Nov 25, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Felicia and I were sitting in a hot tub soothing our tired muscles after hiking ten miles through Zion National Park. The Sun was getting lower in the sky as we talked about the beauty of God’s creation while planning to visit Snow Canyon State Park the next day. It was then that a bee decided to light on Felicia’s neck. She reacted vocally and instinctively as the bee was flicked off her neck, silently splashing into the swirling waters of the hot tub. The bee meant no harm, and bees are critical to the overall health of the environment, so I moved quickly, quickly for me is a relative term. With my hands cupped, I picked up the tiny yellow and black creature and placed him safely on the deck. He shook his wings to dry them as he walked slowly away.
But my act of compassion did not go unnoticed. There was a tree on the edge of the decking and on that tree was a creature who was looking for a snack. Felicia and I watched as evolutionary instincts played out. The lizard gracefully moved down the trunk of the tree, across the deck toward his prey and then in a single bite the bee was gone, a tasty chlorine-soaked bit of protein. Out of the frying pan into the fire. Mother Nature was on display, the survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten.
My intentions were good, but in the end my good intentions did not save the bee. I have mused upon that moment in time ever since. As I review my life, I recall so many times when my good intentions resulted in unintended consequences. I had a friend once who needed money, it was not exactly clear why he needed money, but I had known him for years and he was in a bind. What would stop me from giving him some money? Was I afraid of losing the money, did I love money more than my friend? Felicia wrote the check, our intentions were good, but unknown to us our friend was caught in a cycle of addiction. Our good intentions gave him the opportunity to descend even further into the abyss. He ended up in jail and years later after he had cleaned up his life, he told me, “Giving me that money was the worst thing that you could have done.” We had good intentions; we were left with unintended consequences.
I would imagine that we all have stories of good intentions gone wrong. We try to help our children or grandchildren, sometimes we help them too much. If we over function we run the risk of stunting their growth, of keeping them from experiencing the consequence of their own actions, of carrying our toddlers instead of letting them stumble as they learn to walk on their own. We all want to help our children, our neighbors, the less fortunate in our society, or our co-workers, but knowing how to do that is quite complicated, it is a risky roll of the dice. Allowing them to become dependent on us is not helpful, it probably has more to do with our own ego needs than what is actually good for them. “If you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish, you do him a good turn.”
On occasion I talk with people about their estate planning. They wonder about our endowment fund, and they are unsure how to remember their loved ones in their will. I usually end up saying, “there are three kinds of children: those who will need your money, those who will have no need for your money and those that should never be trusted with money.” You can draw your own conclusions on that. Very few things in life fit nicely into boxes of black and white, we live in a world with a thousand shades of gray. Our good intentions will not always produce good results. Sometimes no matter what we do or how much we try to help, there is still a lizard waiting to devour our hopes and dreams.
I have no real answers for you today, the older I get the less I know for sure, so I will muddle on with good intentions and low expectations, I will do my best, living in a mostly gray world and trusting God for the rest.
After all, I am just one beggar telling another where to find a fishing pole.
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Nov 18, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
I have been reading my Bible and watching the news and I am most certainly convinced that we are living in the end times. The war in Ukraine, the war in Israel/Palestine, natural disasters, Congressional leaders, UFO sightings, and the lasting carnage of Covid 19 have led me to believe that we are living in the end times. Now you may think me a nut, and I may be a nut, but in the final days of his life Jesus spoke about the end times:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24
In the 2000 years since those words were spoken the world has not ended, but it was the end of the line for Jesus. He was only five days away from betrayal, arrest, the cross, and death.
The Bible is clear about what we should expect. There will always be wars and rumors of wars. Natural disasters, and unfortunate accidents are a part of the human experience. When it comes to our existence on this earth the Bible says this:
“The days of our life are seventy years
or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10
I can’t help but notice that some of you are over the limit already. When I look at the beautiful but weathered faces of Trinity Lutheran Church and as I approach a 65th birthday, I must conclude that most of us are living in our end times.
I was listening to a Podcast a few weeks ago. An up-and-coming author was being interviewed. The trajectory of the interview suddenly changed when the podcaster expressed sympathy at the recent death of the author’s mother. The conversation went something like this as the author took over the interview,
“Thank you for your kindness but let me ask you, are your parents alive?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Do they live close?”
“They live four hours away just outside of DC.”
“And how often do you see them?”
“A couple of times a year.”
“How old are they?”
“81.”
“So, you figure that you have another five years with them?”
“No one knows, but let’s say yes.”
“You are wrong. You don’t have 5 more years with them. From what you told me you have 10 more visits with them.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess that is true.”
“Does that information change the way you think?”
There was a pause.
“You only have 10 more visits with your parents, 10 more times, if you are lucky, to hug them, to hear their stories and to share a meal with them. 10, that’s best case.”
Jesus had five days to live, he was living in his end times. It is later than we think. The world is not coming to an end, but what about your world? If you had 5 days to live—what would you do? I am guessing that you would not go to Payless to buy green bananas. There would be little need to put money away for a rainy day or to keep funding your 401K.
If you had five days to live how would live? What would you do? How would you spend those precious last days? Would you taste the last drops of that vintage wine that you have been saving? More importantly, if you had five days to live, what words would you speak? And to whom? I would probably not want to spend a lot of time waiting on hold to talk to my local Verizon customer service agent located somewhere in India.
Jesus was in the final days of his life, the world would continue to spin on its axis as he hung on the cross, but his world was about to end.
How would you spend your time? What would you say and do, if you knew that you only had five days to live? Though it is very possible, it is unlikely that any of us have only five days to live. But consider this as we move now through the Fall toward Thanksgiving. You might take a moment to consider how many of these you have left. Do you have five more Thanksgivings or five more Christmas’ to celebrate? Perhaps you would anticipate more, but how many more? The scarcity of days makes each hour, each holiday more precious. The scarcity of days should give us pause to ask ourselves: How is it that I want to live? How will I choose to spend my time? What tender words do I need to say? From whom should I seek forgiveness and to whom should I speak words of forgiveness?
Jesus had but a few days to live, and he knew it. So, he gathered with his disciples; it would be his last Passover celebration, his last supper with his friends.
Soon he would be gone. Would it be the end of the world? No! The tides would continue their march back and forth, the sun and moon would dance across the sky to the horizon. Babies would be born, and wars would be fought. The seasons would change; Springtime to Summer, Summer to Fall, Fall to Winter. We are living in the end times my friends, take nothing for granted.
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Nov 11, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
My writings come out like clockwork at the sixth hour of the sixth day of the week. Each Saturday morning, they greet you as you wake, sitting by your first cup of coffee, they offer you the opportunity for reflection, perhaps on occasion inspiration, or simple gratitude for sometimes overlooked blessings. But on this day, the words arrive unexpectedly in your email box or Facebook feed. It is 2 am, most of us are sleeping, but as we slumber the clock strikes 11 am in France on this the 11th day of November 2023.
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns fell silent, soldiers celebrated, and the Great World War ended with a ceasefire. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, robbed of a generation of its young men, bankrupted, out of supplies and hope, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car at Le Francport, France. In its wake were 20 million dead, and 21 million wounded. For more than four years this terrible war had raged as millions of civilians died from disease, starvation, and exposure. The devastation of this war with its new technology killing machines and poison gas was so horrific that the British author, H.G. Wells, thought that certainly this would be “The war that will end war.”
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the war to end all wars came to a silent conclusion. The dead were buried, white crosses soon dotted pastoral landscapes. The young men who survived returned home, much older than their years, plagued for life with the sounds and images of hell on earth. A forced peace would simmer for twenty years before giving birth to new generation of despotic leaders, totalitarian movements, and more powerful and efficient killing machines. The Second World War would not be called “the war to end all war.” One hundred and five years after the armistice, we are reminded that the seasons of war are not over, it has never been over. The warring madness of power-hungry old men, extremists, dictators and zealots still infect the human species with the unspeakable horrors of war. The images from Ukraine, Palestine and Israel leave deep wounds on combatants and civilians.
In 1962, the songwriter Bob Dylan offered a prophetic voice. He held up a mirror to a nation that had just freed itself from the Korean War, a nation engaged in a Cold War, a nation that would soon send its young soldiers to the jungles of Southeast Asia.
“Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.” Bob Dylan
It is the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 2023. The guns are not silent, the war rooms in the Pentagon bustle with activity, weapons factories work round the clock and arms dealers make record profits. The security we seek, the security that we think we are buying, is little more than an illusion. We spend billions on armaments while the hungry wait at our door for a slice of bread and sadly it seems that H. G. Wells was mistaken. “The war to end all wars” has not yet been fought.
Maybe that war is not to be contested with guns and bombs. Maybe the war that will end all war is in fact a struggle for the soul of humanity. And if this is a fight for the soul of our species, then there is only one who can save us from ourselves. Jesus rejected the sword; Jesus knew that those who lived by the sword would die by the sword. And lest you think that I am preaching to you from some higher ground, let me assure you at this 2 am hour, that my theological cupboard is bare, I have no practical insights to offer the grief-stricken Israelis or the oppressed and forgotten Palestinians. I do not know how we are to confront systemic evil and the reoccurring drumbeats of war.
What I know is that the way that we have been living is not working. How many daughters and sons must be sacrificed for the soul of humanity to be awakened? How many tears, how many slow processions to graveside, where silent crosses remind us of young lives cut short? The answer is within us, and somehow, we must return to God and find a path to peace.
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Nov 8, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
We thank all of our TLC Veterans. We invite you to wear your service uniforms this Sunday November 12th.
You served with honor and distinction. We give thanks for your faithful service.
Nov 4, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
I believe that there is such a thing as pure coincidence. Random things happen all the time. If Felicia and I show up at a function in the same color of clothes, trust me it is a coincidence. If we show up in the same clothes, it is an unfortunate mistake. I believe that there are coincidences in life; sometimes the stars align, or we just happen to be in the right place at the right time to meet our lifelong mate, or conversely, we are in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffer some calamity. I believe there is such a thing as pure coincidence. I don’t think that the God who gave us free-will is orchestrating every human experience and interaction.
Having said that, I see in a mirror dimly, life is mysterious to me, and most of the time I have no clue what God is up to. A few weeks ago, Felicia and I were on vacation. One morning we ended up at a timeshare sales presentation. I am guessing that many of you are now questioning my intelligence. We agreed to attend the sales pitch as a favor to the young man at the front desk and it did not hurt that they offered me free coffee and $150. I advise people, if they have the time and inclination to find out more about timeshares, go to the presentation, take whatever incentive they offer, ask questions and under no circumstances are you to buy the product. I say, “Even if they give it to you for free, just thank them for their time and move on.”
The mystery of coincidence. There were 17 people going through the timeshare presentation that morning. Nine sales staff members would each be assigned to an individual or couple. After a group presentation the sales pressure would continue with your personal sales representative. The promise, when one is enticed to participate, is that the total time commitment is one hour. Like church, sometimes one hour turns into 90 minutes.
After a very short getting to know you conversation, our timeshare representative George asked what we did for a living. Being in the heart of LDS country, I had told Felicia to tell them that I was a proctologist, but she is not a good liar. “A Lutheran Pastor, how long have you been a Lutheran Pastor?” George carried his 66 years quite well, he was age- appropriately fit, polite, and smart. He was also broken. He opened his heart to us, his 39-year-old son had taken his own life, leaving behind George’s precious granddaughter. His eyes welled up, he cried, we held his hand, and listened to an all too familiar story, his guilt and shame on display. “If only I had recognized the signs, if only I had said this or done that.”
I looked deep into his tear-filled eyes and reminded George that his son died not of suicide, but of a mental illness. Some illnesses lead to death, not all diseases can be cured, and it makes no difference what we do or don’t do. Even the most competent medical professionals cannot cure every patient. His son was suffering from a terminal disease, his suicide was simply the final act of the disease process. “George, look at me. I have been down this road in my church and in my own family and I am telling you that you are not responsible for Shawn’s death. And equally important, George you need to know that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Disease, addiction, depression, death, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Suicide is not an unforgivable sin. Shawn is loved and safe in God’s hands.”
The mystery of coincidence. Was it a coincidence that Felicia and I ended up with George this day? Was God’s hand in there somewhere? I don’t know. I am not that smart. What I can tell you is that George and I embraced as I walked out of the sales office. My friends, our humanity is shared with the people of every land, race, culture and religion. We are more alike that we are different. Keep your heart open to coincidence, it may not be a coincidence at all.
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Nov 2, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Blessed to be a Blessing! We have been blessed richly by God, but we are never blessed in isolation, we are blessed that we can be a blessing to others.
For 70 years Trinity Lutheran Church has stood at the crossroads of South Whidbey Island. The cross above our sanctuary is illuminated as a beacon of hope. Hope can be hard to come by for many in this troubled world. Over those 70 years, we have weathered the storms of political discord, recessions and wars, culture upheaval and the isolation of the Covid 19 pandemic. Through it all, thousands of people have worshipped, the young and old have been baptized, grieving families have said goodbye to loved ones, children have grown up ventured off to college and returned home to TLC. Thanks to you TLC is a place of grace, a place of extravagant hospitality, a church where everybody’s welcome.
This Sunday we will be marking those 70 years of service, and we will be honoring those whose vision and sacrifice made it all possible. I hope that you will join us in person or online this Sunday. The schedule will be as follows:
8:00 am All Saints Worship with Holy Communion and an All Saints video.
9:00 am Festive Coffee Hour
9:30 am A historical celebration and program for all in the Sanctuary featuring videos, music and storytelling.
10:30 Festive Coffee Hour
11:00 am All Saints Worship with Holy Communion and an All Saints video.
12:00 Noon 70th Anniversary Party that will include 50’s music, lunch, Sock-hop, Root Beer floats, hula hoops and popcorn.
Wear your poodle skirts, slick your hair back, dress like Elvis, and plan on having lots of fun!
Blessed to be a Blessing!
See you Sunday!
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
