Jan 20, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
To be quite honest, I have no idea what waits for us on the other side. Will the streets be paved with gold? Will there be streets at all? If there are heavenly choirs, would they have room for one like me who cannot carry a tune in a bucket? To be quite honest, the Bible has very little to say about heaven, and I have no real concept in my head of what eternal life on the other side might look like. But I am quite sure that we will only live once in this world. Our time on Earth is finite, not infinite. We will only pass this way once and that makes this a limited and precious resource. Recently, I had lunch with Bob Olson. In the final chapter of his long and productive life, he is quite reflective. Life is not easy for anyone Bob’s age, aging is not for the faint of heart. Our lunch was placed in front of us, we shared a prayer and then Bob said, “Every day is a gift, what are you going to do with the gift?”
I was looking for my golf ball. Had it been where it was supposed to be I would not have had to look for it. The ball was last seen headed for a small stream far left of the fairway. Eyes peeled, I scanned the water for a dimple, I looked in the mud for an entry hole. Keep in mind I have been honing these skills for 55 years. Then I was startled by a frog. The frog was crossing the stream with intention. I watched him swim for a moment, and then I noticed a leaf as it slowly passed the frog and me. It was caught in the current of the steam, no intention, no destination in mind, it was simply aimlessly going with the flow. To quote the great theologian and philosopher Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
The confluence of these two events got me thinking a lot about the importance of intention. I have stood waist deep in the Jordan River many times over the past 28 years. Trinity Pilgrims dressed in white, stumble into the water, shocked by cool temperature. They meet me there where Jesus once met John the Baptist. They have come to be baptized or to renew their baptisms. We talk briefly about their life in faith and why this moment is so important to them. Some were baptized as babies, carried by parents who have long since crossed over to the other side. When the moment is right, I ask them a simple question, “Is it your intention to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of your life?” Once they have answered in the affirmative, they are immersed in the waters and arise to a tearful hug.
If you only had a few weeks to live, would you live with intention? Would you consider more deeply your daily choices, the people you wanted to spend that time with, the cards that you would write, would text messages be replaced with phone calls or visits? Are we more like the frog crossing the stream, eyes focused on the other side, or are we more like the leaf, aimlessly going with the flow? This new year has just begun, the challenges and opportunities of 2024 are before us. I would encourage to answer the question that I ask in the Jordan River, is it your intention to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of your life? That confession of faith should lead us to live life with greater intention. For we are called by our baptism to ministry. Wherever God puts you this day, is your place of Christian ministry.
In all honesty, I have no idea what waits on the other side, I can trust God for that, but I do know that my days here are numbered and Bob Olson’s words echo in my mind, “Every day is a gift, what are you going to do with the gift?”
Live with intention my friends. Never ignore the gift that God has given you and do not ignore the calling that God has entrusted to you.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
Contact Pastor Jim if you have questions at [email protected]
Jan 13, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
”Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Trinity Lutheran Church gives a lot of money away each week, each month, each year. In the past 5 years alone, we have given away more than $2,000,000. That money has made a difference in the lives of your neighbors on Whidbey Island and God’s children across the vast expanses of the earth. Blessed to be a Blessing – we give money away cheerfully and thankfully. Generous giving is one of the privileges that come with accumulated wealth. Of course, Trinity Lutheran Church is not a building, it is a gathering of people. The building does not send this money out into the world to do good, you do, we do it together. Jesus talked about money much more often than I do. On this January morning as we wade into the waters of 2024, I don’t want to talk about money.
“God loves a cheerful giver.” I want to talk about your stewardship of the renewable resources that God has entrusted to you. Resources that are abundant, endless in fact, and totally free. I love the word “free.” Everyday you have the opportunity to share words of kindness. You will never run out of smiles by giving them away; hugs and handshakes, good wishes and common courtesies are at your disposal. The supply is endless and free. Having said that, being a good steward of these free gifts is a discipline, a decision, a choice. Sharing these simple renewable resources should be at the top of our daily “to do list.” Like most practices, this giving gets easier over time, it becomes a part of your DNA, and the more you sow the more you will reap. Scatter those smiles to the wind and they will come back to you. Of course, the opposite is true also, share your frowns, complaints, and bad attitude freely and you will reap the same in return. This is not God’s judgment; this is just the way it works.
Common everyday acts of kindness pay tremendous dividends. Your acquaintances will look forward to seeing you, you will be known as one who is generous, thoughtful, and considerate. You blood pressure will go down, and you will find life to be much sweeter if you stay on the sunny side of life. This does not just happen, it happens with intention, we set out to do it, we practice it and over time it is like riding a bicycle.
The new year is upon us, it is not too late for life changing resolution: to share an attitude of gratitude, to smile more, to be more considerate, to be more patient, to choose compliments over complaints. What is this going to cost you? Nothing! God loves a cheerful giver and this giving is absolutely free.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
Contact Pastor Jim if you have questions at [email protected]
Jan 6, 2024 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to weep and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3
Felicia was born in Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in the Spring of 1962. The hospital was not far from the rent-controlled apartment where her father and uncles had been raised by Irene and Joe Brown. Grandma Irene lived in the same apartment for the better part of 50 years. The neighborhood was made up of immigrants, most of them Jewish. Grandma Irene was short in stature, but she had a big heart, she valued tradition, and she was uncommonly wise. There was little need for Irene to leave the neighborhood, her life and her community were there. Both sides of Felicia’s family were faithful practicing Jews. When Felicia was born, she was the first grandchild, a beacon of hope for the future, a child of Jewish traditions, her great-grandfather was a Rabbi.
By the time I came around Grandpa Joe had died, a few more grandchildren had arrived, and Grandma Irene was old but going strong. The firstborn granddaughter was 15 years old, 800 miles from Brooklyn, in the cornfields of Northern Illinois, when she began dating a Lutheran boy from the same high school. Felicia loved her grandmother and in the days before social media she would actually sit down and write her letters, slipping a photo in the envelope from the latest DeKalb High School homecoming or prom dances. Grandma Irene’s response was succinct, “It is nice that you have friends who are Christian.” The word “friends” was not underlined but the message was loud and clear. Grandma Irene, understandably so, wanted her firstborn granddaughter to be married to a nice Jewish boy. It would be quite scandalous in Brooklyn if she were to marry outside of the traditions and bloodlines of Judaism.
After nearly four years of dating, a ring was given and a proposal was accepted, an engagement was announced, and a date was set for a wedding in the summer of 1982 to be held at First Lutheran Church. Though invited to the wedding, Grandma Irene would decline to attend, she informed her granddaughter that instead of attending she would “sit shiva” for Felicia. Shiva is derived from the word “sheva,” which means seven. According to Jewish custom, all mirrors in the apartment would be covered, shoes would not be worn, friends dressed in black would stop by over a seven day period to mourn the death of Irene’s firstborn grandchild. I think that I was too young, to immature to understand the depth of Grandma’s pain, the disappointment that this Lutheran boy had brought upon a good Jewish family was real.
The wedding date came and passed, after a quick honeymoon and Felicia and I were off to Luther Seminary. Grandma Irene invited us to visit her in Brooklyn that next summer. From the moment we arrived I was her new best friend. She made food for me, I would sit at the kitchen table in her tiny apartment and listen to her stories, she fed me some more, and then she started cooking for me again. I like to eat, so we got along fine. One afternoon she called the superintendent to take care of a minor problem, he came right away, and before he left, she gave him some money. I asked, “Why did you pay him, isn’t that what he is supposed to do?” She said, “I did not pay him, I gave him a tip (TIP: To Insure Promptness) the tip was for next time, to make sure he shows up. I may really need him next time.” When our girls started arriving, the next generation of Jewish/Lutheran granddaughters, Grandma Irene did something truly amazing, she left the neighborhood in Brooklyn and crossed the country to visit us in Washington. She loved me like one of her own.
There is a profound wisdom that Grandma Irene imparted to us and modeled for us. I might summarize the lesson this way, “Sit Shiva and get over it.” The love that we have for our children and grandchildren makes us most vulnerable. We are prone to disappointment, grief, maybe even shame. Grandma Irene did everything she could to stop the wedding, to maintain Jewish traditions, to save her granddaughter and perhaps to save face. In the end she could not stop the love story, the loss was great but she would compound the loss by losing her granddaughter altogether. She had a choice, love her granddaughter and accept this Lutheran boy into the family or lose her granddaughter altogether. Grandma Irene would “sit shiva and get over it.”
Sometimes we cannot understand why our children or grandchildren would break from long-held traditions. We may be mystified by gender distinctions, pronoun identification, sexual orientation, religious practices, or political affiliations. Sometimes life just does not play out as we had planned or hoped. If that happens, take a page out of Grandma Irene’s playbook: sit shiva, acknowledge the grief, feel it, take comfort from your friends and family, but then dust yourself off and get over it. Remember, you have loved that child from the day that they were born, and now you will either keep loving them or you will lose them. Your love for that child should not be dependent upon your understanding of their lifestyle choices.
Grandma Irene became my best friend and I have done my best to take care of her granddaughter.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
Contact Pastor Jim if you have questions at [email protected]
Dec 30, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
The words of Jesus, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29
The year is coming to an end, 2023 will slip silently into the history books replaced by a new year and a predictable rhythm of monotony, adventure, and uncertainty. The end of the year was wearing on me, a flare up of bursitis was making sleep less than restful, full calendars were interrupted by death, which added grief and funerals to the mix. The end of the year was wearing on me and then I was stopped in my tracks by an unplanned interaction. Every day I see dozens of people, some need family or spiritual counsel, others just need an ear, a prayer, or a hug.
The conversation in the cereal aisle of Payless began as many do: “Pastor Jim, how are you?” My usual response would be, “never been better,” but the end of the year was wearing on me. I replied, “All things considered, I am fine.” The unexpected response gave me cause for reflection. “So, you have not been busy, you must have lots of time on your hands?” Quizically, I said, “It has been very busy.” The man smiled and said, “Then certainly you have not had the time or capacity to do that.” “To do what?” I asked. “To consider all things. That is a serious undertaking. And I am guessing that if you really had the time and capacity to consider all things that your response to my question would have been different.”
The day moved on from there, I returned to the church with my oatmeal, but my mind was stalled in that earlier conversation. Mentally spinning, I reflected upon the profound framing of my life journey as offered by a casual happenstance meeting in the aisle at Payless. Had I considered all things? Had I ever considered all things? The end of the year had been a little challenging, but those challenges were most certainly first world in nature. Had I ever considered all things? I was born in a land of freedom and opportunity. Neither were earned by me, rather, they were given to me by the blood of patriots, by the sacrifice of my parents and by the visionary foresight of our nation’s founders. I have eaten fruit from many trees, but I have yet to plant a tree myself. I have driven on roads constructed by others. The schools I attended were built and paid for mostly by those who came before me. I do not have food insecurity, my home is comfortable, hot water arrives on demand, technology connects me with the world and my neighbors on Whidbey Island live and work in relative safety. Like the lily of the field, very little of what I have and what I have become can be credited to my hard work or wisdom.
If I really had time to consider all things, then I would be able to recognize that I have been blessed to a degree unknown to previous generations and to most of the world today. I have it better than 99% of the humans who have gone before me. All things considered, I guess that makes me a one percenter. Blessed to be a Blessing!
All things considered or should I say many things considered, I am more than fine, and it is time to pay it back and to pay it forward. May 2024 be a year of generosity, gratitude, and careful consideration of the many blessings that have come our way. Happy New Year!
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
Contact Pastor Jim if you have questions at [email protected]
Dec 22, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
There is no shortage of sad stories, two Kleenex boxes have permanent residence in my office, urns and cremains surround me waiting silently for their slow procession to the columbarium. Every human journey is marked by illness and accident, death in season and out, love lost and bitter betrayal. There is no escape, our ability to elude the human condition is nothing more than an illusion, an illusion which ultimately gives way to reality, as the frail nature of our bodies, our minds and our relationships begin to decay. I have made peace with it, mostly, there is a time to be born and a time to die. The diminishing sands of the hourglass are humbling but they hold no particular horror for me.
But I am overtaken by a profound sadness when our loss or loneliness is a by-product of our egos, unforced errors, a brokenness unrelated to our shared fragility. In January 1974, guitarist Don Felder was asked to join a country rock band called the Eagles. The Eagles would become superstars with classic hits like “Hotel California,” “I Can’t Tell You Why,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Take it Easy,” and many more. Don Felder was a rock star, the Eagles sold millions of records and each member of the band made millions of dollars. For 27 years Don Felder would be associated with the Eagles, touring the world, and recording and then in 2001 it all fell apart. Felder and Eagles founders Glenn Frey and Don Henley would spend several years in court arguing about money. The case would be settled out of court, but soon new lawsuits were filed. There would be no more harmony for the men whose beautiful harmonies helped define the music of the 1970’s.
In January 2016, Glenn Frey would die of natural causes at the age of 68. The day after Frey’s death, Felder told the Associated Press that he felt an “unbelievable sorrow. I had always hoped somewhere along the line, he and I would have dinner together, talking about old times and letting it go with a handshake and a hug.” Perhaps, a phone call or a letter or an olive branch of any kind would have made that dinner, that handshake and that hug a reality, if either man had swallowed their pride, perhaps they could have let it go. But once that final breath is taken, it is too late.
The words of one of the Eagles hits came to mind:
“Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it’s too late.”
There is no shortage of sad stories, many of them are an unavoidable part of living. But I find these words to be hauntingly tragic, “I had always hoped somewhere along the line, he and I would have dinner together, talking about old times and letting it go with a handshake and a hug.”
Maybe we can learn from the sad words of an aging rock star, just maybe these words can help us to change our story, to carry less burdens, to let go of bitterness and to die without the regrets of missed reconciliation.
That is enough for this Saturday.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Dec 16, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
My mother spent a lot of time worrying. She worried every time her children left home. After 9/11 when I set off on a tour to Europe she sent me a sweatshirt bearing the flag of Canada. She said, “I will feel better if you wear this every day, no one hates the Canadians.” She worried every time I went to Israel. When I was in High School, or college or in the Holy Land she asked me to check in. “I just need to hear your voice and know that you are OK.” With the holidays just around the corner, the importance of “checking in” cannot be overstated.
Some twenty years ago, Russell Hicks played the drums in our “Breaded Fish” worship band. He was a World War Two veteran. One day he stopped by my office, we shared a cup of coffee and then the conversation turned to his service in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2. Hicks was a 19-year-old Seaman First Class from the great state of Iowa and served on the battleship Missouri. The Missouri would take part in the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, she would be a part of the attack force on the Japanese home island and she was the Flagship for the Pacific Fleet. The Pacific Fleet was under the command of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey. Bull Halsey was a legendary leader of men, a skilled military strategist, and is one of only four men who have ever achieved the rank of Five-Star Fleet Admiral in the history of the United States Navy.
On a rare peaceful day in the Pacific in the Fall of 1944, Seaman First Class Russell Hicks was ordered to Admiral Halsey’s office on the Missouri. He entered at full attention, having never been in the Admiral’s presence, much less in his office. He was seated in front of the wooden desk, with papers and telegrams neatly ordered. Admiral Halsey said, “Seaman Hicks are you happy serving on this ship?” Hicks replied, “Yes sir, it is an honor to serve.” Halsey continued, “Have you enough food, time for rest, time to sleep?” The young sailor said, “Yes sir, all is good sir.”
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 Halsey then held up a letter, “Do you know what this is sailor?” “No sir.” Halsey displayed the front of the envelope, “This is a letter from your mother in Iowa. She sent it to me asking me if her son was still alive. Though I am happy that you are currently alive, I am not happy to be getting letters from your mother. So let me tell you how this is going to go sailor. Every Monday and Thursday without fail by fifteen hundred hours, there will be a letter on the corner of my desk from you addressed to your mother. And if you miss even a single day, you will no longer enjoy your time in the Navy. You will not have time to eat or sleep or use the bathroom. Have I made myself clear Hicks?” “Yes sir, very clear.”
A year later, on September 2nd, 1945, the Missouri would be in Tokyo Bay as the Japanese surrendered and the World War came to an end. Russell Hicks’ mother was well informed that her son was alive. ET also wanted to phone home. Lost in an alien world, ET wanted to let the aliens back home know that he was safe. Checking in is important. Who do you need to check in with this holiday season? Who would love to hear your voice? I would very much like to check in with my mother, to hear her voice once again, but that door has closed. Now is the time for you to check in with someone. Halsey understood the value of checking in, may our lives be informed by that wisdom.
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
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