Jun 1, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. It runs contrary to our life experience. We live in a transactional world; the cosmos owes us nothing, the Declaration of Independence only promises us “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Success or failure is mostly up to us, hard work and sound decisions give us a better chance of achieving our goals. We live in a transactional world; we earn an educational degree or a promotion, we work hard for a paycheck, we earn the respect and trust of others by our actions. We live in a transactional world; mostly reaping what we sow. Even the love we share with others is in the end transactional. In the world we live in, the reward comes after the achievement.
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. “For no human being will be justified in God’s sight by deeds prescribed by the law.” Romans 3:20.
Grace is unearned, undeserved, it cannot be bought or sold. God’s grace is not swayed by our good deeds or misdeeds. 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. Most religious people have no use for such grace. This cheap grace is offensive to those who take pride in their resumes. Goodness never enters the equation. How could God possibly put known sinners on par with good religious people? We live in a transactional world, but we worship a non-transactional God.
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. “There is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Does it matter then what we do? Not when it comes to our salvation. God’s grace is sufficient for us. You either earn your salvation or you don’t, and the Bible is clear that we can’t earn God’s favor. Does it matter then, what we do? The answer must be yes! Though you do not have the ability to ruin God’s day, you most certainly have the ability to ruin yours. More than that, those daily freewill decisions have the power to enhance or destroy the quality of life of those that you love the most. We live in a transactional world; where good decisions tend to bear good fruit, where honesty and faithfulness make for healthier relationships. Living with integrity and loving your neighbor won’t punch your ticket to heaven, but it will make your life better.
I want to encourage you to live a grace infused life. Live joyfully knowing that you are loved, forgiven and never alone. Show your gratitude to God for receiving the reward at the beginning of the journey and be set free to pay that grace forward.
“Mine is the Church where everybody’s welcome, I know it’s true cause I got through the door.”
One beggar telling another 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]
May 25, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”
Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868. The country was still reeling from the staggering devastation of the Civil War.
Americans died at an alarming rate in the Civil War. On September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Antietam—there were 15,000 casualties– in the first 8 hours. At Gettysburg in July of 1864, 7,863 American soldiers were killed in three days of warfare. The numbers are staggering, especially when we consider that there were only 31 million people living in the United States during the Civil War- less than one tenth of the current US population. No community, indeed, hardly a single family was left unscarred.
In May of 1868, it was hoped that Memorial Day would help to heal a broken country. A country that had sacrificed an entire generation of its young men. That first Memorial Day was set aside to decorate the graves of the soldiers and to keep their memory alive. One hundred and fifty-six years later we are still burying our war dead. We are still honoring their sacrifice and memory on this Memorial Day Weekend.
How can we truly honor the sacrifice of someone who gave their very life for us? What tribute could we offer to parents whose daughters and sons were cut down in the prime of life?
During the First World War, Ernest Hemingway was too young for the military, so he volunteered to serve in Italy as an ambulance driver with the American Red Cross. In June 1918, while running a mobile canteen dispensing chocolate and cigarettes for soldiers, he was wounded by Austrian mortar fire. The great world war would become known as “the war to end all war” so horrific were the battles, so devasting to all of humanity. On Monday, May 26, 1919, our nation once again observed Memorial Day. Grieving citizens gathered around freshly dug graves, silent crosses in Europe marked the final resting place of a new generation of patriots.
Unfortunately, the waring madness would not cease with the war to end all war. The lessons of World War 1 would be followed a generation later with a second World War. Some years later Ernest Hemingway, the great American author and firsthand witness to the horrors of war would pen these words:
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
How can we honor the fallen heroes who have given us freedom? Would a day off from work be sufficient? Would a beach walk or a picnic or baseball game be the best way to pay them back for giving their lives for us? Or might they appreciate it more if their sacrifice had indeed brought an end to warfare? With their dying breath would they pray for a holiday in their honor, or might they pray that no one would ever have to experience what they had experienced?
“And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.” Bob Dylan
I wish you a most blessed holiday. I pray that you might take a moment this weekend to offer a prayer for peace in our troubled world. I would also invite you to join me at a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 27 at 11 a.m. at the Clinton Cemetery at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church.
One beggar telling another 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]
May 18, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
2700 years ago, Hezekiah was the King of Israel. The masterpiece of his Kingdom was the Holy City of Jerusalem, the City of David. Built at the top of Mount Zion in the Judaean hills, Jerusalem had one primary water source: the Gihon Spring. King Hezekiah understood that this made Jerusalem vulnerable to invading armies. 2400 years before the founding of the United States, King Hezekiah challenged his engineers to solve the problem by carving a tunnel through the bedrock under the City of David. The S shaped tunnel would span 1,750 feet bringing the water of the Gihon into the city. The water tunnel helped Jerusalem survive the siege of the Assyrian army in 701 BCE. The Bible made mention of this engineering marvel on more than one occasion.
“This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.” 2 Chronicles 32:30
Over the past 30 years I have taken groups to Israel. We visit the City of David which is now just outside the walls of the old city. If our schedule cooperates, our pilgrims are given the opportunity to walk through the ancient water tunnel. It is an Indiana Jones experience that most groups and most pilgrims do not experience. After a considerable descent below the City of David, the entrance to the tunnel draws near. The sound of running water echoes through the bedrock and then it is time to wade into the darkness. There are no lights in the water tunnel, total darkness will accompany you on the journey unless you bring a flashlight. The water runs ankle to knee deep. The walls are moist, still bearing the marks of the chisels that formed the tunnel. The ceiling above you ranges from about 5’ to 15’. Once you step into the tunnel there is no going back, the 30 minute journey only goes one way. Finally, one sees light at the end of the tunnel, and you emerge into the sun-drenched Pool of Siloam. It is an adventure that few embark on and is impossible to forget.
Reflecting on Hezekiah’s water tunnel this week, it seems to offer a metaphor for our lives. How often we commit to a journey of faith toward an end that cannot be seen. How often we set out into waters descending into the darkness of the unknown. Couples step into marriage making promises for life. Parents rejoice at the birth of children, not realizing just how long and twisting the tunnel ahead will be. We chart a course of treatment for cancer, unsure if there will be light at the end of the tunnel. We come face to face with our own mortality and we wonder what waits for us on the other side of death.
Hezekiah’s water tunnel and life only move in one direction, there is no going back, there is no return to the beginning or to days whose stories have already been written. Knee deep in running water, darkness surrounding us, we have never been in this tunnel, we don’t know what is around the next curve, but we move on toward the promised light. We have faith in ancient engineers who plotted the course. We have faith in a God that we cannot see, in a God whose existence cannot be proven. We find comfort in the presence of wet footed wanderers who share the pathway. One step at a time, always moving forward, beholding the beauty of even the darkness, knowing that we have been gifted with this moment, we believe that we too will one day arrive and bathe in the warmth of the sun.
One beggar telling another 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]
May 11, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:12
I had never met her before that traumatic day in the hospital. I had never met her as the winter of 1959 grew old and the decade of the 1950’s marched toward the history books. I had never met her, though her voice was familiar. I had never met her; her facial expressions were unrecognizable to me. She held me close, it felt good, I was comforted by the touch of her skin, there was an unexplained security to be found in her arms, in the arms of a stranger. Helpless, unable to care for myself, I had no choice but to rely on this stranger, my very life in her hands.
52 years later her mind and body racked by Parkinson’s I sat with her at the Oak Crest nursing home in the town where she was born. We exchanged tender words, she was mostly helpless, unable to care for herself, my hand gave her comfort. As the visit neared an end, I kissed her cheek and said, “We are going to leave now Mom.” She said, “Do you want me to come with you?” “No Mom you are fine here.” She smiled and said, “I will be coming home later.” Three weeks later she came home, she returned to the one who had knit her together in her mother’s womb in the Springtime of 1930.
“For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
What does it mean that your first experience in this world finds you utterly helpless and totally reliant on another person? What does it mean that someone who does not know you, puts her life on the line for you? What does it mean that someone who does not know you, someone who cannot recognize your face, loves you upon arrival? We do nothing to earn or deserve the love that we receive as we emerge from the darkness of the womb.
I suspect that we carry too much fear and anxiety about our ultimate demise. Did we experience dread as our time in the womb was approaching the birthing hour? Death looms as an ominous, unescapable enemy, it stalks and haunts us. Even when life in this world has lost its luster, even when our world has become small and burdensome, still the unknown journey to the other side troubles us. Could it be that we give death too much power, and in the granting of that power we unknowingly diminish the quality of our lives?
I had never met her before that traumatic day in the hospital. I had never met her, I had never met my father, the doctor who ushered me into this world was unknown to me, the nurse who bathed me I would never see again. I was helpless, unable to live on my own, I had no choice but to trust in something outside of myself. I had no choice but to trust in the one who knit me together in my mother’s womb. It is OK my friends; it will all be OK. Like every generation before us and yet to come, we will cross over safe into the hands of our mother God. Do not be afraid, for you are loved, you are forgiven, and you will never be alone.
Before I had taken a breath, she had put her life on the line for me. Thanks Mom! I will see you on the other side.
One beggar telling another 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]
May 8, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.” Philippians 1:3
I would like to personally invite you to worship on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26th. This will be the first Sunday using our traditional summer schedule with worship services at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. It will be a day of great celebration as we welcome the Summer of 2024 and give thanks for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us. It will be a day to remember those who lost their lives in the defense of freedom. The Trinity Choir will be singing for a final time before taking a much-earned break over the Summer. This will also be the last time that the Choir will sing under the direction of our Minister of Music Karl Olsen.
Karl began directing the choir as a volunteer in the early 1990’s. In September of 1998 he took a Sabbatical from the Coupeville Schools to work three quarter time at Trinity Lutheran Church. Karl would complete the Sabbatical, but he would never return to the Coupeville Schools. We have been blessed beyond measure by the musical offerings and tender perspectives that Karl has so generously shared with us. He is a most talented musician, songwriter, storyteller, and performer. He has the gift of encouragement, the ability to bring out the very best in all of us, to come alongside people with varied skill sets and to assist them in song, dance, and musical recitals. Beyond that, Karl is a wonderful person with a pastoral heart, he cares, and it shows. On Sunday, May 26th we will be honoring Karl for his 30 plus years of service directing the choir. I would invite you to help us fill the sanctuary that day in appreciation to God and to Karl. There will be a festive coffee hour that morning and a basket for cards on the welcome table in the narthex.
Please note that Karl is retiring from directing the choir, but he is not retiring from Trinity Lutheran Church. He will continue to lead worship, singing on Sunday mornings and at funerals. We are saying “THANKS” not goodbye. We have been for some time in the process of identifying a new TLC Choir Director. We will also be hiring a new Choir Accompanist as Sheila will no longer be serving in that role. Sheila will continue her work as our Bell Choir Director, Organist, and worship accompanist. We thank Sheila for her good and faithful service to the choir and to the church. We have much to be thankful for as we move forward in faith to the next chapter in the history of Trinity Lutheran Church.
I so hope to see you on May 26th at 8:00 am or 10:00 am.
One beggar telling another 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]
May 4, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Golf is not a game of perfect.” Bob Rotella
I grew up on the golf course. In the first decade of my golfing life, golf was about competition. Competition against myself and competition against other players. There are no defensive players in golf, there is no one in your way, preventing you from hitting your best shot or playing your best game. Golf is a profound mental exercise. Arnold Palmer once said, “Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears.” Golf is a mental game that rewards those who practice. Nothing can take the place of muscle memory; muscle memory can only be developed with repetition. Consequently, golfers spend long hours hitting balls on a practice range, practicing a variety of shots, and practicing putts from varied distances. Golfing great Gary Player said, “The more I practice the luckier I get.”
In the fall of 1978, I found myself on a NCAA Division 1 golf team, walking the fairways of some of the best golf courses in the world and competing against outstanding college amateurs. Physically all was good, mentally I was done. I had lost the desire to compete. The competition was no longer fun. The errant shots brought me more angst than the good shots brought joy. When the game ceased to be a game, a good walk turned into a good walk spoiled. At that point pretty much all competition was removed from my life. I enjoy playing Candyland with my grandkids now, but then again, I am not trying to win.
Competition was over, but practice continued. Soon my life would be consumed with religious practice. Repetitive rituals of liturgies, weddings, funerals, prayers, and preaching. Somewhere along the line I realized that I was not alone in my practice; my doctor was in family practice, my lawyer was in legal practice, my dentist had a dental practice, my account was in an accounting practice and every Wednesday night the choir practiced. Most everyone was practicing something. From sports to marriage, from parenting to professional endeavors, everyone was practicing. Practice implies occasional failure on the road to improved results. When life is consumed in the pursuit of perfection or in competition which creates winners and losers, then inevitably imperfect humans like us will be given over to despair or frustration. Soon this earthly journey, a gift from God, becomes a graceless slog. Like golf, a good walk spoiled. Life is not about mastery, there is not a single thing in life that I have mastered. Perhaps life is just about practicing, practicing every day. Practicing kindness, practicing forgiveness, practicing tolerance, practicing the piano, practicing yoga, practicing prayer, practicing generosity, never expecting perfection.
Practice not perfection. A few weeks ago, I pulled off an accomplishment rare to seasoned preachers. Karl was there, he can attest to this considerable feat. On a joyful Sunday morning, I achieved a trifecta of joke telling failures by including three jokes that fell flat in a single sermon. To my credit I kept practicing and experienced similar results at all three services. Had it been golf I might have thrown a club, had it been a competition I would have lost, but I was just practicing life, and a friendly crowd of parishioners gave me love after the sermon.
Golf is not a game of perfect. Don’t expect perfect my friends, cut yourself a break, enjoy the journey and keep practicing.
One beggar telling another 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]
