This past Sunday, we heard these words from Jesus: "Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward." (Mark 9:41 - NRSV) Jesus tells his disciples that there are more on Jesus' team than just the disciples. That message rings true for us as well - it's not just the pastors and the staff, but the whole people of God who make up the church. The church is made up of people who are invited and encouraged to use their gifts in sharing God's love. Some do that by singing, some by reading, some by greeting, some by serving on church council, some by teaching. Millie served by baking.
Millie was a member of my previous church. She made the best, and I mean BEST sticky buns and pecan rolls I have ever had. She used to make them for Bible Study classes and Pot Luck dinners. One of the Bible Study regulars told her every single week, "Millie, you almost got it right. Keep trying!" He was just hoping she wouldn't stop trying! Another member said Millie is the one who caused him to start drinking coffee because the rolls taste so much better with coffee!
Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, the phone would ring at our house. Millie made two or three pans of rolls each holiday for our family and brought them over for us. She would call ahead to let us know she wanted to stop by and drop off something for us. We knew what it was going to be! When the phone rang that time of year, the kids would ask, "Is that Millie?" We were blessed by her gift.
I recall at a Bible Study asking the question, "If your house was on fire, what is the one thing (besides people and animals) would you make sure you grabbed as you ran out of the house?" Millie's answer? Her cheese cloth she used for baking.
Millie passed away last week at the age of 91. I have been thinking about her the past few days. She never was one to speak up at a meeting, or want to read or sing or preach or teach. She did what she loved to do. She loved to bake. She loved to share her gift with others. And because of it, we were blessed and weigh a couple pounds more!
I have a feeling there may be some of those rolls at God's banquet feast. I encourage you to try some when you get there. And I imagine God is saying, "Millie, you got it just right!"
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
The Cross
Every now and then, when surfing through channels (you see, I am a male!), I come across the Antique Road Show. A wonderful show that takes a group of antiques experts from town to town, welcoming people with their heirlooms, trinkets, or bazaar items (appropriately named, because the picked it up at some church bazaar). The people place their items before the experts, who seems to know way too much about the item, where and when it was made, and then they take a stab at a possible value of the item.
I have learned in watching the show that some of the ugliest things can be of greatest value. It is wonderful to watch the expressions on the owner’s face when they find out that the piece of junk they inherited from Aunt Henrietta is worth thousands of dollars.
And I have noticed on this show, there one thing that seems to increase the value of the item being scrutinized is the signature or mark of the maker on the item. This always impresses the experts, who rant and rave over the signed item.
I guess you could say that in some ways, the church is like a People of God Road Show. We come here with different baggage. Some of us look a bit more worn than others. We have, in many ways, inherited things from our relatives - traits, names, traditions.
We come to stand in the presence of God, who knows us better than we ourselves. God looks intently at us, the bumps, the scars, the imperfections, and all. But no matter the lack of perfection, God stares at our forehead, and sees something only God’s eye can see. An invisible sign. It is a cross - placed there at the font. Invisible to the untrained eye, it is there. The value of that mark, the mark of our maker - priceless.
At the youth gathering, we saw a short video of Davey and Goliath - remember them? The boy, Davey, and his dog, Goliath. Davey was staring in the mirror, looking for that cross, and wondering what the pastor was talking about when he said we all have the mark of the cross on our forehead. Davey couldn’t see it! He thought he had been tricked.
Goliath’s only response was, “I don’t know about that, Davey. But I do know that I am Goliath, and I belong to Davey. And Davey loves me very much.” Then, Davey got it - “I am Davey. I belong to God. God loves me very much.” That Goliath is one smart dog!
The truth is this - you are a child of God. You belong to God. God claims you as his own. You are of GREAT value. The cross on your forehead is God’s seal - never to be taken away.
The cross changes everything. Death is no longer the final word, no - now it is life. Despair is no longer the final word, no - now it is hope. Brokenness and bondage are no longer the final word, no - now it is forgiveness.
The cross, seen as a symbol for death now is a symbol for victory over death. For Jesus wins the battle.
The cross doesn’t just change the past, it changes our present, and shapes our future. For the cross is that which ultimately defines us. It is not our possessions, our status, our good name, our works, our jobs. They may mean everything to the world, but what matters to God is knowing who we are, and whose we are.
I have learned in watching the show that some of the ugliest things can be of greatest value. It is wonderful to watch the expressions on the owner’s face when they find out that the piece of junk they inherited from Aunt Henrietta is worth thousands of dollars.
And I have noticed on this show, there one thing that seems to increase the value of the item being scrutinized is the signature or mark of the maker on the item. This always impresses the experts, who rant and rave over the signed item.
I guess you could say that in some ways, the church is like a People of God Road Show. We come here with different baggage. Some of us look a bit more worn than others. We have, in many ways, inherited things from our relatives - traits, names, traditions.
We come to stand in the presence of God, who knows us better than we ourselves. God looks intently at us, the bumps, the scars, the imperfections, and all. But no matter the lack of perfection, God stares at our forehead, and sees something only God’s eye can see. An invisible sign. It is a cross - placed there at the font. Invisible to the untrained eye, it is there. The value of that mark, the mark of our maker - priceless.
At the youth gathering, we saw a short video of Davey and Goliath - remember them? The boy, Davey, and his dog, Goliath. Davey was staring in the mirror, looking for that cross, and wondering what the pastor was talking about when he said we all have the mark of the cross on our forehead. Davey couldn’t see it! He thought he had been tricked.
Goliath’s only response was, “I don’t know about that, Davey. But I do know that I am Goliath, and I belong to Davey. And Davey loves me very much.” Then, Davey got it - “I am Davey. I belong to God. God loves me very much.” That Goliath is one smart dog!
The truth is this - you are a child of God. You belong to God. God claims you as his own. You are of GREAT value. The cross on your forehead is God’s seal - never to be taken away.
The cross changes everything. Death is no longer the final word, no - now it is life. Despair is no longer the final word, no - now it is hope. Brokenness and bondage are no longer the final word, no - now it is forgiveness.
The cross, seen as a symbol for death now is a symbol for victory over death. For Jesus wins the battle.
The cross doesn’t just change the past, it changes our present, and shapes our future. For the cross is that which ultimately defines us. It is not our possessions, our status, our good name, our works, our jobs. They may mean everything to the world, but what matters to God is knowing who we are, and whose we are.
Epiphany Lutheran Church is filled with crosses, even crosses built into the brick walls. These all are constant reminders of the gift of God given to us through Jesus Christ.
During some of our worship services, a processional cross leads us in to worship, followed by the choir and worship leaders, and leads us out into the world following worship. I encourage you to consider facing the cross when it enters and exits. Some will even bow as it passes, not that we "worship" this symbol, but that we remember what Christ has done for us. We face the cross as it is a reminder of God with us, and the gifts we receive through the cross. Placed near the pulpit, we are reminded that Jesus is the Word of God. Placed near the altar, we remember Jesus words - this is my body, this is my blood, given and shed for you. Carried out before us as we exit, we remember Jesus call to go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus leads us out to serve.
Thank you God, for the gift of the cross.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, August 31, 2015
I Wonder
This summer, Pastor Jay and I have been offering Children's Sermons on the spot with the Bag of Wonders! At the 9 a.m. service at Far Hills Campus and the 10:30 a.m. service at the Austin Campus, a child of the congregation is given the bag at the end of each week's Children's Sermon. That child gets to pick some things from home and is asked to bring it back the following Sunday. It has been a fun activity, and I have heard from members of the congregation that they look forward to seeing what is in the bag each week. Believe me, Pastor Jay and I do, too!
This past week at the Far Hills campus, I invited the children forward for a message and the Bag of Wonders! The kids came up, but the bag did not! The bag was nowhere to be found! I wondered where the Bag of Wonders might be. I later did find out where the bag ended up (more about that further down in the blog). So I had to come up with a message without an item. Quick thinking is key when it comes to this - what might I talk about? How about Jesus! (Good answer, Pastor.) I said to the kids something to this effect:
This past week at the Far Hills campus, I invited the children forward for a message and the Bag of Wonders! The kids came up, but the bag did not! The bag was nowhere to be found! I wondered where the Bag of Wonders might be. I later did find out where the bag ended up (more about that further down in the blog). So I had to come up with a message without an item. Quick thinking is key when it comes to this - what might I talk about? How about Jesus! (Good answer, Pastor.) I said to the kids something to this effect:
"So do you remember the story of Easter? On that first Easter Sunday, the women, Mary Magdalene and the others made their way to the tomb. They had to wait until the Sabbath was over because you do no work on the Sabbath, so they came to prepare the body for burial. So when they went to the tomb, they expected to find something there, but it was missing. What were they expecting to find in the tomb?"
A little girl said, "THE BAG OF WONDERS!"
What a great answer! I felt sorry for her when we all laughed, and I did tell her that maybe that would have been a good place to look. But what they were looking for was Jesus. And then we talked about the good news that Jesus rose from the dead. We talked about how much God loves us, and that the promise God gives us is that we are never missing. God knows who we are, where we are. And God loves us no matter what.
The empty tomb is a wonder, isn't it? What a gift of life given for you and for me. In some ways I am glad the bag didn't show up. It helped us remember that sometimes things NOT there are good or even better than things that are!
So, what happened to the Bag of Wonders? It showed up at the Austin Campus. Imagine Pastor Jay's surprise when he had TWO bags with items for a Children's Sermon. It could have been like Monty Hall and "Let's Make A Deal" - "Do you want the item in this bag, or would you like to try your luck with the bag Carol Merrill is holding?" If you don't understand, ask your parents! What I believe is pretty cool is that the family that had received the bag at the Far Hills Campus on one week were at worship at the Austin Campus the following week. I am excited to see people feel like both places are places of worship that feel like home to them. We see that more and more.
To top off the day, we celebrated Marilynn's baptism. Any day we do a baptism is a great day! Marilynn's big brother, James was baptized a couple years ago. He is a boy with energy, and through his sister's baptism, he kept waving to us from his regulated spot in the pews with Grandma and Grandpa. Later in the service, I stood in the pulpit and started the Gospel reading, "The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 7th chapter." From the back of the church, James exclaimed in a loud voice, "Yay!" Amen to that. I couldn't help but respond with a "Yay!" myself. Better than a rote "Thanks be to God," James' exclamation said it all.
Sometimes things don't go the way we expect, but sometimes it is in the interruptions and unexpected events and interactions that we meet God, and messengers of God! Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Angels are messengers of God, yes? I think I may have encountered a couple this past Sunday... you never know. I wonder...
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Natalie Rose Pearce
Natalie Rose Pearce was born on August 1, 2015 at 9:04 am. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 15.9 ounces (the doctor said let's just call it 7 pounds) and 19 inches long. She is beautiful! I am terribly biased being Natalie is our first grandchild, and we are loving every minute of it. Some rambling thoughts for you today.
Over the past few months, I have been told by many grandparents that there is nothing quite like being a grandparent. The love and joy you experience is beyond belief. I could not agree with them more. All of the joys of a newborn without all the responsibilities of parenthood are wrapped up in this bundle of joy.
My wife shared with my daughter about a week before Natalie was born these words: "You will finally understand how much I love you when you hold your own child in your arms." When we pray, Jesus tells us to begin by saying the words, "Abba, Father." Daddy. We are held in the arms of our Father, and the love God has for us is of that of a loving parent.
The miracle of birth and the gift of life are amazing and powerful. How can one not believe in God the creator when one holds a newborn and counts the fingers and toes, sees the arms stretch and hear the voice cry. What an incredible gift. What an amazing miracle. And yet, it happens thousands of times each and every day. In fact, in the hospital Natalie was born, they have about 500 births a month!
I give thanks to God for the gifts of so many at the hospital who were at Natalie's side, and there with her parents throughout the birth and days that followed. I give thanks for the opportunity to be there too. God is good.
Here is a slideshow I put together of her first week.
Music - "Perfect Day" by Holley Maher and "Baby Mine" by Alison Krauss
Natalie Rose Pearce Week 1 from Charlie Woodward on Vimeo.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Over the past few months, I have been told by many grandparents that there is nothing quite like being a grandparent. The love and joy you experience is beyond belief. I could not agree with them more. All of the joys of a newborn without all the responsibilities of parenthood are wrapped up in this bundle of joy.
My wife shared with my daughter about a week before Natalie was born these words: "You will finally understand how much I love you when you hold your own child in your arms." When we pray, Jesus tells us to begin by saying the words, "Abba, Father." Daddy. We are held in the arms of our Father, and the love God has for us is of that of a loving parent.
The miracle of birth and the gift of life are amazing and powerful. How can one not believe in God the creator when one holds a newborn and counts the fingers and toes, sees the arms stretch and hear the voice cry. What an incredible gift. What an amazing miracle. And yet, it happens thousands of times each and every day. In fact, in the hospital Natalie was born, they have about 500 births a month!
I give thanks to God for the gifts of so many at the hospital who were at Natalie's side, and there with her parents throughout the birth and days that followed. I give thanks for the opportunity to be there too. God is good.
Here is a slideshow I put together of her first week.
Music - "Perfect Day" by Holley Maher and "Baby Mine" by Alison Krauss
Natalie Rose Pearce Week 1 from Charlie Woodward on Vimeo.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, July 20, 2015
National Youth Gathering - The Future is in God's Hands
This week's entry will be brief, with a few links for you to check out. This past week, 30,000 youth and adults of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America made their way to Detroit, Michigan for the National Youth Gathering. Every three years, this event happens. Back in 1961, a predecessor Lutheran youth gathering happened in Detroit, and Martin Luther King was one of the speakers at that event.
The past few gatherings have focused not just on worship and fun events and study, but service as well. Each day, a third of the group - 10,000 of them - made their way into the city for service projects. The presence and impact was powerful. Not just for the city, but the participants as well.
Social media provided opportunities for us to follow along with all that was going on. I wanted to post some of these items to share with you. My hope and prayer is that you that the church of tomorrow is active and alive today, and that the future is in good hands - God's hands.
Highlights from the Gathering
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
CLOSING SONG FRIDAY NIGHT
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
A WORD FROM THE BISHOP
Thank you to the youth (Click here)
The youth and adults from Epiphany who attended the Gathering will be sharing with us in the coming weeks - don't miss it!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
The past few gatherings have focused not just on worship and fun events and study, but service as well. Each day, a third of the group - 10,000 of them - made their way into the city for service projects. The presence and impact was powerful. Not just for the city, but the participants as well.
Social media provided opportunities for us to follow along with all that was going on. I wanted to post some of these items to share with you. My hope and prayer is that you that the church of tomorrow is active and alive today, and that the future is in good hands - God's hands.
Highlights from the Gathering
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
CLOSING SONG FRIDAY NIGHT
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
A WORD FROM THE BISHOP
Thank you to the youth (Click here)
The youth and adults from Epiphany who attended the Gathering will be sharing with us in the coming weeks - don't miss it!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, July 6, 2015
Chosen Child
A staff meeting is held each Tuesday at 11 am at Epiphany Lutheran Church. We begin with devotions, which we take turns leading. A month or so ago, Natalie Heimann, our Administrative Assistant, shared this devotion with us.
1 John 3:1–2
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
Earlier this month I celebrated my adoption birthday. I was one week old when I was adopted, and my big brother got the best birthday gift EVER (at least that’s what he said at the time – I think he has rescinded that statement in the years since). Though I was blessed to be adopted into the best family I could have ever hoped for, I also realize that I was already a loved and chosen child of God and that there are some amazing parallels of being adopted into a human family and being adopted into God’s family:
Before I even existed, my family was thinking about me and preparing for me to join them. They loved me even before they knew me. According to the story my daddy told me from before I can even remember, Mommy and Daddy had two awesome boys, but they wanted to be able to raise a baby girl, too, and after having 12 and 10-pound children, my mom wasn’t supposed to have any more children. As my dad’s story goes, “We contacted Mrs. Ward (the adoption case manager) and told her we wanted a blonde hair, blue eyed baby girl who was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 18 inches long. And so Mrs. Ward looked high and she looked low, she looked East and looked West and then she found you!”
Prior to me even being born though, to be accepted as adoptive parents, Mom and Dad had to go through weekly home visits, their financial records were combed through, the whole family (including my local grandparents and 5 & 7-year-old big brothers) had to be interviewed to make sure they were an acceptable family. Once they were accepted as potential parents, they put my room together – pink and bows, of course. And then they waited for this baby they loved already.
That’s a lot like God, isn’t it? The Bible says God knew us when we were being formed in our mother’s womb. He loved us before we knew anything about Him. He has prepared a place for us and it is in Him. He is willing to go to great lengths to get us, and He has paid a great price to make us His own.
Part of the adoption process was giving me a new name. About 15 years ago, I inadvertently “found” my birth mom (and subsequently my birth father as well), and we are friends now. Well, I found out that she had “named” me Carleen (a combination of her and my birth father’s middle names of Collen and Carlisle. How ironic how closely that sounds like Carlin, my husband’s name, right?) In my adoption records, it shows that the hospital staff called my Mandy. And originally my parents really like the name Julie, but decided I looked like a Natalie instead. (My younger sister ended up as Julie five years later.) Legally, their family name became my last name – their home my home. And then a few months later, I was baptized. I became a Christian, one of God’s chosen children, before I legally became Natalie Dawn Christian. As is the case for all of us, as we live in God and God lives in us, we begin to look more and more like God. God’s ways become our ways. We are set free from our old identity and our past and we walk in newness of life.
When they saw me that first day at the adoption agency when I was seven days old, I smelled differently than they did – I smelled like the hospital, not like the Johnsons & Johnsons baby powder they had waiting with my baby bath at home. I was dressed in the clothes the agency provided, not the cute, frilly dress my Daddy picked up for me. Our heavenly father does the same thing for us. When God first finds us, we usually smell like the world. God wraps us in His love, washes us in the blood of Jesus, fills our hearts and minds with the Word, and floods us with the Holy Spirit. We begin to smell and look like we belong to God.
Finally, when I was a year old, we went to court and before a judge, Mom and Dad and Bruce and Chris declared their intention and desire to make me a legal, permanent part of their family. My brothers even had to say how they felt about me becoming their sister – evidently they told the judge I already was their sister and they weren’t going to share. As a side note, my mom, who was a strict rule-follower said that entire year she was ready to bolt to Canada if there was any indication I would be taken away from her! The judge’s finalization and approval meant that I was now a legal heir – I would never cease being their child. Later in our lives when we would get into arguments, I would tell my siblings that I knew my parents wanted me – they had to take what they got with them. Plus, I would remind them that they could be disinherited but legally, I couldn’t. With our entire extended family, I was NEVER treated any differently than my siblings or cousins – we were all equally spoiled!
You know, it’s that way with God. When we become His children we inherit all that is God’s – and it’s forever. God doesn’t have favorites – just like my parents, God cares for all of His children, and there is enough of God’s love for everyone.
Dear God, thank you for making us your chosen children and calling us as your own – for loving us before we are formed, before we are born. Thank you for letting us know that we will be your children forever, no matter what. We ask that you be with us today and everyday as we do the work of your kingdom and that, as your children, we act and look like you in all our dealings with others. We ask all these things in your holy and heavenly name. Amen.
Thanks for sharing, Natalie!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
1 John 3:1–2
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
Chosen Child
Natalie Heimann
Earlier this month I celebrated my adoption birthday. I was one week old when I was adopted, and my big brother got the best birthday gift EVER (at least that’s what he said at the time – I think he has rescinded that statement in the years since). Though I was blessed to be adopted into the best family I could have ever hoped for, I also realize that I was already a loved and chosen child of God and that there are some amazing parallels of being adopted into a human family and being adopted into God’s family:
Before I even existed, my family was thinking about me and preparing for me to join them. They loved me even before they knew me. According to the story my daddy told me from before I can even remember, Mommy and Daddy had two awesome boys, but they wanted to be able to raise a baby girl, too, and after having 12 and 10-pound children, my mom wasn’t supposed to have any more children. As my dad’s story goes, “We contacted Mrs. Ward (the adoption case manager) and told her we wanted a blonde hair, blue eyed baby girl who was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 18 inches long. And so Mrs. Ward looked high and she looked low, she looked East and looked West and then she found you!”
Prior to me even being born though, to be accepted as adoptive parents, Mom and Dad had to go through weekly home visits, their financial records were combed through, the whole family (including my local grandparents and 5 & 7-year-old big brothers) had to be interviewed to make sure they were an acceptable family. Once they were accepted as potential parents, they put my room together – pink and bows, of course. And then they waited for this baby they loved already.
That’s a lot like God, isn’t it? The Bible says God knew us when we were being formed in our mother’s womb. He loved us before we knew anything about Him. He has prepared a place for us and it is in Him. He is willing to go to great lengths to get us, and He has paid a great price to make us His own.
Part of the adoption process was giving me a new name. About 15 years ago, I inadvertently “found” my birth mom (and subsequently my birth father as well), and we are friends now. Well, I found out that she had “named” me Carleen (a combination of her and my birth father’s middle names of Collen and Carlisle. How ironic how closely that sounds like Carlin, my husband’s name, right?) In my adoption records, it shows that the hospital staff called my Mandy. And originally my parents really like the name Julie, but decided I looked like a Natalie instead. (My younger sister ended up as Julie five years later.) Legally, their family name became my last name – their home my home. And then a few months later, I was baptized. I became a Christian, one of God’s chosen children, before I legally became Natalie Dawn Christian. As is the case for all of us, as we live in God and God lives in us, we begin to look more and more like God. God’s ways become our ways. We are set free from our old identity and our past and we walk in newness of life.
When they saw me that first day at the adoption agency when I was seven days old, I smelled differently than they did – I smelled like the hospital, not like the Johnsons & Johnsons baby powder they had waiting with my baby bath at home. I was dressed in the clothes the agency provided, not the cute, frilly dress my Daddy picked up for me. Our heavenly father does the same thing for us. When God first finds us, we usually smell like the world. God wraps us in His love, washes us in the blood of Jesus, fills our hearts and minds with the Word, and floods us with the Holy Spirit. We begin to smell and look like we belong to God.
Finally, when I was a year old, we went to court and before a judge, Mom and Dad and Bruce and Chris declared their intention and desire to make me a legal, permanent part of their family. My brothers even had to say how they felt about me becoming their sister – evidently they told the judge I already was their sister and they weren’t going to share. As a side note, my mom, who was a strict rule-follower said that entire year she was ready to bolt to Canada if there was any indication I would be taken away from her! The judge’s finalization and approval meant that I was now a legal heir – I would never cease being their child. Later in our lives when we would get into arguments, I would tell my siblings that I knew my parents wanted me – they had to take what they got with them. Plus, I would remind them that they could be disinherited but legally, I couldn’t. With our entire extended family, I was NEVER treated any differently than my siblings or cousins – we were all equally spoiled!
You know, it’s that way with God. When we become His children we inherit all that is God’s – and it’s forever. God doesn’t have favorites – just like my parents, God cares for all of His children, and there is enough of God’s love for everyone.
Dear God, thank you for making us your chosen children and calling us as your own – for loving us before we are formed, before we are born. Thank you for letting us know that we will be your children forever, no matter what. We ask that you be with us today and everyday as we do the work of your kingdom and that, as your children, we act and look like you in all our dealings with others. We ask all these things in your holy and heavenly name. Amen.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Stilling the Storm
Here is my sermon from Sunday (Father's Day).
Grace, peace and mercy be multiplied to you from God our Father,
and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Amen
A mother was out walking with her
4 year old daughter. The child picked up something off the ground and started
to put it into her mouth. The mother took it away and said “Don’t do that!”
“Why not?” asked the child.
“Because it’s on the ground,”
said her mother. “You don’t know where it’s been. It’s dirty, and it’s probably
loaded with germs that could make you sick.”
The child looked at her mother
with total admiration and said, “Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You’re
so smart.”
The mother said, “All Moms know
this stuff. It’s on the Mom’s Test. You have to know it or they don’t let you
be a Mom.”
There was silence for a minute or
so as the child thought this through. “Oh, I get it,” she said at last. “And if
you don’t pass the test you have to be the Daddy?”
I vaguely remember my Mother once
saying, “Your Father knows everything, but Mom knows more!” Happy Father’s Day. All kidding aside, I wish
all Fathers a blessed day! I will remember my dad today as the one who taught
me to treat others with respect, honor and dignity. For that I am forever
grateful.
In our Gospel lesson, the
disciples come to know more about who Jesus is, and so do we! We meet up with Jesus
and his disciples after a seaside teaching session. The group gets in the boat
and heads across the sea. So, why did Jesus and the disciples cross the
Sea? To get to the other side!
Mark 4:35-41On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
A storm arises. There is very little that is more terrifying to most people than a storm at sea. And many of the disciples were professional fishermen. They knew how easily even a good boat could capsize or be swamped by the waves. They knew what happened to those on board a boat in this predicament. There would be no way to swim out of the situation, in the dark, in the waves, in the storm. You get swamped in a storm, you drown.
What was Jesus doing? In the middle of the storm with the wind and the waves roaring and the disciples panicking, Jesus was calmly sleeping on a cushion.
The panic stricken disciples shouted to Jesus above the roar of the wind the sound of the waves crashing over the sides of their boat. "Lord, don’t you care that we are about to drown?" In other words, Hey Jesus, we’re dyin’ here!
Jesus stands up. Without answering their question about whether Jesus cared for them in their time of deep trouble, he demonstrates how much he cares and speaks a word to the wind and the sea: "Be quiet! Be still!" It's calm. Jesus brings peace and calm to the terrified and panic-stricken disciple. Yes, maybe that command was meant for them too!
Notice that Jesus never gets out of the boat. He does abandon his disciples. Notice, too, that the disciples don’t ask for help, just compassion. They don’t realize what Jesus can do. They didn't expect the Jesus they had. He had done healings, sure. He had cured the lame, healed, even on the Sabbath. He had cast out unclean spirits. But such things are nothing compared to a storm, at least not a storm that might disturb a lake crossing at night. I wonder what they would have done had they known what Jesus could do? I wonder what they would have asked him? Could they muster the faith to trust God as Jesus did? We may never know.
What we do know is that when
Jesus did what he did, they are taken by awe and wonder, amazement and fear.
They did not have answers, just a question; "Who, then, is this, that even
the wind and waves obey him?" Who Indeed?
This is not
the first time God’s people didn’t comprehend God’s power. The children of God were
in the wilderness for 40 years. For 40 years, God provided for them bread from
heaven – manna it was called. When they entered into the promised land, the
manna was no longer there – now they were to farm the land. They hadn’t farmed
in 40 years, so they asked their neighbors, who told them about the gods they worshiped. The children of Israel started to worship these other gods, which
made God (Yahweh) very upset – I AM the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods!
And we hear
that in the lesson from Job (38:1-11) – Job complains to God with all that has
fallen upon him. God’s response? “Gird
up your loins like a man and let me ask YOU – where were you when I was
creating?”
How about
us? Do we NOT turn to God because we feel it is outside of His realm of understanding,
power, control? When storms arise, it is best to turn to God. Dr Luke Bouman of Valparaiso
University writes these words:
“We experience storms in our lives. And even in these storms, Jesus
enters and shatters the illusions which give those storms power. Jesus did not
sit in judgment over us when the buildings fell on September 11, 2001, instead
he suffered with all those who suffered loss. Jesus did not use Katrina to
punish New Orleans, but rather entered and died with those who perished there,
leading them to new life through muddy baptismal waters.”
I would add that Jesus does not turn
his back on the racial tension we have seen rise over the past year, heightened
by an appalling act of hatred in the church in Charleston a few days ago, but
walks with us in the brokenness of the community, offering a word of peace in
the midst of the chaos.
The tragic hateful event in
Charleston is heartbreaking and painful. It hits close to home as two of those
killed were graduates of one of our Lutheran seminaries. And the young man who
killed the nine at a prayer service in at that church is a member of an ELCA
congregation – the same church body to which we belong. What do we say about
such things?
We denounce the violence and the hatred
and the racism. But what more can we do? We hear cries for gun control and
guards at the doors of churches or even allowing people to be armed in the church
to protect us from such violence. I do not agree this is the answer, and I say
that knowing that part of the reason I feel this way is because of how I was
raised. I also do not believe this is the heart of the matter.
I believe what we must do is
begin with what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The message of the cross
is that God is with us, in the midst of the chaos, in the heart of the storms
in our lives, our community, our world and offers peace that surpasses
understanding, hope that does not disappoint us, and love that bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things – a love that
never ends. This was evident at the courthouse in South Carolina where family
members spoke to the one who killed their loved ones and offered a word of
forgiveness. Wow, isn’t that powerful?
Again, Luke Bouman writes:
“All of our storms are linked forever to the cross of Christ. All
of our storms are less about God using his power to force resolution and more
about God forsaking his power to end forever the hold of sin and death on all
sides of any debate. And we, for our part, can only shake our heads in awe and
wonder at how completely we are loved and grasped by a patient and committed
God.
For there will always be storms that rage; some of them rage
around us and some of them rage because of us. And Jesus, the risen Lord,
forever calmly walks into the midst of the storm to declare its power null in
the wake of his resurrection. Humbled, we are encouraged to stop our circling
and posturing and join him in death and resurrection, the only true end to our
storms.
But we have one thing that the disciples on the lake did not have.
We do not wonder who it is that stills our storms with death and resurrection.
We know that it is Jesus, and we know that Jesus is the living presence of God
in our midst. Just so, we experience him in worship, stilling our raging lives
with the calming waters of baptism, gently encouraging us to trust through his
word, spoken and remembered, and sending us as calm healers by feeding us at his
table. The more we experience Jesus in this way, the more we become the body of
Christ, and participate in the death and resurrection ourselves as healing
agents in this world. (Rev. Dr. Luke Bouman - Valparaiso University)
Hear this -
• God does care that we are
perishing!
• Storms still arise
• God is present – it is always good
to have Jesus in your boat!
In response to what God has
promised us in Jesus Christ, hear again a question that is asked of parents
when their children are baptized and when our youth are confirmed – “Do you promise to
work for justice and peace as a disciple of Jesus?” Our response – “I do and I
ask God to help and guide me!”
Knowing that God is with us, in the
midst of the storm, and God’s peace is upon us, what are we to do? Two words – the first from our Presiding Bishop
Elizabeth Eaton:
"I urge all of us to spend a day in repentance and mourning.
And then we need to get to work. Each of us and all of us need to examine
ourselves, our church and our communities. We need to be honest about the reality
of racism within us and around us. We need to talk and we need to listen, but
we also need to act. No stereotype or racial slur is justified. Speak out
against inequity. Look with newly opened eyes at the many subtle and overt ways
that we and our communities see people of color as being of less worth. Above
all pray – for insight, for forgiveness, for courage."
The full text of Bishop Eaton's letter can be found HERE
The full text of Bishop Eaton's letter can be found HERE
And from St.
Paul’s letter to the church in Rome: Romans 12 from Eugene Peterson’s
transliteration, “The Message:”
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your
happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with
each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great
somebody.
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in
you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you
to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy
that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will
surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of
evil by doing good.
As your
Pastor, you have my word that here at Epiphany, we WILL seek ways to talk and
to listen, and to pray. We also will strive to overcome evil with good.
The gift of
Jesus this day is this – PEACE. Receive the gift. As God’s people let us do all
we can to share the gift. The peace of
the Lord be with you always.
Amen
A song from Steven Curtis Chapman in response to the Charleston can be found HERE
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Dignity
Laura Hillenbrand (author of the book "Sea Biscuit") has written an incredible book about the life of Louis Zamperini entitled "Unbroken : a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." I am about half way through the book and am enthralled. The book has been made into a movie - maybe you have seen it.
In the book, Hillenbrand shares the story of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner and World War II soldier. In the middle of the war, Zamperini's plane, the Green Hornet, crashed in the Pacific. Together with a fellow soldier, he survived for 46 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean. When they finally make it to land, they found themselves on an island called Kwajalein that was occupied by the Japanese and the two are taken into captivity.
Hillenbrand writes of their experience there:
The crash of Green Hornet had left Louie and Phil in the most
desperate physical extremity, without food, water, or shelter. But on
Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that
had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This self-
respect and sense of self- worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at
the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is to be dehumanized, to be
cleaved from, and cast below, mankind. Men subjected to dehumanizing treatment
experience profound wretchedness and loneliness and find that hope is almost
impossible to retain. Without dignity, identity is erased. In its absence, men
are defined not by themselves, but by their captors and the circumstances in
which they are forced to live. One American airman, shot down and relentlessly
debased by his Japanese captors, described the state of mind that his captivity
created: “I was literally becoming a lesser human being.”
Few societies
treasured dignity, and feared humiliation, as did the Japanese, for whom a loss
of honor could merit suicide. This is likely one of the reasons why Japanese
soldiers in World War II debased their prisoners with such zeal, seeking to
take from them that which was most painful and destructive to lose. On Kwajalein,
Louie and Phil learned a dark truth known to the doomed in Hitler’s death
camps, the slaves of the American South, and a hundred other generations of
betrayed people. Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and
oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical
hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the
body should have surrendered it. The loss of it can carry a man off as surely
as thirst, hunger, exposure, and asphyxiation, and with greater cruelty. In
places like Kwajalein, degradation could be as lethal as a bullet. (Pages 182-183)
When I visit members in the hospital or care facilities, I am ever mindful of the need for dignity. When all is stripped away, literally and figuratively, and one finds himself or herself in a hospital bed with tubes and monitors and gowns that cover less than anyone would like, there is a need for respect and dignity.
I have been at the bedside when saints have passed away. I have been called to homes when a child of God has breathed his or her last breath. I am thankful for the Hospice workers, nursing staff, policemen and paramedics who have treated the situation with honor and respect and dignity.
In our dealing with social issues, and especially in the past few years in dealing with issues about sexuality and same sex unions - at the heart of it all is that one word - dignity. How do we treat one another with dignity? How do we offer respect?
I count it a blessing that my parents instilled in me the importance of treating others with respect and dignity. It is at the foundation of what we are called to do and to be as children of God and as the church. It is the gift we receive. It is a gift we can offer.
Wow - pretty heavy stuff.
Allow me an opportunity to offer a lighter take on respect.
This video made my day today.
This video made my day today.
All I am asking for is a little respect!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, May 25, 2015
Prayer is a Power Thing
A couple of Sundays ago, I preached on the power of prayer. Here are some excerpts from that sermon.
Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered she had certain instructions for her son: "Now you're not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don't even ask."
She put him in the child's seat and off they went up and down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. Seeing the chocolate chip cookies he said, "Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you not even to ask. You're not going to get any at all." They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items she had to back track and they ended up in the cookie aisle again. "Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you that you can't have any. Now sit down and be quiet."
Finally, they arrived at the checkout. The little boy sensed that the end was in sight, that this might be his last chance. He stood up on the seat and shouted in his loudest voice, "In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?" Everyone in the checkout lanes laughed and applauded. Do you think the little boy got his cookies? You bet! The other shoppers moved by his daring pooled their resources. The little boy and his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies. (1)
Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered she had certain instructions for her son: "Now you're not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don't even ask."
She put him in the child's seat and off they went up and down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. Seeing the chocolate chip cookies he said, "Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you not even to ask. You're not going to get any at all." They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items she had to back track and they ended up in the cookie aisle again. "Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you that you can't have any. Now sit down and be quiet."
Finally, they arrived at the checkout. The little boy sensed that the end was in sight, that this might be his last chance. He stood up on the seat and shouted in his loudest voice, "In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?" Everyone in the checkout lanes laughed and applauded. Do you think the little boy got his cookies? You bet! The other shoppers moved by his daring pooled their resources. The little boy and his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies. (1)
Prayer sometimes can be like asking for a box of chocolate chip cookies.
I believe one of the dangers we fall in to in our prayer life is that we lose sight of who God created us to be. Prayer is seen by many as a private thing – between me and God – which in many ways it is… it is a one-on-one communication with God. But in praying, it is sometimes easy for our prayers to become nothing more than a selfish listing of what I want, what I need, and what I am about, and totally ignores the others around us.
As I have said before, God created us to be a part of community. God created us as a people – and calls us to live our lives as a part of the Body of Christ. Sin breaks in when our focus turns to self and ignores the neighbor. Notice in Jesus’ prayer that his prayer is for the community, for the world, for unity for ALL.
Dr Anna Madsen (a wonderful Lutheran theologian I got to hear a couple weeks ago) writes this:
The Hebrew word that we translate in Scripture as righteous also can be translated as properly aligned. Prayer is a moment to become properly aligned, rightly oriented, to the thing that defines who we are.
This is why it is so key to identify who our God is, or what we understand God to be. Prayer provides us the opportunity to become aligned again, to remind ourselves that we are not alone, that we live in community. (2)
Prayer is more than asking for a box of cookies. But it is ALSO about asking for a box of cookies. Since we ARE in relationship with God, and prayer allows us to be continually connected to God, it is important to share with God what is on our hearts, our minds, our hopes and fears.
Prayer invites us to live our lives as God’s children. And if we truly look at prayer as that, our prayers focus not simply on what I want, but what God is calling me to do and be as a child of God.
Remember when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray what he told them? When you pray, pray this way – “Our Father.” Not MY Father. OUR. It begins with community!
I came across the following in my daily devotions a few years ago – it is called “A few thoughts on the Lord’s Prayer.”
Prayer – it’s a powerful thing.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
A video addition - Blessings by Laura Story
I believe one of the dangers we fall in to in our prayer life is that we lose sight of who God created us to be. Prayer is seen by many as a private thing – between me and God – which in many ways it is… it is a one-on-one communication with God. But in praying, it is sometimes easy for our prayers to become nothing more than a selfish listing of what I want, what I need, and what I am about, and totally ignores the others around us.
As I have said before, God created us to be a part of community. God created us as a people – and calls us to live our lives as a part of the Body of Christ. Sin breaks in when our focus turns to self and ignores the neighbor. Notice in Jesus’ prayer that his prayer is for the community, for the world, for unity for ALL.
Dr Anna Madsen (a wonderful Lutheran theologian I got to hear a couple weeks ago) writes this:
The Hebrew word that we translate in Scripture as righteous also can be translated as properly aligned. Prayer is a moment to become properly aligned, rightly oriented, to the thing that defines who we are.
This is why it is so key to identify who our God is, or what we understand God to be. Prayer provides us the opportunity to become aligned again, to remind ourselves that we are not alone, that we live in community. (2)
Prayer is more than asking for a box of cookies. But it is ALSO about asking for a box of cookies. Since we ARE in relationship with God, and prayer allows us to be continually connected to God, it is important to share with God what is on our hearts, our minds, our hopes and fears.
Prayer invites us to live our lives as God’s children. And if we truly look at prayer as that, our prayers focus not simply on what I want, but what God is calling me to do and be as a child of God.
Remember when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray what he told them? When you pray, pray this way – “Our Father.” Not MY Father. OUR. It begins with community!
I came across the following in my daily devotions a few years ago – it is called “A few thoughts on the Lord’s Prayer.”
- I cannot pray "OUR", if my faith has no room for others and their need.
- I cannot pray "WHO ART IN HEAVEN", if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.
- I cannot pray "HALLOWED BE THY NAME", if I am not striving, with God's help, to be holy.
- I cannot pray "THY KINGDOM COME", if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.
- I cannot pray "ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN", unless I am truly ready to give myself to God's service here and now.
- I cannot pray "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD", without expending honest effort for it, or if I would withhold from my neighbor the bread that I receive.
- I cannot pray "FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US", if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.
- I cannot pray "LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION", if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.
- I cannot pray "DELIVER US FROM EVIL", if I am not prepared to fight evil with my life and my prayer.
- I cannot pray "THINE IS THE KINGDOM", if I am unwilling to obey God.
- I cannot pray "THINE IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY", if I am seeking power for myself and my own glory first.
- I cannot pray "FOR EVER AND EVER", if I am too anxious about each day's affairs.
- I cannot pray "AMEN", unless I honestly say ..."Cost what it may, this is my prayer. (3)
Prayer – it’s a powerful thing.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
A video addition - Blessings by Laura Story
- http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-stories-faith-60321.asp
- Dr. Anna Madsen - http://omgcenter.com/blog/
- http://www.christianstudy.com/data/illu/sie0003.html
Monday, May 18, 2015
God's Got a Grip On Me
Last Saturday, we gathered at Epiphany for the funeral of Susan Krueckeberg. I thought I would share some of my message for this week's blog.
Hear
again the word of the Lord - Lamentations 3, a modern translation:
I’ll
never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison
I’ve swallowed.
I
remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But
there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s
loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re
created new every morning. How great
your faithfulness!
I’m
sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
...Why?
Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return.
If
he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are
immense.
(selected
verses from Lamentations 3 – The Message)
On Sunday, May 10th - Mother's Day - the Gospel lesson was from the 15th chapter of John. In that
lesson, we hear Jesus tell his disciples a couple of important things before he
leaves them:
#1. Love one
another. Just as I have loved you. #2. Remember, I
chose you, not the other way around.
After
preaching on this text, I stopped in the office to check messages. Norm had called.
I could hear in his voice that things were not good. Sue was back in the
hospital and in ICU. I made my way over to Kettering and met with Norm and
Scott and Stacie and Sue, and heard that things were worse than not good.
After
three and a half months of good days and not so good days, hopes and fears,
steps forward and backward, there was nothing more that could be done. We
prayed together, cried together, and started to make plans for this day. The
grip on hope seemed to be slipping. How difficult it is to have hope when there
seems to be no sign of hope anywhere!
BUT
- I believe that is where God meets us. For when we have no hope, the only
thing that remains is God’s promises. I love you. I chose you. You are mine.
Forever. For long ago in the waters of baptism,
God made a promise to Sue. God said, this one belongs to me. And while our grip
may be slipping, God’s grasp of grace will never let go. It is HOPE in this, as
Paul reminds the church in Rome, hope that does not disappoint us. (Romans 5)
The sermon hymn that followed was "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."
When my way grows drear
When the darkness appears
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
And the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Guy with the Sign
Every Monday Morning, at the corner of Alex Bell Road and Far Hills Avenue, you will find a man standing on the corner with a large sign. It is a message of hope and encouragement, and it changes every week. Today the sign read on one side, "You Are Loved" and on the other, "There is Always Hope." The man standing at the corner waves and smiles at everyone he can. Every Monday I that I see him, he makes my day.
A couple months ago, the Dayton Daily News ran an article about this man. I commend it to you to learn about this man and his reason for doing what he does.
Man’s signs lift moods | Dayton, OH
Today (I am writing this on Monday), I decided I would watch the people's reactions to the guy with the sign instead of focusing on him. What fun! The smiles, the waves, the woman taking a picture of the guy with the sign with her phone as she drove by. What a great way to start a Monday!
What I appreciate about the guy with the sign is that there is no ulterior motive, no negative statement, no strings attached - it is a grace-full message. It is for you. It is a gift.
Hmmm. This sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? A grace-full message - no strings attached. A message of hope and love. I hope and pray that is what we share each week in worship, as well as in our welcome and sharing in all we do as a church.
God loves you! A lot! So much so God gave Jesus to us to show us how to live, how to love, how to forgive. Jesus loved the unlovable, touched the untouchable, and forgave the unforgivable. Jesus emptied himself of all the trappings of heaven and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. On the cross he took our sin upon himself. This one who knew no sin became sin, so that we might be made right and clean and whole in the presence of God. On the cross he died. But death could not contain Him. The tomb is empty and life wins. All this is yours as a gift.
If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will.
What is the message you would share?
What kind of reaction do you think you would get?
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
A couple months ago, the Dayton Daily News ran an article about this man. I commend it to you to learn about this man and his reason for doing what he does.
Man’s signs lift moods | Dayton, OH
Today (I am writing this on Monday), I decided I would watch the people's reactions to the guy with the sign instead of focusing on him. What fun! The smiles, the waves, the woman taking a picture of the guy with the sign with her phone as she drove by. What a great way to start a Monday!
What I appreciate about the guy with the sign is that there is no ulterior motive, no negative statement, no strings attached - it is a grace-full message. It is for you. It is a gift.
Hmmm. This sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? A grace-full message - no strings attached. A message of hope and love. I hope and pray that is what we share each week in worship, as well as in our welcome and sharing in all we do as a church.
God loves you! A lot! So much so God gave Jesus to us to show us how to live, how to love, how to forgive. Jesus loved the unlovable, touched the untouchable, and forgave the unforgivable. Jesus emptied himself of all the trappings of heaven and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. On the cross he took our sin upon himself. This one who knew no sin became sin, so that we might be made right and clean and whole in the presence of God. On the cross he died. But death could not contain Him. The tomb is empty and life wins. All this is yours as a gift.
If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will.
What is the message you would share?
What kind of reaction do you think you would get?
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Walkout songs
Last week, I had the chance to go to a Cincinnati Reds game, and enjoy the surrounds, sights and sounds of the ballpark. Even though the home team lost, it was still a good time. Sitting in the upper deck on a sunny day, I got a bit of a sunburn, but have received no sympathy from anyone about that.
Times have changed at the ballpark (not just the prices!). Back in the day, it used to be that a batter would walk up to the plate to the sounds of an announcer saying his name and maybe, if you were lucky, his position. It was all so formal, almost solemn. "Now batting… third baseman…Aurelio... Rodriguez."
Things are different nowadays. On the big screen in Left Field is all the the information in the world about the player coming to bat - more than one person can comprehend in the time that person is at bat. And now, when the batter comes to the plate, the baseball players get their own walkout or walk-up songs - the song that is played when they come to bat.
What song would you have as your walkout song? What song would you have played when you step to the plate for your first major league at bat? Oh the choices are endless, aren't they?
And what walkout songs would Jesus have used for his ministry? There are definitely different songs for the different aspects of his ministry, and many of our hymns focus on that and would fit the bill.
I encourage you to think of what songs are the songs that would define you and your faith journey.
Care to share what those songs might be?
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
(short blog today - at a Continuing Ed event this week)
Times have changed at the ballpark (not just the prices!). Back in the day, it used to be that a batter would walk up to the plate to the sounds of an announcer saying his name and maybe, if you were lucky, his position. It was all so formal, almost solemn. "Now batting… third baseman…Aurelio... Rodriguez."
Things are different nowadays. On the big screen in Left Field is all the the information in the world about the player coming to bat - more than one person can comprehend in the time that person is at bat. And now, when the batter comes to the plate, the baseball players get their own walkout or walk-up songs - the song that is played when they come to bat.
What song would you have as your walkout song? What song would you have played when you step to the plate for your first major league at bat? Oh the choices are endless, aren't they?
And what walkout songs would Jesus have used for his ministry? There are definitely different songs for the different aspects of his ministry, and many of our hymns focus on that and would fit the bill.
I encourage you to think of what songs are the songs that would define you and your faith journey.
Care to share what those songs might be?
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
(short blog today - at a Continuing Ed event this week)
Monday, April 27, 2015
One Baptism
Last Sunday after church, a couple of people stopped me to ask about Baptism. Let me tell you - one of the great joys I have as a pastor is when I am asked a theological question (especially the ones I can answer!). Both of the questions had to do with the line from the Nicene Creed - "We believe in one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins." The question both of the people who approached me asked had to do with conversations they have had with friends or family members who attend other churches that require the new members to be re-baptized, or baptism by full-immersion (all the way under the water). How do we respond to someone who tells us we haven't been properly baptized, or the baptisms we received are somehow not complete or up to the standards required to join a certain church?
The simple answer I offer is this - Baptism is a gift of Grace - God's gift to us. This is God's doing, and not ours. God is the one who acts. The water, together with God's Word is all we need. The pastor, the parents and the one being baptized are all instruments in making this happen, but God is the one who acts.
So if we are told that we need to be baptized again, does that mean that God didn't do it right the first time? I am confident God doesn't make mistakes! A woman in a previous church I served used to say there is one word that is NOT in God's vocabulary - that word is "Oops!" Again, Baptism is God's doing, and God is capable of doing what God has told us God will do!
Back in 1997, the Evangelical Lutheran Church adopted for guidance and practice a document called "The Use of the Means of Grace." In it, we read these words:
Baptism is Once for All. A person is baptized once. Because of the unfailing nature of God’s promise, and because of God’s once-for-all action in Christ, Baptism is not repeated. In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther expounds on this: Baptism is a sign and testimony of God’s grace, awakening and creating faith. The faith of the one being baptized “does not constitute Baptism but receives it….” “Everything depends upon the Word and commandment of God….”(The Large Catechism, Baptism, 53.)
Re-baptism” is to be avoided since it causes doubt, focusing attention on the always-failing adequacy of our action or our faith. Baptized persons who come to new depth of conviction in faith are invited to an Affirmation of Baptism in the life of the congregation. (The Large Catechism, Baptism, 47-63.)
I have heard people say that Baptism isn't very meaningful to them because they were baptized as an infant, and I would like to be baptized again so they can remember it. My response to that is it is okay to affirm the baptism. I would even be willing to go down the river (once it warms up - or maybe we could go to the beach this summer!) and join you in the water and we can affirm your baptism - remembering what God has already done for you.
The Confirmation Service we celebrate each year is an Affirmation of Baptism service. It is an event in which the young men and women who have been in Confirmation classes for over two years stand before the church and claim the promises their parents and sponsors made at the baptismal font their own. They affirm their baptism.
So what happens if someone is not sure if he or she has been baptized? This happens more often than you might think. Again, from the Use of the Means of Grace:
There may be occasions when people are uncertain about whether or not they have been baptized. Pastors, after supportive conversation and pastoral discernment, may choose to proceed with the baptism. The practice of this church and its congregations needs to incorporate the person into the community and its ongoing catechesis and to proclaim the sure grace of God in Christ, avoiding any sense of Baptism being repeated.
The simple answer I offer is this - Baptism is a gift of Grace - God's gift to us. This is God's doing, and not ours. God is the one who acts. The water, together with God's Word is all we need. The pastor, the parents and the one being baptized are all instruments in making this happen, but God is the one who acts.
So if we are told that we need to be baptized again, does that mean that God didn't do it right the first time? I am confident God doesn't make mistakes! A woman in a previous church I served used to say there is one word that is NOT in God's vocabulary - that word is "Oops!" Again, Baptism is God's doing, and God is capable of doing what God has told us God will do!
Back in 1997, the Evangelical Lutheran Church adopted for guidance and practice a document called "The Use of the Means of Grace." In it, we read these words:
Baptism is Once for All. A person is baptized once. Because of the unfailing nature of God’s promise, and because of God’s once-for-all action in Christ, Baptism is not repeated. In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther expounds on this: Baptism is a sign and testimony of God’s grace, awakening and creating faith. The faith of the one being baptized “does not constitute Baptism but receives it….” “Everything depends upon the Word and commandment of God….”(The Large Catechism, Baptism, 53.)
Re-baptism” is to be avoided since it causes doubt, focusing attention on the always-failing adequacy of our action or our faith. Baptized persons who come to new depth of conviction in faith are invited to an Affirmation of Baptism in the life of the congregation. (The Large Catechism, Baptism, 47-63.)
I have heard people say that Baptism isn't very meaningful to them because they were baptized as an infant, and I would like to be baptized again so they can remember it. My response to that is it is okay to affirm the baptism. I would even be willing to go down the river (once it warms up - or maybe we could go to the beach this summer!) and join you in the water and we can affirm your baptism - remembering what God has already done for you.
The Confirmation Service we celebrate each year is an Affirmation of Baptism service. It is an event in which the young men and women who have been in Confirmation classes for over two years stand before the church and claim the promises their parents and sponsors made at the baptismal font their own. They affirm their baptism.
So what happens if someone is not sure if he or she has been baptized? This happens more often than you might think. Again, from the Use of the Means of Grace:
There may be occasions when people are uncertain about whether or not they have been baptized. Pastors, after supportive conversation and pastoral discernment, may choose to proceed with the baptism. The practice of this church and its congregations needs to incorporate the person into the community and its ongoing catechesis and to proclaim the sure grace of God in Christ, avoiding any sense of Baptism being repeated.
In these occasions, I have invited these men and women to the font and I baptized them. What if they were already baptized? God understands. There is grace in that as well, isn't there?
One Baptism is all we need. God acts, and we are forgiven.
If you are interested in reading more about Baptism, as well as other means of Grace, you can download the ELCA document using this link:
http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/The_Use_Of_The_Means_Of_Grace.pdf
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Rain
We have had some rainy days lately, haven't we? A few nights ago, it was warm enough to have the windows open, and even though it was raining, there was no wind, so we could keep the windows open through the night. The sound of the rain and the smell of the wet grass and fresh air brought back memories of rainy nights.
I remember rainy nights when I was growing up, watching the shadows of the trees outlined on the shades when the lightning flashed. I remember rainy nights in a canvas tent, wondering if we would be wetter inside or outside. I remember rainy nights as a camp counselor, wondering if the rain would stop before it was time to make our way to the dining hall for breakfast the next day.
We often curse the rain when it means a our outdoor event is postponed, or grilling outside is not possible or the grass we thought we could mow is now going to be a foot taller before it is dry enough to tackle. My first summer as a camp counselor, we had 11 days straight of rain. 11 days! At first, it was frustrating. But over time, we came to accept it for what it was. In those 11 days, we learned how to be creative in moving outdoor activities inside, including camp fires and cookouts, and we also learned it was okay to be outside in the rain (as long as there was no lightning!). We told the kids that "rain is the essence of life." I am not sure they understood that, but it was a good line. We also made sure it was an opportunity to remember that we are baptized children of God.
We don't always appreciate the rain, but I have a feeling that come August, when the lawn is brown and the flowers are wilting, we are going to wish for rain to come. We may even wish for some cold winter days, but here in April, I don't think we are ready to do that just yet! We only need to look at our neighbors in California who are experiencing mandatory water restrictions to understand how precious the rain can be.
Rain is one of those things we can appreciate or we can allow it to irritate us. The truth of the matter is, we cannot control it. What I am saying is that we can decide how the rain can control us, and our attitude. And if I take that a step further, that could be said about a number of things of which I have no control. How do I permit (give permission?) these things to control me?
From The Message (Eugene Peterson), these words from Matthew 6:
25-26 Jesus said, "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
I remember rainy nights when I was growing up, watching the shadows of the trees outlined on the shades when the lightning flashed. I remember rainy nights in a canvas tent, wondering if we would be wetter inside or outside. I remember rainy nights as a camp counselor, wondering if the rain would stop before it was time to make our way to the dining hall for breakfast the next day.
We often curse the rain when it means a our outdoor event is postponed, or grilling outside is not possible or the grass we thought we could mow is now going to be a foot taller before it is dry enough to tackle. My first summer as a camp counselor, we had 11 days straight of rain. 11 days! At first, it was frustrating. But over time, we came to accept it for what it was. In those 11 days, we learned how to be creative in moving outdoor activities inside, including camp fires and cookouts, and we also learned it was okay to be outside in the rain (as long as there was no lightning!). We told the kids that "rain is the essence of life." I am not sure they understood that, but it was a good line. We also made sure it was an opportunity to remember that we are baptized children of God.
We don't always appreciate the rain, but I have a feeling that come August, when the lawn is brown and the flowers are wilting, we are going to wish for rain to come. We may even wish for some cold winter days, but here in April, I don't think we are ready to do that just yet! We only need to look at our neighbors in California who are experiencing mandatory water restrictions to understand how precious the rain can be.
Rain is one of those things we can appreciate or we can allow it to irritate us. The truth of the matter is, we cannot control it. What I am saying is that we can decide how the rain can control us, and our attitude. And if I take that a step further, that could be said about a number of things of which I have no control. How do I permit (give permission?) these things to control me?
From The Message (Eugene Peterson), these words from Matthew 6:
25-26 Jesus said, "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Baptized children of God - let it rain! It is the essence of life! Rain or shine, God is good. All the time. All the time, God is good!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Signs of New Life
Isn't it incredible how quickly it seems winter turned into spring? Just last month, I was wondering if I would ever be warm again. But the past few days, beginning Easter weekend, spring is sprung! The daffodils, the budding trees and flowers and green grass - such a beautiful, deep color! It is absolutely wonderful.
After Easter services were done, we headed home, got changed and went out for dinner - what a treat that was after a fantastic day of worship, and a powerful (and exhausting) week of services. How wonderful to celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. How appropriate it is to celebrate Easter in the spring. New life and new LIFE!
We headed home and got to spend time on the back porch for the first time of the year. My daughter took a picture of me with my dog, Maggie, and her dog, Schroeder, on the porch couch at the end of the day. The caption read, "Christ is Risen. My Dad is not!"
The good news is that even when we are down, and feel like spring will never come, forever in the darkness of uncertainty, gloom and despair, the new day dawns. New life is ours. Today is a new day, and God reigns. Celebrate the victory.
A poem I have used at several funerals during this season.
After Easter services were done, we headed home, got changed and went out for dinner - what a treat that was after a fantastic day of worship, and a powerful (and exhausting) week of services. How wonderful to celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. How appropriate it is to celebrate Easter in the spring. New life and new LIFE!
We headed home and got to spend time on the back porch for the first time of the year. My daughter took a picture of me with my dog, Maggie, and her dog, Schroeder, on the porch couch at the end of the day. The caption read, "Christ is Risen. My Dad is not!"
The good news is that even when we are down, and feel like spring will never come, forever in the darkness of uncertainty, gloom and despair, the new day dawns. New life is ours. Today is a new day, and God reigns. Celebrate the victory.
A poem I have used at several funerals during this season.
Easter
Says
Easter
says that day will follow night.
However
dark and merciless the gloom,
The
morning comes, the eastern skies are bright,
And
daylight floods each corner of my room.
Easter
says that spring will follow winter,
That
chill and bareness last for just a while.
The
iris blooms; the life-flow soon will enter
The
maple trees; the greening world will smile.
Easter
says that joy will follow sorrow;
For
grief walks with us sometimes as we go.
But
tears are for the night; joy comes tomorrow
And
seems the brighter for the pain we know.
Easter
says that life will follow death.
Jesus
broke the grip of death! He is alive!
And
certain as the cemetery path,
Because
Jesus lives, my spirit shall survive!
(Lois
Blanchard Eades)
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
It is ALL about Jesus Christ
Holy Week and Easter were moving, powerful and wonderful days here at Epiphany. I hope you had an opportunity to join us for one or more of the seventeen services we had from Palm Sunday weekend through Easter Sunday. In and through them all, my hope and prayer was that everyone who came to worship heard about Jesus Christ, and the gift of his life, death and resurrection for each and everyone present. A huge THANK YOU to all who made these services so very special.
In the recent issue of the Lutheran Magazine, presiding bishop of the ELCA, Elizabeth Eaton, focuses on the importance of Jesus Christ as the center and foundation of who we are as the church today.
Here are her words:
Coming to terms with the times - Creating programs, chasing youth trail telling love of God
When I’m out and about in the church, I’m often asked what I plan to do to save small congregations, reverse the decline in membership, bring young adults back to church, increase mission support, make the ELCA truly multicultural, boost our relevance in the culture and fix Congress (well, not that last one). I have no plan to do any of that by myself, but I wonder if there is a deeper concern in those questions that requires a deeper answer from all of us.
The world has changed and is changing. Residents of my mother’s retirement community who waited weeks to receive letters from loved ones serving overseas during World War II are now on Facebook and regularly use Skype or FaceTime to visit with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Air travel that was once glamorous and rare for most of us is now, both in frequency and ambiance, a lot like taking the bus. It’s not unusual, even in small-town America, to have Jewish, Muslim and Hindu neighbors or those with no religious affiliation at all. We are in a strange new world and don’t really know how all this will shake out.
We might be tempted to overdo our efforts, to work harder and harder developing innovative programming, reading every manual on church growth, jazzing up our websites, being present on every possible social media platform. Maybe we should discover our congregation’s niche: young adults, theology on tap, justice and advocacy, care of creation, ethnic specific ministry, pet blessing liturgies, urban church, rural church, big church, small church, virtual church, home church. We have done some version of all of this somewhere across the ELCA. And good for us. We need to be brave and daring. God can use our best imagination and innovation.
Or we might be tempted to circle the wagons and hold ever more tightly to what we have left. There is much that is beautiful about our traditions and buildings and heritage. What will happen to all of that if our particular congregation ceases to exist? Who will bury our parents or us? Who will take care of the parish cemetery? This is when congregations begin eyeing visitors for their value as replacement parts.
My daughter and her significant other, who was running for county commissioner, attended a church pancake breakfast where they were swarmed by parishioners who didn’t realize he was a candidate. All they saw were young adults! Potential members! It was an uncomfortable experience.
But why do we want people to join our church? What does church mean to us? When I have asked that question, people often spoke about church as community or family. People talked about the good and important work their congregations carried out to feed the hungry or shelter the homeless. Some said the best thing about their congregations wasn’t programs but people.
It was rare that anyone mentioned God or spoke about an encounter with the transcendent. I don’t believe our people lack faith or don’t know Jesus, but I wonder if we have lost the language to speak about the love of God that has been given to us in the crucified and risen Christ. Maybe we just assume Jesus. Maybe Jesus has become like wallpaper: we know it’s there and everyone can see it, but we don’t have to talk about it.
The best thing about the church, the thing that is uniquely the church, is not programs or people but Jesus. If we as a people, and as congregations, don’t get that right it doesn't matter how many programs we come up with.
In Christ through the Spirit, God has invited us into a deeply intimate and loving relationship with God and with each other. Being church is abiding in that love. We are God’s beloved people gathered around word and sacraments. That’s what gives us life. That’s what shapes us. That’s what sends us out into the world to do justice and to love kindness (Micah 6:8). And this must be the kind of community to which we invite others—not because we want to grow or pay for the boiler or attract young people, but because we have received this incredible life-changing gift and want everyone to be touched and claimed and transformed by it too.
Elizabeth A. Eaton
Amen!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
In the recent issue of the Lutheran Magazine, presiding bishop of the ELCA, Elizabeth Eaton, focuses on the importance of Jesus Christ as the center and foundation of who we are as the church today.
Here are her words:
Coming to terms with the times - Creating programs, chasing youth trail telling love of God
When I’m out and about in the church, I’m often asked what I plan to do to save small congregations, reverse the decline in membership, bring young adults back to church, increase mission support, make the ELCA truly multicultural, boost our relevance in the culture and fix Congress (well, not that last one). I have no plan to do any of that by myself, but I wonder if there is a deeper concern in those questions that requires a deeper answer from all of us.
The world has changed and is changing. Residents of my mother’s retirement community who waited weeks to receive letters from loved ones serving overseas during World War II are now on Facebook and regularly use Skype or FaceTime to visit with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Air travel that was once glamorous and rare for most of us is now, both in frequency and ambiance, a lot like taking the bus. It’s not unusual, even in small-town America, to have Jewish, Muslim and Hindu neighbors or those with no religious affiliation at all. We are in a strange new world and don’t really know how all this will shake out.
We might be tempted to overdo our efforts, to work harder and harder developing innovative programming, reading every manual on church growth, jazzing up our websites, being present on every possible social media platform. Maybe we should discover our congregation’s niche: young adults, theology on tap, justice and advocacy, care of creation, ethnic specific ministry, pet blessing liturgies, urban church, rural church, big church, small church, virtual church, home church. We have done some version of all of this somewhere across the ELCA. And good for us. We need to be brave and daring. God can use our best imagination and innovation.
Or we might be tempted to circle the wagons and hold ever more tightly to what we have left. There is much that is beautiful about our traditions and buildings and heritage. What will happen to all of that if our particular congregation ceases to exist? Who will bury our parents or us? Who will take care of the parish cemetery? This is when congregations begin eyeing visitors for their value as replacement parts.
My daughter and her significant other, who was running for county commissioner, attended a church pancake breakfast where they were swarmed by parishioners who didn’t realize he was a candidate. All they saw were young adults! Potential members! It was an uncomfortable experience.
But why do we want people to join our church? What does church mean to us? When I have asked that question, people often spoke about church as community or family. People talked about the good and important work their congregations carried out to feed the hungry or shelter the homeless. Some said the best thing about their congregations wasn’t programs but people.
It was rare that anyone mentioned God or spoke about an encounter with the transcendent. I don’t believe our people lack faith or don’t know Jesus, but I wonder if we have lost the language to speak about the love of God that has been given to us in the crucified and risen Christ. Maybe we just assume Jesus. Maybe Jesus has become like wallpaper: we know it’s there and everyone can see it, but we don’t have to talk about it.
The best thing about the church, the thing that is uniquely the church, is not programs or people but Jesus. If we as a people, and as congregations, don’t get that right it doesn't matter how many programs we come up with.
In Christ through the Spirit, God has invited us into a deeply intimate and loving relationship with God and with each other. Being church is abiding in that love. We are God’s beloved people gathered around word and sacraments. That’s what gives us life. That’s what shapes us. That’s what sends us out into the world to do justice and to love kindness (Micah 6:8). And this must be the kind of community to which we invite others—not because we want to grow or pay for the boiler or attract young people, but because we have received this incredible life-changing gift and want everyone to be touched and claimed and transformed by it too.
Elizabeth A. Eaton
Amen!
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
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