Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

It must have broken Moses’ heart. After 40 years of leading God’s people – a job he hadn’t gone looking for; a job he didn’t apply for; a job he didn’t feel well-suited or qualified for – God gave him notice that he was about to be terminated – in a very unusual way. Moses was about to die, but before He did, the Lord led him to the top of Mount Nebo and said to him, “Look and see! This is what it’s been all about.” There, Moses’ eyes saw the entire Promised Land, from North to South, from East to West, the hopes and dreams of all the past 40 years. But there was a catch. The catch was that while Moses had seemingly everything to do with getting the Children of Israel to that point, God would take them no further. There, in Moab, Moses’ journey came to an end. The lesson is that it was never really about Moses. It was always about God. It was always about God’s plans for His people. It was always about God blessing and prospering His people. That plan, that blessing, that prospering is never dependent upon human beings, so don’t be afraid.

It must have broken Dr. King’s heart, too. He had been to the mountain top also. As he climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Lord told him, “Look and see! This is what it’s all about.” There, with his back to the statue of the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, his eyes saw that swarm of humanity gathered around that reflecting pool. His eyes saw that obelisk, a memorial to the father of our country, who helped form the thought that “all men are created equal.” On the horizon, his eyes saw the Capitol and the White House and the Supreme Court Building, where all-important decisions would be made in the years to come. His eyes from that vantage point saw the entire United States of America, from North to South, from East to West, the hopes and dreams of many years. But there was a catch there also. Remember Dr. King’s words? He didn’t say, “I have a reality. No, he said, “I have a dream,” something he could visualize in his head, but something he knew he may never experience himself. It’s almost as if God had told him that while he seemingly had an awful lot to do with getting the people that far, God would not take him much further. The lesson is that it was really never about Dr. King. It was always about God. It was always about God’s plans for His people. It was always about God blessing and prospering His people. That plan, that blessing, that prospering is never dependent upon human beings, so don’t be afraid.

I remember the first time I set foot on this property after being called as your pastor. I had just that day arrived with my U-Haul from St. Louis. I had dinner at my parents’ house. I said, “I think I’ll drive over to Pasadena and look around.” Dad came along. It was a beautiful summer evening, just past sunset. No one was, of course, around the campus. The property was locked up tight, but the lights in the church were on. There’s a pretty substantial crack in between those Los Robles Avenue doors and I peeked through. And the Narthex doors were open, as the janitor was somewhere inside, waxing the floors, getting ready for the big events of the next couple weekends. I could see the entire church, from the Narthex to the Altar. As I began meeting many of you, I came to realize the hopes and dreams that you saw in me. To me, that was a scary thing, as it must have been for Moses and for Dr. King, so I began to buy myself some time, saying to many of you in seemingly expert terms that I believed it would take as many years of carefully rebuilding this congregation as the 26-years of decline that you had experienced. Those words worked. You accepted those words. Almost 16 years later now, I don’t tell myself that I have only 10 more years to perform, to turn this place around. Instead, I have come to firmly believe that the best days of this congregation are not in the past, but that they’re in the future, but that future is something that many of us will not experience ourselves. That’s because it’s not about us. It’s always about God. It’s always about God’s plans for His people. It’s always about God blessing and prospering His people. That plan, that blessing, that prospering is never dependent upon human beings, so don’t be afraid.

Those were the words of comfort Jesus gave His disciples: “Don’t be afraid.” After three years of intimately molding and shaping His disciples for ministry, He looked at them and saw that they were like fourth years Seminary students, their ministry licenses in hand, ready to hit the road and change the Church. But Jesus told them it wouldn’t be so easy, that their work would create enemies, that they would face substantial challenges, that they would wonder at times what to say, how to defend themselves, that there would be many who would not listen to them, even more who would not believe them, and even more out to kill them, but Jesus said, “Don’t worry about that. Don’t be afraid. Do what you’re called to do and leave the rest to Me.”

It was Jesus Himself Who would need to hear those words. As He was led under heavy guard from Pilate’s Palace to that hill called “The Skull,” along the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Suffering,” carrying His own instrument of death on His back, stumbling over and over again along the uneven cobblestone streets, blood flowing down His scalp and into His eye sockets from the crown of thorns that had been pressed onto His forehead, the whips of the soldiers reminding Him to keep moving, Jesus heard the words, “Don’t be afraid.” As He was lifted up on Calvary’s Cross, His eyes saw the dream – God’s dream, the hopes and dreams of all the years. His eyes saw His people, forgiven by His sacrifice, restored into a living relationship with God. That’s what those words from the Cross are all about – “It is finished.” It was all about Jesus. It was always about God’s plans for His people. It was always about God blessing and prospering His people. That plan, that blessing, that prospering is never dependent upon human beings, so don’t be afraid.

Today I invite you to identify two things that weigh heavily upon your heart – hopes, dreams. One of those things should be something personal – maybe it’s something like bringing a friend or loved one back to the Lord; maybe it’s about a better personal relationship with someone else; maybe it’s about where you’d like to find yourself one year from now. The other of those two things should be something about this congregation – maybe it’s a mission or ministry you’d like to see developed; maybe it’s a more powerful outreach and greater growth; maybe it’s fully funding our budget with money left over again at the end of this year. Take a moment and identify those two things.

Then join me in prayer: “God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, God Who has brought us thus far on our way, receive these burdens of our hearts. They are too much for us. We’ve tried. You know we’ve tried. Help us to let go of them and see them as things that are within Your control, things that Your dream, Your plans, Your blessing, Your prospering, things that You can do. Remind us not to worry about today or tomorrow. Remind us not to be afraid. Keep us true to You as You work in us and through us and – sometimes – despite us. And, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, let us march on until Your victory is won, until every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, Amen.”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena