Where does hate come from? I see it splattered all over newspapers, opinion pieces, and television commentaries. Anger, rage, illogical proclamations, comments that divide.

A devotion from our Lenten Journey: Marks of the Christian suggested hate can come from the depths of love. The author noted that he hated a disease because it killed the father he so loved. I don’t think I can make that jump quite as easily.

Yesterday, Palm Sunday, we accompanied Jesus in a triumphant parade along the dusty roads leading to Jerusalem. Palm branches swayed. Cloaks scattered on the road helped to keep the dust at bay and off the Messiah. The crown shouted "Hosanna." Let’s face it. They loved him.

In the course of a few days the courageous love of the population swung to hate. "Crucify him!" they screamed. What happened? Where did all the hate come from? I don’t think it came out of love.

Somehow the enemies of Jesus turned the crowds pent up anger against Rome into a hatred for Jesus. I wonder what fears they instilled, what seeds of mistrust they planted. We know they must have used lies, innuendo, and false accusations. Even in those days, political leaders knew how to leverage group-think and mob mentality. From loving Jesus to calling for his death. Wow! What a week.

Even while we follow Jesus to the cross, even while we know something good will come from this miscarriage of justice in Jerusalem, we need to open our eyes to those who would move us toward hate. I try to be objective in watching political battles fought with the weapons designed to raise up hate  within us. It’s so easy to become hateful. It’s so easy for hate to overcome love. Stand firm. "Let love be genuine…" (Romans 12:9a)

Pastor B

So, if someone told you to go to Tinian would you be offended? Would you have the slightest idea where to look or which direction to take? How would you get there?

Susan and I have a niece (Susan’s brother’s daughter) who completed a combination college/flight school not too long ago. She earned her wings and bachelors degree just as the economy sputtered and airlines took a big hit. Pilot jobs become scarce.

I don’t have a clue how one goes about finding a job that lets you fly someone else’s airplane, mind you. But she found a job. She flies charters out of Tinian.

Have you taken a wild guess to its location yet? Does it help if I say "Saipan"? How about "Guam"? If you’re my generation or older you may hear a bell of recognition with Saipan because of a major WWII battle fought there. In fact, from what I can tell, it was more fought in Tinian. Tinian was the takeoff point for the planes that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan near the end of the war.

Figured it out yet?

It may not even help if I tell you its part of the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands. Islands? Did he say "islands"? Now there’s a hint.

Yep, Tinian is a small island just south of another small island in the Pacific called Saipan. The CNMI is essentially a U.S. colony to which tourists from all over Southeast Asia flock for fun and frolic. Tinian has one town of any size – San Jose. There are two gas stations and a casino. Like many Pacific volcano-produced islands, it has a mountain. You can see the entire extent of the 42 sq. mile island from on top of it.

Snorkeling, fishing, and basking in the sun seem to be the most popular activities. Might be a great place to vacation if you really want to get away from it all.

Class dismissed!

Pastor B

Then I ran upon the games on TV. Turns out the two hours between us and Vancouver made great live television for my usual TV time which is after 10:00 p.m. The precision. The grace. The music. The drama of scoring and background stories.

Other cable channels carried delayed broadcasts. Where did curling get the legs to be on every night? As the NBC announcer suggested, who would have ever thought that we’d stay home on a Friday night on the edge of our seats to watch curling?

Meanwhile, young men and women performed ridiculous feats on skis, snowboards, sleds, and skates. Ski jumping? I’ve been on airplane flights that weren’t in the air as long as some of those nuts.

Speed skating on blades that are basically long knives. Skiing 50 kilometers in a grueling test of endurance. Drawing to a triple take-out with the hammer to end the 10^th end and win the bonspiel.

And then there was hockey. Although I still feel cheated that the games were not played on a true Olympic size rink, there is no doubting the buildup grabbed everyone’s attention throughout the weeks. Ultimately, it lived up to the hype as things seldom do.

When the flame flickered out on Sunday night along with the month of February, I already felt the twinge of withdrawal that comes from an addiction. Now, a week later, it’s only barely subsiding. NCAA March Madness may help fill the void. Still, there is nothing quite like the Winter Olympics.

Pastor B

P.S. Was it me or did I just miss it? The Vancouver Olympics seemed wonderfully free of scoring fiascos and drug problems.

Last words carry a unique kind of weight. We Lutherans like to recount Martin Luther’s last words, written not spoken: "We are beggars, this is true." Throughout history recording final words has become important because there’s a sense that one’s last proclamation is not tainted by ego or personal agenda.

I don’t believe Jesus’ final words are more true than his other teachings, yet I think we see something special in the final words.

Here’s what we find in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the earth."

Let me make a note about Matthew. This gospel more than any other speaks to the Body of Christ, the community of faith. Only in Matthew of all the gospels, can we find the word "church", a word that the Lord uses that foretells a new community that will form and grow in his name.

With that said, I think Jesus’ final words are directed to the church first as an overall goal and then the steps to meet the goal. The goal being in this case "to make disciples." The steps are baptizing and teaching.

I have a hunch that we often focus on Baptism to the neglect of teaching. In the water and promise of Baptism, God adopts humans through his Son. The gifts of Baptism are forgiveness, deliverance from death and eternal life. This rebirth in the Spirit makes us part of the family of God.

Baptism does not automatically make us disciples, however. There’s a second step if I read Jesus’ final Matthean words correctly. The second step involves learning. Therefore, the Church must teach.

I want to be clear. Our inheritance of God’s Kingdom is not tied to a certain level of learning. God accomplishes all we need by Baptism alone.

Discipleship is much harder. To learn from Jesus, to think theologically are some of the teaching elements of discipleship. They require time and effort. They require a re-prioritizing of what’s truly important. The teaching and learning never ends.

So, we make disciples by Baptism and teaching.

I’ll use this space to talk about the other gospels in weeks to come.

Pastor B.

P.S. – Other last words:

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  • Groucho Marx - "Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do! "
  • Edgar Allan Poe - "Lord help my poor soul"
  • Grover Cleveland - "I have tried so hard to do right."
  • Thomas Edison - "It's very beautiful over there."
  • Winston Churchill - "I'm bored with it all."
  • Frank Sinatra - "I'm losing. "