be in too much of a hurry.”

My mind hopped around and settled on a struggle my friend had confessed to me................

.............. read the rest on on http://christiandevotions.us/feeling-good-angie-wagner/

And leave a comment there if you can relate!

I'm Not Sitting Alone

I’m sitting in a tough moment.  

Been there?

This current struggle does not happen and then go away.  It follows me everywhere.  Especially in quiet moments.  Whether I am lying in bed trying to go to sleep, or driving down the road with fewer children than normal (hence the silence), or sitting in the peace of the morning before my family wakes up.  I’m sitting in a tough moment in my marriage. 

Praise the Lord, I have been given some wise counsel.  I have a good book right now that I think is helping and a few friends I can lean on.  I have plenty of resources.  

And when someone suggests something or the book instructs a behavior that I am unsure of, I ponder it and weigh the possible outcomes. 

So there is a suggestion for me to ask my husband a question and I’m sitting here trying to decide if I should.  The question is: How have I hurt you?

I have lots of good reasons not to ask him this today.  I don’t want to bother him, or risk the day we have planned.  I don’t want him to have to think about me like that, when we both seem to be in a good mood and we are going to spend time with our kids.  I don’t want to stress him out.  

And let’s be honest.  I don’t want to him think about how I’ve hurt him. 

Are these good reasons not to ask?  The answer to this question is really something I need to know and we need to talk about.  I suspect Satan is disguising himself as a non-confrontational peace-maker here to keep me from doing what I need to do.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:37-39

The verse I’ve been leaning on the last few days solidly stands before me.  I meditate on it.  Why is this verse of so much comfort to me right now?

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Much more than conquerors, much more than just the winner of life over death.  Christ earned salvation for us, but there is even more!, as Paul writes in Romans 8.  The bottom line is not only did we win this incredible gift... but we also get all the extras (dive into Romans 8 to learn more).  

But the best extra - the most amazing part to me today - is that we get the love and companionship and attention of our God and Savior.  

I know that my God is sitting right next to me in this tough moment.  

I know that He won’t leave me and that he is encouraging me and patiently loving me.  

I know that He is leading me and when I ask Him for wisdom He will guide me.  

I know that He will forgive me for all the stupid things I will say in this tough time and He will cry with me when I’m frustrated.  

When I seek Him, He will answer.  When I pray, He will listen. 

I am so comforted by the faithfulness and devotion of my God.  “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So thankful. 



Have you found peace in a storm because you could feel God’s presence?  

photo credit: jenny downing via photopin cc

Christ in My Every Day

Sunday I had the privilege to speak at the church where I grew up – where I was baptized and confirmed and learned to love worship.  I like to write based on scripture, so my starting point was the readings for the day.  The Gospel was Luke 4:14-21 and the Epistle reading was 1 Corinthians12:12-31.

I’ve linked the readings if you’d like to give them a read.  I like to write about how scripture connects to everyday stuff.  It seems to me it’s important for us to understand where we fit into the big scheme of things.  Here's some of what I gleaned from Sunday's passages.

Picture this:  Jesus is in the synagogue and he stands to read.  This was normal, especially for someone who had earned the respect that Jesus had.  He was eligible to read the scripture.  So he opens the scroll, finds his place, and begins to read from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

(By the way, it was totally normal for the teacher to be seated while teaching.  I always think that part seems weird.)

So he sits down and verifies what some had to be wondering.  He says – I’m the guy.  I’m the guy here to bring good news, to proclaim freedom and to release the oppressed.  This is it.  Liberty from sin comes thru me!

Pretty cool.  Huge deal.  But I tell you what, usually when I read this passage and he talks about the poor and the prisoners and the blind, I think of – well - the poor, the prisoners, and the blind.

But is that who he was talking about?  No.  Of course not.  He’s talking about all of us.  He’s talking about the financially wealthy, and the financially struggling.  He’s talking about clean records, he talking about felons.  He’s talking about the imperfect bodies we all have.

We are the prisoners – trapped in our sinful behaviors.  We are the blind, blind to the important things in life – blinded by our selfish desires and our pride.  We are the poor.  Without the love that Jesus brings into our lives, we have nothing.

So Jesus is the liberty we need desperately.  And that is established here.  Praise the Lord!  Great passage!

Shows over!  Have a great day, everybody!

Well, you can leave it there if you want.  We’ve been baptized in this spirit and we do have the liberty from sin that we so desperately need!  It’s a joyful thing, when you really face your guilt and your sins and put them on the cross.  We can come clean with Christ everyday and trust that He cleanses us and… and then what?

Until you really apply this stuff to the life you’re living, it’s just something we talk about at church once a week.

I’m not here with a “faith by works” message.  But I would like to share with you something that I think is almost as exciting as the freedom that Christ announces in Nazareth.  It’s called The Body of Christ.

There are a lot of aspects of the Body of Christ and I’m sure you are quite aware of many of them.  Today in our reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about the differing roles of the people in the church.  The church in Corinth seemed to be having some trouble.  They were elevating those who had certain jobs and considering those jobs more important than others in the church who might just have “regular” jobs.  So Paul goes to great lengths to explain that a body is made up of all these different units and all those units have to work together to function as one body.  This metaphor is clearly about the body of Christ and how it works.

Martin Luther explained this aspect of our lives with what he called The Doctrine of Vocation.  We tend to think of vocation as a job we go to, but Luther uses the word in an expanded way.  Our vocation is our calling – what we do in our lives.  With the talents and skills and positions that we are given, we have a vocation.

What is your job?  The place you occupy in the present - that needs your attention now.  God has you here TODAY because he has a job for you here TODAY.  This is your vocation.  Parent.  Spouse.   Student.  Truck driver.  Stay-at-home-mom. Whatever you are doing these days.  We hopefully have goals for the future too, and those should not be ignored.  But God has you in a job today, for a reason.

So that's a big deal to me.  Because it gives a lot of meaning to changing diapers and wiping noses.  And it means that the missionaries and pastors aren't the only ones doing "God's work."  I am too.  

See, the bottom line with this vocation stuff from Luther is that it helps us to put into practice what God commands us to do.  We can’t keep the law perfectly, so Jesus took the punishment for that.  But he still sums up how we should live our lives by commanding us to do 2 things:

Love your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind;
And love your neighbor as yourself.

This sounds fabulous.
And really intimidating.  
Certainly, we don’t uphold it as we should.  

But Luther’s idea about vocation can help us to see how the world is set up so that we can serve God and one another as God has asked us to.

We were created, whether we like it or not, to be a part of a community.  Some of us enjoy community more than others, make it more a part of our lives than others do.  That’s fine.  Community can be found in many places, whether it’s within our families, at the Lions Club, or at work.

How we see ourselves in the midst of these communities is the key.  The way Luther lays this out has literally changed my life and the way I see myself and others.  I love it.  I first read about this in-depth in a book about Lutheranism called The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith,Jr.

So Luther describes our occupations as being the 'masks of God.'  Things like parents, and farmers, and people in sales, and secretaries, and management of the factory up town, and moms and dads – "God is working thru those jobs to provide what we need."  Remember, God is not a distant God.  He is very involved.  Veith cites Acts 17:28 and Matthew 10:29 then explains it this way:
"God governs and is intimately involved in everything that He has made, that is, everything that exists" (92).

So these jobs people have are a way that God provides.  He "gives us our daily bread" through the economic system that exists here; He "heals the sick" with nurses and doctors and science; He "protects us from evil" with police officers, judges, and the military men and women that serve; He teaches us, he orders society, he creates beauty – thru people.

Which means that we depend on others.

And that in turn means, others depend on us too.  Other people are blessed through us and our daily lives,
and furthermore, when others serve us in some way, they are doing God’s work too.

This is community!  Veith points out
– “God ordained that human beings be bound together in love, in relationships, and in community existing in a state of interdependence (93).

Luther says it this way – “God bestows all that is good on us, but… you must work and lend yourself as a means and a mask to God.”

So what is your vocation?  The doctrine of vocation is built on the idea that we all have a calling of some kind.  This calling is based on skills and talents that we have.  As Paul says, some of us are teachers, some of us are administrators, some of us are healers.  We have to look at ourselves honestly and recognize what gifts God has given us (and sometimes what gifts he has NOT given us).  Oh, one more thing, remember that your calling is always in accordance with God’s Word.  No one is called to be a drug dealer.  Within your vocation you are to follow God’s intentions for that vocation - the ways in which we are to live for the good of others and ourselves.

Ok, so Luther lays this out in 4 orders that help us to understand the extent of our vocation.

1.             God calls us to play a role in families. As a husband.  A wife.  A daughter.  A brother. Providing for our families in some way.  And serving each other within the family structure.

2.            He calls us to be citizens.  Active and useful citizens.

Notice those 2 things can apply to everyone – not just believers.

3.            He calls us to be part of the church.  When we are baptized we become part of the “communion of saints.”

4.            Lastly God calls us to be part of The Common Order of Christian Love. And this calling is sort of an umbrella concept over all others.  Here is how he explains it…

“Above these three estates and orders – family, citizenship, the church – is the common order of Christian love, by which we minister not only to those of these 3 orders but in general to everyone who is in need, as when we feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, etc forgive enemies, pray for all men on earth, suffer all kinds of evil in our earthly life, etc…"

Basically – it is to love and serve our neighbors.

As Gustaf Wingren wrote in his book Luther on Vocation (catchy title, huh?) 
“God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.”

Our neighbors.  Hmmm. I don't see them much.  (I live out in the country so there are big fields and dirt roads between me and my neighbors).  But, once again, I'm taking the scripture too literally.  

If I consider who lives near me, I can see my husband, my daughters, and my 2 year old son who is usually jumping off of the furniture in the living room.  

And of course there are the people we work with, the woman from whom you get your morning coffee, acquaintances at the post office, your parents or kids who call to check in, and close friends.  

"Just as God is hidden in our vocations, Christ is hidden in our neighbor" (101).

How we treat each other - even within families; 

how we do our jobs; 

how we serve one another and allow others to serve us.  

These are all aspects of our calling by God.  Christ gives us freedom from sin and the worst of ourselves.  But then he inspires us to look inside and find the best of ourselves and do something with it.  

What has God called you to do today?