Oct 28, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Trinity member, Ron Roesler…
Life is a constant flow of transitions and lessons… When born, we know very little. At eighteen, most of us knew everything. At least I believed I did. Then, it takes a lifetime to learn and realize how little I/we truly knew.
During our growth years, whether admitted or not, we are all on a quest for knowledge and greater understanding of life, living, and the meaning of it all. Who will I be? What will I be? How do I fit in?
We joined this lifelong journey of interactions and constant learning. We encounter parents, siblings, relatives, school teachers, ministers, friends, professors, life partners, children, work peers, leaders, and more.
These interactions culminate in who you and I are today. We all experience the joys and, excuse the expression, blunders of life. And today, we are the culmination of this ongoing deluge of opportunities, challenges, choices, joys, and bruises.
The first angels in most of our lives are our family of origin, our parents, relatives, and close friends. During our early years, our family is our anchor and primary source of love, guidance, safety and understanding of life.
My parents, in the 1940s and ’50s, having experienced the Great Depression and WWII, were frugal and practical survivalists. Aside from anger, they were most often unemotional. They were good people and good parents who did their very best to raise four happy children.
It wasn’t until after they had passed away, and I had matured enough, that I realized just how much they truly loved me. They loved us the very best they knew how. I have forgiven myself for seeing them mostly as disciplinarians and not recognizing the depth of their love.
While I didn’t realize it then, they were truly angels in my early life.
Angels are always there, even if not recognized at the time; most of us have experienced dozens of teachers, preachers, professors, and mentors. Along the way, some of these interactions stand out as memorable, or even extraordinary.
Devoting the majority of my life in the Lutheran church, I have grown to understand and have a firm belief in our Divine Father God who created all there is. As such, all angels are part of that creation whether they are heavenly or earthly angels.
We have each had the good fortune to be in the presence of some truly unique people… earthly angels in our lives!
Several of these earthly angels had an extraordinary impact on me and most likely you as well. Today they are most likely not aware of the impact they had on us, and yet, we are a few of perhaps thousands who received their dedication, caring, love, and wisdom.
I was not the best student and experienced school teachers who stuck to the nuts and bolts without sharing their humanity. However, I am grateful for all the teachers who did, especially those who looked beyond my indifferent behavior, to share their gifts. I learned many life lessons beyond the basics! Thank you for caring enough to make me a better person!
Who were the earthly angels in your life? They deserve your conscious appreciation wherever they, and you, are today.
For the most part, these early connections and interactions are healthy and constructive. Misguided or caustic interactions are still learning experiences… perhaps of what not to do or who not to be?
Whether consciously or not, and at any age, most of us want to be even better and want a better life… the opportunity is to be happy and even thrive. In that context, we begin to align ourselves with people who are potential opportunities for greater learning and understanding. Potential angels!
This morning, in that half-awake state, I pondered the beauty in my life and realized that I am here today, after 80 plus years, because of the many angels who showed up to guide me along the way. Especially my wife Helene.
It is with a great sense of gratitude for God and, over the years for my many church families, for this awesome life! And, for the many angels who have shared their light with me along the way.
Each of us is who we are today because of the angels in our growth years. The opportunity now is to recognize and acknowledge your past and current angels. It is truly a great time to think about and thank them for their part in who we are today!
Finally, you and I, as members and friends of Trinity Lutheran Church, have the opportunity and calling to be angels for those we connect with each and every day… consciously making a positive difference in the lives of others.
Ron Roesler
Oct 27, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized
Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf
Text Origin: Middle Irish Poem “Rop tú mo Baile”
Attribution: Saint Dallan Forgaill
Tune: Slane (the village from which this Old Irish folk tune was collected)
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art
High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
I love this hymn! The tune is an old Irish folktune (what’s not to love about that?!?!?), which made its earlier published appearances in a variety of popular songs, including, “With My Love on the Road,” “The Hielan’s o’ Scotland,” and “By the Banks of the Bann.” Like many a hymn (and people too!), “Be Thou My Vision” has had many shapes and shifts and iterations along the way of coming to be the hymn we are familiar with.
Below are earlier lyrics, complete with Gaelic clan references (hence the sword and shield imagery due to long history of clan warfare) and the image of God as the great Chieftan:
Original translation from Middle Irish:
~Transl. 1905 by Mary Byrne
Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.
Be thou my meditation by day and night.
May it be thou that I behold ever in my sleep.
Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.
Be thou with me, be I with thee
Be thou my father, be I thy son.
Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.
Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.
Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.
Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.
Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.
Be thou every good to my body and soul.
Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.
Be thou solely chief love of my heart.
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.
Till I am able to pass into thy hands,
My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love
Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.
Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.
Thy love in my soul and in my heart —
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.
O King of the seven heavens grant me this –
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.
With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven, O brightness of the sun.
Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.
O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O ruler of all, be thou my vision.
This past Sunday’s sermon focused on the blind man on the side of the road, made well and whose vision was restored by his encounter with and faith in the Son of David. The visiting Rev. Yee led us on a journey to help us see through the (inner) eyes of that blind man. I am thinking now of the ways in which we see-perceive-discern-judge the world around us. Each of has our filters, our hermeneutical lenses carefully crafted from our own beliefs and concretized experiences. Everything we see and experience— whether in the world around or on the inner plane—is filtered and interpreted through those lenses.
This is understandable, but it is also folly—unless/until we’ve found really good, Cosmic lens cleaner!! The thing about being human is that we believe ourselves too readily. How committed we become to our own filters and lenses, our assumptions and assertions and suppositions. And how often have we been wrong—misguided, influenced by unconscious bias, so committed to our own stories that nothing can “land” purely, simply, unadorned and uninterpreted?
In my life as a classical keyboardist, I spend OODLES of time learning vast amounts of new repertoire. There’s a first reading/play-through, then a building of neuro-muscular pathways as I practice the notes into my hands. Then comes the deeper work of searching for all the clues in the treasure map that is a music score to determine the kind of touch or articulation required to produce a particular tone color, or to develop the phrase relationships between notes so as to sculpt the message. In this deeper work I try to get as close to the composer as I can, having to rely upon my musical training and awareness to decipher the clues in the map, without knowing for sure the composers’ intent. That is my work.
As a person, my work is not much different. If I am to walk my path on this Earth as a spiritual being, a child of God, I am presented with constant opportunity to expand my awareness—and hopefully to increase in wisdom, understanding, and compassion for others. This requires that I regularly challenge, clean, or remove the hermeneutical lenses through which I view the world so that I can more closely view others around me through the eyes of God.
Now I don’t presume to know what God sees, or thinks, or feels. So, to even attempt to witness the world, to bear witness to others’ experiences and joys and sorrows requires daily acts of surrender. In a very real way, each day we are called to “die” to our assumptions and assertions, to lay down our carefully crafted ego-selves so that we might live fully in the love of God. As wonderful as they are, we are called to set aside our stories and suppositions, to be made new in the Consciousness of Christ.
And isn’t that fabulous?!? We must do our own work, bring ourselves to the daily table and allow ourselves to be renewed in love. Full of that love, we can radiate it out to others through our work, our care, through taking the time to truly see one another through the eyes of God, each of us a beautiful expression of God.
Click HERE to listen to my version of this lovely tune.
May blessings abound.
~Sheila
Oct 21, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom
A promise made is a promise kept. I remember my dad uttering those words while he quietly wept. Some business partners had, years before, made a promise on a handshake, and were now reneging. Through hard work he had kept his side of the bargain, and now they were backing out on their commitment; only the second time I ever remember my father weeping.
Those were different days, I guess. Those were days when a handshake was more than a simple gesture of greeting; it was a sign of your word. A promise made is a promise kept. When we retired and moved to the island our house (my deceased parent’s house) was in serious need of upgrading. Our contractor, after setting the terms of work/cost/billing said, “If we do this, it’ll be by a handshake.” He was saying his word was his bond and we will settle the terms by a handshake.
To be honest I was a bit shocked. I didn’t think anyone even thought in those terms anymore. I quickly agreed. He kept his word. The work was done and we were thrilled. And we upheld our side of the bargain; even though, of course, it cost a third more than we had initially planned for. Upon reflection, I still find it almost shocking — the power of a physical sign… a handshake… a promise made, a promise kept. Does anyone believe that anymore?
When we take the Lord’s Supper, the bread and the wine (or juice in pandemic days), do we have a sense of the promise made and kept in this simple meal? Or, when we gleefully watch Pastor pour water over an infant’s head in Baptism are we convinced that in this simple act God has made a promise to this child that cannot be taken back? Water, bread (even tasteless wafer bread), and wine are physical signs of a promise made, promise kept.
Signs of grace. Romans 5:8 has long been a cornerstone of my faith as well as a wonderful benchmark when it comes to explaining what grace physically looks like.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is an amazing confession, actually, startling. Imagine yourself at a moment in life when you were at your absolute worst. In the midst of that moment, you are most ashamed (we all have them). You are not only in the midst of your worst moment in your life but you are enjoying that worst moment, and have absolutely no desire or inclination to change your behavior. Metaphorically, your back is turned to God. It is at precisely that moment, a moment without remorse or repentance, that God says, “I love you so much I am going to die for you now.” It’s really quite stunning when you think about it. There is no quid pro quo, no “Well, I need to at least say ‘I am sorry,’ to enter into this bargain in order to make it official.” Me, at my worst with no inclination to change my ways, and God says I love you enough to die for you now.
Apparently, God believes that love is enough to change the course of humanity. Love without a bargain from us. And water, bread, and wine are holy signs of promise made, promise kept — still struggle at times to get my head around that one.
I wish you the best. Go love as God has loved us… well, as best as you can. God will have to handle the rest.
Pastor Tom
Oct 20, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…
“Your calling is where your own greatest joy intersects with the needs of the world.” – Frederick Buechner
I love this quote from Frederick Buechner. I first heard it my Vocation class at Trinity Lutheran College. It was an entry level class, required of every student, but I found it to be fascinating.
The professor stressed that “job” and “vocation” are not always the same thing. Few of us are lucky enough to be able to make a living where we find joy and fulfill a need at the same time.
Sometimes we need a job to pay the bills, and end up finding our vocations in other places. Leading a Scout group, coaching soccer, or volunteering at any of a multitude of positions can fulfill that call. Being a good friend, sharing home baked cookies, or singing in the choir are all ways in which we can fulfill our callings.
I believe that vocations can change over the course of a lifetime. The gifts that we have in our teenage years grow and evolve. Our schedules vary as does our ability to try new things. Lives progress through stages that offer different amounts of flexibility with time and money. There isn’t much in life that stays the same.
I recently had a conversation with a retired nurse who said that she was still waiting to find her passion. I was shocked for a moment, then asked if nursing had not been her passion. “Well, it certainly was,” she said, “but I’m not doing that any more. It’s time to find something new.”
She is not at a point in her life where she is needing to find a new career, or even a job, but she does need something that will spark joy, and fill a need at the same time. She needs a new vocation.
If you were in such a position, where would you begin searching? Would you take up piano lessons so you could share your gift of music? Would you start baking and delivering sweet treats to the lonely? Is volunteering at a food bank or thrift store be more up your alley?
There are so many options in this life it can be paralyzing. I find that the best way to move forward is to simply take one step. You can always try a different path if it turns out this isn’t the one that brings you joy.
Keep following the call.
Deacon Amy
Oct 15, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s word from Laura Canby…
“…He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.” Luke 5:16
The Gospels tell us that Jesus frequently went into the wilderness (nature) to pray. I like to think that in addition to conversing with His Father, He was refreshed by the beauty of His creation.
My husband and I just returned from six days in Alaska, first on Kodiak Island and then in Anchorage. It was mainly a chance for him to connect with two senior chiefs he had served under in Palau when he was an independent duty corpsman in his early 20s.
The bonus for me was that they took us out into the ‘wilderness’ for drives and we got to see bears in Kodiak and moose in Anchorage, plus spectacular scenery.
Just an hour after we landed in Kodiak, we were 25 feet above on a small bridge overpass looking below at a juvenile bear in a stream feasting on returning salmon. He didn’t seem to even notice a handful of people on the bridge; too busy at the task at hand, er, paw, rather.
Two days later we lucked out on another part of the Island as a sow and her triplet cubs played on a stream bank, eating their fill of silvers returning to spawn. The frolicking cubs still sported a ring of white fur on their necks.
I felt a little envious at the simple life they lead; only concerned about eating, sleeping… and for the cubs, not being eaten by adult male bears. Other than that, it seems a simple life at the top of the wilderness food chain. No deadlines, politics, bills, conflicts, worries.
Natural beauty has the effect of taking me out of my microcosm of stress and problems and awakens me to a larger world teeming with life that goes on regardless of my presence. It helps me put things into perspective, and in particular, my place in that perspective.
Wilderness, especially here on Whidbey can be as close as the backyard, a hiking trail, or a stroll at a nearby beach. I like to see what patterns and beauty I can find in my garden among the flowers and vegetables, and even the intricacies of spider webs this time of year.
So, if you don’t mind a bit of advice, next time you are stressed, take some time to go into your own wilderness and capture images of the beauty abounding there.
— Laura Canby
Oct 14, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Trinity member Ron Roesler…
I am just one of seven billion people. What can one person do to make a positive difference in the world? What could one in billions possibly do to affect the whole world?
I have my own problems and opinions. As good as I believe I am, what could I possibly do to make a difference and change our entire civilization? Probably nothing! In fact, it’s probably not even possible. So, why even try?
And so, if we believe there is no hope for a better future and no one takes a stand for taking action, nothing will ever change. It really is up to me and you!
After 80+ years and a ton of mistakes made, some personally devastating and hurtful, I am just one person still working through my own stuff. I have apologized, asked to be forgiven, and importantly, forgiven myself. I continue to learn a better way of being in order to right my life-ship; to be a better person.
Perhaps you can relate?
With that, I continue to express the important life-lessons I’ve learned. Perhaps simply to reinforce for myself how I want to show up?
What I firmly believe is that one person can be, and plant, the seeds that blossom into a beautiful flower garden, or a great new way of being… or perhaps even a new movement to make a positive difference!
You could be that seed! I could be that seed! Each of us is a microcosm of the whole. The whole is a reflection of the behaviors of its collective microcosms. You and I are microcosms of our individual, unique communities, and the entire world.
One thing that can be done is to personally and fully behave in the manner you believe important to yourself, your community, and the world.
You, and I, can consciously strengthen personal values and behavior muscles each and every time we interact with others, behaving in alignment with our own vision of good in all of our interactions.
Also, there are many important personal values to consider for “muscle building.” Contemplate the following key behavior values for your personal “muscle building:”
Integrity? Humility? Accountability? Empathy? Compassion? Vulnerability? Inclusiveness? Listening? Authenticity? Determination? Love? Seeking and seeing the good? Not having to be right? Gratitude?
After reviewing the list, check in with yourself and write down, on a scale of 1-10, how well you rate yourself on each. You may want to add others to your list.
There are fourteen in all here. A perfect score would be a total of 140. As much as I would like to, I cannot claim even close to a perfect score for myself… and I’m working on it every day.
Whatever your score, there is an opportunity to become better; to step over personal judgements and honor and share the good in you. The well-worn saying applies here, “put your best foot forward.” In other words, acknowledge the good in you and show up and be yourself.
It’s the perfect way to make a positive difference in your personal circle and your microcosm.
On another level, volunteer for a local non-profit service organization or religious institution such as a church, synagogue, or ashram. Volunteering is making a difference.
Taking a stand for “better” in your local community is making a difference.
On a grander scale, consider gathering a few friends together to focus on ideas to make a difference in your community/microcosm. Another great way to make a difference.
Revered author, Margret Meade, famously noted: “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
Taking Meade’s words to heart changes impossible into possible… a doable task! The only question to answer is how you, or we, or I, choose to show up? What is it you choose to do? What do you see as a possible path forward?
The biggest challenge most of us face is past conditioning. Being told (and believing) it’s impossible. Being told, and/or believing, you’re not good enough. Procrastination or avoidance. Perhaps waiting or hoping that someone else will step forward.
In each case, the challenge is to get by the enormity, the messages of impossibility, the self-doubt, and to make something happen… if for no other reason than to discover that you, one unique individual, can make a positive difference. Do us all a favor, get out there and let your light shine even brighter and make a positive difference!
Ron Roesler
