Pastor's Message Archive

2006											November	December
2007	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
2008	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November

Reverend Patrick Erickson
Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church

A Laughing Matter

(1 Peter 5:7)

These are anxious times. It doesn't take a comic genius like Mel Brooks to convince us we're living with high anxiety. When is the last time you had your blood pressure checked, or your high blood pressure curbed? High anxiety is no laughing matter. Neither is high blood pressure.

You may burst out laughing at the antics of a Mel Brooks enduring high anxiety. It is, after all, high comedy. But be careful. You may burst a blood vessel. High anxiety and its associated disorder, high blood pressure, are the silent killers. You may not endure either one. Are you anxious?

"Well, Pastor, I felt pretty good before I came in here. But now I don't know. Thanks a lot, Pastor!"

High anxiety is its own kind of "white coat fever". And the devil is the doctor you're allergic to. It does no good to ignore either one, hoping the high blood pressure will go down of its own accord, and hoping the devil will just go away on his own.

It does no good for me to say, "Just calm down. Just relax. Take it easy!" It does no good to talk like that, as though we could sweet talk the devil, or talk our high anxiety away, or talk our way out of a heart attack. It does no good to talk about it, period. Talking about it may make it worse.

To calm down, relax and take it easy you have to get rid of the anxiety and hold the devil at bay. If you're anxious, you know that. Are you anxious? Get rid of it. And calm down and relax and take it easy.

It doesn't take a gifted film director like Mel Gibson (although it may help!) to realize that there is Someone who has rid the world of high anxiety, and done it by taking it on Himself and being hung high for it--Jesus Christ. And the means by which He has rid the world of anxiety is called the Passion of Christ.

Are you anxious? Do you want to be rid of your high anxiety and learn to bust a gut and bust out laughing and not burst a blood vessel over it and have the devil in stitches over your anxious demise? Cast all your cares on your Caretaker Jesus, for He cares for you and takes care of you by taking care of your anxieties.

He doesn't take them to the grave, either. He leaves them nailed to the cross and vacates the grave and leaves death and hell vacant. He doesn't leave you high and dry. He leaves the devil high and dry, leading him on a merry chase that will leave you in stitches and have him busting a gut, as Jesus leaves him in the lurch and leads you to heaven!

He casts His comforter--His gracious pardon, the sure cure for your anxiety and all that ails you--around you. His banner over you is love. And that banner reads: "Calm down. I've taken care of business. I've taken your anxieties and taken care of you. You can relax and take it easy."

And it's a banner day for you. The banner headlines read: "You can relax and take it easy because your Caretaker Jesus has taken care of business and taken care of you!"

He's taken your anxieties and taken Satan to the cleaners and left you cool, calm and collected. He's disposed of your dirty laundry. He left it pinned to the clothesline also. He's decked you out in a spanking new birthday suit, born anew, born from above, reborn in Holy Baptism, no longer hung out to dry, like the clothes horse you once were.

Now God the Holy Spirit is your exclusive Clothier and you're a horse of a different color! He's anointed your head with the oil of gladness and outfitted your feet with the gospel of peace. This is a laughing matter. So laugh hard and laugh long. Laugh until you bust a gut. But don't burst a blood vessel! Amen.

- Pastor Erickson