A Sermon From Our Bishop

A Sermon From Our Bishop

May 25, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim

Trinity Lutheran Church is one of the 9,000 churches in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA is broken up into 65 regional bodies called synods. We are a part of the Northwest Washington Synod which stretches along the I-5 corridor from the Canadian border to Sea-Tac. The Northwest Washington Synod (NWWS) offices are located at St. John Lutheran Church right across the street from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

Our NWWS is served by Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee. Two weeks ago, Bishop Bryan Wee brought a personal greeting to our congregation during our Mother’s Day worship. This past week she recorded a sermon that could have been used yesterday, but to protect my own job security, I decided to preach myself. The good news is that you can follow the link below and experience the Bishop’s sermon for yourself. So, for those of you who have longed to hear a good sermon, this is your lucky day.

Keep smiling, keep praying, keep believing, we are one day closer to an end of this crisis.

Much love,
Pastor Jim

Follow this link to watch Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee’s sermon: https://youtu.be/CO73BeP06Lg

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

You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone

May 23, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…  

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, found in the Gospel of Matthew, the fifth chapter.

I received an email this week from the ELCA Healthcare System. The email reminded church professionals that they were not alone in this corona virus pandemic. Our healthcare provider would be there for us when despair or depression set in. They gave us a list of resources, and promised us that the cost of this mental health care was covered by our ELCA insurance. My first thought was that I was very fortunate to have healthcare. My second thought was that I had better get with it! I wanted to take advantage of this free offer. Finally, I wondered what was wrong with me, that I was not despairing or experiencing depression.

Upon reflection, I realized that perhaps the risk was greater than I thought. The mental health crisis brought on by anxiety, uncertainty, isolation, and financial stress is spreading like warm butter on hot bread. Parents and students feel it, senior citizens locked up in assisted living facilities feel it, couples who are not used to so much “together time” feel it, our essential workers are weary, and each morning as I arrive early to empty offices and an empty church, the reality of this dark season visits me.

It is good to call a thing what it is. This pandemic has wreaked havoc on the fabric of our social and communal lives. This pandemic has crippled family finances, sending people to local food banks who were gainfully employed and self-sufficient just two month ago. And we long to worship, to see our church family, to be uplifted by the choir, to muse upon God’s grace, and to sample every cookie in the coffee hour.

Let’s call a thing what it is. This pandemic is a threat to us even if we are perfectly safe from the virus. We need to pay attention to our overall health; mental, spiritual, and physical. Get out of the house every day. The Governor wants you to get out. Put on your mask and get out into the fresh air. The three months that are before us are the warmest and brightest of the year. Get out and take full advantage of living through this quarantine on the most beautiful island in God’s creation. Watch old sermons on our website, there is a good chance that they will help you gain perspective, and they are guaranteed to induce sleep. Listen to good music, pick up the phone and check in with friends.

If you need help, get help! We have a list of resources in the church office. Finally, know that you are not alone. We are all experiencing grief, loss and loneliness to one degree or another. So, cut yourself a break and extend that courtesy to others. The Bible is full of heartfelt lament as humans have struggled with the reality of our frailty and brokenness.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

From my isolation to yours – much love.
Pastor Jim

P.S. We will return to public worship when it is safe for a congregation of our size to do so. Our church has never been closed, as we continue to be the church together. We will resist the temptation to act impulsively, and we will refuse to put the most vulnerable of our community in harm’s way. For this season, love looks like an empty church.

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

TLC Preschool Graduation

TLC Preschool Graduation

May 22, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Felicia Lindus, TLC Preschool Director…

Classes ended at Trinity Preschool on March 13 when we responded to the Governor’s mandate to close schools. Since that time, we have continued to support our students through emails, online resources, Zoom show & tell, private YouTube stories and songs, and weekly activity packets. We have enjoyed seeing our friends thanks to technology and drive-by parades. As the year comes to a close, we celebrate with our friends who are moving on to kindergarten, and we look forward to sharing new school adventures with returning students this fall.

This year marks the 35th year that St. Augustine’s/Trinity Preschool has sent a class out to face the wide world of kindergarten. In many ways this graduation was like all others, with joyful families, excited students, and proud teachers. But this graduation was like none before. Diplomas were presented on yard signs, families gathered in vehicles, and the celebrating included lots of car horn honking.

We are proud of our students and so thankful for the support of our wonderful families. We also appreciate the support of this congregation. Because of your generosity we were able to continue our work and provide many activities to keep our students learning during the school closure.

Thank you!

Felicia Lindus
Trinity Preschool Director

The Stress Tank

The Stress Tank

May 21, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Rev. David Bieniek…  

This reflection came to me in a dream the other night. I was visiting a friend who said she was in so much stress that she just needed a hug. Since I was not able to give her a hug, I walked her through this exercise.

I want you to imagine you are standing in a big tank, and it is filled. But instead of water, this tank is filled with stress. I would imagine that for most of us, this tank was already pretty full with the economic, political, and social stresses in our world along with the fear for the future of our environment. That isn’t even including your personal stresses. So, you were already feeling chest-high in stress. All of these stresses swirling around you like a whirlpool, trying to pull you down.

Then you add the stress of COVID-19, and we feel we are up to our eyeballs in stress. You are having to stand on tip-toe just to get a breath. Any more stress, and no wonder you feel you will drown. You need some relief. You need to be able to relax. But you see no way out of this stress tank. You feel trapped.

I want you to look down at the bottom of the tank, between your feet. Look down there, and notice a plug. There is a plug in the bottom of the tank. I want you to reach that plug and pull it! You may not be able to reach it with your hand, but try. Or maybe you have to pull it with your toe, but pull it!

As soon as you pull that plug, feel the stress begin to flow out! Feel yourself getting free of all that has been making you anxious, making you fearful, keeping you from feeling the love that is all around you. Allow the stress to just flow out!

When the stress level gets down to between your knee and your ankle, put the plug back in. As humans, we need a little stress in our life, or we become complacent. A little stress allows us to move into the future. A little stress keeps us moving, eating, and resting. But, especially now, an ankle-high level is enough stress.

This stress tank will refill for you. Perhaps it has already started, as you listen to the news, or put on your face mask, or think of lost friends or relationships. This tank will refill. But the wonderful thing is that you have the power to pull that plug any time you need to, and allow that stress to flow out, and get some relief.

As people of faith, we know that better days are coming. Good Friday is always followed by Easter Sunday. The darkest night is followed by a beautiful dawn. Our death on this planet leads to a beautiful life where we are reunited with those who have gone before us. Our God gives us the tools to drain our stress tank. We see God around us in those we love, in the beauty of nature, and in the tidbits of good news that renew our faith in this world and in humanity.

My hope for you today is that you are able to drain your personal stress tank, breathe a little easier, and be ready for the next day.

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

Rev. Dave Bieniek

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

How is Life Preparing Us? And for What?

How is Life Preparing Us? And for What?

May 20, 2020 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd…  

Sir was my German Shorthair Pointer. That was his name, Sir. Sir went to seminary with me (he was the only one who paid attention to me in preaching class); he rode with me in my summer job driving semi-truck around the country; he was the reason Brenda married me, and he raised our three children through their early years. Quite a dog, Sir. I could tell Sir stories ad nauseam. Anyway, I mention Sir because he played a critical role in my learning to weave a spiritual understanding of providence into my life.

It was early February 1974, Dr. Stuhr called me into his office to talk about an internship placement. “I’ve got two options for you.” With a bit of a smirk he said, “One is in Pearl City, Hawaii and the other is a request from the Canadian Synod of the American Lutheran Church to start a mission church in some small Alberta town.” He was already starting to write “Hawaii” on the placement form. I inquired the name of the town. “Strathmore,” he replied, “Strathmore, Alberta.”

Whenever we were driving into a new city, I would stop somewhere outside of the metro area so that Sir could have a run. I had never been in Calgary. It was my last stop of the 1973 summer season before we would return to Seattle, drop off my semi and head back to school, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley CA. It would be my last year. Twenty-four miles east of Calgary, there was an ice cream stand on the side of the highway. Sir had his run, and I had my ice cream. As I coached my truck back onto the highway, I noticed the small weather-beaten sign that would forever change my life, “Strathmore, Alberta, pop. 1304.” If not for Sir, I would not have stopped, and in all probability, would have gone to Hawaii (that would not have ended well for me, but that is another story).

I had to tell Dr. Stuhr three times before he would believe me. As much as the idea of Hawaii appealed to me, I told him I was supposed to go to Strathmore, Alberta. I shared with him my “Sir” experience six months prior. He smiled. I think he mumbled something about the Holy Spirit and, six months later, Sir and I drove across the Canadian border with the same sense of finality as if I had stepped off the side of a ship.

I am a firm believer in providence. I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in providence. Providence is God’s timely work that is preparing us for future possibilities. Some might say future eventualities. Think about those moments in your life that were pivotal in shaping your direction. Those moments that clarified your sense of purpose and understanding of self and God. When I look back in my life, there are clear providential moments where the curtain to the Kingdom of God fluttered.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 is, for me, a defining scripture, “He has set eternity in the hearts of people, but they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” We are created to yearn; God wants us to yearn for that which is beyond us, that can only be satisfied by the Holy Other. We are living in challenging times, no question. God is not absent in pandemics, or wars, or broken relationships, or in the loss of loved ones. The Kingdom of God is consistently present, as evidenced by our yearning for God. The question is not “where is God”, but “how is God using these moments to prepare us providentially for the future?” Yearning can be a holy gift. Yearning can create providential moments in our life that can reshape history for eternity. I am praying that our yearning might, in fact, prove to be a blessing… like stopping at a road-side ice cream stand.

God loves you; we are one day closer to gathering together. Be at peace, the Kingdom of God is close.

Pastor Tom

To Donate to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/