Pastor Luke

There are some people I knew growing up who are a little, ahem, a lot surprised that I'm a pastor.  That's ok.  In fact, I like that. But really, it should come as no surprise when you look back at the path God had me on from the very beginning. 

I am a true 'product of the system’ after all!  I graduated from a Lutheran grade school, high school, college and seminary!  While I'm the only pastor in my immediate family, we are rich with Lutheran school teachers, including my in-laws!  The LCMS tradition runs deep through our viens.

I moved around a lot growing up and lived in a number of states including Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin.  Such is the life when your dad was/is a Lutheran school principal.  I am thankful for it, however, as I learned to bond closely with the only things in life that don't change when you move - your God and your family! 

I have received from my dad a never ending fascination with people.  We share the common trait of being able to sit and talk with anyone for some amount of time about something or other that in some way interests us.  People are just interesting - because they have been created so by God.

I don't really like describing myself, because I can never quite tell If I'm describing the me I wish I was or the me I am or the me I think I am but am not.  I've been told, however, that I'm not much like an average LCMS pastor.  I'm ok with that too, because in the end I frankly don't care much what people think about Luke the pastor or Luke the person.

I care what people think about Jesus.  That’s really what I have come to count as most important.  How that happens and the particulars are, not surprisingly, markedly Lutheran.  I have a special affinity for the doctrine of the Lutheran church for a number of reasons - too many to record here.  But I can tell you where it starts.

It starts with the commitment we have to the Bible.  In technical terms we call it 'Sola Scriptura.'  What that means is we depend on the Bible alone to understand God and know what he has done for us.  I have written a blog post on it HERE. 

My fascination with people has resulted in my learning that everyone makes mistakes.  We're pretty open about it when we use the popular, secular phrase 'nobody's perfect.'  If that is true, how can WE imperfect people construct ideas about a God who by definition of the title is perfect?

And when things in scripture get hard to understand, we don't employ our own reasonable interpretations.  Instead, we use scripture to interpret scripture.  It takes more work, to be sure, to cross reference and to seek New Testament clarity in the Old Testament prophecies - but it's better than inventing our own meaning based on what we think might be good!

From that point we begin to see how the Bible interprets itself through a Law and a Gospel lens - and so on and so forth.  Once you set rolling a ball of Scriptural authority what you have on your hands is a Lutheran avalanche!

This is important to me as I recognize my own limitations of understanding.  I do not think that, as a pastor, I have arrived at the end of the path of discipleship.  Some people try to assure me that I'm further along than they.  But I think I know a more accurate description of my walk with Jesus. 

If I met you on the road of learning who Jesus is, I'd probably say something like 'I've been up ahead, it's amazing!  You gotta see it!  But I'm back here because I don't think I understood all of it, so I'm going to walk it again.  I'd love to have some company along the way...'