On the topic of evangelism (as we have been for the last couple of months)...
Don't make the mistake of thinking that your acts of faith have to be huge and dramatic. Usually small things make the difference. Today I got the privilege of going to see the movie "Brave" with three of our youth and one of our youth-at-heart people. The movie was good, its messages were interesting, we had a good time munching candy and discussing the film. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary but it didn't have to be. Faith doesn't get grown in huge leaps. It gets built block by block, experience by experience, thought by thought. Today wasn't a life-transforming day for any of the folks in that theater. It didn't have to be. Sometimes doing something fun together is enough. Do enough of those things and you start to get the idea that God is good, life is worth something, sharing makes everything nicer. That's a great start to understanding the world through the eyes of faith.
Don't miss the opportunity to do something small and good today if it comes before you. Enjoy it! You'll be rewarded a hundredfold.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
BBQ This Sunday! (And here's why!)
Fellowship hour will be special this Sunday. We're going to hang around and have a BBQ together. We'll supply the meat. You can bring side dishes if you wish. (But you don't have to bring anything...you can just come to eat!)
The idea for this sprang from something that happened a couple winters ago. School was on Christmas break. Families were gone. The weather was lousy...stormy that Sunday. As soon as I got up and looked outside I knew that church would be empty. And it was. We had maybe 20 people that morning.
But the most amazing thing happened. Our fellowship people had brought cookies, we had some leftovers from Christmas, and the coffee was brewed. Everybody in church that day came downstairs. And they stayed. And they talked. And they ate. And they stayed and talked some more. It was a small group, but it was just like family. It was the most magical, wonderful fellowship time I can remember. Everybody left enriched and uplifted.
This Sunday will be Fourth of July weekend. Many of our folks will be gone or busy with family. The turnout for worship probably won't be huge. But you know what? If there aren't going to be a ton of people there, the ones who do come might as well eat well! Good times and good spirits are where you find them, right? And we're finding them in barbecue fun, great food, and each other. We're going to make the day special for the folks who come. So bring an appetite, maybe a lawn chair if it's sunny, and let's celebrate!
Jesus ministered with, and in front of, plenty of different people. When he spoke in front of great crowds he delivered powerful sermons. But some of his most influential and important moments happened among a small group of disciples. Many of the most intimate, personally powerful events in his ministry happened between him and just one person. He never said, "This isn't going to work unless you gather me 10,000 people." Instead he found and shared the Spirit in every moment, among groups large and small. That's what we're doing too!
So come and enjoy the BBQ if you're around. Invite friends too! It'll be a grand time.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
The idea for this sprang from something that happened a couple winters ago. School was on Christmas break. Families were gone. The weather was lousy...stormy that Sunday. As soon as I got up and looked outside I knew that church would be empty. And it was. We had maybe 20 people that morning.
But the most amazing thing happened. Our fellowship people had brought cookies, we had some leftovers from Christmas, and the coffee was brewed. Everybody in church that day came downstairs. And they stayed. And they talked. And they ate. And they stayed and talked some more. It was a small group, but it was just like family. It was the most magical, wonderful fellowship time I can remember. Everybody left enriched and uplifted.
This Sunday will be Fourth of July weekend. Many of our folks will be gone or busy with family. The turnout for worship probably won't be huge. But you know what? If there aren't going to be a ton of people there, the ones who do come might as well eat well! Good times and good spirits are where you find them, right? And we're finding them in barbecue fun, great food, and each other. We're going to make the day special for the folks who come. So bring an appetite, maybe a lawn chair if it's sunny, and let's celebrate!
Jesus ministered with, and in front of, plenty of different people. When he spoke in front of great crowds he delivered powerful sermons. But some of his most influential and important moments happened among a small group of disciples. Many of the most intimate, personally powerful events in his ministry happened between him and just one person. He never said, "This isn't going to work unless you gather me 10,000 people." Instead he found and shared the Spirit in every moment, among groups large and small. That's what we're doing too!
So come and enjoy the BBQ if you're around. Invite friends too! It'll be a grand time.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Speaking God
One of the simple lessons we learned in our recent Evangelism Workshops is that in order to speak God to people, you first have to listen to them and get to know them.
God can't be spoken without first being shown. Our actions speak a hundred times louder than our words when conveying the divine. Talking about love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, and grace leaves us with abstract definitions. Only when we're shown these things do we truly understand them.
But love, joy, compassion, togetherness, and the like look far different to the 84-year-old farmer, the 16-year-old school kid, and the 42-year-old mother of three. The language that makes sense to one of these three people would not translate to the other two. Spending an afternoon talking about combines would seem boring to most 16-year-olds and a stressful distraction to the mom. Children running willy-nilly would grate on the ears of the student and farmer both but would be a life-affirming blessing to the mother. Playing the latest computer game would be a total waste of time for anyone but the teenager.
If you want to show God to any of these people you have to understand their language and translate. If you haven't taken the time to get to know them, how do you know if you're speaking God to them or just being an annoyance?
Take some time this week to listen to someone in your family, at work, in your circle of friends, or even a stranger. Learn a little more about them and their language. Then ask yourself how that language and the enduring gifts of God intersect. At that intersection you will find the time, place, and means to speak about what the Lord is doing today.
Try it! You'll be surprised!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
God can't be spoken without first being shown. Our actions speak a hundred times louder than our words when conveying the divine. Talking about love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, and grace leaves us with abstract definitions. Only when we're shown these things do we truly understand them.
But love, joy, compassion, togetherness, and the like look far different to the 84-year-old farmer, the 16-year-old school kid, and the 42-year-old mother of three. The language that makes sense to one of these three people would not translate to the other two. Spending an afternoon talking about combines would seem boring to most 16-year-olds and a stressful distraction to the mom. Children running willy-nilly would grate on the ears of the student and farmer both but would be a life-affirming blessing to the mother. Playing the latest computer game would be a total waste of time for anyone but the teenager.
If you want to show God to any of these people you have to understand their language and translate. If you haven't taken the time to get to know them, how do you know if you're speaking God to them or just being an annoyance?
Take some time this week to listen to someone in your family, at work, in your circle of friends, or even a stranger. Learn a little more about them and their language. Then ask yourself how that language and the enduring gifts of God intersect. At that intersection you will find the time, place, and means to speak about what the Lord is doing today.
Try it! You'll be surprised!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday Morning Sermon: Your Calling
Our gospel text for this Sunday was Luke 1: 57-80. It's too long to reprint here but you can find it in full by clicking that link. It was the story of the birth and naming of John the Baptist, one of the greatest of God's servants, the man who prepared the way for Christ's coming.
The lesson we drew from the story of John was simple: he had a calling and he followed it. But this story wasn't just about John himself. In fact other than being born and circumcised, he didn't have much of a part in it. Surrounding John's call were a host of other people fulfilling their calling: his mother, his father, their neighbors and friends. All of these people were ordinary, acting out familiar roles in familiar ways. But them pursuing their call in a holy and faithful manner paved the way for John to fulfill his call, which in turn paved the way for Christ to fulfill his.
When we thing of a "Calling from God" we tend to think of unusual feats: becoming a monk or nun or priest, missionary trips to far-off lands, world-changing sacrifices. Those are all holy callings, but by definition they are rare and out of the ordinary. There's a sneaky advantage to pointing out all of the unusual callings in the world. It makes us feel like we don't really have a calling. This, in turn, frees us from responsibility for our daily actions.
Neither God nor our own Martin Luther nor your pastor is having any of this! We all have a calling from God. Some look like missionaries or clergy, but parenthood is a holy calling. Your work is a holy vocation no matter what it is. Being part of a family is a sacred trust, as is being part of a church family. God is calling us to do things every day...not calling us to do out-of-the-ordinary feats but calling us to do our very ordinary-seeming tasks in holy fashion.
You have a calling. I have a calling. They look different but they are just as precious and important to God. You may never preach a sermon in front of a church but you preach a sermon every day with your life. Unless you realize that, the power that God gives you to fulfill your calling gets sprayed randomly over the world. You don't know if that power is being used for good or ill until you acknowledge it and pay attention to how you're using it. The first step in that process is admitting that God IS calling you to something today!
In church I used two examples from my childhood. In the first a bunch of kids bullied me on a school bus. They didn't know me. I was a stranger to them. They probably weren't bad kids, nor have they turned into bad adults, I'm sure. It was just "kids being kids". But it was still painful and humiliating and made me frightened to ride that bus ever again. In fact I didn't. I secretly walked more than two miles to school each day instead. Ordinary "kids just being kids" had an extraordinarily bad effect on my life because they didn't pay attention to their calling and misused the power God had given them.
In the other example a friend of mine that I met at this new school stayed with me for years. We slept over at each other's houses, played basketball incessantly, gamed together, ate pizza together, the works. We weren't out of the ordinary either...just two guys trying to get through high school in a strange world. But the simple, small things we did each day brought strength and reassurance and really helped us make it through. One person fulfilling their very ordinary calling in an uplifting way countered the voices of the several who hadn't.
What we do each day makes a difference. The things we do should be holy, not in an "up on a pedestal and separate from the world" sense but in a "whatever I do today I'm going to do with patience and love and try to make a positive difference" sense. That's what God asks of us.
When you wake up each morning greet God with a prayer. Tell him you know that he's there with you, just as he was with John the Baptist and all the people around him. Go ahead and confess that you're not sure what to do today, or how it's going to make a difference. But pray that the limitations of your eyes and understanding won't stop him from making good things come from your life. Ask him to make you his instrument, then go out and do your ordinary things with Spirit and joy. Sooner or later you're going to hear that you made a difference. Then your calling will become more clear. But remember, nobody comes equipped with the realization of their calling fully-formed. It starts with faith that you have one. Take that baby step and the world will open to you in God's name.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
The lesson we drew from the story of John was simple: he had a calling and he followed it. But this story wasn't just about John himself. In fact other than being born and circumcised, he didn't have much of a part in it. Surrounding John's call were a host of other people fulfilling their calling: his mother, his father, their neighbors and friends. All of these people were ordinary, acting out familiar roles in familiar ways. But them pursuing their call in a holy and faithful manner paved the way for John to fulfill his call, which in turn paved the way for Christ to fulfill his.
When we thing of a "Calling from God" we tend to think of unusual feats: becoming a monk or nun or priest, missionary trips to far-off lands, world-changing sacrifices. Those are all holy callings, but by definition they are rare and out of the ordinary. There's a sneaky advantage to pointing out all of the unusual callings in the world. It makes us feel like we don't really have a calling. This, in turn, frees us from responsibility for our daily actions.
Neither God nor our own Martin Luther nor your pastor is having any of this! We all have a calling from God. Some look like missionaries or clergy, but parenthood is a holy calling. Your work is a holy vocation no matter what it is. Being part of a family is a sacred trust, as is being part of a church family. God is calling us to do things every day...not calling us to do out-of-the-ordinary feats but calling us to do our very ordinary-seeming tasks in holy fashion.
You have a calling. I have a calling. They look different but they are just as precious and important to God. You may never preach a sermon in front of a church but you preach a sermon every day with your life. Unless you realize that, the power that God gives you to fulfill your calling gets sprayed randomly over the world. You don't know if that power is being used for good or ill until you acknowledge it and pay attention to how you're using it. The first step in that process is admitting that God IS calling you to something today!
In church I used two examples from my childhood. In the first a bunch of kids bullied me on a school bus. They didn't know me. I was a stranger to them. They probably weren't bad kids, nor have they turned into bad adults, I'm sure. It was just "kids being kids". But it was still painful and humiliating and made me frightened to ride that bus ever again. In fact I didn't. I secretly walked more than two miles to school each day instead. Ordinary "kids just being kids" had an extraordinarily bad effect on my life because they didn't pay attention to their calling and misused the power God had given them.
In the other example a friend of mine that I met at this new school stayed with me for years. We slept over at each other's houses, played basketball incessantly, gamed together, ate pizza together, the works. We weren't out of the ordinary either...just two guys trying to get through high school in a strange world. But the simple, small things we did each day brought strength and reassurance and really helped us make it through. One person fulfilling their very ordinary calling in an uplifting way countered the voices of the several who hadn't.
What we do each day makes a difference. The things we do should be holy, not in an "up on a pedestal and separate from the world" sense but in a "whatever I do today I'm going to do with patience and love and try to make a positive difference" sense. That's what God asks of us.
When you wake up each morning greet God with a prayer. Tell him you know that he's there with you, just as he was with John the Baptist and all the people around him. Go ahead and confess that you're not sure what to do today, or how it's going to make a difference. But pray that the limitations of your eyes and understanding won't stop him from making good things come from your life. Ask him to make you his instrument, then go out and do your ordinary things with Spirit and joy. Sooner or later you're going to hear that you made a difference. Then your calling will become more clear. But remember, nobody comes equipped with the realization of their calling fully-formed. It starts with faith that you have one. Take that baby step and the world will open to you in God's name.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sermon Notes: Baptism and Forgiveness
We conclude our look at the sermon notes of our recent confirmation students with some thoughts on Baptism and forgiveness:
We all choose what we learn from, which lessons we keep closest to our hearts. You can learn from whatever you wish, but I'm choosing to learn from this kid!
Thanks to all of our confirmation students and all of the work and thoughts they put into these sermon notes!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Baptism is one of the biggest things affecting our life of faith. A lot of times we need to fill or forgive something or someone. People look for this from the world but the world doesn't fulfill it right away. We look to God to help us and show us the way.
Forgiveness can be the hardest thing. But it's the base of everything we do thanks to Baptism. Baptism helps me forgive my parents when maybe they decide something I don't really like. I'm sure Baptism helps them forgive me when I may frustrate them.
Life is full of ups and downs. People break up with you, hurt your feelings, go behind your back, and all sorts of other things. But people also make you smile and laugh! I experience plenty of competition in sports and sometimes even in school. But no success or failure can define us or set us apart like grace can. For example, grace gives us way more power than beating someone in sports!
We should always remember to keep our gifts close so we stay full of these great things. And even when we forget, God will cover us.I mean...my goodness. What a statement of faith, simple and direct! As I said when we started sharing these sermon notes with you, it's not a surprise to me that these youth come up with such thoughts. The surprise is that everybody doesn't! Would you rather think about the world in the "normal" way--full of stress and demands and tasks and judgment--or would the world be better if we all held onto these simple-yet-deep theological affirmations that our own children are sharing with us? Where do we learn to think of the world differently than this young person has, and why do we allow it to happen?
We all choose what we learn from, which lessons we keep closest to our hearts. You can learn from whatever you wish, but I'm choosing to learn from this kid!
Thanks to all of our confirmation students and all of the work and thoughts they put into these sermon notes!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Sermon Notes: Love
Another meditation from confirmation sermon notes. This one's about love.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Love. Such a small word with SO many different words to describe it. Affection, commitment, sacrifices, persistence. You have to keep forgiving and showing affection. You have to keep up with people's lives and pay attention. You have to trust them and trust yourself. You have to know that they will be as faithful as you are with them.
Commitment is one of the most important characteristics of love. If you don't fight tooth and nail to show you are committed, someone is going to get hurt. Sacrifice is another important characteristic. It's amazing how much you have to sacrifice for other people even if you don't love them. You can very much dislike them, yet there are still sacrifices to be made. Jesus on the cross was the obvious one. Laying down your life like that is extreme. Only the people who believe in him really understand his sacrifice. But if we want to be recognized for our sacrifices we are hardly sacrificing at all.
If we are persistent with commitment and sacrifice we will usually be fine. Fourteen years to soak up events going on around me isn't enough time to figure out love all the way...but that was my best try.Hmmm...commitment even to people you don't know or like, self-sacrifice, persistence despite obstacles? I think that's a pretty good definition of love for fourteen or forty or four hundred!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Sermon Notes: God With Us
Our march of sermon note thoughts from our recent confirmation class continues...
What encouraging words these are! I think perhaps our young confirmation student has already made a difference in at least one person's life just by sharing them! I hope they inspire you as much as they did me.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Everyone has days when all you want to do is talk to someone or be with someone who can help you with anything you need. Jesus is one of those people. We can't make Jesus just appear, but he is always there no matter what.
There are many ways to make God seem closer to us. Church is one. Even though we all know he is with us all the time it's sometimes hard to realize out in a world filled with distractions. Sometimes you might think to yourself, "Am I really worthy of God?" God guides us and leads even on those days when we feel worthless. He shows you that you really aren't.
God is amazing. He is always with us even when we feel lonely and afraid. Even when I I'm feeling this way I remember I'm not alone even though I may feel empty.
I'm very busy but I know that's no excuse. I want to remember God and all the wonderful things he does for me and how he helps me on the journey to becoming someone wonderful.
I also want to make a difference in at least one person's life. I haven't quite figured out how but I'm going to no matter what it takes. God will believe in me no matter what. I really need that because when I share some of my ideas people just look at me like, "Yeah right. That's not going to happen." But I know God will be my support even when I don't have everyone else by my side.
God is everyone's best friend.
What encouraging words these are! I think perhaps our young confirmation student has already made a difference in at least one person's life just by sharing them! I hope they inspire you as much as they did me.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, June 18, 2012
Confirmation Sermon Notes: Listening and Talking to God
Today we continue looking at the sermon notes of our recently-confirmed Confirmation Class. This lesson is about listening to God...and being careful what you ask for. Enjoy!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
I have always been a very skeptical person. I think about times where instead of taking a leap of faith and trusting, I let doubt hold me back. Part of me wants to say, "Pfsh. How many 'great leaps of faith' would a 14-year-old run into?" But once God proved to me that he was there and always listening.
We ask God to prove himself to us by giving us everything we want but we don't realize he already has. Then when things don't go exactly our way, we cross our arms and turn our backs on Him.
My mom and I used to say prayers every night. We'd go through everyone in our family and bless them. In first grade I want out of school really, really bad. The only way I could get out is if I was sick. So one night when we were naming off names and my mom said my name I cut her off and said, "NO! Don't bless me!"
The next night when she was approaching my name she looked at me and I shook my head. Again I got skipped. I don't think I really expected anything to happen. But the morning after I woke up and it was the worst I had ever felt! It was probably one of the worst times ever. I will remember it even when I'm eighty-seven!
I haven't been that sick since. I've learned my lesson! Since then I've tried not to doubt God. I got what I asked for from him but it turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life!
It's never a question of whether God is listening to you, but if you are listening to him.Words to live by from one of our youngsters!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Monday Morning Sermon: The Kingdom Comes in Small Ways
This Sunday's gospel text was Mark 4: 26-34...
When I was younger, I used to think of faith and the Kingdom of God as big, mysterious things...things largely alien to my life. I didn't have any trouble processing what Jesus said here. A tiny amount of uranium does this mysterious radiation thing that can create tons of power. The Kingdom of God is like that, right? So is faith.
The problem with this construct was that I couldn't figure out how to get that weird uranium stuff into my life. I wanted it, mind you. I wanted to be able to do great things...to create a faith explosion with just a little bit of God's special radioactive material. But it just wasn't happening. The vehicle was ready, but I never found the fuel.
As I've aged (somewhat) gracefully I've started to figure out that the reason I never found faith or the Kingdom in that way was misdirected vision. I was all ready with my uranium detector, looking for the slightest little bit that could move mountains. But uranium wasn't what I was supposed to be looking for.
Faith isn't some weird, alien thing, divorced from our lives and present only in minute particles held by particular people. Faith is ubiquitous, the Kingdom God's gift to us all. It's present all around us, powering our interactions with each other and the world. It's huge and it's everywhere. But you can only see it and grasp it in small amounts...or rather in small moments and gestures.
In church I used the example of snuggling with Derek in bed late at night a couple weeks ago. It was late and I didn't want to disturb Careen so I climbed into bed with my little boy...something I do occasionally. He was sound asleep, but then he rolled over and his arm brushed against me. He went from sound asleep to that 99% asleep phase...kind of awake-dreaming. He reach up and rubbed my side and got this dreamy smile on his little face, even though his eyes stayed closed. In his asleep, but dimly conscious, state he said, "Great! Great! This is just great!" Then he stroked my arm a couple times and went back to sleep, still smiling.
That moment touched me. You can't really fake anything when you're that far asleep. Whatever you're feeling inside--fear or anger or love--is going to come out. I was happy that my little boy's subconscious reaction to his dad was, "Great! It's great to see you!" If it had been different, I could not have changed it. There was no reasoning, no logical thought. It was what it was. Nor could I have bought that moment with any gift. I can always get a smile and a happy boy with presents, but not that smile...that soul-deep, mostly-asleep, totally innocent and open and unconscious one. That moment spoke of a good relationship between us.
I also realized that this precious moment was build on a lot of small occasions. A deep foundation of trust doesn't happen overnight. It can't be cajoled or enacted into being. I've worked every day to be a good dad, to be trustworthy and loving. I've not been perfect. Nor has Derek always been happy with me (and still isn't plenty of times). But dig down beneath all that and the foundation of our relationship is trust and love, shown through a thousand isolated moments. Without those little moments, we don't get the big "Great! Great!" one.
Back in the old days, when faith was like uranium, I would have looked for its power in big things like that half-asleep confession from my son. I certainly would have identified that as faith, but ironically enough I probably wouldn't have seen it. I would have thought that faithful parenting was about giving the right lecture or yelling at my kids at the right time or how glorious I made their birthday party...all striking, unusual moments. I wouldn't have paid enough attention to the small, simple things. But when Derek talked in his sleep, he wasn't processing lectures or discipline or big events. He was just touching his daddy...the same daddy he's known every day since he was born. The "uranium faith" moments are actually the least powerful among us. The everyday interaction, done well, has a far bigger effect.
This is what Jesus meant when he said, "The Kingdom of God is like a little seed you plant one day, and you have no idea how it grows, but it does and from it comes a great harvest." It's also what he meant when he said, "The Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that, once grown, becomes a huge tree."
The smallest things, done consistently well, make a big difference. Often we skip over the "little" stuff--saying good morning to someone, asking about their day, offering to grab them coffee--to get to the "important" things like completing a task at work or getting our kids off to soccer practice or whatever it is. We don't realize that whether our children get to soccer on time or not doesn't matter as much as the process they go through in getting there. We don't realize that the "good morning" to our co-worker may be the single most significant thing we do all day!
Sometimes people try to engage in big-moment relationships. They'll spring for a fancy anniversary present once a year and then spend the other 364 days ignoring their spouse. They'll congratulate their kid for Straight A's but fail to support them in a hundred other ways. They'll get their friend a "BFF" necklace and then forget to actually be best friends. This doesn't work. Faith comes through the little stuff. The big things will take care of themselves. Without a hundred little moments to support and infuse them with meaning, they don't matter much.
To what (and whom) are you going to pay attention today? Got huge plans? That's fine. Just don't forget to smile at your spouse, spend some time listening to your children, really stop and ask a co-worker how they're doing and then listen to the response. Pay attention to that waitress in the restaurant, that checker behind the convenience store counter, that teenager you pass as you walk down the street. Take a couple extra moments and a little extra care to do the little things right. Sow the seeds of the Kingdom all around you. Your harvest will be far more bountiful when you do.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
26 [Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
When I was younger, I used to think of faith and the Kingdom of God as big, mysterious things...things largely alien to my life. I didn't have any trouble processing what Jesus said here. A tiny amount of uranium does this mysterious radiation thing that can create tons of power. The Kingdom of God is like that, right? So is faith.
The problem with this construct was that I couldn't figure out how to get that weird uranium stuff into my life. I wanted it, mind you. I wanted to be able to do great things...to create a faith explosion with just a little bit of God's special radioactive material. But it just wasn't happening. The vehicle was ready, but I never found the fuel.
As I've aged (somewhat) gracefully I've started to figure out that the reason I never found faith or the Kingdom in that way was misdirected vision. I was all ready with my uranium detector, looking for the slightest little bit that could move mountains. But uranium wasn't what I was supposed to be looking for.
Faith isn't some weird, alien thing, divorced from our lives and present only in minute particles held by particular people. Faith is ubiquitous, the Kingdom God's gift to us all. It's present all around us, powering our interactions with each other and the world. It's huge and it's everywhere. But you can only see it and grasp it in small amounts...or rather in small moments and gestures.
In church I used the example of snuggling with Derek in bed late at night a couple weeks ago. It was late and I didn't want to disturb Careen so I climbed into bed with my little boy...something I do occasionally. He was sound asleep, but then he rolled over and his arm brushed against me. He went from sound asleep to that 99% asleep phase...kind of awake-dreaming. He reach up and rubbed my side and got this dreamy smile on his little face, even though his eyes stayed closed. In his asleep, but dimly conscious, state he said, "Great! Great! This is just great!" Then he stroked my arm a couple times and went back to sleep, still smiling.
That moment touched me. You can't really fake anything when you're that far asleep. Whatever you're feeling inside--fear or anger or love--is going to come out. I was happy that my little boy's subconscious reaction to his dad was, "Great! It's great to see you!" If it had been different, I could not have changed it. There was no reasoning, no logical thought. It was what it was. Nor could I have bought that moment with any gift. I can always get a smile and a happy boy with presents, but not that smile...that soul-deep, mostly-asleep, totally innocent and open and unconscious one. That moment spoke of a good relationship between us.
I also realized that this precious moment was build on a lot of small occasions. A deep foundation of trust doesn't happen overnight. It can't be cajoled or enacted into being. I've worked every day to be a good dad, to be trustworthy and loving. I've not been perfect. Nor has Derek always been happy with me (and still isn't plenty of times). But dig down beneath all that and the foundation of our relationship is trust and love, shown through a thousand isolated moments. Without those little moments, we don't get the big "Great! Great!" one.
Back in the old days, when faith was like uranium, I would have looked for its power in big things like that half-asleep confession from my son. I certainly would have identified that as faith, but ironically enough I probably wouldn't have seen it. I would have thought that faithful parenting was about giving the right lecture or yelling at my kids at the right time or how glorious I made their birthday party...all striking, unusual moments. I wouldn't have paid enough attention to the small, simple things. But when Derek talked in his sleep, he wasn't processing lectures or discipline or big events. He was just touching his daddy...the same daddy he's known every day since he was born. The "uranium faith" moments are actually the least powerful among us. The everyday interaction, done well, has a far bigger effect.
This is what Jesus meant when he said, "The Kingdom of God is like a little seed you plant one day, and you have no idea how it grows, but it does and from it comes a great harvest." It's also what he meant when he said, "The Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that, once grown, becomes a huge tree."
The smallest things, done consistently well, make a big difference. Often we skip over the "little" stuff--saying good morning to someone, asking about their day, offering to grab them coffee--to get to the "important" things like completing a task at work or getting our kids off to soccer practice or whatever it is. We don't realize that whether our children get to soccer on time or not doesn't matter as much as the process they go through in getting there. We don't realize that the "good morning" to our co-worker may be the single most significant thing we do all day!
Sometimes people try to engage in big-moment relationships. They'll spring for a fancy anniversary present once a year and then spend the other 364 days ignoring their spouse. They'll congratulate their kid for Straight A's but fail to support them in a hundred other ways. They'll get their friend a "BFF" necklace and then forget to actually be best friends. This doesn't work. Faith comes through the little stuff. The big things will take care of themselves. Without a hundred little moments to support and infuse them with meaning, they don't matter much.
To what (and whom) are you going to pay attention today? Got huge plans? That's fine. Just don't forget to smile at your spouse, spend some time listening to your children, really stop and ask a co-worker how they're doing and then listen to the response. Pay attention to that waitress in the restaurant, that checker behind the convenience store counter, that teenager you pass as you walk down the street. Take a couple extra moments and a little extra care to do the little things right. Sow the seeds of the Kingdom all around you. Your harvest will be far more bountiful when you do.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Thank You VBS Folks!
First up, an apology. This week I was all set to run Sermon Notes from our amazing confirmation class but I've been under the weather. We've been doing VBS every morning. My afternoons and evenings have consisted of doing everything that absolutely had to be done as efficiently as possible and the collapsing into bed. I've slept more during the daytime this week than I have since I was a teenager. That has cut down on church blogging time. I am feeling better today. I will let you read those wonderful sermon notes next week.
Before that, though, a hearty thank you to everyone who has made Vacation Bible School run so well this week! It's been fantastic! We've had an enthusiastic group of kids, eager youth helping out, plenty of adults pitching in. There's been so little stress and so much fun this year that it's hard to believe this is really VBS! All of you have been incredible and everybody involved should get a pat on the back and take a huge bow.
My special thanks go to Ms. Anna Sobczyk who has helped me out with music this week. VBS Music isn't hard when you have friends, but it's a bear to do alone. It takes tons of energy and creativity. In my less-than-optimal condition this week would have been unbearable without Anna's encouragement and co-guitar-playing. Yaaaaay Anna! Everybody say thank you to her this week and to everyone else who helped out with crafts, games, stories, snacks, organization, supplies, cleaning, and everything it takes to make Bible School go well!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Before that, though, a hearty thank you to everyone who has made Vacation Bible School run so well this week! It's been fantastic! We've had an enthusiastic group of kids, eager youth helping out, plenty of adults pitching in. There's been so little stress and so much fun this year that it's hard to believe this is really VBS! All of you have been incredible and everybody involved should get a pat on the back and take a huge bow.
My special thanks go to Ms. Anna Sobczyk who has helped me out with music this week. VBS Music isn't hard when you have friends, but it's a bear to do alone. It takes tons of energy and creativity. In my less-than-optimal condition this week would have been unbearable without Anna's encouragement and co-guitar-playing. Yaaaaay Anna! Everybody say thank you to her this week and to everyone else who helped out with crafts, games, stories, snacks, organization, supplies, cleaning, and everything it takes to make Bible School go well!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Tuesday Morning Sermon Notes
We continue this week's reflections on sermons from our recently-confirmed confirmation class. Enjoy the theological musings of our young folks!
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You mentioned that church and God can be different, that people tend to go to church without actually being there.
I know what you mean because I used to do this all the time when I was little. I would go to church because it would make my mom happy. At the time that was all that really mattered because if she was in a good mood, that would give me greater odds when it came to debating nap-time. I was never really into church until I was about 11. That was when I started really paying attention and it was interesting. I would always think about the sermons as if they were stories and I would apply them to myself in my mind.
Sometimes people just space out and pray when told but never actually connect or fully engage themselves in the service. But if you aren't going to church to be with God, why go? Sometimes we go to make people happy or for fellowship or to play with friends.
A point you made which made me laugh was, "Bring the Spirit and the Tasks will take care of themselves." I love this. I'm not 100% sure why but it just makes me smile. If you get jazzy with the things you do and you forget about the long list of things you have to do when the party (or whatever) is done, it'll make the tasks so much easier. You will know you had a good time doing it. That's what matters, right?
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Indeed. Words to live by. Here's hoping that all who participate in church--for whatever reason--devote themselves fully to that reason and that the Spirit will bless it, translating our efforts into something bigger than all of us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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You mentioned that church and God can be different, that people tend to go to church without actually being there.
I know what you mean because I used to do this all the time when I was little. I would go to church because it would make my mom happy. At the time that was all that really mattered because if she was in a good mood, that would give me greater odds when it came to debating nap-time. I was never really into church until I was about 11. That was when I started really paying attention and it was interesting. I would always think about the sermons as if they were stories and I would apply them to myself in my mind.
Sometimes people just space out and pray when told but never actually connect or fully engage themselves in the service. But if you aren't going to church to be with God, why go? Sometimes we go to make people happy or for fellowship or to play with friends.
A point you made which made me laugh was, "Bring the Spirit and the Tasks will take care of themselves." I love this. I'm not 100% sure why but it just makes me smile. If you get jazzy with the things you do and you forget about the long list of things you have to do when the party (or whatever) is done, it'll make the tasks so much easier. You will know you had a good time doing it. That's what matters, right?
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Indeed. Words to live by. Here's hoping that all who participate in church--for whatever reason--devote themselves fully to that reason and that the Spirit will bless it, translating our efforts into something bigger than all of us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Monday Morning Sermon (Notes)
Those of you who were with us on Sunday witnessed six young members of our church affirm their baptism after having completed two years of confirmation classes. One of the high points of the service was hearing them read statements of faith that they had written, talking about their perception of God and his work in the world and their lives.
Several folks pointed out how wonderfully confident and brilliant these young theologians sounded. I agree, but I wasn't that surprised. I've been hearing them for a couple years now. All of them have expressed their deep thoughts at one point or another. In fact their curiosity and prowess influenced me to change confirmation this year, just for them.
One of the requirements for confirmation is filling out sermon notes: reflections on the gospel and the message of the day. Each year they're in confirmation they have to turn in 16. They have a sheet to fill out each time. You've probably seen them doing so.
This year I changed the requirement to only 12 sermon notes. But only 9 of those were from the normal sheets. I asked them to do 3 sermon notes where they went home and reflected on the message, then wrote a page about how it affected their lives. At first they were like, "Whoa! What? That sounds too hard!" But all of them did it and man...was I blessed to get to read their thoughts!
So this week, instead of sharing my own thoughts, I'm going to share excerpts from the sermon notes of our confirmands. I've agreed to keep the actual quotes anonymous, as some of them are personal. But I wanted you to see how these young folks think...how they process sermons and life and God. Keep in mind, now, these are 14-16 year old kids. In many places nobody would be listening to them, let alone asking them to share or teach their thoughts. Read the posts this week and see if you don't think we should listen to them more! Part of the experience is you getting a look at what we do in confirmation, but part of it is also realizing that these kids really do think deeply about God and life...and wondering why the rest of us don't do it more often.
Here's our first sermon note excerpt:
God is here or not here. He is with us or not. I say that to myself all the time. God is with me but he must not be with that person because they are not like me! But if I become friends with that person, they are holy and a part of God and he loves them. But then as soon as we have a fight, God is on my side. For me, people are godly and then not so fast that I can't even keep up with it. But that isn't the right way to think about these things.
Calling myself "right" or saying that I am the only one that is near God doesn't actually MEAN I'm near God. It actually puts me farther than those other people I've been telling myself are away from God.
Understanding this sermon was really hard for me because I do so many of the things that you gave an example to. I tell myself they're right. So when you said they were wrong, I was like, "WHAT?" And so I told myself that the people believing you were wrong. Then I would get confused and switch again. And again. And again. I was afraid my head might explode.
A few days after Sunday, probably about Wednesday, I was in school and somebody talked up and the teacher didn't yell at him. This triggered the same reaction I had to the sermon. He was not right to do that. I would never do that. Just because he does it and doesn't get in trouble doesn't mean that I won't. That isn't right. It drove me crazy. And then the sermon actually sunk in. And I was like, well, I'm not going to do that thing, but just because he did doesn't mean he's without God and that he's a totally miserable person. And that was that. No more arguing with myself in my head!
I'm very judgmental. People get on my nerves and, in my mind, they are the DEVIL. But they aren't. And now that it all has sunk in, or at least most of it, I've been trying to see the good in everyone and make myself believe that they are part of God too. They are part of God's vine. They too are the branches.I read that (a slightly longer version, but still) and I went, "Wow."
Personal reflection here: Reading this pretty much made me cry. I mean, not that I'm the crying type, mind you. I'm a big burly manly-man pastor!!! Rrrawwwrr! But we big burly manly-men pastors (and the other types too) seldom get feedback on anything we say. I preach a sermon and pray that the Spirit will wing its way to everybody and help translate it into something meaningful and useful. But you never know. I pretty much preach into a void. Other than the occasional, "Nice sermon, Pastor" I never know the effect my words have. It requires a lot of trust and faith to get up there and preach under those conditions. It's also pretty lonely...like you're eternally saying the most important things you can think of and you're not sure anybody hears.
So all it took was this student saying, "A few days after Sunday, probably about Wednesday" to make me say, "Oh my gosh! Somebody thought about one of my sermons on a non-Sunday! Somebody heard something from the gospel and used it!" Hey...even if it was just an assignment, I'll take it! Right there I misted up. But then I re-read the whole thing top to bottom and thought how magnificent it was that somebody squeezed that much meaning out of scripture and married it to their own life in that moment. It's the kind of thing you pray for, and yet here it was spelled out on paper...the wonder and beauty and struggle and triumph of life with God distilled into one sermon and a few minutes in class. This is the way it's supposed to be.
I hope you feel as privileged to read those reflections as I did. And they're not done! We have many more pearls of wisdom from our young theologians this week, so stay tuned! And congratulations and thank you to all of our confirmation students!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Present in the Present
Tonight I was reminded of one of the disciplines of faith...maybe not spelled out explicitly in one or two sentences in the Bible but certainly covered under the umbrella of "love your neighbor". I was snuggling Derek and listening to music as he drifted off to sleep. That's a nighttime ritual in our house, one he's always wanted daddy to do. As we were cuddling my mind started racing ahead to the two blog posts I'm writing tonight. My arms were around him but my thoughts were miles away, searching subjects and penning phrases.
As my tension level about the work I had yet to do started rising I stopped myself. "Hey dummy!" said I, "You have your adorable four-year-old son in your arms. How many years do you think this will go on? You know any sixteen year olds who cuddle with their dads before night-night time? Plus you haven't seen Derek much today. Stop! Be here! Enjoy!" And so I did. I buried my nose in his little shoulder and cuddled. He sighed and put his arm around me. It was a good moment.
In the first session of our current Evangelism Workshop we talked about the Time/Task/Reward treadmill upon which most of us run daily. We're faced by a massive number of tasks each day. We consider a day "successful" if we've completed most of them with acceptable results. The problem here? Everything gets reduced to a task...nothing more. We lose the human, relational element and with it all the love and beauty we're supposed to experience. We live life one step removed, not diving into our day but hovering above it, ticking off each step as if it were an academic test. Exhibit A: Cuddling your precious boy while thinking, "As soon as this is done I need to do this other thing next!" How important is that moment then? How important is the boy in your arms? What does it matter if you spend a generous 15 minutes cuddling but the final message is, "Done with you! Now to the next task!"?
One of the most important steps to living in faith--as opposed to just preaching it or intending to do something about it--is paying attention to the moment you're in. How can you see God working in your world if your eyes are never really on your world?
We make the mistake of looking elsewhere far too often. Have you ever sat and listened to someone talk when the only thing you're thinking is, "Here's what I'm going to say next!" Are you really listening? Are you really together with that person or are they just a prop to give space between your utterances? How many times has dinner in your house been that speed bump between getting home and getting to soccer practice? "Come on! We've got to get this done as quickly as possible because you have to be to the field by 5:30!" How long has it been since you viewed your spouse as a real person instead of as a function? How long has it been since you relaxed in the car instead of driving like the only purpose is your next destination? (That one's near universal. I see plenty of people exceeding the speed limit on Highway 95 when 10mph over only saves them 30 seconds total on their trip.)
Try to discipline yourself today to stay where you are and be with the person in front of you. Time will still move. You won't be with that person forever. In fact you probably won't be with that person a second longer than you would have been otherwise. But you'll enjoy being with that person more and maybe find extra meaning and purpose and beauty in what you're doing. That's the problem with defining the world by tasks and jumping from one to the next. It doesn't save you any time really, but it drains nearly all the life out of your day...or at least all the best parts of life. If you find yourself drifting somewhere else, bring yourself back! Maybe God is putting something important right in front of your eyes. You never know unless you look!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
As my tension level about the work I had yet to do started rising I stopped myself. "Hey dummy!" said I, "You have your adorable four-year-old son in your arms. How many years do you think this will go on? You know any sixteen year olds who cuddle with their dads before night-night time? Plus you haven't seen Derek much today. Stop! Be here! Enjoy!" And so I did. I buried my nose in his little shoulder and cuddled. He sighed and put his arm around me. It was a good moment.
In the first session of our current Evangelism Workshop we talked about the Time/Task/Reward treadmill upon which most of us run daily. We're faced by a massive number of tasks each day. We consider a day "successful" if we've completed most of them with acceptable results. The problem here? Everything gets reduced to a task...nothing more. We lose the human, relational element and with it all the love and beauty we're supposed to experience. We live life one step removed, not diving into our day but hovering above it, ticking off each step as if it were an academic test. Exhibit A: Cuddling your precious boy while thinking, "As soon as this is done I need to do this other thing next!" How important is that moment then? How important is the boy in your arms? What does it matter if you spend a generous 15 minutes cuddling but the final message is, "Done with you! Now to the next task!"?
One of the most important steps to living in faith--as opposed to just preaching it or intending to do something about it--is paying attention to the moment you're in. How can you see God working in your world if your eyes are never really on your world?
We make the mistake of looking elsewhere far too often. Have you ever sat and listened to someone talk when the only thing you're thinking is, "Here's what I'm going to say next!" Are you really listening? Are you really together with that person or are they just a prop to give space between your utterances? How many times has dinner in your house been that speed bump between getting home and getting to soccer practice? "Come on! We've got to get this done as quickly as possible because you have to be to the field by 5:30!" How long has it been since you viewed your spouse as a real person instead of as a function? How long has it been since you relaxed in the car instead of driving like the only purpose is your next destination? (That one's near universal. I see plenty of people exceeding the speed limit on Highway 95 when 10mph over only saves them 30 seconds total on their trip.)
Try to discipline yourself today to stay where you are and be with the person in front of you. Time will still move. You won't be with that person forever. In fact you probably won't be with that person a second longer than you would have been otherwise. But you'll enjoy being with that person more and maybe find extra meaning and purpose and beauty in what you're doing. That's the problem with defining the world by tasks and jumping from one to the next. It doesn't save you any time really, but it drains nearly all the life out of your day...or at least all the best parts of life. If you find yourself drifting somewhere else, bring yourself back! Maybe God is putting something important right in front of your eyes. You never know unless you look!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
VBS Next Week! (And other announcements...)
Don't forget that Vacation Bible School will run from Monday through Friday of next week, 9:00-11:30 each morning. For those interested, the final planning meeting is tonight (Thursday) at 7:00 at St. John's.
We probably still need some help with the event itself. If you can pitch in, talk to Rosanna Cartwright!
Ken Jensen's memorial service is still at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow at 11:00 this morning.
Congratulations to Mark Jenkins and his lovely bride-to-be Shaney. They will be married at the Valley on Saturday!
Sunday will be a special day at our church, as our Confirmation class will be officially confirmed. Join us for the celebration!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
We probably still need some help with the event itself. If you can pitch in, talk to Rosanna Cartwright!
Ken Jensen's memorial service is still at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow at 11:00 this morning.
Congratulations to Mark Jenkins and his lovely bride-to-be Shaney. They will be married at the Valley on Saturday!
Sunday will be a special day at our church, as our Confirmation class will be officially confirmed. Join us for the celebration!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Scripture Study: Colossians 3: 12-15
A little bit of scripture to ponder today, from Colossians 3: 12-15...
Since we ARE holy and beloved, therefore, we should strive to make our lives reflect that. We clothe ourselves in compassion, making sure others know they are loved too and walking with them through all those situations which make them feel hurt, ashamed, or unloved. We are kind to each other, uplifting instead of degrading. We are humble...not with the false humility that says, "I am nothing" but with true humility, saying, "I am beautiful but God has made many beautiful things. I'm just glad to be a part of it!" We practice gentleness and patience, not enforcing our will or insisting on our own way but sacrificing our time, emotion, energy, and desire for the sake of the people around us.
Acknowledging that nothing in this world ever goes perfectly, including our own lives, we choose to forgive the ills of the world instead of clinging to them. Sin touches everything we do. It only sticks when we fail to forgive. Following our Lord, we refuse to let evil have the final say. We cannot defeat it on its own terms, fighting fire with fire. Instead we defeat it by forgiving, saying, "This will have no hold on me."
We do all this because we're in love with God and he with us. We embrace each other. We're bonded together. Since we're so tightly joined, we learn to love the things that God loves...almost like a parent or spouse learning to love the things their children or fellow spouse have a passion for. In God's case, the object of love is everyone around us. We don't love them because we think well of them, agree with them, are comfortable with them, or because they treat us well. We love them because God loves them.
In doing all this we receive the gift of peace, the inheritance of God's children. We are one with him. What more could we need? What could be taken away from us that he will not restore and multiply a hundredfold? For this we are thankful.
What beautiful verses these are! They wash over us, calming fears and calling us to something higher and more noble. Keep them in your heart today as you live them out!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.I love the way this passage starts. It's about urging us to be more godly, but the definition of our lives doesn't start with ourselves. Instead our identity starts with God. God chose us. He looked over the world and said, "Aha! I see [insert your name here]. That's my child. I will do everything in my power to show them that I love them." That's why Jesus came. That's why scripture exists. That's why we bother with each other day after day, Sunday after Sunday. It's not because of us--our intrinsic faults and merits--but because of God. God says we're loved, holy, and beautiful. Who are we to argue?
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Since we ARE holy and beloved, therefore, we should strive to make our lives reflect that. We clothe ourselves in compassion, making sure others know they are loved too and walking with them through all those situations which make them feel hurt, ashamed, or unloved. We are kind to each other, uplifting instead of degrading. We are humble...not with the false humility that says, "I am nothing" but with true humility, saying, "I am beautiful but God has made many beautiful things. I'm just glad to be a part of it!" We practice gentleness and patience, not enforcing our will or insisting on our own way but sacrificing our time, emotion, energy, and desire for the sake of the people around us.
Acknowledging that nothing in this world ever goes perfectly, including our own lives, we choose to forgive the ills of the world instead of clinging to them. Sin touches everything we do. It only sticks when we fail to forgive. Following our Lord, we refuse to let evil have the final say. We cannot defeat it on its own terms, fighting fire with fire. Instead we defeat it by forgiving, saying, "This will have no hold on me."
We do all this because we're in love with God and he with us. We embrace each other. We're bonded together. Since we're so tightly joined, we learn to love the things that God loves...almost like a parent or spouse learning to love the things their children or fellow spouse have a passion for. In God's case, the object of love is everyone around us. We don't love them because we think well of them, agree with them, are comfortable with them, or because they treat us well. We love them because God loves them.
In doing all this we receive the gift of peace, the inheritance of God's children. We are one with him. What more could we need? What could be taken away from us that he will not restore and multiply a hundredfold? For this we are thankful.
What beautiful verses these are! They wash over us, calming fears and calling us to something higher and more noble. Keep them in your heart today as you live them out!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Monday, June 4, 2012
On Your Worst Days
Ugh. Ever had one of those days?
You see, I knew it was going to happen. Last night was all but sleepless for me. I was working late and so I got to bed at an hour that I can claim with theological certainty was ungodly. I decided to snuggle with Derek so as not to wake Careen coming to bed in the middle of the night. Derek enjoys those cuddle nights. But last night he was either hot or having nightmares or just going random. I curled up next to him when all of a sudden...kick. Kick...kick. Kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick! I suspect he was trying to kick the blankets off and found my back a more reachable target. Then just when I had gotten to sleep he flipped over, dangling an arm out in the process. WHACK! I got his forearm right across the bridge of my nose. That was it. Ungodly hour or no, I was sleeping in my own bed.
So I shuffled off to the bedroom and curled up. It seemed like all of six minutes later when Ali started screaming. I don't know what it was about. Careen was already up at that point and she was handling whatever crisis was unfolding. Ali is good-natured about 98% of the time...smiling, happy, curious, giggling. She makes up for it in the other 2%. Her amp, as they say, goes all the way up to 11. And she was in rare form this morning, shortly after the hour of ungodly. At least two and a half times I got woken up out of sound sleep by my 1-year-old daughter melting down over markers or Cheerios or something.
But then finally...Ali got better. Sigh. There wasn't much time left for sleep but at least I could get a littl...RING! RING RING RING RING RING! Ok, fine. So this is the morning when everybody else is up at the crack of dawn and decides to call the church phone. It's now cellular, you know. I can be reached any time of day or night. RING RING RING! Four phone calls in 40 minutes from wonderful, well-meaning people who...you know...ACTUALLY SLEPT LAST NIGHT.
Well, by that time morning was truly upon us so I gave up and got up. I had a full day. Study, plan, write a little stuff about evangelism, visit, work out running on the treadmill at lunch, visit, plan more, stop by the grocery store, cook dinner. "Hi Derek! Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't seen you all day. I promise I'll play with you after dinner." Eat. Play, play, play. Finally! Kids in bed! Now I only have three things left to do. I need to write something for my Blazers blog, write something for this blog, and do my evening workout. I think I'll cheat on the Blazers blog part...just ask a short question for people to respond to and let them do most of the talking. I'm tired and I don't think I have the energy to...RING!
"Hello?" It's my co-writer Ben from the Blazers blog. "Hey, what's up, Ben? Oh! Oh, they did! Well that's cool. Thanks for letting me know. Bye!" Hey, guess what? After more than a year without a top executive and the team being run by committee the Trail Blazers just hired a new General Manager. It was a shocking move because they stole him away from another team unexpectedly. It's easily the biggest news story of the summer so far and one of the top three of the season.
Sigh.
So...here comes an hour of researching this guy's background, detailing every move he made in the draft, in trade, or signing free agents with that other team. Then there's writing about it. 1677 words. My blog counts for me. And none of this will wait. The news is breaking NOW.
Then finally I'm done. Only two things left to go, one of which you are reading now.
But this post isn't meant to be self-indulgent. There's a point here. Your faith is only worth what you show on your worst, hardest days. All of us have days like this. From the earliest early-morning when I wanted to stuff a sock in my daughter's mouth...to being polite to everyone calling on the phone...to fulfilling my duties well despite fatigue...to dealing with the unexpected and unavoidable, today has been a challenge. I've had to consciously remind myself every step of the way to do it right. I've kept myself in check, trying hard not to snap at people, get aggravated with my children, or just throw up my hands and give up. I don't always succeed in this, but today I did pretty well. But I only did well because I made a conscious effort to put my faith first, even on days like this. Had I not put that safeguard in place and paid attention, boy...would this have be a day. What happened to Pastor Dave? He's usually so nice!
I'm reminded of two things:
Well, just as soon as that evening workout is done.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
You see, I knew it was going to happen. Last night was all but sleepless for me. I was working late and so I got to bed at an hour that I can claim with theological certainty was ungodly. I decided to snuggle with Derek so as not to wake Careen coming to bed in the middle of the night. Derek enjoys those cuddle nights. But last night he was either hot or having nightmares or just going random. I curled up next to him when all of a sudden...kick. Kick...kick. Kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick! I suspect he was trying to kick the blankets off and found my back a more reachable target. Then just when I had gotten to sleep he flipped over, dangling an arm out in the process. WHACK! I got his forearm right across the bridge of my nose. That was it. Ungodly hour or no, I was sleeping in my own bed.
So I shuffled off to the bedroom and curled up. It seemed like all of six minutes later when Ali started screaming. I don't know what it was about. Careen was already up at that point and she was handling whatever crisis was unfolding. Ali is good-natured about 98% of the time...smiling, happy, curious, giggling. She makes up for it in the other 2%. Her amp, as they say, goes all the way up to 11. And she was in rare form this morning, shortly after the hour of ungodly. At least two and a half times I got woken up out of sound sleep by my 1-year-old daughter melting down over markers or Cheerios or something.
But then finally...Ali got better. Sigh. There wasn't much time left for sleep but at least I could get a littl...RING! RING RING RING RING RING! Ok, fine. So this is the morning when everybody else is up at the crack of dawn and decides to call the church phone. It's now cellular, you know. I can be reached any time of day or night. RING RING RING! Four phone calls in 40 minutes from wonderful, well-meaning people who...you know...ACTUALLY SLEPT LAST NIGHT.
Well, by that time morning was truly upon us so I gave up and got up. I had a full day. Study, plan, write a little stuff about evangelism, visit, work out running on the treadmill at lunch, visit, plan more, stop by the grocery store, cook dinner. "Hi Derek! Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't seen you all day. I promise I'll play with you after dinner." Eat. Play, play, play. Finally! Kids in bed! Now I only have three things left to do. I need to write something for my Blazers blog, write something for this blog, and do my evening workout. I think I'll cheat on the Blazers blog part...just ask a short question for people to respond to and let them do most of the talking. I'm tired and I don't think I have the energy to...RING!
"Hello?" It's my co-writer Ben from the Blazers blog. "Hey, what's up, Ben? Oh! Oh, they did! Well that's cool. Thanks for letting me know. Bye!" Hey, guess what? After more than a year without a top executive and the team being run by committee the Trail Blazers just hired a new General Manager. It was a shocking move because they stole him away from another team unexpectedly. It's easily the biggest news story of the summer so far and one of the top three of the season.
Sigh.
So...here comes an hour of researching this guy's background, detailing every move he made in the draft, in trade, or signing free agents with that other team. Then there's writing about it. 1677 words. My blog counts for me. And none of this will wait. The news is breaking NOW.
Then finally I'm done. Only two things left to go, one of which you are reading now.
But this post isn't meant to be self-indulgent. There's a point here. Your faith is only worth what you show on your worst, hardest days. All of us have days like this. From the earliest early-morning when I wanted to stuff a sock in my daughter's mouth...to being polite to everyone calling on the phone...to fulfilling my duties well despite fatigue...to dealing with the unexpected and unavoidable, today has been a challenge. I've had to consciously remind myself every step of the way to do it right. I've kept myself in check, trying hard not to snap at people, get aggravated with my children, or just throw up my hands and give up. I don't always succeed in this, but today I did pretty well. But I only did well because I made a conscious effort to put my faith first, even on days like this. Had I not put that safeguard in place and paid attention, boy...would this have be a day. What happened to Pastor Dave? He's usually so nice!
I'm reminded of two things:
- It's always a battle to hold onto the tenets we hold sacred, especially when circumstances threaten to overwhelm them. How easy it would be to glare at the grocery store checker today, make rude gestures at people driving beside me, curse the world under my breath. But that would be letting circumstance win. Faith is stronger, even when it doesn't feel like it. I don't keep myself in check on days like this because I'm a great person. I keep myself in check because I believe and I put my trust in that belief. I will demonstrate to the people of this world that they are important, beautiful, and loved even when they call me at 6:55 a.m. on the church phone for a non-emergency.
- I don't always succeed in holding faith highest. I can't lie about that. I, too, succumb. For every day like this where I feel fairly proud of myself I have another where I get to the end of the day and go, "Oops!" This is why we need God's forgiveness. This also puts a check on thinking that we're "good people". We are...kind of. But there will be days. How easy it is, when judging ourselves, to conveniently skip over days like this, to skip over our momentary-yet-frequent failures. How easy it is to judge ourselves only by our best moments while simultaneously judging everyone else by their worst! We all have good and bad days. We all need forgiveness, strength, help. Fortunately we get all three from God. But we should remember days like this that we might better thank and credit him instead of relying so much on our own sanctity which, in most of our cases, is about six hours of lost sleep away from disappearing entirely.
Well, just as soon as that evening workout is done.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Memorial Service for Ken Jensen
As most of you know, Ken Jensen passed away late last week. His memorial service will be held at Short's Funeral Chapel at 11:00 a.m. this Thursday. A meal will follow at the University Inn. Ken's family thanks you for your support during this time.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Monday Morning Sermon: Church and the Spirit
We continued our two-week mini-session on the work of the Holy Spirit--this time in conjunction with Father and Son--on Holy Trinity Sunday this week. Our text was John 3: 1-17.
But for all the things Nic had going for him, he lacked one: he didn't understand the connection between God and the faith he was pursuing, even when he pursued that faith in God's name. This was quite the serious oversight! We likened it to the guy who sold his beloved heirloom set of baseball cards to buy an engagement ring for his girl. He got plenty of money for his treasure. The problem was, the girl didn't want to marry him. He had the ritual right. He had the necessary equipment. He had the right concept of love and togetherness. He just didn't understand his girlfriend. As it turned out, that was the only thing that mattered. Without her, none of the rest meant anything.
It's perfectly possible to do church well--at least to outward appearances--while leaving out the actual "God" part. Most people will look at churches with reasonably full pews, good music, a charismatic preacher, and money in the offering plate and say, "That church is successful!" Sadly, some of the most unfaithful churches I've ever had the displeasure to experience have had all four of those qualities in spades. Love, welcome, acceptance, grace, and Spirit? Not so much.
We run into serious trouble when we start defining church by tasks to be accomplished instead of people to be served and loved. God works through relationships: forgiveness, passion, affection, patience, togetherness. He doesn't reside in things or places, but in people, through their connections. Pretty religion practiced by ugly people doesn't cut it. People who use tasks to mow over people are like flesh giving birth to flesh in the gospel above. The trappings are right, the exterior looks good, but the spirit isn't there. These people can't even see the Spirit. It blows where it will, not being confined to their self-important rituals and restrictions. Never looking for it in the right places, not willing to follow if it means changing what they're doing, these folks just can't find it. And without it, all the rest is nothing.
But those who do trust that Jesus came to love the world, that he died for our sins, that he's reaching out to every one of his children...they see his work every day. The Spirit leads and the flesh follows. Life isn't a finite series of tasks, it's a beautiful strain of music played between all of us that never ends. The Spirit makes us anew, or "born again", and opens our eyes to possibilities and people we'd never see on our own.
The job of our church community, then, is simple: open our eyes, follow the Spirit, rejoice as God leads us. On the way we gather and serve, uplift and nourish, let people know how good love is and how precious a gift we've all been given. Whatever we need to do inside or outside church to make that happen, we do it cheerfully. With God at the center, the world opens up into so much more than it was before, just as it did for Nicodemus walking out of that dusty temple and seeing the light in the middle of the night.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”The main character in this text (aside from Jesus, of course) is Nicodemus, a member of the religious establishment. Old Nic had plenty of things going for him. He was one of the few among the religious peerage who was willing to give Jesus credit, proclaiming him "from God" because of the signs he had seen. He bothered to come to Jesus--albeit by night--in order to talk to him. He was willing to listen to the things Jesus said. At some point he took them to heart too, as this same Nicodemus would later tend to Jesus' body after the crucifixion...openly and by day this time.
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven —the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
But for all the things Nic had going for him, he lacked one: he didn't understand the connection between God and the faith he was pursuing, even when he pursued that faith in God's name. This was quite the serious oversight! We likened it to the guy who sold his beloved heirloom set of baseball cards to buy an engagement ring for his girl. He got plenty of money for his treasure. The problem was, the girl didn't want to marry him. He had the ritual right. He had the necessary equipment. He had the right concept of love and togetherness. He just didn't understand his girlfriend. As it turned out, that was the only thing that mattered. Without her, none of the rest meant anything.
It's perfectly possible to do church well--at least to outward appearances--while leaving out the actual "God" part. Most people will look at churches with reasonably full pews, good music, a charismatic preacher, and money in the offering plate and say, "That church is successful!" Sadly, some of the most unfaithful churches I've ever had the displeasure to experience have had all four of those qualities in spades. Love, welcome, acceptance, grace, and Spirit? Not so much.
We run into serious trouble when we start defining church by tasks to be accomplished instead of people to be served and loved. God works through relationships: forgiveness, passion, affection, patience, togetherness. He doesn't reside in things or places, but in people, through their connections. Pretty religion practiced by ugly people doesn't cut it. People who use tasks to mow over people are like flesh giving birth to flesh in the gospel above. The trappings are right, the exterior looks good, but the spirit isn't there. These people can't even see the Spirit. It blows where it will, not being confined to their self-important rituals and restrictions. Never looking for it in the right places, not willing to follow if it means changing what they're doing, these folks just can't find it. And without it, all the rest is nothing.
But those who do trust that Jesus came to love the world, that he died for our sins, that he's reaching out to every one of his children...they see his work every day. The Spirit leads and the flesh follows. Life isn't a finite series of tasks, it's a beautiful strain of music played between all of us that never ends. The Spirit makes us anew, or "born again", and opens our eyes to possibilities and people we'd never see on our own.
The job of our church community, then, is simple: open our eyes, follow the Spirit, rejoice as God leads us. On the way we gather and serve, uplift and nourish, let people know how good love is and how precious a gift we've all been given. Whatever we need to do inside or outside church to make that happen, we do it cheerfully. With God at the center, the world opens up into so much more than it was before, just as it did for Nicodemus walking out of that dusty temple and seeing the light in the middle of the night.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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