Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for February 16-22, 2025
Life and Death Wisdom from “Adventure Games”
(Jeremiah 7:5-8; Psalm 1)
When I was a student at the College of William and Mary in the early 80s, I took a class called “Adventure Games.” As you might expect from a class by that name, we did some pretty cool stuff. We practiced rappelling off the back wall of the football stadium before driving to western Virginia to do the real thing on cliffs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We travelled to New York to learn how to build igloos and survive in snowy, frozen conditions. And back on campus we would sometimes just play “British Bulldog” and other games that would develop our agility and speed. It was a lot of fun. But there was a serious side to the endeavor, too. You learned early on that trusting the instructor and following her encouragements for survival could be the difference between life and death. There were two ways to approach any challenge in the unforgiving natural world: take the proper precautions and live… or take your chances following your own instincts, and… well, you get the picture.
This ”better-of-two-ways” lesson I learned in my college youth is depicted frequently in the Scriptures, only now GOD is the instructor. Psalm 1 reminds us that the “righteous” person focused on the Word of God will be like a tree planted by streams of water whereas the “wicked” who has no reliable Life source will be like chaff blown away by the wind. Jeremiah makes a similar contrast this weekend between the one who “makes flesh his strength,” getting by like a shrub that must endure life in a “salt-land marsh” and the one who trusts in the Lord. The latter is like a tree planted by water that never ceases to bear fruit. Isn’t it interesting that in both passages the focus is not on a person’s “good deeds” or “bad deeds” but rather where that person finds true Life? You can take your chances following your own instincts. But you will always find greater strength in the wisdom that comes down from above!
There’s this wonderful series of questions and answers Martin Luther once suggested would be helpful in leading people to discern the better of the two ways throughout their lives. The body and blood of Jesus are the saving medicine for the wounded conscience and the broken heart, mind, body, and soul. What should you do if you wake up one day and do not feel your need for them? First, Luther says, “touch your body and see if you still have flesh and blood.” If you do, “believe what the Scriptures say of [your flesh] in Galatians 5 and Romans 7.” Second, look around and see if you’re still in the world, “and remember that there will be no lack of sin and trouble there….” Third, remember that the devil will let you have no peace. Jesus is risen from the dead! In His Sacrament, He gives us the same body that was nailed to the cross for us… the same blood He shed for us. He does this for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. How can we find what we need in life anywhere else?
What better way then to enjoy the adventure of life than trusting not in ourselves but in the God who wants to always give us what He knows we need the most? As the catechism puts it, “That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’” Thus believing, we not only go joyfully to the altar, where Christ gives us Himself. We find that each new day can be an adventure where we have nothing to fear.
By the grace of God, we stay planted by His Life-giving Word and Sacrament. That’s where we will always find true blessing. That’s where we will always thrive.
Epiphany grace and peace,
Pastor Jonathan
Please note, there will be no Sunday School for Children and Youth this week.
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.