Us Lesser Knowns

Us Lesser Knowns

Jan 13, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom…

That’s me on the left. For those who attended the October 31st Reformation Service you undoubtedly recognized me adorned in my red chasuble. Not every pastor is gifted with a bobblehead doll, or a red chasuble for that matter. This festival garment has lots of positive memories for me. On the right is the former Pontiff John Paul II. The Holy Father bobblehead was obtained during my sabbatical in Italy, 2003. I was blessed to sit with him for an intimate conversation about life and faith. It was a small group of about 2,300.

And in the middle of my bobblehead collection is the “pies de resistance” of my collection. There sits Buddy Christ. A very long time ago, the 60’s when I was in college, knowing that I was intent on going to seminary, a dorm mate handed me a magazine, “I think you might appreciate this article.” On the article cover was Jesus with his head tipped back in a position of uproarious laughter. The article was about the humanity of Jesus. The premise being that Peter and the boys undoubtedly offered our Lord many a moment of guffaw and faux pas. As I recall it was a Playboy magazine (I promise, I only looked at it for the articles). Anyways, I like to think of the three dolls as a holy triumvirate, of sorts.

It is in this context that I would like to suggest a role model for us every day Christians who will, in all probability, never have a famous bobblehead doll created in our image like John Paul II or Jesus (Buddy) Christ (seriously, I do not include myself in the famous group). I would like to nominate St. James the Lesser as our patron saint.
James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus, is only mentioned 4 times in scripture and we know next to nothing of his life. He is principally known for not being James the brother of John, son of Zebedee, and not being the brother of Jesus.

Just like us, James the Lesser is more known for what he is not versus what he is in terms of some great achievement. Yet, he is important enough to be counted among the twelve. Important enough to have given up everything to follow Jesus and important enough to have experienced the Resurrected Christ. Maybe James the Lesser was an introvert? Maybe he had the kind of quiet faith that did not need to be at the front of the line? Maybe he was the one whose faith was confirmed by Thomas’s very act of doubting? I’m thinking he was the kind of guy who spontaneously bussed the tables after everyone was done eating.

I think if I were to write a book about the early church, I would write about James the Lesser and how he participated in shaping the course of history towards eternity in his relative anonymity. That’s who we are… known and loved by the owner of the vineyard, yet content to be nameless laborers in the coming Kingdom of God. Each day we are given moments to offer a smile (okay, masks make that challenging, but…), wish someone a good morning, say a kind word to someone obviously stressed, share a gift with someone in need, make a generous contribution to a charity. Whatever you do, do it without expectation of a response. Be the nameless James the Lesser for someone who will at the end of the day simply pause over a memory… “Hmmm, I wonder why he/she did that?” No bobblehead doll but a lived life of faith.

Our Pastor has returned from his sabbatical. He and Felicia have had a time of renewal and adventure. They returned to a church they have loved, a church that finds meaning and purpose in being the body of Christ in a broken world. A church full of James (Janets) the Lessers. Okay, no bobblehead dolls but joy none the less. It blesses me to live with you in this life of faith. It’s a hoot.

Thank you all for the love and encouragement you have awarded me in Pastor Jim’s absence.

God’s peace and love,
Pastor Tom

Leftovers

Leftovers

Jan 12, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…

“When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’” John 6:12

Right around the time the new year rolls in, we start to put away the Christmas decorations. Lights come down, nativity scenes get packed away, and trees are carried back outside. It’s time to pack the festivities away until next year.

But what happens to those trees that have adorned our homes for the past few weeks? For some, a new purpose is found on our little farm. In fact, the beautiful trees that graced Trinity’s chancel and narthex were loaded up and transported to our place this week. The branches were cut and shared among our fields. Our goats enjoyed the treat, and even the pigs appreciated the boughs.

I don’t know about you, but I also enjoy leftovers. Meals that provide again and again are much appreciated. These Christmas trees (along with a couple of others that have been donated to us) provided a tasty meal for our critters.

One of the few stories that is found in all four gospels is the feeding of the 5,000. In this familiar story, Jesus’ disciples encourage him to send the crowds away, as they have no way to feed them all. Jesus, of course, ends up feeding the masses with only the small lunch provided by a young boy. What’s most remarkable, perhaps, is that after everyone was fed, the disciples collected baskets full of leftovers. The meager meal, intended to feed one, ended up being more than enough for a huge crowd.

A few years ago, I heard a sermon about this passage where the pastor suggested that the true miracle was in the compassion and generosity of the crowd. His belief was that the boy’s kindness inspired the crowd to share what they had. When everybody contributed from their supply, they came up with more than what was needed. When they shared what they had, all were fed.

It’s hard to say, of course, if the bounty of food that day was miraculously created by Jesus, or if Jesus and the young boy inspired the crowd to provide the meal (which could be considered a miracle in itself). Regardless of the mechanics behind it, the small meal provided by one child and blessed by Jesus became more than enough for a crowd of thousands.

While my animals were not in dire need of a meal like the people in this story, it was the generosity of others that provided a delightful treat for them.

Perhaps this will serve as a reminder for us to be generous with what we have. Sometimes what is considered to be a “leftover” by one is a real bonus for another.

Also, it’s always good to remember to find pleasure in the simple things. Just look at the smile on that pig’s face!

Keep sharing, keep smiling, and enjoy the little things!

Deacon Amy

There’s No Place Like Home

There’s No Place Like Home

Jan 11, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

On January 23rd we will celebrate the Third Sunday of Epiphany. Our reading that morning will be from the 4th Chapter of Luke. In that text, Jesus will be coming home to Nazareth. He had left home some time earlier; he had been baptized by John, tempted in the wilderness, and embarked on a ministry that would lead him to a cross. Jesus came home to preach to the very ones who had watched him grow up.

 My hometown is DeKalb, Illinois. DeKalb is known to farmers around the country thanks to the flying ears of seed corn that adorn fields. The other claim to fame for this small town is that barbed wire was invented in DeKalb, paving the way for the settling of the West. I have returned home on a few occasions to preach and teach. Coming home is not as easy as one might think; there is a different kind of anxiety when you are preaching to folks who changed your diapers and put you in time-out.

I lived in DeKalb for the first 23 years of my life. My extended family still lives there, my parents and grandparents are buried there, my picture is up in the Sports Hall at DeKalb High School and my name is on the wall at the Country Club. DeKalb will always be a part of my history, but it is no longer home. We have lived on Whidbey for more than 32 years. Our children were raised and married here. Whidbey Island is home.

For the past 14 weeks Felicia and I have had no real home. We have wandered the pandemic world. We have been swimming in the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas. It has been a time of rest and renewal. We have had a multitude of Covid tests, eaten meals in 10 different countries, welcomed a new granddaughter into the world, and celebrated Christmas with Kelsi in 80-degree weather. I would like to thank my faithful staff for working hard and keeping the TLC home fires burning. Wind, rain, power outages, snow, ice, and ferry delays have not kept them from serving the people of TLC. I am thankful to the Church Council and the entire congregation for this gift of grace.

As many of you know, one of my favorite movies is “The Wizard of Oz.” After a perilous journey through a far-off land, Dorothy comes to the realization that with all its faults and limitations, “there is no place like home.” This Sunday, January 16th Felicia and I will be home and we are very thankful. A little reentry anxiety will be overcome by the sheer joy of seeing your mask-covered faces. We have missed you all.

Join us in person at 8:00 or 10:30, or join us online. Self-select as you feel comfortable. 2022 is going to be a great year. It will be a great year for TLC and our shared ministry. It will be a great year, for we will share it together knowing that God is with us, and God is leading us.

Remember, we are one day closer!

Pastor Jim

Blessed Effulgence…

Blessed Effulgence…

Jan 4, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf…

As I write this, the season of Advent (my favorite in the liturgical year!) has come and gone, and Christmastide is all but concluded. 2021 has tucked itself into the recesses of memory as we herald in a new year—a fresh start, a new beginning—and now Epiphany is upon us.

Epiphany! I love that word! It comes from the Greek “epiphaneia,” meaning “manifestation,” and refers to something being made manifest or coming into view; in the Christian sense it refers to God made manifest in the infant Jesus—the indwelling of God in and amongst us.

A personal epiphany can be a kind of revelatory discovery—the “Aha!” moment when we come to inner awareness—when we “see the light,” when we become enlightened, or made full of light.

Among the many names of Christ, my favorite is “The Light of the World.” It is in the book of John (8:12) wherein Jesus is recorded as saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In this way, Jesus could be understood to be the ultimate Guru—literally translated from ancient Sanskrit—the “dispeller of darkness.” The Guru—Christ—is one who brings the devoted from darkness.

As many of you know, I have deep ties to India. I have a home and, in fact, a husband there whom I have not seen in two years due to Covid. In a week’s time, however, I am heading back to the land of my heart to spend a month with my Beloved, relaxing in the desert sun at our farmhouse and touring about a bit to visit friends and music colleagues and, yes, to spend some immersion time with my soul.

My connections to India are many—personal, musical, and yes—deeply spiritual. India is a land of devotion and grace which affords many an opportunity for humble reconciliation with the holy—both within and without. It is a place where one can readily see the Light (assuming one is paying attention!) that manifests in many forms.

So today, as I write about Epiphany, about God made manifest for us and in us as the Christed Light of the World—and as I am thick in the throes of preparations for my travels—I decided to share two pieces of devotional music today.

The first is the Lord’s Prayer sung in Jesus’ own language of Aramaic by the artist Angelika. It is a hauntingly beautiful rendition (View at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QALxIRyg7tI) The Lord’s prayer—when translated directly from the Aramaic—reveals a different understanding than that with which we are familiar. As translated by the renowned religious scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz, we get a glimpse of a broader understanding of God.

The Lord’s Prayer as we know it begins with, “Our Father.” But according to Douglas-Klotz, “the actual Aramaic transliteration is ‘Abwoon’ which is a blending of ‘abba (father)’ and ‘woon’ (womb), Jesus’s recognition of the masculine and feminine source of creation. On his website, https://abwoon.org, he offers this translation from Aramaic:

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, you create all that moves in light.

Hallowed be thy name:
Focus your light within us — make it useful: as the rays of a beacon show the way.

Thy kingdom come:
Unite our “I can” to yours, so that we walk as kings and queens with every creature.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven:
Create in me a divine cooperation — from many selves, one voice, one action.

Give us this day our daily bread:
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:
Forgive our hidden past, the secret shames, as we consistently forgive what others hide.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:
Deceived neither by the outer nor the inner — free us to walk your path with joy.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever:
From you is born all ruling will, the power and life to do, the song that beautifies all from age to age it renews. Amen.

Such an intimate prayer, a walking in the Light of God on Earth as we go about our Earthly business!

The second little piece of devotional music is the Sanskrit Gayatri Mantra, in light of my forthcoming journey. Mantras are prayers, yes, but their power and significance is not simply in the text. The potency of the mantra (traditionally given to a devotee by the Guru as that devotee is led into Light) is in the resonance of the syllables themselves—a sort of enlightening vibrational essence taken into one’s own Being in the chanting.

The Great Gayatri Mantra has many translations, but I will offer this one in light of our exploration of…The Light!

Text in Sanskrit:
om buur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devaysa dhimahi
chino yo nay prachodayat Om….
English translation:
We meditate on the effulgent glory of the Divine Light, that our understanding may be inspired.

Indeed. May blessings of Light and Love eternal abound this Epiphany and throughout the New Year. Thank you all for this wonderful community of God, and accepting me into its fold. My next writing here will be from India….

Om Shantih.
Much Love, Sheila
Click the link to hear my version of the Great Gayatri mantra.

Never Too Old!

Never Too Old!

Dec 31, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom…

Who said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Not true. Why, for example, just recently I had an experience that taught me why it is helpful to turn on the light prior to brushing my teeth. Did you know that in the early morning winter light a tube of sunblock can “feel” exactly like a tube of toothpaste? Did you know that? Well, it can. Notwithstanding a really foul taste, it only took me about 45 seconds to find the light switch and realize my faux pas. See, I can learn.

It is for me not so much about learning new tricks as it is about exercising my gray matter. Consequently, I love online options like MasterClass and TED Talks. While it may not sound particularly erudite, for me, knowing when to turn on a bathroom light falls into the category of being able to learn. (My teeth are currently protected from sunburn… yay!)

Several years ago, following a Sunday worship, one of my sainted senior ladies took my hand in hers and with love in her eyes remarked, “Oh Pastor, I have always loved that sermon.” I thought it was a new one. Sugar! There is somewhat of an inside joke among clergy that we only have four basic sermons, each with a dozen variations. To be perfectly honest, sometimes, I wish certain “sainted seniors” wouldn’t feel so inclined to “honestly” love me quite so much.

As I write this, the temperature is seriously south of freezing, Omicron is leaving a deadly swath across our country, our power has been out since 0200 (we do have a generator), two more inches of snow have accrued on our hillside driveway, and the hot water shower will just be put off a little while longer.

On the plus side I can make coffee, the hot pad is thawing the bacon, there are yet an ample supply of Christmas cookies, and Brenda still appears to welcome my company. Yay! A win! Oh, and I still believe there is meaningful labor to be about. As followers of Jesus, it is the labor we are all called to be about.

Despite whatever longing we might hold for 2021 to be firmly ensconced in the rear-view mirror, I find the Book of Proverbs able to place both the past struggles and our hopes for the future in the context of growing and serving in faith. The following are some of my favorites:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge.” 1:7

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 3:5- 6

“When pride comes then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” 11:2

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” 11:25

“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” 14:31

“Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” 20:15

And my all-time favorite, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor” (16:31). Woo-hoo! I’m in!

There are many Proverbs that may have a particular message capable of resonating with each of us depending on where we are at in life’s journey. There is one Proverb, though, that I believe is central to Jesus’ demand for a servant’s heart (“When, Lord, did I see you hungry… thirsty… naked or imprisoned?” Matthew 25:34ff). I will leave it to you to look up, it is Proverbs 31:8-9.

As the calendar rolls over into 2022, I want to thank you for your generous support for the work we all do together in Jesus’ name at Trinity. I am especially grateful for your love and support of your TLC staff. We are all laboring in God’s vineyard. Love fulfills the law and that is the Gospel pleasing to God.

May the joy of being God’s beloved strengthen and bless you in all the days ahead,

Pastor Tom

Immanuel

Immanuel

Dec 30, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…

As we wind down from our joyous Christmas celebrations, for some, there is a lingering sadness. A sadness that comes with the memories of loved ones who are no longer here, or perhaps with the experience of not being able to be together this year. Sadness during the holidays can be especially difficult because we feel that we are not “supposed” to be sad – we are “supposed” to be happy and joyful.

So, where do we find God when we’re feeling down? When we feel lost and alone, it can be easy to convince ourselves that we’ve been abandoned. I believe, though, that we find God right there in that sadness with us.

The Gospel tells us that when Jesus learned that his friend Lazarus had died, and when he saw the tears of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, Jesus wept with them. Jesus felt a deep compassion for the people who were mourning, and he was moved to tears.

I believe this is an incredible insight into who God is. God, in Jesus, felt compassion for those who were hurting and wept with them. God feels our pain, and like a parent, feels deep compassion for us, sharing in our grief and sorrow.

As we learned in the nativity story, Jesus was called Immanuel – God with us. God chose to come to earth in human form – to be one of us – to take part in the entirety of the human experience. Jesus knew what it was to mourn, to cry, to hurt.

God came to be among us in the form of an infant, to grow as we do – to experience childhood, adolescence, and all of the trials that come with every stage of life. Jesus, undoubtedly, had scraped knees and broken hearts, just as we do.

God knows our pain. God feels our pain.

At the times when we are hurting and when we feel the most alone, God is right there with us – weeping, and caring, and holding us as we move through the difficult times. We are never abandoned; we are never alone. God is with us – Immanuel.

God was with us as an infant in a manger 2,000 years ago, and God is with us today.

Remember, when you are hurting, that you are not alone. Remember that God is with you, experiencing the hurt with you, and carrying you through it.

God is with you. God is with us.

Deacon Amy