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  • THE SAVIOR'S STORY - Oberammergau - Table of Contents
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The Bogeyman

1/18/2020

4 Comments

 
TITLE: Bogeyman
DATE: January 18, 2020

Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed.

TEXT: Proverbs 3:5-8 -  ESV - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Every culture, I imagine, has a bogeyman.

Nobody knows exactly what the bogeyman looks like, since his appearance changes. If you go to some places in the Mid-east, you might be surprised to find that the bogeyman looks a lot like Uncle Sam, or a United States president. If you live in Japan, the bogeyman is Chinese. If you live in China, the bogeyman is Japanese.

Throughout the world, the bogeyman takes on the appearances of the culture which is hated the most. Yet, as different as the bogeyman looks, in skin color and size, in height and in weight, his duties are always the same - to frighten people into doing what is right.

Now, whether people care to admit it or not, often they think of God as being a heavenly bogeyman.

 They think God is lurking and watching from the dark shadows, waiting, maybe even hoping for us to do something wrong. Then, unexpectedly, He slowly slips out of heaven and pounces on us, unleashing, from His bag of malevolent tricks some kind of terrible penalty or retribution. It may be family problems or an unexpected illness.

Too many believe that every catastrophe that comes to us is God's punishment for our doing something wrong. Too many people believe that God, their heavenly Bogeyman is waiting for us to do something, so that He can punish us.

I have made many a hospital call upon someone who has a distressing illness. You know what crops into their minds? God, the heavenly Bogeyman is punishing them for some past sin. They wonder if God has deserted them or turned against them. They say, out loud, "Pastor, is the Lord after me?" Ask them what they've done that's so bad that God would come after them this way, and they reply, "I've been thinking a lot lately about it, and I'm just not sure." You see, they're not sure.
If that is so, take comfort. Be sure. God is not a Bogeyman.

How do I know that? Once, long ago, a group of people asked Jesus about the heavenly bogeyman. They thought if you commit sin A, you get punishment B.

To this kind of thinking, Jesus says, "No!" Absolutely, unequivocally, "NO."

No, God doesn't generally work that way. How could He! Jesus reminds the people that He came into this world to help us, not to hurt us.

 It would make no sense for God who wants all people to be saved; Who wants everyone to be forgiven; Who is willing to sacrifice His son, to be unpredictable in His working with us. God sent His Son from heaven to be born in a stable; to fulfill all the small points of the law, so that we might have salvation. God watched as His Son was tried and beaten, spit upon and nailed to a rough hewn cross so that we might be saved.

Why would God save you in baptism, promise to listen to your prayers, allow the Word to come down to you, give you the Sacrament of His Son's body and blood and the next minute turn around and devastate you with a strange and particularly nasty punishment? It would be sure and certain madness. God loves you.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, let me see You clearly and never doubt Your intentions and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html
4 Comments
Judith A Leutz
1/21/2020 07:53:04 pm

Best wishes ...Gods Blessings

Reply
Denise Benoit
2/4/2020 08:48:47 am

So happy to hear you are still recording Daily Devotions.
I have emailed my friends to spread the news. We would listen together whenever we prayed together on visits.
Best wishes for your success.
Saved by grace,
Denise

Reply
David Gehring
9/20/2020 11:22:09 pm

Dear Pastor Klaus,

My wife and I are have been reading and appreciating your devotions from the time when they were first published. You should also know that my wife Irene has been printing them and handing them out to many homeless men at the Lutheran Compass Center here in Seattle where she had been a volunteer barber for 35 years.

In one of your recent devotions, you mentioned the Bogeyman. After hearing that, I mentioned to Irene, my wife if I should comment to you about the origin of the Bogeyman. So, here is how the Pacific Northwest Bogyman began:

A bog out here begins with a still body of water such as a pond or a lake. Over time, the water’s surface collects dust particles, leaves, branches, etc., which then becomes soil. Add 10 or more years to that and eventually there are even trees growing on this floating mass. Now, we have what is called a bog. If you would be standing on this bog and jumped up and down on it, you would even see trees 20 feet away waving back and forth. I know as I have experienced this myself on a bog just north of Seattle.

OK, so here comes the Bogeyman. Because of the heavy concentration of leaves in the water, which produce a preserving type of acid, dead things do not decompose that quickly. So, consequently, the early native Americans found the bog to be a very convenient burial grounds. All they needed to do was push old Uncle Charlie through the soil and he was gone.

Well, years later old Uncle Charlie as well as others with their smiling faces would eventually appear to the surface. You can only imagine how the relatives reacted to this phenomenon.
That’s right. These recurring creatures were called the ‘men of the Bog.” I’m sure that there were women out there as well.

….And that’s how the story of the Bogeyman started….at least out here. This information I acquired while attending an environmental class one summer years ago at the University of Washington. Isn’t it interesting as to what one remembers from years ago?

Best regards,

Dave Gehring

Reply
Ken Klaus
9/21/2020 07:51:13 am

Dear Dave...Many thanks to you and your wife for using and sharing the devos. May the Holy Spirit use them to accomplish His pu4rposes. Also great thanks for the story. It has been put in my permanent file.
In Him
PK

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  • THE SAVIOR'S STORY - Oberammergau - Table of Contents
    • The Savior's Story
  • Passion Play
    • Your Hosts Ken Klaus >
      • Your Host Kurt Klaus
      • Your Hosts - Bill Yonker
    • Tour Highlights >
      • Brochure Page 1 >
        • Brochure Page 2
        • Brochure Page 3
        • Brochure Page 4
      • Some Downloads to Read
    • Answers to Your Questions
  • Old Devotions