Thanksgiving

  "O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good and God's steadfast love endures forever" 1Chronicles 16:34

        One of the things I remember from growing up was that Dad beeped the horn a lot. It always seemed to take a lot to get the family ready and out the door. With seven kids, the older ones had to help or at least motivate the younger ones to get a move on and hurry and get out the door. Dad was waiting and it was getting late – we could tell because we could hear the car honking. Dad did not like to be kept waiting.
        It didn’t matter if we were at home, getting ready for church or if Mom was shopping, there would come a point where you just knew where Dad would be – unhappy, sitting in the car and honking the horn. I don’t know if it was because he was an only child and never had to wait for other people or if it was because as an officer in the Air Force, you just weren’t late. Either way, one sure way to get in trouble was to dawdle or take your time when we were trying to leave.
        That’s why it was such a surprise later on in years when he offered to give up his spot and wait for other people to go first.
        My sister and I had taken him to his appointment at the VA in Minneapolis. It was for a check-up after his heart surgery. After driving more than an hour to get there, and sitting in the waiting room for hours, we were afraid he was going to get angry. Instead, he told the nurse to let the other guys go next, he could wait. I’m sure my jaw dropped open. Was this my Dad?
        Later on, I asked him about it.
        “I’m fine. I’ve got time to wait. Some of the guys in wheelchairs -you have no idea what those guys went through in the war. I have nothing to complain about. I’ve been blessed. They should go first. I’m thankful I can wait.”
        All the years of waiting for my Mom and the “discussions” they had; all of the time spent waiting while raising seven kids – none of that had taught my dad patience. But he had discovered something that had made him thankful. The dual experience of surviving his heart surgery combined with being around people who were dealing with circumstances worse than his own had made him thankful. And his gratitude enabled him to be both patient and gracious.
        It is often in contrast that we learn to be thankful.
         In the Gospel of Mark (5:1-20) Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons. The man had been so ill for so long that he lived among the tombs, most often naked and often in chains and shackles that he would break apart. Jesus calls the demons out of him and into a herd of pigs, leaving the man healed and in his right mind. (The pigs throw themselves over a cliff and die, however).
        The man, now clothed and healed wants to get into the boat with Jesus, leave with him and follow him.
        Jesus tells him no. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and what mercy he has shown you.”
        Why does Jesus tell this man no when he calls others to follow him? Jesus is sad over the rich young man who refuses to leave everything behind and follow him. But this man, Jesus sends back home. Why would Jesus do that?
         First of all, this man has more healing to do. He has been living in terrible conditions, in a way that made it unsafe and impossible for him to be with his family and friends. This had to have been hard and painful to both him and his family. Part of his healing is to be with them – to learn again how to be with them and to have those relationships restored. He may have done things when he was sick that hurt people and there needs to be forgiving, and restoration if possible.
         And there is something else as well. If he followed Jesus, his story of thanksgiving would fall flat. It would sound like a tale of make-believe. His tale of living among the tombs, breaking shackles and chains, and the demons that were driven out would sound unbelievable. The now sane, clean young man would just look like another follower of this itinerant teacher, this Jesus.
         But at home, where people had seen him and had perhaps been afraid of him, for them to see him healed and to hear his story of God’s grace and mercy --- this would be a story of great power and witness to the gospel.
         What about us? Are we willing to share with others all that God has done for us? Are we ready to give thanks? Read Mark 5:18-20

Signs of Hope

       I was asked by a young person this week if the world is really going to end in 2012.  There is a new movie out based on the supposed predictions of the Mayan calendar.  The movie is very graphic with earthquakes, erupting volcanoes, tornadoes, cities brought to utter destruction, and thousands and millions of people dying.  Of course, quite improbably, the major figures of the movie get to drive, fly, and boat away from the destruction, always escaping death by mere seconds.  If they didn't, there wouldn't be a plot line.

       Now, we both understood that we were talking about a movie not reality but the question was real.  It's a question that people have been asking since before the birth of Christ, even in those cultures without knowledge of Jesus.  Will the world really end in disaster and what happens to us?  And ultimately the question is about God.  Does God really care for us?

       After a devastating flood where the levee between a town and a river was breached, I was allowed in (with other response people) with residents just after the National Guard had pumped the water back behind the levee.  Residents had spray painted on their houses things such as, 'don't tear down', 'we'll be back', 'under renovation', etc...  Where the water had been the deepest, into the second story of houses and everything had been lost, residents had painted in big letters on their house, "God is here".

        Everything was not all right and the way between the chaos and moving back home was long, hard, and full of pain.  That truth was clear.  It wasn't a sign that it was okay but it was a sign of hope for the future but even more so of comfort for the right now.  Even in the midst of the destruction, the houses full of mud and ruined clothes, furniture, and possessions, in the freezing drizzle, God was present.

       As the homeowners and other residents told me that day and in the months that followed, God was there.  They experienced God's love and hope in the hands and feet of the National Guard who worked to pump the water back behind the levee and restore it.  In the hands and feet of those that had come out in boats to rescue them in the dead of night, and who greeted them with blankets, food and dry clothes in the shelters.  God was there as volunteers helped to salvage what they could from above the water line, washing clothes, shoveling out the smelly mud, and cleaning putrid food from refrigerators.  God was with them.

        To me this is the clearest sign of hope in the midst of apocalyptic destruction and the gospel we can proclaim even in the face of death. God does not abandon us.  Ever.  As Paul writes, there is nothing that is big, bad, or strong enough to separate us from God's love; not even the end of the world.  (Romans 8:38-39)  For God brings life not death.

       That's the truth that faith gives us.  God is with us always.  Nothing can happen that take us away from God's love and promise of eternal life.  Anyone can find joy in the glory of sunshine and pleasure; it's finding God and trusting God in the midst of the ruin that we need.   And that is the hope that only faith can give us.  It is what the psalmist writes about in Psalm 23.  Even in the valley of death, God is with us.  People of faith live not in fear of what terrible things might happen but live in the joyous hope of what God has promised: light, life, and love.  Read Psalm 23.

Its been a very busy week.  I've been at a ministry conference for the last three days from early to late.  Thank you for your patience.  Please enjoy an earlier post while you wait!

Grow Up in Love

          I once preached at a church that had split over the decision of whether to paint or panel the church basement walls.  I hadn't experienced yet the depth of emotions and consequences  that can arise over such decisions.  It was hard for me to take it seriously.  I  didn't really understand the pain and anger that could still be present so when they asked me how I would have handled it, I answered very easy and glibly. 'Why not put paneling on the bottom half of the walls and paint the top half?'  I thought I was being wise when in reality, all I had accomplished was to show my ignorance.  I couldn't conceive of breaking up relationships and a congregation that had existed for so many years over such a thing.  However, the division was all too real.

         We experience how easy it is  for people to disagree, to become hurt and angry from the time we are children.  All one has to do is watch toddlers at play and observe the fights over toys and space which only get worse as children get hungry or tired.  The same things happen at school, at work, in our families.  It just gets harder to take our toys and go home.

        We would like the church to be different from other gatherings and institutions around us - a place of unity and peace.  But the Church is made up of people - imperfect as we all are.  We are a gathering of people in need of God's love and forgiveness made possible only by God's grace.  The pews (like our homes, work, school, and towns) contain people who will by turns exasperate and infuriate us and bring us to tears of joy and warm our hearts.  No where does Christ promise that we will always live in harmony.

         But Christ does promise to hold us in God's grace  and that is more than enough to strengthen us and root and ground us in God's love (1 John 3:17).   Like a tree whose roots hold it fast through storms and tempest, drawing up water from a deep and bottomless source and being nourished even in the hardest times, we stand and grow in God's love.  Our strength and unity comes from Christ who calls us "with all humility and gentleness, with patience" to bear one another in love and "make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace".

        Gentleness, humility, patience, love, and peace; these are the words of how we can "bear" to be with each other.  They are the mercy given to us as a gift through Christ's grace.  We are to put aside childish ways and "grow up in love".  Read 1 John 4:1-7.

Living Room

When I was a ”tween” (about 12 years old) I had two good friends whose houses were very different. In some ways, I was really envious of the one house. It was so beautiful and decorated with embroidered towels that matched in the downstairs bathroom and rooms that were color-coordinated. It was quite a difference from our house with furniture that was partway through raising seven children and cats. My best friend’s house was very different – more like my own with a kind of casualness about it. It was nice but comfortable.


There was no contest as to whose house I would rather spend time at. We were never allowed to play downstairs in the beautiful house. We never did get to be in the living room with its white carpet, white furniture, and crystal bowls and lamps setting on the tables. We would come in and take our shoes off and quietly go upstairs and remain quiet.


At the other house, there were usually cookies available for snacks and her mom was ready to join in anything we had going. Once, we decided to put on our own neighborhood ballet of Cinderella and she joined us in helping to make costumes, taking the time to teach us how to sew tutus out of bias tape and crepe paper. I still remember the saying she had hanging in the entryway: “my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy”. It fit my own mother’s philosophy of home-making and became my own.


Mom taught me (very wisely) that the time to sit and read a book to a child was now because too soon they would be “too big” for such cuddles. From her (and now proved by my children) I learned that children will remember playing games, baking cookies, and singing songs. They remember how the Christmas tree shone at night and hanging their favorite childhood decorations and taking time to share the Christmas Carol.


A current magazine has yet another article on how to take the minutes we spend waiting in line, or for an appointment or between tasks and use them to their fullest. We should take this time and instead of “wasting it”, the article shows how to use this time to write lists, organize our days, write cards, doing exercises, or clean and organize in tiny steps. I got exhausted just reading the article. Whatever happened to taking time to smell the roses or see a sunset?


Our lives have gotten so full and busy and instead of giving us more time to spare, technology seems to be taking all of our free time away. Not only are many of us tied to our cell phones everywhere we go, talking isn’t enough; people do email, text messages and the internet. Our society seems to be developing so that people are to be instantly and always available whether we are at work, at home, in the car, and even in a public restroom. Not only our weekdays but our evenings and nights and weekends are also organized and often frantically busy.


So I was wary when I read in Ephesians “Be carefull then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time…”(Ephesians 5:15-16). It sounds like it could have come right from the magazine article. But what Paul goes on to describe as the will of the Lord is to “be filled with the Spirit” singing psalms and hymns… making melody in our hearts and giving thanks to God. These are activities that require us to be apart from the hustle and bustle of business, breathe deeply to sing and take time for faith. Jesus models a relaxed lifestyle for us and the disciples when in Mark he invites, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.” (Mark 6:31) It seems that our spiritual health as well as our physical health need refreshment. Not only our homes but our hearts need to have the time and space to be “lived-in”. Read Ephesians 5:15-20.

Washed and Named

One of the joys of being a pastor for me is taking part in baptism; it is often a time when the mom and pastor in me get to intersect. I realized that close bond when my daughter was born during my first call. The next morning, the nurse brought in warm bath water, soft clean towels, and stood by as I bathed my child for the first time. I took her in my arms and began by washing her face, and then taking the water in my hand and gently pouring it on her head. I said her name as I held her and washed her clean. The connection between birth and the rebirth of baptism had never been clearer.

The difference is that later during baptism, the Word was added to the water as the water was poured and the pastor spoke, "Phoebe, I baptized you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." With those words, she was named and claimed as God's child. Those words are also the words we use to name God when we begin worship and in prayer.

In confirmation, we have been talking about God's name and how we use it as we study the first two of the ten commandments. The second commandment "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain" in the modern translation reads "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God." What does that mean? After all, aside from Jesus (Christ is a title - not his name), God is not named Bob or Jenny. For people of the Old Testament, God's name is not something mere humans should even attempt to say, YHWH (what is written in Hebrew) is unpronounceable and when encountered in reading is replaced by "the Lord". What do we call God?

What is God's name and how do we use it?

All throughout the Bible, God is called different things but they are titles of relationship: "the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac", Immanuel (God with us), our Father, creator, savior, Holy Spirit, and more. The multitude of names and images of God emphasize two things: God is beyond our ability to fully understand and what we know of God, we know because of God's loving relationship withus.

Because of that, we are to treat God's name with care and respect despite what we hear all around us. As I read recently, we need to remember that "dammit is not God's last name". We are not to curse or use God's name for magic or to lie or deceive. When we use God's name for every little emphasis from swearing to writing OMG (O my God), we lessen the power God's name holds not only for the people around us but for ourselves as well. When "god" becomes a repeated comment without meaning ('oh god' this and 'oh god' that), it becomes less likely that we will hear hope and promise when we cry to God in help.

That is why how we are to use God's name is just as important as what we should not do. In the Small Catechism, Luther writes, we are to "use that very name in every time of need to call on, pray to, praise, and give thanks to God". In baptism, God claims us by name so that we can call upon God always and for everything. Because God has come to you just as you are and claims you in love and grace, you can call upon God with hope and confidence knowing that God is with you. Read Romans 10:8-13

Jesus is with us!

There is a great deal of concern this season with containing the spread of 'flu, so when the newspaper reported on suggestions for how churches might safely share Holy Communion and the Passing of the Peace, I decided we needed to address it at worship. Since we already use individual cups at communion, the concern was passing the peace.

During the announcements, I talked about the newspaper article and that some members had asked about what we should do to share a sign of Christ's peace. I said that we should respect other peoples' concerns and to simply say "Peace be with you" and not shake hands if the other person didn't offer their hand. I relayed some other suggestions such as bowing when saying the words, elbow bumping, and the "Obama knuckle bump". The other suggestion given was to wave a peace sign to one another. Later during worship, there were chuckles and giggles as people tried various ways of sharing the peace.

After worship, several people remarked that we had never had so much fun sharing the peace. A couple of guys suggested that waving one finger was all that was needed. It is the simplest sign and follows the rural tradition of waving a finger from the steering wheel when meeting someone on the road.

When Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection, his first words are "Peace be with you" (John 20:19 and others). The "you" in the original greek of the New Testament is clearly plural. It is not a greeting from one person to one person but is from Christ to the all disciples. The words are words of welcome and good news: Jesus is risen from the dead. The disciples can put away their fear and grief. They are not alone, Jesus is with them. Jesus has conquered death and the promise of forgiveness and salvation is real.

In the same way, when we share a sign of Christ's peace with everyone who is gathered we are participating in the reassurance and spreading of the good news. We are not left to struggle alone; the power of the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Nothing, not even pain, sin and death are enough to separate us from God's love. Whether we wave a finger, embrace, or simply speak the words, this is the Good News we share with each other when we share a sign of Christ's peace. Christ is among us with all the promise that entails!

Now knowing the deep spiritual meaning of this sign, was it wrong for us to enjoy and even giggle as we shared the peace during worship? Not at all. What could be a better sign of our joy gathered in Christ than to relax, let go of our fears, and enjoy the peace that only comes from God. Read Philippians 4:4-7