Independence Day

Independence Day

Jul 4, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…   

“You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

The word “independence” did not appear in the text of the Declaration of Independence. Independence is mostly an illusion. No nation or individual is actually independent. No nation or individual would thrive or survive on its own. There is little doubt that the American Revolution would have failed without our allies. The struggle for American independence was dependent upon the support of our French, Spanish, and Dutch allies. After the Revolutionary War was over, the British exported more goods than ever to the new “independent” nation known as the United States of America. The 244 years of prosperity that followed the Revolution were, in fact, totally dependent upon our trade and cooperation with nations outside our borders.

Independence is mostly an illusion. The survival of a newborn baby is entirely dependent upon their caregivers. As we get older and stronger, we would like to think that we are independent, but nothing could be further from the truth. My underlying incompetence would make me among the first to perish. I would have no chance of survival on my own. I just recently discovered that there was a washer and dryer in my house. I could never really understand what happened to those dirty clothes. On my own I would have been dead years ago. I came from farmers, but I don’t even know how to garden. If I am not feeling well, I call the doctor. If I have a problem in my condo, I call someone to diagnose and repair the problem. I don’t know where my water comes from, and I really don’t understand electricity. Is it just me? How long would you last, left to your own devices?

Independence is an illusion. We are totally dependent. I have benefited my entire life from the labor and skill of others. I drive on roads that I did not construct. I attended schools that I did not build. I eat food that I did not raise. I trust ferry workers to get me across the Sound and Boeing workers to get me across the world. If independence were a sport, I would only get a participation award.

Our life comes to us as a gift. We have nothing to do with our own creation. We rely on others and in the end, when the illusion of independence is uncovered, we have nowhere to turn but to God. Independence is an illusion. Control is an illusion. I am OK with that. I do not need to understand everything. In fact, I am much more comfortable trusting God and my neighbor. I sleep better at night knowing that God and neighbor are looking out for me.

Happy Independence Day! Take time today to give thanks for those who allow you to be so independent.

One day closer!

Pastor Jim

To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/

A Final Gift

A Final Gift

Jul 3, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…  

“When we look to the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.” Psalm 49:10

I had a little contagion downtime early on Thursday morning. My sermon for Sunday was recorded and in the hands of our very able technical team. I laid out the order for the service 10 days down the line, but my brain did not have the creative energy to write a sermon. I picked up my coffee and pulled out a pile of personal papers. In that pile was my “Last Will and Testament.” I had revisited it a few years ago, made revisions, got everything good and legal. But never quite had the opportunity to sign it in front of a notary. In other words, it was mostly worthless. The Will itself is not very complicated. Our assets are not spread out, we share ownership of our home with Quicken Loans. The Will is not very complicated. After my golf bets are settled and my columbarium spot is paid for, whatever is left will be split between my three daughters, Luther Seminary, and the Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment.

This season of loneliness and lock-down should give me the opportunity to find a notary and finalize my Will. Felicia and I believe that our final statement in this world should be consistent with the values that guided us in this life. In every season of our lives, from the early years when we often could not afford to get a car fixed, to the nearing golden years when we can, on occasion, afford a good bottle of wine, we have always given money to the church. Blessed to be a blessing! The amount of the gift is not as important as the recognition that the money does not really belong to us. My gift is only possible because God has gifted me. God gifted me first; my life is lived in response to that gift.

The final statement of our lives will be the reading of the Will. My hope is that this final statement will reflect our thankfulness to God and to the faith communities that nourished and formed us. Our hope is that this final statement will continue our life-quest of teaching our children and grandchildren that life is not all about the next toy or purchase. Life is not all about us, it is a gift to us. Blessed to be a blessing, we hope to make our final statement a final lesson in generosity. The odds are very good that my girls will not need our money anyway, they are doing fine on their own. What better place to put a final gift, than in the Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment, where 100% of the proceeds go to college scholarships, are given to local benevolences, or spread out in the far corners of our world to combat poverty.

If you are a notary, please contact me. I need one.

Blessed to be a Blessing!
Pastor Jim

To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/

Getting on With Life

Getting on With Life

Jul 2, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd…  

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

In the midst of the Babylonian captivity, God speaks through the prophet with the intention of assisting the Israelites in the resetting of their religious compass. They had lost their way. In 586 B.C. the Babylonians leveled Jerusalem, including the Temple, and took the Israelites into captivity. What we know of the kings of the southern kingdom of Judah prior to its destruction was the almost universal commentary, “They did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” With few exceptions, there were literally hundreds of years of kings who were more in love with power, wealth, and political machinations than with the Lord.

There’s nothing like a little suffering to focus one’s attention. The unimaginable had happened. Jerusalem had been sacked, the treasures of the Temple had been taken as plunder, the military vanquished, anyone of prominence either killed or taken as a slave. Even more incomprehensible was the destruction of the Temple itself. Stones the size of a house toppled, the building razed, and the symbol of Israel’s unique place in the economy of God’s unique relationship with the Israelites, now no more. Other than the poorest of the poor left behind to care for the land, Judah was a dust heap. Yep, nothing like a little suffering to focus one’s attention.

Without the Temple cult to direct the religious life of the faithful Israelites, the remaining elders took direction from the prophet. Jeremiah essentially told the remnant to get on with their lives. Plant gardens, marry, have children, increase in numbers in the land where they live in exile. Jeremiah spoke the words above to a people who needed hope. After their captivity, the Lord would come for them, for He had plans to prosper those whom He had chosen. This was the sign that the time of the Lord was near.

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:12-14.

The pandemic can feel like we have been carried off into exile. Our lives, however imperfect, were rooted in the illusion that we were in control. We were living our lives, being basically good people, sometimes generous, often genuinely concerned about others, and making our regular offerings at the Temple of Trinity Lutheran, Freeland. Control is the crown prince of illusions. We all know it to be true. We are not in control. There is this stinking little virus who appears to be mutating and acting like something out of an H.G. Wells writing, which appears to be more in control than we are. We cannot even enter our local Temple to make worship. A little suffering to focus our attention.

In the midst of our exile, the prophet tells us to plant our gardens, marry, catch crab, increase in numbers (uh, this part I will leave to those more qualified), and generally get on with life as best we can. And because we seek God with all our heart, the Lord says, “I will be found by you.” But maybe you are having trouble finding God because it feels a bit like being in exile? In 12-Step Recovery, the program constantly reminds us to let go of resentments and focus on gratitude. So, plant gardens, marry, catch crab, and all the other stuff, but mostly let go of resentments about the fact that life has changed, and embrace gratitude as if it is life itself. And God will be found by us. Amen? Amen!

Pastor Tom

To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/

Fireworks and Grief

Fireworks and Grief

Jul 1, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Rev. David Bieniek…  

When I was doing grief classes through my job as a hospice chaplain, I warned people who were working through their grief that one time when grief would strike would be during holidays. And I said that, of course, the big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries, would be bad. I would add that it is the little holidays you had to watch out for. Those are the ones that will sneak up on you and hit you hard, like the Fourth of July.

It was several years after my mom’s death, and we were watching fireworks. And suddenly I started to cry. I realized I was missing her. I remember thinking that I was being stupid, I should be over my grief, and why would watching fireworks be a trigger anyway? And then I started thinking about our history with fireworks.

Corpus Christi, Texas where I grew up, had big firework displays twice a year – Fourth of July and Buccaneer Days. The Buccaneer Days Fireworks actually spread out over several days. And Mom and I would always get out there to see them. I was a little kid, way back before I can remember, and she and I would go out to watch the fireworks, sometimes from our car, sometimes outside on the grass, but we would go. I remember a few years before she died, wheeling her wheelchair out so we could see those fireworks. But I had no idea that would be the last time.

Grief will strike at the worst possible time – a song on the radio, a certain scent or smell, buying something in the store that was a loved one’s favorite. It can hit you like a ton of bricks, and you may not even know why.

But these grief-bursts are a gift. They are a reminder of love. After all, we only grieve for those we love or had a connection to. So, don’t avoid them or get embarrassed by them. Embrace them, acknowledge your grief to yourself and those around you, and accept them as a gift of love.

I’ll watch the fireworks that will undoubtedly go off around Holmes Harbor, I will feel bad for the pets who are afraid, and I’ll toast my mom and shed a tear thanking God for the love I learned through her.

If you need help with your grieving in this time of pandemic, reach out to one of us pastors or perhaps visit some grief websites. I can recommend this one from The Center for Loss but there are many others: https://www.centerforloss.com/grief/

Sending you love and healing… and fireworks!

Rev. Dave Bieniek

To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/

The Tale of Two Coffee Makers

The Tale of Two Coffee Makers

Jun 30, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…  

The Church coffee maker quit functioning two weeks ago. Perhaps it did not feel safe working at church during Covid-19. Its health was compromised, its warranty had expired, its days were numbered. The real problem, I suspect, was that it was under-used. Thanks to social distancing and the early shut-down of our campus, we simply did not need much coffee. Consequently, we did not use the coffee maker for two months and now when we needed it, she just quit working altogether. Not to worry, I have a staff Keurig in my office. The Keurig has been busy, it is used every day and often. Then last Wednesday as I was getting my sermon ready to be filmed, the Keurig gave up the ghost. The light was on but no one was home. The water was not moving through the system, and that was all she wrote. That pretty much sums up 2020, does it not? 1919 was marked by a second deadly wave of the Spanish Flu and anarchist bombings. I am relieved that my shelf life will run out before 2121.

I started thinking of the tale of two coffee makers. Perhaps, there is a lesson to be learned here. One coffee maker was doomed by idleness. It lost its purpose, its reason for getting up in the morning. It rusted out as no water was moving through its pipes. The second coffee maker, the Keurig, simply wore out. It was tired and worn, it was used and used up. Both were rendered useless, one by activity and one by lack of activity. How about you? Would you rather wear out or rust out?

My prayer is when the pandemic isolation ends that the people of TLC will remember how to worship and serve together again. I know that you all have enjoyed sitting on the couch with your coffee in your hand and your dog in your lap as you have listened to Karl singing. I know that you like lounging in comfort, still in your pajamas, as I preach. We are creatures of habit; new habits, once established, are hard to break. God has called us to worship and serve in community. My prayer is that we will be ready to do that once we feel that it is safe to gather again.

I replaced the Keurig that wore out. What about the coffee maker that rusted out? Well, after a quick autopsy, Rocky is trying to work a miracle and raise her from the dead. Stay tuned.

We miss seeing you, and we look forward to a grand reunion when it seems safe and prudent to return to in-person worship. Until then, enjoy your coffee, keep daily routines, and don’t be idle too long or your pipes might quit working.

We are one day closer!
My love to you.

Pastor Jim

To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/