Faithful blog followers (if you are out there...)
I'll be on vacation with the family for the next couple of weeks so I'll be posting even more infrequently than I already do. We'll be in Salisbury MD for a bit and then in our Nation's Capital for about a week.
We have had an excellent start to our vacation so far. We enjoyed a very nice 50th anniversary party for Ed and Ellen Thress and have been staying with my wife's aunt and uncle. We went to church at Bethany Lutheran in Salisbury on Sunday and enjoyed our time there. It was the first time in a long time that I was able to sit with the family and help Amanda wrangle some kids. I think she enjoyed that aspect!
Sunday night we made our yearly trip to Old Mill Crab House in Delmar DE. I had the all you can eat crab special. The corn was great. The clam strips were good. The fried shrimp was good. The hush puppies were great. The crabs were outstanding! They were so full. The ones you wanted were not the biggest, but you picked the heaviest ones. According to the local Salisbury newspaper, the crab population in the Bay is the highest it has been since 1997.
Today we are going to Pocomoke to see the new Delmarva Discovery Center, which includes an Eastern Shore specific aquarium. We'll be going with our friends, the Thress', who are also in Salisbury visiting family. Tomorrow we'll all go to Ocean City together to walk the boardwalk, eat some fries, build a sandcastle, and play in the arcade.
More later.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sweeping the land!
I just heard on ESPN Radio that vuvuzelas will be given to Buckeye fans when Penn State comes to Columbus! Awesome!
Sermon for Pentecost 4, June 20
Fourth Sunday in Pentecost
June 20, 2010
Luke 8:26-39
God in Him is centered
In the name of Jesus, amen. “Rise! Shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered our human story; God in Him is centered. He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, with grace unbounded.”
With the crushing reality of death and sin around us, we heard that powerful Gospel lesson this morning. A poor man, bound in chains by demon possession, bound in chains by Satan, bound so tightly that he would break those bonds and flee to the desert, that man was set free by God’s grace. This man lived in a cemetery and wore no clothes. At the end of today’s Gospel, he is dwelling among the living and is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Sin and death are around us. This current oil disaster in the Gulf- who’s to blame? Big Oil, BP, the current administration, the former administration, regulators and overseers? How about sin as the answer! The desire to take a short cut, to get all you can in the easiest fashion, to give in to the temptation and say, “I confess, he did it!” All of those harmful and hurtful attitudes are the result of our sinful identity.
And we are on the path toward death, all of us. Whether we are beginning, in the middle, or towards the end, every man, woman, and child is moving in one direction, toward the cemetery. We mourn those who have died. We try to put it off as long as we can with various diets, pills, and exercise plans. We try not to think about it, sometimes even deluding ourselves with the notion that we are invincible. Some of us take risks with our bodies. We neglect our bodies. We treat our bodies, knit together and crafted by God, shamefully. And some of us build our bodies into more than what they are supposed to be, worshiping their body as if it will shield and protect them from all harm and danger.
And we wrestle with demons, which could look like a life of isolation- from God and from other people. We rebel against God through the unhealthy display of our temper, the way we cave in to temptations, the way we lift up our self at the expense of the people around us.
Death and sin surround us. More than surround us, they enslave us. Death and sin deceive us and convince us to take our eyes away from our God, to set our hearts on things that are earthly, to forget that we are Christ’s, heirs of the riches of God our Father.
In Christ our Lord, God in Him in centered. What a beautiful way to picture how close the triune God is to all of God’s people. Last week we spent some time considering how close God the Father desires to be, and today we are reminded that our Father is intimately close to us. In Christ the Father is present, the Father is here!
Jesus met the demon-possessed man. And the demons knew who was present. “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” The demons declared the divinity of Jesus. God in Christ was present, and where those demons in trouble. They knew what could happen. Legion saw a herd of pigs and begged the Son of the Most High God to send them into the pigs. Jesus consented. The demons entered the pigs and the pigs ran into the lake and were drowned.
The Son of the Most High God shows His mastery, His merciful mastery, in this Biblical, historical situation, and in our very lives. All things were changed for the better for the demon-possessed man. He was clothed and in his right mind. He was transformed, going on to tell all the people in the region how much Jesus had done for him.
We typically wear clothes. Most of the time we are in our right mind unless something terrible and tragic has happened. But we are changed for the better too as Christ’s mercy flows over us. We are transformed by the Gospel, by the news that for the sake of Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and we are set free from the bondage of sin and death.
Christ Jesus has entered our story with grace unbounded. It started at Christmas, we could even say it started when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the news that the Son of the Most High God would take up residence within her womb. Christ has entered our story. Christ is present amid our worry and confusion. Christ dwells with us in our fear and failure. With unbounded grace, Christ lifts up our head to look beyond all that surrounds us to view the cross, to view his empty cross, to gaze upon his empty tomb. Christ lifts up our head to see that the altar is bearing today the gifts we need for our living. The elements of bread and wine are there. The words of Christ Himself will be spoken and by faith we will receive the body and blood of Christ broken and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins.
In Christ Jesus the death and sin that surround us are conquered. Death has lost its sting since death is now the gateway to everlasting life. Sin is toothless, for if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Rise. Shine. Christ the Lord has entered our human story. In Christ the whole God, the Father and the Spirit, is present. Tenderly, compassionately, mercifully, God comes to us with free, limitless, boundless grace. God coming to us in Christ strengthens us to return to our homes declaring all that Jesus has done for us, transforming us, and setting us free to be the brothers and sisters of Jesus. God in Christ is centered, and is at the center of our lives. SDG
June 20, 2010
Luke 8:26-39
God in Him is centered
In the name of Jesus, amen. “Rise! Shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered our human story; God in Him is centered. He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, with grace unbounded.”
With the crushing reality of death and sin around us, we heard that powerful Gospel lesson this morning. A poor man, bound in chains by demon possession, bound in chains by Satan, bound so tightly that he would break those bonds and flee to the desert, that man was set free by God’s grace. This man lived in a cemetery and wore no clothes. At the end of today’s Gospel, he is dwelling among the living and is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Sin and death are around us. This current oil disaster in the Gulf- who’s to blame? Big Oil, BP, the current administration, the former administration, regulators and overseers? How about sin as the answer! The desire to take a short cut, to get all you can in the easiest fashion, to give in to the temptation and say, “I confess, he did it!” All of those harmful and hurtful attitudes are the result of our sinful identity.
And we are on the path toward death, all of us. Whether we are beginning, in the middle, or towards the end, every man, woman, and child is moving in one direction, toward the cemetery. We mourn those who have died. We try to put it off as long as we can with various diets, pills, and exercise plans. We try not to think about it, sometimes even deluding ourselves with the notion that we are invincible. Some of us take risks with our bodies. We neglect our bodies. We treat our bodies, knit together and crafted by God, shamefully. And some of us build our bodies into more than what they are supposed to be, worshiping their body as if it will shield and protect them from all harm and danger.
And we wrestle with demons, which could look like a life of isolation- from God and from other people. We rebel against God through the unhealthy display of our temper, the way we cave in to temptations, the way we lift up our self at the expense of the people around us.
Death and sin surround us. More than surround us, they enslave us. Death and sin deceive us and convince us to take our eyes away from our God, to set our hearts on things that are earthly, to forget that we are Christ’s, heirs of the riches of God our Father.
In Christ our Lord, God in Him in centered. What a beautiful way to picture how close the triune God is to all of God’s people. Last week we spent some time considering how close God the Father desires to be, and today we are reminded that our Father is intimately close to us. In Christ the Father is present, the Father is here!
Jesus met the demon-possessed man. And the demons knew who was present. “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” The demons declared the divinity of Jesus. God in Christ was present, and where those demons in trouble. They knew what could happen. Legion saw a herd of pigs and begged the Son of the Most High God to send them into the pigs. Jesus consented. The demons entered the pigs and the pigs ran into the lake and were drowned.
The Son of the Most High God shows His mastery, His merciful mastery, in this Biblical, historical situation, and in our very lives. All things were changed for the better for the demon-possessed man. He was clothed and in his right mind. He was transformed, going on to tell all the people in the region how much Jesus had done for him.
We typically wear clothes. Most of the time we are in our right mind unless something terrible and tragic has happened. But we are changed for the better too as Christ’s mercy flows over us. We are transformed by the Gospel, by the news that for the sake of Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and we are set free from the bondage of sin and death.
Christ Jesus has entered our story with grace unbounded. It started at Christmas, we could even say it started when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the news that the Son of the Most High God would take up residence within her womb. Christ has entered our story. Christ is present amid our worry and confusion. Christ dwells with us in our fear and failure. With unbounded grace, Christ lifts up our head to look beyond all that surrounds us to view the cross, to view his empty cross, to gaze upon his empty tomb. Christ lifts up our head to see that the altar is bearing today the gifts we need for our living. The elements of bread and wine are there. The words of Christ Himself will be spoken and by faith we will receive the body and blood of Christ broken and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins.
In Christ Jesus the death and sin that surround us are conquered. Death has lost its sting since death is now the gateway to everlasting life. Sin is toothless, for if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Rise. Shine. Christ the Lord has entered our human story. In Christ the whole God, the Father and the Spirit, is present. Tenderly, compassionately, mercifully, God comes to us with free, limitless, boundless grace. God coming to us in Christ strengthens us to return to our homes declaring all that Jesus has done for us, transforming us, and setting us free to be the brothers and sisters of Jesus. God in Christ is centered, and is at the center of our lives. SDG
I love vuvuzelas!
I love those horns that they blow at the World Cup games. More vuvuzelas, not less. People who claim they inhibit watching the games on TV don't get it. And they don't get that they don't get it. It is part of the international flavor of the games. Soccer is not America's game. It has a large following, but it is not our game, likely never will be. The MLS in our country will continue and be marginally successful, but it will never rise to the level of the NFL, MLB, or the NBA.
I haven't watched many of the games, as they are played at the time when I am at the office, but I have been paying attention. I hope the US makes it to the next round. I'm amused at the consternation of the Brits for their poor showing so far. I'm highly amused at the childishness of the French team. (A very good player on their team was substituted for at half time, went on a profane tirade at the coach, was sent home, and his fellow teammates then refused to practice later that week.) The French team is pretty good but they are in danger of not making it past the opening round.
I was very curious to see that North Korea has a team in the World Cup. Is this not the same North Korea that cannot feed its people?
And I'm interested to hear the soccer enthusiasts talk about the sophistication of the game and how much better it is than all the other sports. Sophisticated? All you need to play soccer is a ball and two tin cans. And if you don't have two tin cans, find two trees that are sufficiently spaced and you can turn those into goal posts. The reason soccer is loved worldwide is because it is cheap to play. You need a ball. That's it. No bat. No hoop. No helmet. No skates. Just a ball. You know the reason I don't snow ski? I don't have any snow and I don't have the money to go skiing. If I lived in Colorado, at least the snow would be taken care of, but skiing is still pretty expensive. Soccer is cheap. Just find a ball and some other people and voila, a game appears. Sophisticated? How about inexpensive?
But bring on the vuvuzelas. It used to be the custom in the church that during the Sanctus the Zimbelstern was used. (A Zimbelstern is a bell-star, or a bunch of bells on a ring that rotates against a clapper making the bells sound.) Perhaps the next time we celebrate communion vuvuzelas could be blown during the Sanctus, during the Words of Institution, at the conclusion to the Lord's Prayer. They definitely need to be brought to our church bodies' convention in July!
I haven't watched many of the games, as they are played at the time when I am at the office, but I have been paying attention. I hope the US makes it to the next round. I'm amused at the consternation of the Brits for their poor showing so far. I'm highly amused at the childishness of the French team. (A very good player on their team was substituted for at half time, went on a profane tirade at the coach, was sent home, and his fellow teammates then refused to practice later that week.) The French team is pretty good but they are in danger of not making it past the opening round.
I was very curious to see that North Korea has a team in the World Cup. Is this not the same North Korea that cannot feed its people?
And I'm interested to hear the soccer enthusiasts talk about the sophistication of the game and how much better it is than all the other sports. Sophisticated? All you need to play soccer is a ball and two tin cans. And if you don't have two tin cans, find two trees that are sufficiently spaced and you can turn those into goal posts. The reason soccer is loved worldwide is because it is cheap to play. You need a ball. That's it. No bat. No hoop. No helmet. No skates. Just a ball. You know the reason I don't snow ski? I don't have any snow and I don't have the money to go skiing. If I lived in Colorado, at least the snow would be taken care of, but skiing is still pretty expensive. Soccer is cheap. Just find a ball and some other people and voila, a game appears. Sophisticated? How about inexpensive?
But bring on the vuvuzelas. It used to be the custom in the church that during the Sanctus the Zimbelstern was used. (A Zimbelstern is a bell-star, or a bunch of bells on a ring that rotates against a clapper making the bells sound.) Perhaps the next time we celebrate communion vuvuzelas could be blown during the Sanctus, during the Words of Institution, at the conclusion to the Lord's Prayer. They definitely need to be brought to our church bodies' convention in July!
Recapping
I had a wonderful Father's Day. (First of all I found out that I won the Lutheran Public Radio Bundle Pack- new tee shirt, travel mug, bumper sticker and pen!)
Following a great worship service, we took the family to our pool- Persimmon Creek- along with Amanda's dad and his wife. The weather was hot, so the pool was great. All three of the kids got in the big pool with their various floaties and Jacob and Matthew both liked jumping in. When we went back to the kiddie pool, Jacob spent a lot of time going under water and holding his breath and trying to swim. He's really getting comfortable in the water. We had purchased some toypedos at WalMart and both boys liked throwing them in the water and watching them do their thing.
We brought dinner along, which consisted of pork loin, potato salad, and cheesy spinach treats (which are sort of like mini quiches). I got to grill the pork loin, which had been marinating for over a day and it turned out great. It was very nice and relaxing.
God has blessed me with the opportunity to be a father, has blessed me with a woman of integrity to be my wife and the mother of my children, has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him and His people at church. Wow.
What a wonderful day, finished with McFlurries after the kids went to bed.
Following a great worship service, we took the family to our pool- Persimmon Creek- along with Amanda's dad and his wife. The weather was hot, so the pool was great. All three of the kids got in the big pool with their various floaties and Jacob and Matthew both liked jumping in. When we went back to the kiddie pool, Jacob spent a lot of time going under water and holding his breath and trying to swim. He's really getting comfortable in the water. We had purchased some toypedos at WalMart and both boys liked throwing them in the water and watching them do their thing.
We brought dinner along, which consisted of pork loin, potato salad, and cheesy spinach treats (which are sort of like mini quiches). I got to grill the pork loin, which had been marinating for over a day and it turned out great. It was very nice and relaxing.
God has blessed me with the opportunity to be a father, has blessed me with a woman of integrity to be my wife and the mother of my children, has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him and His people at church. Wow.
What a wonderful day, finished with McFlurries after the kids went to bed.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I'm a winner!
Can you believe it? I'm a winner! Yes, today's Father's Day, so I very clearly know that I won when it came to getting married and being able to raise three great kids.
But I won an LPR Bundle Pack from Issues, Etc.! They play a game called Soundbite of the Week and invite people to vote and send comments. They picked my comment about Will Weedon's soundbite when he discussed the hymn "Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart". A new tee shirt, coffee mug, bumper sticker...awesome.
Issues, Etc. is a great show- Talk Radio for the Thinking Christian. Access it through the web since there is no way we can pick up the signal from Illinois. That way you can listen whenever you are able.
I never win anything, but now I have!
But I won an LPR Bundle Pack from Issues, Etc.! They play a game called Soundbite of the Week and invite people to vote and send comments. They picked my comment about Will Weedon's soundbite when he discussed the hymn "Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart". A new tee shirt, coffee mug, bumper sticker...awesome.
Issues, Etc. is a great show- Talk Radio for the Thinking Christian. Access it through the web since there is no way we can pick up the signal from Illinois. That way you can listen whenever you are able.
I never win anything, but now I have!
Friday, June 18, 2010
You know what I dislike...
I really get irritated that emergency vehicles do not travel with their sirens on all the time. It bothers me that an ambulance or fire truck gets slowed down by other vehicles in their way because those vehicles do not know that an ambulance is behind them. And part of the blame lies with the ambulance because it is not moving with its siren on.
I don't really care that it is 6:15am, the siren needs to be on to let people know that they are to get out of the way. In an urban, suburban, or rural setting the siren needs to be on since there is an emergency.
I don't really care that it is 6:15am, the siren needs to be on to let people know that they are to get out of the way. In an urban, suburban, or rural setting the siren needs to be on since there is an emergency.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Today's Business
I finally received my edition of Today's Business that contains all the resolutions to be discussed at our upcoming Synodical Convention in Houston TX. Now I can go through those resolutions and prepare my report for our circuit delegates. I know this will make me sound like a dork, but I'm happy.
Worship info for June 20
Here are the particulars for our upcoming worship on June 20
Hymns
333 Once He Came in Blessing
825 Rise, Shine, You People
541 "Away From Us!" the Demon Cried
570 Just As I Am, Without One Plea
762 There is a Time For Everything
650 Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling
Scripture Lessons
Isaiah 65:1-9
Galatians 3:23-4:7
Luke 8:26-39
Prayer of the Day
O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding. Cast out all sins and evil desires from us, and pour into our hearts Your Holy Spirit to guide us into all blessedness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May God bless our preparation and meditation for worship!
Hymns
333 Once He Came in Blessing
825 Rise, Shine, You People
541 "Away From Us!" the Demon Cried
570 Just As I Am, Without One Plea
762 There is a Time For Everything
650 Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling
Scripture Lessons
Isaiah 65:1-9
Galatians 3:23-4:7
Luke 8:26-39
Prayer of the Day
O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding. Cast out all sins and evil desires from us, and pour into our hearts Your Holy Spirit to guide us into all blessedness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May God bless our preparation and meditation for worship!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Scuffling
That's the word that applies to the St. Louis Cardinals right now. They are not slumping as much as they are just scuffling along. They have a much better team than what their record reveals. They actually appear to be two different teams, at least when it comes to their pitching. Carp, Wainwright, Garcia- good. Every other starter- bad. And with that dichotomy, you're not going to be able to run off a 6 game winning streak. You'll win two, lose two or lose three and win two, or win one, lose one.
The offense is scuffling as well, not being able to get the bats going like they should be able to.
Thank God the Cards are chasing the Reds so the scuffling ways will be able to keep them close.
Who knows? Perhaps the additions of Jeff Suppan, Randy Wynn, and Aaron Miles will shake up this team. I'm hopeful.
The offense is scuffling as well, not being able to get the bats going like they should be able to.
Thank God the Cards are chasing the Reds so the scuffling ways will be able to keep them close.
Who knows? Perhaps the additions of Jeff Suppan, Randy Wynn, and Aaron Miles will shake up this team. I'm hopeful.
Sermon for Pentecost 3
Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 13, 2010
Luke 7:36-8:3
Never too close
In the name of Jesus, amen. We certainly know that it is possible to be too close to something. Learning to drive, my mother had her foot jammed on the imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side of the car. You’re too close. You’re too close. We’ve likely met people who do not have a concept of personal space, and they get too close for our comfort. We repeatedly warn our children that they are too close to the stove, too close to the pool, too close to the road, too close to the edge of the bed. Being too closely involved in a situation can compromise our ability to think clearly and rationally.
Our Gospel lesson portrays for us the distance we believe is appropriate and the distance that God considers to be the right amount.
Simon the Pharisee wanted to talk with Jesus, have a conversation with him, maybe even learn from him. Jesus was a very popular figure, and Simon wanted to learn what was going on. Jesus came for a meal and as he reclined at table with his host and the other guests, here comes this woman. Our bulletin cover does a very fine job depicting this story. You can see the bottle of ointment. You can see the woman humbling herself at Jesus’ feet. You can also see the anger, confusion, hostility, amusement on the faces of the older men.
If Jesus was as great as everyone says he is, if Jesus was really a prophet, then he’d know that this woman has no business doing what she is doing. If Jesus was really a prophet, he’d send this woman away for she is a sinner.
Jesus did indeed know this woman. And her appearance opened the door for Jesus to teach. A banker forgave the debts of two people, one who owed five hundred bucks and the other who owed fifty. Both of the people would love the banker for forgiving their debts, but the one who had his five hundred dollar debt cancelled would love the banker the most.
This woman owed at least five hundred bucks. She was a sinner. When she heard that Jesus was in town, she searched him out, washed his feet, dried those feet, and anointed them with oil. She owed a tremendous amount and her great debt was cancelled. Her great debt was expunged, wiped away, forgiven. She was forgiven a great deal and she loved much. She drew close to Jesus, even though she should have never been allowed to enter the room. Simon, who in his mind owed nothing, kept his distance from Jesus. He did not allow himself to get too close.
Simon had invited Jesus, had brought Jesus in, yet Simon kept Jesus away. He didn’t want to get too close to Jesus, because something might happen. Simon was right. Jesus happened. Jesus did what His Father and our Father sent him to do- forgive sins. Jesus lived up to his name, and this woman, who owed much, who carried a tremendous load, this woman was forgiven and had her burden removed. Jesus received this sinner. He welcomed her and brought her close for the sake of restoring her life, of saving her. Your faith has saved you, go in peace.
Sin had strangled the life from her. Faith in Christ brought her life back. In a world of hostility this woman found peace in Jesus.
Forgiveness. Healing. Peace. Closeness. Jesus. All of those things go together. Sin. Shame. Hostility. Distance. All of those things go together as well. Jesus came near to Simon, yet Simon kept him away, held Jesus at a distance. I don’t need you to come close, so do not bother. I am not a sinner so I have nothing I need forgiven.
How sad. God does not like the distance that sin creates. There is a distance between God and humanity and a distance between one person and another. And this distance is the result of our sinful identity, our sinful nature. We have a sinful condition. In thought, word, and deed we have sinned against God and one another. We have put ourselves first, and everyone else is a distant fourth. We have sought the easy way, the smooth way, the path of least resistance, even if that means a bumpy and hard path for everybody else.
That distance that God dislikes? It was created by us. By drawing close to Bathsheeba, the wife of Uriah, David sinned and David created a gulf between him and God. And David thought that he had taken care of things. Bathsheeba mourned for her dead husband the appropriate number of days, then David took Bathsheeba as his wife and when Bathsheeba gave birth to the child, no one would know what had happened. God knew. And David still knew. You can try to bury something in the closet, can try to sweep all things under the rug, but it’s still there.
David created the distance and God is the one who acted. Nathan came with that wonderful story, a story about David crafted so masterfully that David was angry at himself without even knowing it! That man, the rich man who stole the poor man’s ewe lamb, that man deserves to die! Spot on. David, who stole Uriah’s wife, and then had Uriah killed, David deserved to die. David was a sinner. Sinners deserve to die. Sinners create the distance because they are trying to escape from God, they want out from under God’s presence.
Yet God acts. God acts in a way that we would not. When people hurt us, sin against us, we leave them. We do not put up with people who are abusive to us, who ignore us, who treat us so shabbily. Thank God that God is God and we are not! God acts by drawing close to us who seek to be so far from God.
Through Nathan God announced his intense displeasure of sin. And Nathan also declared God’s longing to draw close and forgive those sins of all who repent. David was forgiven. The woman was forgiven. I am forgiven. You are forgiven.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are where we are today, in church, in God’s House, to draw near to God and confess our sins. God draws near to us in Christ and those sins are forgiven. Tears stream down our cheeks, yet it is God who washes us, in the water of Holy Baptism, and we are cleansed. We hunger for God’s presence and it is God who invites us to his table and He prepares a meal of love and acceptance and forgiveness. God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- draws close to us because that is where God desires to be. God wants to be close to us and He is. He is never too close. SDG
June 13, 2010
Luke 7:36-8:3
Never too close
In the name of Jesus, amen. We certainly know that it is possible to be too close to something. Learning to drive, my mother had her foot jammed on the imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side of the car. You’re too close. You’re too close. We’ve likely met people who do not have a concept of personal space, and they get too close for our comfort. We repeatedly warn our children that they are too close to the stove, too close to the pool, too close to the road, too close to the edge of the bed. Being too closely involved in a situation can compromise our ability to think clearly and rationally.
Our Gospel lesson portrays for us the distance we believe is appropriate and the distance that God considers to be the right amount.
Simon the Pharisee wanted to talk with Jesus, have a conversation with him, maybe even learn from him. Jesus was a very popular figure, and Simon wanted to learn what was going on. Jesus came for a meal and as he reclined at table with his host and the other guests, here comes this woman. Our bulletin cover does a very fine job depicting this story. You can see the bottle of ointment. You can see the woman humbling herself at Jesus’ feet. You can also see the anger, confusion, hostility, amusement on the faces of the older men.
If Jesus was as great as everyone says he is, if Jesus was really a prophet, then he’d know that this woman has no business doing what she is doing. If Jesus was really a prophet, he’d send this woman away for she is a sinner.
Jesus did indeed know this woman. And her appearance opened the door for Jesus to teach. A banker forgave the debts of two people, one who owed five hundred bucks and the other who owed fifty. Both of the people would love the banker for forgiving their debts, but the one who had his five hundred dollar debt cancelled would love the banker the most.
This woman owed at least five hundred bucks. She was a sinner. When she heard that Jesus was in town, she searched him out, washed his feet, dried those feet, and anointed them with oil. She owed a tremendous amount and her great debt was cancelled. Her great debt was expunged, wiped away, forgiven. She was forgiven a great deal and she loved much. She drew close to Jesus, even though she should have never been allowed to enter the room. Simon, who in his mind owed nothing, kept his distance from Jesus. He did not allow himself to get too close.
Simon had invited Jesus, had brought Jesus in, yet Simon kept Jesus away. He didn’t want to get too close to Jesus, because something might happen. Simon was right. Jesus happened. Jesus did what His Father and our Father sent him to do- forgive sins. Jesus lived up to his name, and this woman, who owed much, who carried a tremendous load, this woman was forgiven and had her burden removed. Jesus received this sinner. He welcomed her and brought her close for the sake of restoring her life, of saving her. Your faith has saved you, go in peace.
Sin had strangled the life from her. Faith in Christ brought her life back. In a world of hostility this woman found peace in Jesus.
Forgiveness. Healing. Peace. Closeness. Jesus. All of those things go together. Sin. Shame. Hostility. Distance. All of those things go together as well. Jesus came near to Simon, yet Simon kept him away, held Jesus at a distance. I don’t need you to come close, so do not bother. I am not a sinner so I have nothing I need forgiven.
How sad. God does not like the distance that sin creates. There is a distance between God and humanity and a distance between one person and another. And this distance is the result of our sinful identity, our sinful nature. We have a sinful condition. In thought, word, and deed we have sinned against God and one another. We have put ourselves first, and everyone else is a distant fourth. We have sought the easy way, the smooth way, the path of least resistance, even if that means a bumpy and hard path for everybody else.
That distance that God dislikes? It was created by us. By drawing close to Bathsheeba, the wife of Uriah, David sinned and David created a gulf between him and God. And David thought that he had taken care of things. Bathsheeba mourned for her dead husband the appropriate number of days, then David took Bathsheeba as his wife and when Bathsheeba gave birth to the child, no one would know what had happened. God knew. And David still knew. You can try to bury something in the closet, can try to sweep all things under the rug, but it’s still there.
David created the distance and God is the one who acted. Nathan came with that wonderful story, a story about David crafted so masterfully that David was angry at himself without even knowing it! That man, the rich man who stole the poor man’s ewe lamb, that man deserves to die! Spot on. David, who stole Uriah’s wife, and then had Uriah killed, David deserved to die. David was a sinner. Sinners deserve to die. Sinners create the distance because they are trying to escape from God, they want out from under God’s presence.
Yet God acts. God acts in a way that we would not. When people hurt us, sin against us, we leave them. We do not put up with people who are abusive to us, who ignore us, who treat us so shabbily. Thank God that God is God and we are not! God acts by drawing close to us who seek to be so far from God.
Through Nathan God announced his intense displeasure of sin. And Nathan also declared God’s longing to draw close and forgive those sins of all who repent. David was forgiven. The woman was forgiven. I am forgiven. You are forgiven.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are where we are today, in church, in God’s House, to draw near to God and confess our sins. God draws near to us in Christ and those sins are forgiven. Tears stream down our cheeks, yet it is God who washes us, in the water of Holy Baptism, and we are cleansed. We hunger for God’s presence and it is God who invites us to his table and He prepares a meal of love and acceptance and forgiveness. God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- draws close to us because that is where God desires to be. God wants to be close to us and He is. He is never too close. SDG
Friday, June 11, 2010
On this date
I was ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry ten years ago. I am just as unworthy now as I was then of the office I was called into.
Personally and professionally many things have changed. Yet the ministry has not changed for it remains a joyful burden. Sin abounds but grace abounds even more.
What a privilege to be a servant. Lord, forgive my attempts at 'lord-liness'. Cleanse my spirit of desire for prestige. Create in me the ever-fresh willingness to love your people and serve them in the way they deserve to be served.
Personally and professionally many things have changed. Yet the ministry has not changed for it remains a joyful burden. Sin abounds but grace abounds even more.
What a privilege to be a servant. Lord, forgive my attempts at 'lord-liness'. Cleanse my spirit of desire for prestige. Create in me the ever-fresh willingness to love your people and serve them in the way they deserve to be served.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Worship info for June 13
Hymns
820 My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker
609 Jesus Sinners Doth Receive
686 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
924 Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing
Scripture Lessons
2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-14
Psalm 32:1-7
Galatians 2:15-21; 3:10-14
Luke 7:36-8:3
Collect of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us Your gifts of faith, hope, and love that we may receive the forgiveness You have promised and love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
820 My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker
609 Jesus Sinners Doth Receive
686 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
924 Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing
Scripture Lessons
2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-14
Psalm 32:1-7
Galatians 2:15-21; 3:10-14
Luke 7:36-8:3
Collect of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us Your gifts of faith, hope, and love that we may receive the forgiveness You have promised and love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Go Nats!
How about those Nats! Stephen Strasburg debuted for America's Team last night and was really, really good. Some (Jayson Stark, Orel Hershisher, Tim Kurkjian) are throwing around words like great, phenomenal, masterful, historic, but I'll stick with really, really good.
It was delightful to see Nationals Park filled to capacity. Our nation's capitol deserves something like that. For the next couple of months they can own the sports landscape there. Wizards? Who cares. Capitols? It's too hot for hockey. Redskins? Too many question marks right now. The Nats have built a fairly competitive team and are only two or three games below .500. And they have some of the lesser lights on their schedule for the next four to six weeks. If they can get back to .500 for the remainder of the season, that will be some story for a ballclub that was really, really awful last year. They were as bad last year as the Orioles are this year.
I love being able to watch the Nats on MASN in Cecil County, especially since this means I can watch the Cardinals a couple of times a year. Washington DC deserves a major league franchise and now it appears that some hopeful signs are appearing- Ryan Zimmerman, John Lannan, Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Capps in addition to Stephen Strasburg. And it appears that Bryce Harper, their newest #1 draft pick, is about as much of a lock for the big leagues as Strasburg was/is. Being bad for a decade has filled their minor leagues with good prospects so baseball could finally be returning to our nation's capitol.
And it appears that they finally have good, patient, not prone to panic leadership in Jim Riggleman, Mike Rizzo (GM), and Stan Kasten (president). Jim Bowden was a disaster and Mike Rizzo seems a whole lot better.
I still would have probably picked the name Grays instead of Nationals, in tribute to the old Washington Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues. But if they weren't going to use Senators, then Nationals is okay. Nats works for either name, and the curly W is nice. I love going to Walgreens and seeing their respectful homage to the Washington baseball club.
It was delightful to see Nationals Park filled to capacity. Our nation's capitol deserves something like that. For the next couple of months they can own the sports landscape there. Wizards? Who cares. Capitols? It's too hot for hockey. Redskins? Too many question marks right now. The Nats have built a fairly competitive team and are only two or three games below .500. And they have some of the lesser lights on their schedule for the next four to six weeks. If they can get back to .500 for the remainder of the season, that will be some story for a ballclub that was really, really awful last year. They were as bad last year as the Orioles are this year.
I love being able to watch the Nats on MASN in Cecil County, especially since this means I can watch the Cardinals a couple of times a year. Washington DC deserves a major league franchise and now it appears that some hopeful signs are appearing- Ryan Zimmerman, John Lannan, Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Capps in addition to Stephen Strasburg. And it appears that Bryce Harper, their newest #1 draft pick, is about as much of a lock for the big leagues as Strasburg was/is. Being bad for a decade has filled their minor leagues with good prospects so baseball could finally be returning to our nation's capitol.
And it appears that they finally have good, patient, not prone to panic leadership in Jim Riggleman, Mike Rizzo (GM), and Stan Kasten (president). Jim Bowden was a disaster and Mike Rizzo seems a whole lot better.
I still would have probably picked the name Grays instead of Nationals, in tribute to the old Washington Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues. But if they weren't going to use Senators, then Nationals is okay. Nats works for either name, and the curly W is nice. I love going to Walgreens and seeing their respectful homage to the Washington baseball club.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Last day
Today is Jacob's last day of kindergarten. It's quite sad as Amanda and I are very pleased with the school he attends. We are also very happy to have met the other families and it is nice that nearly every day a number of families stay at the playground to let the kids play and for the parents to talk. Tomorrow is Graduation and the class will sing a few songs, wear their mortar board, and receive their 'diploma'.
We give thanks that we are in a position to provide this education for Jacob (and for our other kids in the coming years) and are excited and nervous about entering the world of home-schooling next year.
Did anyone notice in Sunday's News-Journal the two stories on education? The lead story was that Delaware suspends students at twice the national average. (We're #1!) The secondary story was on different kinds of desks and chairs that are used in classes that can allow students to stand, sit, or kneel. Also, giving more time for recess and Phys Ed has shown increased focus and attention from students.
I know that in Cecil County, the first line of punishment from teachers is to take away recess from the class when students misbehave and do not follow the classroom rules. Perhaps more recess will give students an outlet and help them when they are supposed to be paying attention.
And perhaps if parents did not abdicate their roles and give the burden of parenting to teachers and schools and taught and modeled for their children appropriate behavior in the various settings of life, then teachers would not have to resort to drastic punishment techniques. Then perhaps teachers could teach.
I'm a dreamer.
We give thanks that we are in a position to provide this education for Jacob (and for our other kids in the coming years) and are excited and nervous about entering the world of home-schooling next year.
Did anyone notice in Sunday's News-Journal the two stories on education? The lead story was that Delaware suspends students at twice the national average. (We're #1!) The secondary story was on different kinds of desks and chairs that are used in classes that can allow students to stand, sit, or kneel. Also, giving more time for recess and Phys Ed has shown increased focus and attention from students.
I know that in Cecil County, the first line of punishment from teachers is to take away recess from the class when students misbehave and do not follow the classroom rules. Perhaps more recess will give students an outlet and help them when they are supposed to be paying attention.
And perhaps if parents did not abdicate their roles and give the burden of parenting to teachers and schools and taught and modeled for their children appropriate behavior in the various settings of life, then teachers would not have to resort to drastic punishment techniques. Then perhaps teachers could teach.
I'm a dreamer.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Most Important on a Sunday?
What's the most important thing about the Sunday morning worship service? Some might say the hymns that are sung. Some might say the celebration of Holy Communion. As a pastor, you might think that I would say the sermon is the most important, since I sometimes refer to myself as a "preacher". How many of us would consider that the creed we say is the most important portion of our Sunday worship services?
Yesterday, June 5, we spoke the Athanasian Creed. Most typically this is done one Sunday a year, on Trinity Sunday. Since we celebrate a baptism on Trinity Sunday and the Apostles' Creed was included in the baptismal service, we did not say the Athanasian Creed on that day. I moved it so that we could say this creed that is acknowledged as one of the three ecumenical, or world-wide accepted, creeds of the Christian Church.
As we read it responsively in the service yesterday, it repeatedly occured to me how great the Athanasian Creed is. It is a mini-textbook on the Holy Trinity! And with a little reflection, it is something that all people can grasp. Having the Athanasian Creed is a great blessing to the Church, that along with the Apostles' and Nicene Creed, we have the ability to state the belief that is in us.
Every Sunday we confess the Creed, regardless of which of the three we are using. And please note that I wrote 'confess'. We do not merely say the Creed, we confess it. To confess means to "same say". I say the same thing that you do and you say the same thing that someone on the other side of the sanctuary says. Together we say the same thing about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Together we say the same thing that everyone can hear. We do not say it silently to ourselves. We do not read it quietly, but we speak it audibly: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth..."
I acknowledge that the Athanasian Creed can be repetitive and that some phrases ring quite odd in our 21st Century ears. But boy, is it a beautiful statement on the glorious, mysterious truth of the Trinity, the three in one and the one in three.
The Creed- Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian- is a statement of belief that gives form and definition to our lives. Christians are not amorphous blobs that conform to every shape and we are not tender shoots that bend to every breeze. Christians have form. We are formed by God to be a body, a body that grows into our head Jesus Christ. The statements of faith help us comprehend the form that is given to us from God. What a joy to same say this belief.
Yesterday, June 5, we spoke the Athanasian Creed. Most typically this is done one Sunday a year, on Trinity Sunday. Since we celebrate a baptism on Trinity Sunday and the Apostles' Creed was included in the baptismal service, we did not say the Athanasian Creed on that day. I moved it so that we could say this creed that is acknowledged as one of the three ecumenical, or world-wide accepted, creeds of the Christian Church.
As we read it responsively in the service yesterday, it repeatedly occured to me how great the Athanasian Creed is. It is a mini-textbook on the Holy Trinity! And with a little reflection, it is something that all people can grasp. Having the Athanasian Creed is a great blessing to the Church, that along with the Apostles' and Nicene Creed, we have the ability to state the belief that is in us.
Every Sunday we confess the Creed, regardless of which of the three we are using. And please note that I wrote 'confess'. We do not merely say the Creed, we confess it. To confess means to "same say". I say the same thing that you do and you say the same thing that someone on the other side of the sanctuary says. Together we say the same thing about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Together we say the same thing that everyone can hear. We do not say it silently to ourselves. We do not read it quietly, but we speak it audibly: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth..."
I acknowledge that the Athanasian Creed can be repetitive and that some phrases ring quite odd in our 21st Century ears. But boy, is it a beautiful statement on the glorious, mysterious truth of the Trinity, the three in one and the one in three.
The Creed- Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian- is a statement of belief that gives form and definition to our lives. Christians are not amorphous blobs that conform to every shape and we are not tender shoots that bend to every breeze. Christians have form. We are formed by God to be a body, a body that grows into our head Jesus Christ. The statements of faith help us comprehend the form that is given to us from God. What a joy to same say this belief.
Sermon for Pentecost 2, June 6
Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 6, 2010
Luke 7:11-17
Raised up for ________?
In the name of Jesus, amen. At the start of the long Pentecost season, our Gospel lesson this morning will be our sermon text. And that Gospel lesson is all about Easter, for it is all about resurrection.
Thank God it is all about resurrection. Without the certain hope of the resurrection, then everything that is done is simply a waste of time, has no purpose, and is of no use to us or anybody else. So thank God for the story of the widow of Nain.
I’ve preached on this text before, three years ago as a matter of fact, and I’ll say once again what a horrible situation it was for the mother of the dead boy. She was a grieving widow. She did not have a husband to comfort her, to lean on, to mourn with. And the dead boy was her only child.
Being alone is not in itself a horrible thing. But being hopelessly alone, in a time when women had a very hard time supporting themselves is a bad thing. Honestly, mourning and grieving, at any stage of life, is not a condition that people seek out.
There was a large crowd that was accompanying the now-childless widow out of the town to the cemetery. Jesus and the disciples were heading into town and the two parties met head-on. Jesus recognizes what is taking place and you know that Jesus is going to do something. The Lord of mercy, the compassionate Son of God, the One who embodies love, pours that compassionate love and mercy all over the woman.
Jesus pays no attention to the grieving crowd around the woman and the casket. He goes to the woman and tells her not to weep. Jesus knows that weeping has no place with what is about to happen. Tears of a different kind will be needed but the tears of sorrow and sadness should be wiped away.
Jesus pays no attention to usual customs and mores as he goes up to the bier, a fancy word for casket and touches it. Jesus is getting very close to touching a dead body, and that is a no-no, because doing such would make a person unclean and then all sorts of sacrifices and offerings would have to be given. Fearlessly, Jesus touched the bier.
What did Jesus have to be afraid of? Jesus knew that this young man was only sleeping, and sometimes you can wake the sleeper with a touch. Sometimes you need to be a little louder. “Young man, arise!” The young man got up, and began speaking, and the young man and his mother were reunited.
Jesus saw that death had shaken the widow and the crowd. The young man’s death had rocked the foundation of his mother’s world. The hopeless haunting feeling may have been echoed by the haunting moans and groans of the mourners. The despair may have choked the people who saw only gloom on the horizon.
We have sat in the funeral home. We have stood at the graveside. We have peered down into the grave after the casket was lowered down. We may have even picked up a shovel and put some dirt on the casket. We have held hands and offered shoulders and have kept Kleenex profitable. We looked to the horizon and thought, “Now what? Now what am I supposed to do? The kitchen table will seem so empty. Sure, work will hire someone to replace her, but she was such a kind, smart, and helpful coworker. How could someone so young die in that fashion?”
Looking the horizon is not much good, unless on the horizon comes Jesus. As Jesus met the funeral procession, Jesus comes to us in our grief and despair. Jesus comes to us in our losses, our tragedies, and our wondering confusion.
Jesus comes to us, touches us, and speaks to us. Jesus comes, because He is here. Jesus is present in His Word. Jesus is present in the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is here because He has promised to be. Look for Jesus where Jesus has promised to be found. Word. Sacrament. Jesus is with us at the graveside. Jesus is with us in the hospital. Jesus is with us in the nursing home. Jesus is with us in the long dark night of worry and confusion. Jesus is with us in the long, dark night when your baby will not be comforted and fall asleep. Jesus is with us when the doctor gives the bad news of your medical report. Jesus is with us when the news comes that the adoption is not going to take place.
In our story this morning, God was glorified. A great prophet has arisen. That is absolutely true, but more than that, “God has visited his people!”
On our horizon, on the immediate horizon, God in Christ has visited us. God in Christ has made his home with us. On our immediate horizon is the blessed gift of Holy Communion. There, as we are united with our savior and our redeemer, we are raised up. We are raised up as forgiven sinners. We are raised up to glorify the Lord with our lips and our lives. We are raised up so that we might receive the riches of God’s grace. We are raised up to serve and to be served. We are raised up to love and to be loved. We are raised up to forgive and extend that forgiveness to others. We are raised up to spread the news of Jesus through the whole of the world we live in. We spread the news of Jesus, the only Son of the only true God.
We spread the news that in Christ there is always more forgiveness than we can imagine.
There is always more love, more tenderness, more strength, more of what we need when everything seems so hopeless. In Christ there is always more and through our redeemer Jesus, we are raised up to experience the fullness of God’s love in Jesus our Lord. SDG
June 6, 2010
Luke 7:11-17
Raised up for ________?
In the name of Jesus, amen. At the start of the long Pentecost season, our Gospel lesson this morning will be our sermon text. And that Gospel lesson is all about Easter, for it is all about resurrection.
Thank God it is all about resurrection. Without the certain hope of the resurrection, then everything that is done is simply a waste of time, has no purpose, and is of no use to us or anybody else. So thank God for the story of the widow of Nain.
I’ve preached on this text before, three years ago as a matter of fact, and I’ll say once again what a horrible situation it was for the mother of the dead boy. She was a grieving widow. She did not have a husband to comfort her, to lean on, to mourn with. And the dead boy was her only child.
Being alone is not in itself a horrible thing. But being hopelessly alone, in a time when women had a very hard time supporting themselves is a bad thing. Honestly, mourning and grieving, at any stage of life, is not a condition that people seek out.
There was a large crowd that was accompanying the now-childless widow out of the town to the cemetery. Jesus and the disciples were heading into town and the two parties met head-on. Jesus recognizes what is taking place and you know that Jesus is going to do something. The Lord of mercy, the compassionate Son of God, the One who embodies love, pours that compassionate love and mercy all over the woman.
Jesus pays no attention to the grieving crowd around the woman and the casket. He goes to the woman and tells her not to weep. Jesus knows that weeping has no place with what is about to happen. Tears of a different kind will be needed but the tears of sorrow and sadness should be wiped away.
Jesus pays no attention to usual customs and mores as he goes up to the bier, a fancy word for casket and touches it. Jesus is getting very close to touching a dead body, and that is a no-no, because doing such would make a person unclean and then all sorts of sacrifices and offerings would have to be given. Fearlessly, Jesus touched the bier.
What did Jesus have to be afraid of? Jesus knew that this young man was only sleeping, and sometimes you can wake the sleeper with a touch. Sometimes you need to be a little louder. “Young man, arise!” The young man got up, and began speaking, and the young man and his mother were reunited.
Jesus saw that death had shaken the widow and the crowd. The young man’s death had rocked the foundation of his mother’s world. The hopeless haunting feeling may have been echoed by the haunting moans and groans of the mourners. The despair may have choked the people who saw only gloom on the horizon.
We have sat in the funeral home. We have stood at the graveside. We have peered down into the grave after the casket was lowered down. We may have even picked up a shovel and put some dirt on the casket. We have held hands and offered shoulders and have kept Kleenex profitable. We looked to the horizon and thought, “Now what? Now what am I supposed to do? The kitchen table will seem so empty. Sure, work will hire someone to replace her, but she was such a kind, smart, and helpful coworker. How could someone so young die in that fashion?”
Looking the horizon is not much good, unless on the horizon comes Jesus. As Jesus met the funeral procession, Jesus comes to us in our grief and despair. Jesus comes to us in our losses, our tragedies, and our wondering confusion.
Jesus comes to us, touches us, and speaks to us. Jesus comes, because He is here. Jesus is present in His Word. Jesus is present in the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is here because He has promised to be. Look for Jesus where Jesus has promised to be found. Word. Sacrament. Jesus is with us at the graveside. Jesus is with us in the hospital. Jesus is with us in the nursing home. Jesus is with us in the long dark night of worry and confusion. Jesus is with us in the long, dark night when your baby will not be comforted and fall asleep. Jesus is with us when the doctor gives the bad news of your medical report. Jesus is with us when the news comes that the adoption is not going to take place.
In our story this morning, God was glorified. A great prophet has arisen. That is absolutely true, but more than that, “God has visited his people!”
On our horizon, on the immediate horizon, God in Christ has visited us. God in Christ has made his home with us. On our immediate horizon is the blessed gift of Holy Communion. There, as we are united with our savior and our redeemer, we are raised up. We are raised up as forgiven sinners. We are raised up to glorify the Lord with our lips and our lives. We are raised up so that we might receive the riches of God’s grace. We are raised up to serve and to be served. We are raised up to love and to be loved. We are raised up to forgive and extend that forgiveness to others. We are raised up to spread the news of Jesus through the whole of the world we live in. We spread the news of Jesus, the only Son of the only true God.
We spread the news that in Christ there is always more forgiveness than we can imagine.
There is always more love, more tenderness, more strength, more of what we need when everything seems so hopeless. In Christ there is always more and through our redeemer Jesus, we are raised up to experience the fullness of God’s love in Jesus our Lord. SDG
Wisdom of Pixar
There was a wonderful interview on Issues, Etc on the new book: The Wisdom of Pixar. For the unitiated, Pixar is the movie company that debuted with Toy Story in 1995. They are set to release Toy Story 3 this year. Other movies are: A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and my favorites Cars, WALL-E, and Up.
Without being preachy, these movies utilize a wonderful medium to engage our society with Christian morals and values- friendship, sacrifice, responsibility, humor, love, life, parent-child relationships, even death.
The interview lasted 40 minutes and is available at www.issuesetc.org. There is a book that sounds very intriguing titled The Wisdom of Pixar, available to peruse at thewisdomofpixar.com
Without being preachy, these movies utilize a wonderful medium to engage our society with Christian morals and values- friendship, sacrifice, responsibility, humor, love, life, parent-child relationships, even death.
The interview lasted 40 minutes and is available at www.issuesetc.org. There is a book that sounds very intriguing titled The Wisdom of Pixar, available to peruse at thewisdomofpixar.com
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Worship info for June 6
Here is the information for our worship this coming Sunday:
Hymns
754 Entrust Your Days and Burdens
552 O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life vv1,7,8,4
697 Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death
756 Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me
741 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
504 Father Most Holy
Scripture Lessons
1 Kings 17:17-24
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17
Collect of the Day
O Lord, Father of all mercy and God of all comfort, You always go before and follow after us. Grant that we may rejoice in Your gracious presence and continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns
754 Entrust Your Days and Burdens
552 O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life vv1,7,8,4
697 Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death
756 Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me
741 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
504 Father Most Holy
Scripture Lessons
1 Kings 17:17-24
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17
Collect of the Day
O Lord, Father of all mercy and God of all comfort, You always go before and follow after us. Grant that we may rejoice in Your gracious presence and continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Rumblings and Grumblings
First the grumble: We got an upgrade of Lutheran Service Builder at church. I do not like it. The older version was easier to navigate. I suppose I'll have to play around with it a bit. This too shall pass.
I'm anticipating my flower garden this year. We bought some flowers through a fundraiser at Jacob's school- some pink coneflowers, four-o-clocks, and some type of oriental lilly. They are all supposed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. So far the green things poking out of the ground look good. I have a hummingbird feeder that I'll put up soon. I'm not sure we're on the flight path of hummingbirds but we'll see what happens. If we get some pretty butterflies that will be enough.
I'm anticipating my flower garden this year. We bought some flowers through a fundraiser at Jacob's school- some pink coneflowers, four-o-clocks, and some type of oriental lilly. They are all supposed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. So far the green things poking out of the ground look good. I have a hummingbird feeder that I'll put up soon. I'm not sure we're on the flight path of hummingbirds but we'll see what happens. If we get some pretty butterflies that will be enough.
The Roth Bridge
is quite nice to drive over, especially when you have the opportunity to look down on a hawk, or at least what I think is a hawk. Pretty neat to be higher than some birds.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Score?
By the end of the Stanley Cup Finals, who will score more: the Flyers or the Phillies?
I might put my money on the Flyers. Last night's game was quite entertaining, even though there was not as much scoring as in Game 1. I pledge allegiance to the St. Louis Blues and generally despise all things Blackhawk...but the Blackhawks have the coolest uniforms in all of professional sports. The Indianhead on the sweater is so neat to see.
Being an old stick in the mud, I'm getting annoyed at all the comments about how loud the United Center is. Do they not remember Chicago Stadium, 1800 West Madison? That was a madhouse. The United Center is a modern arena that looks like all the other modern arenas just like the ones in Philly, Boston, Washington, Columbus, St. Louis, take your pick. They are all the same and you cannot tell where you are unless you pay attention to the dasher boards and the signage in the arena. They are functional and utilitarian and they stink.
I might put my money on the Flyers. Last night's game was quite entertaining, even though there was not as much scoring as in Game 1. I pledge allegiance to the St. Louis Blues and generally despise all things Blackhawk...but the Blackhawks have the coolest uniforms in all of professional sports. The Indianhead on the sweater is so neat to see.
Being an old stick in the mud, I'm getting annoyed at all the comments about how loud the United Center is. Do they not remember Chicago Stadium, 1800 West Madison? That was a madhouse. The United Center is a modern arena that looks like all the other modern arenas just like the ones in Philly, Boston, Washington, Columbus, St. Louis, take your pick. They are all the same and you cannot tell where you are unless you pay attention to the dasher boards and the signage in the arena. They are functional and utilitarian and they stink.
Holy Trinity
Baptism of Brice Wise
May 30, 2010
Mark 10:13-16
In the name of the most holy triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
I suppose it is a good thing that I spend a great deal of time in the church as I take some interest in symbols. Symbols are important things in the life of the church, in the life of the church’s people, and really in the life of the whole world. We pay attention to symbols for the message they convey. A road sign is a symbol. We would have a terribly difficult time getting from point A to point B without those symbols.
Our lovely sanctuary is filled with great symbolism. We celebrated Pentecost last Sunday and the symbols of Pentecost expressed the message that God the Holy Spirit was poured out on all God’s people. And wherever the Holy Spirit is, there is Jesus. Our windows are not worshiped yet they always point to the One who is to be worshiped. The crosses we see, the baptismal font that is in front of our eyes, the banners, they broadcast a message of God’s love and grace for us. The markers on the pulpit and lectern, the vestments that clergy wear, they broadcast a message as well.
Symbolism is quite powerful and quite instructive. The Gospel lesson that we heard during the baptismal service included a symbol that deserves some attention on this Trinity Sunday that features the blest washing of Brice Bradley Wise.
He put his hands on them. That is the ‘symbolic’ phrase for something that is quite physical. We do not allow people to put their hands on other people. No one can touch me unless I let them. We get upset when we see other people touched in bad ways. Playground bullies are a scourge for many children and their parents. Tragically, many mothers and fathers discipline by means of a closed fist. And when abusive parents are exposed, there is no sympathy. Many of us have formulated in our minds what sort of justice Earl Bradley should receive, and not just for him, but for all the supervisors and overseers in this heart-breaking situation. ‘He put his hands on them’ is a phrase that evokes terrible pictures in our minds.
But the ‘he’ in our Gospel lesson is Jesus. He put his hands on the children for the purpose of blessing them. These were the hands of the miracle-worker. These were the hands of the teacher. These were the hands of the one who opened the ears of the deaf and gave sight to the blind. These were the hands of a carpenter’s son who was most-likely skilled with a saw, an adze, a lathe, a plane. These were the hands of the One who broke the bread and declared it to be his body, who took the cup of wine and said that this was his blood of the new covenant, the covenant that depends solely upon the grace of the triune God.
As we have come to know the stories of the Bible, the stories of our savior Jesus, you likely know that these same hands, stretched forth to bless, would be the hands stretched out to receive the nails. The blessed Son of God, who spent his life speaking the blessing of God, received curses when he was nailed to the cross. This Jesus stretched out his hands when he saw his disciples after he was raised from the dead and told Thomas, “Touch me. Feel the scars in these hands.”
In baptism, hands are present. Hands hold the baby and hands pour the water on the head. But it is not so much my hands that are present. In a very real way, the hands of God the Father are used. It is God who does the baptizing. It is God who does the washing. It is God who takes the baby and declares that this baby, graciously given to mom and dad, is my precious son or daughter. God declares that this child has been marked and sealed as one that Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, redeemed through his crucifixion.
Christian artwork has long used hands to depict the Father, the cross to depict the Son, and a dove to represent the Holy Spirit. And yes, our heavenly Father lovingly touches us. He washes us, cleanses us from all sin, builds us with great care to be the Church of God on earth.
God the Holy Spirit could be viewed with the image of hands as well. For in Brice’s baptism, just as in every other baptism, the Holy Spirit is given to this precious child for the purpose of blessing. We are blessed with the presence of the Holy Spirit to be led by the hand to this time and this place. The Holy Spirit calls us, gathers us, enlightens us and makes us to be the holy ones of God. And very often the Holy Spirit takes us by the hand, kicking and screaming to this place. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand and we look God in the eye and confess that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand to the communion rail so that we can take in our hands and our mouth the very forgiveness of God that is present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand from this place back to our homes, to our jobs, to our schools, to our families so that we might extend our hands and be a blessing to the people around us. Served by the hand of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we are the hands of God when we change our babies’ diaper. Your family is the closest neighbor you have, so when you serve your family, you are indeed serving your neighbor. Love them, serve them, put your hands on them and be a blessing to them.
Truly, truly I say to you, whoever does not receive kingdom of God as a little child will be no means enter it. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them.
Receiving God’s kingdom as a little child is to trust God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Trust that God loves you, that God is merciful, that when God lays hold of you with his powerful and gentle hands, he is giving you his blessing, life today, life forevermore. He put his hands on them. Thanks be to God! SDG
Baptism of Brice Wise
May 30, 2010
Mark 10:13-16
In the name of the most holy triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
I suppose it is a good thing that I spend a great deal of time in the church as I take some interest in symbols. Symbols are important things in the life of the church, in the life of the church’s people, and really in the life of the whole world. We pay attention to symbols for the message they convey. A road sign is a symbol. We would have a terribly difficult time getting from point A to point B without those symbols.
Our lovely sanctuary is filled with great symbolism. We celebrated Pentecost last Sunday and the symbols of Pentecost expressed the message that God the Holy Spirit was poured out on all God’s people. And wherever the Holy Spirit is, there is Jesus. Our windows are not worshiped yet they always point to the One who is to be worshiped. The crosses we see, the baptismal font that is in front of our eyes, the banners, they broadcast a message of God’s love and grace for us. The markers on the pulpit and lectern, the vestments that clergy wear, they broadcast a message as well.
Symbolism is quite powerful and quite instructive. The Gospel lesson that we heard during the baptismal service included a symbol that deserves some attention on this Trinity Sunday that features the blest washing of Brice Bradley Wise.
He put his hands on them. That is the ‘symbolic’ phrase for something that is quite physical. We do not allow people to put their hands on other people. No one can touch me unless I let them. We get upset when we see other people touched in bad ways. Playground bullies are a scourge for many children and their parents. Tragically, many mothers and fathers discipline by means of a closed fist. And when abusive parents are exposed, there is no sympathy. Many of us have formulated in our minds what sort of justice Earl Bradley should receive, and not just for him, but for all the supervisors and overseers in this heart-breaking situation. ‘He put his hands on them’ is a phrase that evokes terrible pictures in our minds.
But the ‘he’ in our Gospel lesson is Jesus. He put his hands on the children for the purpose of blessing them. These were the hands of the miracle-worker. These were the hands of the teacher. These were the hands of the one who opened the ears of the deaf and gave sight to the blind. These were the hands of a carpenter’s son who was most-likely skilled with a saw, an adze, a lathe, a plane. These were the hands of the One who broke the bread and declared it to be his body, who took the cup of wine and said that this was his blood of the new covenant, the covenant that depends solely upon the grace of the triune God.
As we have come to know the stories of the Bible, the stories of our savior Jesus, you likely know that these same hands, stretched forth to bless, would be the hands stretched out to receive the nails. The blessed Son of God, who spent his life speaking the blessing of God, received curses when he was nailed to the cross. This Jesus stretched out his hands when he saw his disciples after he was raised from the dead and told Thomas, “Touch me. Feel the scars in these hands.”
In baptism, hands are present. Hands hold the baby and hands pour the water on the head. But it is not so much my hands that are present. In a very real way, the hands of God the Father are used. It is God who does the baptizing. It is God who does the washing. It is God who takes the baby and declares that this baby, graciously given to mom and dad, is my precious son or daughter. God declares that this child has been marked and sealed as one that Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, redeemed through his crucifixion.
Christian artwork has long used hands to depict the Father, the cross to depict the Son, and a dove to represent the Holy Spirit. And yes, our heavenly Father lovingly touches us. He washes us, cleanses us from all sin, builds us with great care to be the Church of God on earth.
God the Holy Spirit could be viewed with the image of hands as well. For in Brice’s baptism, just as in every other baptism, the Holy Spirit is given to this precious child for the purpose of blessing. We are blessed with the presence of the Holy Spirit to be led by the hand to this time and this place. The Holy Spirit calls us, gathers us, enlightens us and makes us to be the holy ones of God. And very often the Holy Spirit takes us by the hand, kicking and screaming to this place. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand and we look God in the eye and confess that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand to the communion rail so that we can take in our hands and our mouth the very forgiveness of God that is present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The Holy Spirit takes us by the hand from this place back to our homes, to our jobs, to our schools, to our families so that we might extend our hands and be a blessing to the people around us. Served by the hand of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we are the hands of God when we change our babies’ diaper. Your family is the closest neighbor you have, so when you serve your family, you are indeed serving your neighbor. Love them, serve them, put your hands on them and be a blessing to them.
Truly, truly I say to you, whoever does not receive kingdom of God as a little child will be no means enter it. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them.
Receiving God’s kingdom as a little child is to trust God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Trust that God loves you, that God is merciful, that when God lays hold of you with his powerful and gentle hands, he is giving you his blessing, life today, life forevermore. He put his hands on them. Thanks be to God! SDG
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