Pastor's Minute

---

If I could have five minutes in front of a microphone that gave me the ability to speak to all the people in the world at the same time, in their own language, what would I say?  Granted, this is stretching the imagination, but it is challenging to ponder.  So far no one has ushered me up to this mic and starting the clock, but if they did, I know what I would say.

I would take the first two minutes of this immensely valuable time to share in the clearest way I could the good news about Jesus.  Believe me, I would be trusting the Holy Spirit to make my words powerful and compelling.

I hope that everyone listening would understand, in the deepest part of their being, that there is a God they will have to answer to and to firmly believe that they cannot present themselves acceptably before Him.  Only the Holy Spirit’s inspiration could cut to the heart of a self-righteous person to acknowledge that they need help.  If anyone thinks they can be right with God by their own efforts, they will try that until it kills them.  Could I sway anyone in only two minutes?  I would try.

With my third minute I would lift up the name of Jesus as God’s answer to our sin problem.  I would proclaim the power of His blood as the only sacrifice that can buy us back from what we deserve.  I would emphasize that Jesus would not turn away anyone who turns to Him for His mercy to fill them.  They would need to know that Jesus’ Father turned His back on His own Son so that He would not have to hurl that wrath at us.

I know three minutes is such a short time to express eternity’s claims, but we have got to get this across to the dying world.  If not before a microphone, then face to face and one by one.

With my last two minutes I would plead with billions of people to not let anyone else in this world keep them out of heaven.  Sounds strange, doesn’t it?  Yet a day does not go by that I do not hear someone telling me that they have good reason to forget about church and walk away from God’s gatherings because of words that were said, looks that were given or actions that were taken, which have wounded and scarred countless numbers of people.

I grew up hearing an expression: “cutting off your nose to spite you face.”  Wouldn’t this be the ultimate example of such foolish behavior – I should refuse to spend time with Almighty God preparing for eternity because another sinful human being let me down?  I should reject faith in Jesus, the only worthy Savior, because my third grade Sunday School teacher told me to sit still, be quiet, and listen to the lesson?  I should never take possession of the beautiful heavenly mansion God’s carpenter Son built for me because I got irritated when some preacher told me I was sinning when I was just doing my thing?

People will disappoint us.  Friends will let us down.  Family can at times upset us.  There will never be a lack of human dynamics that can put us off. No one is perfect and neither am I.  When you think about that, it begins to make sense that we would all need a Savior other than ourselves.  I am not going to let another person keep me out of heaven, are you?

Mic or no mic, spread the word.

Pastor Bill Zeige has been in the ministry for 45 years since being called out of the St. Louis

Seminary to serve at Our Redeemer in Cohasset and Trinity Lutheran in Hill City in 1973. He

and his wife Sue grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they met in college.

After moving to Grand Rapids they raised five children: Lynne, Lisa, Laurie, Sarah, and Mark

and cared for a foster daughter for several years. Sue has been involved as a director of

Independent School District 318 for several terms and is seeking re-election currently. She also

served on the Grand Rapids City Council for seven years – five of those years as mayor.

Pastor Bill served Trinity for 13 ½ years before becoming full time pastor at Redeemer where he

served for 38 years before retiring in 2011. Since retiring he has served interim ministries at

Detroit Lakes, MN., Nevis, MN., Our Redeemer in Cohasset, and at First Lutheran since

February, 2018. He also served the Minnesota North District as the Iron Range Circuit

Counselor for 16 years. He also currently serves as City Councilor for the City of Grand

Rapids.

Pastor Bill, although being not so successful at being retired, is grateful to be able to use the gifts

God has given him to be a spiritual leader for the members of First Lutheran congregation and

the people we can reach out to to be part of the family of God.