MISSING JESUS Matthew 2:13-23 Christmas 1A December 26, 2010
On Christmas Eve I spoke about finding Jesus because it was the shepherds who went to Bethlehem and found Jesus and all the joy that he brings. In today’s we gospel we read the ending of the story of the wise men who were also successful in finding Jesus. Reading this story reminded me of a story written about a fourth wise man who did not find Jesus – or so he thought. It was written by Henry Van Dyke in 1896 and is called “The Other Wise Man.” I would like to share an outline of the story with you this morning.
There was a fourth wise man named Artaban. He traveled to join the other three so they might together bring their gifts to the Babe. But he never reached the appointed place, because he came upon a man half-dead by the roadside. Being knowledgeable in medicine, he was able to save the man's life. But he missed the others and now he had no way across the dessert to where the Baby lay. So, he looked at the gifts he would bring the child, a brilliant sapphire, a deep-red ruby and a pearl. With a heavy heart he found a buyer for the sapphire and bought his own supplies to cross the desert.
He arrived in Bethlehem only to find that the Babe and his parents had fled to Egypt. All around him, parents were grieving as the soldiers came and killed their first born child. Artaban had a chance to bribe a solider who was about to kill a young child. He parted with his ruby, but he would always remember the sweet face of the infant he had snatched from Herod's wrath.
Thirty-three years later, he heard the news that the little Prince, the Christ child, would be sentenced to death on a cross. He hurried with his pearl to ransom the Prince of Peace. But even this last gesture of love for this Christ child was denied him; for he came across a little girl who was being sold into slavery. He exchanged his pearl for the life and freedom of the little girl.
Then a great earthquake came to where he was standing. Artaban was knocked to the ground. A soft voice came to him telling him that when he gave his jewels for his fellow man he gave them in reality to Christ. When he sold his sapphire, because he helped the beaten man, he sold it for Christ, when he used his ruby to bribe a guard to save a life, he used it for Christ, when he exchanged his pearl for a girl's freedom, he used it for Christ.
What did Jesus say in Matthew 25 in the great judgment hall? “when you have done it for one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” Artaban may have thought he missed giving his gift to Jesus, but he really didn’t. Just like us today, he found Jesus in the face of those who needed his help. AMEN.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Sermon #2
FINDING JESUS Luke 2:1-20 December 24, 2010
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
And that is just what they did - “with haste” the scripture says. Having been told that their savior had been born, they immediately responded by looking for him. I imagine that when they got to Bethlehem they found that it was a city full of people and excitement and even chaos. There was a census going on which was not like the 2010 census in the United States which was largely done by mail from the privacy of our own homes. For this census everyone had to go to the home city of the head of the household, and for Joseph’s family that was Bethlehem. When the shepherds approached Bethlehem it must have looked like, well a lot like a city celebrating Christmas: lots of people, lots of moving around, lots of buying and selling, lots of noise. Why, they were even putting people up in the stables because there was no more room in the inns. For these poor country boys, it must have been overwhelming. Where do you start looking for one little newborn?
Scripture says they “found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger,” but you can bet that they did not find them right away. There were many stables in Bethlehem, and there were many innkeepers bustling about trying to keep up with the crush of all the people. They must have gone from building to building inquiring about a young couple with a newborn laying in a manger. Perhaps Mary was not the only young woman to give birth that night. Perhaps this couple was not the only one to be housed in a stable that night.
So the shepherds look and look. All they have to go on is the cryptic word of the angels: “this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” No GPS like people have in their cars today. No people finder like people use on the internet today. No helpful hints beside the phrase “not the Joseph of Nazareth you are looking for” like pops up on Facebook today. They looked around. They inquired. And they found him. They found their Savior.
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
Tonight it is Christmas 2,010 years later, give or take a few years. At this time of year there is a great deal of hubbub with parties and gatherings, gift giving and shopping. It can all be exhausting, sometimes confusing, and for many of us, overwhelming. What is the core meaning of Christmas? Is it the feasting and the drinking? Is it the family gathered from near and far? Is it the season when retailers finally turn a profit because of “black Friday” and “cyber Monday”? Is not the core meaning of Christmas finding that tiny baby in that humble stable, nestled in the straw? Is it not finding a savior who is Christ the Lord? We should all be like the shepherds in going to see what the Lord has made known to us.
In Isaiah 55:6 it says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.” That’s what the shepherds did. After all, we know that he did not remain near to those shepherds all that long. After the three wise men visited Jesus, the whole family - Joseph, Mary, and Jesus – fled to Egypt. And then, when it was safe to do so, they went to live in Nazareth which is where Joseph had work and where, most likely, Mary was born. But while he was near, the shepherds went to find Jesus.
That is what we are to do. But Jesus is not as hard for us to find as he might have been for those shepherds. When we go to our Bible and read- or when we go to church and listen – or when we go to the Sacrament to eat and drink – Jesus is there. When we “fall on our knees” and pray, Jesus is listening. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, “…..seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” This is God’s promise to you – when you seek him you will find him; just as the angels led the shepherds to believe that they would find the baby Jesus. He is not hidden like a needle in a haystack. He waiting to be found.
A rather humorous story appeared in the paper one Christmas. “After someone stole a valuable ceramic figurine of Baby Jesus from a nativity scene in Wellington, Florida, officials took action to keep thieves from succeeding again. An Associated Press report described how they placed a GPS tracking device inside the replacement figurine. When Baby Jesus disappeared again the next Christmas, sheriff's deputies were led by the signal to the thief's apartment.” That’s how the police found Jesus.
As Christians, we believe that Christ has always existed, but he came into the world in a new and wonderful way with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. As Christians we believe that Christ is every where – omnipresent, as they say – but he is distinctively present in the Word and in the Sacrament, bringing us the salvation that only the savior can bring through the forgiveness of our sins. And so, when we find Jesus, we find what the shepherds had been promised they would find: a savior who is Christ the Lord.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 has a wonderful promise: God says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Forgiveness and healing – that is what all those who seek the Lord will find.
It is my prayer that this night you are glorifying and praising God for all you have heard and seen, just as the shepherds did as they, because you have found Jesus Christ to be your savior and your Lord and are living day by day for him. The invitation stands in Matthew 11 “come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” AMEN.
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
And that is just what they did - “with haste” the scripture says. Having been told that their savior had been born, they immediately responded by looking for him. I imagine that when they got to Bethlehem they found that it was a city full of people and excitement and even chaos. There was a census going on which was not like the 2010 census in the United States which was largely done by mail from the privacy of our own homes. For this census everyone had to go to the home city of the head of the household, and for Joseph’s family that was Bethlehem. When the shepherds approached Bethlehem it must have looked like, well a lot like a city celebrating Christmas: lots of people, lots of moving around, lots of buying and selling, lots of noise. Why, they were even putting people up in the stables because there was no more room in the inns. For these poor country boys, it must have been overwhelming. Where do you start looking for one little newborn?
Scripture says they “found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger,” but you can bet that they did not find them right away. There were many stables in Bethlehem, and there were many innkeepers bustling about trying to keep up with the crush of all the people. They must have gone from building to building inquiring about a young couple with a newborn laying in a manger. Perhaps Mary was not the only young woman to give birth that night. Perhaps this couple was not the only one to be housed in a stable that night.
So the shepherds look and look. All they have to go on is the cryptic word of the angels: “this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” No GPS like people have in their cars today. No people finder like people use on the internet today. No helpful hints beside the phrase “not the Joseph of Nazareth you are looking for” like pops up on Facebook today. They looked around. They inquired. And they found him. They found their Savior.
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
Tonight it is Christmas 2,010 years later, give or take a few years. At this time of year there is a great deal of hubbub with parties and gatherings, gift giving and shopping. It can all be exhausting, sometimes confusing, and for many of us, overwhelming. What is the core meaning of Christmas? Is it the feasting and the drinking? Is it the family gathered from near and far? Is it the season when retailers finally turn a profit because of “black Friday” and “cyber Monday”? Is not the core meaning of Christmas finding that tiny baby in that humble stable, nestled in the straw? Is it not finding a savior who is Christ the Lord? We should all be like the shepherds in going to see what the Lord has made known to us.
In Isaiah 55:6 it says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.” That’s what the shepherds did. After all, we know that he did not remain near to those shepherds all that long. After the three wise men visited Jesus, the whole family - Joseph, Mary, and Jesus – fled to Egypt. And then, when it was safe to do so, they went to live in Nazareth which is where Joseph had work and where, most likely, Mary was born. But while he was near, the shepherds went to find Jesus.
That is what we are to do. But Jesus is not as hard for us to find as he might have been for those shepherds. When we go to our Bible and read- or when we go to church and listen – or when we go to the Sacrament to eat and drink – Jesus is there. When we “fall on our knees” and pray, Jesus is listening. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, “…..seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” This is God’s promise to you – when you seek him you will find him; just as the angels led the shepherds to believe that they would find the baby Jesus. He is not hidden like a needle in a haystack. He waiting to be found.
A rather humorous story appeared in the paper one Christmas. “After someone stole a valuable ceramic figurine of Baby Jesus from a nativity scene in Wellington, Florida, officials took action to keep thieves from succeeding again. An Associated Press report described how they placed a GPS tracking device inside the replacement figurine. When Baby Jesus disappeared again the next Christmas, sheriff's deputies were led by the signal to the thief's apartment.” That’s how the police found Jesus.
As Christians, we believe that Christ has always existed, but he came into the world in a new and wonderful way with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. As Christians we believe that Christ is every where – omnipresent, as they say – but he is distinctively present in the Word and in the Sacrament, bringing us the salvation that only the savior can bring through the forgiveness of our sins. And so, when we find Jesus, we find what the shepherds had been promised they would find: a savior who is Christ the Lord.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 has a wonderful promise: God says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Forgiveness and healing – that is what all those who seek the Lord will find.
It is my prayer that this night you are glorifying and praising God for all you have heard and seen, just as the shepherds did as they, because you have found Jesus Christ to be your savior and your Lord and are living day by day for him. The invitation stands in Matthew 11 “come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” AMEN.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Christmas Sermon #1
BELIEVE Matthew 1:18-25 Advent 4A December 19, 2010
Joseph could hardly believe it……when he heard the news that Mary was expecting a child. He could hardly believe his ears. Here he was, a man who had finally reached the point in life where he was established in his job, he had a home, and he was ready to marry a wife. Mary, he thought, was a beautiful and sensible young woman. Their families had arranged this marriage, but Joseph was happy with the arrangements. Everything seemed to be going his way. And now this. He had believed that she was the right one for him. He had believed that this was going to be one of the happiest years of his life. He had believed that their future together was bright. And in a moment all his dreams were shattered.
There is nothing written in scripture about Joseph’s inner struggles as he reacted to the situation, but they must have been turbulent. Joseph is described as a righteous man. His subsequent actions reveal him to be a compassionate man. How was he going to do the right thing in this situation with compassion and kindness. He was not one of those self-righteous men who immediately tries to follow the law no matter what the consequences and no matter who gets hurt in the process. He was not one of those proud men who would have reacted out of his wounded pride and maybe even lashed out in anger. He was righteous and compassionate, so he tried to do the right thing in a kind and gentle way. And the right thing, in that 1st century society, was to break off the engagement, painful as that might be, and public as that might be, given the way that society worked. His family would have expected him to do it. Other men of the town would have expected him to do it. The Bible commentator Keeler wrote about this passage, “[in this situation] Mediterranean society viewed with contempt the weakness of a man who let his love for his wife outweigh his appropriate honor in repudiating her." The judge in Nazareth would have immediately nullified the betrothal contract between their two families. It would be an open and shut case.
But just imagine what must have been going through Joseph’s mind. The sleepless nights. The dreams. The confusion. Many people in such situations wonder if God is still on their side. When the world seems to fall apart around you – for whatever reason – it can be hard to believe that God is still watching over you the way the Bible says he is.
Where is God when people we love and trust disappoint us so much? Where is God when someone we had planned a future with suddenly passes away? Where is God when we have tried our very best to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, as Ephesians 6 says to do, and they wonder off? Where is God, Joseph might have wondered, when I am faced with this situation?
The answer came to Joseph in the middle of the night. At that darkest moment, when Joseph was working up the courage to make public what he had resolved to do, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to embrace Mary as his wife, to welcome the child that was growing within her, and to face the future with courage and conviction. Where is God in this situation? God is with us. The angel might just as well as said to Joseph “This is not what you planned, and this might not be what you wanted, but God is with you working out his plan and what he wants. Just believe.”
What I am imagining is not that Joseph’s belief in God the creator of the universe was shaken. He did not become an atheist. He believed there was an all powerful God out there. What was shaken was his belief that this God was involved in his humble little life in far off Nazareth. What the angel in Joseph’s dream came to tell him was that God was involved in his personal life and that God did care for him.
In this respect, Joseph was like pretty much like everyone else. Big questions about the creation of the universe or about things that happened two thousand years ago are not nearly so important to most of us as the question of whether God knows each of us as individuals and is there to help us in our personal struggles. When Joseph had questions like that, he was reassured that God had not abandoned him nor forgotten him, but was doing something very special in his life.
“Do not be afraid” the angel had said to Joseph. “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Do not be afraid of what other people might think and say. Do not be afraid of how you will react to the child that is to be born. Do not be afraid of tomorrow. Just believe that God is with us and always will be.
Herman Gockel, one of the early Lutheran Hour preachers, tells the story of a Christmas Eve in 1906, when Lars Erickson and his family faced a cheerless holiday. Lars was in poor health and out of work. He had reached the point where he didn't care if Christmas ever came or not. Depressed and irritable, he made poor company for his wife, Anna, and his five-year-old daughter, Greta. As they sat around their coal stove on that cold December evening, little Greta was humming carols and busily at work with her scissors, cardboard, and paste, constructing a crude little manger set.
"How do you like it Daddy?" she asked. "Fine," he said in a disinterested tone. "Daddy!" she said with disappointment, and with a wisdom of which she herself was not aware, "You didn't look at my manger set. If you want to see the Christ child, you'll have to get down on your knees."
Don’t let the problems of this world, as real as they are, rob you of the joy of this Christmas. Don’t let your personal situation cause you to doubt that God is with us, because he is with us even when things don’t seem to be going our way.
This Christmas Eve many a church will ring with the stirring notes of the solo “O Holy Night” which says in the chorus “Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices….” Those angel voices are telling us that God is with us as Jesus comes into our hearts and into our lives. Do not be afraid. Only believe.
Joseph could hardly believe it……when he heard the news that Mary was expecting a child. He could hardly believe his ears. Here he was, a man who had finally reached the point in life where he was established in his job, he had a home, and he was ready to marry a wife. Mary, he thought, was a beautiful and sensible young woman. Their families had arranged this marriage, but Joseph was happy with the arrangements. Everything seemed to be going his way. And now this. He had believed that she was the right one for him. He had believed that this was going to be one of the happiest years of his life. He had believed that their future together was bright. And in a moment all his dreams were shattered.
There is nothing written in scripture about Joseph’s inner struggles as he reacted to the situation, but they must have been turbulent. Joseph is described as a righteous man. His subsequent actions reveal him to be a compassionate man. How was he going to do the right thing in this situation with compassion and kindness. He was not one of those self-righteous men who immediately tries to follow the law no matter what the consequences and no matter who gets hurt in the process. He was not one of those proud men who would have reacted out of his wounded pride and maybe even lashed out in anger. He was righteous and compassionate, so he tried to do the right thing in a kind and gentle way. And the right thing, in that 1st century society, was to break off the engagement, painful as that might be, and public as that might be, given the way that society worked. His family would have expected him to do it. Other men of the town would have expected him to do it. The Bible commentator Keeler wrote about this passage, “[in this situation] Mediterranean society viewed with contempt the weakness of a man who let his love for his wife outweigh his appropriate honor in repudiating her." The judge in Nazareth would have immediately nullified the betrothal contract between their two families. It would be an open and shut case.
But just imagine what must have been going through Joseph’s mind. The sleepless nights. The dreams. The confusion. Many people in such situations wonder if God is still on their side. When the world seems to fall apart around you – for whatever reason – it can be hard to believe that God is still watching over you the way the Bible says he is.
Where is God when people we love and trust disappoint us so much? Where is God when someone we had planned a future with suddenly passes away? Where is God when we have tried our very best to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, as Ephesians 6 says to do, and they wonder off? Where is God, Joseph might have wondered, when I am faced with this situation?
The answer came to Joseph in the middle of the night. At that darkest moment, when Joseph was working up the courage to make public what he had resolved to do, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to embrace Mary as his wife, to welcome the child that was growing within her, and to face the future with courage and conviction. Where is God in this situation? God is with us. The angel might just as well as said to Joseph “This is not what you planned, and this might not be what you wanted, but God is with you working out his plan and what he wants. Just believe.”
What I am imagining is not that Joseph’s belief in God the creator of the universe was shaken. He did not become an atheist. He believed there was an all powerful God out there. What was shaken was his belief that this God was involved in his humble little life in far off Nazareth. What the angel in Joseph’s dream came to tell him was that God was involved in his personal life and that God did care for him.
In this respect, Joseph was like pretty much like everyone else. Big questions about the creation of the universe or about things that happened two thousand years ago are not nearly so important to most of us as the question of whether God knows each of us as individuals and is there to help us in our personal struggles. When Joseph had questions like that, he was reassured that God had not abandoned him nor forgotten him, but was doing something very special in his life.
“Do not be afraid” the angel had said to Joseph. “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Do not be afraid of what other people might think and say. Do not be afraid of how you will react to the child that is to be born. Do not be afraid of tomorrow. Just believe that God is with us and always will be.
Herman Gockel, one of the early Lutheran Hour preachers, tells the story of a Christmas Eve in 1906, when Lars Erickson and his family faced a cheerless holiday. Lars was in poor health and out of work. He had reached the point where he didn't care if Christmas ever came or not. Depressed and irritable, he made poor company for his wife, Anna, and his five-year-old daughter, Greta. As they sat around their coal stove on that cold December evening, little Greta was humming carols and busily at work with her scissors, cardboard, and paste, constructing a crude little manger set.
"How do you like it Daddy?" she asked. "Fine," he said in a disinterested tone. "Daddy!" she said with disappointment, and with a wisdom of which she herself was not aware, "You didn't look at my manger set. If you want to see the Christ child, you'll have to get down on your knees."
Don’t let the problems of this world, as real as they are, rob you of the joy of this Christmas. Don’t let your personal situation cause you to doubt that God is with us, because he is with us even when things don’t seem to be going our way.
This Christmas Eve many a church will ring with the stirring notes of the solo “O Holy Night” which says in the chorus “Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices….” Those angel voices are telling us that God is with us as Jesus comes into our hearts and into our lives. Do not be afraid. Only believe.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Newsletter December 2010
“Our churches also teach that one holy church is to continue forever.” Augsburg Confession article 7
When the Reformers of the 16th century were attempting to bring about positive change in the church of their day they were often accused of trying to destroy the very organization they were doing their best to improve. Some people simply could not see how the church could survive some of the changes they were proposing even though these changes were, in actuality, a return to a more evangelical grace-filled life such as Jesus and the disciples lived and the scriptures teach. In times of stress it is much easier to cling to old traditions than to embrace the challenges of a new day.
One thing that the scriptures teach and that the Reformers affirmed is that God has guaranteed the future of the church until the end of time. Upon Peter’s confession of faith in Matthew 16:16, Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” It is upon this promise, and others like it, that the Reformers could affirm that “one holy church is to continue forever.”
The church of which these Reformers speak is not to be confused with the many institutions that are a part of the church: congregations, committees, synods, denominations. As they said in the next sentence of Article 7 “The church is the assembly of saints in which the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly.” What Jesus has promised is that people will assemble for the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments until he comes again in glory. There will never come a time the church does not exist.
In the 21st century this promise needs to be heard again when the church’s future seems to be in doubt. In congregations where the number of worshippers is dwindling and the finances may be shaky, it is easy to fall into a “doom and gloom” mentality that focuses on the problems, real as they are, instead of the gospel promises, true as they are. In 2010 the heirs of the Reformation, including local Lutherans and Presbyterians, have faced serious financial shortfalls that led to heart-wrenching cut backs. In October of this year the Crystal Cathedral in California filed for bankruptcy after decades as one of the leading suburban mega-churches and the host of a popular television ministry. The Southern Baptist Convention reported a decline in the number of baptisms for the first time. Evangelicals, Pentecostals, traditional Protestants, and Catholics have all experienced some confidence-shaking problems recently.
In the face of the changes in the world today, Christians can live and must in the promise of scripture concerning the church and then be open to the ways the “one holy church” will continue as this century wears on. In the midst of change, re-organization, and some dismaying events, the church is called to listen to the voice of Jesus and proclaim the message of God’s love for all with its invitation to come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Back in the 19th century Nicholai Grundtvig was a Danish Lutheran pastor who wrote a hymn that expresses his scripture-inspired confidence and hope. (ELW #652)
Built on a rock the church shall stand,
even when steeples are falling;
crumbled have spires in every land,
bells still are chiming and calling –
calling the young and old to rest,
calling the souls of those distressed,
longing for life everlasting.
As America becomes a more religiously diverse nation and as more Americans seem to have little time for organized religion, remember that there are still “souls distressed” that are longing to hear the good news that only Jesus can bring. In a war-torn and violent world, there are still people longing for “that peace the world cannot give.” In a world of work-work-work to prove yourself worthy, there are many who are longing to hear “come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
The work of the church in preaching the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ and offering the comfort and assurance of the sacraments is not done, nor will it be until Jesus comes again.
When the Reformers of the 16th century were attempting to bring about positive change in the church of their day they were often accused of trying to destroy the very organization they were doing their best to improve. Some people simply could not see how the church could survive some of the changes they were proposing even though these changes were, in actuality, a return to a more evangelical grace-filled life such as Jesus and the disciples lived and the scriptures teach. In times of stress it is much easier to cling to old traditions than to embrace the challenges of a new day.
One thing that the scriptures teach and that the Reformers affirmed is that God has guaranteed the future of the church until the end of time. Upon Peter’s confession of faith in Matthew 16:16, Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” It is upon this promise, and others like it, that the Reformers could affirm that “one holy church is to continue forever.”
The church of which these Reformers speak is not to be confused with the many institutions that are a part of the church: congregations, committees, synods, denominations. As they said in the next sentence of Article 7 “The church is the assembly of saints in which the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly.” What Jesus has promised is that people will assemble for the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments until he comes again in glory. There will never come a time the church does not exist.
In the 21st century this promise needs to be heard again when the church’s future seems to be in doubt. In congregations where the number of worshippers is dwindling and the finances may be shaky, it is easy to fall into a “doom and gloom” mentality that focuses on the problems, real as they are, instead of the gospel promises, true as they are. In 2010 the heirs of the Reformation, including local Lutherans and Presbyterians, have faced serious financial shortfalls that led to heart-wrenching cut backs. In October of this year the Crystal Cathedral in California filed for bankruptcy after decades as one of the leading suburban mega-churches and the host of a popular television ministry. The Southern Baptist Convention reported a decline in the number of baptisms for the first time. Evangelicals, Pentecostals, traditional Protestants, and Catholics have all experienced some confidence-shaking problems recently.
In the face of the changes in the world today, Christians can live and must in the promise of scripture concerning the church and then be open to the ways the “one holy church” will continue as this century wears on. In the midst of change, re-organization, and some dismaying events, the church is called to listen to the voice of Jesus and proclaim the message of God’s love for all with its invitation to come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Back in the 19th century Nicholai Grundtvig was a Danish Lutheran pastor who wrote a hymn that expresses his scripture-inspired confidence and hope. (ELW #652)
Built on a rock the church shall stand,
even when steeples are falling;
crumbled have spires in every land,
bells still are chiming and calling –
calling the young and old to rest,
calling the souls of those distressed,
longing for life everlasting.
As America becomes a more religiously diverse nation and as more Americans seem to have little time for organized religion, remember that there are still “souls distressed” that are longing to hear the good news that only Jesus can bring. In a war-torn and violent world, there are still people longing for “that peace the world cannot give.” In a world of work-work-work to prove yourself worthy, there are many who are longing to hear “come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
The work of the church in preaching the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ and offering the comfort and assurance of the sacraments is not done, nor will it be until Jesus comes again.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Newsletter November 2010
“It is taught among us that nobody should publicly teach or preach or administer the sacraments without a regular call.”
Augsburg Confession article 14
ELCA missionary pastor David Simonson died in Africa at age 80 on August 16. Simonson was a legendary figure both in Africa and America for his work with the Maasi people of Tanzania and for developing “Operation Bootstrap” to help those people adjust to the modern world. In Jim Klobuchar’s biography of Simonson, “The Cross Under the Acacia Tree,” it says that early in his life Simonson struggled with the call to ministry because he was a vigorous and brash bear of a man. He said, “I couldn’t see spending my life having coffee with old ladies in church basements.” Eventually he found his place in the ministry of the church when he went to Africa where his work with the Maasi really took off after he single handedly killed a lion, which was an important rite of passage for any Maasi man who wanted to be a leader.
Lutherans believe that the heart and soul of the ministry is the Word and the sacraments. There are many places of ministry and many different kinds of ministers, but there is still one office of ministry which has been instituted by God to create and sustain faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. Discerning whether one is called to that ministry can sometimes be difficult, especially if the focus shifts from the Word and sacraments to other things. There are three steps to discerning the call of God to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments.
The first is the inner call. All those who are ordained into the ministry are asked if they feel that God has spoken to their hearts and called them to this ministry. The inner call does not necessarily come first, but it must be there. After prayer and meditation, a man or woman should feel that God wants him or her in the public ministry of the church.
The second is the call of a congregation. In the Lutheran church on this continent it has generally be regarded as necessary that a congregation of believers calls a person to come and preach to them and administer the sacraments among them before there can be an ordination. The call of the congregation is vital to the office of ministry.
And third, there must certification by the whole church (denomination) that this person has the talents, gifts, and temperament to be an ordained minister of the gospel. Decades ago when I was ordained, this was done by the seminary faculty that had come to know the candidate through three years of study and worship. Today this is done by a “candidacy committee” from the home synod of the candidate who gets to know the candidate for ordination through a series of meetings throughout his or her seminary career. Only upon their recommendation can a candidate be ordained and placed on the clergy roster of the church.
On my computer desk there sits an ebony carving of the head of an African, probably a Maasi. It was brought back to my home congregation by a young David Simonson, who was home on furlough, and it was used as a prize for the youth group member who could identify the most Bible verses. The winner of the contest was me. It sits on my desk today to remind me of the many different people who make up the church of Jesus Christ and the many different ministers God calls to his work. I have spent my entire ministry in small rural congregations, all of which had church basements, and I have yet to set foot on African soil. But I share the same ministry as Simonson and all the others who have been called and ordained to this work of preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments.
Sometimes there are issues over who should be ordained to the ministry and who should be called “pastor” among us. But in the Lutheran understanding, the three key questions are 1) does he or she feel called by God to the ministry? 2) has a congregation called him or her to preach, baptize, and commune among them? and 3) has the whole church (denomination) judged him or her to be qualified? When the three are put together there is a regular call.
Augsburg Confession article 14
ELCA missionary pastor David Simonson died in Africa at age 80 on August 16. Simonson was a legendary figure both in Africa and America for his work with the Maasi people of Tanzania and for developing “Operation Bootstrap” to help those people adjust to the modern world. In Jim Klobuchar’s biography of Simonson, “The Cross Under the Acacia Tree,” it says that early in his life Simonson struggled with the call to ministry because he was a vigorous and brash bear of a man. He said, “I couldn’t see spending my life having coffee with old ladies in church basements.” Eventually he found his place in the ministry of the church when he went to Africa where his work with the Maasi really took off after he single handedly killed a lion, which was an important rite of passage for any Maasi man who wanted to be a leader.
Lutherans believe that the heart and soul of the ministry is the Word and the sacraments. There are many places of ministry and many different kinds of ministers, but there is still one office of ministry which has been instituted by God to create and sustain faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. Discerning whether one is called to that ministry can sometimes be difficult, especially if the focus shifts from the Word and sacraments to other things. There are three steps to discerning the call of God to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments.
The first is the inner call. All those who are ordained into the ministry are asked if they feel that God has spoken to their hearts and called them to this ministry. The inner call does not necessarily come first, but it must be there. After prayer and meditation, a man or woman should feel that God wants him or her in the public ministry of the church.
The second is the call of a congregation. In the Lutheran church on this continent it has generally be regarded as necessary that a congregation of believers calls a person to come and preach to them and administer the sacraments among them before there can be an ordination. The call of the congregation is vital to the office of ministry.
And third, there must certification by the whole church (denomination) that this person has the talents, gifts, and temperament to be an ordained minister of the gospel. Decades ago when I was ordained, this was done by the seminary faculty that had come to know the candidate through three years of study and worship. Today this is done by a “candidacy committee” from the home synod of the candidate who gets to know the candidate for ordination through a series of meetings throughout his or her seminary career. Only upon their recommendation can a candidate be ordained and placed on the clergy roster of the church.
On my computer desk there sits an ebony carving of the head of an African, probably a Maasi. It was brought back to my home congregation by a young David Simonson, who was home on furlough, and it was used as a prize for the youth group member who could identify the most Bible verses. The winner of the contest was me. It sits on my desk today to remind me of the many different people who make up the church of Jesus Christ and the many different ministers God calls to his work. I have spent my entire ministry in small rural congregations, all of which had church basements, and I have yet to set foot on African soil. But I share the same ministry as Simonson and all the others who have been called and ordained to this work of preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments.
Sometimes there are issues over who should be ordained to the ministry and who should be called “pastor” among us. But in the Lutheran understanding, the three key questions are 1) does he or she feel called by God to the ministry? 2) has a congregation called him or her to preach, baptize, and commune among them? and 3) has the whole church (denomination) judged him or her to be qualified? When the three are put together there is a regular call.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Newsletter October 2010
“For the true unity of the church it is enough to agree concerning the teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments.”
Augsburg Confession, article 7
Out on a ridge in western Wisconsin there used to be three Norwegian Lutheran churches in the span of just two miles, each filled with members from the same rural community and each belonging to a different national organization. Driving down the road from the north a traveler would first come across a church in the pietistic tradition that emphasized a personal conversion experience and an unstructured form of worship. Next was a church in the mainstream tradition that put more emphasis on a formal statement of faith and the use of the liturgy. And then from the 1870s to the early 1950s there was a church to the south that was formed out of an intense controversy over the nature of salvation (the so-called “election controversy”) that bitterly divided Norwegian Lutherans in the latter part of the 19th century. All three churches were lovely white frame country churches in a quiet rural setting whose serenity belied the intense arguments that led to the building of three churches so close together. This summer when Ruth and I visited the family graves at the middle church we were awed by the pastoral beauty of the place.
We also pondered the mystery of what ever happened to my great-great grandmother, Brita. Her husband, Ole W. Halverson, is buried in the middle church’s cemetery, as are their son, Lars, and two granddaughters with their spouses, but there is no mention on any stone of his wife. After his death did she move away to live with one of her other five children? Or could she be at the south church cemetery where records are scarce? We have not yet solved that genealogical mystery, but the thought that a church controversy could have split my family is chilling. I always thought we were mainstream middle-of-the road people who always belonged to the middle church. We are not people to get swept up in the heat of the moment.
As beautiful as it is to drive along that ridge, it is not the will of Christ that his followers should be caught up in controversy that divides them from one another so that they establish competing churches next to each other. In John 17:21 Jesus prayed that those who believe in him “may all be one.” Already during his earthly ministry he had seen jostling for power and prestige among his disciples. (Mark 10:35-45), and he didn’t like it. Back in John 13:35 he said, “by this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That love certainly means working together side by side for the gospel.
St. Paul saw differences of opinion in his day threaten to cause divisions in the church in Corinth, so in 1st Corinthians 1:10 he wrote, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” Paul most certainly knew that there would be differences of opinion on a variety of issues before the church of his day, but that unity of purpose of which he spoke was “to preach Christ crucified” (1:22), and never allow differences of opinion about morality, ethics, or polity over-ride that essential unity in preaching Christ.
Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession also addresses this issue. During the Reformation there was plenty of controversy about sexual standards for the clergy. The Romans complained that the Lutherans allowed their clergy to marry, and the Lutherans complained that the Romans did not. Each side thought they had compelling arguments for their case complete with scriptural support. At various times each side made rather ugly statements about what went on the other side. The issue was never resolved, along with many, many others, and a division on this subject exists to this very day. But Article 7 is an inspired bit of wisdom if only we could live by it.
One of the tragedies of 19th century American Lutheranism was the way the new immigrant population splintered into so many competing and sometimes antagonistic denominations. One of the glories of the 20th century was the gradual repairing of these splits. Norwegian Lutherans embraced mergers in 1917, in 1960, and in 1987. It remains to be seen what will be said of the 21st century. But I am pretty confident of what Jesus wants.
Augsburg Confession, article 7
Out on a ridge in western Wisconsin there used to be three Norwegian Lutheran churches in the span of just two miles, each filled with members from the same rural community and each belonging to a different national organization. Driving down the road from the north a traveler would first come across a church in the pietistic tradition that emphasized a personal conversion experience and an unstructured form of worship. Next was a church in the mainstream tradition that put more emphasis on a formal statement of faith and the use of the liturgy. And then from the 1870s to the early 1950s there was a church to the south that was formed out of an intense controversy over the nature of salvation (the so-called “election controversy”) that bitterly divided Norwegian Lutherans in the latter part of the 19th century. All three churches were lovely white frame country churches in a quiet rural setting whose serenity belied the intense arguments that led to the building of three churches so close together. This summer when Ruth and I visited the family graves at the middle church we were awed by the pastoral beauty of the place.
We also pondered the mystery of what ever happened to my great-great grandmother, Brita. Her husband, Ole W. Halverson, is buried in the middle church’s cemetery, as are their son, Lars, and two granddaughters with their spouses, but there is no mention on any stone of his wife. After his death did she move away to live with one of her other five children? Or could she be at the south church cemetery where records are scarce? We have not yet solved that genealogical mystery, but the thought that a church controversy could have split my family is chilling. I always thought we were mainstream middle-of-the road people who always belonged to the middle church. We are not people to get swept up in the heat of the moment.
As beautiful as it is to drive along that ridge, it is not the will of Christ that his followers should be caught up in controversy that divides them from one another so that they establish competing churches next to each other. In John 17:21 Jesus prayed that those who believe in him “may all be one.” Already during his earthly ministry he had seen jostling for power and prestige among his disciples. (Mark 10:35-45), and he didn’t like it. Back in John 13:35 he said, “by this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That love certainly means working together side by side for the gospel.
St. Paul saw differences of opinion in his day threaten to cause divisions in the church in Corinth, so in 1st Corinthians 1:10 he wrote, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” Paul most certainly knew that there would be differences of opinion on a variety of issues before the church of his day, but that unity of purpose of which he spoke was “to preach Christ crucified” (1:22), and never allow differences of opinion about morality, ethics, or polity over-ride that essential unity in preaching Christ.
Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession also addresses this issue. During the Reformation there was plenty of controversy about sexual standards for the clergy. The Romans complained that the Lutherans allowed their clergy to marry, and the Lutherans complained that the Romans did not. Each side thought they had compelling arguments for their case complete with scriptural support. At various times each side made rather ugly statements about what went on the other side. The issue was never resolved, along with many, many others, and a division on this subject exists to this very day. But Article 7 is an inspired bit of wisdom if only we could live by it.
One of the tragedies of 19th century American Lutheranism was the way the new immigrant population splintered into so many competing and sometimes antagonistic denominations. One of the glories of the 20th century was the gradual repairing of these splits. Norwegian Lutherans embraced mergers in 1917, in 1960, and in 1987. It remains to be seen what will be said of the 21st century. But I am pretty confident of what Jesus wants.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Newsletter September 2010
“Properly speaking, the church is the assembly of saints and true believers.”
Augsburg Confession, article 8
A few days before my family and I arrived at my mother’s home in Viroqua, Wisconsin last month a small white frame country church about five miles northwest of town burned to the ground. Like many others, we drove out to look at the sad scene. Only one steel I-beam remained standing. It apparently had spanned the front double doors. They hoped to retrieve the bell which had fallen into the basement which was filled with charred timbers. The smell of burnt wood filtered into our car even with the windows rolled up. Later the fire marshal attributed the fire to a lighting strike because the National Weather Service recorded four lightening strikes at the exact GPS coordinates for the church two days before. The fire smoldered for two days because no one entered the church on a daily basis, and then broke out into a hot fire that consumed the church before the fire was noticed and the fire department arrived.
And yet the next Sunday the church was still there. Not the building, of course, but the “assembly of saints and true believers.” My mother’s church, which is my old home church, loaned the congregation the P.A. system they use for evening outdoor worship in the summer so that the congregation could gather on the lawn next to the charred remains of the building on a warm Sunday morning to hear the Word and celebrate the Sacrament. I don’t know what has happened since. The congregation will have to think long and hard about whether to build a structure on that site to protect them from the elements as they gather for worship. They are a small and elderly group of Christians. Just like in Kittson County, there are many small rural congregations within a few miles of the church. But on that one Sunday, a few days after the fire, the church was still there.
As Lutheran Christians we subscribe to the Augsburg Confession’s definition of the church. In popular parlance the word “church” is often used to speak of a building which is considered to be a “sacred place.” If it is a “sacred place” what makes it so? It is that the church has gathered in that place to hear the Word of God and to receive the Sacraments. If believers are no longer gathering for the Word and Sacrament in that place, it loses the designation of a sacred place, even though the feel of sanctity may linger for a long time, just as the smell of the fire lingered at the burned church site long after the fire was extinguished.
Article 8 of the Augsburg Confession also has implications for membership in the church. The implication is that members are identified by what they do, namely assembling for the Word and the Sacrament on a weekly basis. When people ask about the membership of a congregation, they often are inquiring about how many people have “signed up” to be a part of the congregation and thus are written on the membership roles, much like some social club. At other times people may inquire as to how many “giving units” a congregation has, much like some secular organization where people purchase a membership. Still other times, people inquire as to how many members a congregation can muster for a work project, as if they were “earning their stripes” as members of the military do. But following Article 8, the congregation would “properly speaking” be defined as those who gathered last Sunday for Word and Sacrament. Add to that number those who wish they could gather but cannot because of a disability or illness.
After defining the church and its membership, Article 8 has as its main thrust that the church also has “hypocrites and evil persons mingled with believers.” On this earth the church is never perfect and never pure. Those who seek to be part of a congregation or denomination that has no faults or quarrels or failings are chasing after the wind. It is only after the Last Judgment that there will be an assembly of saints and true believers that is not mingled with others, and even then those people will be saints and true believers only because of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.
After teaching his disciples how to reconcile a dispute (Matthew 18:15-20) Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” So let’s be the church. Let’s assemble together around the Word and Sacrament
Augsburg Confession, article 8
A few days before my family and I arrived at my mother’s home in Viroqua, Wisconsin last month a small white frame country church about five miles northwest of town burned to the ground. Like many others, we drove out to look at the sad scene. Only one steel I-beam remained standing. It apparently had spanned the front double doors. They hoped to retrieve the bell which had fallen into the basement which was filled with charred timbers. The smell of burnt wood filtered into our car even with the windows rolled up. Later the fire marshal attributed the fire to a lighting strike because the National Weather Service recorded four lightening strikes at the exact GPS coordinates for the church two days before. The fire smoldered for two days because no one entered the church on a daily basis, and then broke out into a hot fire that consumed the church before the fire was noticed and the fire department arrived.
And yet the next Sunday the church was still there. Not the building, of course, but the “assembly of saints and true believers.” My mother’s church, which is my old home church, loaned the congregation the P.A. system they use for evening outdoor worship in the summer so that the congregation could gather on the lawn next to the charred remains of the building on a warm Sunday morning to hear the Word and celebrate the Sacrament. I don’t know what has happened since. The congregation will have to think long and hard about whether to build a structure on that site to protect them from the elements as they gather for worship. They are a small and elderly group of Christians. Just like in Kittson County, there are many small rural congregations within a few miles of the church. But on that one Sunday, a few days after the fire, the church was still there.
As Lutheran Christians we subscribe to the Augsburg Confession’s definition of the church. In popular parlance the word “church” is often used to speak of a building which is considered to be a “sacred place.” If it is a “sacred place” what makes it so? It is that the church has gathered in that place to hear the Word of God and to receive the Sacraments. If believers are no longer gathering for the Word and Sacrament in that place, it loses the designation of a sacred place, even though the feel of sanctity may linger for a long time, just as the smell of the fire lingered at the burned church site long after the fire was extinguished.
Article 8 of the Augsburg Confession also has implications for membership in the church. The implication is that members are identified by what they do, namely assembling for the Word and the Sacrament on a weekly basis. When people ask about the membership of a congregation, they often are inquiring about how many people have “signed up” to be a part of the congregation and thus are written on the membership roles, much like some social club. At other times people may inquire as to how many “giving units” a congregation has, much like some secular organization where people purchase a membership. Still other times, people inquire as to how many members a congregation can muster for a work project, as if they were “earning their stripes” as members of the military do. But following Article 8, the congregation would “properly speaking” be defined as those who gathered last Sunday for Word and Sacrament. Add to that number those who wish they could gather but cannot because of a disability or illness.
After defining the church and its membership, Article 8 has as its main thrust that the church also has “hypocrites and evil persons mingled with believers.” On this earth the church is never perfect and never pure. Those who seek to be part of a congregation or denomination that has no faults or quarrels or failings are chasing after the wind. It is only after the Last Judgment that there will be an assembly of saints and true believers that is not mingled with others, and even then those people will be saints and true believers only because of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.
After teaching his disciples how to reconcile a dispute (Matthew 18:15-20) Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” So let’s be the church. Let’s assemble together around the Word and Sacrament
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Newsletter August 2010
When I was a child I did not like the latter days of summer very much because we had no air conditioning (no one did) and it was too hot to be outside during the day or to sleep well at night. I learned that these were called the dog days of summer. For a long time I had an image in my mind of an old languid bloodhound lounging on the porch trying to survive the heat. (anyone remember “Hee Haw” on TV ?) This is what I thought the dog days of summer meant, a perfectly useless, listless time. I was that kind of kid who preferred the school year over summer vacation and the class room over athletics.
Later I learned that the name for these hot summer days comes not from the behavior of dogs but the behavior of the stars. In late July and August the constellation “Canis Major” appears in the sky dominated by the dog star “Serius” as the ancient Romans called it. Those Romans originated the term “dies caniculares” for these days, and they thought these were days “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.” That seems a little extreme, but late summer does seem to be the season of drownings, motor cycle accidents, and carousing through the warm summer night.
An August issue of a national news magazine this year had as it’s cover story “The Case Against Summer Vacation” arguing that “we romantize it, but all that downtime is making our kids fall behind, especially those who can least afford it.” The cover story is mainly about how quickly we lose what we have learned when we are not using it or building on it. They call it “summer learning loss.”
The Bible teaches “to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and although the list that follows this verse does not include “a time for vacation and a time for work” it would surely fit in with the other couplets for which this chapter is famous. A break from the regular routine of daily living is good for a person, often giving people new energy for the tasks to which they return.
The Bible also teaches us to “be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16) Even these dog days of summer are days to use to the glory of God and for the good of his people. It is not a time to devote entirely to ourselves and our own pleasures, but a time to be recharged for the work ahead and to take just a little different approach to work and worship.
For me, one of the joys of a weekend trip away is to worship God in another congregation with different people. It is refreshing to be in the pew instead of the pulpit on Sunday morning once in a while. Last month, after worshipping at an ELCA church in Livonia, Michigan, I had a person express amazement that I went to church when I was on vacation. But how could it be any other way? The Lord is good to me 52 weeks of the year. He doesn’t take a summer break and leave me to my own devices. He’s there all the time, even in the dog days of summer. So I want to enter his house to give thanks and praise, even in the summer.
As write this I am well aware of the many farmers in this part of the world for whom August is anything but a slow time. For small grain farmers it is a month of intense harvest work, quite different from the experience of those in the corn belt and those who live on a school year calendar.
But whatever your experience, the thought I have to share this month is “make the most of the time.” Work, worship, read, relax, learn, and grow in the faith. Carpe diem!
Later I learned that the name for these hot summer days comes not from the behavior of dogs but the behavior of the stars. In late July and August the constellation “Canis Major” appears in the sky dominated by the dog star “Serius” as the ancient Romans called it. Those Romans originated the term “dies caniculares” for these days, and they thought these were days “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.” That seems a little extreme, but late summer does seem to be the season of drownings, motor cycle accidents, and carousing through the warm summer night.
An August issue of a national news magazine this year had as it’s cover story “The Case Against Summer Vacation” arguing that “we romantize it, but all that downtime is making our kids fall behind, especially those who can least afford it.” The cover story is mainly about how quickly we lose what we have learned when we are not using it or building on it. They call it “summer learning loss.”
The Bible teaches “to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and although the list that follows this verse does not include “a time for vacation and a time for work” it would surely fit in with the other couplets for which this chapter is famous. A break from the regular routine of daily living is good for a person, often giving people new energy for the tasks to which they return.
The Bible also teaches us to “be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16) Even these dog days of summer are days to use to the glory of God and for the good of his people. It is not a time to devote entirely to ourselves and our own pleasures, but a time to be recharged for the work ahead and to take just a little different approach to work and worship.
For me, one of the joys of a weekend trip away is to worship God in another congregation with different people. It is refreshing to be in the pew instead of the pulpit on Sunday morning once in a while. Last month, after worshipping at an ELCA church in Livonia, Michigan, I had a person express amazement that I went to church when I was on vacation. But how could it be any other way? The Lord is good to me 52 weeks of the year. He doesn’t take a summer break and leave me to my own devices. He’s there all the time, even in the dog days of summer. So I want to enter his house to give thanks and praise, even in the summer.
As write this I am well aware of the many farmers in this part of the world for whom August is anything but a slow time. For small grain farmers it is a month of intense harvest work, quite different from the experience of those in the corn belt and those who live on a school year calendar.
But whatever your experience, the thought I have to share this month is “make the most of the time.” Work, worship, read, relax, learn, and grow in the faith. Carpe diem!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Newsletter July 2010
The concluding verse of Katherine Lee Bates hymn “America the Beautiful” ends with this prayer:
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
The sentiments of this verse are in keeping with the tradition of founding fathers, who often invoked the blessing of God upon this country and the noble experiment of a free and democratic people with a republican form of government. The Declaration of Independence says that this country began with a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” As we come to the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2010 it would be good for all of us to ask for the protection of God and the wisdom of God to be granted to our nation. In this age of terrorism and economic turmoil and ecological disaster, we need to be in prayer for our nation more than ever. We face so many challenges. We need wisdom from above.
This is in keeping with Christian teaching. In 1st Timothy 2:1 St. Paul writes: “First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all who are high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” In 1776 we rejected the king and ablished the idea of a hereditary monarchy in favor of elected leaders who serve a fixed term of office. But the principle is the same. Pray for all those in high positions in federal, state, and local governement. Besides the picnics and barbecues and outings at the lake that are a staple of Independence Day celebrations, prayer would be quite fitting.
The second plea in the conclusion to Bates’s hymn is for brotherhood. When America has reached the size that it is, with 300 million people and more, it might be hard to think about brotherhood. But brotherhood is simply the understanding that we are all in this together, all of us who live on the southern half of this continent, and that we are all bound together by our common citizenship. Therefore we ought to repect one another even as we vigorously and openly debate the issues of the day. Sadly, this idea seems to be weakening among the politicians of our day. The response to the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just one example of too many politicans lashing out at one another and casting blame on one another when they should be working together to find solutions to the problem. The politicization of almost every issue and the polarization of so many people does not serve the best interests of the nation.
Psalm 133 says, “How very good and pleasant it is when brethern live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes….for there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.”
By “living together in unity” the psalm does not mean living in uniformity so everyone is of the same opinion on all major issues or that people vote overwhelmingly in favor of one candidate over another. It means to debate the issues freely and vigorously with respect for those who have differing views and especially with respect for those who hold those “high positions” in government to which St. Paul referred in his first letter to Timothy. There can be an essential unity while there is a diversity of opinion on the issues of the day. Over the last two centuries, this has been a foundation of our political discourse and our national life.
And so my prayer for the 4th of July 2010 is that God will shed his grace on the United States of America and crown its good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
The sentiments of this verse are in keeping with the tradition of founding fathers, who often invoked the blessing of God upon this country and the noble experiment of a free and democratic people with a republican form of government. The Declaration of Independence says that this country began with a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” As we come to the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2010 it would be good for all of us to ask for the protection of God and the wisdom of God to be granted to our nation. In this age of terrorism and economic turmoil and ecological disaster, we need to be in prayer for our nation more than ever. We face so many challenges. We need wisdom from above.
This is in keeping with Christian teaching. In 1st Timothy 2:1 St. Paul writes: “First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all who are high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” In 1776 we rejected the king and ablished the idea of a hereditary monarchy in favor of elected leaders who serve a fixed term of office. But the principle is the same. Pray for all those in high positions in federal, state, and local governement. Besides the picnics and barbecues and outings at the lake that are a staple of Independence Day celebrations, prayer would be quite fitting.
The second plea in the conclusion to Bates’s hymn is for brotherhood. When America has reached the size that it is, with 300 million people and more, it might be hard to think about brotherhood. But brotherhood is simply the understanding that we are all in this together, all of us who live on the southern half of this continent, and that we are all bound together by our common citizenship. Therefore we ought to repect one another even as we vigorously and openly debate the issues of the day. Sadly, this idea seems to be weakening among the politicians of our day. The response to the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just one example of too many politicans lashing out at one another and casting blame on one another when they should be working together to find solutions to the problem. The politicization of almost every issue and the polarization of so many people does not serve the best interests of the nation.
Psalm 133 says, “How very good and pleasant it is when brethern live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes….for there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.”
By “living together in unity” the psalm does not mean living in uniformity so everyone is of the same opinion on all major issues or that people vote overwhelmingly in favor of one candidate over another. It means to debate the issues freely and vigorously with respect for those who have differing views and especially with respect for those who hold those “high positions” in government to which St. Paul referred in his first letter to Timothy. There can be an essential unity while there is a diversity of opinion on the issues of the day. Over the last two centuries, this has been a foundation of our political discourse and our national life.
And so my prayer for the 4th of July 2010 is that God will shed his grace on the United States of America and crown its good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Newsletter June 2010
At the end of April and the beginning of May it was a pleasure to awaken to the sound of birds singing in the morning. Even before the sun comes up they announce the dawn of a new day. What a delight!
Jesus pointed to the birds as signs of God’s love and care when people were worried about the future. In Matthew 6:26 he said, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” In Matthew 10:29 he said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Even the hairs of your head are numbered. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
I will confess to watching too many news shows and “talking heads” on TV who seem to believe this nation is going downhill fast. And I read too many critics of the church who can only point to the things with which they disagree and the places where some church leader or another has failed. It gets downright depressing at times.
But then I step outside early in the morning and listen to the birds sing and see the green grass and the first flowers of spring and think about the comforting verses of scripture. In Luke 11:32 Jesus said, “have no fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Romans 8:31 says, “if God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”
And yet there are some terrifying forces in this world and some truly scary things that happen. When the storm clouds gather, then I think of those passages where God promises protection and help. Isaiah 40:31, for instance, says, “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” What a powerful promise that is for the weary and worried.
It is easy to be negative and even easier to initiate a conversation about how bad things are in the nation or in the church. But God does not want us to live our whole lives under a cloud of worry and suspicion. Remember the word of the Lord. Look at the birds and hear their songs. The sun is going to shine, if not today, then tomorrow.
Jesus pointed to the birds as signs of God’s love and care when people were worried about the future. In Matthew 6:26 he said, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” In Matthew 10:29 he said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Even the hairs of your head are numbered. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
I will confess to watching too many news shows and “talking heads” on TV who seem to believe this nation is going downhill fast. And I read too many critics of the church who can only point to the things with which they disagree and the places where some church leader or another has failed. It gets downright depressing at times.
But then I step outside early in the morning and listen to the birds sing and see the green grass and the first flowers of spring and think about the comforting verses of scripture. In Luke 11:32 Jesus said, “have no fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Romans 8:31 says, “if God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”
And yet there are some terrifying forces in this world and some truly scary things that happen. When the storm clouds gather, then I think of those passages where God promises protection and help. Isaiah 40:31, for instance, says, “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” What a powerful promise that is for the weary and worried.
It is easy to be negative and even easier to initiate a conversation about how bad things are in the nation or in the church. But God does not want us to live our whole lives under a cloud of worry and suspicion. Remember the word of the Lord. Look at the birds and hear their songs. The sun is going to shine, if not today, then tomorrow.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Trinity Sunday
North Star News column
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Next Sunday is Trinity Sunday on the church’s calendar. This day, which always comes on the Sunday after Pentecost, is a day to ponder the divine mystery that there is one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Whole books have been written on how this can be; lengthy church councils and conferences have debated how best to describe this reality; and the unwieldy Athanasian Creed was written to proclaim it in public worship. St. Patrick famously used the shamrock with its three leaves to explain the Trinity to new Christians in Ireland. And yet, to mature Christians the Trinity remains a profound and beautiful mystery.
Saying that it is a mystery does not mean that it is a riddle or a puzzle. Neither is it a wall that human reason comes up against but an ocean in which the human soul swims. The one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at once is so wonderful and magnificent that no human being can fully comprehend him. We will never fully understand the Trinity “till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise!” as the Methodist writer Charles Wesley put it so beautifully in the conclusion of his hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” Some people get a headache trying to explain the Trinity. God intends that meditation on the Trinity leads to being “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”
The better one gets to know God the more there is a sense of his unfathomable divine nature. Isaiah the prophet was told “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) St. Paul, in Romans 11:33, was led to exclaim, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord?”
The response of those who glimpse the depth and breadth of the nature of God is worship and praise. In Isaiah 6 the prophet has a vision of God’s divine presence where the angels sing God’s praise saying “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” In Revelation 7 the apostle also has a vision of God’s divine presence where the elders, angels, and all creatures worship God saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
And so the people of God on earth observe Trinity Sunday by worshipping the God who is Father and Son and Holy Spirit. There may be sermons and lectures that try to explain the divine mystery. There may be questions and quizzical expressions. But the most appropriate and satisfying thing to do on Trinity Sunday is to join the worshipping assembly in singing, “holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of thy glory; Hosanna in excelsis” and be “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”
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Next Sunday is Trinity Sunday on the church’s calendar. This day, which always comes on the Sunday after Pentecost, is a day to ponder the divine mystery that there is one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Whole books have been written on how this can be; lengthy church councils and conferences have debated how best to describe this reality; and the unwieldy Athanasian Creed was written to proclaim it in public worship. St. Patrick famously used the shamrock with its three leaves to explain the Trinity to new Christians in Ireland. And yet, to mature Christians the Trinity remains a profound and beautiful mystery.
Saying that it is a mystery does not mean that it is a riddle or a puzzle. Neither is it a wall that human reason comes up against but an ocean in which the human soul swims. The one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at once is so wonderful and magnificent that no human being can fully comprehend him. We will never fully understand the Trinity “till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise!” as the Methodist writer Charles Wesley put it so beautifully in the conclusion of his hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” Some people get a headache trying to explain the Trinity. God intends that meditation on the Trinity leads to being “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”
The better one gets to know God the more there is a sense of his unfathomable divine nature. Isaiah the prophet was told “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) St. Paul, in Romans 11:33, was led to exclaim, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord?”
The response of those who glimpse the depth and breadth of the nature of God is worship and praise. In Isaiah 6 the prophet has a vision of God’s divine presence where the angels sing God’s praise saying “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” In Revelation 7 the apostle also has a vision of God’s divine presence where the elders, angels, and all creatures worship God saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
And so the people of God on earth observe Trinity Sunday by worshipping the God who is Father and Son and Holy Spirit. There may be sermons and lectures that try to explain the divine mystery. There may be questions and quizzical expressions. But the most appropriate and satisfying thing to do on Trinity Sunday is to join the worshipping assembly in singing, “holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of thy glory; Hosanna in excelsis” and be “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Pentecost Sunday
North Star News column
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Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day on which the church remembers a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus and celebrates the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of his disciples today. The story of the first Pentecost is recorded in Acts 2, but the story of Pentecost 2010 is yet to be written. What will the Holy Spirit prompt you to do? Where will the Holy Spirit lead you this year?
One thing is certain. The Holy Spirit will lead you to deeper faith in Jesus Christ. This is the first and primary work of the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12:3 says “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther’s Small Catechism explains the third article of the creed in these words, “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept in the true faith.” If you believe in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit has been at work in your heart and is continuing to work in you, whether you are conscious of it or not. The Spirit may work silently or may use some strange instruments, events or people, but it is always the Spirit that creates and sustains faith.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit propels people to speak of the faith they have in their hearts. When the first disciples of Jesus saw him ascend into heaven they were told “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” {Acts 1:9) When the Holy Spirit came upon them mightily ten days later they went out into the streets to preach about Jesus to people from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:4) in their own native languages. This was part of the miracle of that Pentecost. Today the Holy Spirit is still moving people to put in a good word for Jesus, usually in their own native language. Some write books and some preach sermons while others simply demonstrate their faith in a few apt words or actions. Pray that you are open to the Spirit’s prompting so that you put in a good word for Jesus when given the opportunity.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit helps us pray. In Romans 8:26 it says, “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” There certainly are times when we don’t know what to pray for or how to put our thoughts into sensible words, especially when events overwhelm us by their magnitude or intensity. At just those times, it is comforting to know that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, and sometimes is directing us to the right thoughts and the right words. What a comfort this is in the midst of illness, trauma, or death.
“Holy Spirit, truth divine, dawn upon this soul of mine; breath of God and inward light, wake my spirit, clear my sight.” (Samuel Longfellow)
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Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day on which the church remembers a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus and celebrates the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of his disciples today. The story of the first Pentecost is recorded in Acts 2, but the story of Pentecost 2010 is yet to be written. What will the Holy Spirit prompt you to do? Where will the Holy Spirit lead you this year?
One thing is certain. The Holy Spirit will lead you to deeper faith in Jesus Christ. This is the first and primary work of the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12:3 says “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther’s Small Catechism explains the third article of the creed in these words, “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept in the true faith.” If you believe in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit has been at work in your heart and is continuing to work in you, whether you are conscious of it or not. The Spirit may work silently or may use some strange instruments, events or people, but it is always the Spirit that creates and sustains faith.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit propels people to speak of the faith they have in their hearts. When the first disciples of Jesus saw him ascend into heaven they were told “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” {Acts 1:9) When the Holy Spirit came upon them mightily ten days later they went out into the streets to preach about Jesus to people from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:4) in their own native languages. This was part of the miracle of that Pentecost. Today the Holy Spirit is still moving people to put in a good word for Jesus, usually in their own native language. Some write books and some preach sermons while others simply demonstrate their faith in a few apt words or actions. Pray that you are open to the Spirit’s prompting so that you put in a good word for Jesus when given the opportunity.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit helps us pray. In Romans 8:26 it says, “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” There certainly are times when we don’t know what to pray for or how to put our thoughts into sensible words, especially when events overwhelm us by their magnitude or intensity. At just those times, it is comforting to know that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, and sometimes is directing us to the right thoughts and the right words. What a comfort this is in the midst of illness, trauma, or death.
“Holy Spirit, truth divine, dawn upon this soul of mine; breath of God and inward light, wake my spirit, clear my sight.” (Samuel Longfellow)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Synod Assembly Report
Pastor Gary and Ruth Halverson attended the 2010 Northwestern Minnesota Synod assembly May 14-15 at Concordia College of Moorhead MN. The theme of the assembly was “Life Overflowing” which was about stewardship based on a theology of abundance rather than a worry about scarcity. The synod is currently dealing with major budget shortfalls that led to terminating two full time positions in April. An emotional farewell tribute to the two employees, Erin Anderson and Michael Stein, was given at the Friday evening program. The downward trend in mission support through the synod has been going on for many years, but now has reached a critical stage.
On the brighter side, the music at the assembly was provided by “Dakota Road,” a praise band from South Dakota, which has produced many CDs and performed at many church events. They were lively and loud and very popular. Sample their music at www.dakotaroadmusic.com .
The keynote speaker was Mark Allen Powell who teaches at Trinity Lutheran Seminary of Columbus, Ohio and whose latest book is “”Giving to God: the Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life.” He was humorous and entertaining while challenging the synod members to live a generous life.
Sunitha Mortha spoke on behalf of the ELCA churchwide offices where she currently works and on behalf of our companion synod, the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church of India, in which she was raised. She was an eloquent and calm voice from another part of the Lutheran Church. Her sari was beautiful.
One of the best parts of any synod assembly is connecting with Lutherans from many places, some near and some far. The Halverson’s sat at a table with people from Lake Bronson and Warroad. At the next table were Pastor Don and Esther Peterson, who served this parish in the 1970s and who send greetings to all. Also at that table was Pastor Paul Peterson who was raised in the First Lutheran parsonage and who has just moved from Beach ND to Audubon MN and also sends greetings to old friends in Karlstad. Pastors Cordell and Mary Carol Strug, formerly serving in Lake Bronson and Karlstad, were honored at the Friday evening program on their retirement. They were unable to be present as they have moved to Illinois. Also attending the assembly were Eleanor Dahlin’s son and daughter-in-law, Blaine & Molly, who belong to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls.
People’s Church of Bemidji was received as an official congregation of the ELCA. This church works with the poorest people in the community and has been worshipping and serving for some time. A new mission developer for a new congregation at Frazee MN was commissioned. Frazee is the largest town in the synod without an ELCA congregation. That’s Lutheran saturation!
Elections were held for voting members of the 2011 churchwide assembly and for several committees including Pastor Halverson elected to the synod consultation committee. A new secretary of the synod, Terrance Carlisle, was elected.
A full report on elections and resolutions is at www.nwmnsynod.org/ASSEMBLY but here is a summary. Resolutions to (1) Encourage support of the new mission at Frazee, (2) to encourage support of People’s Church of Bemidji, (3) encourage direct support of Lutheran Campus Ministry at Moorhead and Bemidji, and (4) to encourage congregations to give 10% of income in mission support to the synod/ELCA were adopted unanimously. A resolution to request the ELCA consider requiring a referendum by congregations for all important decisions by the churchwide assembly was defeated on a divided vote. A resolution to request that voting members of the churchwide assembly be elected as either “lay or rostered” instead of “lay or ordained” (it’s complicated) was passed on a divided vote. A resolution on the use of the word “adoption” was defeated on a divided vote. A resolution asking the state of Minnesota to limit interest charged to a maximum of 36% for all loans, especially payday loans, was passed overwhelmingly. All six MN synods were challenged to pass this resolution to protect the economically most vulnerable among us.
A 2011 budget of $1,863,120 was approved. New 2011 salary compensation guidelines increased by 2.1% were approved.
There were 179 clergy and 360 lay voting members for a total of 539, plus about 90 visitors. There were more youth than in recent years, including two from Conference One who spoke to the assembly. Bishop Lawrence Wohlrabe presided over the assembly with a deft and sure hand while acknowledging the challenges the synod faces.
On the brighter side, the music at the assembly was provided by “Dakota Road,” a praise band from South Dakota, which has produced many CDs and performed at many church events. They were lively and loud and very popular. Sample their music at www.dakotaroadmusic.com .
The keynote speaker was Mark Allen Powell who teaches at Trinity Lutheran Seminary of Columbus, Ohio and whose latest book is “”Giving to God: the Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life.” He was humorous and entertaining while challenging the synod members to live a generous life.
Sunitha Mortha spoke on behalf of the ELCA churchwide offices where she currently works and on behalf of our companion synod, the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church of India, in which she was raised. She was an eloquent and calm voice from another part of the Lutheran Church. Her sari was beautiful.
One of the best parts of any synod assembly is connecting with Lutherans from many places, some near and some far. The Halverson’s sat at a table with people from Lake Bronson and Warroad. At the next table were Pastor Don and Esther Peterson, who served this parish in the 1970s and who send greetings to all. Also at that table was Pastor Paul Peterson who was raised in the First Lutheran parsonage and who has just moved from Beach ND to Audubon MN and also sends greetings to old friends in Karlstad. Pastors Cordell and Mary Carol Strug, formerly serving in Lake Bronson and Karlstad, were honored at the Friday evening program on their retirement. They were unable to be present as they have moved to Illinois. Also attending the assembly were Eleanor Dahlin’s son and daughter-in-law, Blaine & Molly, who belong to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls.
People’s Church of Bemidji was received as an official congregation of the ELCA. This church works with the poorest people in the community and has been worshipping and serving for some time. A new mission developer for a new congregation at Frazee MN was commissioned. Frazee is the largest town in the synod without an ELCA congregation. That’s Lutheran saturation!
Elections were held for voting members of the 2011 churchwide assembly and for several committees including Pastor Halverson elected to the synod consultation committee. A new secretary of the synod, Terrance Carlisle, was elected.
A full report on elections and resolutions is at www.nwmnsynod.org/ASSEMBLY but here is a summary. Resolutions to (1) Encourage support of the new mission at Frazee, (2) to encourage support of People’s Church of Bemidji, (3) encourage direct support of Lutheran Campus Ministry at Moorhead and Bemidji, and (4) to encourage congregations to give 10% of income in mission support to the synod/ELCA were adopted unanimously. A resolution to request the ELCA consider requiring a referendum by congregations for all important decisions by the churchwide assembly was defeated on a divided vote. A resolution to request that voting members of the churchwide assembly be elected as either “lay or rostered” instead of “lay or ordained” (it’s complicated) was passed on a divided vote. A resolution on the use of the word “adoption” was defeated on a divided vote. A resolution asking the state of Minnesota to limit interest charged to a maximum of 36% for all loans, especially payday loans, was passed overwhelmingly. All six MN synods were challenged to pass this resolution to protect the economically most vulnerable among us.
A 2011 budget of $1,863,120 was approved. New 2011 salary compensation guidelines increased by 2.1% were approved.
There were 179 clergy and 360 lay voting members for a total of 539, plus about 90 visitors. There were more youth than in recent years, including two from Conference One who spoke to the assembly. Bishop Lawrence Wohlrabe presided over the assembly with a deft and sure hand while acknowledging the challenges the synod faces.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Ascension Day
North Star News column
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The day this issue of the North Star News is published is Ascension Day in the Christian Church. Ascension Day comes forty days after Easter Sunday, and thus is always on a Thursday. Acts 1:3 says “After his suffering [Jesus] presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” What happens next is very simple. Jesus bodily ascended into heaven, and the disciples saw him no more. This fact is confessed in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed with the simple statement “he ascended into heaven” and described in fuller detail in Luke 24 and Acts 1.
Ascension Day is a bit like a victory celebration that comes some days after the victory is won. Many of you watched the inspiring Olympic games from Vancouver this winter. Athletes who had trained for years and years in obscure places around the globe came together to test their skills against other athletes. For some of them, especially the skiers, the contest took place on one day out on the mountainside, but the victory ceremony took place a day or even a few days later down in the city. At the victory celebration the gold medal was placed around the neck of the victor as he or she ascended to the top place on the Olympic stand to hear his or her national anthem played and receive the applause of the people.
Jesus lived thirty years of his life in the obscurity of Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and the rest of the family. Then for three years he carried on a public ministry, which began with a contest with the evil one during the wilderness temptation. As he died on the cross, it looked like the forces of evil that had been contending against him all through the three years had won. But three days later he was raised from the dead, the victor over sin, death, and everything that would oppose God’s good and gracious will. Death had been trying to get Jesus from the day King Herod sent his troops to kill all the little boys of Bethlehem, but on Easter Sunday Jesus finally and convincingly defeated it’s power. The contest was over, and Jesus had won.
Ascension Day is the day he celebrated that victory. “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father” as we say in the Apostles’ Creed. When we observe Ascension Day, whether it is on the fortieth day of Easter or the next Sunday, we are joining in the applause for the gold medal winner, Jesus Christ. We are celebrating the victory he has won for us, his people.
In Philippians 2:9 it says, “therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” To that, let us all say “amen” today.
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The day this issue of the North Star News is published is Ascension Day in the Christian Church. Ascension Day comes forty days after Easter Sunday, and thus is always on a Thursday. Acts 1:3 says “After his suffering [Jesus] presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” What happens next is very simple. Jesus bodily ascended into heaven, and the disciples saw him no more. This fact is confessed in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed with the simple statement “he ascended into heaven” and described in fuller detail in Luke 24 and Acts 1.
Ascension Day is a bit like a victory celebration that comes some days after the victory is won. Many of you watched the inspiring Olympic games from Vancouver this winter. Athletes who had trained for years and years in obscure places around the globe came together to test their skills against other athletes. For some of them, especially the skiers, the contest took place on one day out on the mountainside, but the victory ceremony took place a day or even a few days later down in the city. At the victory celebration the gold medal was placed around the neck of the victor as he or she ascended to the top place on the Olympic stand to hear his or her national anthem played and receive the applause of the people.
Jesus lived thirty years of his life in the obscurity of Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and the rest of the family. Then for three years he carried on a public ministry, which began with a contest with the evil one during the wilderness temptation. As he died on the cross, it looked like the forces of evil that had been contending against him all through the three years had won. But three days later he was raised from the dead, the victor over sin, death, and everything that would oppose God’s good and gracious will. Death had been trying to get Jesus from the day King Herod sent his troops to kill all the little boys of Bethlehem, but on Easter Sunday Jesus finally and convincingly defeated it’s power. The contest was over, and Jesus had won.
Ascension Day is the day he celebrated that victory. “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father” as we say in the Apostles’ Creed. When we observe Ascension Day, whether it is on the fortieth day of Easter or the next Sunday, we are joining in the applause for the gold medal winner, Jesus Christ. We are celebrating the victory he has won for us, his people.
In Philippians 2:9 it says, “therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” To that, let us all say “amen” today.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Newsletter May 2010
Bereft. That is how the disciples of Jesus were feeling forty days after Easter when he ascended into heaven. The one some of them had followed for three years, speaking and listening to him on a daily basis, was now gone from their sight. The one who had risen from the dead and appeared to them in the upper room, on the seashore, and on the road would do so no more. They were bereft of the most amazing person they had ever known.
Then they began to remember what he had said to them before those awesome days of triumph and tragedy that we call Holy Week. In John 14:3 he said, “….I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” And in John 14:18 he said, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” And in John 14:28 he said, “if you loved me you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.”
The mystery of Ascension Day is that although Jesus has ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, he is still with us through his spirit, in his Word, and in the holy sacraments. The conclusion of the Gospel according to Luke is the account of the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven, but the conclusion of the Gospel according to Matthew is the declaration, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.” Both are true at the same time.
There are times when some of us feel bereft as if we were sailing alone on the sea of life. Perhaps co- workers and colleagues move on to other jobs and other places. Perhaps a husband or wife is lost as a marriage ends through death or divorce. Perhaps the years roll on and a person loses almost everyone from their generation. Not so long ago I was shown the picture of a large wedding party as the elderly owner of the picture said, “they are all gone except for this one and me.” On another occasion a much younger person spoke of feeling left behind as one friend after another moved away to advance themselves in their job or in their education.
Some of this is a natural part of the course of life. People come and go in our lives. If we live long enough we will certainly experience loss and the heartache that comes with it. If we stay in one place long enough, we will see others leave, and may at times feel quite lonely. Psalm 102:7 speaks of this feeling when it says, “I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.”
But Jesus taught that God has his eye on the sparrow so that not one of them falls to the ground without the Father knowing it. (Matthew 10:29-31) And Jesus promised that he would never abandon us. Hebrews 13:5 quotes Jesus as saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” In this topsy turvy world, it is a great comfort to know that Jesus is always there for us. The familiar poem by Mary Stevenson continues to comfort people with the assurance that at no hour are they bereft of the power and presence of Jesus..
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
One night a man had a dream he was walking along the beach with the LORD.Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.For each scene he noticed two sets offootprints in the sand: one belongingto him, and the other to the LORD.When the last scene of his life flashed before him,he looked back at the footprints in the sand.He noticed that many times along the path ofhis life there was only one set of footprints.He also noticed that it happened at the verylowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and hequestioned the LORD about it."LORD, you said that once I decided to followyou, you'd walk with me all the way.But I have noticed that during the mosttroublesome times in my life,there is only one set of footprints.I don't understand why whenI needed you most you would leave me."The LORD replied:"My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you.During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Pastor Gary Halverson
Then they began to remember what he had said to them before those awesome days of triumph and tragedy that we call Holy Week. In John 14:3 he said, “….I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” And in John 14:18 he said, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” And in John 14:28 he said, “if you loved me you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.”
The mystery of Ascension Day is that although Jesus has ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, he is still with us through his spirit, in his Word, and in the holy sacraments. The conclusion of the Gospel according to Luke is the account of the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven, but the conclusion of the Gospel according to Matthew is the declaration, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.” Both are true at the same time.
There are times when some of us feel bereft as if we were sailing alone on the sea of life. Perhaps co- workers and colleagues move on to other jobs and other places. Perhaps a husband or wife is lost as a marriage ends through death or divorce. Perhaps the years roll on and a person loses almost everyone from their generation. Not so long ago I was shown the picture of a large wedding party as the elderly owner of the picture said, “they are all gone except for this one and me.” On another occasion a much younger person spoke of feeling left behind as one friend after another moved away to advance themselves in their job or in their education.
Some of this is a natural part of the course of life. People come and go in our lives. If we live long enough we will certainly experience loss and the heartache that comes with it. If we stay in one place long enough, we will see others leave, and may at times feel quite lonely. Psalm 102:7 speaks of this feeling when it says, “I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.”
But Jesus taught that God has his eye on the sparrow so that not one of them falls to the ground without the Father knowing it. (Matthew 10:29-31) And Jesus promised that he would never abandon us. Hebrews 13:5 quotes Jesus as saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” In this topsy turvy world, it is a great comfort to know that Jesus is always there for us. The familiar poem by Mary Stevenson continues to comfort people with the assurance that at no hour are they bereft of the power and presence of Jesus..
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
One night a man had a dream he was walking along the beach with the LORD.Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.For each scene he noticed two sets offootprints in the sand: one belongingto him, and the other to the LORD.When the last scene of his life flashed before him,he looked back at the footprints in the sand.He noticed that many times along the path ofhis life there was only one set of footprints.He also noticed that it happened at the verylowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and hequestioned the LORD about it."LORD, you said that once I decided to followyou, you'd walk with me all the way.But I have noticed that during the mosttroublesome times in my life,there is only one set of footprints.I don't understand why whenI needed you most you would leave me."The LORD replied:"My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you.During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Pastor Gary Halverson
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Newsletter April 2010
It was a week of sorrow and sadness. The shocking news of sudden death rocked the whole community. People said he died much too soon. People were asking “how are we going to cope without him?”
Such were the sentiments in Jerusalem in that small community that gathered around Jesus on the Sabbath between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The twelve disciples were feeling quite lost, bereft. The women who provided for him as he traveled tried as best they could to provide something for him in death: dignity, memories that would live on in their hearts, the promise that his name would still be spoken even now that he was gone. Quietly they waited through the Sabbath rest until the sun should rise on Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning the women went to the tomb to complete what the approaching Sabbath had prevented them from doing on Friday night. They brought spices, including some of the pure nard with which Mary had anointed Jesus at Bethany not so many days ago. “She kept it for the day of my burial,” he had said then. But when they got to the tomb they found the stone rolled away, the place where he lay empty, and angels announcing that he had risen from the dead. Just as suddenly as they were plunged into mourning by his death, they were filled with joy at his resurrection. He was not gone forever. He was more than a mere memory that they cherished. He was living. He was speaking. He was filling their future with hope.
And then they began to remember some of the things he had said which had gone right over their heads when he first said them. “In my father’s house there are many dwelling place. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself that where I am, you may be also.” (John 14:2-4) And “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19) And “If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.” (John 14:28)
This is the story of Easter. A community was devastated by the death of the one upon whom they depended for so much. It was a death that made no sense whatsoever to them. But then, as they saw him in the Upper Room, on the Road to Emmaus, and by the Sea of Galilee over a period of forty days, they knew they would have strength to go on and carry his message of peace, love, and forgiveness to the whole world. They had a purpose in life, a reason for living.
For our community, it was the week before Holy Week 2010 that produced such emotions as we dealt with death of men in their 50s, infant illness intensified, and treatments suspended for lack of usefulness. It felt like Good Friday and Holy Saturday arrived a week early with all their sorrow.
But as followers of Jesus we recount the awful events of Jesus’ arrest, trials, suffering, and death every year fully aware that a day of joy lies just ahead. We read of Peter’s denial knowing that Jesus will rehabilitate him. We are told of the tears of those who witnessed his walk to Golgotha and know that they will be wiped away soon. We see the cross emptied of his lifeless body knowing that soon the tomb will be empty of his risen body as he goes forth to speak to his disciples.
As followers of Jesus we deal with every illness and every death, knowing that a better day is coming. In First Thessalonians 4:13 these words were addressed to a grieving community: “But we do not want you to uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died……and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Yes, it was a week of sorrow and sadness, filled with suffering and death. But it ended in triumph. So this Easter Sunday we will sing with conviction of the victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death: “Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!”
Such were the sentiments in Jerusalem in that small community that gathered around Jesus on the Sabbath between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The twelve disciples were feeling quite lost, bereft. The women who provided for him as he traveled tried as best they could to provide something for him in death: dignity, memories that would live on in their hearts, the promise that his name would still be spoken even now that he was gone. Quietly they waited through the Sabbath rest until the sun should rise on Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning the women went to the tomb to complete what the approaching Sabbath had prevented them from doing on Friday night. They brought spices, including some of the pure nard with which Mary had anointed Jesus at Bethany not so many days ago. “She kept it for the day of my burial,” he had said then. But when they got to the tomb they found the stone rolled away, the place where he lay empty, and angels announcing that he had risen from the dead. Just as suddenly as they were plunged into mourning by his death, they were filled with joy at his resurrection. He was not gone forever. He was more than a mere memory that they cherished. He was living. He was speaking. He was filling their future with hope.
And then they began to remember some of the things he had said which had gone right over their heads when he first said them. “In my father’s house there are many dwelling place. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself that where I am, you may be also.” (John 14:2-4) And “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19) And “If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.” (John 14:28)
This is the story of Easter. A community was devastated by the death of the one upon whom they depended for so much. It was a death that made no sense whatsoever to them. But then, as they saw him in the Upper Room, on the Road to Emmaus, and by the Sea of Galilee over a period of forty days, they knew they would have strength to go on and carry his message of peace, love, and forgiveness to the whole world. They had a purpose in life, a reason for living.
For our community, it was the week before Holy Week 2010 that produced such emotions as we dealt with death of men in their 50s, infant illness intensified, and treatments suspended for lack of usefulness. It felt like Good Friday and Holy Saturday arrived a week early with all their sorrow.
But as followers of Jesus we recount the awful events of Jesus’ arrest, trials, suffering, and death every year fully aware that a day of joy lies just ahead. We read of Peter’s denial knowing that Jesus will rehabilitate him. We are told of the tears of those who witnessed his walk to Golgotha and know that they will be wiped away soon. We see the cross emptied of his lifeless body knowing that soon the tomb will be empty of his risen body as he goes forth to speak to his disciples.
As followers of Jesus we deal with every illness and every death, knowing that a better day is coming. In First Thessalonians 4:13 these words were addressed to a grieving community: “But we do not want you to uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died……and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Yes, it was a week of sorrow and sadness, filled with suffering and death. But it ended in triumph. So this Easter Sunday we will sing with conviction of the victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death: “Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!”
Monday, March 1, 2010
Newsletter March 2010
The January 12 earthquake in Haiti highlighted the enormity of the needs of the world. Here was a nation which has been the poorest country in the western hemisphere throughout the 20th century devastated by the strongest earthquake to hit this hemisphere in decades. Beyond the tragic death toll, there is the need for immediate assistance and for long term recovery. Where to begin? How to help? As we see the sad scenes from places like Port-au-Prince, many of us feel that our efforts are the proverbial “drop in the bucket.”
The month of March is filled with cries for help in dealing with the problems of the world. It is Minnesota FoodShare month, when there is a special emphasis throughout the state on restocking food shelves and replenishing food banks. In the middle of the month comes the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days in a effort to raise funds for cancer research. The Karlstad Lions Club is sponsoring a blood drive for United Blood Services of the Red River Valley. In our parish we are taking Lenten offerings to be divided between the Ruuska Village orphanage in Haiti where Lacey Hewitt works and Lutheran World Relief Gifts for development in the Third World. When our youth serve supper on Wednesdays they seek a small donation to fund their activities. The Eidsvold Women are assembling health kits again. The First Lutheran Church council is looking for funds for a new roof. The Girl Scouts are selling cookies. And that’s not to mention all the groups in the public school selling pizza, candy, magazine subscriptions, and all the rest. Minnesota Public Radio just completed a pledge drive. Can a Prairie Public TV pledge drive be far behind?
It can all be overwhelming. It seems like everyone everywhere has their hand out looking for some help. The needs are real, some of them very pressing. Truth be told, the five or ten dollars given here or there often seems so pitiful in the face of all the cries for help. Despite all that has been done over the years, Haiti is just as poor and overcrowded today as it was fifty years ago.
One of the traditional three disciplines of Lent is almsgiving, which is an old fashioned word for giving money to those who are in need. Lent is a time that emphasizes what we should be doing throughout the year, and what we probably are doing. In Matthew 5:42 Jesus said (in the Sermon on the Mount), “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” And so, when there is a need Christians have always responded. When the need in Haiti was so great, Lutheran World Relief and the ELCA Disaster Response were right there with help. The stock of quilts and health kits made by thousands of Lutheran women across the country were quickly reduced. Lutherans have a long history of being one of the best agents for assistance in time of need, going back to the recovery efforts right after World War II in Europe. This is one of the top ten reasons you can be proud to be a member of the ELCA. We take Jesus’ words quite seriously.
In our two congregations God has blessed us with a solid financial situation. This is due to the faithful giving of our members, for which I thank God, and for some modest reductions in our budget the last few years. But our synod is facing a major shortfall in funds for 2009 which the bishop says may necessitate the painful decision to terminate some positions. The churchwide expression of our church is also facing shrinking revenues and will continue to cut programs and personnel. It is not an easy time to be a bishop in this or any denomination. And yet the needs continue to grow.
In 2nd Thessalonians 3:13 St. Paul concludes his letter with this admonition: “Brethren, do not be weary in well doing.” It seems like an apt verse to keep in mind when there are so many needs pressing on us. And when those needs seem to be quite overwhelming, remember the famous words of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, “If you cannot feed a hundred people, feed just one.” Jesus, who praised the poor widow who gave just a mite, will praise you for what you do.
The month of March is filled with cries for help in dealing with the problems of the world. It is Minnesota FoodShare month, when there is a special emphasis throughout the state on restocking food shelves and replenishing food banks. In the middle of the month comes the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days in a effort to raise funds for cancer research. The Karlstad Lions Club is sponsoring a blood drive for United Blood Services of the Red River Valley. In our parish we are taking Lenten offerings to be divided between the Ruuska Village orphanage in Haiti where Lacey Hewitt works and Lutheran World Relief Gifts for development in the Third World. When our youth serve supper on Wednesdays they seek a small donation to fund their activities. The Eidsvold Women are assembling health kits again. The First Lutheran Church council is looking for funds for a new roof. The Girl Scouts are selling cookies. And that’s not to mention all the groups in the public school selling pizza, candy, magazine subscriptions, and all the rest. Minnesota Public Radio just completed a pledge drive. Can a Prairie Public TV pledge drive be far behind?
It can all be overwhelming. It seems like everyone everywhere has their hand out looking for some help. The needs are real, some of them very pressing. Truth be told, the five or ten dollars given here or there often seems so pitiful in the face of all the cries for help. Despite all that has been done over the years, Haiti is just as poor and overcrowded today as it was fifty years ago.
One of the traditional three disciplines of Lent is almsgiving, which is an old fashioned word for giving money to those who are in need. Lent is a time that emphasizes what we should be doing throughout the year, and what we probably are doing. In Matthew 5:42 Jesus said (in the Sermon on the Mount), “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” And so, when there is a need Christians have always responded. When the need in Haiti was so great, Lutheran World Relief and the ELCA Disaster Response were right there with help. The stock of quilts and health kits made by thousands of Lutheran women across the country were quickly reduced. Lutherans have a long history of being one of the best agents for assistance in time of need, going back to the recovery efforts right after World War II in Europe. This is one of the top ten reasons you can be proud to be a member of the ELCA. We take Jesus’ words quite seriously.
In our two congregations God has blessed us with a solid financial situation. This is due to the faithful giving of our members, for which I thank God, and for some modest reductions in our budget the last few years. But our synod is facing a major shortfall in funds for 2009 which the bishop says may necessitate the painful decision to terminate some positions. The churchwide expression of our church is also facing shrinking revenues and will continue to cut programs and personnel. It is not an easy time to be a bishop in this or any denomination. And yet the needs continue to grow.
In 2nd Thessalonians 3:13 St. Paul concludes his letter with this admonition: “Brethren, do not be weary in well doing.” It seems like an apt verse to keep in mind when there are so many needs pressing on us. And when those needs seem to be quite overwhelming, remember the famous words of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, “If you cannot feed a hundred people, feed just one.” Jesus, who praised the poor widow who gave just a mite, will praise you for what you do.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Newsletter February 2010
A lingering illness in a normally healthy person can bring intimations of mortality, even if it is a minor illness. So can one of those birthdays that end in a “0”. Even those who seem to defy the aging process face these thoughts sooner or later. Football quarterback Brett Favre has never lost his boyish enthusiasm for the game, but on January 24 as he limped off the field with his grey stubble at the end of the game, he sure looked every bit the oldest quarterback in the NFL. At a certain age, most people begin to imagine the time when they will no longer be walking on this earth and evaluate the meaning of their life so far and what they might accomplish in the days they have left.
The theme for Ash Wednesday is from Genesis 3:19 where God speaks to Adam as he is sent out of the Garden of Eden: “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Each year as ashes are applied to the foreheads of the faithful, these words are spoken: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Sometimes when the minister speaks these words to an aging or ill person, they seem very power, almost too truthful. At other times when the minister touches the clear skin of a youth or child, they seem like a cruel reminder that this child will not always be so young, innocent, or cheerful. But it is the hard truth of human life.
Recently a fellow minister asked a group of us what our favorite Bible verse is. That is a hard question because there are so many verses that speak to so many different situations with power. Impulsively, I said “Isaiah 40:8” which reads “The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever.” Why was that? Was it because we have it on a poster in our parish office? Missionary Bernice Johnson gave us this poster with pressed flowers from Madagascar on it, and I framed it to preserve both the words and the dried flowers (in contradiction to the very meaning of the verse!) Or was it because I read many years ago in a novel, whose title I have forgotten, that a favorite verse of the Puritans in Massachusetts often quoted and printed was the simple phrase that leads up to Isaiah 40:8 in verse 6: “All flesh is grass.” My recollection is that a youth pondered this verse often as he looked at it printed on a cup in his austere Puritan home. It was a major theme of the novel.
Some people think it is overly morbid to think about the end, but, as Ecclesiastes 3 says, there is a time for everything. Ash Wednesday is a time to consider who we are, what we are, and how long we have on this earth. Ecclesiastes 3 also says in verse 11: “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind….” (RSV translation of a difficult verse to translate).
Thoughts of mortality lead to thoughts of eternity, just as the forty days of Lent begin with a somber reminder of human mortality and end with the glorious proclamation of the gift of eternal life for all who are in Christ. The journey through Lent takes us through the suffering and death of Jesus, which is the one and only reason that we can have any confidence that we will not fade from this earth into endless oblivion. “Because I live, you will live also,” Jesus said in John 14:19.
But just as Jesus had to face death in order to rise to eternal life, so we must ponder our own mortality before we can confidently believe we will live forever with him. And so we will soon plunge into Lent, a somber and sober season. But Lent is a prelude to Easter. Liturgically it developed as a preparation to celebrate the true center of the church year: the Festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord. Throughout the forty days of Lent and the fifty days of Easter let us proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Chris
The theme for Ash Wednesday is from Genesis 3:19 where God speaks to Adam as he is sent out of the Garden of Eden: “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Each year as ashes are applied to the foreheads of the faithful, these words are spoken: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Sometimes when the minister speaks these words to an aging or ill person, they seem very power, almost too truthful. At other times when the minister touches the clear skin of a youth or child, they seem like a cruel reminder that this child will not always be so young, innocent, or cheerful. But it is the hard truth of human life.
Recently a fellow minister asked a group of us what our favorite Bible verse is. That is a hard question because there are so many verses that speak to so many different situations with power. Impulsively, I said “Isaiah 40:8” which reads “The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever.” Why was that? Was it because we have it on a poster in our parish office? Missionary Bernice Johnson gave us this poster with pressed flowers from Madagascar on it, and I framed it to preserve both the words and the dried flowers (in contradiction to the very meaning of the verse!) Or was it because I read many years ago in a novel, whose title I have forgotten, that a favorite verse of the Puritans in Massachusetts often quoted and printed was the simple phrase that leads up to Isaiah 40:8 in verse 6: “All flesh is grass.” My recollection is that a youth pondered this verse often as he looked at it printed on a cup in his austere Puritan home. It was a major theme of the novel.
Some people think it is overly morbid to think about the end, but, as Ecclesiastes 3 says, there is a time for everything. Ash Wednesday is a time to consider who we are, what we are, and how long we have on this earth. Ecclesiastes 3 also says in verse 11: “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind….” (RSV translation of a difficult verse to translate).
Thoughts of mortality lead to thoughts of eternity, just as the forty days of Lent begin with a somber reminder of human mortality and end with the glorious proclamation of the gift of eternal life for all who are in Christ. The journey through Lent takes us through the suffering and death of Jesus, which is the one and only reason that we can have any confidence that we will not fade from this earth into endless oblivion. “Because I live, you will live also,” Jesus said in John 14:19.
But just as Jesus had to face death in order to rise to eternal life, so we must ponder our own mortality before we can confidently believe we will live forever with him. And so we will soon plunge into Lent, a somber and sober season. But Lent is a prelude to Easter. Liturgically it developed as a preparation to celebrate the true center of the church year: the Festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord. Throughout the forty days of Lent and the fifty days of Easter let us proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Chris
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Newsletter January 2010
The new year of 2010 is now upon us. It is hard for those of us of a certain age to believe that we are already entering the first year of the second decade of the 21st century. Memories of the beginning of the 21st century are still quite vivid, especially our fear that computers across the globe would mal-function and the civilized world would grind to a halt. People stockpiled food and water, bought generators, and prepared for the worst, but when the first year of the new millennium came, everything went on as usual. There were fireworks over Sydney Harbor in Australia, the pope spoke from the balcony in Rome, and the ball dropped in Times Square just like every other year.
We are already ten years down the road from that day. Celebrations of the new year will take place all around the globe on January 1, but some people will be facing the new year with fear and trepidation. What is coming in 2010? What problems will arise? How will we be able to cope? These are questions that many people are asking. The answer, of course, is that we do not know. There is a probability that the problems we will have to deal with are unknown and unforeseen in these waning days of 2009.
That’s how it was at the beginning of the decade. The overriding challenge of the last decade for our nation was Islamic extremism and terrorism. The country was blindsided by the attacks of 9-11 which transformed the decade in ways no one was predicting on 9-10-2001.
So my prediction for 2010 is that something will happen of which we have no inkling today. It could be wonderful. It could be terrible. Nobody knows. That is the one sure thing about the future. Nobody knows for sure what the future holds.
There is a great song that says:
I don’t know about tomorrow; I just live from day to day. I don’t borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to grey. I don’t worry o’er the future, for I know what Jesus said. And today I’ll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead.Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.I don’t know about tomorrow; it may bring me poverty. But the one who feeds the sparrow, is the one who stands by me. And the path that is my portion may be through the flame or flood; But His presence goes before me and I’m covered with His blood.
When Abraham and Sarah set out from Ur of the Chaldees for a new land, they didn’t know where they would be a year later, but they knew that God was sending them forth. When Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, little did he know that it would be 40 years before they reached the promised land, but they had the pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night to remind them that God was leading them forward. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples did not know where they would be and what they would be doing a year hence, but they heard the last words of Jesus on earth, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.”
In this new year some of us will be surprised by grace and filled with joy. Others of us will be shocked by a diagnosis or startled by a new twist in the road. A few of us will not be on this side of the grass come the end of the year. But all of us have the promise of the Lord’s abiding presence. Of that we can be sure.
And if 2010 should be the year that they cut into our tombstone, then we can also be sure that an eternity of joy in the presence of Jesus is our future. Then time will be no more as the eons roll on in endless joy. 1st Thessalonians 4:17 has a wonderful promise that says, “… and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
So let us enter into 2010 not very confident about what we will be listing as the most important events of the year on the 31st of December, but completely confident that we will be able to look back on the year and give thanks to God for his presence and his power which was there for us every day.
We are already ten years down the road from that day. Celebrations of the new year will take place all around the globe on January 1, but some people will be facing the new year with fear and trepidation. What is coming in 2010? What problems will arise? How will we be able to cope? These are questions that many people are asking. The answer, of course, is that we do not know. There is a probability that the problems we will have to deal with are unknown and unforeseen in these waning days of 2009.
That’s how it was at the beginning of the decade. The overriding challenge of the last decade for our nation was Islamic extremism and terrorism. The country was blindsided by the attacks of 9-11 which transformed the decade in ways no one was predicting on 9-10-2001.
So my prediction for 2010 is that something will happen of which we have no inkling today. It could be wonderful. It could be terrible. Nobody knows. That is the one sure thing about the future. Nobody knows for sure what the future holds.
There is a great song that says:
I don’t know about tomorrow; I just live from day to day. I don’t borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to grey. I don’t worry o’er the future, for I know what Jesus said. And today I’ll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead.Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.I don’t know about tomorrow; it may bring me poverty. But the one who feeds the sparrow, is the one who stands by me. And the path that is my portion may be through the flame or flood; But His presence goes before me and I’m covered with His blood.
When Abraham and Sarah set out from Ur of the Chaldees for a new land, they didn’t know where they would be a year later, but they knew that God was sending them forth. When Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, little did he know that it would be 40 years before they reached the promised land, but they had the pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night to remind them that God was leading them forward. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples did not know where they would be and what they would be doing a year hence, but they heard the last words of Jesus on earth, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.”
In this new year some of us will be surprised by grace and filled with joy. Others of us will be shocked by a diagnosis or startled by a new twist in the road. A few of us will not be on this side of the grass come the end of the year. But all of us have the promise of the Lord’s abiding presence. Of that we can be sure.
And if 2010 should be the year that they cut into our tombstone, then we can also be sure that an eternity of joy in the presence of Jesus is our future. Then time will be no more as the eons roll on in endless joy. 1st Thessalonians 4:17 has a wonderful promise that says, “… and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
So let us enter into 2010 not very confident about what we will be listing as the most important events of the year on the 31st of December, but completely confident that we will be able to look back on the year and give thanks to God for his presence and his power which was there for us every day.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Initial Post
While I had thought for a long time about setting up a blog where sermons as well as newsletter articles and occasional thoughts about the issues of the day could be posted, it was a presentation by Manitoba Lutheran Bishop Elaine Sauer at our February 2010 local clergy confab that spurred me finally to set one up. So here it is. If I think a sermon is worth anyone reading after I preached it, I'll post it here. All newsletter columns will be here - I've deleted my "pastor's archive" page from the parish website. And perhaps random comments on church issues. This is a blog related to the parish I serve here in Northwestern Minnesota. I will try to keep comments about my other interests and my family to a minimum.
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