Sledgehammer obvious

by Shane Altmann

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He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9).

Read 2 Timothy 1:5–10

It’s hard to be a Lutheran and not get excited by this passage from 2 Timothy. I mean, not ‘new footy season’ excited, but you know, kind of ‘cool day at church’ excited.

Following a meeting with some colleagues a few years ago, in which I felt the need to be rather direct, I reflected afterwards on how it went with another person who was also present.

‘Well, Shane,’ they said, ‘some people use the side of a plate to crack an egg, and others use the edge of a knife. You used a sledgehammer.’ I don’t know if he was being critical or amusing, but I thought it was great!

I can be subtle when needed. However, if you have been paying any attention to my reflections over the past days, you will have seen that my position is rather obvious. Sledgehammer obvious.

It’s always God’s work.

Here, in this verse from 2 Timothy, we get it again: ‘… not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.’ Sledgehammer obvious.

This beautiful extended reading for today speaks to intergenerational faith, passed down from grandparents and parents. It reminds us that God works through people, through relationships, through love, and it exhorts us to authentic Christian living. It calls us to understand and join in the suffering that comes with the Christian life, to understand the theology of the cross, that our God is hidden in ordinary stuff and is with us when we suffer, indeed that he suffers with us, fully human and fully divine. Still.

It cries out, ‘faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone’, and points us to our heavenly home, that great camping spot and feast in the sky, with Jesus in that blessed reunion.

What a passage!

And if it’s always God’s work, then maybe it’s not us cracking the egg.

God of Love, Lord of Life, thank you that you are active in the world, working with us and through us in our vocations as parents and friends, workers and leaders, servants and citizens. We thank you, Jesus, for the revelation in your word that, by your eternal grace, you reach down to us, you both build the bridge and walk over it, to us, and for us. Bless us as we go this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shane Altmann is the principal of Faith Lutheran College Redlands in Queensland and has served in education for more than 35 years. Married to Monica and father of two children, Harry and Zoe, Shane has learnt that he is largely helpless without the love and support of the people with whom he lives and works. A pilgrim of multiple Caminos de Santiago, a Penrith Panthers tragic and a restorer of old stuff, Shane loves a project and, when he is able, fills his days tinkering with something.

The last refuge of a scoundrel

by Shane Altmann

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (Jonah 2:1).

Read Jonah 2:1–10

There is nothing quite so fervent as the prayers of a desperate person.

In an episode of the TV show The Simpsons, circa 1990, titled ‘Bart Gets an F’, Lisa catches her brother Bart kneeling by the side of his bed, praying for intervention as he needs an extension to get some schoolwork done that he has neglected.

I don’t remember the full story, but I recall Lisa’s quote very well: ‘Ah! Prayer. The last refuge of a scoundrel.’

You may or may not remember the episode. Bart wakes up the next morning, and it has snowed. Deep, thick snow lies on the ground. School is cancelled, and all the neighbourhood kids are outside sledding, making snowmen and having snowball fights. He grabs his gear, rugs up and begins to head out to join the fun.

Only to be stopped by the stern form of Lisa, hands on her hips.

I don’t remember the details, but she basically says, ‘You prayed for this. It’s a bold man who goes against God.’ She reminds him of his obligations, to miss out on the fun and focus on his responsibilities. From memory, he does.

So, here we have Jonah, inside the fish. I mean, at that point, you have had it, right? No way out, all that is left is you and God. So, he prays. And God answers his prayers and, in what can only be one of the most gross verses in the Bible, the fish vomits him on dry land.

James 5:16b reminds us that ‘the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’. Note, he doesn’t say a pious person. I don’t think Jonah was particularly pious – more disobedient and avoidant, I would suggest. But God had a plan, and Jonah, I am sure, was fervent in his belief and cry to the Lord. And God is good.

So, what’s in this for us? God can do amazing things, miraculous things. God answers prayers, and the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. But Jonah wasn’t that righteous! Correct, it is the work of the Lord that credits him with righteousness because of his desperate faith.

It’s always God’s work. Ephesians 2:8,9 reminds us that even our own desperate faith is a gift from God: ‘For you have been saved by grace, through faith, and even this is not from yourself, but is a gift from God, not as a result of your own effort, so that no one can boast.’

God, thank you that we can come to you in prayer. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for being faithful, even in our desperate need and darkest hours, whether we are on the right track or the wrong one. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and lead us to pray, to bring all things to you and to seek your will in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shane Altmann is the principal of Faith Lutheran College Redlands in Queensland and has served in education for more than 35 years. Married to Monica and father of two children, Harry and Zoe, Shane has learnt that he is largely helpless without the love and support of the people with whom he lives and works. A pilgrim of multiple Caminos de Santiago, a Penrith Panthers tragic and a restorer of old stuff, Shane loves a project and, when he is able, fills his days tinkering with something.

Free camp

by Shane Altmann

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them (Isaiah 33:21).

Read Isaiah 33:13–24

This reading from Isaiah 33 is all about our ultimate security being found in the Lord. He is the consuming fire to the wicked and a fortress to the righteous. He is a really cool camping spot for tent owners.

I love camping. I started with a small dome tent, then upgraded to a larger one when I had kids. As the kids grew, I moved on to a three-room tent, followed by a canvas trailer tent. Now, I have a fancy off-road hybrid that features a shower and a pull-out kitchen.

I am always seeking great places to camp. My family has a few spots. We love the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterlands. Places like Imbil or Canungra, and perhaps beach camping at Brunswick Heads or in the hills around Ravensbourne and Palmtree, north of Toowoomba. Line me up some water, crack me a stubby and light a fire. I am set.

It’s a timeless endeavour. Even three thousand-ish years ago, when this passage was written, the author knew how to identify a great camping experience, a really good tent next to a broad river or stream. That sublime joy and fulfilment is what God is preparing for us through his own redeeming work that brings us to righteousness. Fully catered, bread will be provided, water will not fail us and a peaceful abode where no one will say, ‘I am ill.’

We are reminded again, through this reading from Isaiah, that God is for us, on our side, doing great things for us now and preparing something so special for us next. He promises us great views from the mountain tops, not clinging to cliffs and ropes, but from a fortress, solid and secure, with sweeping views of his beauty and a fair land stretched out below us. How wonderful.

Lord of our future, God of hope, praise your holy name for all you have done for us through your Son, our Lord, Jesus. Thank you for bringing us to righteousness. It is your grace that saves us through the faith you have worked in our hearts. Bless us with good work and better rest as we live hope-filled lives in service of one another and those whom you put before us each day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Shane Altmann is the principal of Faith Lutheran College Redlands in Queensland and has served in education for more than 35 years. Married to Monica and father of two children, Harry and Zoe, Shane has learnt that he is largely helpless without the love and support of the people with whom he lives and works. A pilgrim of multiple Caminos de Santiago, a Penrith Panthers tragic and a restorer of old stuff, Shane loves a project and, when he is able, fills his days tinkering with something.