I stand beneath these trees
The wind does blow upon the leaves
Colors abounding to the ground
With not much noise and little sound
The wind is cold upon my face
A stinging chill does displace
The warmth within the blood provide
That boils deep the heart inside
This engine pumps the warmth around
To fingers and toes and skin abound
Someday this heart will pump no more
When I'm embraced on eternal shore
Until that day I'll stand right here
Beneath these trees without much fear
For life has rooted me in this place
A forest of love upon my face
No bark can keep me hid inside
For roots go deep as I do glide
Upon the wind and sun and heat
For shade trees give to cool me feet
So I do stand beside this tree
For winter is coming again this year
I miss Bill Robertson, the former
Fire Chief and member of Zion Lutheran Church. He passed away in 2013. Bill was
a former Episcopalian that joined Zion. He was a Lutheropalian as one Pastor
described someone who was both Lutheran and Episcopalian. Bill encouraged me to
become a Police and Fire Chaplain and to be involved in the community. He even
gave me a copy of the “Book of Common Prayer” during the three years I knew
him. Bill knew people of faith and people of service needed to work together.
He bridged relationships in faith and work throughout the community.
Bill was the first person when I came
to Rockford in 2010 to talk about the “silo” mentality of organizations and institutions.
It is easy for groups of people to just work within their circle and not reach
out to others. We usually don’t want to
be stretched because we all only have so much time and energy. Yet Bill
stretched into retirement by becoming a city alderman, a Zion Church Council
member and active member of Zion.
A month before Bill passed away in
February 2013, the Zion Partners began a journey when we had a Zion Partners
Summit in January of 2013. We had over 30 board members from the four agencies Zion
created gathering together. The Zion Partners are made up of Zion Church,
Patriots’ Gateway, Zion Development and Zion Outeach. We were stretched to work
together more intentionally. We began to meet and continue to meet monthly at
Morning Glory on Seventh Street for dialogue and discussion around the common
values of faith formation, education, recreation and health, permanent
supportive housing, jobs and supportive relationships in the Midtown
neighborhoods 61104 region.
This is why we will be gathering on Wednesday
June 11th from 10:00-11:30am at Katie’s Cup for a Midtown Summit to
hear Paul Logli of the United Way talk about their efforts in the future in the
Midtown Neighborhoods of the 61104 zip code. This might be a stretch but now is
the time for us to be stretched in recommitting ourselves to our community.
When people think of Midtown they
think of just Seventh Street from State Street to about Eighth Avenue. Well,
that’s if people know of the Midtown Business District at all. The Midtown
Neighborhood Region of 61104 stretches from State Street to Harrison Avenue,
from 20th street to the river.
This Midtown Summit will be the first
conversation that seeks to build relationships in the Midtown Neighborhoods. It
is my hope that those who live, work and serve in the 61104 area that are
either residents, business, churches, non-profits, civil servants and community
leaders would gather for the sake of transforming our community. I don’t have a
plan but I have hope that we can become more intentional and strategic about
working together for our midtown neighborhood region. Please email me at pmethomas@zionrockford.org if
you would like to join us on June 11, 2014 from 10:00am-11:30a at Katie’s Cup
or if you want to be added to an email list for future planning.
So here is to Bill Robertson, a
community servant and Luteropalian whose silhouette (sounds like silo) can
still be seen in the reflection of the many who are seeking to transform the
Midtown neighborhoods of 61104!
Here is the article I wrote for the Rockford Register Star on November 17, 2013
To transform is to change from one
thing to another. “I appeal to you
therefore, brothers and sisters of Rockford,by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritualworship.Do not be conformed to
this world,but be transformed by
the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.” These words from the book of Romans remind
us of the power of God’s transformation takes place individually and
communally. The Greek word for transform is “metamorphoo” which means to change
from one thing to another.
In 1971, the Woodruff Express was
going to change the face of Midtown. A highway was going to come into downtown and
Zion Lutheran Church was in the way. Zion decided to purchase eight acres of
land near the northeast corner of Spring Creek and Mulford place. The “Woodruff
Express” highway never happened. When the highway was dropped, the church decided
to sell the land. The 1983 vote was 80% to sell and stay in Midtown and 20% to
keep it and move. They sold that property in the northeast part of town and
decided they were going to be in the city to “discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
That discernment meant transformation
for Zion. I’ve been the Senior Pastor at Zion Church in Midtown for four years
and I’ve seen many Midtown miracles that have transformed the neighborhood near
Fifth, Sixth and Seventh streets. We recalled those changes in 2013 and the
many people who made it happen. This past year we rededicated the youth center as
the “Bitner Youth Center” in honor of Pastor Denver and Pamela Bitner’s years
of ministry. The Youth Center was the fourth major building change at Zion and
built with funds from the Spring Creek land sale.
We recall how the church helped change
the neighborhood with the creation of three 501(c)3 non-profits. They created
the Patriots’ GatewayCenter in 1995 to promote recreation in
the neighborhood, developing an inner city Golf Center and an excellent
Patriots’ Boxing program on Seventh Street. We remember how the church leaders
started Zion Development in 1982 to
promote jobs, creating permanent supportive housing at the Grand and Longwood
Apartments; then the Lantow lofts and Katie’s Cup in 2009. We celebrate that
the church started Zion Outreach in 2005
to support a Food Pantry, Tutoring, and the Buddy House Community Garden
Ministry at Blackhawk apartments. The church and these non-profits have helped
change the 61104 Midtown neighborhood, along with many businesses and social
sector groups. Yet our hearts and minds need renewal.
Therefore, these Zion Partners have been meeting throughout 2013 to recommit
ourselves to working together, signing the Zion
Partners Memorandum of Understanding at worship on November 10th.
We have recommitted ourselves to
transforming our 61104 Midtown neighborhood with others based on the core
values of faith, housing, health, recreation, education, meaningful work, and
supportive social relationships.
“At this good,
acceptable and perfect time”, Rockford is engaging in the
“Transform Rockford” process. Barbara
Lundblad in the book Transforming the
Stone reminds us, “For people of faith, transformation doesn’t happen: it
is a gift from God”. Let us place our
gifts on the rock of change and pray that transformation would come to us like
the women who once stood in front of a great unmovable rock and heard the
angelic words “Do not be afraid”.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit
by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide
in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in
them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing."
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Hard wood stuck in the ground with Christ nailed, pierced and grafted into and onto it. We have been grafted into that vine... we are branches reaching back all the way from creation. Reaching back and into the future, we have been pruned along the way through others and by others. So thanks be to God for grafting and for those who have pruned us in faith. One such person I think of this year is Rev. Dr. Barbara Jurgensen. Pastor
Barbara served First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Logan Square on the
northwest side of Chicago from 1977 to 1984. Barbara served my home church in
her only role as a parish pastor in inner-city Chicago for those six years.
Barbara passed away last summer, 2012. This Holy Week she has been pressed into eternal vineyard service, her life poured out upon so many. I received an email from her son about
her death. I was saddened and have wanted to write about her role in my
life. She came to First Lutheran Church as one of the
first female pastors in the ALC in 1978. She served First in Chicago at such a
crucial time for me. I was just starting seventh grade and she led our
confirmation class on Wednesday afternoon in the upstairs parsonage main room
with five other teens. We read scripture, the catechism, and made taffy apples.
She was able to get people from the church to pay for me to go to Bible Camp;
first at Green Wing Bible Camp in 1978 and 1979 near Amboy, Illinois and then
to Lutherdale Bible Camp north of Elkhorn, WI in 1980 and 1981.
Barbara’s timely influence in my life was amazing. She
pressed me into service to take on leadership of our Luther League, grafting me as a youth
representative to Church Council and to work as a volunteer in 1982 at Lutherdale
on the maintenance staff. That first of many summers away from Chicago opened my eyes to a
new world. It was around the campfires of Lutherdale I felt the "pruning of the Holy Spirit", setting me free from the hold of sin and fear, calling me to go to
college, become a Youth Director and then go to seminary.
Barbara's life influenced many! The spiritual legacy she has left impacts the branches of faith in various places. She was on the 70 member commission to create the
ELCA. She left First Lutheran Church two days before I
graduated from high school and became the first ordained woman professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
She taught and continued to write into retirement. She always encouraged my
writing, specifically my Christmas poems. One was published in the December 1998
“Lutheran Women’s Today” magazine.
When I posted a sermon on this blog in
May of 2009
Barbara commented, “I love the vine and
branches imagery. That’s why I chose John 15:5 as my ordination text. I never
knew how drastically the vines had to be pruned each year until our family
bought a little farm with 100 grape vines. They each grew many, many feet of
branches each year and each winter we had to prune them back to just a few
inches, a total of twelve inches per vine. So we shouldn’t be surprised as we
are at the pruning the Lord does in our lives.”
Barbara was pruned from the
fellowship of our Christian community, yet to God be the glory for the many words
she poured out upon the lives of those who continue to branch out in faith. Barbara encouraged me and this blog is a reflection of her faithful pruning. Thank God for the Barbara branch.
Don Bouldin tells about a study he did of people who were 95 and older! He asked the question, “If you had life to do over again, what would you do differently?” First, reflect more. Second, take more risks. Third, do more things that will last forever. Invest in eternity. Jesus has taken a risk with these disciples. He has invested all of eternity into these followers with the hope of creating the world largest spiritual social network. His message is about to go public after he gives an offering of his share of God’s grace and mercy. When Facebook went public this week and offered shares to be purchased, people invested into them! Investors raced to get shares, Facebook raised $16 billion that valued the company at $104 billion. It was the third-largest public offering in the history of the USA, behind General Motors and Visa. Mark Zuckerberg is only 28 years old and he has prayed on the great need for a stronger social network fabric in our ever disconnected world. In just 8 years, Facebook went from a scrappy college service in a dormitory to the world’s largest social network, with 901 million monthly users worldwide, and roughly 200 million in the USA, or 2/3 of population. It’s all about the return on investment. The hour approaches for his offering. He is not quite sure how this investment will go. What does the start up director of one of the worlds now largest spiritual networks decides to do? Jesus decides to engage in prayer! But Jesus doesn’t pray for himself – all of Chapter 17 is a prayer! Jesus will soon pray for himself in chapter 18 - in the garden! But now he is praying on behalf of those to whom the Father has authorized him to "give eternal life." He loving & longingly is concerned about the forces that pull at us. Priestly prayer of Jesus This lengthy prayer in John 17 shows Jesus concerned for his disciples. He is trying to encourage them in the face of his imminent departure. Jesus had invested three years into the disciples. He has invested into them, though a high risk & high yield! For some it may have looked as if it were not going to pay off! Yet of the twelve disciples, he will get almost a 91% return on investment with 11 of them panning out. After Jesus is death and resurrection, they appoint another disciple to take on a twelfth of the responsibility placed upon them. One pastor suggested that this is a preview of Nicene Creed where it says, that we all be “one, holy, catholic and apostolic”. We believe that Jesus wanted unity, that he was set apart (holy) so that they are set apart (holy); that there is just one church and that it’s a message that will go everywhere so he is sending the disciples. Jesus is talking about unity in the body of Christ, oneness. In the midst of difficulty, there is a tendency to get pulled apart. The pressures of life tend to pull people apart – create denominations. How many churches are there in Rockford? One! Jesus wants them to "close out" any old "accounts" they invested into. Unity with the father and son and Holy Spirit is discovered when we live in community around the word, the meal and fellowship. The other part of chapter seventeen is about being catholic, small “c”. Catholic means universal church that exists throughout the world. Jesus wanted all to believe through their message and be one in the message. We think of the new Rockford Bishop Malloy who held a non-communing Vespers prayer service Sunday evening demonstrating openness to be in prayer with other Christians in our community.
Jesus also is focused on setting these disciples apart for a purpose. As Jesus was set apart for a mission, we reme5mber that the word “holy” means “set apart”. We are the “holy” catholic, church “set apart” (holy) to share the good news. His final action will make us holy because he pays for our sins on the cross, a huge investment risk. He makes them and us holy. The “word made flesh” will lead them into the truth about themselves, others and God. For then they are sent! When Jesus said that he was sent by the Father, so now he is sending them out to the world. He prays that they would be guarded once sent. The word “apostolic” means “sent” and so the disciples (students following the way of Christ) and now “apostles” or senders. Jesus is about to his the “send” button and causes them to share the message throughout the world. His last word in this section is not about reflection but about going
out to invest into eternal things. Starting next week, we will train a disciple of Christ so that she might be sent into the world as an ELCA pastor of Word and Sacrament. This congregation has invested time, talents and resources into a kid who grew up here. Chrissy Salser will be our Summer Pastoral Intern. You will see the pay off when seminarian Chrissy Salser will come back here to serve a Summer Pastoral Internship for ten weeks. She isn’t just that little kid
anymore. She has been blessed and is responding to the good news. She is here because of 2000 years of return on investment, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and is paying off. Others have built up her faith as they have committed their hearts, sweat and bones, calluses and money. Other invested into Chrissy and each of us long before we even were born. Others have provided us this community because we are the “one holy catholic, apostolic church. There is a great “return on investment” because Jesus is concerned about the world. The investment into those twelve disciples has paid off, we are the “prophets” (sic)who are sent into the world to service. What is more important is that we have the greatest investor. Long before we invested into God, God reached into an unlimited pocketbook and sent the great broker to invest into our portfolio, breaking the bank for us! Let us pray…
1 David Versen, May 28, 2006; John 17: 11b-19; www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-8/060528-7-e.html
I had the chance to go and see the movie Red Tails on Friday evening. The movie screening included members of the Chicago Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, the African American Air force unit the movie was inspired by. The event was sponsored by the Veterans Memorial Hall for Black History Month. After the movie, I had the chance to meet two the veterans, Tuskegee Airmen Virgil Pool and Julius Jackson. When I shook their hands, I say what I say to every veteran which is “thank you for your service”; which Jackson said oh you don’t have to do that. Then I said to them both “thank you for your endurance”.
They have gone through the American wilderness of human inequality, with some experiencing that wilderness more like a desert than others, where there are more beasts than angels. We stand on this side of civil rights and we give God praise for the movement toward a world of human dignity and peace, knowing that we stand on this side of the desert. God has provided a way through the wilderness of American civil injustice.
In today’s reading from Mark, chapter 1, we see that the wilderness is surrounded by a baptism and the first preaching of good news. The journey begins with identity and baptism. Still wet from his baptism, Jesus hears, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The commissioning means a conflict[1] for Jesus. Identity is so important when facing struggles. This identity doesn’t mean there will not be challenges!There are beasts out to devour Jesus in the wilderness!
The one who has declared who Jesus will now test him!Jesus will go beyond the comfort of warm water and be moved through the green grass lands of the river Jordan into the desert. He will move out toward the dark night of the soul. When Jesus entered the 40days, he didn’t know how long it would last! It will be the right amount of time. The reality is we don’t know how long the desert will be. We recall Moses didn’t know he was going to be 40 days on the mountain. Noah didn’t know the rain would last 40 days upon the Ark. How many animals did Moses bring on the ark? None! Noah did and Moses didn’t.Elijah didn’t plan to run and hide 40 days in his struggles.So we too enter the wilderness seasons and wonder how long will this dreadful period when we feel paralyzed by grief, fear or doubt!Perhaps because we know it will be 40 days, we may run away and hide and avoid such a wilderness!
So it is the Holy Spirit that in mark throws Jesus into the desert. We don’t want to enter the wilderness of testing and we don’t go willingly into struggles. Why? Because we know we will fail on our own as we are tempted to do it on our own. But this temptation is not toward a particular activity of sin!We are tempted not by what we cannot do but what we can do with the power of the Holy Spirit. The heart of the deception is an offer not to fall but to rise. We avoid the wilderness because we don’t want to recognize our complete dependence upon God! The tempter in the garden did not ask, "Do you wish to be as the devil?" but "Do you wish to be as God?"No self-respecting Satan would approach a person with offers of personal, social and professional ruin! We are tempted to think we are doing this on your own. Why then can’t they just pull themselves up by their bootstraps? They don’t have any boots? We believe that a rising tide will raise all boats unless you don’t have boat in the first place; then you die.
The thing we know about the wilderness is that Jesus encountered the wild beasts. There are two possibilities: Jesus encounters the wild beasts and masters them; gives them a noogy. Or we reflects upon Isaiah 11:6-9 – “The lion & the lamb shall lie down together” and we see that Jesus is with the wild beasts, and they do not harm him. It’s not because he puts them in a head lock but because both can exist together. Jesus is with the wild beasts because this is the beginning of the time that is fulfilled. The reign of God has come near. Something new, entirely new, has dawned.
It is in this place of the wilderness that we wrestle with the wild beasts that lie within each one of us; that dwells within our very culture and country. We see that all the beasts that we have wrestled with are still with us; taunting us to try and master them again. We can’t master them without the presence of the holy with us. Then we know because we are the beloved children of God, we can let them lay there with gentle lamb and experience God’s reign living within us; in our homes; community and world. The reign of God is ushered in when we know we can be together with the beasts all around us.
It is then that we see that God will send angels to serve us; to “Diakonia” us and provide for us all that we need. God provides for us in our testing by sending us messengers who are like angels who will serve us and care for us. In the midst of battles with the beasts of the world, we are promised that others will surround us and serve and care for us.
The greatest temptation is to run from the calling we have to celebrate that we are a mosaic community, sharing the grace of Christ with all. We shall night run away from that calling, with all the wild beasts that are within us. We know that at the end of Lent the desert of lonely abandonment will culminate in Jesus' cry on the cross and it is then that the reign of God will be ushered in, where creation and humanity will live in peace; where men and women of all races and creeds will live in harmony. Something new has begun and Jesus is announcing it as good news. The time is right!We are invited to repent and turn around this very day and see God is here. The time is here…
Let us pray:
[1]Interpretation: Mark, Lamar Williamson, Jr. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1983), pg 36-40
I chose to read the Gospel lesson from the back of the worship space today to get you turned around. With all the preparation for Christmas, it is so easy to lose focus on the real purpose of the season. With all the preparation and decorating, we can easily get turned around. John the Baptist was preparing the way for Christ. When John began his ministry, he arrived in a specific historical context that the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist. The mention of the emperor and leaders frames this preparation.
It was in our own historical context, that we remember in the year when George W. H. Bush was president, James Edgar was governor of Illinois, the Great Chicago Flood took place; Tiger Woods became the youngest PGA player at age 16; the American With Disabilities Act went into effect; and on this day Jerry Rice caught his at the time NFL record 101st touchdown.[1]It was in that context that word of the Lord came to the ELCA, to presiding Bishop Chilstrom, to the Mission Director Gary Wollersheim and to Pastor Dennis Heaney. The word of the Lord came to Pastor Heaney in the wilderness of this growing community to start a new church in Lake in the Hills and south Crystal Lake. It was on this day that they word of the Lord was first preached in 1992 at Living Waters at Crystal LakeSouthHigh School. We held our first worship service this day!The word of the Lord came to Pastor Heaney, to Pastor Wayne Stoutenburg, to me to come here in 1992 and will come to the Interim Pastor this week and to your new pastor in the year to come. Every year, we’ve had the opportunity to prepare again and again for the word of the Lord. Pastors, leaders and rulers will come and go but the word of the Lord will continue to be spoken in the wilderness of our lives.
The word of God came to John the Baptist in the wilderness!The wilderness is the place where the faith was formed for the people of God. After 40 years of preparation in the wilderness, they were ready to enter a promised land, not a perfect land, but a hoped for land. The word came to John the Baptist, the voice of God spoke to him and he listened. He repented and turned around and then warned others to prepare the way. John the Baptist proclaimed a Baptism of Repentance – turn around! Advent use to be the color of purple, the color of repentance.
What is the first thing you will do with the arrival of Christ in your preparation? Repent! The preparation calls us to turn around and hear the call of God to remember the real meaning and purpose of Christmas! I took my kids yesterday to see the movie “A Christmas Carol”. There were moments in those dreams of ghosts that reminded him and warned him to be set upon a path that leads to cold and hardness of heart.
We repent by turning away from the things that distract us in our daily lives, falling to our knees and asking God for mercy. We stand up and turn around in a new direction. Repentance sometimes means we get turned upside down! Our world view changes.Repentance acknowledges that we are lost in the forest and we are looking again for the path.
The word of God that is our salvation is near to us as we repent. When we are turned around and our world is turned upside down, God’s word speaks to us. This past week, I went out to look at the garage. As I looked at the incomplete garage, I thought about all the unfulfilled dreams and hopes for ministry that I will be surrendering. Some type of confession started falling out of me as I recall all that I have done and left undone. I then decided to go and walk the faith walk in the woods that Jordan Marshall started. It’s almost through to the back and as I walked out of the back part of the woods, I walked through the small pine trees that are growing a little taller. In the cold wilderness of an early December morning when I feel my world being turned around and upside down, I heard the word of God speaking to me again to turn around and see the salvation of the Lord is near.
One day St. Francis heard the coming of a great army against the city in which he resided. In the face of the anxiety which would naturally attend to such a rumor, St. Francis thought to himself how great this city was, how high its walls were, how strong the parapets. Then the voice of God spoke to him, “Francis”, it said, Go out of the city gates.”And Francis obeyed. Once outside the walls, the voice bade him, “Francis, turn around and look at the city.” Once again, Francis did as his inner voice told him. And once again he thought of how secure that city was with its great walls. Then the voice of God said, “Francis, stand on your head.” “What Lord, you want me to stand on my head?” he asked. “Francis stand on your head.” And once again Francis did as he was told. And as he stood on his head, he saw that great city outlined against the greater sky and the voice of God asked, “Francis, what would happen to the city if I did not keep it from falling into the sky?” Then Francis understood. Only by looking at the city upside down could he truly understood where his security rested.”
Let us pray: Gracious God, we come before you to be turned around and to that our salvation is near. Guide us today to hear your word speak to us in this wilderness; we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Today’s lesson addresses the second coming of Christ. We believe that Christ has come; the Christ is here and that Christ will come again. This is a very apocalyptic passage that is one of prophesy and not prediction. Today, people question if we are living in the end times. We believe there is no rapture, where Jesus will come again a second, then seven more years and then he will come again a third time! People may think this apocalyptic passage reveals a secret clue and we must unravel it to find out when! Some may feel anxious about the end times. Revelation references in the Bible are not prediction. The gospel lesson is a small apocalyptic future. Apo=off. Calyse = cover. Off with the cover. Off with cover and you look into the contents of the pan. Off with the cover and you see the contents of the future. It doesn't at first seem to instill us with any sense of hope at all. In fact, after reading this passage, we can be overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness. We hear of these mysterious signs in the sun, moon and stars. There are images of people fainting. Heaven and earth pass away, there is talk of a trap, and our hope for escape, and by the end of the reading, it seems the walls are closing in on us. And yet, in the midst of the chaos, there are some words of hope in the midst of the confusion. When will it happen? We don’t know. Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paul all thought they were living in the last days but they were wrong. Only Jesus was right. He said in Matthew that “You do not know the hour or the day!” Stop trying to predict! When that day comes, Jesus says to us, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near . . . when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near." We are called to stand up, raise our heads and lean into the future. When my children want to whisper something to me, and I can’t quite hear, what is the body’s response? I tend to lean into where the voice is coming from. So listen in and be prepared to stand up, raise your heads and lean into the future. We are living in a new season in the life of the church. On this the first Sunday of Advent, you are leaning into the future of Living Waters and I am leaning into the future at Zion Lutheran in Rockford where I will start in the New Year. Martin Luther King, Jr said, “I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.” We have different futures in parish ministry as I prepare to leave Living Waters, but we serve the same heavenly Father. Yesterday, Robert and Linda Gallet were married here at Living Waters. It was my last wedding service. Bob and Linda are 67 and 72 years old. When they got said “unto death parts us” they know what that means and yet they were leaning into the future with the love and hope of Christ. This fall, as I’ve been looking out my window here at the church, I couldn’t help but notice the road construction on Frank Road. The process and progress was slow going as they tore off the old surface, redid the sidewalks, put new blacktop down and the painted on the various stripes on the road. What stands out for me is the sign facing Miller Road and the church, “Road Work Ahead: Expect Delays”. I had wanted to take a picture of that sign. It was a reminder of the season of my life and now the season for Living Waters. But then one day, the sign was gone. The road has been prepared and now completed for those to travel to and from this place for worship. When we gather at this table (stand behind altar) and we eat of this feast, we say that this is the “foretasted of the feast to come”. We sing the words: “This is the feast of victory for our God… for the lamb who was slain has begun to reign!” This is the foretaste of the feast to come. When you come forward, I want you to lean into the words, “given and shed for you”. Trust in these promises as we all lean into and upon the promises of God. Let us pray: Gracious God, we gather to lean upon your words and your promises. We gather to get just a foretaste of that feast to come. Grant us courage to lean upon you, in Jesus name, Amen.
Christ is at his own trial before Pilate and is about to receive the Royal Treatment!Christ stands before the throne of Pilate. Jesus is facing the greatest test and challenge in his calling by the Father to be a sacrifice for sin and an example of love to us.Pilate enters the room and Christ is summoned and questioned! Pilate, the representative of the dominant Roman Empire is concerned that the King of the Roman Empire might be threatened by someone here in this small outpost who has been causing enough trouble with the locals that they have accused him of a political crime.
Are you the King of the Jews? Pilate asked him. The life and ministry of Jesus is not in alignment with the powers of allegiance of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. The reign of God is both hidden and revealed. Jesus was born that the reign and kingdom of God might break into our lives! When we hear this good news, God’s reign breaks in and pulls us into alignment and allegiance to a different way of doing life!
Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday in the Church Calendar year. We do not order our faith lives around the Roman Calendar of January-December; or around the budget year or around the school year. Our Allegiance to time and order is based upon the King of Kings. Someday, Jesus will come on the clouds the way the Revelation, chapter 1 passage says.
Christ the King Sunday is always the last Sunday of the Church Year. It is the end of the season of our spiritual journey and next week is the beginning of a new spiritual journey starting with Advent. Advent is the first Sunday of the church calendar, a season of waiting and preparation. So it is with this ending and this new beginning that we remember the promises of God that have been with us throughout our lives.
I know the announcement this week was a surprise. The resignation was something that took many by surprise. I wasn’t expecting Oprah to announce her resignation. She will be done on September 9, 2011 so that gives us over 600 days to worship her as the Queen of Day time talk shows. I’m not sure if that will give us all enough time to grieve her resigning from her role in the church that Oprah built. Perhaps she is close to royalty in our culture so it with sadness that we heard that she will be surrendering her throne.
Well it was not easy for me to resign and surrender to the king. You must be willing to surrender your will and ask God to lead and guide.When I told the council president of the upcoming call to serve ZionLutheranChurch in Rockford, IL a few weeks ago, it was not something I was looking forward to. I wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of you today and tell you about my resignation as the Pastor at Living Waters. You all have received the letter that I sent out this week announcing my resignation as the Pastor here. Today we remember the ministry we have shared together. We have seen the reign of God break in through the various joys and sorrows we have shared. We remember the trials and tribulations that have taken place in our personal lives and the body as a whole and wondered when the hiddeness of God’s kingdom will break in.
As I gathered with the Church Council on Tuesday evening to formally resign as the Pastor of Living Waters Lutheran Church, we joked about whether or not they would accept the resignation. The church council unfortunately had to accept it. Today we all need to resign. We need resign as general managers of our little world. We need to resign from trying to fix every person, problem and place in our world. We need to resign to the truth that we must lay our crowns down! Wonder of wonders, God will accept your resignation.
About seven years ago, I went to visit the Francis family in their new home to offer a prayer of blessing. As we visited, Luke showed me a label maker he was getting using. I was wearing my cleric that day and I let him put a label on my cleric that read, “Pastor Mike”. I never took that label off and actually never used it. I saw it this morning in my pile of clerics and decided to wear it. I too must pledge my allegiance to the king and lay down this role as the pastor of Living Waters.
We are being called to lay down our crowns at the foot of the cross. We are the subject of the king and we lay our crowns down again today. God is calling you and me to recommit our allegiance to Christ and to lay down our crowns. Our allegiance calls us to place all of our time, talent and treasures at the throne of the cross. God will bless them for the sake of the God’s kingdom.
Let us pray: Gracious God, it is never easy to pray “thy kingdom come and thy will be done” but we gather today again to seek your will and to renew our allegiance to your reign and rule. Guide us as we kneel before you today. Renew us as your subjects, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Today is Reformation Sunday. We remember that on this day in 1517, change took place in the Roman Catholic Church that has left a mark on us all. Martin Luther posted on his website the 95 Thesis. On his blog he wrote the “disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” with the hope that “out of love for the truth and the desire to bring to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg… (and) he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us may do so by letter” or email.” Such change took place because of the church was focused on indulgences, having people pay to get out of hell or pay for past sins. Luther didn’t want a denomination to be named after him. As a matter of fact, those of the Lutheran background in Germany were for a long time just called the Evangelical Church! The leaves have changed this week so quickly and along with the rain, they have not only turned colors but have been continuously falling. Change in the season brings growth and a preparation for new life. God likes change for the purpose of renewing relationships. We all like change. Do you know how many Lutherans it takes to change a light bulb? Change, what’s wrong with the burned out one? We are in a relationship that will continuously change and transform us throughout the seasons of our lives. We surrender’s to winter and the beautiful new life that will come in the spring. We are Lutheran because of this history. Some are born into it and have a big “L” on their forehead from birth. Others of us are adopted into the community. We are a part of the ELCA and that is a history of reformation verse just being Protestants who protest. We claim the reforming part of the tradition because that reforming processes is the work of the Holy Spirit. One sign of this church is it is a reforming faith. The spirit continues to reform us. Reform comes from the word morph which means to change from one thing into another. Every Reformation Sunday, we read the Romans 3: 23-24 passage where it says, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Grace is a gift and not something to be earned. We also read John 8: 31-38 where Jesus said to those who had believed in him and were now being tested to see if they really were going to follow! “If you continue in my word, you will be my disciples”. That if is very conditional and there is an indefiniteness and uncertainty of that if. Perhaps Jesus knows that people will not continue and that they and we may forget and follow another word. Will they continue and remain? We know that these verbs are all future orientated in tense. There is a future focus to this message. Will they stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy; abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry? Will they repeatedly enter into the word that is Christ? The permanency of the relationship is in question. Will they abide or dwell in a relationship with Christ who is the logos that was in the beginning and spoke life into existence. If you continue to remain in this relationship you will be my disciples. These verbs are all future verbs and not present verbs. They will continue to be renewed in this relationship over and over again. It’s just not this one time thing of obedience for them or us. We are renewed in this relationship when it gets stagnate. Continuous Reforming Faith means that God is continuously calling us to turn around and repent and discover grace on the cross through Jesus Christ alone! That change will bring about change in your daily living. I was once told by a pastor friend of mine that change is constant but growth is optional. Repeat that with me, change is constant but growth is optional. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ will be changed. If you want to be really free, you will be called back into this relationship. Continuous reformation is the outcome of the Holy Spirit calling us back to be disciples of Jesus that you will be free again and again and again. Scripture reminds us again and again that we are not free and we are slaves to one thing or another! We are by nature enslaved to sin. But now Christ has asserted dominion in our lives. Freedom is a gift posted upon our hearts when we go astray! We are not permanently free. But we are given the chance to be disciples again today and we are called to freedom again today. This past week was my daughter Maggie’s “gotcha” day. We watched the video of the day she came home to us from Korea. It showed Maggie and I with her Foster Mother “Mrs. Shin” who with her husband and two daughters been the foster mother of thirteen other children before Maggie. Her home those first six months may not have been permanent but for Mrs. Shin, she holds a place in her heart for Maggie forever. From being that little baby to now being five years old, she has changed. She has a place in our home and hearts for she has been welcomed into our lives and the lives of the people here at Living Waters. We have all been set free to live in this household of faith that continues to reform and renew. Let us pray: Gracious God, you have welcomed us and adopted us into your household. We have not claim to this house except that you invite us again today to be renewed and called and sent to be your hands and feet to the world. Guide us in this new freedom, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Today we hear in the Genesis 2 lesson that Adam did the naming of the animals. I could imagine him saying, “Well you look like a horse and you look like a cow, no offense”. Well the naming of animals is a very important thing. Cows with names are happy and blessed, while anonymous cattle tend to be stressed. A study out of England, reported in USA Today, reveals that affectionate treatment of cattle can increase the amount of milk they give. The average cow produces about 2,000 gallons of milk a year, but if you know her by name, she’ll give you an extra 68 gallons. Researcher Catherine Douglas of NewcastleUniversity says farmers have always believed that naming cows has a positive effect. Her study shows that if a cow isn’t given individual attention, then it’s likely to be uncomfortable around humans and become stressed. A stressed cow releases hormone called cortisol, which inhibits milk production. Cow-friendly farmers name their cows and make contact with them from an early age. “They chat to them in passing,” Douglas observes. “They walk among the cows and speak with them.” One organic dairy farmer in Oregon knows each of his 165 cows by a name. He’s convinced that naming a cow, combined with really understanding the animals and their behavior, is going to increase milk production. So cows that are known by name will be blessed while anonymous cattle will be stressed.[1] Well I might be milking this story but there is something about using someone’s name that connects with the person. In the letter to the Hebrews, it says “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son”. God is speaking to us, calling out names. God sent Jesus to walk among us and speak to us, to show us God’s will and God’s way by being in relationship with us. God is not distant, but with us and speaks to us and calls us by name.
Well the people were bringing the little calves or children to see Jesus that he might place his hands upon them, speak a kind word to them and bless them.These children were paidoin – just like the young one’s from Star Wars. But the disciples rebuked these people who were doing this. Who were bringing the kids to Jesus? A man and father would know better than to bring these children to see a Rabbi. The fathers better!
The children were considered to have no power, as were their mothers! Not only did Jesus welcome the children to hear the good news but their mothers as well. “Don’t bother the rabbi”.The disciples’ words would stress while the words of Jesus would bless. Then Jesus rebuked the disciples, one of a few times. Jesus was addressing three main things with the disciples and the culture.
First of all, Jesus was addressing the attitude toward children of the day. We still have it when we think that children should be seen and not heard. Yet we have a child friendly worship space where children make noise. It’s usually the mom’s who the most uncomfortable because they believe their children are embarrassing them. So we use words that stress our children or each other. We remember the saying, sticks and stones may break my bones but words would never hurt me? Words are detrimental because words create stress and they can bless. Stress creates strain and can lead to distress. God did not promise us that we would be exempt from the things that cause stress and anxiety.[2]God doesn’t want us to add to the stress! Evil one uses stress to divide community and families relationships with parent/spouse/child.
The second thing Jesus was addressing was the attitude of children. Many times we think children are innocent. I was telling the parents and Baptism 101 that your goal is to help teach their children that they are not the center of the world. They are born and are so cute and adorable. Yet they scream and you are to reorientate your world to their needs, true. But they think they are the center of the world and your goal is to move their over an eighteen year period toward the place where they see that God has created them and has blessed them to bless others.
The attitude of children that Jesus is lifting up is one of complete dependence
A child needs the parent’s acceptance even when children will do crazy things! We teach them with love and bless them with words of life and not stress them. At the First Communion class yesterday I asked the kids and parents if they make mistakes. We all do and we come together at this table to be fed that we might be sent to bless.
I was picking up Nathan from school on Thursday with Maggie. It was rainy that day and there were puddles in various places. I had an umbrella and Nathan was walking with me to the van when I overheard a mom talking to her son. She was obviously feeling a little stressed by the action of her first grader, probably jumping in a puddle or something terrible. Then she said, “Is that the way someone who has Jesus in his heart should behave?” Wow! A Christian Guilt trip! We all do this as parents to motivate our children but we are all blessed today by Christ’s words of love.
Finally, the third thing Jesus is teaching about children and discipleship is that we should have the attitude of receiving when it comes to God’s reign[3] in our life. Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like these children cannot enter. The children have open hands and hopeful hearts. When I asked the kids at the First Communion class about how many Christmas presents they deserve this year, I told them they deserve none. Christmas is about receiving with open hands this gift, they way we come forward with open hands.
Because finally, Jesus as the rabbi may have been seated when these children were being brought forward like most rabbis were in the synagogue. I could imagine that the came running up to him with his open arms and embraced them and blessed them with words the way we bless our children before they go to bed each night. We say “always remember that Jesus loves you and so do we.” We gather to run into those arms – to be spoken words that bless! We gather to receive God’s reign as one dependent! This human touch of Jesus is a gift to us!
Let us pray: Gracious God, you have called us by name and we gather to hear your word that blesses us in the midst of life’s stresses. You speak a word of hope as we gather to receive your embrace and eat at this table before we are called out to bless others. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
[1] Der Bedrosian, Jeanette. “Naming cows isn’t udder nonsense” USA Today, February 5, 2009, 6D.
[2] Living Stress Free In Today's World... Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
[3] See Interpretation Commentary on Mark by Lamar Williamson, Jr. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1983), page 179
Samuel Miller had a chance to watch Karl Valletin in Munich Germany, the last metaphysical clowns. As the curtain lifted, the stage was completely dark. In the darkness was a solitary circle of light in the middle of the stage. Vallentin appeared in his clown costume and began to intently look around the circle of light. A policeman appeared on the scene and inquired if he lost something. The clown replied, “Yes the key to my house. The policeman joined him in the search for a long time and finally asked, “Are you sure you lost it here?” The clown answered, “No, I lost it over there”, pointing to a dark corner of the stage. “Why”, asked the exasperated policeman, “Are you looking for it here? To which the clowned shrugged his shoulders, “Because there is no light over there!” Today is Trinity Sunday and it may seem foolish to try to talk about the trinity. The book The Shack attempts to personalize this theological principle of the Christian faith. But often God is not center stage. By shining light on such a topic, we discover the floodlight of God’s love for living which is often not very center stage in our lives. Recently I read regarding the trinity, “You will lose our soul if you don’t believe it and you will lose your mind if you try to explain it.” So today let us get lost in the light of the glory and grace of God as we think about God as light. We read in 1 John 1:5, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” God is light and the Greek word for light is “phoes” which we get the word photo, photon and photosynthesis? This is the process by which sunlight is turned into energy that is converted into other, different, forms of energy by biological systems. It's an amazing process. Our vegetation needs the light of the sun. We need sunlight otherwise we get SAD, Seasonal Affect Disorder. Light is very important. So how does God as light relate to our growing in this light in relationship to the Trinity? Christian Schwarz wrote a book called the Threefold Art of Experiencing God. The book shines light upon the various ways we view and experience God in the trinity. God the creator enlightens our minds. Light is the natural symbol and expression of truth. No good work can be done without light. Genesis 1 said that in the beginning God said, “Let there be light.” God created light first in the explosion and bang of creation. The first reflection of uncreated light came first from God and it come first for us and to us. When Isaiah is exposed in the temple before God, he admits he is a man of unclean lips for he has been blinded by this majestic light of God’s presence. In Christ, we remember that John the Baptist came to bear witness to the light and that light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall never overcome the light of Christ. In the Holy Spirit, we remember the fire of Pentecost and the fire that led Israel through the wilderness. God’s light shines in these three forms of the creator and nothing defeats this light. I’d like you to think of the opposite of light. What is the opposite of up? Down! The opposite of west is east. The opposite of Cubs is Sox. What is the opposite of light? Darkness!? No! There is no equal force or power than light! Darkness is just the absence of light. They are not equal or opposite forces. Even just the smallest amount of light cannot be overcome by darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light; it does not even exist on its own. Now we might be afraid of the dark or we forget that God is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death. But we don’t need to be afraid to walk into the light of God’s love and grace. John 3:16 says God So Loved the world - You and Me - that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God didn’t do this to condemn us but that we might have life. Yet even though the light is available and salvation is at hand, there will still be times when we stay in darkness and the shadows. We may carry the darkness of the past. There may be shadowy pain that we have never spoken of before that once exposed to the light will cause us to see that it is no our identity. This light is a love that shines upon us and everything. God is inviting us into the light, and the darkness can’t overcome it. Darkness in our lives occurs when something is covered over or covered up. We have an easier time recognizing the darkness in others or we can see what is covered up in them, their lack of love or kindness or patience. We often have greater trouble acknowledging the shadows in our own lives. We sometimes cover for one another because we don’t want to be exposed to the light. But John 3:19-21 remind us that “the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” We are those people do not want to be exposed. God is inviting us into the light of his love! There will be times when you do not want your whole life to be flooded with light. Some things--secrets, sins, and relationships--we do not want to let go. They shape our identity! There are things that we would rather not deal with; would rather not have God shine any light upon. When we see such darkness, we usually hide in the shadows. But the light of Christ shines in the darkness and the darkness shall never overcome it. Living in the light calls us to surrender to the light of God, capturing our hearts and fears and allow God’s light to heal and restore. There was once a battleship heading straight towards a light in the distance that was coming up in its path and seemed to be awfully close. The captain of this battleship had the signalman send a message out to this on-coming vessel, telling them to veer ten degrees to the starboard. A reply came back from the source of light, saying, "You veer ten degrees to the starboard." Well, the captain of the battleship didn't rise up in the ranks for no good reason -- he was incensed at this challenge to his authority. So he sent a message back saying, "I am a captain. You veer ten degrees to the starboard." The reply came back, “I have no rank. You veer ten degrees to the starboard." And all of this was escalating. The captain pulled out his big one, he said, "I'm in a battleship. You veer ten degrees towards starboard." The reply came back, "I'm in a lighthouse." God is light and is guiding us through the storms of life safely into through the rough seas of life. God’s light continues to enlighten us and heal and restore us today. Let us pray: Gracious God, you are the light of the world so guide us through the shadows of life. As you were with Jesus when darkness covered the whole earth on the day of his death, shine upon us today that we may walk in the light of your love, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
I can't help but think of the book by Christian Schwarz, The Threefold Art of Experiencing God, when I think about the trinity and the various aspects of God as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
Elouisa; “EL” is God, like El-Shadai, El-Ohiem, Dani-EL; etc.
Holy Spirit – wind, as in the “ruah” (Hebrew) of God that moved over the waters in creation.The Holy Spirit is wind, fire and breath; when someone dies, we say they gave up their spirit in their last breath. When you lose you breath we say you got the wind knocked out of you
Book Reflections
The shack is where his daughter was killed. When he is called to return their a few years later, he is brought into a higher place of dwelling with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This seems to connect with Paul’s vision of being caught up into “paradise” and his thorn from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. This dwelling is the eternal Dwelling Place of God. The shack becomes the temple of the Lord; Jesus “dwelt” (abode) with us in John 1:14 & John 15:4-7.The 23rd Psalm says, “Surely, His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Garden of Eden – dwelling place with God.Heaven is a future redeemed dwelling place with God.
In the middle of this reading, I woke one night singing these words: "Let us go into the house of the Lord. Let us worship, praise and adore; singing this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us go into the house of the Lord." Dwelling in this relationship brings peace and joy. Singing is a fruit of that joyful abiding.
Praying the Lord’s Prayer, it says “Our Father” and the word in Hebrew and Aramaic is “abba” and “papa” is another way of refereeing to this endearing and intimate quality of a father or dad. Perhaps this book will rekindle in people the call to pray and develop a relationship with God.
The weekend away seemed very much like the three days Jesus was in the tomb
Image of surrender –page 139
Sophia – Greek word for wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-7 encourages seeking out understanding)
There were aspects of religious pluralism that was either supportive of or denouncing it on page 184.
The purpose for the "LAW" is just to point us to grace it seems from the page 204 writing. We also remember that the "law" is given first of all for good order, to address the human desire to "trespass" boundaries in relationship with God and others. The law also convict us of our sin, like a mirror, pointing us to our need for grace.
The Holy Communion image from page 238 was too privatized.
The focus of the ministry of reconciliation that the book seems to come to a conclusion with is rooted in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24 where repentance and forgiveness is to be proclaimed by the disciples.
Bible Passage Related in the story
Page 103 – suffering compared to the future glory from Romans 8:18-19 where it says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God…”
Page 103 – God is love from 1 John 4:7-12, as when we read verse 8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Page 129 – Redemption of our bodies from Romans 8:22-23 where it says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”
Page 135 – Tree of knowledge from Genesis 2:17
Page 138 & 175 – God is light from John 3:18-21
Page 168 – Chasm or Veil from Luke 16:26 – “Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” Or from 1 Corinthian 13:12 where it says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Page 179 – New city is Jerusalem from Revelation 22 with trees and river
Page 180 – “Church” is in Matthew 16:16 – “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” The word church here is ekklesia (ecclesiology) in Greek and it’s the only time used in Gospels. It means a community or group of followers.
Page 183 – Holy Spirit guides as in John 15:26 – “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
Page 184 – People are beloved as in 1 John 4:7; Romans 1:7 & Jesus at his Baptism and Transfiguation
Page 184 – We are all children of God, as in John 1:12 and Romans 8:14 and Galations 3:26
Page 195 – Mack is called an idiot; Luke 23:34 where Jesus said, “Father forgive them, they don’t know (idios in Greek) what they are doing.”
Page 205 – “All things are lawful” from 1 Corinthians 10:23 - “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” This passage relates to the freedom of the Christian.
Page 224 – God’s Purpose from Romans 8:28 where it says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Page 227 – Ministry of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 where it says: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
Page 245 – Time-warp displacement” – God’s time from Psalm 90:4 – “For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”
Reflections by: Rev. Dr. Michael E. Thomas pmethomas@comcast.net June 5, 2009
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