Our first Lenten Soup Supper and Wednesday Worship of the season is tonight. Supper is at 6:00 p.m. and worship at 7:00, both at Genesee Valley on Old Hwy 95.
These Wednesday evenings are a great way to mark the season, taking a little time away to remember God and journey with him. The people who come to these dinners and services become like family through the six weeks, so a bond is formed too. These evenings make Lent distinct and special. I think it's fair to say that you don't get the full impact of Easter and its joy without spending time reflecting like this during Lent.
This year in addition to the beautiful music members of the congregation will be sharing their own Lenten stories of joy mingled with sadness stirred with endurance and leavened with faith. This will be a great chance to get to know each other more personally while getting a better sense of the meaning of the season. Please support each other by coming to hear. If you're reading this today, realizing that not everybody in our community has caught on to the blog yet, please invite someone to come with you.
I look forward to spending this season of reflection with you all. See you tonight!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Question re: Loving Your Neighbor
Whether they come in the comment section or via e-mail, we love...love...LOVE questions about the things we write here. That's how we all learn! Coincidentally enough, this question is about the "love" sermon we detailed yesterday.
First off, don't underestimate that "surface love". It may be quick but it can run deep. After all the checker at the grocery store is going to be a little shocked and put off if you throw your arm around her and squeeze the way you'd do to your spouse. (Don't ask me how I know this!) But you can convey much of the same warmth and bonding by a smile, some patience, and a few nice words. She's not going to talk to you about her husband when you do that but when she gets home she's going to talk to her husband about you! That's how important a small gesture can be.
As for the rest, first understand that if everybody asked your question we'd be a lot better off! The trick is to ride that guilt without letting it master you...to go to bed at night knowing you've left things undone but to still be at peace because you also did plenty of wonderful things. That lets you get up with motivation to do better but also the confidence to follow through with the motivation.
Here's how I manage it for myself. First I understand and admit that I am going to fall short. Therefore I try not to pre-prioritize my day in order to avoid messing up. No matter how I organize my time and energy I'm going to end up missing someone, as you said. So I try to let go of my pre-conceptions about who I'm supposed to love. I try instead to be receptive to the people God sends me in each moment, trusting that he knows best. If a kid comes walking up to my door, there must be some reason. If I see a particular person at the store, get the odd urge to call someone that day, or happen to get reminded of someone by a seemingly random event I try to follow up. I don't let a moment with the person in front of me slip by while I'm worrying about all of the other people I should be seeing and loving.
This, by the way, also includes my own kids and family. Oddly enough God sends them into my life every day. There's a reason for that. I could literally be gone dawn to dusk visiting other people and not see my own family at all. It's OK to realize that God purposely sends certain people to see you more than others and to follow up on seeing/loving those people every day even though it means you may be overlooking someone else. Those aren't the only people you love, just the people you get to love most often.
I also realize I'm going to disappoint people sometimes this way when I miss them. I accept that I don't have infinite time or resources, nor is my vision perfect, nor is my system of "tend to the folks God sends you" perfect. I trust that other people will also love those people I miss...that the whole world doesn't depend on me alone. This is why having a supportive and loving church is far superior to having just a supportive and loving pastor.
I also apologize without reservation when I've missed someone. Plus I ask God's forgiveness for my shortcomings every week and allow his mercy and assurance to carry away some of the more harmful after-effects of that guilt. As I read it I realized that your entire paragraph could well serve as a confession. Most people absolve themselves of loving others by saying that they aren't really responsible for their neighbor like scripture says. Others use guilt over falling short in that task as a method of avoidance, throwing up their hands and saying, "I can't do it. I quit." The better way would be for all of us to admit exactly what you've said above every time we confess, asking God to give us strength but also for him to show us all the love he's giving to the world through others so that we might be inspired and feel better about the times we fall short of his loving ideal.
Keep those questions coming!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Dave,
I try to show kindness and support to all (ok, most). BUT, to completely love your neighbor requires time and priority. Surface love…smile at the grocery store; patience while an older person writes a check, letting another driver go first, etc. can be done instantly but is really just a surface type of caring. To deeply love you need time to develop a relationship where love can be shown. You can’t possibly “deeply” show love to everyone. How do you prioritize? A little bit to everyone leaves those closest feeling brushed off. Too much time and you leave others out. Try a group…even there people get over looked. Do you pick a subject and say…this is the one I focus on for today, tomorrow, next week? I really do try to include all and visit those who appear to need a vist or a call. But, it really can become overwhelming. I then worry…o my gosh…did I not call that person enough, or did I overlook someone else in their time of need? The love you neighbor thing can get stressful! Not complaining, just trying to be faithful and do my best!
First off, don't underestimate that "surface love". It may be quick but it can run deep. After all the checker at the grocery store is going to be a little shocked and put off if you throw your arm around her and squeeze the way you'd do to your spouse. (Don't ask me how I know this!) But you can convey much of the same warmth and bonding by a smile, some patience, and a few nice words. She's not going to talk to you about her husband when you do that but when she gets home she's going to talk to her husband about you! That's how important a small gesture can be.
As for the rest, first understand that if everybody asked your question we'd be a lot better off! The trick is to ride that guilt without letting it master you...to go to bed at night knowing you've left things undone but to still be at peace because you also did plenty of wonderful things. That lets you get up with motivation to do better but also the confidence to follow through with the motivation.
Here's how I manage it for myself. First I understand and admit that I am going to fall short. Therefore I try not to pre-prioritize my day in order to avoid messing up. No matter how I organize my time and energy I'm going to end up missing someone, as you said. So I try to let go of my pre-conceptions about who I'm supposed to love. I try instead to be receptive to the people God sends me in each moment, trusting that he knows best. If a kid comes walking up to my door, there must be some reason. If I see a particular person at the store, get the odd urge to call someone that day, or happen to get reminded of someone by a seemingly random event I try to follow up. I don't let a moment with the person in front of me slip by while I'm worrying about all of the other people I should be seeing and loving.
This, by the way, also includes my own kids and family. Oddly enough God sends them into my life every day. There's a reason for that. I could literally be gone dawn to dusk visiting other people and not see my own family at all. It's OK to realize that God purposely sends certain people to see you more than others and to follow up on seeing/loving those people every day even though it means you may be overlooking someone else. Those aren't the only people you love, just the people you get to love most often.
I also realize I'm going to disappoint people sometimes this way when I miss them. I accept that I don't have infinite time or resources, nor is my vision perfect, nor is my system of "tend to the folks God sends you" perfect. I trust that other people will also love those people I miss...that the whole world doesn't depend on me alone. This is why having a supportive and loving church is far superior to having just a supportive and loving pastor.
I also apologize without reservation when I've missed someone. Plus I ask God's forgiveness for my shortcomings every week and allow his mercy and assurance to carry away some of the more harmful after-effects of that guilt. As I read it I realized that your entire paragraph could well serve as a confession. Most people absolve themselves of loving others by saying that they aren't really responsible for their neighbor like scripture says. Others use guilt over falling short in that task as a method of avoidance, throwing up their hands and saying, "I can't do it. I quit." The better way would be for all of us to admit exactly what you've said above every time we confess, asking God to give us strength but also for him to show us all the love he's giving to the world through others so that we might be inspired and feel better about the times we fall short of his loving ideal.
Keep those questions coming!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday Morning Sermon: Mark 12: 28-34
We opened our series of Lent Sundays with a familiar reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 28-34:
The Lenten spin on the lesson is how often we do just that, how short we fall of the love God asks of us...not just for him but for the world. You see so many churches flee to other means of sacrifice precisely because this one is so hard, demands such vulnerability, time, energy, service. We'd rather believe the Law saves us or our own righteousness or giving money or belonging to the right church. All of those are easier, less scary, than the idea that we are only saved because God loves us--not through any action of our own--and the only proper response God favors is to show each other that same kind of love.
Consider: most people think that evil put Jesus on the cross. That's not true. Love did. Yes, our sins fell upon his shoulders but he was powerful enough to shrug them off. Yes, misguided and treacherous men accused, tortured, and then executed him and laughed while doing so but he could have summarily disposed of them all. No nails could have held him to that wood. Love was the real power fastening him there. He loved us enough to accept our sins...even the sins of those horrible men. He loved us enough to take them into death with him. He loved us enough to walk that dark path for us even though he was the one person born on this earth who could have avoided it. Righteousness, fulfilling the Law, having a bunch to give, having the right lineage...those were the easy parts. Love cost him everything.
We're afraid of that. We see Christ on the road to the cross, knowing love is driving him there, and we say (even as his disciples did), "Not me! I don't even know this man! I follow the God of [insert burnt offering flavor here]!" And yet those words from the mountaintop come echoing down on us (the ones that brought those same disciples to their knees in fear), "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
We cannot avoid the cross and call ourselves Christians. We cannot forsake love and call ourselves godly. We cannot turn from love and claim we are still following Christ. We, too, must bear this burden...not with the weight of the world on our shoulders as he carried, but at least with the weight of the burden of a neighbor or two shared and eased. It's not our responsibility to create or bring salvation. Jesus took care of that. But it is our responsibility to proclaim salvation. That can only be done through love.
As we journey through Lent we repent of the times where we've followed other paths than the loving one, failed to show as much love towards our neighbors as God has, and substituted other kinds of righteousness for the one God commanded. We also ask God for the strength to reflect on our lives, to make them more loving, and to echo his self-giving love among the people he sends to us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”The lesson here was simple. These two commandments are irreplaceable, as we have talked about before. (Indeed, we've done it a couple of times.) Any other way you try to measure goodness, faith, following God ends up being like the burnt offerings and other sacrifices referred to in this scripture. Without love and service towards your neighbor you're following something else besides God's Word, calling it good in place of that Word. It's like needing something to eat and someone brings you a rock, someone else a fence post, someone else a distributor cap. Those are all good things, but not what you asked for! That's how God feels when we try to substitute some other way of pursuing our faith for love.
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
The Lenten spin on the lesson is how often we do just that, how short we fall of the love God asks of us...not just for him but for the world. You see so many churches flee to other means of sacrifice precisely because this one is so hard, demands such vulnerability, time, energy, service. We'd rather believe the Law saves us or our own righteousness or giving money or belonging to the right church. All of those are easier, less scary, than the idea that we are only saved because God loves us--not through any action of our own--and the only proper response God favors is to show each other that same kind of love.
Consider: most people think that evil put Jesus on the cross. That's not true. Love did. Yes, our sins fell upon his shoulders but he was powerful enough to shrug them off. Yes, misguided and treacherous men accused, tortured, and then executed him and laughed while doing so but he could have summarily disposed of them all. No nails could have held him to that wood. Love was the real power fastening him there. He loved us enough to accept our sins...even the sins of those horrible men. He loved us enough to take them into death with him. He loved us enough to walk that dark path for us even though he was the one person born on this earth who could have avoided it. Righteousness, fulfilling the Law, having a bunch to give, having the right lineage...those were the easy parts. Love cost him everything.
We're afraid of that. We see Christ on the road to the cross, knowing love is driving him there, and we say (even as his disciples did), "Not me! I don't even know this man! I follow the God of [insert burnt offering flavor here]!" And yet those words from the mountaintop come echoing down on us (the ones that brought those same disciples to their knees in fear), "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
We cannot avoid the cross and call ourselves Christians. We cannot forsake love and call ourselves godly. We cannot turn from love and claim we are still following Christ. We, too, must bear this burden...not with the weight of the world on our shoulders as he carried, but at least with the weight of the burden of a neighbor or two shared and eased. It's not our responsibility to create or bring salvation. Jesus took care of that. But it is our responsibility to proclaim salvation. That can only be done through love.
As we journey through Lent we repent of the times where we've followed other paths than the loving one, failed to show as much love towards our neighbors as God has, and substituted other kinds of righteousness for the one God commanded. We also ask God for the strength to reflect on our lives, to make them more loving, and to echo his self-giving love among the people he sends to us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Bible Study Reflections: Testing and Suffering
In our Women's Bible Study this week, looking at the book of Isaiah, we got onto the topic of God's role in suffering. The early parts of Isaiah are full of passages detailing God's frustration with his people and their misguided ways. The prophet predicts disaster coming upon them as God's hand is stretched out against them. Granted, they deserved it. Their behavior included stealing other people's homes and livelihoods, oppressing the poor, passing laws to make themselves rich on the backs of others, following false gods...the list is nearly endless. You can see why God couldn't support this, why it had to be wiped away. Still, the idea of God's wrath kindled against us begs the question: Is all suffering punishment? Is everything that goes wrong a test, a trial sent by God to teach us something? Or worse, does God send bad things into our lives as direct retribution for our sins?
At the risk of tipping my hand, the answer to that is no. Here's why.
God's story always leads to a place beyond suffering. In the early parts of Isaiah we read about his anger and the impending fall of the people of Judah but the later parts of the book are full of his redemption. The same hand outstretched against the people early on lifts, comforts, embraces, and redeems at the end of the story. The bad gets turned to good by God. THAT is the point of the story...not God following our badness with more of his own. Suffering exists only for the sake of redemption.
I think we can claim that some suffering in this life is redemptive. We've all had bad experiences teach us valuable lessons that turned us into better people. In those cases I believe we can see God's hand in the mix, bringing good from bad. Even then, though, I'd fall short of saying that God parceled out the bad to us just so we could get to the good. As a parent I don't intentionally get my kids into bad situations just so I can teach them a lesson. Rather I walk with them through the bad situations they wander into, trying to make sure they're safe and to make good come of them if I can. I believe God does this too.
But not all suffering is redemptive. When you lose a child or when an earthquake kills hundreds...those things are pretty much just bad. God still works healing in the midst of them, but the idea that God made this tragedy happen so we could learn something from it is abhorrent. It's a sneaky way of putting ourselves in the center of the universe. "God killed all those people in that far away country so we could learn!" Really? You're really that important? Weren't they important too, those people who lost their lives?
Some suffering happens because the world is broken, period. It doesn't work like it's supposed to and neither do we. God could fix this but it would mean wiping out all of the world's imperfections, including us. That's not an option he'll take, so he lives with the world being broken for a while until the last one of us is born and we're all ready for heaven. In the meantime, we suffer. No matter how much we learn or don't learn, no matter how often we proclaim we're Christians or not, whether we're good or bad, whether we're rich or poor...everybody will find life imperfect. The only differences are occasion and degree. Nobody escapes unscathed.
More importantly for our purposes, it's not like God is up there with a box full of sufferings handing out misery to people who deserve it. Nor is he trying to test us by making us hurt. The world makes us hurt because it's broken. When we hurt, he hurts along with us. When we cry, he cries too. He's not punishing us, he's holding onto us in the midst of evil. He wants us to hold onto him too, because he saves us.
If every bit of suffering was either punishment or a test of our faith, then as one of our Bible Study members put it, we wouldn't dare to interfere. Who could stop God's plan? Helping someone would be akin to sinning, going against God. But we're not called to look at people who are suffering and say, "God is punishing you" or "God is testing you so I can't interfere". That would be horrible! Fortunately that's the opposite of what God calls us to do. Instead he wants us to do as he does: reach out, lift up, hold on to his children and walk with them. If anyone is being tested when the world suffers it's us...not the people suffering but God's followers. Will we respond with compassion? Will we give up our time and resources to help? That's the only test I see. People affected by tragedy have suffered enough. They don't need to give any more. They need to be given to. They need a chance for the world to be OK. Will we love them enough to help in that process? That's what God wants to know. That should be our first instinct when we encounter suffering in this broken world.
In some ways we shouldn't even ask the questions, "Did God cause this? Is this punishment? Is this a test?" when we see someone suffering. They can ask it, but if we do we're looking the wrong direction. Instead of looking up and over our shoulders and waiting for an answer we should be looking forward and moving and asking what that person needs. When we've done everything we can and we've all come through the other side together, maybe then we can ponder on sin and redemption. But the road to that other side is long and there are plenty of other things to do before we reach the end of it.
I suspect that our only real answer comes through walking it together, helping each other out as we go.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
At the risk of tipping my hand, the answer to that is no. Here's why.
God's story always leads to a place beyond suffering. In the early parts of Isaiah we read about his anger and the impending fall of the people of Judah but the later parts of the book are full of his redemption. The same hand outstretched against the people early on lifts, comforts, embraces, and redeems at the end of the story. The bad gets turned to good by God. THAT is the point of the story...not God following our badness with more of his own. Suffering exists only for the sake of redemption.
I think we can claim that some suffering in this life is redemptive. We've all had bad experiences teach us valuable lessons that turned us into better people. In those cases I believe we can see God's hand in the mix, bringing good from bad. Even then, though, I'd fall short of saying that God parceled out the bad to us just so we could get to the good. As a parent I don't intentionally get my kids into bad situations just so I can teach them a lesson. Rather I walk with them through the bad situations they wander into, trying to make sure they're safe and to make good come of them if I can. I believe God does this too.
But not all suffering is redemptive. When you lose a child or when an earthquake kills hundreds...those things are pretty much just bad. God still works healing in the midst of them, but the idea that God made this tragedy happen so we could learn something from it is abhorrent. It's a sneaky way of putting ourselves in the center of the universe. "God killed all those people in that far away country so we could learn!" Really? You're really that important? Weren't they important too, those people who lost their lives?
Some suffering happens because the world is broken, period. It doesn't work like it's supposed to and neither do we. God could fix this but it would mean wiping out all of the world's imperfections, including us. That's not an option he'll take, so he lives with the world being broken for a while until the last one of us is born and we're all ready for heaven. In the meantime, we suffer. No matter how much we learn or don't learn, no matter how often we proclaim we're Christians or not, whether we're good or bad, whether we're rich or poor...everybody will find life imperfect. The only differences are occasion and degree. Nobody escapes unscathed.
More importantly for our purposes, it's not like God is up there with a box full of sufferings handing out misery to people who deserve it. Nor is he trying to test us by making us hurt. The world makes us hurt because it's broken. When we hurt, he hurts along with us. When we cry, he cries too. He's not punishing us, he's holding onto us in the midst of evil. He wants us to hold onto him too, because he saves us.
If every bit of suffering was either punishment or a test of our faith, then as one of our Bible Study members put it, we wouldn't dare to interfere. Who could stop God's plan? Helping someone would be akin to sinning, going against God. But we're not called to look at people who are suffering and say, "God is punishing you" or "God is testing you so I can't interfere". That would be horrible! Fortunately that's the opposite of what God calls us to do. Instead he wants us to do as he does: reach out, lift up, hold on to his children and walk with them. If anyone is being tested when the world suffers it's us...not the people suffering but God's followers. Will we respond with compassion? Will we give up our time and resources to help? That's the only test I see. People affected by tragedy have suffered enough. They don't need to give any more. They need to be given to. They need a chance for the world to be OK. Will we love them enough to help in that process? That's what God wants to know. That should be our first instinct when we encounter suffering in this broken world.
In some ways we shouldn't even ask the questions, "Did God cause this? Is this punishment? Is this a test?" when we see someone suffering. They can ask it, but if we do we're looking the wrong direction. Instead of looking up and over our shoulders and waiting for an answer we should be looking forward and moving and asking what that person needs. When we've done everything we can and we've all come through the other side together, maybe then we can ponder on sin and redemption. But the road to that other side is long and there are plenty of other things to do before we reach the end of it.
I suspect that our only real answer comes through walking it together, helping each other out as we go.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Church Council Meeting Minutes: January 10, 2012
The minutes for the January 10, 2012 council meeting have been posted.
Social Events!!!
Our social committee folks met last Sunday to plan the year's social gatherings. The purpose of these events is to let us get to know each other in a context outside of worship but still connected to God and the love of our neighbors. One of the hard things about my job is that I get to see how wonderful and excellent all of you are but you don't always get to see that in each other. Social gatherings allow us that extra vision that turns fellow church members into friends and part of our faith support system.
At the top of our social list are our four Big Events. These are meant to be church-wide and we hope many, many people will come. They are:
Once they're planned and announced, we'd like to make these events a big deal. Please plan on coming and hanging out with your church family!
Besides those four Big Events we also have a variety of other ways to come together. Unlike the Big Events, these are just come-as-you-are. Anybody who is interested can participate!
If you'd like to host a fun evening doing something you love, let me know. We'll coordinate events so we don't get too stacked up.
I'm sure when the folks interested in Evangelism meet on the evening of March 4th they'll be quick to say that these events--big ones or drop-by's--are great ways to introduce people to our church family and faith life. Don't be shy about bringing friends!
Thanks to all who helped plan our social direction for the year. Everybody else can give them help by planning, helping to host/lead, or just showing up when an event comes around!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
At the top of our social list are our four Big Events. These are meant to be church-wide and we hope many, many people will come. They are:
- A spring tea for women of the church and community in May
- A congregation-wide camping outing in June
- Our fall harvest party
- Caroling, chili, chocolate, and cookies in December
Once they're planned and announced, we'd like to make these events a big deal. Please plan on coming and hanging out with your church family!
Besides those four Big Events we also have a variety of other ways to come together. Unlike the Big Events, these are just come-as-you-are. Anybody who is interested can participate!
- We're going to hold periodic game and movie nights where you can just drop in and have fun. Some will be for all folks together, others for families, others for folks of certain ages.
- We're going to hold special fellowship hours, particularly during the summer months. We'll have ice cream, do a barbecue, have hot lunch...things to make fellowship more varied every once in a while.
- We're going to have a church-wide ornament-making project during fellowship hour in the late fall. We'll provide blank ornaments which everybody in church can decorate. They'll go on our Christmas tree, plus we'll have enough blank ones extra that new members can make one as they join the church.
- We're also going to encourage drop-by events hosted by people from church. Basically we're asking people to identify something they'd like to host at their home or church and just go for it! Invite the church family, see who else thinks it's fun.
If you'd like to host a fun evening doing something you love, let me know. We'll coordinate events so we don't get too stacked up.
I'm sure when the folks interested in Evangelism meet on the evening of March 4th they'll be quick to say that these events--big ones or drop-by's--are great ways to introduce people to our church family and faith life. Don't be shy about bringing friends!
Thanks to all who helped plan our social direction for the year. Everybody else can give them help by planning, helping to host/lead, or just showing up when an event comes around!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Lent Begins!
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. We'll have a service at the Valley tonight at 7:00 including imposition of ashes, then each Wednesday until Holy Week we'll meet at the Valley at 6:00 p.m. for Soup Suppers followed by a 7:00 service.
This seems like a great time to answer some questions about Lent via e-mail:
The origins of Lent are a little obscure. We're fairly certain that from the earliest days of the church, soon after Christ, people held solemn observances before Easter. That usually meant fasting, a sign of remembrance of and devotion to God. Somewhere along the line the number 40 got attached. That figure is repeated several times in scripture, most notably Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness. Even though Christ's wilderness trial and his resurrection were on completely opposite ends of his ministry--the first at the start, the second at the end--he concept of fasting/repentance and the wilderness deprivation fit together, so 40 started getting mixed into the observance as the fast was married to that scriptural story.
Even then, though, Lent wasn't standardized. Different places observed fasts in different ways. Historical records show some observed the fast for 40 hours. Others fasted for 40 days but counted "fasting" as abstaining from food before 2 or 3 o'clock and then eating a small meal. Some folks counted six days out of each week for fasting, others five, leaving the weekends open. No matter the variation, the practice caught on and quickly spread. When enough people started doing it the church made an official pronouncement of how to do it right.
For our purposes the key decision about Lent was timing. They wanted 40 days of observance, fasting, repentance, and prayer. For Christians each Sunday is a festival day, a day of joy. Therefore Sundays wouldn't fit with the fast and were excluded from the observance. We were left with 40 days, not counting Sundays, the last of which was the Saturday right before Easter. That breaks down to 6 weeks of 6 days (Monday-Saturday), equaling 36. Where do you get the other four days? You can't continue on past Easter, so you have to add them before the first of those six weeks. Count back and you get Saturday, Friday, Thursday...Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. That's why we always start on a Wednesday.
As for the origins of the name, it wasn't originally called "Lent". Folks were practical back then so they just called it "Quadragesima" [quad-ra-GESS-ee-ma], which is Latin for "fortieth" or "fortieth day". This worked well when the official language of the church was Latin. It became a little unwieldy when church terms started to be translated into people's native languages. (Darn that Reformation!) At that point people just used the word for "spring"...in German "Lenz", in Dutch "Lente", anglicized as "Lent".
Lent remains a time of solemn observance for us. The repentance and self-examination themes have come through unaltered. Most folks have replaced the self-denial of fasting with giving up something for Lent. Many churches still use Lent as a time to learn the catechism in preparation for baptism on Easter...part of its ancient purpose.
Take some time in the next six weeks to reacquaint yourself with God, getting past the bustle of daily life and remembering all of the things that you've forgotten. Take a little of your time each day to pray to him. Take a little of your time each week to join us in a place set apart and dedicated to him and this purpose. It's hard to understand the beauty of Easter unless you've walked this quiet, soul-baring Lenten path to the cross. We invite you to join us for that journey.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
This seems like a great time to answer some questions about Lent via e-mail:
Why do we call it Lent? When did Lent start? Why?
The origins of Lent are a little obscure. We're fairly certain that from the earliest days of the church, soon after Christ, people held solemn observances before Easter. That usually meant fasting, a sign of remembrance of and devotion to God. Somewhere along the line the number 40 got attached. That figure is repeated several times in scripture, most notably Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness. Even though Christ's wilderness trial and his resurrection were on completely opposite ends of his ministry--the first at the start, the second at the end--he concept of fasting/repentance and the wilderness deprivation fit together, so 40 started getting mixed into the observance as the fast was married to that scriptural story.
Even then, though, Lent wasn't standardized. Different places observed fasts in different ways. Historical records show some observed the fast for 40 hours. Others fasted for 40 days but counted "fasting" as abstaining from food before 2 or 3 o'clock and then eating a small meal. Some folks counted six days out of each week for fasting, others five, leaving the weekends open. No matter the variation, the practice caught on and quickly spread. When enough people started doing it the church made an official pronouncement of how to do it right.
For our purposes the key decision about Lent was timing. They wanted 40 days of observance, fasting, repentance, and prayer. For Christians each Sunday is a festival day, a day of joy. Therefore Sundays wouldn't fit with the fast and were excluded from the observance. We were left with 40 days, not counting Sundays, the last of which was the Saturday right before Easter. That breaks down to 6 weeks of 6 days (Monday-Saturday), equaling 36. Where do you get the other four days? You can't continue on past Easter, so you have to add them before the first of those six weeks. Count back and you get Saturday, Friday, Thursday...Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. That's why we always start on a Wednesday.
As for the origins of the name, it wasn't originally called "Lent". Folks were practical back then so they just called it "Quadragesima" [quad-ra-GESS-ee-ma], which is Latin for "fortieth" or "fortieth day". This worked well when the official language of the church was Latin. It became a little unwieldy when church terms started to be translated into people's native languages. (Darn that Reformation!) At that point people just used the word for "spring"...in German "Lenz", in Dutch "Lente", anglicized as "Lent".
Lent remains a time of solemn observance for us. The repentance and self-examination themes have come through unaltered. Most folks have replaced the self-denial of fasting with giving up something for Lent. Many churches still use Lent as a time to learn the catechism in preparation for baptism on Easter...part of its ancient purpose.
Take some time in the next six weeks to reacquaint yourself with God, getting past the bustle of daily life and remembering all of the things that you've forgotten. Take a little of your time each day to pray to him. Take a little of your time each week to join us in a place set apart and dedicated to him and this purpose. It's hard to understand the beauty of Easter unless you've walked this quiet, soul-baring Lenten path to the cross. We invite you to join us for that journey.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday (Tuesday) Morning Sermon: Mark 9: 2-9
The Gospel for Transfiguration Sunday was Mark 9: 2-9
Click through to see how we talked about this important moment in Jesus' ministry and its significance to our daily lives!
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Click through to see how we talked about this important moment in Jesus' ministry and its significance to our daily lives!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Music in the Works
The church band is working on some great music to share with everyone. The wonderful singer and guitarist Eva Cassidy has inspired us with her heartfelt versions of People Get Ready and Wayfarin' Stranger. Tracy Chapman's song Save Us All is a lot of fun to play. It will make you tap your feet and slap your knee. The band gets to rock out with the song Everyone Needs a Little as sung by Kari Jobe.
If you would like to add your musical skills to the band, please join us at a rehearsal. We meet most Sundays during Fellowship Hour.
If you would like to add your musical skills to the band, please join us at a rehearsal. We meet most Sundays during Fellowship Hour.
Friday, February 17, 2012
A Lenten Offer or Two
Next Wednesday, the 22nd, is Ash Wednesday. We will gather at the Valley Church at 7:00 for a worship service during which we will mark the sign of the cross on our foreheads in ashes as a sign of repentance, an acknowledgement of our own mortality and our dependence on God. Those ashes, made from last year's Palm Sunday palms and slips of paper containing our prayers to God about amending our lives from our New Year's service, will carry us through the days of Lent on to Good Friday and Easter morn.
We have four special invitations for you during Lent.
First, join us for that solemn and meaningful service on the 22nd and then, if you can, each Wednesday night during the season. We will have soup suppers at 6:00 p.m. at the Valley and worship at 7:00 p.m. Worship will feature the beautiful Holden Evening Service we've been using the last few years.
Second, the talks during those evening services following Ash Wednesday will not, for the most part, be given by me. Instead people from our church will share stories of their faith appropriate to the Lenten season. The theme is faith through struggle, growth through perseverance. We still have a couple spots open for people to speak. If you have a personal story about beauty, strength, or faith you've found emerging from difficult or bittersweet journeys--maybe something you've gained and something you've lost at the same time--talk to me. We might like you to speak. You don't have to talk a long time. You don't have to be elaborate. You can tell your story however you wish. The people gathered would be strengthened themselves by hearing it.
Third, though we're putting a hold on our Thursday Night group during Lent, the better to concentrate on Wednesday services, we will hold one special Thursday in mid-March. I will come to the church at 7:00 on Thursday, March 8th to hear individual confession. Though we confess our sins each Sunday sometimes we need to speak personal words about things that are bothering us and hear a personal word of forgiveness and absolution. I will wear my robes and stole. Everything people say will be under the seal of confession which cannot be broken. Those who come will have a chance to approach the altar, speak what's on their mind, perhaps reflect, and hear that they are forgiven. If you desire, we certainly invite you to come that evening from 7:00-8:00 at the Valley.
Finally, in similar vein, I'd like to make a new offer for the season. Sometimes repenting or wanting to change in the midst of struggle is the easy part. Actually finding the strength to work through that process, to follow through with intent, can be hard. I will open my heart and time in a special way for 2-3 people individually during this Lenten season. For these 40 days (not every day exactly, but meeting at different times during Lent) I will walk with you through something you're struggling with or desire to change. It doesn't have to be an ultra-serious thing. It could be a habit you wish to break or a small thing you wish to adjust about your life. It could be a time of reflection to help you sort out semi-identified difficulties and find a way forward. Maybe something's been nagging you that you mean to address or talk about that you never have. Maybe you'd like to resolve to get better at something or to find a healthier behavior pattern. Small or overwhelming, routine or serious, whatever you bring we will walk through together with God.
If you wish to take this personal journey, e-mail me, call, or let me know at church. We'll make arrangements for you and I to meet during Lent and perhaps come out the other side with more clarity, maybe even in a new place, when Easter arrives.
Prepare your hearts for Lent and join us for the unique journey to the cross and beyond.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We have four special invitations for you during Lent.
First, join us for that solemn and meaningful service on the 22nd and then, if you can, each Wednesday night during the season. We will have soup suppers at 6:00 p.m. at the Valley and worship at 7:00 p.m. Worship will feature the beautiful Holden Evening Service we've been using the last few years.
Second, the talks during those evening services following Ash Wednesday will not, for the most part, be given by me. Instead people from our church will share stories of their faith appropriate to the Lenten season. The theme is faith through struggle, growth through perseverance. We still have a couple spots open for people to speak. If you have a personal story about beauty, strength, or faith you've found emerging from difficult or bittersweet journeys--maybe something you've gained and something you've lost at the same time--talk to me. We might like you to speak. You don't have to talk a long time. You don't have to be elaborate. You can tell your story however you wish. The people gathered would be strengthened themselves by hearing it.
Third, though we're putting a hold on our Thursday Night group during Lent, the better to concentrate on Wednesday services, we will hold one special Thursday in mid-March. I will come to the church at 7:00 on Thursday, March 8th to hear individual confession. Though we confess our sins each Sunday sometimes we need to speak personal words about things that are bothering us and hear a personal word of forgiveness and absolution. I will wear my robes and stole. Everything people say will be under the seal of confession which cannot be broken. Those who come will have a chance to approach the altar, speak what's on their mind, perhaps reflect, and hear that they are forgiven. If you desire, we certainly invite you to come that evening from 7:00-8:00 at the Valley.
Finally, in similar vein, I'd like to make a new offer for the season. Sometimes repenting or wanting to change in the midst of struggle is the easy part. Actually finding the strength to work through that process, to follow through with intent, can be hard. I will open my heart and time in a special way for 2-3 people individually during this Lenten season. For these 40 days (not every day exactly, but meeting at different times during Lent) I will walk with you through something you're struggling with or desire to change. It doesn't have to be an ultra-serious thing. It could be a habit you wish to break or a small thing you wish to adjust about your life. It could be a time of reflection to help you sort out semi-identified difficulties and find a way forward. Maybe something's been nagging you that you mean to address or talk about that you never have. Maybe you'd like to resolve to get better at something or to find a healthier behavior pattern. Small or overwhelming, routine or serious, whatever you bring we will walk through together with God.
If you wish to take this personal journey, e-mail me, call, or let me know at church. We'll make arrangements for you and I to meet during Lent and perhaps come out the other side with more clarity, maybe even in a new place, when Easter arrives.
Prepare your hearts for Lent and join us for the unique journey to the cross and beyond.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
A Simple Gift
Someone gave me a simple and wonderful gift this week I'd like to share with you.
Last Sunday was a busy one for me. Bible Study started my day, then worship. After worship came music rehearsal. I got to come home to change and then it was games with the boys until three o'clock. At three some of the girls came and we set up the movie equipment and cooked dinner in the church kitchen to serve to the high school group at 4:00. From 4:00 to 7:00 we watched and discussed the movie, then it was time to clean up. We tidied up the fellowship hall, put away all the plates and such, wrapped up the extra food, then everybody went home. Well, everybody except me. I stood staring at a stovetop with food spots on it (not food still, just some grease spots) and a soaking refrigerator drip tray that needed washing out.
By that time it was after 7:00. I had already missed my daughter's bedtime. I had not seen my son all day except for a good morning kiss. He was sick so we didn't even get to share the peace in church. I looked at the stove and the tray and thought, "20 minutes". I knew I should clean them. I knew if I didn't I was likely to hear about it. Even though I had just spent all day at church, more than half of it with the youth, had put in hour after hour helping them do this stuff, I knew I would hear about the 20 minutes I didn't spend scrubbing off the top of the stove or washing out the drip tray. I'd lay 70-30 odds that both of them would be called "filthy" along with the whole kitchen, even though it was mostly clean. You know how that goes.
Some will say, "Why didn't you just get the kids to help you?" But they did! Some came early to cook. The whole group stayed after to rearrange the fellowship hall, put away the movie equipment, clean up the obvious things in the kitchen. Not a one left. They asked what they could do to help and then they did all that stuff happily. But they have lives too...families and homework and other things they had given up to spend 3-4 hours with us at church. I didn't feel right asking one of them to stay even longer doing these last two chores...really one-person jobs anyway.
So I stood there, the last one in the building, and looked at that stove with some spots on it, that drip tray soaking in the sink. I looked at the cupboard with the cleaner. And I made a decision. I went home. I went home to see my son. I went home because I was tired after more than a full day at church. I went home because I had already put in plenty of work and I thought it would be OK to put this last bit off for a day or two. I went home because I felt that even though cleaning the last bit would be right (and save the whole day of work I'd put in and the wonderful youth events from being summarized as, "You left the kitchen dirty!") going home really felt more right and more important at that moment.
Mondays are always busy for me so I didn't get back to finish up. Tuesday I got a call and had to be away. That's the day I had planned to clean. I knew I'd have time to do it Wednesday morning after Women's Bible Study. I was running a risk though. People would see the spots and the pan in the sink. But that's what I could do.
Bible Study went fine. After we finished I went into the kitchen to begin my work, glad at least for the company of ladies to chat with as I scrubbed and they washed out coffee cups. I went over and looked at the stove and guess what? It was clean. I turned to the drip tray in the far sink and it was clean too. Nobody had said a word to me. Nobody had complained. Nobody had come up to me after multiple hours of work I'd put in serving the church and its kids (and missing my own family) saying the equivalent of, "You didn't do enough!" They just helped out.
Now, I don't know what was going on inside the cleaning person's head as they scrubbed the stovetop. They may have been grousing and cursing me to high heaven. But if they did, they didn't say it so I'm going to pretend it was every bit as gracious of an act as it seems. The wonderful result for me was getting a gift...not just the gift of not having to do 20 minutes of work but the gift of feeling like someone helped out, that someone cared. Somehow the burden of putting in 8 hours and 20 minutes of work was incredibly easy when I just had to put in the 8 hours and somebody else picked up the 20 minutes. They didn't have to. But they did. It made me feel loved and cared for having those helping hands.
I don't know whose they were, but thank you. Thank you for your incredible gift. Thank you for easing my mind about 20 minutes spent with Derek on Sunday night instead of 20 minutes trying to avoid complaints about stovetops and drip trays. I appreciate your quiet helpfulness. My family appreciates it. The youth appreciate it. The work you put in wasn't a little, it was a LOT. It meant a lot to me.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Last Sunday was a busy one for me. Bible Study started my day, then worship. After worship came music rehearsal. I got to come home to change and then it was games with the boys until three o'clock. At three some of the girls came and we set up the movie equipment and cooked dinner in the church kitchen to serve to the high school group at 4:00. From 4:00 to 7:00 we watched and discussed the movie, then it was time to clean up. We tidied up the fellowship hall, put away all the plates and such, wrapped up the extra food, then everybody went home. Well, everybody except me. I stood staring at a stovetop with food spots on it (not food still, just some grease spots) and a soaking refrigerator drip tray that needed washing out.
By that time it was after 7:00. I had already missed my daughter's bedtime. I had not seen my son all day except for a good morning kiss. He was sick so we didn't even get to share the peace in church. I looked at the stove and the tray and thought, "20 minutes". I knew I should clean them. I knew if I didn't I was likely to hear about it. Even though I had just spent all day at church, more than half of it with the youth, had put in hour after hour helping them do this stuff, I knew I would hear about the 20 minutes I didn't spend scrubbing off the top of the stove or washing out the drip tray. I'd lay 70-30 odds that both of them would be called "filthy" along with the whole kitchen, even though it was mostly clean. You know how that goes.
Some will say, "Why didn't you just get the kids to help you?" But they did! Some came early to cook. The whole group stayed after to rearrange the fellowship hall, put away the movie equipment, clean up the obvious things in the kitchen. Not a one left. They asked what they could do to help and then they did all that stuff happily. But they have lives too...families and homework and other things they had given up to spend 3-4 hours with us at church. I didn't feel right asking one of them to stay even longer doing these last two chores...really one-person jobs anyway.
So I stood there, the last one in the building, and looked at that stove with some spots on it, that drip tray soaking in the sink. I looked at the cupboard with the cleaner. And I made a decision. I went home. I went home to see my son. I went home because I was tired after more than a full day at church. I went home because I had already put in plenty of work and I thought it would be OK to put this last bit off for a day or two. I went home because I felt that even though cleaning the last bit would be right (and save the whole day of work I'd put in and the wonderful youth events from being summarized as, "You left the kitchen dirty!") going home really felt more right and more important at that moment.
Mondays are always busy for me so I didn't get back to finish up. Tuesday I got a call and had to be away. That's the day I had planned to clean. I knew I'd have time to do it Wednesday morning after Women's Bible Study. I was running a risk though. People would see the spots and the pan in the sink. But that's what I could do.
Bible Study went fine. After we finished I went into the kitchen to begin my work, glad at least for the company of ladies to chat with as I scrubbed and they washed out coffee cups. I went over and looked at the stove and guess what? It was clean. I turned to the drip tray in the far sink and it was clean too. Nobody had said a word to me. Nobody had complained. Nobody had come up to me after multiple hours of work I'd put in serving the church and its kids (and missing my own family) saying the equivalent of, "You didn't do enough!" They just helped out.
Now, I don't know what was going on inside the cleaning person's head as they scrubbed the stovetop. They may have been grousing and cursing me to high heaven. But if they did, they didn't say it so I'm going to pretend it was every bit as gracious of an act as it seems. The wonderful result for me was getting a gift...not just the gift of not having to do 20 minutes of work but the gift of feeling like someone helped out, that someone cared. Somehow the burden of putting in 8 hours and 20 minutes of work was incredibly easy when I just had to put in the 8 hours and somebody else picked up the 20 minutes. They didn't have to. But they did. It made me feel loved and cared for having those helping hands.
I don't know whose they were, but thank you. Thank you for your incredible gift. Thank you for easing my mind about 20 minutes spent with Derek on Sunday night instead of 20 minutes trying to avoid complaints about stovetops and drip trays. I appreciate your quiet helpfulness. My family appreciates it. The youth appreciate it. The work you put in wasn't a little, it was a LOT. It meant a lot to me.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bible Study Reflections: Sometimes It's How You Explain It
Our reflection this week comes from our High School movie group who kicked off their new season by watching Smoke Signals, a story about two young Native American men from the Coeur d'Alene reservation. Each has experienced hardship. Thomas Builds-the-Fire lost his parents in a house fire when he was an infant. His friend Victor Joseph lost his father in a different way. When Victor was yet a young boy his father Arnold left the family and moved to Phoenix, ending a relationship which was warm and intense but also full of drinking and abuse. The movie chronicles the journey of the two friends to Phoenix to pick up Arnold Joseph's ashes after Victor gets the news that he has died.
Though the two friends take the same journey and share much in common they couldn't be more different in the way they explain and approach life. Victor is direct, pragmatic, honest. He remembers his father as the one who abandoned him. He counsels his friend Thomas to be cautious of other people, lest they take advantage of him. Thomas, on the other hand, views the world with wonder shared through his frequent (and often ridiculous) stories. He sees Victor's father in a different light...regaling his friend about the time Arnold took him to Denny's to get the most glorious breakfast in the world: two eggs, two links of sausage, two strips of bacon, and two pancakes. Somehow when Thomas tells it the Grand Slam breakfast becomes a transcendent miracle.
Naturally Victor is annoyed by Thomas' grandiose stories. He constantly asks his friend to stop talking. He calls him a fool, a liar, out of touch with the real world. But a funny thing happens when the two get to Phoenix. Victor can't manage to take his dad's ashes. He doesn't have the strength or any solid footing to do so. Thomas has to hold them for him. Naturally Thomas continues to tell stories about how amazing Victor's dad was. Victor just can't reconcile the things he's holding onto with Thomas' perceptions. So he stands apart from his friend and his dad's remains both. The whole purpose of the trip was to reclaim his father and put him to rest and he cannot do it.
Oddly enough, Thomas' stories show Victor the way. When the two of them question a lady in Phoenix who knew Victor's dad in his later days she asks whether they want to hear the truth, or lies. Thomas, the storyteller, says that he wants to hear both at once. In other words, sometimes the literal facts of a situation doesn't reveal its true meaning. You need a new, interpretive story to get at the whole truth. So she tells them the story of Arnold Joseph. She tells them some terrible secrets that Arnold revealed to her. She also tells them that his one, overwhelming desire was to love his son Victor, that as long as he was gone he never considered Phoenix home. Home was always where his son was. He never intended to stay away. No matter what had driven him forth--and the ghosts of his past were substantial--his eyes were always back upon his family.
Hearing this, Victor had a choice. Did he believe in the father he knew...the abandoner, the one who had let him down? Or did he believe in the father of this woman's story...a flawed but ultimately loving man caught up in things he couldn't control and wishing only to love his son? Both explanations of Arnold were accurate. Which one was more true?
Victor's decision, ultimately to forgive his father and to tell his story in a positive light, allowed him the strength to carry Arnold's ashes and memory himself and also to let go of the resentful, suspicious child he had once been and own the beauty of his new existence.
It's a good movie. It's also a good message, much along the lines of the devotion on the Eighth Commandment we did a couple weeks ago. Never forget that how you explain the things of your life affects their ultimate truth and power. If you look for bad in people or situations you will find it. Nothing is perfect in this life. If you explain things kindly, looking through eyes of faith and trust, you will find a kinder and more faithful truth even in the most difficult of circumstances. Telling a story of an event or person binds the things contained within that explanation to your heart. If you explain with resentment, fear, jealousy, suspicion, and anger those things will be bound to you. Maybe there's good reason for that kind of story. Maybe that is part of the truth of the event. But be cautious how much or how firmly you rely on those feelings in your interpretation of life. If, on the other hand, you explain with charity, grace, love, forgiveness, and the best possible construction you will also find those things overflowing your heart.
Even though each event in our lives gives us opportunity for both, we're going to have to choose one or the other of those paths as our strongest truth. Ultimately you're either going to find your stories bringing good into the world or pain.
Never forget that Jesus died precisely so God could see his children through eyes of forgiveness, charity, and love. Any halfway serious reading of the Bible will show you that human beings mess up everything they put their mind to, no matter how noble their impulses. The Bible also tells us that even though God knows this, he ultimately chooses to see us as his own, beloved children. His purpose is to save us by superseding our imperfect story with an amazing tale of his own...salvation. We are saved precisely so we can look at a Grand Slam breakfast and be thankful, look at an all-too-human neighbor and be loving, look at the mistakes of our fathers and the ashes of death that consumed them and still be strong and hopeful, look at the oppression of this world and still be free.
What kind of story are you going to tell today? No doubt it will be laced with sad and happy moments, pain and joy together. Those words will provide opportunities for both suspicion and trust. Which one of those is more central to you and your life of faith? I hope it's the trust. And I hope all of our stories and words together reflect that.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Though the two friends take the same journey and share much in common they couldn't be more different in the way they explain and approach life. Victor is direct, pragmatic, honest. He remembers his father as the one who abandoned him. He counsels his friend Thomas to be cautious of other people, lest they take advantage of him. Thomas, on the other hand, views the world with wonder shared through his frequent (and often ridiculous) stories. He sees Victor's father in a different light...regaling his friend about the time Arnold took him to Denny's to get the most glorious breakfast in the world: two eggs, two links of sausage, two strips of bacon, and two pancakes. Somehow when Thomas tells it the Grand Slam breakfast becomes a transcendent miracle.
Naturally Victor is annoyed by Thomas' grandiose stories. He constantly asks his friend to stop talking. He calls him a fool, a liar, out of touch with the real world. But a funny thing happens when the two get to Phoenix. Victor can't manage to take his dad's ashes. He doesn't have the strength or any solid footing to do so. Thomas has to hold them for him. Naturally Thomas continues to tell stories about how amazing Victor's dad was. Victor just can't reconcile the things he's holding onto with Thomas' perceptions. So he stands apart from his friend and his dad's remains both. The whole purpose of the trip was to reclaim his father and put him to rest and he cannot do it.
Oddly enough, Thomas' stories show Victor the way. When the two of them question a lady in Phoenix who knew Victor's dad in his later days she asks whether they want to hear the truth, or lies. Thomas, the storyteller, says that he wants to hear both at once. In other words, sometimes the literal facts of a situation doesn't reveal its true meaning. You need a new, interpretive story to get at the whole truth. So she tells them the story of Arnold Joseph. She tells them some terrible secrets that Arnold revealed to her. She also tells them that his one, overwhelming desire was to love his son Victor, that as long as he was gone he never considered Phoenix home. Home was always where his son was. He never intended to stay away. No matter what had driven him forth--and the ghosts of his past were substantial--his eyes were always back upon his family.
Hearing this, Victor had a choice. Did he believe in the father he knew...the abandoner, the one who had let him down? Or did he believe in the father of this woman's story...a flawed but ultimately loving man caught up in things he couldn't control and wishing only to love his son? Both explanations of Arnold were accurate. Which one was more true?
Victor's decision, ultimately to forgive his father and to tell his story in a positive light, allowed him the strength to carry Arnold's ashes and memory himself and also to let go of the resentful, suspicious child he had once been and own the beauty of his new existence.
It's a good movie. It's also a good message, much along the lines of the devotion on the Eighth Commandment we did a couple weeks ago. Never forget that how you explain the things of your life affects their ultimate truth and power. If you look for bad in people or situations you will find it. Nothing is perfect in this life. If you explain things kindly, looking through eyes of faith and trust, you will find a kinder and more faithful truth even in the most difficult of circumstances. Telling a story of an event or person binds the things contained within that explanation to your heart. If you explain with resentment, fear, jealousy, suspicion, and anger those things will be bound to you. Maybe there's good reason for that kind of story. Maybe that is part of the truth of the event. But be cautious how much or how firmly you rely on those feelings in your interpretation of life. If, on the other hand, you explain with charity, grace, love, forgiveness, and the best possible construction you will also find those things overflowing your heart.
Even though each event in our lives gives us opportunity for both, we're going to have to choose one or the other of those paths as our strongest truth. Ultimately you're either going to find your stories bringing good into the world or pain.
Never forget that Jesus died precisely so God could see his children through eyes of forgiveness, charity, and love. Any halfway serious reading of the Bible will show you that human beings mess up everything they put their mind to, no matter how noble their impulses. The Bible also tells us that even though God knows this, he ultimately chooses to see us as his own, beloved children. His purpose is to save us by superseding our imperfect story with an amazing tale of his own...salvation. We are saved precisely so we can look at a Grand Slam breakfast and be thankful, look at an all-too-human neighbor and be loving, look at the mistakes of our fathers and the ashes of death that consumed them and still be strong and hopeful, look at the oppression of this world and still be free.
What kind of story are you going to tell today? No doubt it will be laced with sad and happy moments, pain and joy together. Those words will provide opportunities for both suspicion and trust. Which one of those is more central to you and your life of faith? I hope it's the trust. And I hope all of our stories and words together reflect that.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Worship Ministry: Communion Assistant
Last week we started a series on what it takes to help out during worship, looking at the awesome task of greeting and ushering. This week we're going to talk about assisting with communion. Note here that we are talking about assisting with communion distribution during worship, not preparing communion before the service. They're two different tasks. We'll cover the Altar Guild and communion preparation stuff another time.
People are often nervous about assisting with communion for a couple reasons. First, it happens up at the altar, a holy place. Second, it happens up in front of everybody and nobody wants to make a mistake. Let's address those before we begin.
The altar is a holy place. It's the center of our worship focus, the place from which goodness flows. The table there holds the candles representing God's Spirit among us, the bread and wine which will become Jesus' body and blood for us, symbols and decorations reminding us of the Lord. It's special.
But the altar is not special in an exclusive sense. Its "specialness" comes from its particular function, not because of some quantity which is present at the altar and not present anywhere else. Saying you don't feel worthy coming up to the altar because it's holy is the same as a doctor saying he doesn't feel OK about listening to your heart because the heart it's the central organ in the body. The heart is special, but it's only special because it touches and enhances the functions of the rest of the body, not because of some mystical component of its tissue compared to all the others. The altar is special because it's where the holiness starts, but that holiness is only useful and alive when it flows from the altar to all of us, out into the streets, and into the world. Setting the altar apart as "more holy" in an exclusive sense denies its purpose. If the ground you're standing on today isn't just as holy as the altar space because of what the altar has done for you, then the altar isn't doing its job. God doesn't live just behind that altar rail. God doesn't stay there. He comes out to us all. Therefore you're not getting higher or closer to him when you come to the altar, you're simply getting closer to the place he started when he came to dwell in your heart and life.
Therefore nobody should let nervousness about the altar being holy space prevent them from serving in this way. It is holy, but not in any way which would keep you from serving there. To claim that kind of exclusionary holiness is to deny the power and purpose of the altar.
As for the second concern...yeah, it's up front. Everybody sees you. But we're a friendly bunch. Besides, it's not like you can make a mistake that we can't fix. You're not going to toss the communion tray like a frisbee, right? Then you're good.
When I was first asked to serve up in front of a church, back when I was just a random tenor in the church choir and nothing more, I first had to get over the fear of the "holiness" thing. Then I had to get over the fear of looking silly. I remember the first service in which I served. I got to the end and didn't make any mistakes! Whew! I had made it! I sighed in relief as I descended the stairs from the altar dais to the sanctuary floor...and promptly slipped and fell on my nicely-robed behind, sliding all the way down stair by stair. That was my introduction to worship leading. If I can survive that to become a pastor, you don't have anything to worry about. (And of course nobody there cared anyway. They were more concerned that I was OK.)
Once we've gotten past those two nervous thoughts, assisting with communion is fairly easy.
The first step is actually the hardest...the one most people forget if they're going to forget anything. Come forward when the offering plates do. Let me say that again: come forward when the offering plates do. That's right after the offering is taken, as the usher is bringing the plates forward. Just walk forward with them! Except instead of handing me the offering, just head right on up to the altar.
After you're up there we set the communion rail and lay out the pads. Then you stand to the side of the dais while I say the Words of Institution. I may have you hold the bread or wine when I'm lifting them to the congregation. Both of our buildings have altars that face (or function as) the wall. In the old Catholic church from which we all sprang altars almost always faced the wall and the priest would go through the communion process with his back to the congregation. This was fine because communion was seen as our sacrifice for God more than God's for us. Therefore the priest would lift up the bread and wine to God on behalf of the congregation. We see communion as God's gift to us, therefore the pastor lifts them out to the congregation on behalf of God. Having a free-standing altar makes extending the bread and cup much easier. Sadly they didn't think of that when building these great old churches. They just did it like it had always been done. That makes it awkward to leave the cup on the altar when I'm extending the bread, as I'd have to turn around, put the bread down, pick up the cup, and turn back around to the people before continuing. It's much simpler to just have you hold the cup and switch with me when I'm ready for it.
Once the words have been shared and the gift shown to the congregation we say the Lord's Prayer and I invite people forward.
The communion assistants and I gather together and commune first. I will offer you the bread and wine. After I'm done one assistant hands me a piece of bread, saying, "The Body of Christ, given for you." The other assistant hands me the cup, saying, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you." (The proper response to each of those statements is "Amen", by the way.) Then once we have communed I'll point one of you towards the tray of wine cups, the other towards the basket for picking up empty cups. You simply follow me around a circle...in front of the altar at St. John's, around and behind the altar at Genesee Valley. To each person you say, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you" and let them take a cup. Or if you're the other person you pick up the empty cups in the basket. We keep going around until everyone has communed and that's it!
If you're not sure if someone is communing you have two ways of finding out. First, you could watch and see if they're chewing. Unless they brought the Bubble Yum or their can of dip to the altar, that's probably bread, which means they are communing. If you can't tell even then, just ask. It's no big deal.
Once communion is finished you help me put away the elements, unlock the altar rail, and we're done! This actually took far more paragraphs to describe than it does to show. It's really an easy process: come up with the offering, hold the cup while I show people the bread, commune with me, follow me around communing everybody else...done!
Celebration Sunday is slightly different but a couple of the singers usually take care of communion assisting on those days. If you do help on a Celebration Sunday you simply come forward when it's time to commune, lift the bread or cup when the song says, and stand out in front instead of at the altar rail. But most of you won't have to do that, so focus more on the first Sunday.
Hope this helps put people at ease and encourages all of you to help with this wonderful ministry!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
People are often nervous about assisting with communion for a couple reasons. First, it happens up at the altar, a holy place. Second, it happens up in front of everybody and nobody wants to make a mistake. Let's address those before we begin.
The altar is a holy place. It's the center of our worship focus, the place from which goodness flows. The table there holds the candles representing God's Spirit among us, the bread and wine which will become Jesus' body and blood for us, symbols and decorations reminding us of the Lord. It's special.
But the altar is not special in an exclusive sense. Its "specialness" comes from its particular function, not because of some quantity which is present at the altar and not present anywhere else. Saying you don't feel worthy coming up to the altar because it's holy is the same as a doctor saying he doesn't feel OK about listening to your heart because the heart it's the central organ in the body. The heart is special, but it's only special because it touches and enhances the functions of the rest of the body, not because of some mystical component of its tissue compared to all the others. The altar is special because it's where the holiness starts, but that holiness is only useful and alive when it flows from the altar to all of us, out into the streets, and into the world. Setting the altar apart as "more holy" in an exclusive sense denies its purpose. If the ground you're standing on today isn't just as holy as the altar space because of what the altar has done for you, then the altar isn't doing its job. God doesn't live just behind that altar rail. God doesn't stay there. He comes out to us all. Therefore you're not getting higher or closer to him when you come to the altar, you're simply getting closer to the place he started when he came to dwell in your heart and life.
Therefore nobody should let nervousness about the altar being holy space prevent them from serving in this way. It is holy, but not in any way which would keep you from serving there. To claim that kind of exclusionary holiness is to deny the power and purpose of the altar.
As for the second concern...yeah, it's up front. Everybody sees you. But we're a friendly bunch. Besides, it's not like you can make a mistake that we can't fix. You're not going to toss the communion tray like a frisbee, right? Then you're good.
When I was first asked to serve up in front of a church, back when I was just a random tenor in the church choir and nothing more, I first had to get over the fear of the "holiness" thing. Then I had to get over the fear of looking silly. I remember the first service in which I served. I got to the end and didn't make any mistakes! Whew! I had made it! I sighed in relief as I descended the stairs from the altar dais to the sanctuary floor...and promptly slipped and fell on my nicely-robed behind, sliding all the way down stair by stair. That was my introduction to worship leading. If I can survive that to become a pastor, you don't have anything to worry about. (And of course nobody there cared anyway. They were more concerned that I was OK.)
Once we've gotten past those two nervous thoughts, assisting with communion is fairly easy.
The first step is actually the hardest...the one most people forget if they're going to forget anything. Come forward when the offering plates do. Let me say that again: come forward when the offering plates do. That's right after the offering is taken, as the usher is bringing the plates forward. Just walk forward with them! Except instead of handing me the offering, just head right on up to the altar.
After you're up there we set the communion rail and lay out the pads. Then you stand to the side of the dais while I say the Words of Institution. I may have you hold the bread or wine when I'm lifting them to the congregation. Both of our buildings have altars that face (or function as) the wall. In the old Catholic church from which we all sprang altars almost always faced the wall and the priest would go through the communion process with his back to the congregation. This was fine because communion was seen as our sacrifice for God more than God's for us. Therefore the priest would lift up the bread and wine to God on behalf of the congregation. We see communion as God's gift to us, therefore the pastor lifts them out to the congregation on behalf of God. Having a free-standing altar makes extending the bread and cup much easier. Sadly they didn't think of that when building these great old churches. They just did it like it had always been done. That makes it awkward to leave the cup on the altar when I'm extending the bread, as I'd have to turn around, put the bread down, pick up the cup, and turn back around to the people before continuing. It's much simpler to just have you hold the cup and switch with me when I'm ready for it.
Once the words have been shared and the gift shown to the congregation we say the Lord's Prayer and I invite people forward.
The communion assistants and I gather together and commune first. I will offer you the bread and wine. After I'm done one assistant hands me a piece of bread, saying, "The Body of Christ, given for you." The other assistant hands me the cup, saying, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you." (The proper response to each of those statements is "Amen", by the way.) Then once we have communed I'll point one of you towards the tray of wine cups, the other towards the basket for picking up empty cups. You simply follow me around a circle...in front of the altar at St. John's, around and behind the altar at Genesee Valley. To each person you say, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you" and let them take a cup. Or if you're the other person you pick up the empty cups in the basket. We keep going around until everyone has communed and that's it!
If you're not sure if someone is communing you have two ways of finding out. First, you could watch and see if they're chewing. Unless they brought the Bubble Yum or their can of dip to the altar, that's probably bread, which means they are communing. If you can't tell even then, just ask. It's no big deal.
Once communion is finished you help me put away the elements, unlock the altar rail, and we're done! This actually took far more paragraphs to describe than it does to show. It's really an easy process: come up with the offering, hold the cup while I show people the bread, commune with me, follow me around communing everybody else...done!
Celebration Sunday is slightly different but a couple of the singers usually take care of communion assisting on those days. If you do help on a Celebration Sunday you simply come forward when it's time to commune, lift the bread or cup when the song says, and stand out in front instead of at the altar rail. But most of you won't have to do that, so focus more on the first Sunday.
Hope this helps put people at ease and encourages all of you to help with this wonderful ministry!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Word Alone
One of the delights of teaching Confirmation is the opportunity to revisit some of the basics of our faith. A couple Sundays ago we were going over early Lutheran theology, some of the points on which Martin Luther and company rested their faith and by which they defined the church. One of the most interesting was his three-part affirmation of the foundation of our belief in God: Word Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone. These affirmations spoke again basing faith on self-interest or human power, centering it in God and his relationship with us expressed through Word, Grace, and Faith. Over the next few weeks let's take a look at these words and what they mean to our lives.
Click through for a look at how "Word Alone" describes our relationship with God!
Click through for a look at how "Word Alone" describes our relationship with God!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Lent Reminder
The youth are off of school for a four-day weekend so it's been busy around here. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the Monday Morning Sermon. But I'd like to remind everybody that Lent begins Wednesday night with Ash Wednesday service at the Valley Church at 7:00 p.m.
We'll continue through Lent with Soup Suppers each Wednesday (beginning on February 29th) at 6:00 followed by worship at 7:00, all at the Valley.
You'll want to join us for Lenten services this year. They'll be special on both Wednesdays and Sundays.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We'll continue through Lent with Soup Suppers each Wednesday (beginning on February 29th) at 6:00 followed by worship at 7:00, all at the Valley.
You'll want to join us for Lenten services this year. They'll be special on both Wednesdays and Sundays.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday Morning Sermon: Gilligan or Jesus?
The text for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany was Mark 1: 40-45.
Click through to hear a different take on this familiar story!
40 A man with leprosy came to [Jesus] and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Click through to hear a different take on this familiar story!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Languages of Love
One of the things we're talking about in our Thursday Night Marriage Care Group is how we communicate love to each other...a particularly important topic when the "other" in question is your spouse and you get to (notice I said "GET to") spend the rest of your life with them. As I type this we haven't had our explicit discussion about it. That happens in a few hours from now. But frankly I wouldn't be sharing individual couples' descriptions of their love language anyway, nor would it do you much good if I did. It's different for every pair. Even when our languages overlap the distinctions inherent in our particular relationships make them unique to us. Me giving flowers to my spouse is quite different than me giving flowers to someone else's spouse!
Though the expression of our language of love is peculiar to each couple, the process by which we discover and speak each other's languages is universal. We're not born knowing a language of love. We learn it first from our parents, usually...through the touches and gestures they use when fulfilling our needs and their parental duties. As we grow these become ritualized: a particular way of baking cookies or celebrating Christmas or discussing important events which we equate with comfort and goodness and home.
Great fun ensues when we move out of our homes and embark on our lives and their attendant relationships, including and especially marriage. Into marriage you carry with you a bundle of assumptions about love and how to communicate it, learned from your earlier days and relationships. You quickly find out that your spouse carries their own bundle and that the two bundles aren't the same! Many married couples who just committed themselves to a life of eternal bliss find themselves arguing with each other with surprising vehemence about the importance of creamy peanut butter versus crunchy not long after the ink has dried on their certificate. How in the world could anyone like Extra-Crunchy Jif when any fool knows that Creamy Skippy really means home and love and safety? What ever possessed me to marry such a stubborn, ignorant, Crunchy guy?
Just as much fun are the subtle moments wherein each partner feels something lacking. She doesn't make meatloaf quite like mom did. He doesn't remember to thank her for the meal like her dad did with her mom. He hasn't brought flowers in six months. She doesn't appreciate how hard he works. Would it kill him to remember the garbage without being told? Would it kill her to change out of those sweats every once in a while?
The problem with these scenarios lies not in the differences between two people, nor in the divisions between them. Those are going to happen with any two people in a sustained relationship. How many differences did you have with your siblings or parents, for instance? And all of you had the benefit of growing up in the same household and family culture! Small wonder you have differences with someone from outside that culture.
No, the problem comes when each party forgets that their language of love is just that...a language. It's relational, a means of communication, a way to unite people and give them common purpose. When we have these struggles in our relationships it's usually because both sides are viewing their outlook as absolute. This isn't a way of showing love, this is the way of showing love. ( Or this is love itself, or there is no love without this and why can't that blockhead understand that like a reasonable, normal human being???) Where language unites, absolutes divide. But it doesn't take much stepping back to realize that there's nothing absolute about peanut butter or a flower-bringing schedule or division of household chores.
If we're able to step back--a skill which most married people soon acquire if they're to be successful in their marriage--we realize that there's no universal rule saying that one person's way is right and another's wrong in these matters. We also realize, though, that if we want to have a happy and fulfilled spouse it would behoove us to learn a little bit about their assumptions about love, the way they desire to be loved, and to begin to speak their language every now and again instead of just insisting on our own.
This is the beauty of the language metaphor. It requires all the things that make a relationship strong: setting aside yourself and your claims to being absolutely right, taking time to getting to know another person, taking time to understand their background and culture, showing them that you hear them, communicating your appreciation of them by speaking in the ways they find most familiar and dear whether or not those ways are instinctively your own. What an amazing process! And what an amazing moment when he realizes that taking out the garbage without being reminded isn't just a chore, it's a way of making her feel happy and secure that he cares...a way of saying, "I love you." What an amazing moment when she realizes that taking out the garbage isn't just an absolute "way things should be" but him doing something that isn't in his instinctive nature just to make her feel loved. All of a sudden the trash changes from a Big Fight to a huge affirmation, from something that divides two people to something that brings them together.
This lesson doesn't just apply to married people either. If our focus in the coming year is going to be evangelism we first have to admit that evangelism takes time, patience, listening, understanding cultures and backgrounds--especially religious--other than our own. It requires the same kind of love, effort, and sometimes sacrifice that a good marriage requires. We have to stop thinking of our way of doing church, practicing religion, and defining God as absolutes. We have to understand that all of these things are part of a bigger relationship--first with God, then with each other--and that this relationship has room for more people than just us and those who think like us. This is a big step for most of us, especially when we've learned/been taught that Creamy Peanut Butter is the only Holy Peanut Butter. We might have to get used to a little Crunchy now and then for the sake of our neighbors for whom that is holy and good.
Pray this week, first for the married couples among us and those contemplating or searching for marriage, but also for all of us in all relationships wherein the language of love needs to be spoken and heard more than it is. Pray that we might be willing to not only communicate our own language and needs, but to hear the language and needs of our friends and neighbors especially as those relate to God and faith.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Though the expression of our language of love is peculiar to each couple, the process by which we discover and speak each other's languages is universal. We're not born knowing a language of love. We learn it first from our parents, usually...through the touches and gestures they use when fulfilling our needs and their parental duties. As we grow these become ritualized: a particular way of baking cookies or celebrating Christmas or discussing important events which we equate with comfort and goodness and home.
Great fun ensues when we move out of our homes and embark on our lives and their attendant relationships, including and especially marriage. Into marriage you carry with you a bundle of assumptions about love and how to communicate it, learned from your earlier days and relationships. You quickly find out that your spouse carries their own bundle and that the two bundles aren't the same! Many married couples who just committed themselves to a life of eternal bliss find themselves arguing with each other with surprising vehemence about the importance of creamy peanut butter versus crunchy not long after the ink has dried on their certificate. How in the world could anyone like Extra-Crunchy Jif when any fool knows that Creamy Skippy really means home and love and safety? What ever possessed me to marry such a stubborn, ignorant, Crunchy guy?
Just as much fun are the subtle moments wherein each partner feels something lacking. She doesn't make meatloaf quite like mom did. He doesn't remember to thank her for the meal like her dad did with her mom. He hasn't brought flowers in six months. She doesn't appreciate how hard he works. Would it kill him to remember the garbage without being told? Would it kill her to change out of those sweats every once in a while?
The problem with these scenarios lies not in the differences between two people, nor in the divisions between them. Those are going to happen with any two people in a sustained relationship. How many differences did you have with your siblings or parents, for instance? And all of you had the benefit of growing up in the same household and family culture! Small wonder you have differences with someone from outside that culture.
No, the problem comes when each party forgets that their language of love is just that...a language. It's relational, a means of communication, a way to unite people and give them common purpose. When we have these struggles in our relationships it's usually because both sides are viewing their outlook as absolute. This isn't a way of showing love, this is the way of showing love. ( Or this is love itself, or there is no love without this and why can't that blockhead understand that like a reasonable, normal human being???) Where language unites, absolutes divide. But it doesn't take much stepping back to realize that there's nothing absolute about peanut butter or a flower-bringing schedule or division of household chores.
If we're able to step back--a skill which most married people soon acquire if they're to be successful in their marriage--we realize that there's no universal rule saying that one person's way is right and another's wrong in these matters. We also realize, though, that if we want to have a happy and fulfilled spouse it would behoove us to learn a little bit about their assumptions about love, the way they desire to be loved, and to begin to speak their language every now and again instead of just insisting on our own.
This is the beauty of the language metaphor. It requires all the things that make a relationship strong: setting aside yourself and your claims to being absolutely right, taking time to getting to know another person, taking time to understand their background and culture, showing them that you hear them, communicating your appreciation of them by speaking in the ways they find most familiar and dear whether or not those ways are instinctively your own. What an amazing process! And what an amazing moment when he realizes that taking out the garbage without being reminded isn't just a chore, it's a way of making her feel happy and secure that he cares...a way of saying, "I love you." What an amazing moment when she realizes that taking out the garbage isn't just an absolute "way things should be" but him doing something that isn't in his instinctive nature just to make her feel loved. All of a sudden the trash changes from a Big Fight to a huge affirmation, from something that divides two people to something that brings them together.
This lesson doesn't just apply to married people either. If our focus in the coming year is going to be evangelism we first have to admit that evangelism takes time, patience, listening, understanding cultures and backgrounds--especially religious--other than our own. It requires the same kind of love, effort, and sometimes sacrifice that a good marriage requires. We have to stop thinking of our way of doing church, practicing religion, and defining God as absolutes. We have to understand that all of these things are part of a bigger relationship--first with God, then with each other--and that this relationship has room for more people than just us and those who think like us. This is a big step for most of us, especially when we've learned/been taught that Creamy Peanut Butter is the only Holy Peanut Butter. We might have to get used to a little Crunchy now and then for the sake of our neighbors for whom that is holy and good.
Pray this week, first for the married couples among us and those contemplating or searching for marriage, but also for all of us in all relationships wherein the language of love needs to be spoken and heard more than it is. Pray that we might be willing to not only communicate our own language and needs, but to hear the language and needs of our friends and neighbors especially as those relate to God and faith.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Lent Worship Planning
The worship planning folks will meet briefly following worship on Sunday if you are able to come!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Worship Ministry: Greeter/Usher
As most of you know we have sign-up sheets at church for people who want to help with worship. I figured it'd be a good idea to publish broadly what those positions entail. We've always passed instructions through word of mouth but that makes it harder to sign up sometimes, as you don't know exactly what you're signing up for! Over the next few weeks we'll run down the various worship ministries so everybody can start on level ground when considering serving in this way.
We're going to begin with the most detailed position, Usher/Greeter. Our greeter/ushers have by far the most to remember of anybody helping on Sunday outside of the Pastor. But even then, I think you'll see it's not too hard.
Greeter/Usher
You'll need to arrive 25 minutes before the service during the school year, maybe 15 minutes before in the summer.
Step 1: Pre-Worship Check
Look around and make sure the following have happened:
You are the first face people see at church. Smile! Make them feel welcome and comfortable. If someone's new make sure they know they can sit anywhere. Say hello and assure them they're not going to get jumped on the moment they step in our doors. Let them go at their own pace. Just make sure someone has said, "Hello" to them and given them a smile.
Hand out bulletins as people enter. Also watch for people (especially young people) to help light candles, take offering, and ring the bell.
Step 3: Worship Duties
You have a couple of tasks at the beginning of the service and a couple at the end.
Make sure the lights are turned off when everybody leaves and that the front door is locked if we're at St. John's.
And that's all there is to it! It seems like a lot at first but really the duties are spread out enough that you're never in a time crunch to do the next thing. Of all of them, greeting people warmly is the central task. That's the only one we can't make up for if you forget!
I hope this makes greeting and ushering more comfortable for those already doing it and encourages others to give it a try!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We're going to begin with the most detailed position, Usher/Greeter. Our greeter/ushers have by far the most to remember of anybody helping on Sunday outside of the Pastor. But even then, I think you'll see it's not too hard.
Greeter/Usher
You'll need to arrive 25 minutes before the service during the school year, maybe 15 minutes before in the summer.
Step 1: Pre-Worship Check
Look around and make sure the following have happened:
- Lights are on.
- Front door is unlocked.
- Bulletins are sitting on the counter and are folded.
- Offering plates are where you can reach them.
- Candle lighting material is out and ready to go. The butane lighter is in the top drawer of the cupboards at St. John's. The candle lighters themselves are above the coat rack. At the Valley the lighter is behind the altar and matches are on the table in back.
- The hymn reader board has the correct hymn numbers as printed in the bulletin. This is usually done before the greeters arrive but if it isn't, the number box is in the drawer at the back of the sanctuary at St. John's or behind the altar at the Valley.
You are the first face people see at church. Smile! Make them feel welcome and comfortable. If someone's new make sure they know they can sit anywhere. Say hello and assure them they're not going to get jumped on the moment they step in our doors. Let them go at their own pace. Just make sure someone has said, "Hello" to them and given them a smile.
Hand out bulletins as people enter. Also watch for people (especially young people) to help light candles, take offering, and ring the bell.
Step 3: Worship Duties
You have a couple of tasks at the beginning of the service and a couple at the end.
- Gather your candle lighting people in back. Light them up and send them as the organist plays the prelude. If it's a special Sunday and instructions are different, the pastor will let you know.
- Ring the bell following the organist's prelude.
- You get to relax until it's time to take the offering. Collect it with help from your friends and then send or bring it forward.
- If we're having communion at the altar you may usher people forward. Start on one side of the church then progress to the other. Keep people moving with each group filling the altar rail. It's OK to have people standing in front waiting to go up. Just keep the line manageable.
Make sure the lights are turned off when everybody leaves and that the front door is locked if we're at St. John's.
And that's all there is to it! It seems like a lot at first but really the duties are spread out enough that you're never in a time crunch to do the next thing. Of all of them, greeting people warmly is the central task. That's the only one we can't make up for if you forget!
I hope this makes greeting and ushering more comfortable for those already doing it and encourages others to give it a try!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Focuses This Year
Having had our Annual Meeting a couple Sundays ago and in anticipation of our first Church Council meeting of the new year, I want to recap the gist of my Annual Meeting report which covered our focuses for 2012.
We've made huge strides as a church in the last couple of years. Anybody who doubts that should come and chat, because I can mention several dozen ways in which the Spirit is alive at the Genesee Lutheran Parish in ways I haven't seen before in this or any other church. What we're doing is both revolutionary and freeing. The amazement on people's faces as they experience it tells the story. We're on to something wonderful here.
In order to do that we've had to unlearn several things about being a church...ways of doing things that seemed "normal" but led our focus away from God's intent instead of towards it. The ways we define ministry, measure success, interact with each other and the world are all changing. We've not completed this process yet, if indeed we ever will. We still have plenty of work to do. But we're far enough along now, solid enough in our practices and goals, and different enough in our intent that we're ready to take two critical steps.
1. We need to think about how to sustain this process beyond just this week's ministries. We need to make sure we don't backslide into old habits or simply replace one less-than-ideal system with a new one through complacency. We also need to figure out how to bring this new Spirit into full flower, which means taking risks and dreaming dreams we wouldn't have dared to before.
2. We need to share this Spirit with our friends and neighbors, both locally and throughout the greater church. People who have never seen God in a way they could accept will need to see and hear what we do. People who have tried to seek God through "normal" ways of doing church and couldn't find satisfaction will also need to experience what we're experiencing right now. We're doing things that make people slap their heads and say, "Why in the world did we never think of this before?" Nobody is going to get a chance to ask that question or experience the difference unless we figure out how to share it.
The first item on the list requires discussion of good stewardship. The second item requires discussion of evangelism. These need to be our main focus in the coming year. That's in addition to exploring and continuing to grow in God's Spirit together, of course. We just need to have the courage to look farther and dream bigger than we have so far as we've been turtled up, trying to figure this out.
In order to pursue these focuses we're going to have to repeat the familiar process of unlearning. Most of the language I've heard surrounding stewardship in our congregation has revolved around, "Give more money so we can pay the bills." That's exactly backwards from the Spirit that's guiding us and the goal we're getting people to look towards. But many people will shy away from this conversation because they expect to hear exactly that. Before we can take even the first step towards good stewardship we need to repent that this was ever our message, cloaked in fear and selfish demanding as it was, assure each other that those are not our motives, and find a new, good language to use when talking about sharing our time, talents, and resources. We have to get over the fear of stewardship talk the same way we've gotten over dozens of other fears in the past two years and come out of it for the better.
And speaking of fear, no conversation makes people more nervous than discussing evangelism. Again the message has been rooted in fear and self-concern. "You need to go out and get new people for us so that we can have more members, feel good about ourselves, and keep the church open!" It's so hard to undo decades of that message being repeated. But somehow we have to unlearn this, get over our fear that this is what our faith amounts to or that our church is going to manipulate us into manipulating others, and adopt a Spirit-filled way of sharing God with our community and world. To not do this would be its own form of selfishness, either making "good for us" our entire definition of goodness or making "as long as it's not too much trouble" our criterion for serving the Lord who sustains us and has given us these gifts.
This process of unlearning and then moving forward together is going to take plenty of trust followed by plenty of dedication. We're all going to have to decide if this church and God's Spirit are worth it or whether we just want to be satisfied with everybody else's norm, succumbing to the gravity of doing it the same old ways, hearing the same old messages, wearing out the same old faith. A door has been opened here. A brilliant light shines through it. This is the year we decide whether we walk through that doorway or retreat, only to see it close and our vision return to dull gray. That decision will depend heavily on how well we engage these two issues.
I look forward to this conversation with all of you in the coming months. I pray that we can walk together in faith to the bright tomorrow that awaits us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We've made huge strides as a church in the last couple of years. Anybody who doubts that should come and chat, because I can mention several dozen ways in which the Spirit is alive at the Genesee Lutheran Parish in ways I haven't seen before in this or any other church. What we're doing is both revolutionary and freeing. The amazement on people's faces as they experience it tells the story. We're on to something wonderful here.
In order to do that we've had to unlearn several things about being a church...ways of doing things that seemed "normal" but led our focus away from God's intent instead of towards it. The ways we define ministry, measure success, interact with each other and the world are all changing. We've not completed this process yet, if indeed we ever will. We still have plenty of work to do. But we're far enough along now, solid enough in our practices and goals, and different enough in our intent that we're ready to take two critical steps.
1. We need to think about how to sustain this process beyond just this week's ministries. We need to make sure we don't backslide into old habits or simply replace one less-than-ideal system with a new one through complacency. We also need to figure out how to bring this new Spirit into full flower, which means taking risks and dreaming dreams we wouldn't have dared to before.
2. We need to share this Spirit with our friends and neighbors, both locally and throughout the greater church. People who have never seen God in a way they could accept will need to see and hear what we do. People who have tried to seek God through "normal" ways of doing church and couldn't find satisfaction will also need to experience what we're experiencing right now. We're doing things that make people slap their heads and say, "Why in the world did we never think of this before?" Nobody is going to get a chance to ask that question or experience the difference unless we figure out how to share it.
The first item on the list requires discussion of good stewardship. The second item requires discussion of evangelism. These need to be our main focus in the coming year. That's in addition to exploring and continuing to grow in God's Spirit together, of course. We just need to have the courage to look farther and dream bigger than we have so far as we've been turtled up, trying to figure this out.
In order to pursue these focuses we're going to have to repeat the familiar process of unlearning. Most of the language I've heard surrounding stewardship in our congregation has revolved around, "Give more money so we can pay the bills." That's exactly backwards from the Spirit that's guiding us and the goal we're getting people to look towards. But many people will shy away from this conversation because they expect to hear exactly that. Before we can take even the first step towards good stewardship we need to repent that this was ever our message, cloaked in fear and selfish demanding as it was, assure each other that those are not our motives, and find a new, good language to use when talking about sharing our time, talents, and resources. We have to get over the fear of stewardship talk the same way we've gotten over dozens of other fears in the past two years and come out of it for the better.
And speaking of fear, no conversation makes people more nervous than discussing evangelism. Again the message has been rooted in fear and self-concern. "You need to go out and get new people for us so that we can have more members, feel good about ourselves, and keep the church open!" It's so hard to undo decades of that message being repeated. But somehow we have to unlearn this, get over our fear that this is what our faith amounts to or that our church is going to manipulate us into manipulating others, and adopt a Spirit-filled way of sharing God with our community and world. To not do this would be its own form of selfishness, either making "good for us" our entire definition of goodness or making "as long as it's not too much trouble" our criterion for serving the Lord who sustains us and has given us these gifts.
This process of unlearning and then moving forward together is going to take plenty of trust followed by plenty of dedication. We're all going to have to decide if this church and God's Spirit are worth it or whether we just want to be satisfied with everybody else's norm, succumbing to the gravity of doing it the same old ways, hearing the same old messages, wearing out the same old faith. A door has been opened here. A brilliant light shines through it. This is the year we decide whether we walk through that doorway or retreat, only to see it close and our vision return to dull gray. That decision will depend heavily on how well we engage these two issues.
I look forward to this conversation with all of you in the coming months. I pray that we can walk together in faith to the bright tomorrow that awaits us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Casting Out Demons
The last couple weeks we've seen texts indicating that casting out demons was an integral part of Jesus' early ministry. We've talked about other aspects of these texts in the sermons but I don't want to let them pass by entirely without acknowledging this aspect of Jesus' healing.
Because some of the demons actually spoke to Jesus before departing we can be sure that the supernatural played a part in these miracles. In order to dismiss the concept of possession entirely we'd have to ignore significant portions of Jesus' story. But even if wrapping your head around that is a little much, consider that being supernatural, or even demons, isn't the ultimate point of evil's presence in these texts. The problem with demons was not just that they were supernatural, but that they were beyond the control of human beings and they caused harm. That is why Jesus opposed them and took power over them.
Now consider that many of the things casually attributed to demonic possession back in Jesus' time--things that were healed not in extended stories but in sentences like, "And he cast out demons from all who were possessed"--could actually mimic conditions we accept today as illnesses. Depression, schizophrenia, addictions...people knew little or nothing of these conditions back then. They, too, would likely have been termed "demonic possession".
The point here is not to start an argument about what does or doesn't constitute demonic influence back in the day or now. I see even less point in trying to figure out what belongs in the realm of the supernatural and what belongs to science. The truth is, we'll never know. We can debate our opinions all day without ever coming up with a helpful answer.
Rather the overarching point is the best one: this is not about sickness, but about healing. Jesus has compassion on all of those who are dealing with forces beyond their control, supernatural, scientifically-explained, or otherwise. Jesus does not abandon, nor does he turn away. Jesus reaches out, touches, understands, and does everything in his power to show that we are meant for goodness, not oppression or suffering.
As followers of Christ, we too are called to reach out to people dealing with such forces in their lives. Too often we detour around issues like mental illness, abuse, or addiction when we should be showing compassion, lending a hand, doing our part to participate in the identification and healing process. Like the people of Jesus' time we're tempted to identify people by their suffering ("She's this" or "He's the guy who's that") as if there were no person beyond that label. Alternatively we simply pass by in silence, not acknowledging anything at all. Both practices short-change God's children and the ministry we're called to.
Take some time today to pray for people dealing with issues and conditions beyond their control. If you know someone who needs help, help them find it. Give to organizations that assist people who are suffering. If you can offer peace, a hug, or a word of support personally, do so. We cannot turn away, for Jesus didn't.
All our thoughts and prayers for those fighting the battles that we seldom see.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Because some of the demons actually spoke to Jesus before departing we can be sure that the supernatural played a part in these miracles. In order to dismiss the concept of possession entirely we'd have to ignore significant portions of Jesus' story. But even if wrapping your head around that is a little much, consider that being supernatural, or even demons, isn't the ultimate point of evil's presence in these texts. The problem with demons was not just that they were supernatural, but that they were beyond the control of human beings and they caused harm. That is why Jesus opposed them and took power over them.
Now consider that many of the things casually attributed to demonic possession back in Jesus' time--things that were healed not in extended stories but in sentences like, "And he cast out demons from all who were possessed"--could actually mimic conditions we accept today as illnesses. Depression, schizophrenia, addictions...people knew little or nothing of these conditions back then. They, too, would likely have been termed "demonic possession".
The point here is not to start an argument about what does or doesn't constitute demonic influence back in the day or now. I see even less point in trying to figure out what belongs in the realm of the supernatural and what belongs to science. The truth is, we'll never know. We can debate our opinions all day without ever coming up with a helpful answer.
Rather the overarching point is the best one: this is not about sickness, but about healing. Jesus has compassion on all of those who are dealing with forces beyond their control, supernatural, scientifically-explained, or otherwise. Jesus does not abandon, nor does he turn away. Jesus reaches out, touches, understands, and does everything in his power to show that we are meant for goodness, not oppression or suffering.
As followers of Christ, we too are called to reach out to people dealing with such forces in their lives. Too often we detour around issues like mental illness, abuse, or addiction when we should be showing compassion, lending a hand, doing our part to participate in the identification and healing process. Like the people of Jesus' time we're tempted to identify people by their suffering ("She's this" or "He's the guy who's that") as if there were no person beyond that label. Alternatively we simply pass by in silence, not acknowledging anything at all. Both practices short-change God's children and the ministry we're called to.
Take some time today to pray for people dealing with issues and conditions beyond their control. If you know someone who needs help, help them find it. Give to organizations that assist people who are suffering. If you can offer peace, a hug, or a word of support personally, do so. We cannot turn away, for Jesus didn't.
All our thoughts and prayers for those fighting the battles that we seldom see.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Monday Morning Sermon: Who Does Jesus Belong To?
The Gospel for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany came from Mark 1: 29-39.
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Click through to listen to one of the important lessons from these passages!
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Click through to listen to one of the important lessons from these passages!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Non-Standard Sources of Faith
One of my bestest Christmas presents this year (besides getting to spend the holiday with my family and all of you folks) was receiving the Lord of the Rings extended edition movies on Blu-Ray. Now, mind you, these puppies are three hours long apiece. With my schedule there's no way I can sit down and watch them all at once. So on nights when I've had half an hour free at the end of my day or need to unwind, I've watched them in small snippets. I'm through the second movie now and headed through to the third and final one.
Watching these films takes me back to my childhood when I read the books from which the story is based. Mind you, the film version isn't a completely faithful re-creation. None of them are. The movies are good. The books, though, were great. And as I think back on reading them over and over when I was young, I realize the profound effect they, and a few other treasured stories, had on shaping my theology and world view.
Obviously most of my theology comes from (gasp!) The Bible. There's no substitute for the Word of God. But being prepared by other good literary works before I got to Scripture helped me understand it better. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings narrative, for instance, is about redemption and perseverance. In the end one of the least deserving characters, through no intention of his own, saves the day when all of the "good guys", great and small, had failed. The temptation throughout the story was to dismiss this guy, to be rid of him. He was no good. But the wise old man counseled mercy, that you never know what part somebody's life will play. The others listened and because they chose the merciful route rather than the expedient or desirable, the world was saved. That's a powerful lesson taught in such a way that I never knew I was learning it until now, when I look back.
C.S. Lewis' Narnia series is another obvious source of inspiration...this one intentional on the author's part. He was, in essence, telling an extended Christian parable with his works. Flannery O'Connor became a favorite short-story author well before I understood she was also talking about godly things.
The point here is not just to praise or recommend certain authors or stories. Everyone will have their own favorites. The lesson here is to be ready to see God in places that aren't obvious. We've traditionally thought of "strong faith" as being firm about finding God in church and upholding his Great and Holy Stuff that you'll find in Great and Holy Works by Great and Holy Men. Alright...I guess that is pretty strong. But you know what's even stronger? Being able to see God in the everyday is stronger. Being able to find holy meaning and God's presence in places other people miss is stronger. Being able to connect the dots in God's great web of creation which includes inspiring people as teachers and prophets to this day--women and children and normal-looking folks you wouldn't suspect--is stronger.
We're not supposed to wait passively for God to knock on our foreheads. We ARE supposed to find him in church but that's not the ONLY place we're supposed to see him, just the first and most obvious. Church helps us identify the God we're finding but that identity is not contained only within his walls. If anything it's the opposite. Church is where we remember that God is everywhere, touching everyone. Like viewing a great work of art, hearing an amazing symphony, or watching an incredible movie, seeing God in church should make us curious and hungry for even more.
Boy am I glad for the works of Tolkien and Lewis and others. Without knowing it their fine works helped me see and understand an even finer God. It's a neat thing to think about. It's also neat to be able to look back and understand that those words were the first whispers of God calling my name, sending a message which would become so important in my life.
If you want to share the ways God has spoken to you outside of church feel free. The comment section is open! It'd be interesting to hear from some folks about their own experiences with things that unexpectedly taught them about faith. Could be a book, a song, a movie, or something else entirely. Share if you will!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Watching these films takes me back to my childhood when I read the books from which the story is based. Mind you, the film version isn't a completely faithful re-creation. None of them are. The movies are good. The books, though, were great. And as I think back on reading them over and over when I was young, I realize the profound effect they, and a few other treasured stories, had on shaping my theology and world view.
Obviously most of my theology comes from (gasp!) The Bible. There's no substitute for the Word of God. But being prepared by other good literary works before I got to Scripture helped me understand it better. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings narrative, for instance, is about redemption and perseverance. In the end one of the least deserving characters, through no intention of his own, saves the day when all of the "good guys", great and small, had failed. The temptation throughout the story was to dismiss this guy, to be rid of him. He was no good. But the wise old man counseled mercy, that you never know what part somebody's life will play. The others listened and because they chose the merciful route rather than the expedient or desirable, the world was saved. That's a powerful lesson taught in such a way that I never knew I was learning it until now, when I look back.
C.S. Lewis' Narnia series is another obvious source of inspiration...this one intentional on the author's part. He was, in essence, telling an extended Christian parable with his works. Flannery O'Connor became a favorite short-story author well before I understood she was also talking about godly things.
The point here is not just to praise or recommend certain authors or stories. Everyone will have their own favorites. The lesson here is to be ready to see God in places that aren't obvious. We've traditionally thought of "strong faith" as being firm about finding God in church and upholding his Great and Holy Stuff that you'll find in Great and Holy Works by Great and Holy Men. Alright...I guess that is pretty strong. But you know what's even stronger? Being able to see God in the everyday is stronger. Being able to find holy meaning and God's presence in places other people miss is stronger. Being able to connect the dots in God's great web of creation which includes inspiring people as teachers and prophets to this day--women and children and normal-looking folks you wouldn't suspect--is stronger.
We're not supposed to wait passively for God to knock on our foreheads. We ARE supposed to find him in church but that's not the ONLY place we're supposed to see him, just the first and most obvious. Church helps us identify the God we're finding but that identity is not contained only within his walls. If anything it's the opposite. Church is where we remember that God is everywhere, touching everyone. Like viewing a great work of art, hearing an amazing symphony, or watching an incredible movie, seeing God in church should make us curious and hungry for even more.
Boy am I glad for the works of Tolkien and Lewis and others. Without knowing it their fine works helped me see and understand an even finer God. It's a neat thing to think about. It's also neat to be able to look back and understand that those words were the first whispers of God calling my name, sending a message which would become so important in my life.
If you want to share the ways God has spoken to you outside of church feel free. The comment section is open! It'd be interesting to hear from some folks about their own experiences with things that unexpectedly taught them about faith. Could be a book, a song, a movie, or something else entirely. Share if you will!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Theology on Tap This Saturday!
Don't forget Theology on Tap at 7:00 Saturday night at the Kanikkeberg residence. Phyllis lives just past the Valley Church on Eikum Road to the right, second driveway. We hope to see you there!
If you've never been to one of these all I can say is you're missing out. And I'm not just saying that...there's really something going on here that's...wow. Come and see what both the fun and fuss are about and get your learn on about God stuff with a beverage in hand!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
If you've never been to one of these all I can say is you're missing out. And I'm not just saying that...there's really something going on here that's...wow. Come and see what both the fun and fuss are about and get your learn on about God stuff with a beverage in hand!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Marriage Care Meets Tonight! (And some sound advice...)
Just a reminder that our Marriage Care Group meets tonight and each of the next two Thursdays following at 7:00 p.m. at St. John's. We chat a little, think a little...it's a good time for married couples and a chance to re-focus on some of the things that make marriage great.
As a part of getting ready for this group I've been thinking about some of the things that keep marriages strong. Every relationship has ups and downs. You get to see the best and worst in your spouse. Some days you can't believe how lucky you are getting to spend your life with this person. Other days you have to stick Krazy Glue in your eyes to keep them from constantly rolling.
Every marriage gets both kinds of moments and many in between. The secret to a lasting marriage isn't avoiding one kind or holding on to the other. It's all about how you round.
There are basically two kinds of people in the world. Some look at all their partner's good qualities and round up the flaws to meet them, calling it good. Others look at all their partner's flaws and round down the good parts to match. Either way you end up with a fairly consistent assessment of a complex person, and by extension a fairly consistent assessment of your relationship. No matter how many things happen in between ultimately it's either going to be good or bad for you, depending on how you round it.
Folks who have been married 50+ years know their partner's faults better than anyone. They've had the fights. They've experienced the tests and crises. Ironically enough, those are also the people who are going to tell you, "I have few complaints. It's been good. I'm glad I married my spouse." This isn't ignoring the faults. It just tells you that you're going to have a hard time staying married for a long time without being a rounder-upper. People who look for and hold onto the negative just don't make it. They find exactly what they were looking for...as they would with any human being around whom they spent that much time.
That's not to say that all marriage are a matter of attitude. Some of our relationships do contain major problems that need to be healed or gotten away from. No amount of positive thinking will change that. But when you're talking day-to-day difficulties, you'll have a lot easier time handling them if you remember what's great about your spouse and then round up the other things to meet those good qualities. Usually the things that are bothersome don't end up being as significant as the positive things.
7:00 tonight. See you there!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
As a part of getting ready for this group I've been thinking about some of the things that keep marriages strong. Every relationship has ups and downs. You get to see the best and worst in your spouse. Some days you can't believe how lucky you are getting to spend your life with this person. Other days you have to stick Krazy Glue in your eyes to keep them from constantly rolling.
Every marriage gets both kinds of moments and many in between. The secret to a lasting marriage isn't avoiding one kind or holding on to the other. It's all about how you round.
There are basically two kinds of people in the world. Some look at all their partner's good qualities and round up the flaws to meet them, calling it good. Others look at all their partner's flaws and round down the good parts to match. Either way you end up with a fairly consistent assessment of a complex person, and by extension a fairly consistent assessment of your relationship. No matter how many things happen in between ultimately it's either going to be good or bad for you, depending on how you round it.
Folks who have been married 50+ years know their partner's faults better than anyone. They've had the fights. They've experienced the tests and crises. Ironically enough, those are also the people who are going to tell you, "I have few complaints. It's been good. I'm glad I married my spouse." This isn't ignoring the faults. It just tells you that you're going to have a hard time staying married for a long time without being a rounder-upper. People who look for and hold onto the negative just don't make it. They find exactly what they were looking for...as they would with any human being around whom they spent that much time.
That's not to say that all marriage are a matter of attitude. Some of our relationships do contain major problems that need to be healed or gotten away from. No amount of positive thinking will change that. But when you're talking day-to-day difficulties, you'll have a lot easier time handling them if you remember what's great about your spouse and then round up the other things to meet those good qualities. Usually the things that are bothersome don't end up being as significant as the positive things.
7:00 tonight. See you there!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Pastor Dave's January 29, 2012 Sermon
Pastor Dave's sermon during the January 29, 2012 service has been posted on the Church Service Recordings page.
Weekly Devotion: The Tenth Commandment
We reach the end of our devotional look at the Ten Commandments with number ten:
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.Click through to find the relevance of this commandment to our daily lives.
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