Sunday, January 19, 2025

“Pastor, we are running out of food. What shall we do?” I’ve only heard those words twice in my ministry. Both times the anxiety and desperation went right to my gut.  Is this my problem? What am I supposed to do about this?

Jesus’ response to his mother was somewhat the same. “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?”

In Jesus’ day, running out of wine would have been shameful – the family and the wine steward would never live it down.  And, as much as we would like to think that we have progressed since the time of Jesus, some things don’t change. . No one wants that to be the story of their event.  That’s why, in most situations whether it is a wedding or a funeral or even a church picnic, there are tons of leftovers. People are so afraid of “running out” that we often over-plan. I know I do. I have a lot of tomato soup from a Synod conference meeting we held here on Wednesday if anyone is interested.  

In Jesus’ day, weddings lasted for days. And often the guests brought gifts of food and wine to share. So what went wrong? Who is to blame?

In the big scheme of things, running out of wine on the third day isn’t world shattering news. It seems as if it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I mean – they got married, right? It’s true that they would never live down the shame. But is this really a crisis worthy of the son of God? Weren’t there other more important problems to solve? Like proclaiming world peace? Or healing the blind, deaf and mute? Or something like that?

But in this story, Jesus’ mother, Mary thinks it is important. And she somehow knows that Jesus can do something about it. And she is not put off by Jesus’ response that it is not “his hour.”  She simply tells the servants, “Do what he tells you to do.”  This simple statement always makes me smile. It’s the perfect response. She isn’t arguing with Jesus. She doesn’t tell him what to do. She simply has faith that Jesus will do the right thing.

Maybe we should all adopt her statement. “Do what Jesus tells you to do.”

We don’t know why Jesus acts. Maybe he could not resist his mother’s nudging – and didn’t want to be reminded of it every time he went home for Passover.

Or maybe Jesus remembers, as Biblical scholars have since pointed out, that in Scripture, the wedding banquet is often used as an image of the restoration of God’s people Israel and wine is used as a symbol of the joy and celebration of salvation. The prophet Amos speaks of the day when “the mountains shall drip sweet wine. and all the hills shall flow with it.” Isaiah prophesizes the feast that God will prepare for all peoples, “a feast of rich food, a feast … of well-aged wines strained clear” (Isaiah 25:6)1

Or maybe, Jesus was simply reminded that he was a guest at this wedding and as a guest at the party, he had an opportunity to give a gift.

For whatever reason, Jesus gives a gift – and this gift is generous –abundant and extravagant.

He asked the servants to fill the six stone water jars that had been used for purification rites with water.  These were not little table jars. These were huge - 20-30 gallon vessels -  and each of them were filled with water – which Jesus then turned to wine. And since there are about 5 bottles of wine to a gallon that is well over a thousand bottles of wine. That’s a lot of wine for a party. And, when the wine steward tasted it, he remarked on the amazing quality of the wine.  That’s a lot of really good wine.

It's even more remarkable when you consider that villagers in Jesus’ day were typically not wealthy – they were subsistence farmers, shepherds, townspeople who got by, most of the time, with enough food for their day-to-day needs. They couldn’t afford expensive wines and foods.  And yet, Jesus supplies them with an abundance of delicious wine.

The Gospel of John calls Jesus’ extravagant gift of wine – and all of the other amazing things that Jesus does in this Gospel – such as healing the sick, feeding the five thousand, walking on water and raising Lazarus from the dead, as “signs” rather than miracles.  All of these things seem pretty miraculous to me. But John calls them “signs” instead of miracles.  Signs point us towards something beyond themselves. A road sign alerts you to the direction you want to go – and also can warn you against going the wrong way. The sign of Jesus changing water into wine points to something bigger and even better than a thousand bottles of the best wine ever. It points us to Jesus, the source of all life and joy.2

As pastor and theologian Elisabeth Johnson writes, “Jesus’ extravagant miracle of changing the water into wine is a sign that in him, life, joy, and salvation have arrived. At the beginning of John’s Gospel, the narrator told us that “in him was life, and that life was the light of all people” (1:4). And later in the Gospel, Jesus will tell us, “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (10:10).2

Abundant life. This is what Jesus wants for you. Abundant life is more than simply “getting by.” Abundant life isn’t about having a lot of material “stuff” or money. There are lots of rich people who have riches and luxuries and a lot of stuff – but they don’t have “Abundant life.” Abundant life is to know and to be known by Christ Jesus. Abundant life is to have a relationship with Jesus, the one who loves you so much that he gives to you grace and mercy. It is a life of faith and grace and love. And it is a life that Jesus wants for you.

Having an “Abundant Life” does not, of course, shield you from all misfortune or challenges or trials. But the Abundant Life which we have in Jesus, means that even when challenges, sorrows and trials come our way, we do not need to fear or be anxious because we are joined to Christ who is the source of true life. As Paul writes to the Romans, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38). 

There are challenges of course. We still live in a world that is hurting and badly in need of healing. Our world is full of bad news. And it is easy to get caught up in it. But we are called to be messengers of GOOD NEWS. We can’t turn our backs on the evils around us. But we can offer a different perspective – and challenge others to live into the abundant life of sharing God’s generous gifts, caring for the poor, the hungry, the non-members, the migrants, the “other” – whoever is “other” in your mind - and all those who do not know and experience the love of God.

We have been given this incredible gift of abundant life and this is why we come ourselves and bring our children to be baptized into the life of Christ. For this is an amazing gift that Jesus gives to each one – for you are individually called by name by God to be a part of God’s family. This is the gift of Abundant Life.

Most of the people at the wedding party enjoyed the wine. But only some knew that the wine was a sign that God has come into the world to bring life and abundance and JOY.

Like the servants, Mary and the disciples, you know the Source of the sign. And just as Dylan today will be claimed by Christ as he is baptized into God’s family, you too will be reminded that God claims you as God’s beloved child and gives you new life in Christ Jesus. And later, you will be invited forward to the Lord’s supper to taste and see that the Lord is good.

And so, Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Mary said, “Do what Jesus tells you to do.” Live into the abundant lifes so that through your words and your actions, others may see and experience  God’s abundant love and grace and mercy. Amen.

1Elisabeth Johnson https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/second-sunday-after-epiphany-3/commentary-on-john-21-11-8

Sunday, January 12, 2025

God Speaks

 The other day, someone asked me, “How come God doesn’t speak anymore?”  I said, “What do you mean?”  Well… she said, “God speaks to people in the Bible – how come he stopped?” 

 It was a good question.  She seemed satisfied with my answer, but the question has been rattling around in my brain ever since. And so today, I want to explore with you some of the ways that God has spoken through the prophets, through scripture, and some of the ways that God continues to speak today.

 In the Gospel, after Jesus is baptized, we hear a voice from heaven declare, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The words are direct and personal and accompanied by a dove – not an eagle or a bird of prey, but a dove, a symbol of peace.

 But God’s voice is not always peaceful. In today’s Psalm, the voice of God is described as being upon the waters. It thunders so loudly and powerfully that it breaks the strong cedar trees.  It bursts forth in lightning flashes and shakes the wilderness. Sometimes God’s creation can be noisy! God also speaks through the gentle rustling of the trees, the chirping of the birds, the hoot of an owl or the howl of a wolf.

God’s creation has a powerful voice -- and doesn’t always use words.

 And then we come to the passage from Isaiah, one of my all-time favorite scriptures. In this passage, God speaks to God’s people as a whole – but also as individuals. God speaks personally and intimately. This time, God is not saying, “I love you’ all.”  Instead, God says, “I love you.” This is a message for the people of Israel at that time. AND, it is a message for God’s people everywhere and of all time. God says, “I love you.”  Don’t be tempted to look over your shoulder to see who God is talking to – because God is talking to you; Yes, you.

God speaks these powerful words not sweetly or sentimentally but instead as a transformative word to a people who are in trouble and who may be wondering who God is and if God even knows who they are.

 A little background might be helpful. Our reading comes from the book of Isaiah and covers the time before the exile to Babylon, during the exile and also the end of the exile. Because of the expanse of time covered, a couple of hundred years, the book is divided into three parts: First, Second, and Third Isaiah.  First Isaiah begins while the people are still in Israel and Judah. The prophet Isaiah “condemns hypocritical worship, complacency, and the failure to act with justice for the poor.” 1 The prophet of First Isaiah warns rulers that they are not following God’s way and that they are not keeping the covenant and that there will be judgment upon them if they don’t listen.  They don’t listen. Instead, the rulers make bad choices politically, economically, and spiritually, and the people follow. Their land is overtaken by the Babylonians and the leaders and many of the people are exiled.

 By the time of “Second Isaiah,” a second generation has been born into captivity. The people of God are servants, or more likely slaves, living far from what had been their homeland or rather, their parent’s homeland. They have been gone a long time. At this point, the people of God don’t know if they ARE the people of God anymore. They are dispirited, alienated, and out of touch with God. God seems silent. They may have wondered: Has God abandoned them?

It is to these people – people who are poor, living as foreigners, alien residents, slaves and servants - that God speaks in our Isaiah lesson for today. In words reminiscent of the story of creation, God reminds them of their relationship. God says, “I have created you. I formed you.” 

To a people who don’t know if they belong anymore, God says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name. You are mine.”

In Bible times, being redeemed basically means being “bought back,” financially, usually by a family member when one member of the extended family falls into debt and cannot pay their bills or has no real way of making a living. It can be a life-changer.  So, when God says to his enslaved people, I have redeemed you, God is saying, I am setting you free – no matter what the cost. 

But then comes a troubling verse. God is speaking metaphorically when God says that I will pay the price even if it is the unimaginably large cost of the then richest nations on earth – Egypt, Cush and Seba. Although it sounds exclusive here, in the next couple of chapters, God makes it clear that God’s redemption is for all people of every nation.

God goes on to remind God’s people of their history – and how God has been with them through the water of the Exodus and across the river Jordan to reach the promised land. God promises to be with them even in fire and flame.  This is not to say that God’s people will never experience hurricanes or forest fires – the hurricanes of Florida and raging forest fires of Southern California come to mind. However, God promises that even in the deepest water and the hottest flame, God will be with us, Emmanuel. And God extends that promise to “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created, whom God formed and made.”

This is the promise of God, and the love of God which God gives to you, my friends, individually, one at a time, as each one of you were named and claimed by God at your baptism.

It is in your baptism that you heard the words – whether you remember that moment or not – “You are my child, my beloved.”  And from that moment on, “You belong to Christ in whom you have been baptized. Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”

We are reminded of God’s word to us when someone else is baptized – as we will hear next week when Dylan Lynum will be baptized.  

We are reminded of God’s promises and God speaks to us anew in the breaking of the bread and the eating and drinking of Christ’s body and blood at the Holy Supper when we are in community together. And God speaks to us – to me and to you in the Bible, in God’s Holy Word when we hear God say, “You are precious in my sight, and honored and I love you… [so] do not fear, for I am with you.”

But these are not the only ways that God speaks. God also speaks to us through other people – often in surprising ways.

Charles was volunteering at a homeless shelter ministry when he met a man that everyone called “Twitch.” When Charles asked about his name, Twitch replied, “My given name is Jeremy but ‘Twitch’ is the name I used back when I was using drugs and was in and out of jail.”

Charles said, “Oh, then I’ll call you Jeremy” – assuming that he would rather not use the name that was associated with his past life.

But the man replied, “Call me Twitch. I want the people here who were friends of mine while I was in and out of jail to know that it is me, Twitch, that God has brought out from under that load and has transformed me, redeemed me, and given me a new life.  I want them to see that if God can love me – and I was bad – God can redeem anyone. I want to give them hope for a new life, that God can give them too.2

God speaks to you today… through the word of God, through the words of scripture, through the bread and wine, through Twitch and through this proclamation. God said,  “ [INSERT YOUR NAME]: You are precious in my sight, and honored, And I love you.  I have ransomed you. You are my beloved child.”  Thanks be to God. Amen.

Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran + January 12 + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

1 Enter the Bible, https://enterthebible.org/courses/isaiah/lessons/summary-of-isaiah

2 Charles L. Aaron, Jr https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/baptism-of-our-lord-3/commentary-on-isaiah-431-7-4\

Sunday, January 5, 2025

SHHH.. Don’t tell the stores that are busy having their “after Christmas sales – or maybe their after, after-Christmas sale – but it is still Christmas!  Today is the 12th day, the last day of Christmas – and the eve of Epiphany.  This is an in-between time, as we begin to put away the Christmas decorations and eat or send away the remaining Christmas cookies – and lean into a new year and the season of Epiphany.

 At Christmas, we rejoice in the birth of Christ, at God coming to earth, taking on flesh and blood and becoming one of us, being born as a little vulnerable baby.  At Christmastime, we rejoice and sing for the light of Christ has come into the world. And whether we focus on the baby of Bethlehem or the Cosmic Christ that we read of in John’s Gospel, we have received a gift. This gift is Jesus. And, this is the gift, as John says, that “we have all received, grace upon grace.”

 Today as we give thanks for Christmas and welcome in Epiphany we sing “Noel” – proclaiming the joy of Christ’s birth with the shepherds and with the wisemen.  And yet, even as we sing of peace and joy, we also know that our world does not reflect the peace and joy that is promised at Christmas….at least not yet.  And so we to the new season, the season of Epiphany to make Christ known.  

In her book,  From Glory into Glory, Susan Palo Cherwien writes,

“Epiphany is the season of revealing, making known, manifestation, appearance.  In living out this season, we step into a story that reveals who Jesus was [and is] and who we are; [And] who we are to be.”

She goes on to say:

“The whole liturgical year is a sacred space where two stories overlap – the Christ story and our story.  The revealing has to do with Christ; the revealing has to do with us.  [As] we re-member the story, we bring it again into flesh, into our flesh, our lives.”1

 The wisemen – Non-Jewish Gentile astronomers -- were on a journey, a pilgrimage of sorts, searching for the King that they saw revealed in a star. I wonder if they ever got discouraged – or wanted to give up. After all, it must have taken a long time. While we can’t know the circumstances of their journey, because Matthew doesn’t tell us, what we do know is that they showed up. Oh, they made some mistakes, some assumptions along the way. They assumed that a king – especially a really important king -- would be born to king in a castle or at least at the capital city. Maybe they assumed that since it was clear to them that a king would be born, others must know too.  So, they asked King Herod for directions. Herod didn’t know – but he knew people who did. He asked the scholars – and they were  helpful.. They pointed right to Bethlehem – the city of David -- which was only 5 miles away.

 The best part of this story is that when they left Herod and the star showed up again – the wisemen were overwhelmed with joy. They entered his house, knelt in praise and worship and were generous with their kingly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 This story, as we re-member it, tells us a bit of who Jesus was and is: Jesus is a king, worthy of worship, praise and gifts.

 The story also reveals something for us. First, it reminds us of the expansive grace of God that includes all people. The wisemen were not Jewish scholars but foreigners, gentiles, people who would be considered outside the covenant. And yet, God show them a sign.  Through a star, God revealed the birth of Jesus and invited foreigners of another faith to come and follow, come and worship.

 Most of our ancestors were gentiles too . As Paul writes, we as “Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise of Christ Jesus” Ephesians 3

 Another thing we can learn from the wisemen is to ask for help from one another. As wise as they were, they didn’t know everything. They didn’t know the Hebrew scriptures or the prophecy. By they did know when they needed help. Sometimes we don’t like to ask for help – maybe it’s the American “I can pull myself up from my bootstraps” mentality. I don’t know. But I do know God made us to live in community and to ask for help from one another and to care for one another – and the stranger.

 Finally, like the wisemen, who generously opened their treasures and shared them we too can be generous – generously sharing the good news that we have received and generous with the gifts that God has entrusted to us.

 The quieter days in-between Christmas and Epiphany can be a time for reflection as we think back on the past year and look forward to the next. Perhaps you made some New Year’s Resolutions. Or maybe you have sworn off making New Year’s Resolutions. I read in a recent article by Kate Bowler that “94% of people will fail their New Year’s resolution.” At first I thought, “That sounds depressing!” But maybe it is because of the standard that we have for our resolutions.  Kate suggests, “What if the goal wasn’t perfection but something much braver: showing up, being real, and finding a little joy in the beautiful, chaotic mess of it all?” 2  

 This is exactly what we can do too:  Show up. Be real. And find joy in the midst of our messy – and broken – world.  

But sometimes that is easier said than done. So the question remains: In this season of Epiphany, this season of making Christ known, in what ways are we seeing Christ revealed to us? And, in what ways are we making Christ known to others by the way that we live our lives?

 Some of you have tried and true prayer and Bible study practices. This is wonderful. Continue to use the practices that work for you, good and faithful servants of Christ.  

If, however, you are interested in trying something new, one idea, a tool that I have sometimes found helpful, is choosing a “Word of the Year” or “Star” Word” a word to help reveal Christ to you this year. As you reflect upon the past year, and look forward to the new, ask yourself,  is there a word – or a Bible verse – that would provide a compass for you for the upcoming year?  Pray about it. Ask God if there is a word that would act like the star of the wisemen in revealing Christ to you?  Sometimes a word can be a response to the world around you.  For example, if you have been anxious, sad or mournful – perhaps a word like Trust, Peace, or Still would help put into perspective the world in comparison with the strong word of God. If you are angry, distresses or frustrated, maybe you would be led to choose a word like: Gratitude; Faith or Hope.  If you are anticipating something wonderful, perhaps a word like, Joy, Love or Patience would fit.  There is no “right” word – and give yourself grace if this is not a practice that resonates with you.

Finally, friends in Christ, in this upcoming season of Epiphany, may the light of Christ shine on you so that you may reflect the prophets word,
“Arise, Shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1 Amen.

1From Glory into Glory, Susan Palo Cherwien p 114.

2Kate Bowler, Try January podcast and email chain January 1, 2025

Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church     January 5, 2025           Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane 

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Reflections and prayers

 First Lesson

 In the beginning…God created a marvelous universe. It was orderly. And it was GOOD.  The night was not jealous of the sunshine of the day and the day was not envious of the moon and stars of the night.  Everything was new and fresh and bright and worked – in harmony.  And God said, it was “it was Good.”

 Let us pray, Creator of the sun and the stars of night, your world is good. Help us to care for your world so that it may continue to work in harmony and for the good of all creatures in it. Amen.

 Second Lesson

 The world was working so well! But then God gave people freedom to choose. And Adam and Eve – as representative of ALL people – chose not to follow God but to try to BE God. And then they blamed someone else. We are all Eve. We are all Adam, dust. And to dust we shall indeed return.

Let us pray,  Dear God, forgive us. Unlike Adam and Eve, we know the consequences of not following your way. And yet, too often, we still choose to try to be self-sufficient, to be God-like instead of God-followers. Forgive us. Renew our hearts, our minds, our actions and our words. Thank you for sending us your Son, Jesus, to save us and to bring us unending joy, hope, and the bright dawning of a new day, Amen.

 Third Lesson

 Despite the many times that we have chosen to go our own way instead of following God’s way, God made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah that all of the world would be blessed through them.

 Let us pray: Dear God, thank you for keeping your promises to us – even though we have broken our promises to you and to each other. Thank you for your great and abiding love in sending your beloved Son to be our Savior. Amen.

 Fourth Lesson

 The prophets foretold you would send One with Authority, One who is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of PEACE. But You didn’t just send someone – you came yourself!

 Let us pray: Jesus, we rejoice with you and give thanks for your coming as a child, to take on flesh and live among us. We rejoice and give thanks that you shine a light on injustice and the way of peace and reconciliation. We rejoice that you are and will always be God-With- Us yesterday, today, tomorrow and always. And this is why we rejoice! Amen. 

 Fifth Lesson

The people of Isaiah’s time were looking for a leader – but God promised so much more than an earthly king. The prophets were given a word from God of a future time, a time in which the world will be restored to the harmony of Creation’s day ONE..  Jesus began that restoration to God’s Kingdom but we are not yet there yet.  The hymn, Lo’how a Rose E’er Blooming uses the image of a rose in December – an unexpected blessing  -- to describe the beauty and sweetness of Christ’s coming.

Let us pray, 

Creator God, help us notice the beauty and wonder of the world that you are still actively engaged in creating. And let the smallest flower remind us of your enduring love and fill us with trust in your abiding grace.  Amen.

Sixth Lesson

Bethlehem was a small town that would have escaped the prophet’s notice – except that it was King David’s hometown. The prophet proclaims a hope and a remembered promise of God to keep God’s covenant with David and the people of Israel.

 Let us pray: Bethlehem may look like a dreamy town. But from this little town, the hopes and fears of all the years, are met. Let us join the angels and the morning stars in singing the praises of Christ Jesus.

 Seventh Lesson

The prophets were great messengers of God – but now God has sent His Son, his very self to us. Let us praise the God of Creation and the God with us – Emmanuel.

 Let us pray: God- With-Us – Emmanuel.  You are with us – now reveal yourself to us, in us and through us. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 Eight Lesson

God Saves us – not be we passed the test; not because we lived a clean and perfect life; not because of anything that we did. Instead, out of God’s great mercy, God poured out God’s spirit upon us and made us right with God – that is what is meant by justifies us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we receive the gift of rebirth and renewal in our baptism.

 Let us pray: Your mercy is great, O Lord. You have already promised to renew us and restore us. We trust in your promise. And so, now all we have left to do is to share the Good News! Amen.

 Ninth Lesson

 In the beginning….  We have come full circle. And yet, the world is not the same. The world is not an innocent pure place. Instead, Jesus, the Son of God, came to renew and restore the world and the people in it. God first gave the law to give us guidance on how to live rightly. But now… Jesus has come to renew, restore and re-invigorate the world. A world that is better for it.

 Let us pray. Dear God – there is nothing left for us to do – except to praise you. We give thanks for Jesus. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Amen.

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 Christmas Eve

Christmas: Noctilucent Light , Love and Joy

“Mommy! Help me! Come!” The little girl cried. Her mother, out of love, but perhaps with a sigh and with a nudge from her husband, got up, went to her room and turned on the light. At that moment, all of the monsters, wild animals and whatever other scary creature had crept into my dreams… vanished.

Perhaps you – or your children – have also suffered from bad dreams or even terrors of the night. Maybe you invested in a little night light to help you. I’m not sure why we never did. But one thing I do know… and that is that it only takes a little light – especially when offered with love -- to pierce the darkness.

Recently, I learned a new word for a night light:  Noctilucent. Noctilucent literally means “lighting the night.”  This word is used by astronomers to describe cloudlike ice crystals that are so high in the sky that the light of the sun continues to illuminate them even after the sun has set and the sky is dark. Noctilucent: lighting the night.1

On Christmas night, the shepherds were out in the fields, watching over their sheep – as they always did. Ordinary men, their job was to protect the sheep – the livelihood of their family. And so, they paid attention, listening to the world around them in case a thief or a predator or a storm would come up. They were poor –if they had money, they would have hired someone else to do this job. But they had drawn the short straw when it came to wealth, status and opportunities. Except on this night.

For on this night, suddenly an angel appeared and as they cowered in fear with knees knocking knees the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  And then a multitude of the heavenly host, a noctilucent choir of angels, began singing, praising God for the birth of Jesus, God’s son, and lighting up the night. 

The shepherds, with eyes and ears opened to something amazing and marvelous responded -- not with fear and trembling -- but with  joy and wonder.  The angels had given them the news, directions and a way to verify the identity of the savior: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  But then the angels left – not telling the shepherds what to do next.

However, they lost no time in going to check it out. Luke says they went “with haste” – so it sounds like they left their precious sheep – since no one can drive a herd of sheep in a hasty manner. And when they found Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, their immediate response was to share with anyone who had ears to hear the Good News that the noctilucent choir of angels proclaimed to them: Jesus, the Messiah, was born.

This good news came to a people in a land that was occupied by foreign forces, and divided by ethnicity and class and wealth. Most of the people were poor – except for those who were working for or with the Roman Government. In a world like this, who would listen to a bunch of shepherds who said they heard a noctilucent choir of angels proclaim the Messiah’s birth?

And yet, God has a habit of using unexpected people to be his messengers. God chose Moses, a murderer and fugitive to lead his people out of slavery; God chose Rahab, a prostitute, and Ruth a Moabite, to be a part of genealogy of Jesus, and God chose ordinary shepherds to share the message of Christmas joy.

As Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in her Christmas message reminds us, “Joy is a sign of the reign of God…Perhaps that is why in the middle of the night, to terrified shepherds, outside of a small town, God chose to send the angels to announce the birth of Jesus. No distraction. No interference. Just the simple, deep, profound gift of true and lasting joy.”2

In December, the book club has a tradition of watching a movie of one of the books that we have read. This year, the movie was set in Paris and so we decided to have a French theme for our meal. One person, Sue, brought French-onion soup. Now I had tasted French Onion soup once before – and it was awful -- the cheese was rubbery and the soup bland and so I’ve always avoided it. But since this was the meal, I tasted it – and it was scrumptious. The cheese was phenomenal – and the soup broth was incredibly flavorful. It was delicious! 

There were also a couple of kids there – and I wasn’t sure how they would like it. We had some chicken nuggets in the freezer so we heated those up for the kids. But it turned out that we didn’t need to do that.  One of our youngest members, three-year-old Soren, wanted to try everything. And when he did, his reaction was delightful. He tried a small piece of cheese. “It’s my favorite” he declared. Then he tried some crackers: “It’s my favorite.” He tried a French cookie, “It’s my favorite, he exclaimed as he reached for another.   And then he tried the French Onion Soup. I waited to see his reaction. Again, he declared “This is my favorite.”  But he discovered that he was having a little trouble managing to keep the broth on the spoon. So, he turned to Mary, who he had just met and who he liked immediately – it didn’t hurt that Mary ws the one who made the cookies that were his favorite. He considered Mary to be his new friend, and since she was sitting next to him, he asked her to help him by feeding it to him. She did, and with her help, he ate the whole bowl.

“This is my favorite.” Apparently, Soren has never been told that he had to choose ONE thing to be the favorite – and so he assumed that everything and everyone could be his favorite. I hope Soren always believes that and he never learns to “exclude” things or people from being his favorite. Because it was wonderful to see how Soren, in his delight with new tastes and relationships brought joy and a smile not only to the face of his new friend Mary but to all of us. Soren’s joy in life and new experiences was contagious. 

Like the shepherds, Soren is an unexpected messenger of Good News. Through his joyful and inclusive words and actions, Soren reminded me that our responses to the world around us matter – not only for us – but also for the people around us. 

Of course, one could argue, Soren is a child. He has not yet had to deal with paying bills, losing loved ones, or any of the other challenges that face us in our daily and communal life. This is true. But it is also true, that we who have experienced life for a bit longer than Soren’s three years, and who have experienced challenges big and small have a choice on how we react to these challenges. We can respond with fear, anxiety, hatred or revenge. Or we can respond with faith in the one who created us and came to earth to save us, with wonder at the one who sent a noctilucent choir of angels to ordinary shepherds and with joy at the one who is Emmanuel, God with us.

Henri Nouwen writes, “It is important to become aware that at every moment of our life, we have an opportunity to choose joy. Life has many sides to it. There are always sorrowful and joyful sides to the reality we live. And so we always have a choice to live the moment as a cause for resentment or a cause for joy. It is in that choice that true freedom lies, and in that freedom is, in the final analysis, the freedom to love.”3

Brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, may you be open to hearing with awe and wonder the Good News of Jesus from noctilucent choirs, little children or from someone you least expect. May you be respond joy and gratitude and with compassion to each moment of your life and, may you be a bearer of the light and love of God to all you meet.

In the name of the Incarnate Christ, Jesus, the Word made Flesh. Amen.

Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church  + Christmas Eve + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

1Susan Palo Cherwien, From Glory into Glory: Reflections for Worship, Morning Star publishers, page 344

2 ELCABishop Elizabeth Eaton, Christmas message 2024

3Henri Nouwen, Here and Now: Living in the spirit.”

Sunday, December 22, 2024

No sermon today. The Christmas Story As Told By the Children, Youth, and Congregation.

Sunday, December 15, 2024

All Creation waits…  and sings with Joy!

All Creation Is Waiting. As the scripture and the music declares, the whole world is waiting…from the little green shoot out of the stump of Jesse to the grand mountains and the hills to the lion and the lamb and all people …  All creation is waiting. But what are we, and the whole creation, waiting for? 

 All creation waits for… the coming the King, of God’s Kingdom, for a time of peace, a time when all the world – lions and lambs – wolves and cows – all prey and predators – will no longer hunger or live in fear – but instead live in harmony. That time is not yet…

 In her book, “All Creation Waits” Gayle Boss writes that “The early Fathers of the Christian church read the ebbing of light and heat and vegetable life each year as a foreshadowing of the time when life as we know it will end completely…To their and our abiding fear of a dark ending, the church spoke of an adventus: a coming.”1 xi

 No one knew or remembered the actual day Jesus was born. But this season – at least in the northern hemisphere – with the fading of light, the wintering and coldness of the world – seemed the perfect time to recall that – despite the anxiety and brokenness of the world around us, despite the seeming “deadness” of the earth, there is “One who is the source of life, One who comes to be with us, in us – especially in the midst of darkness and death. One who brings a new beginning.”2 P xi

 To understand the hope and anticipation of life out of death and light out of darkness, all we need to do is to listen to the story of animals preparing for winter – like painted turtle who, at some sign, dives deep into the pond, buries herself in mud, slows her heart and breathing until it is almost gone and then lies still, waiting. Each animal has its own story of how it waits:  the bear sleeps, hibernating in its cave, the deer huddle together, the squirrels dig up the nuts that they have buried for this very reason.

But while they are waiting… something is happening. There’s a mystery in waiting… in anticipating. In the stillness… in the quiet, creation is not stagnant. It may look dead but it is not. Instead, it is resting, growing, like a baby in the womb – still encased in the dark. It is waiting.

In our first world culture – we have been somewhat cut off from the seasons of the year. We don’t like to wait – and we are told – we don’t have to! Go to the store and you can buy fresh fruit available year-round and Amazon or UPS will deliver just about anything you want. I’m not complaining. I love having fresh fruits and vegetables and all of the conveniences of delivery. But I am wondering if we need to be reminded that in the midst of our hustle and bustle – and yes, I’m preaching to myself here too – to stop and remember that this is Advent.

In Advent, when we stop and reflect, we can see that our world is broken, but we can also see that brokenness is not the last word. Our brokenness, our world’s brokenness is merely a sign that we need a Savior, One who is the source of life, One who comes to be with us, in us – especially in the midst of darkness and death, sorrow and despair. Into a broken world has come our Savior Jesus – the One who brings a new beginning.

In the morning, light begins to dawn. And… if we listen… we can hear the notes of a song. It may be faint at first. But this is the song creation has been waiting – in the dark – to sing. It is a song of joy, abiding joy, that has been bubbling up, waiting to find a voice to proclaim the coming of the Anointed one, the Messiah.  

But it isn’t just one voice! As scripture tells us, there are many voices singing: “the mountains and the hills…shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12).  And we, brothers and sisters in Christ, have been invited to join in the song. For despite all of the challenges of our world – and there are many – our response is to sing. Join with all of creation in singing with joy because God is here – with us. There is no darkness or sorrow or despair than can overwhelm the presence of God in our midst. So, brothers and sisters, let us join with all of creation – trees and flowers, mountains and valleys, creatures big and small – in praising God with joy!  Amen. 

1 All Creation Waits, Gayle Boss Introduction xi December 15, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

Sunday, December 8, 2024

The Way of Peace

December 8, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

“Because of the tender mercy of our God,
    the dawn from on high will break upon us, 

to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

These are the Holy Spirit inspired words of Zechariah. He has been mute for nine months, silenced by the angel Gabriel after he scoffed at the angel’s message – that his wife would bear a child, a messenger of the coming of the Lord. For nine months, Zechariah sat in silence, listening to two pregnant women – Elizabeth and Mary -- talk about the miracles that God was birthing in their bellies, and how God was doing something new – something that seemed impossible.  And yet, what seemed impossible was happening! Zecharaiah had a long time to think and pray. And so, when John was born, Zechariah spoke – or rather sang, proclaiming the goodness of God, quoting the prophets of old and pointing to the coming of the Messiah and the role his baby boy, John, will have in preparing the way.  

When Zechariah speaks the Word of the Lord it is hopeful and inspiring. “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” With these words, we can be assured that God is indeed present – even for and especially for those who are in darkness, in despair, who feel as if they are dying. And… for a moment, it seems as if the world will be transformed just because the Word has been spoken.

But transformation takes time. We don’t hear any more from Zechariah but thirty or so years later, John appears in the desert. He has become known as the baptizer and he is not mute. Perhaps Zechariah had hoped that John would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a priest and reform the faith from the inside out. But this is not what happened. Instead, John takes none of the robes or trappings of the priesthood and instead goes to the wilderness, eats what’s there – locusts and wild honey -- and proclaims a baptism of repentance, the need for people to change their focus, their way of life and live in accordance with God’s way. And somehow the message gets out and people come, hungry for the word of God and for direction. They ask John: What should we do?

John’s answers are simple and achievable. He doesn’t tell them to go on a marathon pilgrimage or to walk ten miles on their knees. Instead, he tells the tax collectors to take only their fair share. He tells the soldiers to be respectful and to stop harassing the people – and instead to ask for and be satisfied with fair wages. He tells people, in ordinary language, to do what the prophet Micah had proclaimed: Do justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with your God. This is the way of peace.  This is the way to prepare your hearts and your lives for the coming of the Messiah, of Christ.

How are you preparing for Christ? Perhaps, like me, you clean your house, you set out the Advent and Christmas decorations, you bake – or buy – cookies and special foods. You think about others – and buy gifts both for loved ones and for those who can’t afford gifts for their children – like the NEAR gift giveaway. Perhaps you go to concerts or listen to music written for this Christmas season. And why not?! This is a time to celebrate the coming of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah.  This is all good.

However… during this season of Advent and Christmas, it is also most important that you keep in front of you the “reason for the season.” Even that phrase has been marketed but it’s worth saying because we actually have to be intentional about keeping Christmas about Jesus because there are so many other distractions. In addition to all of the “Christmas” movies, songs, shows, and stuff that have nothing to do with Jesus, there is a push from our consumer culture to buy, buy, buy. And, sometimes we – I – can become overwhelmed by the expectations of making the “perfect Christmas” that we put upon ourselves. So in the midst of this season, I encourage you to take time to: Stop. Hear the story; tell the story of how Jesus – God incarnate came into the world – and then to remember …God Emmanuel is with us still. For Jesus Christ has come, Christ is with us AND… Christ will come again.

So how do we prepare for Christ in this time?

In Jesus’ day there were wars and rumors of wars. And I’m afraid that is true today too. In addition, we have another challenge – social media and an over-abundance of “news” sources which may or may not tell the truth.

I ventured back onto Facebook this past week. I had been taking a break from it for a while because of all of the vitriol that I would see – just popping on to wish people a happy birthday. But I saw that a pastor friend of mine had posted a Bible verse so I clicked on the thread. And I wished I hadn’t.

There were a couple of people having an argument over the latest news and one of them had called on my friend to find a quote from Jesus. She responded by giving the Gospel, chapter and verse – but nothing else. More people jumped on the thread and they went back and forth, the vitriol was rising with one of them attacking Jesus as unjust and it just got worse. At one point, my friend wrote, “Can’t we leave Jesus out of this?”

I am guessing that my friend was wishing she had not jumped into the fray at all and I’m also guessing that what she meant was that Jesus should not be weaponized. Because, every time you draw a line and claim that Jesus is on YOUR side -- look again. Jesus has a way of showing up where you don’t expect him. Also, you’ll notice that Jesus refuses to abide by the divisions that we create. For example, in Jesus’ day, the Jewish zealots were intent on overthrowing the Roman government but the Jewish tax collectors worked for Romans. There was no love lost between them. But Jesus called both a tax collector AND a zealot to be one of his disciples. Jesus did not exclude any group – he ate with pharisees – and with “sinners.”  Jesus calls ALL people to repent, to turn toward GOD and live… and calls us to do the same.  And so, while we can’t box Jesus in – and claim him as “on our side,” we also can’t just leave Jesus out of it.  For Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us – and is with us through all of our challenges.

Paul addresses one such challenge in his letter to the Philippians. Right before this beautiful passage, he addresses two of the leaders of the church by name, Euodia and Syntyche. They are having a conflict – what it is, he doesn’t say and no one else does either – so it is probably not all that important in the big scheme of things. However, Paul was concerned that the conflict was causing problems for them and for the church and so he begs them to “be of the same mind in the Lord” and asks the other leaders of the church to help these two women to reconcile their differences. 

He then urges them to not only reconcile but to: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.”  He calls them – and us – to be our best selves. “To be gentle – with others and with ourselves.” This is true whether we are in the church or online or wherever we are.

Without a doubt there is evil and there are challenges in our world. But let us, brothers and sisters in Christ, be different from the world around us. For we know that because of God’s great mercy for all of us, Jesus Christ came as a babe at the manger; Jesus comes to us each day as Emmanuel, “God with us” and Jesus will come again to bring peace to the world. And that’s why – despite the current challenges of this world, we can join with Zechariah in glorifying God and proclaiming, “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Advent 1: HOPE

December 1, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran+ Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

 Happy New Year!  Today marks the beginning of the new church year. But to celebrate the New Year and to prepare for the coming of Christ into our world, the church does not throw a party with noisemakers and champaign.  Instead, the church year begins with Advent.  Advent is a season of preparation, of waiting and watching, praying and lighting candles and anticipating the coming of Jesus into our world.  But it is also a time to tell the harsh truth about the world we live in – and why we need a Savior.

 In this season of physically decreasing light, we begin our first Sunday in the year of Luke’s Gospel, not at the beginning of the book or with a story of the newborn baby Jesus – it’s coming – but we begin near the end of the Gospel. We begin with this fairly frightening apocalyptic sounding message from Jesus. Jesus says, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars…” The whole cosmos seems to be shaken with foreboding of what is coming. Fear runs amok.

 It may seem odd that we start the new year with this foreboding apocalyptic message. It is just three days after Thanksgiving.  Why not just stay with the message of gratitude? 

 Gratitude was my word for the day last week. And don’t misunderstand, it is good to be thankful in every season. But today, as we begin Advent, our focus turns to the word Hope.  And yet, at first read, the Gospel doesn’t sound hopeful. It sounds absolutely frighting.

Let me set the context for you. Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem and one of them remarked with awe and wonder on the beauty and majesty of the temple. From all reports, it was beautiful and pilgrims came just to worship in this spot. It was well built and looked as if it would last forever. But Jesus told his disciples – and the growing number of people who were following him – “Don’t put your faith or trust in this building. It will not last. It will all be put to ruin.”  What a devasting statement. It was like saying that a symbol of American prosperity and commerce – like say, the Twin Towers in New York City, could be destroyed – except even worse! The temple was not only a strong and beautiful building, it was the center of their life as a people; it was God’s home. Who would ever, who could ever do such a thing?

 And yet, in 70 AD, after a very unsuccessful uprising against the Roman occupation, the temple was demolished by the Roman army – just as Jesus had prophesied. The people were devastated. They wondered: where was God?

Luke – and the other Gospel writers – were writing after the destruction of the temple to a people who were shaken and trying to make sense of the world around them. People were afraid. And with reason! There were wars and rumors of wars and the whole world seemed to be going to “hell in a handbasket.” 

One of the rights of passage in my family when I was growing up was that when we turned 12, we could stay for a week with our cousins who lived in Iowa. While I was there, my cousin gave me a book to read – it was part of the “Left behind” series – that tells stories of the apocalypse and the end of the world.  I was so afraid - the books gave me nightmares.  I think that was actually the point of these books -- to “scare” people into following Jesus.

Fear is a powerful force. There have been false messiahs – like James Jones- who have led people astray with these kinds of apocalyptic fears. But this is not what Jesus is doing in our Gospel. Jesus tells the truth about the challenges of our world – which seem eerily contemporary.  There were wars and there are now wars. We hear of horrific acts of done by and to the “enemy” – people who used to be called neighbors – in Ukraine, in Gaza, and even in our own streets. So how are we to respond? It can be overwhelming.  When we feel fearful, hopeless and helpless, it can make us want to run away and hide.

But that is not what Jesus tells us to do. Jesus tells his followers then and now that we do not need to react in fear. Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be weighed down with worry. Don’t drown your sorrows in mind-numbing activities.”  

As American novelist Flannery O’Connor once wrote, “To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind, you draw large and startling figures.”   That’s precisely what Jesus does in his prophetic wake-up call.  He shouts, he draws startling figures, and he uses every rhetorical device at his disposal to snap his listeners to attention.  “Be on guard,” he warns his disciples.  “Be alert.”  “Stand up and raise your heads.”  Look.  1

As we begin this season of Advent, we are being called to tell the truth, to be honest about the state of our world and our lives. Most of the problems in our world were human caused – fighting over land, over resources, taking trees from the forest and not replanting, dumping garbage in the ocean, petroleum gasses in the air. Some of these problems feel big and out of control but some are local - not picking up the garbage that our neighbor throws in the street, driving as fast as we like because we prioritize our agenda more than the law someone else made, not wanting to pay for schools now that our children are grown, evicting the family of the neighborhood child because they don’t have the right paperwork…The list is long.

As Rev. Debie Thomas writes, “Advent is a brutally candid season; it calls for honesty, even when honesty leads us straight to lamentation.  In Advent, we are invited to describe life “on earth as it is," and not as we wish it would be.  “We are invited to “shout forth our pain and bewilderment.  To name the seeming absence of God.  To draw the large, startling figures of the apocalypse.” In Advent, we are invited to set aside our self-righteous denial (it wasn’t me), polite piety –– (I don’t want to tell someone else how to do something) or cheap cheer (let’s just ignore it all and wish it would go away.)  Instead, “we are invited to allow the radical honesty of Scripture to make us honest, too… Advent reminds us that we are not called to an escapist, denial-based piety.  We are called to dwell courageously in the truth.”1 We are called to the truth. But that doesn’t mean that speaking the truth is going to be easy.  

Jesus calls us to tell the truth about ourselves – and about God. And the truth about God is that even when we don’t keep our promises, even when we tell the story that we want to be true instead of the hard truth of how the world really is, Jesus not only knows the truth, Jesus IS the Truth.  Jesus calls us out of fear and into hope.

Have you ever seen an old tree that has fallen down in the woods. It looks dead and useless– maybe even rotting away. But if you look again, you just might see some new life sprouting out of the stump of the old tree. That is the hope to which God calls us.

Jeremiah writes – from prison – to the people of Israel. Most of the book is Jeremiah reminding the people that they have not kept their covenant with God. But in today’s lesson, Jeremiah turns his focus, and reminds the Israelites – and us – of God’s covenant. For out of the seemingly dead stump of Israel, God has promised to raise up a new sprout.

The Gospel and New Testament writers knew that scripture – and others in the Hebrew scripture that talk about the stump of Jesse and understood Jesus to be the fulfillment of this prophecy.   This scripture takes on yet another meaning for us when we see the new life that Jesus calls us into.

Jesus calls us to notice, to pay attention to the details of nature – the fig tree and all the other trees – and the world around us. Notice the buds, the sprouting leaves. Notice the oceans and streams and the tiny drops of water on the window. Pay attention to the little nudges of God’s Holy Spirit on you.  For, as Debie Thomas says, “The God who shows up in a teenager’s womb might show up anywhere.” 1

This is the message of Advent. It begins with noticing the world around us and yearning for a better future, longing for GOD’s future, a future of hope for tomorrow. This is not a passive hope. Instead, Jesus calls us to Stand up. Stand up with humble confidence. We stand up with humility because we are not perfect and we stand up with confidence because we know that God is good, God is faithful, and that God can be trusted with our future. So let us pray that we can follow where God leads… and not be too surprised to find ourselves at the manger, celebrating the incarnation of Jesus and at the cross, rejoicing in the gift of resurrection freedom, and at the side of our neighbor, working and praying together for the sake of God’s world. Thanks be to God. Amen.

1Debie Thomas – Journeys with Jesus https://webmail.journeywithjesus.net/essays/2018-when-you-see-these-things

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Gratitude

One stopped. Ten men with leprosy – a dreaded and extremely contagious skin disease - had begged Jesus for healing. Jesus told them all to go to show themselves to the priests. They lost no time – all of them headed straight to the priests. And as they were walking or maybe running – toward the priests with the hope and dream of being made clean and being restored to community… one stopped. He looked and saw that he was healed and then turned back praising God and when he got to Jesus, threw himself at his feet and thanked him.

 Jesus asks, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine?” 

 It’s a fair question. “Where were the other nine?”  Why didn’t they turn back to say “thank you?” Perhaps they were just following Jesus’ instructions. After all, Jesus did tell them to go to the priests. But Jesus was a teacher – and so I think that Jesus asks the question – not out of righteous indignation – but rather to teach his followers – which of course includes us – something about gratitude and the power of saying “thank you.”

 Most people consider themselves grateful people – they say thank you or write a thank you note when someone does something nice for them or gives them a gift. But not everyone practices gratitude as a part of their everyday life. 

 Theologian, historian and author Diana Butler Bass, confesses that she decided to write about gratitude because she didn’t know how to write a thank you note.  Every time she sat down to write one, she heard her mother’s voice nagging her to do so – but she didn’t feel grateful. She felt obligated. She didn’t like thinking of herself as an ingrate but she didn’t know how to make herself more grateful. This desire to be more grateful led her on a journey to explore gratefulness and why it matters both for our personal lives and for our community. 

 One of the things that she learned is that while, according to a Pew research study, 78 percent of Americans felt a strong sense of gratitude, another study found that Americans were more anxious, less optimistic and more distrustful than ever, and full of anger, fear, division and intolerance. 1 She wondered how people could be personally grateful but not have that same sense of thanksgiving when it came to our life as a society. She writes that, as a society, “We are anxious and angry because we are haunted by nightmares of scarcity… fears that someone else is taking everything, that there is never enough and that we will never get what we think we deserve…[ This fear leads to] cravings for things we think will fill us, fix us, or make us forget our doubts and pain.” This leads to all sorts of addictive behaviors with money, food, hoarding, drugs and violence. This “gratitude gap” between how we feel in our personal lives vs how we feel about our community leads to what she calls a “toxic habitat of ingratitude.” 2

 The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. And you and I can change it… one person at a time. The solution – according to brother David Steindl-Rast – is simple because all people want the same thing. We want to be happy. We want our children and our loved ones to be happy. It is natural to assume that when you are happy then you will be grateful. But it doesn’t work that way. A person can be happy when receiving an ice cream cone or a promotion or winning the lottery. But that doesn’t make them grateful. And, I know and I’m sure you know people who have experienced incredible loss and misfortune and sadness, and yet remain grateful people. So how do we become happy? Brother David tells us that it turns out that “it is not happiness that makes us grateful” but “gratefulness that makes us happy”.3

 Brother David says that all we need to do is what we were taught as children when crossing a street: STOP, LOOK and GO.  This is exactly what the healed Samaritan does. He stops when he looks and sees that he is healed. And then he goes to Jesus to give thanks.

 We can do the same thing. Each day we can stop and notice the gifts that we have been given. And we have been given much!  Not only have we been given the gifts of creation – the world and all that is in it, but we have each been given gifts of talents, of time, of treasures, of one another. And you know this – last month when the stewardship committee asked you where you saw abundance, the list was long and varied – gifts of family, friends, relationships, gifts of skills and talents. I know that there are people here who have a variety of gifts and talents from making music to teaching to technical or electronic or administrative or wood work to baking and breaking bread together.  The list could go on.

 In addition, Brother David reminds us that for all of us, every day, every moment, we receive something valuable to us that is freely given, a real gift.  We didn’t buy it, we didn’t do something in exchange for it, it does not cost us anything – all we need to do is simply receive this gift. This precious gift is a gift from God – and that is the gift of each moment.4

 And so, if we are to follow Brother David’s method for becoming more grateful, then we need to: Stop – and acknowledge the gift. And then, Look. For once we acknowledge and notice that each and every moment we have is a gift – then we have an opportunity to do something with that moment.  This opportunity is the gift within the gift. We only miss the opportunity when we rush through life – when we are so focused on the next thing that we don’t take time to stop and look and acknowledge the gifts that we have been given.

 We have been given so much that sometimes we take for granted all the gifts that we have been given. Brother David tells the story of spending time in a poor part of Africa. When he returned, he was struck by the gift of clean water that came out of his faucets and the light that came on with a switch. So, to remind himself to be grateful, he put post-its with stop signs on all of his faucets and light switches reminding himself to stop and acknowledge the ordinary gift of water and light.

 We have been given so much. But sometimes we don’t want to think about ourselves as on the receiving end. Many of you, like me, have been taught, it is better to give than to receive. This phrase is biblical – it is good for us to give and to seek to give to others. And it makes us feel good. However…as Americans, we often harbor this image of ourselves as a “self-made man” or woman. We want to see ourselves as self- sufficient. We want to be the helpers and “they” are the receivers.

 Jason, a 40-something pastor was diagnosed and treated for a rare and incurable cancer. The people in his parish responded with food, prayers and care.  Jason and his family appreciated all the help. When he had a break in his treatment schedule, he preached a thanksgiving sermon to his congregation. He said, “You have done so much for us. You’ve fed us, prayed for us and with us. You helped with my medical bills, you sat with me in the hospital, you were there to catch me when I passed out in the chemo room” But Jason also admitted that even while he appreciated all that care, he actually hated being on the receiving end of all the help. He said, “I hate feeling like I’m in another’s debt… I was the guy who kept score which means I didn’t mind you being in my debt. I just didn’t want to be in yours.”

 But Jason learned not only to receive the gift, he also learned that courage and hope and strength and healing came through community. He said, Thank you. Thank you for being “with me, with us. More so than all the stuff you’ve done for us, you’ve been with us.” 5

 Despite his cancer  – which was incurable -- Jason learned to not only receive the gift of the food, funds and travel expenses but also the gift of community – of others praying and being with him and his family. And then he was able to respond – his “GO” was to thank them, to respond with gratitude for the gifts of time and treasures and especially for the gift of their presence and participation in his life and for their community.

 Once we start to see every moment in our lives in this way, we can, as Brother David says, “Stop. Look. And GO” and act in response to the gifts we have received. However, while every moment is a gift, this does not mean we should give thanks for everything.

 There is a Bible verse from 1st Thessalonians on gratitude which reads, “In everything give thanks”  Diana Butler Bass writes that this verse is often misquoted. “It does not say “For everything give thanks.’ Gratitude never calls us to give thanks for anything that is evil or unjust, never for violence, lying, oppression or suffering. Do not be grateful for these things.”

 Instead, she writes, “To know the mystery of life is to be grateful IN all things, In all things, WITH all things, THROUGH all things.”  This is how people who live lives of gratitude can be grateful even when situations in their life become difficult, painful or challenging. She continues saying, “Ultimately gratitude is a place – perhaps the  place – where we find our truest and best selves.” 6

 So how do we become more grateful?  There are lots of ways and gratitude practices that you can try. You could try, for example, to simply keep a gratitude journal – and write down one thing one thing each day for which you are grateful. I read about one woman who took a “gratitude picture” each day – as a reminder to be grateful. You can try Brother David’s method of “Stop. Look. Go.”  None of them are magic. It takes work, and intention to pay attention. But I encourage you – and myself – to try one of these ideas this Thanksgiving season. 

 I was actually most struck by a story that I heard by Brian Doyle. He was an 18 year old who was simply enjoying a night with friends driving down the highway when he noticed a car flashing its lights at him. He didn’t know why they were doing that – but then he saw. A car was coming straight at him – down his lane. He quickly veered off onto the side of the road as the car sped past him – in his lane. That moment shook him up. It was Thanksgiving week and he was happy to see all of the Thanksgiving notes on his social media feed. But then he thought, why should Thanksgiving be only one day? And he made a pledge to thank someone – not half-heartedly or out of obligation but to take the time to stop, to notice what someone else had done for him, the gift that they had given him of their time, their mentorship or their friendship. And he was amazed at the results. After thanking his friends first, he became more comfortable and started to seek out people to thank. One day he saw a former classmate Dave walking across the street with his mother. They weren’t close friends –but Brian remembered him because the boy had Aspergers and had many challenges but had not let Aspergers define him.  So Brian called him over and told him “Thank you for being who you are – you have helped me live up to who I am because I have thought of your example.” He could see Dave’s mother crying in the background and he realized that probably no one had ever thanked Dave for that before.7  

 Gratitude makes a difference both in our lives and in the lives of others. In fact, gratitude just may be contagious - and that’s a good thing. 8

 Brothers and sisters in Christ, thank you for reading/listening today. I thank God for you and for the gift of this time – this day – and God’s presence with us. And I pray that you will be filled with gratitude and that gratitude will fill you with JOY! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 November 24, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

 1Butler Bass, Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks prologue p XVII 

2 Ibid p XViii

3Ted Talk Brother David Steindl-Rast

4 Ibid

5 Grateful, p 98-99

6 Ibid., p 193

7 Ted Talk Brian Doyle

8  Grateful p. 105

Sunday, November 17, 2024 Christ the King Sunday

Christ the King Sunday November 17, 2024

Today we are celebrating Christ the King Sunday.  And so I’d like you to ponder with me what kind of a King is Jesus? And what does claiming Jesus as King mean for you and how you lead your life?  I’ve got some thoughts about this and – here’s a hint: It doesn’t mean a parade with gold and glitter every day.

 When Jesus questioned by Pilate as to whether or not he is a King, Jesus says, “You say that I am a king. For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate responds, “What is Truth?”

 Was Pilate a seeker? Or was he a cynical politician, jaded by the competing jockeying for power of the religious vs the Roman authorities. His job was to “keep the peace.” But keeping the peace for the Roman authorities meant using soldiers to physically suppress – violently if needed or desired – any and all challenges to their rule. Most of the time, it wasn’t a hard job. There was a faction of the population – called Zionists -- who yearned for the promised son of David to return as a King and restore the land to their rule. Pilate’s plan for them was brutal and easy. He simply sent Roman soldiers to capture and kill them – often by nailing them to wooden crosses beside the road. It was a fairly effective deterrent to future Zionists to see what would be their fate if they dared to protest against Caesar.

 But Pilot quickly sees that Jesus, was different from the Zionists. Instead of arguing about the injustices of Rome or fighting for his freedom, Jesus talks about truth. And this perplexes Pilate.

 It isn’t the first time in John’s Gospel that we hear about Jesus coming to bring truth. In the very beginning of the Gospel, in the first few verses, John introduces Jesus as the Word of God, “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” This is a word of hope, of peace, of promise.  

 It is not the only introduction of Jesus we receive. When Nathaniel, who began as a skeptic, meets Jesus, he declares, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49).  Within the first chapter we hear that Jesus is the Word of God, Son of God and King of Israel. So what kind of a king is Jesus?

 The Zionists yearned for a military ruler. But Jesus is not this kind of King. He rode into Jerusalem on a humble donkey – not a warhorse. Jesus preached peace and nonviolence. He even said to Pilot, “If my kingdom was from this world, my followers would be fighting.” But this is not the type of king that Jesus is.

 When Jesus fed 5000 hungry people – give or take a few – on the side of the hill with two loaves of bread and five fish, the people wanted to make him king!  After all, with a king like this, no one would have to buy groceries! You can see how it was appealing.

 But Jesus did not want to simply feed people’s stomachs. He cared for their bodies but he wanted more for them that that. He wanted to feed their souls and teach them to live in God’s way. Jesus tells his followers, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The truth will make you free.

 If Jesus had stuck to feeding ministries, especially if he continued to refuse to become a king, he probably wouldn’t have run too far afoul of the religious authorities. But, when he began healing people, making them free from the demons and disease that ailed them – especially when he healed them on the sabbath and challenged the traditions of the temple -- all things that “broke the rules” – the authorities began to feel threatened. And so, when Jesus claimed his own authority over theirs, they began to plot to kill him.

 The sharp edge and challenge of speaking and living the truth, is that it exposes all that is not true, all that is not keeping with the way of God, all that seeks to control rather than care for those that get called “other.” So while the law had been given to help the people follow God’s way, when the rules were honored more than God and were used to control and stigmatize people rather than help people, they became a barrier to living in God’s way.  

 Being on the inside and having access to power, control, authority, and wealth are all seductive. Look at Pilate. He quickly figures out that Jesus is not the typical Zionist leader who wants to overthrow the government and so he sees no need to kill him. So, he goes back and forth between Jesus and the religious authorities and even tries to get the crowd to release Jesus instead of a bandit. But the religious leaders have poisoned the mood of the crowd and they all claim their king is Caesar.  Pilate is stuck. He can’t release Jesus without losing his credibility and so he orders Jesus to be crucified. But he also has the soldiers put up a sign on the cross, “This is the King of the Jews” in three different languages so all can see. It’s clear that he intends to mock the religious leaders – and Jesus – but the irony is that in trying to crucify the truth1, Pilate ends up using his authority to proclaim the truth. Jesus is the King of the Jews – and all of us.

 As Jesus tells Pilate, he has come to bear testimony to the truth. The truth is that Jesus is the King – of all the world. But Jesus is not a king like any other king. Instead of violence, Jesus shows love. Instead of creating an authoritarian realm, Jesus shows the way for all people – regardless of who they are, how much money and status they have, or their heritage or where they were born. Instead of retribution and revenge, Jesus offers forgiveness. And instead of some kind of spin, Jesus simply speaks the truth.  Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” And this is the life that Jesus calls us, as followers, to live into in our everyday lives.

 And yet, sometimes, the truth can be hard to discern. For if someone says something false often enough… it starts to sound like maybe it could be true.  I have a kind of funny example of this.  A long time ago, a friend of mine showed me a large space between his toes and told me that he had this space because he used to have six toes but he had to have surgery to remove a sixth toe. At the time, I rolled my eyes and said, “Yeah right.”  But then… years later, I noticed his toes. And he said, “Oh that’s just where I had a toe removed.” And I said, “Oh, I remember your telling me about that…” And he burst out laughing.  I had been hoodwinked.

 This was a simple joke – and hurt no one… except maybe my pride a little bit. But too often, there are lies told – especially on social media that are completely fabricated. But people believe them… and repeat them… and, like the game of telephone sometimes amplify them.  This is especially true if the lie feeds on our insecurities. Or if the lie is what we want to be true – rather than what really is true.  

 Charles Spurgeon, a British preacher from the 19th century once said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”  If a lie could travel ½ way around the world in the 1800s, with today’s internet and constant trolling of social media, a lie can circle the globe twice before the truth could even get out of bed!

 Telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is supposed to be our standard in our judicial system. I hope it is.  But I know that this is the standard that Jesus calls us to live by. For Jesus is our King, our Lord, the Alpha and Omega. And so, brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, let us proclaim our love and bear witness to the Holy One of God by speaking the truth, forgiving one another and showing love and care for the most vulnerable among us. Amen.

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Bartimaeus – I was blind but now I see

Karen felt called to ministry. Receiving an inner calling can be powerful – and in some churches, that is enough. But in our church, the ELCA, that calling must be confirmed by a candidacy committee that checks to make sure she passed psychological tests graduated from seminary,  and was recommended by her internship committee and supervisor, her clinical pastoral care supervisor and her seminary professors. But this is not all. The candidate must also receive an external call – that is, she must be called by a congregation into ministry. I am happy to report that Karen Peterson, our former Vicar, has received that call and so she will be ordained this afternoon. And you are all invited.

 In our Gospel story we meet Bartimaeus, whose name means “Son of Timaeus.”  I love that Mark tells us his name. Many of the other characters in Mark’s Gospel are not. A few weeks ago, we heard the story of the earnest young rich man who asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. He’s an earnest man, one who follows the commandments but he senses he is missing something and so he asks Jesus. In response, Mark says that Jesus loves him and so he tells him that there is just one more thing that he needs - sell everything and follow him. That’s a strong call. But the rich young man goes away saddened – because he owned many things. Or perhaps they owned him, because all we know about the rich man – is that he was rich and his riches kept him from following Jesus.

 Bartimaeus was once claimed and named by and after his father, Timaeus, for that is what his name means: Bar, son of, Timaeus.  But we don’t know how or why what happened to his family or how or why Bartimaeus became blind. We only that he is blind and has been reduced to begging by the side of the road. Unlike the rich man, all Bartimaeus owned was a cloak. It was an essential item –a garment to shield him from the hot sun and the fierce wind and to wrap around himself at night -  and as a receptacle for the alms that passersby might throw in his lap as he sat by the road. Not everyone did. For many, it was as if he was invisible. He was blind but to the crowd he was almost invisible.

 Bartimaeus could not see – but he could hear. As a child he, like all the children, heard the stories about King David and the promise of the Son of David who would come to set the people free. And, from his perch beside the road, he heard all the latest gossip and news including people talking about Jesus, the rabbi who taught with authority and had power to heal. Since he could not work, while Bartimaeus sat and waited for people to see him and to take pity on him and give him a few coins, he had time to ponder and to pray and to listen. And so, when he heard that Jesus was nearby, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”   

 No one else in Mark’s Gospel had yet made the connection that Jesus was the Messiah. This was the insight of the man who could not see. But the people around him did not want to listen to him. After all, who was he to call upon Jesus? He was only a blind beggar. They tried to shush him – many even ordered him to be quiet.  But – and I love this about Bartimaeus- he refused to be silent. He called out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

 Like Bartimaeus, Jesus had ears to hear.  But notice that he didn’t run over to Bartimaeus. Instead, he stopped and takes the time to heal the crowd first. He told the people, “Call him here.” The people were then forced to see Bartimaeus. Their eyes were opened to see their brother. They echanged their tune from trying to silence him to encouraging him, “Take heart.” Have courage. “Jesus is calling you.” 1

 Unlike the rich man, Bartimaeus doesn’t need a second to throw off his cloak – his only possession – and come to Jesus.

 Clearly Jesus could see that Bartimaeus is a blind beggar. But Jesus doesn’t simply heal him. Instead, he gives Bartimaeus agency by asking him, “What do you want me to do for you?”  This is the same question that Jesus asked James and John just a few verses earlier when they had come to him and asked him for a favor. What they wanted glory. They asked for the honor of sitting at Jesus’ right and left hand.  Jesus refused to grant the request of his disciples. But when Bartimaeus asked Jesus, “My teacher, let me see again,” immediately, Jesus restored his sight. He healed Bartimaeus  - who was then able to see Jesus with his eyes as well as his heart.

 And then immediately, – without a candidacy committee, or seminary or internship, or an external call, Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way.

 Bartimaeus, the blind man, was able to see what his disciples, the rich man, the people in the crowd, were not – that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah, the one who has the power to heal and to restore.

 In the wake of the election where roughly half of the people – more than half in Minnesota -- are heartbroken, while the other half are happy with the results, I wonder what we can learn from Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus is a great example for us as believers because he trusts in the call of Jesus and dares to ask for what he needs. Like James and John, we don’t always get what we want. We don’t even always receive what we think would be best. And yet Jesus is still with us – on the road.

 And so, those of you who are heart-broken, “Take heart. Be of good courage.” Jesus has not abandoned you – or the people like Bartimaeus, who are vulnerable, those on the side of the road.

 And to those of you who are happy with the results, Jesus is calling you, like James and John, not to glory but rather to notice and help those who are hurting, those who are left out, those who are in need of a word of cheer and solace, those who are like Bartimaeus.

 Jesus has called us all – and so let us join in trusting in the call of Jesus and dare to ask for what we need and to follow where Christ leads.

 November 10, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

 1 https://journeywithjesus.net/essays/1988-let-me-see-againBy Debie ThomasPublished: 21 October 2018