The No-word Prayer

       "Away in a Manger" is one of the most familiar carols for children and is one that even the youngest can begin to learn.  More like a lullaby than a hymn, it has beautiful and reassuring words.

            Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, 

            The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;

            The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,

            The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

            The cattle are lowing; the poor baby wakes,

            But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

            I love you Lord Jesus, look down from the sky

            And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

In the second verse, as the singers, we ask Jesus to stay with us through the dark and scary night.  The carol is not only a song about the nativity, the birth of Jesus in the stable; the carol is also a prayer that Jesus would stay with us, chase fear away and keep us safe.

       The third verse is even more of a prayer:

             "Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay

            Close by me forever and love me, I pray.

            Bless all the dear children in your tender care

            And fit us for heaven to live with you there."

      These last days have shattered the bubble of safety we try to keep around children.  We wish and pray that our children would never have to know real terror and fear, forgetting that even everyday things and situations can make them afraid from monsters under the bed, having the right answer in school, to facing a bully.  Talking to our children about times when we become afraid and giving them tools to use is part of helping them to be resilient. 

       Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have against dark and fearful times.  

       There are many ways and kinds of prayer.  Like the carol, we can sing our prayer; many hymns are sung prayers.  Written out prayers that we read or memorize are another way to pray.  May children learn the bedtime prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."  It also is a prayer of asking Jesus to stay with us and keep us safe.  Sometimes, these kinds of prayers have many words.

       We can also just pray by telling God what we are feeling or what we need in whatever words we have at the moment.  They can be informal or formal, lots of words or just a few.  There are also times when all we have is one word - help.  God hears even one-word prayers and is with us.

       But sometimes, great fear and/or grief are so overwhelming that we can't find any words to say.  The Bible tells us that at those times, perhaps the most powerful, God hears our no-word prayers.  Paul writes, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness... that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. " (Romans 8:26)  When our hearts are too full or when they feel completely empty, those are the times that God hears us and holds us most deeply; even when all we have are questions or anger.

       Since these deepest "no-word" prayers come through the Holy Spirit, like all prayers, they do not depend on our experience of prayer.  They can be our first prayer or our last.  God hears and holds us in love.  And the promise is that there is nothing terrible or strong enough to take us away from that love.

       In these last few days before Christmas, it is an even more important time right now to remember that the Jesus we wait for is the light of the world; the light that came into the world  and that darkness has not and cannot overcome it.  God's love wins.

       "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39

       (Taken from last Sunday's children's sermon)

Who Needs Church?

      I had a really interesting conversation in confirmation class this last week.  I think it is a set of questions that a lot of people have but most adults don't speak it so clearly.  Do we really need to go to church?  Isn't it enough to just believe in Jesus on your own? 

       I began by responding that no, Jesus never told us to go to church.  There isn't a law about going to church.  The gift of faith isn't invalidated or cancelled if you don't attend.

       However, he and his disciples go to the synagogue throughout this ministry and Jesus is pictured more than once as teaching in the temple.  From the beginning, following the resurrection, the disciples gathered together for prayer and hear the Word, to share the Meal, and to care for those in need.  Following Jesus is not pictured as a solitary activity but instead, Jesus calls and gathers people together.  The vision that Paul gives of those who follow Jesus is that together, we are the body of Christ.  All of us together make one body. 

       But my students pushed.  'So I don't HAVE to go to church if I can still believe.'

       So I challenged them back.  "Right.  You may not need to, for yourself.  But there are people who need to see you there." Worship is not just about getting but also about giving.  One of the major challenges of small town and rural ministry is our shrinking and aging communities.  Most of our members are very aware of how things have changed over the last 60 years and how they continue to change.  Having our younger members at worship and actively participating and visible in leadership and servant roles is a clear sign of hope and life that the congregation needs.  It's not about "passing confirmation" or being good, it is one action that can really make a difference in the lives and outlook of other members.

       I'm afraid I got passionate and sermonized a bit.  But to get back to the original question, does it really matter?

       Yes, it matters. We are created to be in partnership, to be in companionship with one another and with God.  The second chapter of Genesis tells of God's search for partnership, for companionship 'because it is not good for one to be alone'.  From the resurrection on, God's people have been gathered together around word and sacrament.
       Can you pray and hear the word while watching your television or with an on-line community?  Sure.  But your screen cannot feed you at the Lord's table.  We are not just about spirituality and good living, we are the people of God's bread, fed at God's table, and sent to bring that bread out into the world.  Real bread.  Bread that brings forgiveness but also the bread brought as gifts that goes out to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and gathers in the lost.  
       Belonging to God is not just an exercise of the inner spirit.  Faith is attached to the real physical things of life and death.  Both inside and out side of the church, we neglect this truth at our own peril.  The Word leads to prayer leads to bringing our gifts leads to thanksgiving leads to the table and back out again into the world to serve and to share.  Neither worship nor table nor prayers are an end to themselves but a cycle that strengthens both faith and life.

       We gather and share ancient words of faith in the creeds.  There are times when because of grief or doubt or confusion, I may not understand or be able to claim it as "my" statement of faith, but I can find comfort in the weight of the millennia of saints before, with, and after me that affirm what I cannot firmly hold for myself.  It is like a bank that holds the riches in trust for us that we can draw upon when our own pockets of faith feel empty.  The words spoken with sureness by all the gathered around us bear witness to God's power and promise even we come before God weak, or empty, and even in anger.
        The saints around us are not perfect.  They may come grumpy or empty themselves.  It is not in the perfection of the assembled people or our worship that matters; we just need to trust in the promise that together Christ is among us and even more than that; together we are the body of Christ given to the world, warts, grumps, hugs, confusion and all.  
       As you prepare for Christmas, take time to breathe and be gathered together in Christ.
       "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." (Matthew 18:20)
       "But as it is, God arranged the members in the body...If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is there are many members, yet one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."  Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Corinthians 12:18-21,27)

Dancing Down the Aisle!

       My middle son was married the last Saturday in October.  It was a wonderful, joyful, grace-filled, exhausting time.  
       It was probably a bit different than many weddings you go to.  For one thing, there were a lot of pastor-types around.  Not only are my husband and I both pastors, but Ben is a pastor, his wife Mara is finishing her studies at Seminary this year, and they involved many of their friends in the service.  I lost count at 9  (I think) and that was just at the rehearsal!
        You might think that with all those clergy around, it was a somber, serious affair with a large dose of "you have to do it this way".  Granted, there was a bit of discussion about where people were going to stand, sit, and process but it was more about how to make things work well rather than laying down any sort of liturgical order.  It was one of the most relaxed and joyful weddings I've experienced.  You could tell that people felt at home in the church, even though many of us were there for the first time.  
       Some of the differences from TV/movie weddings:
       Perhaps the most central difference was that Ben and Mara put the focus of the service on God and living in faith.  For them, this was most definitely a worship service of Word and Sacrament and they came for God's blessing.  All of the other choices followed from this truth.
       *  The entire wedding party entered the church in procession while the congregation sang "Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia" (a Tanzanian Easter hymn) and we fairly danced out to "Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ".   We sang "Where Charity and Love Prevail" as hymn of the day.  This is something my husband and I did at our wedding.  I wish I could say I was smart enough that we knew it when we did it, but doing that has been a great blessing.  Unlike wedding songs that are soon forgotten or become embarrassing later on, our hymns have followed us throughout our lives, continuing to connect our marriage to faith in God.
       *  We celebrated Holy Communion and along with that (as was true from the beginning in the early church), an offering was taken going to a more local charity and the ELCA Malaria Campaign.
       *  Along with the Flower Girl, they had a Bible-bearer.  Instead of a ring bearer with little pillow, Ben's Godson carried a Bible to the front which then was read and preached from during the service and is now Ben & Mara's family Bible.
       *  The preacher was carefully chosen and lifted up the Good News for all of us.  We were both challenged and filled.
       When the service was done, my younger sister remarked, "Why can't church on Sunday be this much fun?"  
       The reality is that it can be.  This service was carefully and thoughtfully planned with a lot of effort and focus.  The presiding pastor did not carry that burden alone.  There were a lot of people that came prepared to worship with holy glee and celebrate faithfully.  I'm afraid that all too often, pastors (myself included) come to worship bearing the burden of the service  alone or nearly alone, and doing what has been done because they are too busy, tired, rushed, crammed, or depressed to do anything else.
       What if a group came to church earlier in the week to plan and rehearse for worship?  What if many of the people came to worship ready to give to those in need, to come hungry to the table, to pray, and to celebrate the gift of Christ?  What if we allowed ourselves to come to worship expecting to have fun?  
       Worship can be fun when we come faithful, when we come prepared, and when there is participation by many in the preparation, and no one person is counted on to do everything.  No one has shoulders big enough to carry that for very long.  Liturgy really is the work of the people and the more of us that come ready to participate and give of ourselves faithfully, the fuller our experience will be.  The more we give, even sitting in the pew, the fuller our hearts will be.  Worship is not about what we get but what we give.  Read: Acts 2:46-47.

Thursday Dome - Bullying Stories & Bishop Hanson

Faith and a Haircut

       I went to get my hair cut several days ago.  It's a treat I try to get done on my day off.  I have to admit that I love the luxury of settling down and having someone else wash my hair, especially since they usually take their time and give me a scalp massage at the same time.  As I sat there, I told the beautician that if she kept it up, I would probably start purring!
       Then we moved back to the cutting and styling area and conversation began.  She began by asking what I wanted her to do with my hair and moved on to asking about me.  She's a stylist I haven't seen before so she asked what I do.  I wondered what her reaction would be as I told her that I am a Lutheran pastor.
       I felt her somewhat wary response.  She wanted to know more about what church I served and what kind of Lutheran I am.  She kept hesitating and finally asked if I was one of "those" Christians or if I was - and at this point she kind of lost words.  So I finished the sentence for her, "I'm an ELCA pastor, we are the welcoming Lutherans."
       By this time, I had kind of an idea of where she was going.  It's a question a lot of younger adults ask with their tattoos and varied lives, they are searching to find out if it is safe to be themselves in front of me.  Will I accept or will I judge.
       She sighed and visibly relaxed.  Then she began to talk about herself and her struggles to find a place accepting not of just her, but also family and friends that are gay or different in one way or another.  We talked about how it can be so agonizing to tell our family about very deep and important things about us.  She had a relative who recently told the family that he was quitting his career and going to seminary.  He was convinced everyone would be shocked and aghast.  Their actual response?  'Duh! What took you so long!'
       We moved from that to people we knew who have come out of the closet and admitted openly to themselves and others that they are gay.  And sometimes the response is the same, a sort of 'I could have told you that years ago'.  But it remains an agonizing experience and the person is not always welcomed anymore, even by their family.
       She asked how I held this together with my faith.  (By now, this haircut was becoming serious conversation.)  I told her that first I looked to Jesus, what he did and what he says and when I do that, I see a life spent in welcoming the least of these my brothers and sisters.  He was always getting into trouble with those in power because of the outcasts, sinners, and disreputable people that he ate with and forgave.  Over and over, Jesus says we will be known by our love, that this is the sign of discipleship.
       By now my hair was cut and dried and our conversation done.  She gave me a radiant smile and thanked me as I thanked her for the great cut.  As I waited for my husband, I thought about our conversation.   What had started out as chat between strangers had become holy dialogue about welcome versus judgment.  Would I accept her and the people she loved?
       Isn't this the question we all have of God?  Does God really love us, accept us as we are, or is there some sort of sword of doom hanging over our heads?  
       I am so grateful that I was listening carefully enough to hear the question she didn't know how to ask at first and that I didn't turn the conversation into a lecture or sermon.  For that I have to thank a friend of mine who left his church because he said he was tired of being tolerated when he needed to be accepted and loved.  
       Opportunities for these conversations happen all around us if we open our minds and ears to hear not only what is being said but to also hear what the heart is saying under the words.  If we let ourselves get distracted by arguing about the way things have always been or how they should be, we may miss the opportunity to share the "old, old story" of Jesus and his love.  Once we meet and get to know one another and meet in Christ's love, then we can go on from there to talk more, but first, we need to meet in a safe and welcome place.  Christ's love is a good place to begin.  Read John 13:34-35 and Mark 9:42

Tongues on Fire

       I spent Thursday evening sitting and watching the girl's volley ball games from the "C" squad to the varsity team.  Going to games is a fun way to visit with different people but also to keep up with the youth and watch them as they change and grow.  Plus, there is popcorn and the band plays; it's a good time.
       Last night found me sitting in the stands at the football game.  As the game went on, I found myself reflecting on the cheering I'd been hearing and had been part of at those games.  There was a lot of cheering for our side, encouraging individuals, recognizing good efforts, and groaning when things didn't go our way.  But for the most part, there wasn't any booing or negative cheers against the opposing teams.
       Now granted, this is probably a more gentle form of football than can be found at larger venues, or college or pro ball.  (You know you are at a small town, small school game when the national anthem is sung by a second grader and one of the officials is introduced as John Smith, nephew of Joe.)  This is not to say that there wasn't competition or that the teams weren't trying their hardest - they do their best.  But there was mingling around the concession stand, talking amongst people, and most people were just enjoying the evenings.
       What got me in this mood was thinking about the events of this week.  There seems to be a strong cultural shift to polarizing people into sides separated by differing thoughts and/or beliefs.  And disagreeing isn't enough; the separation gets cemented by disrespect, disdain, and outright hateful acts and speech.  In this kind of divided thinking, we aren't just different, we (whoever we are) are right and they (whoever they are) are wrong.  This attitude shows itself everywhere from politics and international relations to church and family relations.
        It feels like we have forgotten to be nice and to remember that we need each other and have to live with each other.  
       And into this mix, there was thrown the Molotov cocktail of the movie defaming the prophet Mohamed and the Islamic faith.  Violent protests have spread in several nations taking the lives of Ambassador Stevens and three of his staff and causing other injuries and destruction of property.  And all of this, on both sides, has been done (once again) in the name of God.  
       The second reading for Sunday comes from the letter of James. In it, James writes about the dangerous power of the tongue and how much damage words can cause when they are either careless or abusive.  The burnt out U.S. Embassy in Libya is a graphic depiction of the destructive power of words.
      More invisible but also painful are the divisions and injury caused by words in our own communities, families and churches.  Sometimes our words are literally thoughtless, spoken unguardedly without thinking through the consequences.  But there are other times when we plan our words, thinking that we can strike out at someone else without wounding ourselves.
       The words of James remind us that as we are loved by God, we need to live that love in all our relationships.  As he says, we are to live so that our actions "are done with gentleness born of wisdom".   In a world where speech has become a bloodsport, with God's help, even our words should witness to God's love.  Read James 3:1-13

Holy Karaoke!

       I had the most fun the other night.  I laughed until the tears ran down my cheeks and my abs (such as they are) got a real workout.  I went to a concert; well it was really a sing-a-long.   We sang songs from old movies and musicals.  I suppose you could compare it to live-action Karaoke as there was a group of singers and players leading us in the songs and the audience was definitely encouraged to sing along.
       I came in late and so I ended up sitting in front and found myself sitting next to someone who was having just as much fun as I was singing along to the songs and hamming it up a bit.  We surprised ourselves by remembering so many words.
       I was reminded of my mother and one of the things she used to do that embarrassed me so much as a teenager.  I mentioned to my seatmate that my mom always seemed to have a song for everything; give her a phrase or a situation or name something and Mom could have a song that fit.  She said her mom was similar, and now look at us, instead of being embarrassed, we are being just like our mothers and enjoying it.  (It happens more often than we like to admit!)
       It's fun to sing together - even if you can't carry a tune.  While at seminary, we belonged to a local mission congregation whose pastor loved to sing hymns, and he sang with lots of energy and volume even though the tune might be totally unrecognizable.  And yet, his joy and enthusiasm also came through loud and clear and the congregation also sang with passion.
       Singing is fun and a lot of people enjoy singing together even if we don't get many chances to do it.  But put singing together and church in the same subject line, and controversy seems sure to follow.  Much of the cussin' and discussion about worship and liturgy ends up being about what music to sing and how to sing it.
       Not only do most people seem to have an opinion about what they like and think is appropriate, but our song has become loaded down with lots of extra baggage.  Do we sing "old favorites" or contemporary?   On which generation do we focus our attention?  At the base of these kinds of questions may be the real issue, which is bringing more people to worship.
       Now scads and scads of stuff has been written on the subject but I'm not going to get into that.  As I sang my heart out the other night, what I experienced is something else.
       When people get together and are led with joy and passion, people like singing together.  It's not the style of the music or the ability of each person singing.  Certainly the other night there were those who just sat and enjoyed listening to the whole experience.  Some people knew more words than others.  But there is something about being in a group and singing together that is uplifting and energizing.  Look at flash mob choirs, karaoke bars, and the popularity of shows like Glee; a lot of people like to sing.
       The point isn't which songs we sing, or the style of the music, or how new or old it is.  The point is singing together; the joy and passion are catching.  I have a strong feeling that the secret to making our music attractive to others is not necessarily which music we pick but whether or not we love and enjoy that music and want to share it.  The key is doing this in community as a community.
       Our communal song will be shaped by who we are, our shared experiences, and our individual lives and gifts as well.  If we are not good at singing together, we may need to learn more music and spend time learning how to sing together.  Sometimes, our singing together may sound like a choir with balanced tones and harmonies and other times we may just make some joyful noise together.  The point isn't which song we sing or how well we sing, it is that we come together in faith and lift each other up by joining in song.  Certainly there is power in music, and the music of faith is the most powerful of all.  Read Ephesians 5:15-20.

Jesus Wins Wood

       The city sign at the intersection of both highways reads, "It could be worse.  It could be winter."    
       It was 92 yesterday according to the bank sign, it could be near 100 today, and we are still very dry although we did get a spit of rain Sunday evening.  Up here the winters can also be severe with 20 to 30 below zero temperatures fairly normal.  In this context, the sign makes sense.  It could be worse (until you look at the fields).
       The sign reflects a very human tendency to evaluate things by how they are in relation to other things.  This can be uplifting when you see someone else's circumstance and realize things aren't as bad as you thought.  But it can also be very negative when we look at what we have and find it lacking simply because we see someone else as having better or more.  At that point, it can bring out the worst in egotism, envy, and selfishness.
       I've been watching the Olympics when I can and this attitude has been very obvious in the reporting when a favored American athlete only gets a silver or a bronze instead of the gold medal. They didn't win.  They didn't get first.  It's a tragedy.  They are only second or third or fourth out of all the athletes in the world that competed to be there at that event.
        And yet this is set within the Olympics with a history and philosophy where it is an honor just to compete for your country and where the Olympic spirit is defined by someone who pushed through just to complete the event.  I was reminded of this yesterday when I caught some of the solo sculling (rowing) competition.
       They were showing a race heat where an African athlete had taken up the sport just three months ago in order to compete for his country.  Even though he was a full minute behind the other slowest competitor in the heat and all the rest of the contestants were off the course, he was still pulling as hard as he could to finish the race as best he could.  And in true Olympic spirit, the same crowd that had been fiercely urging on the winners was cheering and screaming in support for him to finish the race.
       Every Olympics, there are the stories of athletes who are "terrible" at their sport - in no way able to compete for world-class times and scores and yet they come, proudly marching in to represent their country.  I remember the runner who fell near the end, and in spite of being injured, struggled to limp across the line and finish the race.  And of course there was the Jamaican bobsled team whose story was told in the movie "Cool Runnings".
       Does it really matter if someone has it better or worse than we do?  Is that the scale we are to use or does faith change things?
       When I was a teenager, I remember a televised minute devotion that would come on everyday.  My mom liked it and so she tried to watch it all the time.  Each time, he ended the thought for the day, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)  I was totally into the trauma-drama of being a teenager and how awful my life was and what I couldn't do and couldn't have.  I could not understand how and why I was supposed to rejoice when things could be "so bad".
       I have to admit, there have been many times when things really have been bad and I had neither the heart nor the strength to rejoice.  So how do we grapple with the intent of this verse during those hard times?  Does God really expect us to be thankful in the middle of pain or illness or grief?
       The key to living with this verse is in its' context.  Verse 22 talks of the "stone that the builders rejected" which Christians take to speak of Jesus.  The last verse of the psalm confesses faith, giving thanks to God whose love endures forever.
        If we look at life from the context of whether we win the gold, these verses don't make sense.  But instead, we are invited to life and love through Jesus who not only didn't get the gold, he took the cross for our sake.  We rejoice not because we have it so good right now or in comparison to the person next to us but we rejoice because God's love for us endures through it all.  We will falter, we will fall, but God's love is steadfast.  Just to be here, to be able to stand in God's love and be able to share that love with others is everything.  Read Psalm 118:21-29.

After Aurora

         (From my sermon Sunday)

       There are times when the events that happen outside of our community have the ability to affect us deeply, especially when they are as tragic as the shooting early Friday morning in Aurora, Colorado.  The violence and evil shock us and we are left to try and make sense of the chaos.  We are left with questions.

        For some of those questions, there are armies of people already working to find the answers.  This kind of disaster is also a crime scene and there are many kinds of law enforcement people doing their tasks to investigate, search out and catalogue all the bits and pieces that are the evidence.

        The media is also searching for answers but in today’s world, that search is more like an unorganized competition where getting an answer first sometimes seems more important than getting it validated. They cluster around the scene trying to get as close as they can to victims and their families and friends as well as hounding anyone who knows or has had contact with the one did it.

        With all these people working, we soon know what happened, where and when, and then we start knowing whom.  The investigators are piecing together the answers to how it happened.  But there is one question left, the big one.

        Why?

        It’s a huge question because it encompasses so much.

Why did the shooter do it?  Why this theater, this movie?  Victims and families ask, why did this person live and this person die?

        We confront God with the biggest question: Why, God?  Why do you allow this happen?

        Soon, someone somewhere will say that this is all God’s punishment for our godlessness or whatever sin is their pet peeve.  It happened after Oklahoma City, it happened after 9/11, and after hurricane Katrina.  It’s not the Gospel that Jesus teaches, but some people seem to find pleasure in using tragedy to judge others.

        Such messages can be attractive because they seem to give an answer to that biggest question.  There is a reason that this happened and we are reassured that God is in control.  It is the same kind of comfort that people try to give when someone we love has died.  There is a reason.  God is in control.

        If we can blame someone or something, even God, then we are closer to making sure it doesn’t happen to us.  We like things to have a reason.  It lessens the chaos and confusion in our lives.

        In Mark 6: 30-34, Jesus tries to take the disciples and himself away for rest from their work, but the people see where they are going and by the time the boat gets to the deserted place, a great crowd of people are already there, waiting for Jesus.

        They are overwhelmed by the chaos in their lives, things they have no answers for and no control over.  They need help, they need answers, and they need love.  And Jesus has compassion for them.  He sees they are like sheep without a shepherd – meaning they have no one looking out for them, caring for them, keeping them safe.  So Jesus begins to teach and heal them.

        Jesus sees all these people who have followed them with all their needs and questions, and reaches out.  He looks on them with love and becomes their shepherd.

        They have followed him out into the wilderness probably without a lot of preparation or thought to simple things like where and how will they eat or find water.  In fact, in the verses following these, Jesus feeds them all, more than 5,000, with a small boy's lunch.  They have come with needs and Jesus cares for them.

        If only Jesus were here today, right?  Wouldn’t that make things easier?  Doesn’t this last week just make you wish you could be in that crowd with Jesus?  We need Jesus too!

        And Jesus is here, right here, with us today, right now, in this place, with us and in us.  We are not alone.  And he is here, teaching us too, giving us his answers, and giving us hope.

        Jesus looks at us, with all our questions and doubts, with all our faults and failings, our shortcomings, and our stubbornness, and holds us in love.  It is here.  For you!  Right now.  And that is as true and real as it gets.  Jesus is here in love – for you.

        But even when we don't have answers, we do have hope.  For no matter what is happening around us, we have the promise and hope that we are held in God’s love.  And there is nothing strong enough, or evil enough, or big enough, or bad enough to separate us from that love.  Nothing.  Not lone gunmen, or terrorists, or evil plots, or wars, or diseases, or the chaos of our lives.

        God is here.  God is with you and stays with you.  God goes with you in love, whereever you go.  And God loves you, forgives you, and gives you peace, even when we can’t know or understand the whys of what happens around us.  God's love outlasts and outbests everything.  Read Romans 8: 35-39.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

       It's hot out today, even up here in the Red River Valley.  Although I have to admit that we are often twenty degrees cooler than down south.  It still feels hot.
       It's the common opening topic of conversation this time of year: how hot it is, how humid, how dry, or did you get rain and if you got rain, how much did you get.  You can almost always count on weather as something to talk about without getting controversial but talk about the weather in person or on the news seems to carry an extra edge of urgency this summer.
       It goes along with all the reports of drought contrasting with heavy rains causing floods.  There are wild fires burning for miles and miles in several states while crops are dying in the fields in other places.  Spring came early this year and farmers planted early and now watch and wait and worry.  It's the kind of year that causes worry, especially since it was announced that this last year is the warmest year on record for the United States.
       Is it global warming? Is it climate change caused by human activity or just a phase the earth is going through?  This conversation is when the non-controversial topic of weather gets scientific, political and even theological.
       It's good and necessary conversation but in terms of practice of how we are to live, it's not the point.  How we live in caring for creation is a matter of faithful living and so we don't need to wait for the answers before we know how to act.  I don't pray because the presence of God or the power of prayer have been proven, I pray out of faith.
       So what does faith have to do with the weather?
       Followers of Jesus are given the command to love one another, that we will be known by how we love one another.
       When water is scarce, I can show my love by being careful not to waste water or to use too much.  I know that when it's so hot and the heat holds in pollution that even timing when I put gas in the car can make a difference.  The same kinds of things can be said about energy use such as replacing light bulbs and watching my thermostat and using old technology like using shades and curtains to keep the hot sun out of the house during the day.  By saving all my errands and organizing them into one trip, I save energy as well as money.
       In some ways I think of it like considerate backpacking, trying to make as little impact on the earth where I have been as possible.  I believe that Christ-like love impels us to care for creation instead of selfishly using it up with no regard for others or for the wonders God has created.
       The scientific/political/theological conversations need to happen and we need to listen to each other and take part in them but for me, the meaning is made real in the relational.  Faith calls us to live in relationship with God, people, and the world around us.
       My younger sister has been recycling and remodeling her house with these things in mind for years.  She takes seriously the relationship between everyday tasks and how they affect others.  Her shorthand for this is: "Save the polar bears".  Because they are so endangered by rising and melting seas and loss of habitat, it's her gentle reminder to be aware of your choices such as whether or not you remember to recycle or turn something off.
       When we were tots, we were taught to pick up our toys and put them away instead of leaving them for someone else.  Love pushes us to not only clean up after ourselves but also to reach out beyond ourselves.  This summer's heat and disasters are opportunities for us to put our faith and love into action.  Read 1 John 3:16-18.
   

Put Jesus Where He Belongs!

       The Gospel text for Sunday's sermon was the story of Jesus calming the storm while he and the disciples are in the boat (Mark 4: 35-41).  The disciples are afraid of drowning in the storm and wake Jesus up to do something.  They confront him and ask him, "Don't you care that we are about to die?"  They need proof that Jesus cares.  So I talked about being afraid in storms both in the childrens' sermon and the other one.

        After worship, one of the members told me this story from her childhood:

       She shared a room and bed with her sister who is seven years older than her.  One night during a bad thunderstorm, she got scared and cuddled up next to her sister.  Then her sister woke her up and asked her,why was she sleeping in the middle of the bed?  She answered, "Because Jesus is sleeping on the other side".

       Her older sister replied, "Well put Jesus in your heart where he belongs and there will be more room for the both of us!"

       Sometimes the storms of life are literally storms; the lightening and thunder and the possibility of floods and tornadoes.  If you have ever been through disaster caused by storm, even a dark cloudy sky starts to raise your anxiety.   Even as adults, we find ourselves fearful, wondering what will happen next.

       At other times, we get pummeled and tossed about by other events in our lives that we cannot control.  It may be illness (our own or someone we love), divorce, addiction, abuse, losing a job, or being in overwhelming debt.  In all of these, we need to be reassured, comforted, and kept safe.  It is at those times when we need "Jesus in our heart"; that feeling that God is with us.   

      Then the question becomes how do we get Jesus in our heart or how know God is with and within us? It is a question that cultures and religions have wondered about through all the millennia.  Within Christianity and in other religions there has been a common thread: ways that one can work their way towards holiness, or spirituality or finding your inner god.  The problem is the fact that humans are flawed and make this task impossible.  One of the human solutions to this is the theory of reincarnation; that you can keep coming back until you get it right.
        But God has a different solution.  God being in and with us is not something that we choose or merit or make happen.  God has chosen to come to us and into us.  The promise was given even in the book of Jeremiah (31:33-34) that the words of God will be written on our hearts.  God's promise is this gift of grace, signified by the fact that God forgives us all our  sins, failings, and brokenness.
       It is the new thing that Jesus teaches and gives: the people of God's family will never be left alone or forgotten.  Jesus is forever with us.  The gift of God's Spirit comes to us in the reading and preaching of the Word, in the water of baptism, and in the bread and wine of the holy meal.  If any of those things have happened to us, we have encountered God.  It is the promise given to you.
        But as for the times when we need a real person to be with us, that is why we are called into this glorious mixed hash of God's family of all kinds, shapes, colors, and personalities.  When we reach out to each other, we become Jesus with skin-on.  The care that we give, the love that we share is bigger and more powerful than just our own.  Coming to faith is not a perilous and hard trek that we must make on our seeking, seeking wisdom but instead it is the gift of belonging to God.  Read Matthew 28:19-20.

Take God On Your Next Trip

       I have an ongoing list I keep threatening to publish.  It goes like this: "You know you live in a small town when..."  One of those things happened to me the other day.
       I drove up to the window at the bank to deposit my check and instead of being asked for my account numbers, my driver's license, my fingerprints, and the maiden name of my ninth cousin twice removed, I was greeted with, "Hey! You got your hair cut.  It looks cute."  It was a great experience of the advantages of small town community banking.
       A few years ago, I was asked why I like rural ministry.  I love the advantages of small town, rural life.  And I love the commute.  I may drive an hour or more to a meeting (or sometimes between churches) but instead of doing it in bumper-to-bumper traffic, eating exhaust fumes, I get to spend the time watching the changing seasons and sights of creation all around me.
       Here's another way to put it: while I'm driving to work, I get to see sights that most people only get to see after working 50 weeks of the year to earn their vacation.  I see the changing foliage, wildflowers, the full colors of autumn trees, and the fields from first growth through harvest.  I've seen double and triple rainbows, funnel clouds, and Technicolor sunsets.  I have seen all kinds of wildlife from eagles and hawks and great horned owls to deer and elk, bobcats, and even a cougar that ran alongside the car before veering off the road into the field.
       I was on my way to worship early one morning when I saw the cougar.  At first I thought I saw a deer or a large dog ahead of me on the other side of the road so I started slowing way down.  But it came out of the ditch and loped onto the road and towards me and then by the car before it took off into the field and disappeared.  I was struck not only by its power and beauty but also how big it looked up close and free versus seeing big cats at the zoo.
       Now I know that everybody doesn't have a commute like mine, but I still encourage you to look around you as you ride, or bike, or walk.  The secret to seeing creation in a way that fills your soul, is to be open to seeing and appreciating what is around us.  Sometimes we get to see the kinds of beauty that would fill calendar pages but if we only look for mountain scenes and big sky sunset views, we miss the smaller gauge wonders that are all around us in our daily lives.
       God's eye not only paints the kind of scenes that fill the horizon but also in works in miniature.  If we aren't looking, we may miss the miracles of butterflies, a tiny hummingbird, a spider's web, or the mushrooms that sprout only after a good rain.  We tend to think of God in words of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" all mighty thunder and power but God's love and power are just as much in the smallest things of life.
       In fact Jesus teaches us that God watches over creation from a sparrow to even counting the hairs on our head.  God's love and creative powers are at work even in the smallest wonders, even the tiniest, briefest pieces of the universe found inside atoms.  All of creation, all particles, are God's particles.
      When it comes to seeing beauty in the world around you, binoculars and a camera can be good tools to take along but also take along your faith.  Nourish it with prayer and some bible reading (such as Genesis 1, Psalm 8, Job 38-39).  Open your heart to open your eyes to see the people and the world around you not through the filter of yourself but as glimpses into the love and wonder of God.  Read Luke 12:4-7.

Water! Now!

       Being this far north, it starts getting light out really early in the day.  By five o'clock in the morning, it is starting to get light enough to move around the house without turning a light on.  This is either a perk that helps make up for longer, colder winters or it can be drawback depending on your point of view because as the day starts to brighten, birds, animals, and people start to wake up.
       Singing birds are lyrical and are a wonderful reminder of the warmer days and the pull to be outdoors to enjoy the wonders of creation.  Even to a morning curmudgeon like me (I am not a morning person), I enjoy early morning bird song.  Just not when my sleep has been rudely interrupted.
       We have a small black and white tuxedo cat who has been the very definition of "cattitude" since son Ben rescued her and brought her home.  At barely five weeks old and dumped on the highway, she was set on the floor to meet our three adult cats.  She promptly growled and ran up and attacked the largest (and grumpiest) one on the nose.  As I said, "cattitude".
      My husband and I were away for a few days and we have been paying for it ever since.  She has taken to waking me up as soon as it becomes light.  She began by jumping up onto the dresser across from the bed and then jumping from up there down on to me and then sets to meowing in a very demanding manner.
      Why?  She wants one of us to get up and turn on the water in the bathroom so that she can get her morning drink.  (We have joked about the pros and cons of getting a "touch" facet that she could turn on herself but I couldn't stand the thought of water getting wasted.)
       "Meow!  Meow!  Meow!..." she cries continuously.  Water!  Now!
       All living things need water.  People need water to survive: clean, safe water.
       According to the World Health Organization, half of the patients in hospitals in the developing world are suffering from sanitation and water-related diseases.  Lack of safe water and sanitation kills over 1.6 million children a year.
       Living surrounded by farmland and farmers and gardeners, people around here are crying for water as they watch crops turn brown.  We really need a whole day of steady rain that comes slowly enough to just soak in.  It was a dry fall and winter and dry now.  People are getting worried.  The need for rain has been a topic of conversation at our council meeting, when I see people around church and town, and even when visiting people in the hospital and nursing home.  I have been asked several times to pray for rain and it is included in our prayers at worship.
       Water!  Now!
      Even though clean water is as close as our faucet, we still come praying to God for water.   A time of drought can bring us to our knees in prayer, reminding us that all life is in God's hands and that despite all our technological advantages and wealth, we don't have the power and control we like to think is ours.   It can be an opportunity for us to pause and think about how our lives rely upon having the water we need and the impact of our use and waste of water upon the world and those who don't have access to clean water.
       There are many places in the Bible where the saving grace of God is imaged in the abundance of life-giving water.  We need to take seriously the connection between life and water and seek God's will and wisdom in our use and protection of this resource.  Beyond that, we need to think beyond our own need to ensuring that more and more people have access to safe, clean water.  Water and life and God's grace intertwine so much that is a clear reminder that we dare not separate faith from what we do in our daily lives; even to turning on the faucet.  Read Isaiah 35:3-7.
   

Finding Home

       After repeated years of Spring floods, we have had a calm spring up north here in the Red River Valley.  In fact, the end of winter found us short of moisture.   We hadn't gotten rains in the fall, and we were comparatively low for snow cover.   Now don't get me wrong, the people up here are relieved to have a spring without filling sand bags and watching rising river levels.
       People are happy, but it has caused some confusion for migrating birds.
       Other years, fields have been changed into temporary lakes just in time for the migration of geese, swans, coots, ducks, and other waterfowl.  In past flooded springs, they could be seen for weeks by the thousands as they rested and nested in water-covered beet and wheat fields.   What caused destruction and chaos for people was a temporary haven for the birds.
       But this spring, most of the huge flocks passed through quickly without the water to attract them in large numbers.
       However, there seem to have been a few pairs of geese that have been confused by the lack of "lakes" and have been seen wondering the edges of fields as if looking for their nesting places.  But instead of quiet fields of abundant water, they found dry fields and anxious farmers eager to be out working and plowing the fields.  It didn't take most of the geese long to decide to move on to more favorable nesting grounds.
       There is in many migratory species this need to return to where they came from, the need to go home.  The delicate Monarch butterfly migrates back and forth from Canada to Mexico and Baja California even though no one butterfly actually survives to make it make home because it takes 3-4 generations of butterflies to make the trip!
       One of the huge changes over the two centuries has been the movement of people from the places they came from to more and more mobile lives.  Instead of coming from villages and towns where our ancestors have lived for generations, not only have many of us migrated to new countries but also we have not settled down in one new place.
       The economy and the realities of modern jobs have flung families all across our country and even further.   Instead of having built-in support systems within a multi-generational family, we are often on our own in a new place.
       We can (and do) turn to resources and friends on the Internet for advice and help.  But we also need real people and we need a place that gives us a sense of safety and security.
       In John 15:4 (and the following verses), Jesus invites us, tells us to 'abide in him' - to dwell, live in Jesus.  Following Jesus in this matter can give us the peace and sense of belonging that we need in the midst of  so much change and chaos.
        Gathering together with other people of faith around the Word and sacraments provide an anchor and identity, purpose, and help direct us in the way to live.  In a world where so much changes so quickly, we can be at rest, finding our home in God.  Read Psalm 84:1-4

Feasting, Lumps and All!

       When I was growing up, my mom was always saying that my brothers had hollow legs.  I was never quite sure what she meant until I had sons of my own and they started growing.  I think they were always hungry!  They would come home from school and go through the kitchen looking for something to eat.  I learned how to be prepared or else the kitchen would look like a hoard of locusts had gone through and eaten everything in sight!
       This willingness to eat anything and everything came in handy though.
       One time when my parents were gone for several days, I was left in the care of my older brothers and sisters.  At the ripe age of twelve, I decided I was going to show off my cooking skills by making fried chicken and gravy with mashed potatoes and some can of vegetables.  I did okay until it came to making gravy.
       I knew that mom would make gravy by mixing flour into the fat in the pan.  The step that I missed was that she would pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of grease.  So I put it flour and flour and flour, trying to make a roux.  It was a good thing I was using the big and deep chicken pan, because after cooking that a bit and scraping up all the good flavor bits, I began adding milk and water to make the gravy and it took more and more liquid to keep from becoming a thick paste.  By the time supper was ready, I had a huge pan full of gravy!
       By the time the gravy started to cool a bit, it got thick enough to spread with a knife.  I was so embarrassed, especially as my oldest brother had a friend from college with him.  But the guys thought it was great! (I don't remember where my sisters where that night.)
       After everything else was eaten, one of them went to the kitchen and got a loaf of bread and they proceeded to pile bread and gravy onto their plates, and eating their way through it.  They loved it and did a good job of making that terrible gravy disappear!  They said later that it was a wonderful feast and would I do it again some time.
       From birth, children go through growth spurts where their bodies demand more calories.  It is demanding and can be tiring to keep up with it especially when nursing a baby, but how wonderful a blessing it is when you have the resources to give them the resources they need.  And how awful it must be to not have enough food to give your children.
       Perhaps that is why that there are many places in the Bible where God's love, blessings and grace are equated with feasts and gathering together God's people to feed them.  Just before his crucifixion and after the resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples to gather at the table to eat together and to go from there to serve those in need.  We "do this to remember" Jesus.
       It is no wonder then that so much research has shown that the best thing we can do for our families is to eat together.  The family meal is the best prevention of drug abuse, dropping out of school, and other things such as teen-age pregnancy.  It is a powerful thing when we gather together at the table and share a meal.  Even of lumpy, spreadable gravy on white bread or boxed macaroni and cheese.  Make a meal to share and begin with prayer, inviting God to share your table.  Read Isaiah 25:6-8

Looking for Love

       (I realized recently that I have not really addressed Easter in my blog this year.  Not only has it been very busy, but also I was really concentrating my energy on my preaching.  So I am going to share some of Holy Week's preaching with you.)

       During Good Friday worship, people are invited to spend time meditating upon the empty cross.  As it is carried forward in procession, you hear these words being spoken three times, “Behold the life-giving cross on which was hung the salvation of the whole world.”  The response is “O Come, let us worship him.”
       Let us worship him.  Him who?  We know the answer.  The one we worship is the Christ, our lord Jesus.  We will say these words knowing that.  And yet, what we are actually beholding, what we actually will see is an empty cross.
       The words are spoken as if Jesus is here on the cross and we can see him.  Behold!  See! It’s Jesus!

       But it is not.  The cross is empty.

       That is the conundrum, the puzzle of Good Friday.

We come to the cross.  We come to see and worship the crucified Jesus, the Jesus nailed to, bleeding, and dying on the cross.  The Jesus with the blood running from the welts of the whip-lashing and the thorns of the cruel crown on his head poking into his head. 

       We come to see the beaten Jesus, and many today will cry at the cross, to see that sight in their minds and heart.

       BUT --- and this is huge --- The cross we see is empty. 

       "Behold" the liturgy tells us.  Worship the cross, but Jesus is not there. 

       We are asked to spend time meditating, thinking, and praying on that empty cross.  What do you see in your mind’s eye when you gaze at that despised tree?

       When you look at a cross or a picture of one, you might see in your mind’s eye a bloody Jesus, or the empty cross in the darkness of that fell on Jerusalem that first Friday or you might even imagine the empty cross shining in the sun that first Sunday.  However you see the cross, this is what my prayer is for you.

       Behold the love of God.  Look at the cross and see the height and depth, the strength, and the richness of God’s love for the world  --- and for you.  That is the reason that drove Jesus to the cross; God’s love.

       Now there are a lot of people who will preach and argue us to the cross to scare us.  It’s as if to say that since God is willing to do that to the beloved Son, what will happen to those who don’t believe?  They will tell us that we had better worry about getting saved because if we aren’t saved their way, God is going to get us and not just once but forever and ever.

      There have many times in the church’s history over the last two thousand years when the focus of theology and preaching has been full of fire and brimstone talk of hell to scare people into Jesus.

       But that is NOT what Jesus said.

       I have had conversation recently about someone’s grandchild who is scared of God because God gets mad.  Is that true?

       My response to them is what I want you to reflect on today.  Jesus says in John 3:16 & 17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

       Jesus came to earth, gave himself up to betrayal and trial, hung on the cross, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, for one reason and one reason only.  For God so loved the world.

       And my response to those who would scare people into faith is what Jesus says: “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it – to save us.  God’s will and action is love.

       Today, I invite you to look on the cruel and even bloody cross, not to feel bad or guilty or to scare you into faith (as if that works), but I invite you to see the immensity of God’s love for you that Jesus did this, FOR YOU!

       Pray that you may see God’s love!  Read John 3:16-17

We Need a Nap!

       I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday.  One of the things we talked about was how busy and jammed-packed our lives have been of late.  And then of course, we talked about how tired we both felt.   It seems like it is not only a common conversation but also a universal experience. Are we are all rushed, tired, harried, and harassed?
       It seems like it.
       When I was young, I remember that summer seemed to stretch on forever; the wait for Christmas was agonizing, and good things never happened quickly enough.  Older people commonly talk about how time seems to pass more quickly as we age.  And I was willing to accept this as the reason time feels more rushed.  And that may indeed be part of what is happening (I can't deny it, we all do get older!).  But that doesn't explain it all.
       Our time really is getting pushed to and beyond our limits.
       Commercials now try to sell us new phones and services by telling us how unacceptable it is if our information is 29 or 14 seconds behind.  If we are even 27 seconds behind, we will have already missed our chance to participate in a party, give a gift, or say goodbye.
       The effects of this time compression are aggravated by the fact that the lines between our personal and work lives have become blurred.  As our electronic gadgets have become smaller and more portable, people assume we should be instantly available to one another.  Several years ago, there were articles about how we could make better use of our time by multi-tasking while waiting in line or at the doctor's office.  Now it is not uncommon to see people texting while sitting in a meeting or eating dinner with someone else.  Young people are exhausted, texting into the night and or sleeping with their phones so they don't miss anything.
       It has gotten hard for us to just do one thing at a time.
       This is taking a toll on us, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  Tired and rushed people have a harder time being creative and are not as good at problem solving.  Our immune systems don't work as well, so we tend to pick up all the viruses and bugs going around.  We have less patience, less tolerance for change, and we are more irritable.  It's no wonder that stressed people have a lower opinion of their quality of life.
       Everything stinks when you are tired!  Even when we want to be positive, we have fewer resources to allow us respond positively.
       We need a collective nap.
       From the beginning, God modeled a different way.  For six days, God worked at creative the universe and all that it contains and on the seventh day, God rested.  One of the first commandments given was the command to keep the sabbath day, the seventh day of rest.  And not just those in charge but everyone, including children, servants, and work animals.  Rest, time completely away and apart from work is vitally important to our health.  In Deuteronomy, God reminds the people that life without sabbath rest is like their years in slavery.  We are a freed people and we honor God by taking holy rest.
       Even on our "work" days, we need to slow our lives down and give ourselves and others the gift of grace.  Our worth and value do not depend on a life lived in increments of seconds.  Take time to pray, to breathe, to pause, and to be in relationship, not with a gadget but with each other.  Read Deuteronomy 5:12-15.

Spring Cleaning

       I was walking to my office after a meeting on St. Patrick's Day when I saw worms on the sidewalk; live, wriggly worms!  Now maybe where you live, that wouldn't be a surprise, but up here, in the middle of March, that is an unusual sight.

       Now early thaws happen, and snow may not last all winter, but the appearance of worms is a sure sign that the frost is coming up our of the ground and Spring is on its way.  It may get cold again and snow may even make an appearance, but the new life of Spring is making itself known.  

       It's in the worms, and the robins doing their mating dance.  It is in the smell of the air after the first rain and the lengthening of the days.  It is in the greening of the grass, the pussy willows, and the leaves starting to bud on the trees.  Even though winter's hold on us was a bit softer this year, it is a relief to see it leaving.  

       Farmers are being anxious to get out into the fields and start working them up, preparing them to receive new crops.  And the avid gardeners I know are looking through their seed catalogues and making plans that will be set in motion once the threat of frost is past.  For although the geese and other critters may not be waiting before they mate, the people who work the land tend to be more cautious.  They know that if they plant too early, a hard frost might come and kill off the new growth, costing them time, money, and effort.

       This early Spring may already full of the promise of new life, but that life is still tender and tenuous at best.  Winter can still make another strong showing.  This is a time of year when it is the veneer of our control of our lives is very thin.  We have not caused the explosion of new life nor can we do anything to prevent killer cold, should the weather change.

        However, this early Spring is a reminder of the effects we can and to have on the world around us.  This last winter was one of the warmest on record in much of North America.  Whether or not anyone can prove that the weather patterns this winter are caused by global warming, we should take it as a warning to be aware of the way we live, the resources we consume, and the health of the ecology around us.

       We do not control the world, but we are responsible for our care of the creation that God has put into our hands.  When we are careless with the world and its' resources, we hurt not only the plants and animals, and the environment but we also hurt ourselves.  More than that, we disrespect the one who has given us all life.

       This time of year is a good time to do "Spring cleaning" not only of our homes, but also of our habits, and our collections of stuff.  Cleaning will be easier from now on if we take lighten our loads by donating and recycling all those things we are not using.  We can take small steps like replacing light bulbs with energy-saving CFL's (compact fluorescent lights). (If you are not sure which ones to use or why and how much you will save, check out energystar.gov)

       One small step is just to go through the house unplugging all the appliances that you aren't using or put them on power strips you can turn off or on.  Every transformer, or lighted on/off switch, or digital time display is using energy that costs you money and enlarges your energy footprint.  Pack your cloth grocery bags in your car or hang them next to the door so that you are reminded to use them when you shop.

       You can start small or challenge yourself to make bigger changes.  Just also remember to "ground" all this effort (excuse the pun!) in prayer.  Take the time also to give thanks to the one who creates, sustains, and gives us all life.  As you see the seasons change around you, take time to be amazed at the abundant love and grace of God.  Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

God's Soaring Cathedral

       Several years ago, I got the chance to be at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and meet the oldest trees I've ever seen.  I learned so much.  There were western hemlocks, yews, and other trees.  The old growth forest there is part of what is left of the northwest pacific rainforest.  The oldest hemlocks are over one thousand years old.
       It was amazing to find myself standing among such large and ancient trees, some with trunks that would fill up my office or even larger.   They were so tall that my neck hurt from trying to look up to see the tops.  The forest floor was thick with grass, moss, fallen leaves, and other plants.  Because we were in a protected old growth forest, there were trees at all stages of life young and old.
       With all the growth (trees, vines, grasses, moss and other plants), the sunlight had a thick green quality to it.  The air was so vibrant; it seemed to almost taste alive.  The contrast was even stronger as I had come there from Kansas where trees are much smaller, the air much drier, and for much of the year, much less green.  These trees are literally giants.
       People will challenge me from time to time, saying that they find it easier to find God in the midst of nature rather than church.  Sometimes, it is said as a joke or as a half-hearted excuse by those who have been away golfing, or at the lake, or out in the field.  Other times, it is the beginning of a serious conversation about where and how we experience God.
       The day I spent amongst those trees was a day spent in an ancient cathedral.  I have to admit that it was easy to be amazed at the creation and the Creator in that place.
        I have been in ancient cathedrals and old churches in Europe.  We don't have buildings here of that age; we are too new.  But even including those, with their amazing stained glass windows and soaring buttresses, they can't compete.  There is no building to rival the beauty of that forest and the music of the wind and the birds of that place.
       The words of Psalm 96 could have been written for that place: "The Lord is King!... Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;... Then shall all the three of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming." (Psalm 96:10-13)
       But the trees are not the only things created to praise God, we are also to live our lives so that we are a reflection of God and God's faithfulness.
       While it's true that our faith may be strengthened by an experience like I had in the forest, I firmly believe that we grow best when we are connected to other people of faith in community.  It is not meeting in a building called a church that strengthens our faith, but what happens there and that we are gathered into the body of Christ that makes a difference.
       Alone, I may be overwhelmed by the troubles and questions of my own life but gathered together, I am comforted and upheld by those who pray with me.  I am encouraged by the witness of those who speak God's word.  I am fed and nourished when the bread of Christ is broken and shared, and I am washed clean again in my baptism when I receive forgiveness.
       I did not walk in that forest alone.  I was there with a group of rural chaplains from all over the country.  We were there to learn together about the forest but we were also gathered to share in faith and prayer.  Some people may find it easier to feel God's presence in a quiet sanctuary with lighted candles and organ music.  We also need to treasure God's creation and celebrate our creator together in the cathedral of God's forests.  But what we need the most is to remember to pray as God's gathered people, remembering that it is together in the body of Christ that we are empowered and given life.  Read Jeremiah 17:7-8