#297 Who Does It Hurt?

Who does it hurt? This is a question we ask ourselves a lot when it comes to our behavior, our morals. Christians have a reputation for being uptight about things that most people would say don't really hurt anyone. A lot of us human beings think it shouldn't matter if we use pornography or have consensual sex outside of marriage. We think it's not a big deal if we call someone names behind their back or tell some "white lies" to serve a good end. Being envious of our friends' possessions or being a little materialistic and buying more than we need don't seem very problematic to us. Nor does neglecting worshiping God or placing God after our families and jobs on our list of priorities. We think these actions don't harm other people, so even if they're not exactly what God wants for us, they're not so bad.

Recently I've heard this argument made when it comes to same-sex marriage. Who does it hurt if two male Christians or two female Christians are sexually intimate within the context of a committed marriage? I have some sympathy for the argument. There are other sexual sins, like adultery and sexual abuse, that cause obvious and greater harm to other people. And being in an opposite-sex marriage does not mean that I or anyone else is sin-free. Part of me would like to celebrate any two people getting married and move on. However, as I've said before on this blog, I believe that God teaches us in the Bible that His will is that sex should only take place within marriage and that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. I have not come across an argument from Scripture in support of same-sex marriage that I find convincing. Others disagree with me, and I am not a perfect interpreter of God's will, but I really believe this is how God wants us to live. Let's proceed humbly and cautiously.

So then, if I am correct, and God does not approve of same-sex marriage, who does it hurt? I think the answer is the spouses in the same-sex marriage. I know that might sound ridiculous. What could be wrong about getting what you want in a committed relationship? But, assuming with me that same-sex marriages go against God's will, then being in such a relationship means teaching yourself to disobey God, to sin. It means elevating your own desires above what God wants for His people generally and you specifically. Ultimately, it means acting like you are God and you get to decide what right and wrong is for yourself.

Now—and this is extremely important—this is the way that ALL sin works. Other sexual sins, like premarital sex or even lust, mean the same things for us. Other sins, like hatred and greed and superstition, do as well. At its heart, sin is idolatry. We sin because—even if we don't consciously think this—we believe we can and should control our lives. We trust ourselves instead of God. Now—this, too is extremely important—I do not believe that sexual sins in general nor same-sex sexual sins in particular are worse in God's sight than other sins. Sin of any variety is dangerous because it leads us away from trusting and relying on God, the only source of life and salvation. Only Christ Jesus can save us from any sin, and He can save us from every sin, forgiving us and transforming us to live for Him in grateful obedience. Who does our sin hurt? It hurts us, so Jesus calls us to repent, turning from our sins to Him, because He alone can save, and He freely gives salvation to all His people.

[Don't stop here! Please go on and read the next post.]

Grace and peace,

BMH

#296 Meaningless!

This past Sunday I preached in another church, so I brought a sermon from the series I preached on Ecclesiastes last fall. Getting back into Ecclesiastes reminded me of some of the things I learned while preparing those sermons—things I had considered blogging about last fall but never got around to.

At the heart of the book of Ecclesiastes is a Hebrew word that gets repeated over and over again. Transliterated into our alphabet, the word would look like "hevel." This word is used to refer to a breath or a vapor, something that's transitory and doesn't last long. In Ecclesiastes, the word seems to carry a sense of futility and meaninglessness. (Older Bible translations used the word vanity, though today we tend to think of people being full of themselves when we hear "vanity.") The human author of the book laments that all sorts of things are "hevel," even saying that everything is "hevel."

The Bible also commonly uses "hevel" in one other way: to describe the worthless idols that people serve instead of the one true God. I find that really interesting because many of the things that Ecclesiastes dismisses as "hevel" are the kinds of things that we are easily tempted to make into idols: things like wealth, wisdom and knowledge, pleasure, work and achievements,  youth and energy. I don't think this is a coincidence. I think that through Ecclesiastes God is intentionally exposing our idols. God shows us that these earthly things fade and cannot last. These false gods cannot give ultimate meaning to our lives; only God can. These things can be good and enjoyable if gratefully accepted and used as gifts from God, but if we try to build our lives around them, they will only let us down in the end. Rather than chasing after things that are "hevel," God calls us to seek and enjoy Him, the eternal God who offers us everlasting life with Him through Christ Jesus our Savior. That's a message God's people—me included!—need to hear again and again.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#295 You Will See My Life through Your Eyes as Your Life Will Be Seen through Mine

We have a baby boy at our house! Jeremiah Brian Hofman was born on Wednesday, May 3. His birth was not nearly as surprising and stressful as Mia's birth, but it was eventful enough in its own way. Jeremiah was due on May 27, so he was born about three weeks early. Tess's blood pressure had gone up the previous Saturday, which put us on alert. Jeremiah continued to seem fine, so we were hoping to make it at least another week so that he could be considered full term. But on Wednesday Tess went in to meet with the surgeon and was informed that she was going to have a baby that day. I was home with Mia. Tess called me, came back to get me and some things, and about two and a half hours later we had baby boy. It wasn't as quick as the process with Mia, and I didn't feel so overwhelmed this time around, but this was still definitely not how Tess and I had planned things. Jeremiah weigned in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces, so he's pretty little. He's been on a special blue blanket/pad thing for the past couple days to combat a little jaundice, but we were able to stay in here in Le Mars, and he came home just three days after birth. We are very grateful to God for our healthy baby boy. God has answered many prayers.

We are still praying for growth and development for Jeremiah. He seems to be eating pretty well, but we'll feel better once he puts on a little weight and fits into his diapers better. Lanie and Mia are adjusting to having a little brother, and Tess and I are getting used to being outnumbered. Things are still in flux at the Hofman house, but God is good, and we are beyond happy.

Grace and peace,

BMH

P.S. This post's title comes from Superman the Movie.

#294 Sic 'em!

It's been a crazy few days, so I'm just going to tell a story this week: my favorite story from days running cross country in college. Toward the end of my senior season, I was out running with my friends Kyle, Andy, and Chris. We high-mileage guys were putting in something like eight miles that day, a pretty typical run for us. The first three-quarters of the run went by smoothly. We took a pretty unique route, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. The air was crisp and cool, the leaves were falling, and we cruised along. As we headed back toward campus, we cut through a sort of gated community, racing through backyards. On our left was a high chain-link fence (think little league backstop). Houses were on our right. The end of the community was drawing close: just past a regular wooden privacy fence was the city water tower. With only a few backyards left to go, we heard a voice boom out of one of the houses, "Fido (I have no idea if that's the correct name—it's not important), get 'em!" Adrenaline pumping, we kicked into high gear. Kyle went over the fence. Chris went over the fence. I sprinted up to the fence—and didn't make it over. Andy started freaking out behind me: "HOFMAN!" I cleared the fence with my second attempt. As Andy came over we heard the dog barking. It was some tiny little ankle-biter. All four of us cracked up, practically rolling on the ground. I don't know who that guy was, but he got us. He got us good.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#293 Easter Relief

Ask pretty much any pastor—pretty much any person involved in planning and leading worship for that matter—and they'll tell you that the time leading up to Easter Sunday is busy. Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday I feel like I lock in, spending less time on visiting and more time on worship preparations, focused on helping my congregation retrace Jesus' journey through death to life once again. As much as possible I try to move other business until after Easter Sunday because the extra services and gatherings take over my schedule. The week tends to go by in a blur.

Once Easter Sunday comes I feel like I can relax and breathe a little easier. And I think that's exactly the way I should feel. There is nothing more important or more wonderful or more reassuring than Christ's victory over sin and death and all the powers of evil. Easter is a constant reminder that Jesus has secured eternal salvation for His people. We Christians don't need to be afraid, no matter what may come, because nothing can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus. Now it's true that we celebrate Easter a bit every single Sunday when we gather for worship. I shouldn't unnecessarily stress myself out at any time of year. But somehow the Easter good news seems to click a little more clearly for me each spring. Thank God for the hope and joy and peace He gives!

Grace and peace,

BMH

#292 Pregnancy Progress

Tess and I did some remembering and calculating last week, and as far as we can tell, today Tess is exactly as far along in this pregnancy as she was in her last pregnancy when Mia was born. Tess went to see the doctor this morning, and everything looks good enough. We know that things can change in a hurry, and we won't feel fully settled until Baby Boy is safely at home, but we are very grateful to have made it to this point. God has been answering our prayers thus far.

Every week—in fact, every day—that Baby Boy waits to be born is worthwhile. Our hope is to get him to make it to a planned c-section in about six weeks—that's just a few days before his due date. However, even making it four more weeks to May 8 would be a huge victory. At that point, we would be close enough for the pregnancy to be considered full term. The goal is almost in sight at this point. We're getting more and more excited. But in this instance, we are happy to wait.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#291 A-Puzzle-A-Day

This post is a little overdue. I got distracted with some other things, I guess. Last year my parents bought me one of these puzzles for my birthday. They showed up at my house with it on February 18, 2022, one day after my 31st birthday. I spent the next year rearranging the eight wooden pieces to uncover the proper month and day for every day of the year. The first few days were pretty tough, but eventually I learned some tricks that made me much more efficient. I took this picture after completing the whole challenge on February 17, 2023.

And before you ask, yes, I figured out how to get February 29, even though that date didn't come around in 2022. And yes, I also found solutions for the imaginary dates of February 30 & 31, April 31, June 31, September 31, and November 31. I made 372 different combinations.

Throughout the year Lanie was a constant motivator. Day after day she wanted me to show her the proper date. She forgot about the puzzle for a few days after my birthday, but then she asked me to keep going. I told her I've done it all before. The puzzle can wait until she's ready to take up the challenge herself.

Grace and peace,

BMH