Mar 8, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim
“As for mortals, their days are like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Psalm 103
My friends, readers, sojourners on the journey of life, I have an announcement to make. It is among the most obvious of announcements and yet we spend much of our lives denying this simple truth: WE WERE BORN TO LEAVE.
Born to leave, let that sink in for a moment.
It was never a part of God’s plan that we would stay. When we were knit together in our mother’s womb, we dwelled safe, warm and secure. We were nourished and protected; we had NO concerns about tomorrow.
Our bodies were marvelously made, every detail a miracle. We were— we are—each of us, a small expression of God’s creativity, wondrously and mysteriously created in the image of the one who formed us, and it all came to us as a gift.
We did not initiate or earn the magical nine months of nirvana, floating in the still amniotic waters, an umbilical cord our only connection to an unknown world. We were gifted with this time of lightless grace, but we were destined to leave. It was never a part of God’s plan that we would stay, not there in the darkness; it was a necessary stop on the way to a new existence.
We were born to leave. We rebel against this notion, we fight with every ounce of our being to stay, to breathe, to live, to carry on in a world so beautiful and so troubled.
We desperately try to hold on to the known, not able to calm ourselves for a passage into the unknown, the mysterious next chapter that waits for us on the other side of earth’s maternal womb. We curse death as if it was an aberration, a stranger, an unexpected part of the human journey. We were born to leave. We are like a mist that appears for a little while, we are grass quickly fading, dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.
We were born to leave. We have no “eternity” in this world, any more than we had an “eternity” in the womb. This earthly existence might be more accurately described as a tour of duty. We arrive helpless and 100% dependent upon others. Unable to survive on our own, we must look outside of ourselves. Slowly that dependence diminishes, false bravado leaves us with the illusion of independence. But it is nothing more than an illusion. Our tour of duty includes seasons in the sun, a time to run, a time to play, a time to love and be loved, years of discovery followed by a time of soul-searching reflection as our bodies display the inevitable signs of decay, and the truth becomes more difficult to ignore. We were born to leave. We are dust and to dust we shall return.
Can we make some peace with God’s plan? Can we somehow embrace the words most often spoken by God to fragile humans like us: “Do not be afraid”? Bread, wine, water: eat and bathe in a sanctuary of safety; do not be afraid. How intimately God knows us, how frail and fleeting is our existence. How childlike our fears of the dark.
Can we learn to trust in things that are beyond our control and most certainly beyond our comprehension? Can we reflect on our time in the womb, on the gift of the lightless construction site where our limbs, organs, and tiny bones came together? Can we consider the labor that brought us to this world and in doing so can we find the faith to leave this world? It was always the plan, you know. We were born to leave. Our tour of duty will end.
“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” Mark Twain
May we treasure our tour of duty. May we make the best of each precious day. May we live with less fear, assured that as we arrived safely here, that we too will one day arrive in a new world. A new existence will be ours, all a part of God’s plan, a mystery beyond our understanding. We were born to leave.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
Mar 1, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1
It is the earliest confession of faith among our human ancestors. It is not a scientific explanation. It speaks of intention. God created with intention. Meaning that creation and the humans that would follow were not an accident. It is the earliest confession of faith. We are not alone. There is a higher power. In the beginning God created. We know very little about God, very little has been revealed to us. Mere creatures, we have a hard time understanding the opposite sex much less an eternal being, the Master of the Universe.
There are those who would maintain that there is no God, that this confession is without grounds, foolhardy even. In my mind it takes a lot more blind faith to believe that the diverse creation of the universe was little more than a cosmic accident.
Consider for a moment the words of perhaps the greatest mind of our time. Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, cosmologist and science communicator said: “If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million, million, it would have re-collapsed before it reached its present size. On the other hand, if it had been greater by a part in a million, the universe would have expanded too rapidly for the stars and planets to form.”
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It is the earliest confession of faith. This confession was never meant to be science, it was meant to inspire wonder, and to assure us that we are not alone. In your beginning God created you. God created you with intention. God created you in the image of God, unique in all of human history.
May God grant us peace, wonder, humility, and gratitude. Gratitude for each day, each breath, each sunrise and each sunset, for the privilege of this time on earth. Do not be afraid to live and do not be afraid to die. For the earliest confession of faith reminds us that we are not alone. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou art with me.” That is enough for me.
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].
Feb 22, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim….
“Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139
When you walk into Payless what do you see? When you walk on the ferry what do you see? When you walk into TLC what do you see?
What you see are people. The people of God going about their everyday routines. They are shopping, commuting, scurrying off to the ferry, going to church or school. They are young, they are old, they are somewhere in between.
What do you see? What do you not see? What is hidden? What is behind the masks and tidy appearances?
The people of God come in all shapes and sizes, but they are much more alike than different. Peel off the skin and you will find that their operational systems are nearly identical. Take a look inside that skull and you will find the command center of the body. That command center will look the same if you are a fashion model, a movie star, a teacher or a boat builder. Hands and toes, blood cells and tissue, bones and joints, we are mostly the same. Most people are good, peaceful, and law abiding.
What do you see? What do you not see? What is hidden from your sight?
People of every land and race are biologically nearly identical. Most people are good, caring, law abiding, they long to love and to be loved. They desire to live peacefully with their families and their neighbors. They bleed when cut and cry when they are hurt. People are mostly the same.
What else? Your friends, family members, neighbors, acquaintances and strangers are all insecure, they are afraid, they are plagued by anxiety. The roots of the anxiety could be found in relationships or in the workplace, in financial fragility or in a disease process that is at work in their bodies. When you walk into Payless what do you see? You see people who are all carrying heavy burdens. Their backs may not be bowed, there may be a smile on their faces, but trust me, behind that smile they are carrying heavy burdens.
Given this reality, I hope that we can be people of grace. I hope that we can be a little more tolerant, a little more patient and kind. I hope that we can see in that neighbor or stranger the image of God. I hope that we can see our own reflection in them. That neighbor or stranger is someone’s daughter or mother.
Unlike God we cannot “discern their thoughts from afar.” However, we know enough about their journey to know that they can use a little TLC from us. As I tell our High School students, “you do not need to be everybody’s friend, but never be their enemy. Never add to the burden that they are carrying.”
Blessed to be a Blessing!
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Feb 15, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3
On Sunday, February 9th 40 couples stood before the altar at TLC and renewed their sacred marriage vows. One of our couples had been married since 1956, two couples had been married less than a year. This was no mere formality. It was a moment to look intimately into the eyes of a life mate, understanding the serious nature of the promises that were made. What does it mean to say that I will stand by your side no matter what life sends our way? What does it mean to say to promise to care for each other in sickness and in health? What does it mean to acknowledge that death will one day part us?
When these vows were exchanged the first time, decades ago in most cases, the horizon of the future seemed to be never ending. The years ahead were more a concept than a reality. The promises were nebulous to say the least, the life experiences of 20-year-olds are so limited that they offer little perspective to the serious nature of sacred vows.
The couples came forward holding each other to remain steady, canes and walkers, a slow gait, labored breathing, some well into their 9th decade of life. They had seen it all, they knew what it was to have little and plenty, they had stood at graveside to say goodbye to dear loved ones, they had raised their children and held newborn grandchildren, disease, dementia, the ravages of aging all too apparent. Given this reality and understanding the challenges that were before them they held hands, tears in their eyes, and promised once again to be faithful and true for the rest of their lives. The vows of this renewal are much more meaningful, much more real than those first vows, vows taken blindly in the naiveté of youth.
The runways of our life are getting shorter. Soon the kids will be off to college, retirement is looming, the seasons are changing. How many more Christmas’ will there be? What will I do with my time?
As a young man I spent many evenings with my father. Sitting in the living room of my childhood home we passed the hours listening to Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Trini Lopez, Dinah Washington, and Dean Martin. It is only in hindsight that I recognize the precious nature of that time. My father died shortly after retiring nearly 30 years ago. The music did not stop for me, but the seasons had undeniably changed.
“But Now the days are short, I’m in the Autumn of the year, and I look at my life as vintage wine, from fine old kegs, from the brim to the dregs it poured sweet and clear, it was a very good year.”
It is in recognizing the brevity of life that we will come to appreciate the blessing of life, the gift of each simple pleasure, of sunrises and sunsets, of tender hugs, shared meals, and the laughter of children. The seasons are changing, the runways are shorter than before, the horizon looms much closer. Make the most of this day, there is no guarantee of another, so let go of painful memories frozen in time, live with no hard feelings, keep your heart open and embrace an attitude of gratitude.
The seasons are changing. One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
Lyrics quoted from “It was a very good year.” Lyrics Ervin Drake
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Feb 8, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice… for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” The Apostle Paul
“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” Mahatma Ghandi
My grandfather’s sister, Alice Lindus, was a strong Norwegian woman who had been raised on a farm. She married Louie Lee and gave birth to my cousin David. My Aunt Alice would greet me and my siblings each week at the Sunday School opening at Trinity Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Illinois. She would hold our checks in her weathered hands, give us a kiss, and speak good news to us: “Aunt Alice loves you, and Jesus loves you.” I probably found this practice a little annoying as a boy, but it made a profound impact on my life.
My Uncle Louie was struck and killed by a train. The gravel roads that crisscrossed the farm fields of Northen Illinois were not well marked. There were no warning lights or indicators of approaching trains. Aunt Alice became a single mother quite suddenly, her husband and the bread winner of the family was laid to rest in the family burial plot. Her life was shaken, her faith was not.
David, her only child, would be raised to adulthood before being diagnosed with cancer. It was a brave fight, the prayers of faithful Lutherans ascended to heaven on David’s behalf, but some diseases lead to death. My Aunt Alice would stand once again at graveside as Pastor Thompson read the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me…. Your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
Alice Lee was an inspiration to me. She was there when I was baptized, confirmed, married, and ordained. She would always greet me with a kiss and a smile. In her final years, she lost her eyesight. Now blind, she could no longer live in her apartment. She was moved to the County Home—the Poor Farm as it was known in DeKalb, Illinois.
My father and I went to visit her there. We checked in at the nursing station. The nurse said, “She is in room 24, but good luck finding her; she is never in her room.” When we did track her down, the old, blind widow who buried her only son, was sitting with another resident, sharing laughter and a prayer.
She told us that there were so many lonely people in the County Home, she had decided that the best way that she could serve was to make the rounds each day and visit the residents. She smiled and gave me a kiss. She asked me about the church I served. When it was time to leave, she reminded me that she loved me and Jesus loved me.
On our beloved Whidbey Island, not unlike the County Home, there are many who are lonely, seemingly forgotten, longing for connection. There are many who have experienced the loss of loved ones and independence. And at this contentious time in our country there is considerable anxiety among our neighbors. But we need not be defined by what we have lost, or the fears that plague us. We are not alone as we walk through life or through the valley of the shadow of death. We can choose an attitude of gratitude. We can count blessings and ride through these difficult days knowing that better days are coming.
Some quotes for your day:
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” Epictetus
“Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.” George Bernard Shaw
Blessed to be a Blessing, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Jan 25, 2025 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Just before Christmas one of our TLC families was devastated by the suicide of a beloved husband and son-in-law. He died as the family had gathered to celebrate his wife’s birthday. It is hard to imagine such grief.
Suicide is the final act of mental illness. No one in their right mind kills themselves. The disease is depression which leads one to a sense of hopelessness. It stalks its victims and kills them just like cancer kills our loved ones. The disease is no one’s fault, there is no one to blame. It is a disease like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. The author Kate Bowler reminds us that, “There is no cure for being human.” Death is an inescapable reality for all of us.
Historically, the church made every attempt to stop suicide. Suicide leaves a devastating wake of grief and destruction. The church called it an unforgivable sin (it is not an unforgivable sin), the church taught that the suicide victim would go directly to hell, consequently the church would not allow suicide victims to have church funerals or be buried in the church graveyard. The suicide victim would be buried on the outskirts of the village, out of sight, removed from the community and separated from God’s love. The suicide’s only legacy was one of shame. It was a desperate attempt by the church to stop a disease that destroyed families. These well-intentioned actions in reality caused further punishment and shame for the families left behind.
Romans 8 is clear “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” Nothing means nothing. We are not powerful enough to defeat the love of God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing; not addiction, not sin, not cancer, not mental illness, not unbelief, not suicide.
This poor man was ill, very ill, diseased– his disease is what killed him– no one is responsible, and no one could have prevented it. Sometimes prayer, doctors, chemo and radiation leave us still at the graveside of a cancer victim. Sometimes prayer, medication, and the love of family still leaves us at the graveside of a suicide victim. There is no cure for being human.
My grandfather hung himself in the basement of his house just two days after Felicia and I left him after Christmas to return to seminary. I came home to officiate at his funeral. He died of loneliness, depression, mental illness but nothing could separate him from the love of God. That was 40 years ago, on occasion that grief still visits us.
This broken family will never be the same—his poor wife will never have a birthday free from tears. The grief that descended upon them just days before Christmas will be with them forever, but they will be better off if they can name the cause of his death and understand that this man did not quit loving them, he did not want to leave them. This was disease, this was about the enveloping darkness of depression which steals all hope and sometime extinguishes all life. But nothing can separate him from the love of God. He is safe in the hands of God; no more tears, no more pain, no more death for him.
Paul Skinner, one of our dear saints, wrote me a note years ago at a difficult time in my ministry. He said, “I read the last chapter– we win. God wins, love wins.” The truth can help us to dispel the shame and secrecy that for too long has come with suicide. There is no cure for being human; a disease or an accident will take us all. This dear, broken man was taken by a disease he could not defeat. The darkness cannot overcome the light. God wins– love wins.
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].
