Aug 30, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
He was a 44-year-old Presbyterian Pastor, a husband and father of three. He was a fitness fanatic who exercised regularly. In the fall of 2023 he hosted a meal at his family home. When the meal was over, the dishwasher loaded and the guests had gone home, he took his prescription medications as prescribed, went to bed, never to wake up. Pastor Bill had served his congregation faithfully for 10 years. As you might imagine, there was considerable grief and shock in the larger community and among the parishioners that he had served for a decade. The Executive Pastor of the church in the aftermath of this loss said: “What we’ve learned is that the Medical Examiner deemed the manner of Bill’s death as accidental, which is a category that includes an extensive range of ways that loss of life can occur. Christians, however, know that nothing happens by accident. God gave us Bill as a treasured gift here on earth; then God took Bill away according to His divine timing.”
Reading the newspaper account this past week, I was saddened by this tragic event. We have experienced firsthand the devastating effects of death “out of season”. When death plays by the rules, coming to those who have lived long, full lives there is a deep sorrow in our final goodbyes. Even if the death was to be expected, even if the death had been prayed for, the stark reality that we will ever see our loved one smile or laugh again leaves us in tears. When death visits “in its season” we naturally experience some mixture of grief and relief. When death takes our children, grandchildren or those in the prime of life the road of grief is lengthened, and every step is uphill. Death “out of season” not only robs us of loved ones, it also threatens our sense of order. If death can be so random, chaotic, acting outside of our sense of fair play, then no one is safe from its reach.
Reading the newspaper account this past week, I was greatly dismayed as well by poor theology. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, “Jesus wept.” It is the shortest and perhaps the most important verse in the Bible. “Jesus wept” because his friend Lazarus was in the prime of life, a contemporary of our Lord, Lazarus was maybe 30 years old. This was death out of season, this death brought untold grief to Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Mary. This death out of season devastated the village of Bethany and moved Jesus to tears. If there are no accidents, if death is always a part of some mysterious plan of our Almighty God, if Lazarus was taken in God’s divine timing, then certainly Jesus would not have raised Lazarus from the dead. In fact, Jesus never met a dead body that he did not raise. Jesus also cured many who were afflicted with a variety of illnesses and disabilities and by doing so, he loudly proclaimed that these maladies were not the will of God.
Much of what happens in this world is contrary to the will of God. Much of what happens in your life and mine stand in opposition to the deepest longings of the one who only desires good for us. There are many reasons for human suffering and death. Some of our suffering can be attributed to our own misguided or self-centered choices. For every dire diagnosis there is some medical explanation supported by modern science. The air that we breathe, processed food, and chemicals that make for bountiful crop yields all come with added risk to our long-term health. Sometimes tragedy and even death are just random, we are just unlucky, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The world we live in is dangerous. Accidents happen. If we think that God is pulling all the strings, that everything that takes place on earth is a part of some predetermined divine plan, then we are sadly mistaken. God never stops working to bring blessings out of brokenness. I believe that, but brokenness itself is not a reflection of God’s will. If we find comfort in the misguided belief that God took Pastor Bill to teach his wife and children some larger life lesson, then our theology is bankrupt. How could we ever trust a God who would take our children or grandchildren from us, following some hidden agenda? Could I calmly trust God in my death, if I believed that God had willed the violent death of my spouse in the prime of life? We should never attribute to God, a crime for which we would put one of our own citizens in jail, and yet we do.
“Christians know that nothing happens by accident.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Jesus wept. Remember that the next time that you are weeping. Jesus wept when death visited out of season. Jesus weeps with us as our world is marred by war and cruelty. Jesus weeps with us when our lives and families are broken.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
If you would like to email Pastor Jim direct please send a note to: [email protected]
Aug 24, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
A few thoughts about why we gather to worship God.
If we are to have this conversation, then it helpful to know what worship will NOT do for us:
- Your worship attendance will not get you into heaven.
- Your worship attendance will not get you any special status with God.
- Your worship attendance will not guarantee you financial or relationship success in life.
- Your worship attendance will not give you any protection from disease, disaster, aging, or harm.
- As simple creatures we are not able to negotiate with God. Our worship and our prayers are not negotiating sessions.
We cannot earn or purchase God’s love or favor. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.
So why do we gather for worship? Why does God expect us to worship in a faith community?
- Our worship is a grateful RESPONSE to what God has already done for us. We gather to offer our thanks and praise to the one who gave us life and breath and seasons in the sun.
- We come to put ourselves in the path of the Gospel, believing that the way of Jesus leads to abundant life. We have a better chance at an abundant and more peaceful life if we keep the 10 Commandments and learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- We come to hear words of promise and hope in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving.
- We gather with other flawed and frail humans for fellowship; soaking up the human touch, a friendly face, a warm embrace. We need each other. We gather because everyone is carrying heavy burdens that go with our human journey. We gather because every family is complicated, and misery loves company.
- We believe that together we can make a difference in our community and in our world. We pool our resources to provide for our neighbors. Trinity Lutheran Church gives away approximately $10,000 every week in support of local charities, scholarships to students and a wide array of national and international causes.
- Blessed to be a Blessing! We gather to give back. We serve. We serve cookies. We model the faith for young people. We cut wood, we collect food for our local foodbanks, we quilt, we open our doors and the communion table to all people regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.
Why worship? Worship is a natural response, offering thanks for the gifts we have received. Worship makes our lives and our communities better and reminds us of God’s promises: We are loved, we are forgiven, and we are never alone.
I will see you in church!
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
Aug 17, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” The words of Jesus in the Gospel of John.
She was old, parts of her were just worn out. She had served well, the children who played with her had grown old now and had children of their own. She was old, had run the race, had kept the faith, and her very existence was compromised. When the big wind finally came, every ounce of her frame was strained. She had in younger years withstood greater force, but this time was just too much. She was old and down she came.
On the hillside above Trinity Lutheran Church lay the remains of an old tree. The tire swing that thrilled the young was long gone and so was she. The clean up crew backed up their trucks and out came the chainsaws. With little regard to her place in our community, she was loaded up and carted off, now little more than firewood to provide warmth when the winter winds return to her Whidbey Island home.
Her demise was not unexpected, we knew this day would come, but in the office, there was a sense of sadness. The view out the window had lost some of its charm. The weeks slipped by, and we thought of her less. Life has a way of moving on, our calendars filled, and the landscape faded again into a backdrop of green. I walked toward my car after an emotionally draining week. Three funerals were on the schedule, two more deaths had just occurred, it is the rhythm of an aging community. It was then that I was visited by hope, by mystery, by something beyond our understanding. The grassy hillside which had been occupied by a single, aged, majestic elder had now given way to three hundred new tree starts. It the face of loss, new life had taken root.
We see in a mirror dimly. We experience life only from a human perspective. In God’s created order, death never gets the last word, death leads to resurrection. With our final breath we will be reborn, nothing to fear, all the old trees before us have made it to the other side and so will we.
”Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” The words of the Apostle Paul.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
If you would like to email Pastor Jim direct please send a note to: [email protected]
Aug 10, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
What is the connection between the money in the offering plate and abundant life? There are many answers to that question.
Your offerings to the church have a positive effect upon neighbors far and near. Their quality of their life is enhanced. They experience a more abundant life because you cared enough to give.
In the Middle East, Palestinians receive much needed medical care at the Augusta Victoria Hospital. You are there!
On Whidbey Island, your neighbors receive food and assistance from Good Cheer and Gifts from the Heart. You are there!
When natural disasters, wildfires, and famines strike anywhere in the world we are able to reach those in need, thanks to our partnership with Compassion International, ELCA Disaster Relief and Lutheran World Relief. You are there!
We are partners with the Bethany Nursing Homes in Everett and the Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood. Both provide non-profit Senior Care in the Lutheran tradition of caring for our neighbors. You are there!
You are in downtown Seattle supporting the work of the Lutheran Compass Center, Lutheran Community Services and our own ministry called His Hands Extended.
Young people in our community are cared for by Young Life, Ryan’s House and Readiness to Learn. With your offerings to TLC, you are there.
When your Whidbey neighbors need assistance, you are there. Our gifts support Friends of Friends, Helping Hand, Whidbey Island Nourishes and the Tiny House community in Langley.
This fall Trinty will support more than 40 students as they pursue their higher education goals at universities, colleges and trade schools. 21 of those students are TLC members. You are there as our future leaders go off to school.
In Guatemala, Trinity is a primary supporter of a program that repatriates young Guatemalans who were sent back from the Southern border of the United States. You are there, helping them to build a life in their own communities.
From college campuses to disaster sites around the world, thanks to your offerings to TLC, you are there.
What is the connection between money in the plate and abundant life?
We are blessed to be a blessing. God has blessed us beyond measure and God expects us to share from our abundance. We are blessed as we open our hearts, minds and checkbooks to God’s work in the world. Generous people lead abundant lives.
So, thank you for being there. Thank you for supporting TLC and the many benevolent causes that we support together. We can’t solve all the problems of the world, but we are making a difference!
Blessed to be a Blessing!
Pastor Jim
If you would like to email Pastor Jim direct please send a note to: [email protected]
Aug 3, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
For the better part of 50 years Steve Martin has tickled our funny bones on stage and screen. Martin became our favorite “Wild and Crazy Guy” as he entertained millions with a unique combination of music, dance, and slapstick. His movie roles touched our hearts while giving us a brief vacation from everyday life. Very few entertainers in our lifetime have enjoyed the staying power of Steve Martin. Martin was and is beloved by generations of fans.
At home, it was not so simple. In a recent Apple TV documentary Martin reflected upon his relationship with father and his father’s disdain for his career choices saying, “I always thought my father was a little embarrassed by me. He couldn’t quite be proud of an unconventional showbiz act that he didn’t quite understand.”
Relationships between parents and children tend to be complicated. The magic and mystery begin with a borning cry. Quite suddenly, our hearts are taken over by love. We are not sure how this works, how a helpless seven-pound bundle from heaven captivates us. We don’t love others less; there is simply a whole new supply of love. We love our children and grandchildren, and that love makes us very vulnerable. Over a period of years, we need to make an uncertain and sometimes painful transition. Ideally a child will move from total dependence to independence, or at least a perceived independence.
Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer, was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. His parents Margarethe and Hans worked very hard to care for their family and to provide some security in the closing years of Europe’s “dark ages.” Hans was an ambitious man, and he had plans for his firstborn son. He made every sacrifice necessary to assure that his son would have a better life than his own, paving the way for young Martin Luther to be a lawyer. Hans sent his son to Latin School where he would study grammar, rhetoric and logic. In 1501 Martin enrolled at the University of Erfurt. He earned his master’s degree in 1505 and was off to Law School. Everything was going according to Han’s plan, until it wasn’t.
Martin Luther sensed a call from God to the Priesthood and dropped out of Law School. His father was furious over what he saw as a waste of Luther’s education. His father would never really understand this perceived betrayal. The tale of two Martins, one who changed the world, and one who became wildly successful entertaining the world. Two Martins whose life choices bewildered their fathers.
Change is constant and can be hard to understand. The world and American culture have changed drastically. The internet, social media, and the pandemic have disrupted the life that many of us had known; the cultural landscape of today is mostly unrecognizable to the children of the 1950’s or 60’s. Our children and grandchildren must find their way, it is our job to love them and encourage them as they do so. If we reflect upon our own journeys to maturity, I am guessing that many of our choices were bewildering to our parents.
46 years ago, the songwriter Billy Joel put it this way:
“I don’t need you to worry for me ’cause I’m alright,
I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home,
I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life,
Go ahead with your own life leave me alone.”
Each generation must find their own way. When your children or grandchildren change their names, their pronouns, or their gender identification you don’t really need to understand or approve, you just need to love them. They are after all, a slightly larger version of the seven pounds of flesh that stole your heart all those years ago. When your children or grandchildren come out of the closet or announce their career as a gamer or TicTok influencer, just remember the tale of two Martins. In the end, we only have two choices: Love them or lose them. Love them or lose them, it is that simple.
Living in the midst of a shifting culture is not easy. Parents today join the choir of previous generations. Their exasperated cry endures; “Kids today.” Love them or lose them. It is not easy, but it is just that simple.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
If you would like to email Pastor Jim direct please send a note to: [email protected]
Jul 27, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
This simple confession of faith is the first to be recorded among humans. Our first story is one of creation. It is a true story; however, it is not a scientific account of God’s activity. Seven days, seven 24-hour periods, is hardly sufficient for a creation that is both complex and far from complete. The created universe and planet earth is currently “under construction.” You and I are “under construction.” God is not finished with the cosmos or with you.
The closing verses of the Bible capture the ongoing nature of creation, the voice of God saying, “Behold, I make all things new.” The Bible begins by confessing that creation was intentional not accidental. Intelligent life acted with purpose and resolution, bringing order out of chaos, as a beautiful but mysterious world took shape.
“So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
Humans were created in the image of God. The confession of faith known as the Apostle’s Creed begins with the words, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, the creator of heaven and earth.” Humans were created in the image of God, but in our attempt to understand or explain God, we have mistakenly created God in our own image. God cannot be contained in human constructs; we are talking about the Master of the Universe here. God is love, yes! God is truth, yes! God is eternal, yes! But our perceived familiarity with the Almighty is flawed, we simply do not have the knowledge base or capacity to comprehend God.
The Bible is clear that God is intimately acquainted with us, but we see in a mirror dimly. God’s action and God’s silence remain mysterious to us. God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. But gender language fails us, gender language has misled and harmed us. God is not male or female, God created males and females. God is not a particular race; God created all races. Christians have a particular voice in the choir of humanity, but we do not have the corner on the market of truth. Wherever truth is found in religion, science, philosophy, literature or art, it comes as a revelation from our creator. There is no truth apart from God.
A wise Jewish man once said to me, “The question Jim, is not: who am I? The question is: who am I standing before?” May we treasure our place in God’s created order and may we embrace the humility appropriate for mere creatures.
In the beginning God created. In my beginning, without my participation, consultation or approval, God gave me the gift of life. In the ongoing creation, God will make all things new. When my time here is complete, I can trust the one who I will never fully comprehend.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
If you would like to email Pastor Jim direct please send a note to: [email protected]
