May 3, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:5–6
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I John 4:7
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” Isaiah 40:28-29
What is your image of God? Is God a gray-haired old man who is looking to strike you down or punish you when you sin? Is God the master controller with a joystick hand-manipulating humans, finding your parking spots or magically selling your home? Is God the CEO of an employment agency, finding work for good Christians, or a white coated Josef Mengele doling out diseases to see how his creatures respond? Is God a male or a female? Have we created God in our own image? Is God a heavenly vending machine: push a button, make a sacrifice and out comes a baby, a cure or a new car?
What is your image of God? The Bible tells us that God is love, God is infinite, God is the creator of all things. God is good, God is merciful, just, gracious, patient, all knowing, all powerful, omnipresent and mysterious beyond the capacity of human understanding.
I often hear people say that God is in charge. This is undoubtedly true! God is in charge of the entirety of time and creation. But the human experiment is by any measure a new venture. If all of time were compressed into a year, with the Big Bang at the start of January, the emergence of humans would occur very late in the year, around 11:35 PM on December 31st. God is in charge, I believe that with all my heart, I trust that truth. My life is a mere mist quickly fading and yet safe in the hands of a merciful and loving God. God is in charge, but when God gave those created in the image God freewill, the inmates took charge of the asylum. The resulting human story has been remarkable in its creativity and in its cruelty.
What is your image of God? Does this all-powerful God intervene in human affairs? And if so, how? I want to know, Adam and Eve wanted to know, but instead of bowing down in humility, they ate the apple, and the rest is a tattered human history. I am Ok just being me, a flower quickly fading, someone called to teach about a subject that I don’t understand, the 1667th generation of humans, the 1959 model, with design flaws and imperfections. Does God answer prayer? God can do whatever She wants, so I would suggest that you humbly pray, faithfully wait, and get busy swinging the hammer, exercising the freewill that the Lord of Eternity has entrusted to you.
God is love! One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Apr 26, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and poet born in 1898. By most accounts he was one of the most influential authors of the 20th Century. For the German people of Bracht’s generation life would amount to a series of horrific events. Common citizens were little more than pawns in the grand schemes of the powerful. World War 1, the war to end all wars, would exact a terrible cost on Europe and the world. The nation and the people of Germany would experience the destruction of modern warfare and when peace arrived, they would be punished economically, rabid inflation and unrest would lead to a fascist government and a second World War.
Brecht believed that theatre could change the world, that the written word had the power to transform minds and society. As we were reminded during Holy Week, transformation of this sort is a dangerous undertaking. Those who confront power, those who threaten the place of the powerful will most certainly pay a price. Brecht’s writings, critical of the direction of the German government, drew the attention of the Nazi regime. He was considered an enemy of the state, persecuted by Adolph Hitler and fled Germany with his family for Scandinavia.
In the winter of 1937-38 while in exile in Svendborg, Denmark, Brecht wrote this very simple and yet profound poem. The poem titled “Motto” acknowledges the angst experienced by humans since the dawn of creation, the harsh reality of dark societies and dark spirits as we journey through a fallen world rife with injustice and cruelty. At the same time, these simple 19 words are a clarion call to hope; hope that is critical to the survival of the human spirit.
“In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.”
For many of us this is a season of uncharted darkness, the foundations of our democracy have been shaken, the electorate is fractured, the branches of government are engaged in a struggle, the separation of powers set forth by the constitution is being tested. The times may seem dark, they may in fact be dark, but the tribulations of this season are not unusual in the course of human history. The Bible very clearly teaches us that we should expect such travail. Every human story has blood splattered pages and tear-stained chapters detailing the brokenness, betrayal, and disability that is uniquely ours and equally shared by every generation, every race, color and creed in the far corners of the globe.
That is reality, always has been, always will be. But we must not lose hope. We must not quit singing, we must not lose our voice or be rendered powerless by the powerful oppressors of this world. People of hope keep singing. Paul and Silas kept singing while imprisoned in Philippi. Bertolt Brecht, though persecuted and exiled, encouraged the oppressed to raise their voices in song. May Easter joy remind us that with God all things are possible, and we can overcome. We will overcome, and someday our songs of lamentation will be replaced with songs of jubilation.
One beggar, telling another beggar to keep singing, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Apr 19, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
The events of Good Friday are gruesome and painful. It is not the kind of story that I would tell in detail to our Trinity Preschoolers. The savage violence has always been a regrettable part of the human story and it is sad to say that it continues to this day. The powerful in Russia, North Korea, the Middle East and much of Africa think nothing of killing for political expediency. Perhaps we should not leave the United States off that list either.
The events of Good Friday are well documented: an innocent man, false witnesses, religious and political leaders who feared losing control, a mock trial, execution, darkness, burial and grief-stricken loved ones left crying at a tomb. The events of Easter are also well documented: the stone was rolled away, the tomb empty, the followers of Jesus were bewildered, there was more fear than joy, angels proclaimed resurrection and Jesus was mistaken for the gardener.
To some extent that covers Friday and Sunday, but the events of Saturday are unwritten, unspoken, unknown; resting in silent pages of history. Between the horror of Good Friday and the surprise of Easter is Silent Saturday. We have no recollections from that day. We imagine locked doors, guilt, shame, blame, and the overwhelming sense of loss. Silent Saturday is just that, silent.
It occurs to me that most of our lives play out on Silent Saturdays. We have occasional Good Fridays and every once in a while, an Easter celebration comes our way, but most days are Silent Saturdays. Most days are not captured in the pages of our memory books or chronicled on Facebook. We just carry on. We carry on in faith or doubt, moving from one mostly silent day to the next.
That makes Silent Saturday the most overlooked and probably the most important day in the Holy Week story. Those who did not make it through Saturday never got to experience Easter. Judas never heard the words, “Do not be afraid.” Silent Saturdays might seem unimportant but that simply is not true, for that is where the bulk of our lives are lived.
Take time on this Silent Saturday to make some headlines that will never make the South Whidbey Record. Listen to some music, say a prayer for our community, say a prayer for our nation, take the time to reach out to a friend or neighbor who might be stuck on Good Friday. Take some time on this Silent Saturday to give thanks for the gift of this day.
Tomorrow we party, but today is mostly silent.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Apr 12, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau, Germany (now Poland) on the 4th day of February 1906. At age 21, in December 1927, Bonhoeffer completed his Doctor of Theology degree from Humboldt University of Berlin. He crossed the Atlantic in 1930 to study at Union Theological Seminary in New York. His experience at the Seminary was less than he had hoped, but his year in the United States and his reading of “All Quiet on the Western Front” changed his life.
When he returned to Germany, he was a vocal opponent of Christian Nationalism and the Nazi regime. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was ordained as a Lutheran pastor on November 15, 1931, at the age of 25 at Old-Prussian United St. Matthew in Berlin-Tiergarten. He declined a call to a Lutheran Church in Berlin to protest the church’s alignment with government and took a teaching position in London, a move that was criticized by many in the Lutheran Church of Germany. He came home to Germany in 1935 and was soon denounced as a “pacifist and enemy of the state.” It was a dangerous time to be a critic of the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer once again came to the United States with other members of the resistance movement.
In June 1939, Bonhoeffer wrote to renowned American Reformed theologian and Professor at Union Theological Seminary Reinhold Niebuhr:
“I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America this time. I must live through this difficult period in our national history along with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people … Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that a future Christian civilization may survive, or else willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying our civilization and any true Christianity. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from a place of security.“
And so, Dietrich Bonhoeffer returned to his homeland and the German people, turning his back on the security and comfort of life in the United States. Back in Germany, Bonhoeffer joined the resistance movement and was harassed by the Nazi authorities. He was forbidden by decree to speak in public and was required to regularly report his activities to the police. The Nazi government sought to silence his voice entirely in 1941, when he was forbidden to print or to publish his writings. After taking part in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler, Bonhoeffer was arrested on April 5, 1943. Two years later as the Allies closed in on Berlin, Bonhoeffer was sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging at dawn on the 9th day of April 1945 at Flossenbürg concentration camp.
On the 80th anniversary of his death, I thought it appropriate to consider the words Bonhoeffer preached in a sermon in 1934.
“Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear rather than too much. Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Christians should take a stronger stand in favor of the weak rather than considering first the possible right of the strong.”
2000 years ago, the power of Empire led to the arrest of a man of peace. Jesus was arrested and executed for upsetting the order, for threatening those in power. Tomorrow on Palm Sunday we will hear the story of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal and arrest. I hope that you will join us online or in person.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected]
Apr 5, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24
If the weather conditions are right, he greets me in the morning just outside my office. I knew his parents and grandparents, in fact, given the average life expectancy of 9 to 12 months, I probably have been acquainted with 25 generations of his ancestors. I say “his”, but I have not figured out how to tell the gender of a snail yet.
My little friend works his way across the sidewalk, sometimes he climbs up the door or a window, antenna up, eyes forward, breathing the air of a new day. I am not sure where he is going or what he is up to. I assume that he has a plan, but perhaps that is an overstatement. He probably assumes that the giant looking down at him has a plan for the day too, but even with a plan my days rarely play out as I imagine. He seems so tiny to me, his world seems so small, his life so short, but then, that is just my perspective. I would imagine that a giant Sequoia might look at me and think, “poor little man, so small, so inconsequential, such a short lifespan, it must be hard being human.” How very observant of the old tree; short life span, hard life, there is no cure for being human.
I look down at him as he sloths across the cement and out comes my phone as I snap a quick photo of him. He does not seem to notice or care. Poor little creature, poor little creatures, one looking for a small meal and a safe place to park his shell, and one looking for coffee and some inspiration on a Monday morning. At first glance, we have little in common with each other. But we traverse the same terra firma, and we share the same designation in God’s creation, we are “creatures.” Yes, I know, we fancy ourselves to be made in the image of God, but perhaps my snail friend is thinking the same thing. The snail and the human creature; in some mysterious Divine equation, our past and our future are interwoven, somewhat dependent upon each other. That may not be exactly true, I am guessing that the snails, bugs, fish and elephants would probably do just fine without humans, but we probably cannot survive long term without them. Creatures: my friend and I are temporary, a mist that appears for a little while and then is gone. 12 months or 85 years, in the scope of eternity there is very little difference.
Tomorrow, snail-like, we will drag ourselves out of bed, we will slowly work our way down Highway 525, we will park our cars and move our achy bodies toward the sanctuary of Trinity Lutheran Church. Sanctuary; a safe place to gather, a safe place to consider the meaning of life, the purpose of our existence, the gift of each day, our calling in God’s creation. Tomorrow we will gather, but today I wish you wonder!
Blessed to share the journey with you, and blessed to share the journey with a snail, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Mar 29, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
It was a Monday morning; I stood on the deck of the Kitsap facing the ferry terminal in Mukilteo. Having chosen a bright blue hat for visibility, I waved it high in the air until my three-year-old granddaughter Ava could see it. With the exuberance of an innocent child, Ava waited with Gigi for her Bapa to arrive. Her mother was teaching first graders in Mukilteo this day, her brothers were in school too, that set the stage for a Gigi and Bapa day. It is hard to tell who was more excited.
We were off the library, there were children’s books to read, displays to take in and coloring. Ava colored a purple and pink unicorn, Bapa colored a tiger. Ava loves to color and does so most every day, it had been at least 30 years since I had colored. Then we were off to Costco, for a little shopping for church and home, communion wine and cookies, followed by a gourmet lunch of pizza and ice cream.
Where to next Ava? An indoor playground for 40 minutes of burning off the ice cream buzz. Then the highlight of the day, 20 minutes at the make-up counter in Macy’s getting pretty with Gigi. Time for rest, back to her home, snuggling with Gigi waiting for her mommy to return.
I was tired at the end of the day, as we made the short trek back to the ferry. Being the first car to miss the boat gave me time for a quick nap. How good to see the world through the eyes of an innocent child. How good to take a break from death, writing, hospitals and the chaotic news from around the world. How good to color and play, to laugh and sing along with the Laurie Berkner band.
It was Monday with Ava, a simple pleasure not to be missed, a window that will close very quickly.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am just Bapa!
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
