Mount of Olives Church

I feel closest to God when in nature. I am often in awe of our sunsets, but recently I was just as impressed with a snowstorm in Utah. The Lord has given us the most magnificent of material gifts….Earth. This gift has something for everyone; beaches, deserts, mountains, canyons, wildlife and flowers. As humans, we have tried to recreate and understand the intricacies of this world. Authors lack the words, artists lack the colors and scientists lack the explanations. Creation has always been proof to me of a greater power, God. He must be amazing to have created such a complicated system, and He is generous to have just handed it over to us. Romans 1:20 NIV “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Imagine God giving this gift of the Universe to His people. We have all had the experience of giving the perfect gift to someone we ca...

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant.”- Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau had it right with his definition of empathy. There is nothing more impactful than experiencing another’s emotions within ourselves. Allow yourself to emotionally remember what that feeling, that emotional place, is like to be in. Empathy is a skill that can be powerful in our relationships, especially with those we find challenging and difficult. As a practicing therapist, I am constantly utilizing my empathic skills with my patients. I sit with them while they are in emotional pain, and feel it with them. True empathy promotes healing, solves conflicts, and mends broken relationships. Try using empathy when you are in the midst of conflict, and see what the results are. Open your heart and truly listen to one another. You will be surprised how quickly conflict can be diffused when true empathy enters the room. Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with them th...

Romans 12:6-8 NIV We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Years ago, Mount of Olives offered a class on Spiritual Gifts, and I thought it might be helpful to know where God was asking me to use my time and talents. It was also a time of reflection for me to pray and grow in my faith, following Jesus’ example of servanthood. My assessment clearly revealed what God had in mind for me. Although I wanted it to point to certain strengths I coveted, it pointed to four specific areas of service for my life. They were Faith, Compassion, Hospitality, and Administration. Over the years, God has directed me into roles using these gifts in relationships, career, and at chu...

Several years ago, a dear friend committed a terrible sin. Although every sin is a sin to God, people thought poorly of my friend, as did I. Some told me I should not communicate or associate with him anymore. I was very sad and conflicted until I spoke with Pastor John, and he simply said, “Love the sinner and hate the sin.” Those words were so freeing to me. I could do that; love the sinner and hate the sin and leave the rest up to God. I am able to have a relationship with my friend and know God is working in and through him. I can know and say, "Lord, I give this to You so You can deal with it. It is between You and him, so I can be free." Romans 3:23 NIV For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Colossians 3:13 NIV Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Pray with me: Father God, we are so thankful for You always being there for us to go to and lean upon. Lord, I am rele...

One of my favorite stories comes from Pastor Leith Anderson, which I also have recorded in my book, "Tales for the Pulpit": In a Danish village there was a Lutheran Church where each Sunday, the people would walk into the church by way of the center aisle. At the front of the church, there was a break between the pews and a blank white wall. Every Sunday, the people of the church would walk down the center aisle to the front of the church and genuflect at the blank wall. A man visiting the church did not understand what the people were doing; when he asked them, they said that they had always done this. Upon further investigation, he learned that hundreds of years before, there had been a painting of the Virgin Mary on that wall. At the time of the Protestant Reformation when the church became Lutheran, they had painted over the display of the Virgin Mary. But since the people had always bowed before the Virgin Mary, they just kept on bowing even though there was nothing ther...

In April of 1865, a telegraph operator was bothered by some newspaper boys yelling outside of his office. They were crying out the news that President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated and was dead. As the telegraph operator thought about what was being said, he realized the only way the boys would even know about this news was if it had been sent to their region by telegraph. So he went through the dispatches they had received in their telegraph office and found that, indeed, it had been sent. It had been delivered and received without him thinking about it. This can happen with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We hear the message of Easter, but some people don’t give it much thought. For those who are stuck in religion, they too can sometimes give it casual consideration. While others who are believers, become so busy dealing with the problems of daily living, they do not stop and consider the power of Easter for daily life. But the truth is the Resurrection of Jesus tr...

In Theology, there is a concept called the Recapitulation Theory. It basically says what was undone in the fall of Adam and Eve was restored in Jesus Christ. In Romans 5, we find a good example: Romans 5:18-19 NRSV Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. We could even take this further in our thinking. Because of the disobedience of one woman (Eve), sin came into the world; but through the obedience of another women (Mary), sin and death were destroyed in Jesus Christ. Just as sin came into the world through a tree (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden); redemption and forgiveness came by another tree in the cross of Jesus Christ. As we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, it is important for us to remember how God can and does t...

“Pessimism never won any battle.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower This former five star general and president should know. He led American and allied troops in Europe during WWII. He led the campaign of to invade Normandy. The victory of the Battle of the Bulge was a major tipping point in the war and they ultimately defeated Germany. When you think about it, this quote is very accurate. Negativity and fault-finding are never really helpful. They just make things more difficult. So, keep your head up and be a person of hope. Romans 5:5 ESV And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, as Your love is poured out in our lives through the Holy Spirit, give us greater hope. Remind us that in Christ, we have a victory over “sin, death and the power of the devil”. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Yours because of Him, Pastor John R. Steward Senior Pastor Mount of Olives Church

Despite the "Do Not Touch" signs, a museum was having no success in keeping patrons from touching and soiling priceless furniture and art. However, the problem evaporated overnight when a clever museum employee replaced the signs with ones that read, "Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!" Fear is a powerful motivator. It can cause us to not think, but to simply react. Fear can force us to do something we might not otherwise do. Many are filled with worry and anxiety with which they struggle all day and every day. Here is how the Apostle Paul speaks into this: Romans 8:15 ESV For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Fear can make us slaves where there is rarely any freedom. But as believers in Jesus, we have been adopted by our Heavenly Father and are truly children of God. We can even go to Him in prayer and cry, “Abba! Father!” Abba is an Aramaic and He...

Many years ago, a Christian doctor carried out an interesting survey involving his patients. As they waited in the waiting-room, they were asked to fill out a little survey on themselves. One of the questions asked was, “What is your number one wish?” On analyzing the answers, the doctor found the number one wish of 67% of his patients was to have peace of mind. Here is how the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome would respond: Romans 5:1-2 ESV Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Many times, we lack peace of mind because of our past. There are things we wish we had not done, and we also think about the times we failed to do anything when we should have. We walk around with this sense of guilt and shame for the things we are not proud of. But here, we find we have been “justified” or ma...

We talk a great deal about God’s grace. It is God’s “unmerited favor” upon us. It is so difficult to understand, because it is the opposite of what we experience in the world. In the world, we must earn everything, and in the back of our minds, we think the same is true with God’s grace – that somehow, we must be worthy of it. But we could never be worthy of it, and this is why it is called “grace”. His grace is His forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. His grace is His strength in our lives. His grace is His constant presence in our lives and so much more. Theologian Charles Hodge explained the relationship between divine grace and the human heart: “The doctrines of grace humble a man without degrading him and exalts him without inflating him.” This is the brilliance of God’s grace. It is a sign of His great love for you and for me; He would, through Christ, give us something of eternal value which respects our dignity and fences in our ego. Only God can do this. Romans 1...

"I believe God wants us to dream, and to dream big, because He’s a big God who wants to do big things, and He wants to do them through us." (John Maxwell, Put Your Dream to the Test) Too many Christ followers simply watch the church do ministry. It is almost like we are at a sporting event, sitting in the stands, and cheering on the team. Many believe it is the pastor’s role to do ministry. And yet as Lutherans, Martin Luther taught the concept of the “priesthood of all believers”. This means every believer is a minister of Christ and was ordained through their baptism. So, what is your ministry? I am not talking about serving, but ministry. Every Christian has a ministry whether they know it or not. You have been given certain gifts that need to be put to work. Ministry is different than serving. Ministry must be designed in such a way in which it has the purpose and potential of bringing others into a saving relationship with Jesus. Now I want to kick it up a notch. What wi...

A poor German girl announced she was going to give a piano concert. In order to attract people to come, in the advertisements she mentioned she was the student of the famous Hungarian professor, Franz Liszt; but it was a falsehood. To her dismay, she learned the professor was going to visit her town on the day before the concert. What should she do now? She went to meet him, confessed her guilt, and asked him to forgive her. The professor answered, "You made a mistake. All of us make mistakes. The only thing that you can do now is to repent; and I believe that you have already repented. Sit down and play." At the beginning, she played with much fear. The professor corrected a few of her mistakes and said, "Now truly you can say that I taught you. Go ahead and play at your concert tomorrow evening, and the last piece will not be played by you, but by your teacher." Our lives can be like this. We make mistakes and sometimes they are really big mistakes. Then we become...

In his book, “Managing People is Like Herding Cats”, leadership guru Warren Bennis observes that "Almost invariably, great leaders have had a significant setback, crisis or failure in their lives. Many of the leaders I studied faced adversity early in their lives. Four of them had chronic illnesses. Three others were raised as orphans." This is sometimes difficult to understand, but I think there is great truth in what Dr. Bennis is saying. The reason is because life’s challenges have a way of making us stronger and even wiser. If not for the setback or the mistakes we have made, we would be limited in our outlook and understanding. There is a certain level of wisdom which develops in us when life is hard and difficult. So while this might be a very difficult time for you, try to consider that your circumstances can also be something which makes you tougher and more resilient. Without discounting the pain you might be experiencing, look at the other side of the coin and consi...

Father Alfred Delp was a prisoner of the Nazis during World War II. He was charged with treason for true Christian preaching. From his jail cell, he wrote about the meaning of Advent, the coming of Christ: "Advent is a time for rousing. Human beings are shaken to the very depths, so that they may wake up to the truth of themselves. The primary condition for a fruitful and rewarding Advent is renunciation, surrender ... a shattering awakening; that is the necessary preliminary. Life begins only when the whole framework is shaken." (From Russell Brownworth's Sermon "When You Walk in a Dream") Too often, the only things that shake us to the core are the bad news of a health condition, a death of a loved one or some other tremendous setback. Wouldn’t it be better to be shaken to the foundation of our beings by the tools of God? Then we would be better equipped to face the challenges of this life. Too often, we only have a casual relationship with God. When the tough...

I went to seminary at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. I am a native of southern California, so there were a great many new things to experience in the three years I spent there. There were the threats of tornados and tremendous thunder and lightning storms. There was also the beautiful snow resting on the tree branches after a snowstorm. Being it was farm country, there were many pig farms in the region which also brought teachable moments. One day, a group of us were walking from the dining hall back to the dorms when an older car covered in dirt pulled up. We recognized the driver right away. He was one of our fellow students. His nickname was Red because of his red beard. When we got closer to the car, we quickly discovered we couldn’t get too close. He and the car reeked of a foul smell. So, we asked Red where he had been, and he told us how he got stuck behind a very large truck he couldn’t pass filled with pigs for the last 15 miles. Living through these days of the Coronavir...

A pastor in a small town ran out of gas one evening. His wife remembered passing a gas station about a half a mile back down the road. He searched his trunk for a gas can and could only find his grandson’s potty. They walked to the gas station and filled the container with gas and then walked very carefully back to their car. As he was pouring the gasoline into his tank from the potty, a man from town who never attended church recognized the pastor and decided to help. As he walked closer to the car and saw the pastor using the potty, he couldn’t believe his eyes and said to himself, “If this works, I am going to have to start going to church.” Romans 1:17 ESV For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” The world often thinks the things of God are foolishness. But we cannot be controlled by their outlook. These are the days of faith; where we know the God of heaven and earth is in control and is working al...

I like to think of faith like a cup holding an extremely expensive pearl or diamond. Faith is a container of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Grace is a free gift purchased at the cross of Jesus. And not only is grace a free gift, but so is faith. Many people think faith is their contribution to salvation. They think faith is their “decision”. However, if that were true, then faith would be a subtle way to earn salvation. We call this “works righteousness” – the effort to be righteous before God by our good works. So, if faith is our contribution to grace, then faith is a subtle form of works righteousness. Here is the thing. You are not born with faith in Jesus as your Savior. It is supernatural. It has to be spoken into you. This is what is says in the epistle to the Romans. Romans 10:17 NRS So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. Someone had to proclaim the Word of God into you so that faith could be created within you. Here is how ...

In the life of the church, we hear the word grace used a great deal. But what does grace mean? One technical definition is “un-merited favor”. It is different than mercy. Grace is something I receive, which I do not deserve. But mercy is when I do not receive what I do deserve. Through Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection, I receive forgiveness and eternal life. This is one way to speak of grace. However, because of my sin and brokenness, I deserve punishment, but again because of Jesus, I do not receive punishment. Jesus took the punishment for me and this is called mercy. Romans 3:24 ESV And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. To be justified before God is to be made right with Him. This took place because of the victory we have in Christ Jesus and this is called grace. In addition, His grace is seen in other ways. His strength in our lives is His grace. His love in our lives is His grace. All we need to sustain our lives is a...

The Serenity Prayer – written by Reinhold Niebuhr God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. How can we come to the place where this prayer is lived out in our lives? The Apostle Paul’s writing to the church in Rome gives us the answer:   Romans 8:5-7 RSV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on t...