Pastor Jim’s Blog | Trinity Lutheran Church

A Servant Life

Jul 18, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen…

“…anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Vocation is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s great hunger meet.” Frederick Buechner

“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” From Ecclesiastes 3

I recently had the honor of helping out at my mother-in-law’s memorial service. Deb’s mom, Sandra Lou (Qualey) Lund had lived in the same house in Menahga, Minnesota for 63 years. Our trip back was intended as a visit, a check-in, a time to lend a hand and help out. But Sandra’s rapid decline and death six days before our planned departure changed the nature of our trip. And several servants met us along the path.

Sandra was a planner, a sculptor of details when the need be. So, people had roles. Deb’s and my role was to plan the service and music for the memorial. Arriving in town on a Wednesday night and having a service on Friday morning meant planning needed to be done from afar.

As it turned out, the pastor of the church she was raised in was going out of town for a vacation and would not be there, but Pastor Jim (no, not that Pastor Jim) had several long calls with me and long emails as well, and conversations with his parish secretary to make sure when we arrived we would have everything in place, ready to go. He even stopped his motorcycle on the road in Colorado to call and make sure all was well, and provide a detail or two he’d forgotten. Servant 1.

When we arrived in Minneapolis, Deb’s friend Paula was to pick us up in the evening and house us for the night before Deb’s sister and brother-in-law arrived to take us north. In our haste, we forgot to negotiate Central Daylight Time, and Paula came out after midnight to pick us up! This is the woman who several times has picked Deb up at the airport, driven her the 3.5 hours north, dropped her off in Menahga, and then returned home. Just because. Servant 2.

As Laura Canby will attest, my video skills are, well, minimal. So, I had the audio all set up for the service and reception, but the slides the family was counting on had to get magically from my flash drive to the screen in a program I didn’t know. It was looking unlikely. Someone steered me to one of the tech people, who couldn’t help, but who steered me to Kevin, another tech person. (He happened to be on the job in Nevis, MN, Pastor Dennis and Jeri’s hometown!) A contractor who ran a pipe-fitting company, he left his job, drove 20 minutes and spent half an hour setting up the slide show for me. He barely knew Sandra, but it didn’t matter. Servant 3.

Marlene was ever-present. She opened the church office. She set up tables. She organized and served food. She answered everybody’s questions and welcomed all volunteer helpers. She showed me where to find things when I wandered in the church-office wilderness and helped clean up, till the last guest and family member was gone. (I think maybe her middle name was Robin…) Servant 4.

And servants 5, 6, and 7 are known as Sandra’s kids (Debbie, Cindy and Tommy in the old days) who stayed at her house, took her to the hospital, rubbed her back and washed her feet. Who sat up nights and called and talked, held her hand, managed her meds and money, and made personalized gifts of love. Who told stories of Sandra’s life of service to others, whether at the bank or the lumber yard, at the VFW club serving food and cleaning up, or making endless pans of bars for friends and shut-ins and making countless visits to the nursing home in town, even when she was not feeling the best herself.

Sandra had the heart of a servant, a strong desire for fairness and equality, and a strong faith in a loving servant God. None of these servants will probably win a Nobel Prize, or get the Presidential Medal of Honor. But their souls were generated by love, they met some small part of the world’s great hunger, and were happy to do good for others.

Sandra, you were a good and faithful servant. Well-lived, well done. Rest in peace. Sending love.

Click HERE to listen to The Servant Song

See you at the servants’ house on Sunday.
Love and blessings.
Karl

Hurt People Hurt People

Jul 14, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd…

Luke was a physician, a second-generation Christian. Though he authored the third Gospel (and the Acts of the Apostles) he never met Jesus. Both of his works were addressed to the same individual, Theophilus. His name means “lover of God.” Luke was most likely a Greek of extensive education whose use of language is rich and classical.

The sweep of Luke’s Gospel is indicative of one who spent extensive time with eyewitnesses to the life of Christ, from birth to post resurrection appearances and ascension. Luke is given over to an exquisite use of context. He wanted Theophilus (and us) to view God’s action in Jesus to be clearly seen in context, whether through Old Testament prophecy or in the drama of a given encounter. Given Luke’s professional training, his Gospel makes for rich moments surrounding Jesus as healer.

In Jesus’ day almost every physical ailment fell under the designation of demon possession. Which, in a perverse way, given the purity code, makes sense since an external ailment (acne?) was a sign of an internal sin. Which quite simply meant you were cut oﬀ from community.

Luke 11:14-26 oﬀers a fascinating example of a demon possessed mute, which serves as the context for an opportunity for Jesus to teach about how “a house cannot be divided against itself.” Selective mutism is sometimes an aﬀect of autism. Quite simply, one who is on the autism spectrum will simply choose not to speak. The physical ability is there, but without inspiration there is no desire or need to speak. In Jesus’ day the person would quite likely have been considered demon possessed.

Beyond speculation about medical diagnosis in Biblical times, what is easily understood is the consequence of pain, both physical and emotional. Pain transcends every age. People who are hurting, however unintentionally, often end up hurting other people. Hurt people hurt people. Listening is key; context is everything. Being able to not be put oﬀ by the hurtful stuﬀ to understand the story of someone’s pain can be profoundly healing. Or at least a prelude to someone’s healing.

“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him not to order them into the Abyss.” Luke 8:30-31.

I wonder, what was Legion’s story? I wonder, what was his terrible broken past with his acutely broken mental state? He was truly a man possessed, who experienced a dramatic healing which began with Jesus simply asking him his name. To share one’s name is to invite the listener into our story. Jesus gladly entered into his story and there was a healing. Legion wanted to follow Jesus, but he was instructed to return home and tell all that God had done for him. A hurt man no longer had to hurt others because God cared enough to enter into his story. His past did not have to dictate his future.

Tony was a filthy, smelly, street person who would walk into our church and scare the crap out of people. Besides his awful physical appearance, he was a flaming paranoid schizophrenic. My understanding was he was actually an adult child of someone in West Bellevue. He was Legion; quite simply it was an exercise in courage to be in his presence. I am no Jesus (a classic understatement?) but I tried to sit with Tony. I would instruct my secretary to retrieve me after 60 minutes. It was quite simply the outside maximum I could tolerate. For 60 minutes I would make Tony sit as I would endure Tony’s paranoid prattling without even seemingly taking a breath. I remember focusing on Tony’s filthy feet protruding through his soleless shoes. To be honest, I cannot tell you if I sat with Tony for his sake or for mine. Like I said, I am no Jesus.

I was never able to sketch together more than scant pieces of Tony’s story. I lacked context. I do not know if Tony is alive or dead now, lost in his acute diagnosis, or remaking a life medicated. I pray for him and am grateful that Jesus knows him. Luke, the physician, wrote of a similar hurt man who hurt people by his very presence; his name was Legion. Though both had been cut oﬀ from community, Jesus has saved both. That helps.

Pastor Tom

Marked with the Cross of Christ

Jul 13, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…

When we are baptized in the Christian Church the pastor says to us, “child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” What a beautiful statement – we have been marked with the cross of Christ forever.

This cross that we were marked with is not visible – it was made with water, or oil, on our foreheads at our baptism, and quickly faded from view. It left a damp mark for a few moments but was not visible in any of the family photos that commemorate that beautiful day. We are marked, but not for everyone to see.

We are marked in a deeper way. We are set aside in our relationship with Christ and with the Christian body – the church. We become a member of the family of Christ, always welcome, always forgiven, and never alone.

Perhaps when we hear the Gospel spoken on Sundays, remembering that we carry this mark helps the message to sink in a little deeper. When we come forward for communion and dip our fingers into the waters of the font, we cross ourselves and remember the mark that is there. The mark that lies far beneath the skin. The mark that reminds us that we are so deeply loved.

I chose to make this mark more visible for myself. Last week, I got a new tattoo on my forearm. Now every time I look down, I see this beautiful artwork and smile. I smile because it is beautiful, but also because it has such deep meaning for me.

The cross reminds me that I am loved. That no matter what hard things are happening in my life, God loves me. God cares about me, and God cares for me. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ.

I chose to have a Trinity symbol, or triquetra, woven into the cross to remind me of two things. First, of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, Jesus, and the Spirit are individual entities, yet at the same time they are all one. This is beyond my comprehension, which is ok with me. The Trinity symbol reminds me that it is not my place to know everything.

The second reason is more personal. The church in Everett that I grew up in was Trinity Lutheran Church. I then attended and graduated from Trinity Lutheran College. After graduation, I moved to Whidbey Island to serve at Trinity Lutheran Church. I have now been a part of three communities named Trinity; a trinity of Trinities. The tattoo reminds me of these amazing communities, each so different, and all so wonderful.

I enjoy sharing my new tattoo with friends and people that I meet, but really, I got it for me. I got this design, in this place, to be a visual reminder of the fact that I am sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ. That makes me smile.

Blessings,
Deacon Amy

Scholarship Thank You

Jul 12, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim and Luc Gandarias…

Luc Gandarias and his brother Gabe have grown up at TLC. Luc is a 2021 South Whidbey High School graduate and class valedictorian. Luc was awarded the TLC Ruby Scholarship. His name will be added to the long list of outstanding students who have received the four-year Ruby Scholarship. Luc will be attending the Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto this fall. We are proud of you, Luc!

Dear Trinity Lutheran family,

Where do I even begin. There has not been a moment in my life that Trinity was not a part of. I was baptized as a child here, and was a Menace to the Trinity Pre K program in my younger years. When I went blind though, Trinity and all of its loving patrons rushed to help both me and my family in any way you could, the type of help that only Trinity Lutheran patrons can give. For the rest of my elementary school years, I attended Sunday school, introducing me to the most interesting, and sometimes comical, Bible stories, and singing songs of Praise with pastor Jerry. Confirmation however, is when my faith truly began to deepen. I loved exploring the history of our faith, and many of the finer points that were not considered in Sunday school. Perhaps some of my most prized memories from middle school are watching those silly Bible videos, or simply reading and discussing the Bible together in class, or traveling to various other places of worship. These experiences gave me a better appreciation for my own faith, as well as its connections and overlaps with others. I guess what I’m trying to get across is that Trinity has always been the hands and feet of God in my life working with and for me in ways that were not always visible to me at the time. This recent scholarship is simply a continuation of your generosity, and one that I could not possibly be more grateful for. Though I will be looking for a new physical church/worship group while I am attending Stanford, there is no home in Christ like Trinity, and I will be continuing to watch Paster Jim’s sermons online.

You, this church family, have been tremendously good to both me and my family, and when I inevitably return to settle down here, I hope to give back in the way you have given so generously to me.

Love,
Lucien Gandarias

Serendipity

Jul 10, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

My daughters are busy preparing for the Whidbey Island Fair. After not having a fair last year, it seems all the more exciting this year. They are busily training, bathing, grooming, and prepping their animals. They are also studying, learning, and preparing themselves. It is a lot of work, but it is something that we all look forward to all year long. The fair is the culmination of their 4H year. Most of the decisions that are made, and the hours that are put into their project animals throughout the year, are directed toward the fair.

Both girls started showing dairy goats ten years ago. They’ve both also added Pack Goats to their scope of interest. We have learned a lot about pack goats in the past few years. These goats tend to have a more sturdy build than a typical dairy goat. The intention is to have them carry a pack, up to about 25% of their bodyweight, while hiking through the trails. It turns out that goats make pretty great pack animals. They’re very sure-footed, most have fairly good dispositions, and they seem to enjoy the adventures.

When my kids started showing pack animals, they used a couple of the dairy goats that we already had. Recently, Ava has been thinking about investing in a new goat, specifically for use as a pack goat. She’s put a lot of thought into what type of goat she wants, the body characteristics that she’s looking for, the size, age, and temperament of animal that will be just right for her pack shows.

While she was still making plans, an incredible opportunity came her way. I had a couple contact me because they are moving out of the country and need to find good homes for their goats before they leave. It turns out that one of these goats is pretty much exactly what Ava has been dreaming of. She’s a very sweet goat with an excellent conformation for a pack animal. She’s not skittish, she can walk and climb over anything, and she is kind, too. As a bonus, she comes with a lovely older gentleman pasture-mate who will be a great addition to our herd. Ava was thrilled when I mentioned the possibility of bringing this pair home. When we went out to meet them, it was love at first sight. Ava couldn’t quit smiling for the rest of the evening.

Esmee came home to our farm this week. The move was emotional for her human companions; it is obvious that they care deeply for their animals. They delivered her to us so that they could see where she’ll be living. They got to meet all of our other goats, and the dogs who protect them. They got to see their climbing structures and toys, and they got to watch my daughters interact with their beloved pets. They were content that this will be a good fit for their sweet goats. We are thrilled to have them join our herd.

I just love these serendipitous events. Ava had dreams and plans, and this family had a need to find a good home for their furry friends. Luckily for all of us, Ava’s plans and their needs fit together nicely. Esmee and her friend, Chocco, will live out the rest of their years as members of Happy Tails Farm. A happy next chapter for all involved.

Deacon Amy

A Tee Ball Kind of Church

Jul 7, 2021 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

Felicia and I went to a Tee Ball game last night. It was a great opportunity to see our grandsons, and to watch preschoolers performing amazing athletic feats while wearing their finest baseball regalia. The sun was warm, the grass was green, parents and grandparents sat on the edge of their seats as the little ones took center stage participating in America’s pastime. It was a perfect evening for baseball, as the Orange team took the field and the Blue team came up to bat.

If you are not familiar with Tee Ball, it is the entry level of baseball. There is no pitching as the ball is placed on a tee and waits there for the mighty swing of a slightly coordinated 5-year-old. The batted balls roll out to mostly unsuspecting infielders. Three aggressive players scurry after the ball, tackling each other and attempting to steal the ball from their teammates. Meanwhile, most of the defenders are watching a bug in the grass, looking for a spot to pee, or waving to their adoring fans.

When a ground ball was fielded the defender would throw the ball without rhyme or reason in almost any direction. Consequently, after three innings of play and dozens of at bats, there had not been a single out in the game. That is when it happened. Do you believe in miracles? Could it be a coincidence if three highly unlikely events took place all at once?

The batted ball rolled slowly toward the infielder. She was not only paying attention at that moment but she picked the ball up. She took aim, her arm moved rhythmically toward first base. The ball cut through the evening air. On first base a little boy waited for the ball to arrive. Two eyes and three feet of body were focused for the first time all night. The glove was extended, the ball came to rest in there, and the runner was OUT.

Cheers followed from proud grandparents and fathers who were sure now that their kid would soon be signing a multi-million-dollar contract with the Mariners. The runner was out and then came GRACE. The runner was allowed to stay on first base. He confidently brushed the dust off of his pants, adjusted his batting helmet, and with the crack of the next bat he was off to second base. Ultimately, he would score. Like every runner before and since, he would cross home plate and return to the dugout as a hero.

That’s when I realized that TLC is a TEE BALL kind of church. We are all in the game but we are not in competition with each other. Some sing, some bake cookies, some cry, some laugh, some are just mindlessly smelling the flowers. And everyone is welcome. And all efforts are appreciated. And if someone throws the ball in the wrong direction, or runs the wrong way, there is no need to judge them. We can just take their hand and guide them to first base — to the communion rail or to the coffee hour.

Tee Ball and TLC are marked by GRACE. God has extended grace to us and we are called to be graceful to others. All week long you function in a world of law and competition. But grace is spoken at TLC. That grace makes TLC a safe place, a place where people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and political persuasions are welcome.

May God bless you this week, and this Sunday, I would encourage you to come to the place where everybody’s welcome and grace is spoken.

Love,
Pastor Jim