Pastor Larson’s Corner: There’s an app for that
Recently we were having a campfire here at the cabin with several of our grandchildren. We were going to make s’mores, and I needed a flashlight to open the graham crackers. One of the grandchildren quickly pressed a few buttons on her iPhone and turned her camera flash into a very bright flashlight. When I asked her how that was even possible she said, “Oh Grandpa, there’s an app for that.”
It seems like nowadays there’s an app for everything. It got me thinking about how nice it would be if we had an app for the really difficult things in life. It would be nice if there was an app for loneliness, or fear, or lack of faith. When it comes to these basic human conditions, an app would be quite impossible to write. This doesn’t mean, however, that we have no place to turn when life’s greatest difficulties and challenges come our way.
For centuries the Christian Church has been providing apps for people facing the most difficult challenges of life. For example, when we are in search of the truth, the Church has an app for that, namely the Holy Bible. When we are in need of encouragement in the midst of sorrow and loss, the church has an app for that, namely a loving / caring congregation. When our faith waivers and weakens, the church has an app for that, namely the preaching and teaching of the Gospel.
These apps have all been in existence long before the computer and the iPhone popularized the concept of providing applications to solve our every problem. Unlike modern apps these ancient ones never go out of style and are never replaced with the latest and greatest new thing. The Gospel continues to shape and mold people into strong and healthy individuals. The Gospel always applies. May you always be able to apply the Gospel to your life when life’s most difficult problems come your way.
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 12, 2014 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (800) 305-0271.
Pastor Larson’s Corner is written by Jerry Larson and appears weekly in the Norwegian American Weekly.
Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose, preaching with power.” Contact him at jerlarson@visi.com
