Who Are We?

Who Are We?

Sep 28, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen… 
 
Deb and I have been doing some work on the house this late summer and early autumn. There’s nothing like the promise of another La Niña winter to make you “find” time you didn’t think you had to accomplish those outdoor projects!
 
As one day faded toward dusk and the sun was shining its light on Japan and beyond, I found myself on our roof as I finished the day’s project. I sat on the roof (I love sitting up high and watching the wonders below!) and gazed down on the garden and the forest, and assorted ambling critters. I thought of the people who had visited in this yard, played in the woods and worked on the many varied projects over the last 30 years.
 
 
The connections and memories pulled my head toward Psalm 8 and Ray Makeever’s setting of that text: “Who are we that you should love us? Who are we that you should hold us in your hand. … Bless you, Lord, that you would make us for each other, to love and hold and try to understand.” Ray Makeever’s music and that song in particular brought back memories of Pastor Dan Erlander and Karen.
 
Dan’s death a few weeks back was not so much sad—my guess is Dan was ready to take this next journey—as it was a moment that brought a fountain of wonderful images. He was always a lover of God’s creation—many a Blessing of the Animals (blessing of the critters?) happened because of Dan.  Thirty years ago, Dan would have enjoyed sitting on that roof with me, taking in the wonders. Such a gentle soul. Rest in peace.
 
Then just a week and a half ago, I had the joy of singing a concert at Trinity with the Brothers Four. The group was saying thanks for letting me travel around and sing with them for the last 14 years. I say thanks, too! One of the fun moments in that show was having my brother Vern (teacher, community song leader extraordinaire!) come up and sing one of his signature songs with us—This Land is Your Land. Vern loves nothing more than to get people to sing along. So, it was fun to share a stage with my brother again and share a song! Thanks, Vern!
 
At the end of the evening, we sang an encore—Goodnight, Irene. While the lyrics of the verses are one of those “love-gone-wrong, betrayal-by-my-sweetheart” kind of songs, the chorus is pure magic in the right setting. And you (I’m assuming you were there that night!) were in fine form. The other three guys in the group were mightily impressed during the show by your willingness and ability to sing along with us—well done!
 
So, on the encore, it wasn’t really a surprise when it came time for your solo chorus: “Irene, goodnight, Irene, goodnight. Goodnight, Irene, goodnight, Irene. I’ll see you in my dreams.” We listened as you sat by friends and loved ones, singing a song from your past (or maybe new that night for some of you), and filled the space with love and joy. Thank you for that gift.
 
When I sing with the preschoolers, occasionally we sing “make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.” Or we sing “the more we get together, together, together; the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.” We’ve been able to get together a little more often these days—some folks masked, some un… lots of air circulation and a few vaccines—and the joy has been a remarkable gift. Who are we, indeed, to be so privileged to spend these days together? Treasure them. God made us for each other—to love and hold, and try to understand!
 
Here you are singing Irene!
 
And here is my version of Psalm 8, written September 26, 2012. 
 
See you in church, or online! Or on the roof…
 
Blessings,
 
Karl
 
They Come Every Week

They Come Every Week

Sep 23, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim… 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

What was it like, the first time you walked in the doors of TLC? Were you nervous? Did you wonder if the service would be complicated, understandable, easy to follow? Did you worry about being judged? Would questions be tolerated? Could the traditions and the tenants of the faith be debated? Would the church seem like a private club? Would you be welcomed, even if you did not have your act together, or were in fact totally broken?

They come every week. They come every week, and when they walk in those doors, they are likely to be lonely, broken, grief-stricken, afraid, new to the island, looking for community, longing for words of grace.

They come every week. Every week new faces grace the grand bouquet of Trinity Lutheran Church. It is our calling to extend a hand, a heart, a welcome, and an invitation to everyone who musters the courage to walk in that door. Whose job is it? The greeters, the ushers, the pastor, the staff, the church council? Yes, but it is also your job. We are the church. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in this place. Hospitality is not optional, and it is not someone else’s calling. It is your calling and mine.

Can you bake cookies? Can you greet? Can you serve at the welcome table in the narthex? Can you look for unfamiliar faces and extend a heartfelt welcome? Can you enter the coffee hour looking for those who are standing alone? They come every week, and they would not come into the coffee hour if they were not looking for someone to notice them, someone to talk to.

They come every week, the children of God. God has entrusted them for an hour or so to our care. Mine is the church where everybody’s welcome. That is only true if we make hospitality and welcome the foundation of our shared ministry.

I can stand in the parking lot and greet those who come. I can try to preach the good news faithfully; I can do my part, but I need you. God needs you. Those who walk in the door need you. And the truth is, you need them too.

Either ALL are welcome or ALL will be excluded. Let’s really make TLC a church where everybody’s welcome.

One day closer,

Pastor Jim

Back to Preschool

Back to Preschool

Sep 21, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy… 

Preschool is back!! We’re excited to have the voices and laughter of our youngest friends back in the classrooms, hallways, and out the doors. It is so good to be together again!

Once again, we are spending a large portion of our time outdoors. We’ve found that being outside offers boundless opportunities for imaginative play!

Children are exploring their surroundings and finding creative ways to use the things around them. We’ve found that cut logs make excellent seats for listening to stories, or sharing music with Mr. Karl! Our “meadow,” or outdoor classroom, has many opportunities for exploration, learning, and play. The gravel pile, filled with digging implements and toy trucks, is a favorite place to hang out!

Kids also have fun mixing up fantastic “organic” meals at the play kitchen, making music with found objects, climbing the low branches of some great big trees, and searching for bugs in the tall grass and along the trails.

The theme for classes this week has been all about apples! We are blessed to have a great, old apple tree on the Trinity campus! Classes walked the trails from the meadow to the apple tree where they climbed, explored, and tasted yummy fresh apples straight from the tree!

While playing in the meadow, our Pre-K class found a new snail friend and named him “Gumball.” He now hangs out with the kids at school every day, learning and adventuring along with us!

Just in the first two weeks of school we’ve found snails, slugs, dragon flies, snakes, and a couple of praying mantis. It is so fun to explore all of the life around us!

While we do spend most of our time outside, it is wonderful to have beautiful indoor spaces to learn in, too!

The gym is a great place for our Pre-K students to start the day. After riding bikes and chasing balls, the class settles down on the carpet for a story and lesson with teachers before eating snack. After some playground time, they head into the classrooms for a little more academic studying before lunch.

We are so grateful for our team of amazing preschool leaders, Teacher Michelle, Teacher Kim, Teacher Olivia, Teacher Megan, and Teacher Ashlee. And we’re thankful for the families who share their amazing kids with us!

Thank you, Trinity, for supporting the Preschool Ministry of Trinity. We are blessed to be a blessing in this community!

Deacon Amy
[email protected]

The Last Statement of Your Life

The Last Statement of Your Life

Sep 17, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim… 

What will be the last statement of your life?

Many cultures have put a great emphasis on one’s final words, often spoken on a deathbed. Consider for a moment these final words of famous people:

  • The poet Emily Dickenson said, “I must go in, the fog is rising.”
  • Winston Churchill, “I’m bored with it all.”
  • Basketball great Pete Maravich (who died that day on the basketball court) said, “I feel great.”
  • And as Reggae legend Bob Marley died of cancer at 36, his last words were, “Money can’t buy life.”
  • Beethoven’s last words, “The comedy is over.”

There is a difference between last words and a last statement. Last words are spoken as one lingers somewhere between this world and the next. Last words are often spoken by oxygen deprived people, many of whom are also medicated in some way. Last words may be humorous or touching.

A last statement should be made with intention. I would hope that your last statement in life would be consistent with the values of your life. I would hope that your last statement in life could mentor your children and grandchildren. Your death provides you with a final teachable moment.

Steve Schrecengost had a vision. That vision would profoundly affect Trinity’s ability to serve present and future generations through the establishment of an endowment. The early years saw little progress. Steve and Cris (now Cris Deposit) gave gifts of stock to get the endowment started. The early years, just a few gifts and no grants. The seeds had been planted, knowing that the harvest was somewhere in the future.

In the years that followed there have been many gifts, large and small, to the TLC Endowment. Included in those gifts were the final statements of Terry Lee Otey and Jerry Valade. Terry was not a member, or even an attender, at TLC, but he knew that he had been blessed. When he died and the will was read, he had left most of his estate to the TLC Endowment as a scholarship fund. When Jerry Valade died in 2019, he made the final statement of his life. A faithful and generous supporter of his church, he left his entire estate to TLC. That gift doubled our general endowment fund.

Who benefits from the TLC Endowment? The church does not directly benefit. The Endowment was created to support scholarships, local benevolences, and off-island national or international causes. Since his final statement, nearly 100 students have gone to college supported by Terry Lee Otey Scholarships. Each year charities near and far receive grants from the TLC General Schrecengost Endowment Fund.

I would encourage you to look carefully at your estate plan. Our Endowment Committee, or our church staff, would be happy to help you. I would hope that your last statement in life would be one of thanksgiving, seizing the opportunity to touch the future, sharing one more lesson with your heirs, living out our understanding of what it means to be blessed. The Bible is very clear; we are blessed, but we are never blessed in isolation. We are blessed to be a blessing.

I will see you in church tomorrow. I will be the one up front with a fashionable yellow TLC T-Shirt.

One day closer,
Pastor Jim

The Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment will award roughly $200,000 in grants in 2022.

Do Not Judge

Do Not Judge

Sep 10, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word by Pastor Jim Lindus…
Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.” Matthew 7:1…
There are a variety of Spiritual Gifts listed in the Bible: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Healing, Giving, Mercy, Wisdom, Knowledge, and Tongues. The Bible is clear that all gifts of the Spirit, gifts from God, are meant to be used for the “common good” of all people.
For 2,000 years the people of God, blessed with Spiritual Gifts, have built hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, universities, food banks, preschools, and shelters. The Christian Church has made a mark on the world that God loves.
For 2,000 years the people of God have excelled at charitable giving. Spiritual Gifts are given by God for the common good. We have much to celebrate and there is so much left to do.
Unfortunately, religious people in Jesus’ day and today are even more proficient at judging others. Most of the criteria that we use when judging others was never addressed by Jesus. Most of the things that we fuss over would have bored Jesus. Remember we follow a long haired, unemployed, perhaps homeless Rabbi whose skin would not have resembled the skin tones of Northern Europeans.
Jesus did not address clothing, hairstyles, appearances, or orientation, but he did repeatedly warn his followers about judging others. Judgmental Religious people made Jesus’ blood boil. Here is the problem, the offense to God: if we are grumpy and judgmental and carry the name of Jesus then we disgrace his name and grieve the Holy Spirit.
If you want to spend your energy judging the lifestyles and actions of others, go ahead, knock yourself out. But if you do it in the name of Jesus, then you are really going to tick Jesus off.
But didn’t Jesus tell the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more? Yes, he did. But here is the spoiler alert – you are not Jesus! Do not ask yourself WWJD, (what would Jesus do).
Rather, ask what Jesus has asked you to do. And the answer to that is quite simple: love them and take care of your own issues. That ought to be enough to keep you busy.
Judging others is not a Spiritual Gift. It is a burden; it is a waste of time and it offends the one who forgave you of all your misdeeds.
See you in church!
Pastor Jim
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My Hero

My Hero

Sep 8, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom…
 
Under the category of less than sincere, it would not be uncommon of me to offer, “You are moving way up my list of heroes… it’s a pretty lengthy list.”
 
Picture a variety of settings… someone just made a 12-inch putt for an 8, two eggs in succession were dropped into the fry pan without either yoke breaking… you get the idea.
 
All in all, it is meant to be heard as a playful expression of affection, “You are moving way up my list of heroes! You are right behind whoever invented the free-standing taco shell.”
 
In life heroes are those who conquer Nephilim. More precisely, heroes are often those who conquer their personal Nephilim.
Moses had dispatched scouts to explore the land God had promised to the wandering Israelites, and after 40 days they returned with two critical pieces of information.
 
First, the land was everything God had promised, “a land of milk and honey.”
 
Secondly, it was inhabited by Nephilim. These were a mythical people recognized for their tremendous size. One tradition holds they were children of fallen angels. Forgive the analogy but these were the zombie creatures of their day. Want to frighten the 5-year-old within the fiercest warrior? Tell him he was going up against the Nephilim.
 
The scouts report the people are like Nephilim in this promised land and “We seemed like grasshoppers…” Numbers 13:33.
Even though Caleb tried to silence the people in their fears with, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it,” the naysayers in their fear win the day. The consequence? God says this generation must die off before I will bless the faithful. There goes the next 40 years.
 
Caleb is a hero of mine. For Caleb, God was taller than the Nephilim.
 
Nephilim is a great metaphor. Think how often in the life of Trinity Lutheran, a crossroads was encountered and the task before us seemed too tall (too expensive?).
 
Yet, in the history of this Christian outpost time and time again your response has been “God is taller,” and blessings have followed. That’s what it is to step out in vision.
 
Since the moment of my beautiful Brenda Magdaline’s death (July 23), I confess I have encountered various moments of looming Nephilim on the horizon. Those of you who have been through such moments, as the death of someone precious in your sight, you well understand. Tomorrow can look imposing and fearful.
 
You have for me been Caleb. Your cards, words of condolence, and signs of affection have been for me milk and honey. You have been a source of hope and encouragement when quite frankly it felt dark. I cannot tell you how many people have reached out to me to express their gratitude for Brenda’s Memorial, how it left them with a sense of hope. Each of those conversations has left me with a grateful heart.
 
Do not minimize your contribution. Sincerely, you are quite high on my list of heroes.
 
Thank you for your generous spirits, words of encouragement, moments of shared silence when we knew there were no words, and for your love. I know Brenda is fine and each day I am becoming more confident in the blessings that are coming. As it turns out, those Nephilim aren’t really so tall afterwards.
 
God’s peace and love,
 
Pastor Tom Kidd
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