Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
I have had the privilege of visiting some of the most amazing cathedrals in Europe, awe inspiring worship spaces, spires that reach toward heaven lifting the eyes and spirits of God’s people, churches gilded in gold and adorned with priceless renaissance paintings and sculptures chiseled by great masters. It is truly amazing what humans are capable of.
Many of these magnificent cathedrals were built by an institution that used superstition to extort money from peasants, by governments that enslaved the citizens of the new world to extract gold and silver from their land. The bloody spoils of oppression crossed the Atlantic to finance opulent edifices glorifying the rich at the expense of those created in the image of God. It is amazing what humans are capable of; there is not a living thing in God’s creation that has the same creativity and imagination as humans. Our potential for good and evil is unrivaled. Human history continues to unfold much as it did in Biblical times. Powerbrokers use whatever means necessary to enhance their wealth, afflicting those in poverty and sending the young off to fight wars.
Jesus witnessed the sweet spirit of human love, Jesus modeled this love by washing feet, touching the untouchable, feeding the hungry and healing the sick. Jesus also witnessed the hypocrisy of the self-righteous and the brutal oppression of Rome. In the 7th Chapter of Matthew Jesus taught that the character of an individual or a group will be known “by the fruits.” The fruit of their lives, labor and words will reveal who they are.
What kind of fruit are we producing? What kind of a church do you want to be a part of? Would you belong to a church where the pastor ends a sentence with a preposition? Who are we? What is the glue that holds a diverse group of opinionated sinners together even as the fabric of our society is unraveling? How can we be faithful to the ministry that Jesus has entrusted to us? Those questions should be asked and evaluated on a regular basis.
There are three foundational sayings that help us to define the unique culture that we have at Trinity Lutheran Church: Blessed to be Blessing, Mine is the Church where everybody’s welcome, and Put yourself in the path of the Gospel.
Blessed to be a Blessing; we see the fruit of our blessedness as we support our local community and the work of our global partners. Mine is the Church where everybody’s welcome; sometimes God sends people our way that make us feel uncomfortable, they look different, they come from other cultures, they do not conform to long held norms. Will we bear the fruit of hospitality and welcome, remembering that either all are welcome or all will be excluded? Put yourself in the path of the Gospel; those who are fed words of grace and hope in a world of chaos and despair will be inspired to carry on, to persevere, to work for the common good of all people.
They will know we are Christians by our love. How has your church responded to the current dysfunction of our government? What have we done to alleviate the suffering of those near and far who are experiencing food insecurity? On Sunday, October 26th, after you had returned to your homes following morning worship, your church sprang into action. That afternoon, thanks to the generosity of our donors and the good work of our TLC Endowment, we gave away $115,000. Blessed to be a Blessing, this money was put to work immediately by our mission partners near and far. Here you have a list of the recipients of the TLC harvest of fruit:
Local benevolences/non-profits: $10,000 each to Good Cheer, Gifts from the Heart (Coupeville), Meals on Wheels Sr. Services, WIN Whidbey Island Nourishes. $5000 each to Friends of Friends (South End), Mother Mentors, Readiness to Learn, Helping Hand, Homeless Coalition.
Global Partners: $10,000 each to ELCA organizations: LIRS Global Refuge Guatemala, ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran World Relief, YAGM (Sponsor a Young Adult in Global Mission); and $10,000 to World Central Kitchen.
Because of you, your neighbors on Whidbey Island have food, diapers and energy assistance, and school children have nourishment that will pave the way for learning. Because of you, our food bank shelves are not bare, and the hungry of the world are receiving critical supplies after devastating cuts to USAID programs. Because of you, young people in Guatemala have the means to build a productive life in their own communities, no longer needing to make a dangerous journey to our southern border.
They will know we are Christians by our love. Historically, that has not always been true. May it be true among us, may we follow Jesus and bear fruit consistent with our calling.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
rvlindus@whidbey.com
