Friday, 22 November 2024

Register

Opinion

Posted On

We continue this week to look at how we can live in grace each day of our lives, and today I’d like to focus on how the Ten Commandments provide us with a guide on how to live in grace with a life in Christ.

It all boils down to math, believe it or not.

When I was in college studying to be an electronics engineer, I found out pretty quickly that although I wasn’t very good at electronic kinds of things, I was a whiz at math.

Calculus, algebra, statistics, geometry, you name it, I could ace any exam they threw at me.

I guess when all is said and done, I should have been a mathematician. Instead, I left it up to God and, after 20 years in the high tech industry, I went back to school and became a pastor. And it is then that I realized how important my college math skills were.

So, here it is, my mathematical theory as it pertains to the Ten Commandments: 1 + 1 = 10.

You may think that is absurd and being a pastor has clearly messed up my once fine-tuned mathematical mind. But there is no doubt that 1 + 1 = 10. And the equation comes with the understanding of the love of Jesus and how God has used Him to sum up the “Law” and change it into “Gospel.”

Exodus 20:1-17 sums up the Ten Commandments and it is, to this day, considered the Law of God for the Jewish nation and should be the law for all of us as they are all grounded in unconditional love.

The commandments can be summed up as, love God, go to church, honor parents and authority, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie and do not covet.

But it was the love of Jesus throughout His life that turned this math upside down.

When confronted with the question on which of the 10 is the greatest commandment (Matt 22:36), Jesus responds “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the LAW and the prophets.”

There, you have absolute proof that 1 + 1 = 10, or simply, love God + love your neighbor = the Ten Commandments.

The interesting thing about the Ten Commandments is that they are like a “I should have had a V8” moment. It is a “no-brainer,” as the saying goes.

The Ten Commandments are the foundation of an intelligent, law-abiding society. Bottom line, they represent a definition of the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, and with our God-given brains we should be following that instruction every day.

And those commands are really easy to follow actually, when you look at the two love commands that Jesus laid down in summary of the 10, i.e., when you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, it is only natural to love your neighbor in the same way, and ultimately you want to do whatever you can to help your neighbor in times of need.

And loving your neighbor doesn’t just mean the guy next door whose dog loves to make deposits on your front lawn, rather ALL people, near and far. And when we do that, we live a life in Christ with God’s grace evident everywhere.

Guess where that leads us to here in Lake County?

Working together so that we can all live in grace with a life in Christ. It is the Ten Commandments of Law, turned into two commandments of grace.

please join us this sunday at first lutheran church in lucerne as we talk about how we can live in grace with a life in Christ.

We offer Bible study at 9:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m. and a hot lunch immediately following worship.

Our food cupboard is offered every third Sunday of the month from 1 to 2 p.m.

All are welcome, so please, come as you are as we reach out to this community and beyond to spread the healing Word of the Gospel.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.
Posted On

"Lake County is in need of more people who are willing to take up their cross and make a difference here."

Saint Mark writes, “"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.”

Many songs have been written about the need to carry your cross and the reason is quite simple – in order to live each day in God’s Grace, we must carry our cross every day.

One of those songs is performed by Ray Boltz and the words go like this, “Take up your cross, and follow Jesus. Take up your cross every day. Don't be ashamed to say that you know Him, so, count the cost, then take up your cross and follow Him.”

And then the song presents us with questions that we need to answer as we carry our cross: “What are you doing for the King? Have you given everything for the one Who gave His all for you? Don't be satisfied just to know that the Lord has saved your soul. Have you forgotten what you need to do? I know sometimes the road is long, and sometimes you feel like you can't go on, but just go on and carry your cross, and follow Him.”

The reality of those words put us face to face with the challenges we will see when we take up our cross.

Crosses are heavy sometimes … and maybe we need a little help to carry them, but comfort comes when Jesus says in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Those are comforting words when we face the reality of the need to take up our cross, for as we do, the cross becomes easier to bear and the burden is lightened.

So, what does it really mean to carry your cross? And what does a cross look like for us? Is it made out of wood like the one Jesus carried through Jerusalem and was eventually nailed to and died on for our sin?

That was a real heavy one, one that few would ever want to carry. But the cross we must bear on Jesus’ behalf here in Lake County and beyond is very heavy!

As we look around us throughout Lake County, we see poverty beyond belief, we see drug and alcohol abuse, we see homelessness, mental illness, unemployment, crime, kids who need direction but are often getting it from the wrong places and end up doing the wrong thing, and we see a desperate need for people to hear and experience the Good News of Jesus Christ, the very Gospel of sin forgiven and eternal salvation.

Lake County is in need of more people who are willing to take up their cross and make a difference here.

What must we do?

Simply, identify the challenges here in Lake County (which most of us already know) and working collectively, church and state and every social support group out there, to address the issues we face.

Things like low-cost housing to help with the homeless situation, youth programs, developing employment opportunities, the need for counselling for those with family and/or mental illness problems, drug and alcohol abuse, and most important of all, getting folks involved with others to make this community a place we can stand up and boldly say, “I live in Lake County and I am very proud to be here.”

Taking up your cross means doing what Jesus would expect us to do here in Lake County for the sake of His kingdom on earth.

Our task is not insurmountable if we work together to accomplish the goal. That is what we will focus on this Sunday, “How to live in Grace by taking up your cross right here in Lake County.”

Please join us this Sunday and every Sunday at First Lutheran Church for Bible study at 9:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m. and a hot lunch immediately following worship.

Our food cupboard is offered every third Sunday of the month from 1 to 2 p.m.

First Lutheran Church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive in Lucerne.

All are welcome so please, come as you are as we reach out to this community and beyond to spread the healing Word of the Gospel.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.
Posted On

During the earthly ministry of Jesus, there were two things He considered important enough to command us to do: Holy Communion and baptism.

They are vital to our walk as believers in Christ and both are sacraments. And a sacrament means Christ’s real presence in the celebration.

Both are a means of grace allowing us to live in grace. The means of grace point to not only Christ present but also sin forgiven and it is through baptism we are truly wiped clean of our sin as God claims us His own for eternity.

That is why Luther was so intent on making sure we understood the importance of dying and being reborn in our baptism every single day. This rebirth in baptism keeps us reassured of God’s spiritual presence in our life and our sin forgiven for eternity.

Our gospel lesson for this first Sunday in Lent talks about the baptism of Jesus with God saying “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

Just as God reached down to Jesus the day He was baptized, so too He is present in baptism to this day proclaiming to the one being baptized, and to the world, that He is claiming this child, this youth, this adult as a member of the kingdom of God forever and in God’s eyes, with this person, He is well pleased.

So, how can we live in grace through baptism?

Very easy: It is grace abound between the bookends of baptism.

Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan was the beginning of His ministry which is bookend one, and His final words to His disciples, the Great Commission, at the end with His amazing grace and everywhere in between.

Join us this Sunday at First Lutheran Church as we begin our sermon series entitled, “Living in Grace” focusing this week on baptism.

Sunday is also our monthly food cupboard, so join us for Bible study at 9:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m., a hot lunch following the service, and the food cupboard from 1 to 2 p.m.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.
Blog Left ad
Posted On

Greg Dill, Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. Courtesy photo.

Are you at risk for glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes loss of vision – usually side vision – by damaging the optic nerve, which sends information from your eyes to your brain. Some forms of glaucoma don’t have any symptoms, so you may have it even if you don’t have trouble seeing or feel any pain.

That’s why glaucoma is often called “the sneak thief of sight.”

Fortunately, you can prevent vision loss by finding and treating problems early. Medicare covers a glaucoma test once every 12 months for people at high risk for glaucoma, including people who answer “yes” to one or more of these questions:

– Do you have diabetes?
– Do you have a family history of glaucoma?
– Are you African American and 50 or older?
– Are you Hispanic American and 65 or older?

Glaucoma tests are covered under Medicare Part B (medical insurance). An eye doctor who's legally allowed to do this test in your state must do or supervise the screening.

How much will the test cost you? You pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B deductible ($183 this year) applies. If the test is done in a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay a copayment.

To find out how much your specific test will cost, talk to your doctor or other health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, such as:

– Other insurance you may have
– How much your doctor charges
– Whether your doctor accepts Medicare payment as full payment
– The type of facility where you’re tested
– The location where you’re tested.

There is no cure for glaucoma. Vision lost from the disease cannot be restored.

Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision. If glaucoma remains untreated, people may miss objects to the side and out of the corner of their eye. They seem to be looking through a tunnel. Over time, straight-ahead (central) vision may decrease until no vision remains.

Immediate treatment for early-stage, open-angle glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. That’s why early diagnosis is very important.

Glaucoma treatments include medicines, laser trabeculoplasty, conventional surgery, or a combination of these. While these treatments may save remaining vision, they do not improve sight already lost from glaucoma.

Glaucoma is detected through a comprehensive dilated eye exam that includes the following:

Visual acuity test. This eye-chart test measures how well you see at various distances.

Visual field test. This test measures your peripheral vision. It helps your eye care professional tell if you have lost peripheral vision, a sign of glaucoma.

Dilated eye exam. In this exam, drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.

Tonometry measures pressure inside the eye by using an instrument called a tonometer. A tonometer can detect glaucoma. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test.

Pachymetry is the measurement of the thickness of your cornea. Your eye care professional applies a numbing drop to your eye and uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure the thickness of your cornea.

For more information on glaucoma: https://nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/glaucoma_facts.

Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Posted On

The successful film "Moneyball" portrayed the Oakland Athletes and General Manager Billie Beane’s strategy to succeed in the highly competitive economic playing field of Major League Baseball.

This story has relevance to the financial pressures facing the county of Lake.

The movie begins by comparing the on-field payrolls of the Athletics and the Yankees:

– $115 million – New York Yankees;
– $40 million – Oakland Athletics.

Later, we see GM Billie Beane seated in a room with his seven veteran scouts. Collectively, these men have over 150 years of experience evaluating athletes who either desire to wear or currently don a major league uniform.

They are gathered because they must replace three key players who were lost to free agency. Which is to say they were offered much larger salaries by franchises with larger market shares, and they accepted. Go figure.

As the discussion wears on, Beane becomes impatient. He’s exasperated because he believes their thinking is medieval and, in large part, reflects a misunderstanding of how teams win baseball games.

Billie not so subtly interrupts by adding “blah, blah, blah” to the mix.

Enter his head scout, “Gee Billie, was that a suggestion? We’re trying to solve a problem here.”

Beane replies, not like this you’re not. “You’re not even looking at the problem.”

He then goes around the room and asks each scout, “What’s the problem?” Each response is met with disapproval.

Beane opines:” The problem we’re trying to solve is there are rich teams, there are poor teams, there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us.” It’s an unfair game.

Oakland can’t afford to replace a player like Jason Giambi because they don’t have the money that the market demands for another five-time all-star.

He continues, “We are the last dog at the bowl. You see what happens to the runt of the litter. He dies!” “If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there” (on the field).

Beane is talking about a game changing shift in how they think about their circumstances.

Oakland’s strategy to overcome their financial constraints included revising how they evaluated players. Beginning in 2002, Beane and his assistants analyzed player statistics from a radically different perspective and established innovative metrics to target athletes who were undervalued given prevailing baseball wisdom.

They looked at their financial circumstances with new eyes and a laser-like focus.

Which finally brings me to the recent community visioning forums and life imitating art.

The presentations by the county administrative officer suggested that the rising costs of providing county services combined with declining inflows to the general fund is the problem.

I am not disputing the conclusion that our current financial situation is unsustainable. The scoreboard tells the story: The county of Lake is down 10 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

However, I also want to ask, are we certain that we are looking at the problem(s)?

– Is it time to undertake a comprehensive review of the general plan and area plans with an eye on identifying and revising those parts which may be contributing to our economic malaise?

– Bunts and in-field grounders may win you some games, but how do we recruit more “power-hitters” to step up to our economic home plate?

– To borrow a non-baseball cliche, is it time to start thinking out-of-the-box in order to improve the business climate and economic competitiveness of this county?

– How do we dismantle the prevailing thinking which for decades has resulted in Lake County’s finishing last on the economic playing field?

Note: During the 2002 season, the Oakland Athletics set an American League record by winning 20 consecutive games.

Michael Tabacchi lives in Middletown, Calif.
Posted On

Like in medieval times when people wore sackcloth (burlap) to discomfort themselves in recognition of their sin, the ash mark given at Ash Wednesday services is a call to repentance and preparation in the season leading up to Easter, which will be on April 1 for Christians around the world.

The pastor says, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It focuses on the fact that life here on earth is not permanent. We must prepare for death. The ashes represent a deeper conversion to the Lord.

According to Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the six Sundays, which are not days of fast, are excluded) before Easter and can fall as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

Ash Wednesday is observed by most Western Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.

Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Every Sunday was seen as a commemoration of the Sunday of Christ's resurrection.

That is why we worship on Sunday rather than Saturday which is in fact the Sabbath recognized by the Jewish and Seventh Day Adventist folks.

Accordingly, Christians fasted from Monday to Saturday (six days) for six weeks and from Wednesday to Saturday (four days) in the first week, thus making up the number of 40 days.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year's Palm Sunday, and placing them on the heads of participants.

Ashes were used in ancient times to express grief. When Tamar was raped by her half-brother, "she sprinkled ashes on her head, tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying" (2 Samuel 13:19).

The gesture was also used to express sorrow for sins and faults. In Job 42:3-6, Job says to God: I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent[a] in dust and ashes.”

The prophet Jeremiah calls for repentance by saying: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26). The prophet Daniel recounted pleading to God: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).

Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes" (1 Maccabees 3:47).

Examples of the practice among Jews are found in several other books of the Bible, including Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Book of Esther 4:1, and Hebrews 9:13. Jesus is quoted as speaking of the practice in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13: "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago (sitting) in sackcloth and ashes."

So, this year at First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, we will follow a sermon series on “Living in Grace.” Let’s take a brief look at what is coming up over the next six weeks:

– Feb. 18: Living in grace through baptism. This sermon focuses on how we can live each day anew in our Baptism.

– Feb. 25: Living in grace by taking up your cross. Jesus instructs us that to be a follower, we must recognize that it won’t be easy and we each must bear our cross in life, no matter how difficult things get.

– March 4: Living in grace through a life in Christ. The two go hand in hand, grace and a life in Christ. All we have to do is accept the Lord in our hearts, minds, and souls and we will be filled with the grace of God through faith.

– March 11: Living in grace by faith. Our faith is given to us by God and through that faith we receive the gift of His Grace each and every day. And through our faith we spread the Gospel near and far to those who don’t know Jesus.

– March 18: Living in grace through obedience. Our path in life is not easy yet we must be obedient to the authority of Jesus. Jesus broke down the 10 Commandments into two – love the Lord and love your neighbor. As difficult as it may be, our task is to be totally responsive to His call for unconditional love.

– March 25: Living in grace by being humble. Palm Sunday and the very nature of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem was being humble at a time where He was in the presence of people that would scream crucify Him five days later.

– March 28: Maundy Thursday – living in grace through Holy Communion. The last supper and Jesus’ Words of comfort – this is my body given for you and this is my blood shed for you. And the command He gives us that night, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

– March 29: Living in grace through sacrifice – Jesus is crucified, and we will talk about what it means for each of us to sacrifice things that are secondary to our walk with Jesus. His sacrifice is a reminder to all people of the need to do the same for the sake of the kingdom.

– April 1: Easter Sunday – living in grace because the tomb is empty. A man has risen from the dead. Was He a ghost? Was He an image that popped into the heads of the women there that day … or was it real?

So, that’s what we will be doing this Lenten season. It all boils down to what Lent is all about. A focus on our sinful selves and what Jesus had to do to take away that sin. It is a time of reflection, a time to be humble, a time to focus on the Good News of a risen Lord. May it be so in Jesus’ holy name.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif.

Subcategories

Letters

LCNews

Responsible local journalism on the shores of Clear Lake.

 

Memberships:

 

Search