Author Archives: John Keller

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About John Keller

I am a retired Lutheran pastor whose intention is to consent to God's gracious presence and actions within.

Running Crazy

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When I started this blog, I intended to write more about my running passion. For various reasons I have not. Last winter I was recovering from a chronic injury. Last summer I started running again, but got too aggressive too fast, and hit another injury that slowed my return to consistent running.

Runners are often injured. Gather three runners together and you will have an instant debate on how to treat six types of injuries. Once I talked to my doctor about a running injury. After listening to me for less than a minute, he told me, “Stop running. It will only ruin your hips and knees.” Needless to say, I did not like his diagnosis so I went in search of a new doctor. He is the Dr. William Roberts, the medical director of the Twin Cities Marathon. When I tell him I have some running issue he sends me to a physical therapist.

I have been to at least five different physical therapist and each has helped me. My most recent experience with Shannon Maixner at Fitness Focus was the most thorough and helpful. I continue to incorporate several of her exercises into my daily routine and see definite benefit.  I realize that to remain a runner I must broaden my cross-training.

I am writing about this today because I reached a new milestone today. I have run seven days in a row without pain or injury. All my runs were relatively short and slow, in the three to four mile range. Partly it is an experiment to see if frequent, short runs help my body adapt better. Partly it has been the mild winter weather in Minnesota and my need to be outside.

Running is one of the few sports mentioned in the Bible. Paul uses the analogy of the runner’s training to describe his commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.(I Cor. 9:23-25).

There may come a day when I will not be able to run, but until then, I plan to run often and with joy.

Lord Jesus, teach me to joyously run, walk, and dance with you.

Church: Cause, Corporation or Community?

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The office staff and I are busy preparing for our annual meeting on Sunday, February 12.  Sometimes it feels like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  Last year  I wrote a post regarding the annual meeting.  In it I argued that every annual meeting needs the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and challenge us. It remains my prayer this year.

Congregational meeting have often gotten a bad rap because they deal with controversial topics like budgets, mission and staffing. They are the central moment when the corporate business of the church takes center stage. Many (including myself) have a discomfort with this focus because it is not our strength. I did not feel call by God to RUN a church, but rather to preach the Gospel and to shepherd God’s people. Yet the corporate business of the church is necessary.

Twenty years ago Jim Dethmer wrote an article for Leadership Journal that continues to help me. He described the church as having three primary identities: Cause, Corporation and Community. As a Cause the church is like an army with a central mission: to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to drive back the forces of evil. The model participant in the Cause is the engaged volunteer who works hard to spread God’s love and grace in word and deed.  As a corporation, the church is like a business, seeking to use its financial resources in the most “profitable” ways. As a corporation the church tries to be a wise steward of its assets.  Finally as a Community the church is like a family with the central attribute being love. The focus of that love is often on the weakest among us: the sick, the grieving, the unemployed.

All three identities (Cause, Corporation and Community) have value and purpose. Scripture bears witness to all three circles.  They also can conflict with one another from time-to-time. The Holy Spirit is needed in all three circles so that such conflicts can be creative and energizing, rather than destructive.

Dethmer rightly observed that pastors often have a strength in one of these and a weakness in another. I invested much of my pastoral ministry in the community circle, writing my Doctor of Ministry Thesis on Congregational Care. I also have a passion for the Gospel of Jesus and how it can impact people’s lives. My weakest area is the corporate or business side of the church. I am very thankful for those members of Resurrection who have that as their strength and passion.  With each person using their strengths and gifts, the church can function well in all three circles.

Which circle is your passion and strength?

Lord Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to empower us to your church.

Would I Kneel?

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Young Man Kneeling by Sam Loggie

Posture can be used to emphasize power and importance. Kings had high, imposing thrones to signify their power over their subjects. Visitors to ancient and medieval courts had to kneel and kiss the ring of their Lord. Even in our democratic society, leaders can be distinguished by their corner office or imposing title. Power demands attention.

In the gospel of Mark, the reader sees people posturing. In chapter five the Gerasene demon-possessed man, the leader of the synagogue (named Jairus), and a woman who suffered from chronic bleeding each knelt before Jesus and begged for his help. They all acknowledged with their kneeling posture that Jesus was Lord, a person with authority and status. They recognized the power of Jesus.

I am not one who kneels easily. I’ve come to realize that I prefer to see Jesus as my friend and guide, who accompanies me, rather than as Lord and Master who commands me. I acknowledge his Lordship verbally, but I wonder if that is more ritual than deep conviction. Am I willing to “beg” Jesus for his assistance, like Jairus (Mark 5:23)?

The question of posture comes into sharper contrast at the end of the chapter. When Jairus heard the news, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher (Jesus) any further?” Jesus intervened. He told Jairus not to fear, but to trust in him. Jesus is Lord and has power. When they entered the room of the girl, the scripture says, “He took her by the hand.” I must assume that Jesus knelt down, since all beds were floor level. What an incredible act of tender love!

With love, Jesus knelt to meet the girl’s need. The whole incarnation is a form of God’s kneeling to meet the needs of humanity. Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death was God’s way of kneeling down before us, not to acknowledge our rebellious “power,” but as a way to enter our pain and suffering and lift us up.

As the Philippians hymn states

Jesus who emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name above that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil 2:7-10)

Lord Jesus, as you knelt to save me, now teach my knees and my heart to bend towards you.

Baptism Fire

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Teaching confirmation last week, I told our students that Jesus’ baptism by John was not a sign of repentance of sin, but an ordination into ministry. Baptism is a multifaceted experience for Christians that needs to be lifted up in various ways for us to see the beauty and wonder of this gift from God.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes this about baptism connecting all God’s people together, both ordained and laity.

What we have in common is our baptism, that turning point in each of our lives when we were received into the household of God and charged to confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share in his eternal priesthood. That last phrase is crucial. Our baptism are our ordinations, the moments at which we are set apart as God’s people to share Christ’s ministry, whether or not we wear clerical collars around our necks. The instant we rise dripping from the waters of baptism and the sign of the cross is made upon our foreheads, we are marked as Christ’s own forever. (The Preaching Life, p. 30)

Our baptism is our call into ministry. We all have a place to serve in God’s family and God’s world. Through baptism, the Holy Spirit is placed within us to be a burning ember of power and life.  To discover our place can be a challenge in the free-market society we have. There are so many options from which to choose. Yet God has given the Holy Spirit to guide, nudge, empower, coax and affirm our direction in life. The community of faith and our inner voices become crucial in the discovery process.

Luther Seminary has a process called the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process which helps congregations and individuals discover their calling for daily life.  Resurrection Lutheran will be using this process on Saturday morning to help people discover how they can use their baptism fire for God’s glory.

Holy Spirit, ignite us with a passion to serve Jesus and his people.

“Do I Have To Go?”

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Barbara Brown Taylor wrote a helpful book on preaching that extends way beyond preaching. Here is a section that she wrote regarding where we go when we follow Jesus.

Affirming the ministry of every baptized Christians is not an idea that appeals to many lay people today. It sounds like more work, and most of them have all the work they can do. It sounds like more responsibility, while most of them are staggering under loads that are already too heavy. I will never forget the woman who listened to my speech on the ministry of the laity as God’s best hope for the world and said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be that important.”

Like many of those who sit beside her at church, she hears the invitation to ministry as an invitation to do more —to lead the every member canvas, or cook supper for the homeless, or teach vacation church school. Or she hears the invitation to ministry as an invitation to be more—to be more generous, more loving, more religious. No one has ever introduced to the idea that her ministry might involve being just who she already is and doing what she already does, with one difference: namely that she understands herself to be God’s person in and for the world. (The Preaching Life, p.27-28)

I totally agree with Barbara that our ministry is our daily activities and relationships, but lived with the identity of being a child of God. God has placed each of us in our unique settings to be God’s agent, God’s hands, feet, heart and voice in God’s world. We don’t need to travel to a distant land to do “mission” work, we do “mission” work in our homes, offices, schools, and community as we interact with others. A “mission” trip may help us to see the needs of God’s world and to discover our dependable strengths and gifts to meet those needs. It may strengthen our relationship with God and others, but mission can happen wherever we are.

Lord Jesus, let me rediscover my mission in you today.

Go Where I Send You

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Why would Jesus turn someone away? Someone who begs to follow him?

In Mark 5, Jesus casted out the demon named Legion from a man who lived in Gerasenes, a Gentile region of northern Palestine. When he was restored to his right mind, he sat with Jesus. His neighbors were in an uproar and begged Jesus to leave. As Jesus entered his boat, the man begged to be with Jesus, to be a disciple. Jesus refused.

But his refusal had a purpose. This man was given a very special mission. Jesus said to him,

Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you (Mark 5:19).

This is quite similar to the mission that the apostles are given in the next chapter of Mark. I find it both ironic and hopeful that this Gentile, recently-possessed man is given the mission of proclamation prior to the carefully selected twelve. I also find it highly instructive that he would be given this task to go to his friends and neighbors, not some distant land or foreign culture. Also as one who has recently experienced mercy of Jesus, he is a passionate advocate for Jesus. New converts are often the most passionate and assertive regarding their faith in Christ.

As a Lutheran pastor, I know that some people are specifically called to be pastors and teachers of Jesus’ message. I am thankful for those who answer that specific call. Yet, as this story bears witness, we can all bear witness to what Jesus has done for us, how we have experienced the Lord’s mercy and joy. God may send us to a new location, but the more probable is that he will send us to our friends and neighbors to give witness.

The Gospel of Mark never mentions this man’s name nor reports on his mission, except that all are amazed at the man’s testimony. Let us together rejoice in God’s mercy and amazing grace towards us.

Lord Jesus, help me to be attentive to your voice and to be willing to use my voice to speak of your mercy.

Breaking Free of Chains

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No one could restrain him any more, even with a chain. (Mark 5:3)

In Mark 5, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee into Gentile territory. He was outside of his native Jewish land and his first encounter is quite symbolic, a demon-possessed man. The encounter with the unclean spirit is described in rich detail. He is living among the tombs (the dead) and totally alone. People had tried to bind him with chains, but failed due to the strength of the demons. The man must have been in great pain, howling at night and bruising himself with stones. He would not be someone I would be excited to meet. My first reaction would be to build a fence to keep him out.

The story may sound bizarre and strange to our ears, but the reality of people caught in destructive behavior is real. To be possessed by Satan should not be restricted to horror movies or distant lands. While I believe in demonic possession and the power of Satan, I also believe that the demonic is more cloaked and hidden in our modern culture.  Addiction, cutting, pornography, and abuse are some of the means that Satan uses today to bind us in chains. Drew Jonell’s photo reminds me that our chains can try to keep us from the light.

As C. S. Lewis once cautioned there are two dangers with a Christian’s understanding of Satan. One is to deny his existence and thereby open the door to his temptations. The other danger is too become overly obsessed with Satan’s affairs.  The Gospel writers see both dangers and steer clear of either. Demons are confronted, but Jesus always wins. The scriptures show us that demons, like death,  may distract us from Jesus, but they will ultimately be defeated. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus.

C. S. Lewis also wrote in Screwtape Letters, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one–the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

The cross and empty tomb are our signposts on the way to God’s kingdom.

Lord Jesus, continue to save us from the time of trial and to deliver us from evil.

The Path of Questions

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Winter Wonderland Road by Andrew Young

Often our journey with Christ is like this snowy roadway, uncertain and slippery. We seek certainty and God gives us surprises and questions.

This morning in our Men’s Bible Study as we read Mark 2 and 3 together, I was struck by how many questions Jesus asked:

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? Mark 2:9

The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? Mark 2:19

Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill? Mark 3:4

How can Satan cast out Satan? Mark 3:23

Who are my mother and my brothers? Mark 3:33

I realized that several of these questions are rhetorical in nature. Jesus answered them himself in short order. Still he asked questions to push and to prod his listeners to think about their faith, to consider how their faith in God impacted their lives. The questions are something that we as readers of the gospel should take seriously.

As a pastor I am often asked questions by congregants about current theological issues. Such as, “Must someone confess Jesus Christ as Lord in order to go to heaven?” or “Is the Bible literally true when it says _________________?” I sometime like being the expert, the answer man. It seems to gives me a certain status or recognition. However there is a danger if I answer too quickly. I can possibly cut off the conversation one is having with God, wrestling with the question. The “chewing” on the question can push us to deeper trust and faith in God.

Jesus seemed to recognize this, often answering a question with a question. Clearly he was the “expert” who knew the answer, but he sought a deeper trust relationship with the questioner and also with us, the modern reader.  He showed us that his path is not like a superhighway, but  more often a winding path on a winter’s day.

So pay attention to the questions Jesus asked by asking yourself, “What is Jesus trying to teach me?” 

Lord Jesus, help me not to settle for easy answers, but to trust you to guide my wandering journey.

P.S.  Andy Young is my nephew in Seattle and has a great photo slide show on Facebook.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

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Today as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it would be good to reflect on some of his words from his Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Further on he wrote,

Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, “Wait.” But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”

Regarding the accusation that he was an extremist, he wrote,

I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. . . I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.”  So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?

When I read Dr. King’s frustration and plea for justice and equality, I have two reactions. One is a prayer of thanks for the journey we have taken so far towards racial equality; the other is that I might become as extreme in my love as God calls me to be.  Lord, have mercy.

You can read the whole text here.

My Philadelphia Story

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Jesus’ parable on the farmer and the seed in Mark 4 evoked my own story about finding good soil and the mystery of growing seeds of faith.

Between my sophomore and junior year in college, I had a summer internship at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Havertown, an older suburb of Philadelphia, PA.  My mentor and friend, Stan Wood, was a pastor there and he asked me to work the summer with the junior high youth. I had spent my previous summers as a counselor at Lutheran Bible Camps in Washington State.

During that hot and humid summer, I missed the outdoors of Washington, but tried my best to relate to the youth of Bethany. Unlike Bible Camp, where I had different youth every week, we saw the same youth each Sunday for Bible Study and for special events. I tried my best to spread the seed of God’s Word. It didn’t seem to work. I kept missing the mark. I was the outsider, the stranger, and nothing seemed to work.

When that summer was over, I was glad to get back to college, and though Stan asked me to return to Bethany the next summer, I declined I decided my place was back in the good soil of Washington State. Philadelphia seemed a bit too rocky from my perspective.

Six years later, I was back in Pennsylvania, visiting my wife’s sister, Elizabeth, at her college in Suburban Philadelphia, not far from Bethany Presbyterian. As I was walking through her dorm, I heard a voice call my name, “John Keller, is that you?” I turned to see a tall young man who looked vaguely familiar. He introduced himself and said, “I am a member of Bethany Presbyterian and I remember when you were a summer intern.” I then recognized him though he had grown at least a foot. He went on to say, “You know, that summer really made a difference in my faith. I remember that you and the other interns expressed your relationship with Jesus as something real and vital. That stuck with me. I just want to thank you.” I thanked him and we parted.

I never forgot his expression of thanks. What I had determined to be a complete failure, turned out to bear fruit. Good soil can be found almost anywhere by the power of God.

Lord Jesus, continue to cast your Word into the good soil.