What would you think if I received a letter like the following?

Dear Pastor, A lot has been going on in my life. I have gotten sick and can't figure out why God would do this to me. My husband and I have not been getting along very well. This can't be the way marriage was meant to be. My children also have been giving me fits. They just won't listen. Isn't there a commandment that deals with this? These things have made me feel like I am alone in this world. And to top it all off, I am constantly worried about money. I also don't have that much time. I work 40 hours a week. I cook and clean for the family. I have to run the kids to baseball, 4-H, ballet, and to daycare. I barely have a minute to myself. So Pastor, I was hoping that you could address all these issues for me. Now because I don't have that much time, is it too much to ask to squeeze it all into a 15-minute sermon on Sunday? Please don't make it more than 15 minutes though because when church goes over an hour it really sets off our Sunday routine. It is hard for us to get a table at Bob Evans. And please don't go under 15 minutes because I really don't think you can handle all our problems in that short of a time. Thanks for your help in this, Pastor. I am sure that you will do all you can.
Your faithful member
PS I really mean it about that 15-minute thing.

Nobody has actually written me that letter. And I don't think that Pastor Keller has gotten a letter like that either. However many of those sentiments have been expressed to me by different people at different times. Does your life sound like that at all? Have you become Too Busy To Be A Christian?

First of all what is it that makes us Christians? It is not what we do. God has done it all for us. We were poor, lost sinners who were without hope. Sin had sentenced us to death and the devil was waiting for us in hell.

God changed that though. He cleared away the obstacles of sin, death, and hell with this loving plan of salvation. He sent Jesus to be our Savior and Christ removed all our guilt by living a perfect life, dying his death on the cross, and by rising from grave to rule for all eternity.

In God's plan for us the Holy Spirit changed us through the gospel in word and sacrament. The message of salvation was sweet music to our despairing ears. We were made children of God through Baptism and we receive forgiveness through the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper.

Being a Christian means being made God's dear child. Then what. Is that where the lesson ends? Absolutely not. Being Christian also means acting like a Christian. God has expectations of us. This is not some modern legalism. This is fact. To those have been given much, much is expected. And we have been given the most as Christians.

Now ask yourselves, have you become Too Busy To Be A Christian? If you want to change, here is your lesson plan. Study God's Word. Share God's Word. Live God's Word. As we look at this three-part lesson plan, we will look at some of the problems, see forgiveness, and discover God's solutions. This will not be some worldly philosophy though. We will use our Deuteronomy Scripture lesson as our guide.

First of all, Study God's Word. People have given me every excuse in the book as to why they can't study the Bible or come to Bible class. Some say that the Bible is too hard to understand. Well that is why you study it so that it becomes less difficult. Another excuse that I here is that people don't think that they really need to come to Bible class. Really, you don't need it huh? An hour once a week is all the spiritual food you need. What if you only ate food once a week for an hour? How would your body look? Think about how souls look on only a one hour a week spiritual diet. I also have been told that people are just too busy to go to Bible class. They don't want to miss the race on Sunday or they have to get home to cut the grass or they have their softball league on Tuesday nights. Think about how God must feel when people make up silly excuses to do other things rather than study the His Word.

Have you made these excuses? If you have and feel guilty about it, then know that this Word of God contains the soothing medicine and spiritual food that you need. It heals all your wounds. It comforts your soul. It gives you peace in Christ Jesus. It continually reminds you that you are forgiven.

Then change your attitude toward Bible study. Follow the words of Moses in our Deuteronomy Scripture verse: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Some Jews took these words so seriously that they made little boxes call phylacteries and stuffed Bible passages inside them. Then they tied these boxes to their foreheads.

How can you do this without walking around the mall and having people think you are weird? Study the Bible. We have many Bible classes available to you. You can read the Bible at home. You can have devotions with your family. We must never be too busy to do these things. Rearrange your priorities. Get rid of the clutter in your life. Make sure that worship and Bible study are the first things you put on your calendar every month. Don't be too busy to be a Christian who studies God's Word.

The second part of our lesson is Share the Word. Moses said in our Bible verses, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth."

Parents come to me often and ask me why I think that their children aren't doing the things that they are doing. Or people have been asking me lately why so many young people are leaving the church. My answer is simple. It is not just the fault of the young. Adults bear the blame also. What has the adult culture of this world taught our children? Worship is optional. Bible study is not that important. There is no absolute truth in this world. Winning is not that important. Divorce is OK and your commitment means nothing. Decide for yourself what is right and wrong. Believe what you feel in your heart to believe. This is the way kids are growing up - lost, confused, and feeling alone. If you don't believe me, ask them.

Share the Word of God with them. There is truth in the world. It is found in Jesus Christ who is the only way to heaven. There is commitment in this world. Jesus is committed to his sheep. Winning the crown of eternal is the most important thing. We are not alone. God is with us. He speaks to us in His Word. Talk to your children and grandchildren and share the Word. This is what Christians do. You cannot be to busy. People's eternal lives are at stake.

And finally, Live the Word. Why is this such a problem with us? Why don't we live according the Word of God? Families will promise to obey God's will in church and by the time are in the parking lot they are fighting with one another. We promise to be faithful with the gifts that God has given to us and then the church runs deficit the whole year. People get drunk with their friends on a Friday night and expect those friends to visit church with them on Sunday.

We all have sinned. But living according to God's Word is not just obeying the commandments. It is also trusting in the forgiveness that was won on the cross by Jesus. Jesus took our sins away. Now we are free to live. Be at peace with the comfort that Jesus has forgiven you. Know that you are saved. Then in love and thankfulness, change your life. Live the Word of God that you are studying and sharing with others.

We can't be too busy to be Christians. I know that many of you have work, school, families, friends, social lives, and responsibilities. I know that these things pull at you. But I am confident that God will not say, "Oh you are studying the Bible too much. You are sharing the gospel too much. You are living according my Word too much. I am going to stop blessing you." Of course God will not say that.

In fact, follow along with me as I read the last the paragraph of today's lesson. "See, I am setting before you today a blessings and curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known."

God promises to bless you if you study the Word of God faithfully. God promises to bless you if you share the Word of God with others, especially your children. God promises to bless you if you live God's Word in your life. Study, share, and live God's Word and reap the blessings he has in store for you. AMEN.