Jul 28, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
It was 34 years ago yesterday that I walked down the aisle at First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Illinois. Four years earlier, I waited at the end of that same aisle for my beautiful young bride to join me. Hand in hand, we exchanged marriage vows. She was 20. I was 23. It is safe to say that we had no idea what we were signing on for. Present at our wedding on that July day in 1982, were three of my grandparents. None of them would survive to see me kneel at the altar rail just four years later.
It was 34 years ago yesterday that I walked down the aisle at First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Illinois. Walking with me was Pastor Tom Hanson, who had married us, my internship supervisor Pastor Wayne Erickson, and Pastor Sven Thompson, who had envisioned this day in Confirmation Class when I was 13 years old. My parents and siblings were there, so were my aunts and uncles, cousins, childhood friends, and a few dear Luther Seminary Classmates.
It was 34 years ago that I walked down the aisle at First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Illinois. My partner in life was still with me four years after that wedding. Our time at Luther Seminary had been rich and rewarding; on internship we had fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. The Assistant to the Bishop in the Illinois Synod presided over the ordination. The prayers were for me; the calling, it was stressed, was a lifetime calling. The pastors laid hands on my back and head. Twice in four years I had been in the exact same place taking vows for life. Both times Felicia was there with me. The first time she was the lovely center of attention. The second time she was hardly recognized.
It was 34 years ago that Felicia and I began this lifetime calling to parish ministry at First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Illinois. The prayers that day were for me, but this was to be a shared calling, and we had no idea what we were signing on for. In the 34 years that followed, Felicia has given birth to three baby girls, and then helped those girls to birth three boys. She taught Sunday School for 20 years and served as our Sunday School Superintendent for four years. She was a confirmation teacher and mentor. She taught at the Trinity Preschool for 13 years and for the past eight years has been the director. She fielded calls in the middle of the night, parented alone during the 15 years that I served Luther Seminary, and she pacified a drunk who showed up at our house when I was at a Church Council meeting. The first computer in our church office was hers, she cleaned the church for two years. She graciously welcomed visiting theologians in our home, was the hostess at countless dinners, and sent thousands of cards to the sick and grief-stricken.
It was 34 years ago yesterday that I was ordained; they probably ordained the wrong person, certainly the better person was the one sitting on the sideline. Come to think of it, she likes the sideline more than the limelight, and I am probably going to be in trouble for writing this. So, I will just say thank you, Felicia, for your faithfulness, and sign off for now.
One day closer.
Pastor Jim
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Jul 27, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29
“A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
Don’t make a comment about how bad things are in our country, or our world for that matter. Rather ask a question; ask how you can be a part of making things better. One does not have to possess astute powers of observation to recognize the injustices, greed, bigotry, and cruelty that is a part of the human story. Endlessly grousing about the way things are (without lifting a finger to promote change) is not the least bit helpful. In fact, the opposite is true. Dwelling on problems that are out of our control will lead us to feel powerless and hopeless. People who feel powerless and hopeless are of little good to themselves or anyone else.
Don’t make a comment about how bad things are in our country; rather ask how you can be a part of making our country better. I don’t really want to be around people who wring their hands, while seemingly enjoying the melancholy that goes with the constant drumbeat of bad news. Life is too short to hang with people who wait for clouds when blessed with blue skies, or fret unnecessarily over the harmful effects of sunshine.
Every day is a gift, and every day we are called by the waters of baptism to be people of hope and agents for change. How can we be a part of making the world better? Well, for most of us it starts at home, with those we live with. On your own there is very little you can do to help starving children in Africa, but with minimal effort, you can be more patient (and kinder) to those who won the lottery, and get to live with you. On your own there is very little you can do to dismantle systemic racism, but you can confront your own prejudices, and learn to love your neighbor regardless of their color or orientation. On your own there is very little you can do about those politicians in Washington, but you can vote, and you can peacefully protest, and you can lobby those who legislate.
Don’t make an obvious, less than hopeful, observation about all that is wrong in the world. How is that helpful? Be empowered to serve, and inspire others to follow. Do your part, where you are, to make your family, your community, your nation, and the world a better place. Replace “woe is me” with “look at what we can do together.” People are attracted to people of hope. Hope seems to be lacking in our country right now, but we are, by definition, people of hope. With God nothing is impossible. The problems of the world will never totally disappear, but that should not dampen our resolve to do the good work that God has given us.
One day closer, how is that for hopeful?
Pastor Jim
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Jul 25, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Lead us not into temptation.”
Check that! The Pope changed the Lord’s Prayer. It did say, “lead us not into temptation.” Now the most revered prayer in Christendom says, “Do not let us fall into temptation.” On this one Pope Francis and I are in agreement. I have no problem with the change for the following reasons:
First of all, this prayer has been translated so many times over the centuries that it is pretty hard to know exactly what Jesus said. The prayer was probably first spoken in Aramaic. The 2,000-year journey included translations from Aramaic to Greek, Greek to Latin, Latin to English, and the Queen’s English to American English.
Secondly, the Pope is infallible, so, if he changes the Lord’s Prayer it must have been with the Lord’s blessing.
I actually think the change is good. I never believed that God would lead us into temptation. I don’t think that God sends us tests, sets traps for us, or places hurdles in our way to see how high we can jump. Life is one test after another. I had so much test anxiety that I was in Kindergarten for three years because I faked being sick before the finger-painting final exam. I once stayed up all night worried about a urine test the next day. Life is one challenge, one test, one hardship after another. Why would God add to our stress by sending us cancer (or a pandemic) to see how we would fare?
This pandemic is a test, but it does not come from the one who only desires abundant life for us. This pandemic is a test; it will test our healthcare system, it will test public education, it will test our politicians, it will test families and marriages. The anxiety, weariness, financial strain, and stress are taking a toll on every family and institution. Our culture is being tested, our sense of community is being tested, our willingness to sacrifice for the common good is being tested. None of these tests come from God, none are the will of God, but they are real and they are a threat to us.
This is a period of testing for the church. Who are we? How do we define ourselves? Can we exist and thrive without gathering in person to worship? Will the people of Trinity Lutheran Church stay together in this time of pandemic exile? Your staff, TLC volunteers, Preschool teachers, and your Church Council continue to work, pray, and serve on your behalf. Our mission has not changed, our love for each other grows deeper in the absence of physical contact. We are being tested, and we will emerge from this time of trial stronger, more appreciative, and more committed to each other.
God is not testing us, but God is with us in the midst of this human time of testing. I am honored to walk with you in this pandemic season, I am uplifted by your faith and kindness. Thank you for being you!
One day closer,
Pastor Jim
Jul 24, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Dennis…
“Pastor Hanson, when I come to church will you preach fire and brimstone at me?” She asked with just enough of a hint that “yes” was what she expected to hear, which prompted me to say, “Yes. Of course. Fire and brimstone. You won’t leave alive.” Then she smiled and I knew she had also heard a “No” hidden in that “Yes.” Her daughter had been doing a good job on her as far as the Law was concerned. She had been hearing fire and brimstone on a regular basis right from her own flesh and blood. But the Law can only kill. The Law cannot make alive. For life, we need the good news of forgiveness. So, she asked. I spoke Law. She heard Gospel.
I thought of the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30 (also in Matthew 16.21ff). Jesus had tried to take a break and get some rest. This woman, a Greek, heard of him and intruded on his privacy. “Heal my daughter,” she begged. Matthew tells us Jesus simply ignored her at first, didn’t say a word. She wouldn’t take silence for an answer and asked again. Then Jesus spoke harshly about having nothing for “dogs.” She wouldn’t take this insult for an answer either, and pressed him again. And then Jesus let go. She found, Luther said, a “yes” hidden in that “no.” Or as another preacher (whose name I no longer remember) put it, “Jesus threw down a gauntlet and she found a gift in it.” In other words, she would not rest content with the Law; the word of fire and brimstone, word of rejection, word of condemnation. The Holy Spirit had tuned her ears to listen for the sweet-sounding word of the Gospel hidden underneath. And she went home blessed, finding her daughter made whole again.
Ah, but isn’t there also a word that speaks in our ear asking, “Will it be so for you too?” Dare we hope for such a word simply by begging and asking? Will asking often enough turn the head of the Savior favorably in our direction? Will the cancer leave? Will wholeness be waiting for us at home? There is a sovereignty at work in the Word of life that defies our making of it a recipe for getting all that we want, isn’t there? Or can we just name and claim it?
As the British mystery writer, Ruth Rendell, has her detective ask his sergeant when faced with a tough case, “What did God say when Cain asked, ‘Am I my Brother’s keeper?’ Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Bible stories are not for the timid, or for those who think to make them manageable. They are for us when we dare letting the mysteries not be subject to our beck and call. These stories sneak life into the very midst of death, and make the angels themselves snort with laughter, and fool the devil forever. Peace.
Pastor Dennis
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Jul 23, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Praise him, sun and moon, Praise him, all you shining stars.” Psalm 148:3
Go ahead and read all of Psalm 148. I will wait for you to return.
Our family got away for a couple of days, to a beach home at Ocean Shores, loaned to us by a generous family member. The beach home was our base camp. Much of the living occurred across the dunes that stretched some 400 yards toward the Pacific Ocean. It was nice to smell the ocean air and sleep with the sound of the mighty waves which have broken upon this shore for millions of years. My grandsons are 4, almost 2, and three months old. Felicia and I took the older boys on a trek down to the beach. The boys, who were full of energy at 5:00 a.m., were now too tired to walk 400 yards. So, like pack mules, we carried them on our shoulders, with beach toys, towels, water, and sunscreen in our arms.
Little boys love to shovel and this sand was just right for a construction project. We dug a hole and the hole got bigger. Soon we could fit in the hole, so we built a bridge to span the gap. There were many precarious crossings and more than a few laughter-filled falls into the pit of sand. By this time, this pack mule was tired. We retreated to find their Daddy. After some rest, we returned to our construction site. Their Dad loves projects; soon there were stairs and driftwood walls. The work continued as masked visitors walking the beach stopped to admire our handiwork.
We tossed bucket after bucket, shovel after shovel, of sand out of a hole which was now five feet deep. I held a bucket of sand and told Camden that there were more stars in the heavens than all the grains of sand in the bucket. Actually, there are more stars than all the grains of sand on the earth. There was a pause and a debate among the adults; the concept was simply mind blowing. The boys just kept tossing sand, not the least bit concerned with mysteries that were beyond their comprehension.
When we returned to base camp, we consulted Mr. Google. After all, there was an ice cream cone on the line now. The answer was this: if you were to add up all the grains of sand at Ocean Shores, Whidbey Island, Hawaii, Mexico, Australia, and the rest of the world including the Sahara Desert and all other deserts, they would number one tenth of the number of stars that are visible from earth with the help of telescopes. Of course, even then, that would be only be a small percentage of the unknown universe. As I was eating my ice cream, my son-in-law, now three dollars poorer, said, “we are not alone, are we?” I said, “no, we are not alone, but to quote Larry Norman, ‘if there’s life on other planets, I’m sure that He already knows and He’s been there once already and He died to save their souls.’”
What does this all mean? You tell me. I think it means that we should live with a deep appreciation for the fact that the God who created heaven and earth and all that exists, took the time to create us. Not only that, we were created, male and female, in the very image of God. I think that it should give us a sense of awe, wonder, and humility. We are clearly a product of evolutionary genius. Humans continue to evolve; I trust that God is still working on us. Creation continues to evolve even today. Evolution? Yes, but we were never an accident. We were created with intention, and love, and purpose.
“Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to thee, How great thou art, how great thou art.”
One day closer.
Pastor Jim
To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/
