Lean Into the Power of the Spirit

Pentecost is the Holy Spirit’s Big Day! It is the day that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit with tongues of fire and people witnessing to the power of God in languages that they don’t even know. In Acts the Holy Spirit is literally ON FIRE. What a dramatic entrance! But then, we read in our Psalm that the Holy Spirit was there from the very beginning with God, creating and renewing the face of the earth. In our Gospel, we read of the Holy Spirit as Advocate – and as the Spirit of Truth. Paul writes in Romans that the Spirit is our witness – that we are indeed children of God. 

One thing is clear when we read about the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit is active in the world and cannot be controlled, contained or tamed by us – instead the Holy Spirit is an advocate FOR us. 

Today we will be celebrating the third baptism within the past few weeks and so the lesson from Romans caught my eye. Through baptism, we are made children of God, adopted into God’s family, made brothers and sisters of Christ. 

But what does it mean to be adopted? Too often, adoption has had a second class status as if it was more desirable to be born into a family than to be adopted. But I think that adoption – especially the way that Paul talks about it – is synonymous with being chosen. 

Being chosen… or not. That was my worst memory of school. Hands down. Perhaps this didn’t happen to you when you were in school – but in my school, on the playground and in phy. Ed., everytime we wanted to play a game, we had to “choose sides.” Yours truly was not athletic and so was always one of the last chosen. 

Unlike kickball teams who choose one person – instead of – another, God reaches out to ALL people and individually looks into your eyes and says, “I choose YOU.” And the great thing is that there isn’t a limit. God doesn’t choose BETWEEN people. God simply chooses You AND your neighbor. It's not an either/or. God’s YES is not exclusive but is rather Inclusive.

That was not the case for the Roman culture to which Paul was writing. In that context, a person’s status was very important. People were either slaves or free, Jews or Gentiles, men or women. And those who were slaves, gentiles and women – were not equal in status. They certainly were not the first choice for to be an heir.

But Jesus’ death and resurrection turned the rules upside down. The rules that distinguished between the status in God’s kingdom between: Greeks and Jews, slaves and free, men and women were broken. Instead, as Paul writes, “all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

So what does it mean to be adopted by God, to be grafted onto the family tree of Christ? What kind of inheritance can we expect?

It doesn’t mean money – or any of the riches typically associated with receiving an inheritance. Becoming a child of God – a brother or sister to Christ is not a ticket to success as the world knows it. 

Instead…it is something else. We get just a glimpse of what this inheritance is at the end of our reading from Romans. Paul’s sentences are very long – and yet are packed full of meaning. So turn with me, if you will, to that last sentence. We’ll take it apart together. 

When we cry, “Abba! Father!" 

What do children do when they are in need? They call out to their parents. Abba is “Daddy” in Aramaic, the local dialect of Jesus the name that Jesus cried out to in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying “Abba, Daddy.” So as Children of God, we are given the authority to cry out to God as Abba! Father! Daddy! Like Jesus, we can appeal to God as our Daddy. 

Continuing with the passage:

 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  

The Holy Spirit works in many ways – as a comforter, advocate, guide to name a few. But in this case, Paul is calling upon the Holy Spirit to be a witness. In other words, the Spirit of God bears witness that we are indeed children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ and heirs with Christ.

and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—

What does it mean to be an heir? In Roman culture, this meant everything. There was a simple but profound difference between the haves and the have-nots, the rich and the poor, the “slaves” who got nothing more than their room and board and the “sons”. Although the NRSV has updated the language to include today’s meaning, at the time of Paul, daughters were rarely included in inheritance. And yet… Jesus turns expectations upside down. The old rules do not apply. Gender, birth, economic status do not determine inheritance. Instead, the Holy Spirit calls and gathers ALL God’s children to receive grace and mercy.

Paul ends this very long sentence with a surprise:

if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Glory sounds all right. But Suffering? That’s part of the package too?

Paul knew that being a follower of Christ, being a Christian, would not always be easy for the believers in Rome. They were going against the culture. Both Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women were making big changes in the way that things had always been in daring to gather together to worship Christ. Paul reminded them that the Spirit would be with them. It wasn’t always going to be easy. Paul knew that suffering would come.

Living in a country that protects freedom of religion, we aren’t used to thinking that we might have to suffer for our faith. But, the truth is that we live in what many people call a “post-Christendom” world. 

Currently, there is a great deal of anxiety as main-line church attendance falls and Sunday schools dwindle. Some wax with nostalgia about the “good old days.” Pastors routinely beat themselves up over not having crowds at the door. But the truth is that the programs that were overflowing in the past are no longer appealing to a population that now has more opportunities than time in the day. 

Paul goes on in his letter to assure the believers of Rome, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” Paul acknowledges the challenges of the day but also has confidence that this is not the end of the story. Instead, he describes creation as still in labor. God is not done. And so Paul urges the believers in Rome and us to dare to hope.

Hope. Hope is not a concrete plan. Hope does not have objective goals. Hope may not be “realistic.” And yet…because the Holy Spirit bears witness that we are indeed adopted, chosen children of God, heirs with Christ we dare to not only hope but to have confidence in the promises of Jesus. 

Here are a few examples of why I dare to hope:

1) Working with the youth in the puppet musical – our youth give me hope for the future. They are learning the important elements of faith.

2) Interviewing interns has been a great joy for me. This year I interviewed 9 interns – each with a story to tell and each with a desire to serve. 

3) Yesterday I met a man with a hat that said, “Jesus is Lord.” I asked him about his hat. He told me that because of his hat, he has had opportunity to speak to a lot of people about his faith. He lives in a nursing home in Wisconsin. But he is not done sharing his joy in Jesus’ love and grace. 

4) People that I haven’t seen in a year are contacting me to go to camp. Opportunistic? Maybe. But it also is an opportunity to grow in faith.

These are just a few. The key is this: We dare to hope. And not only that – but we dare to be bold enough to claim the promises of Jesus..”

Paul concludes this section with one of my favorite verses in Romans, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”

I believe that – not only is God active and alive in our world today, encouraging us and inviting us to LEAN IN to be led by the Spirit but also that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, advocating for us and praying for us with “sighs too deep for words.” 

The good news is that we are not alone. God is up to something in this world – and as followers of Christ, it is our task to lean into the guidance of the Holy Spirit with hope, confident that the one who gave us the promise of New Life in Christ will be faithful now and forever. Amen. 

Jesus' Peace

5.1.16
Vicar Katelyn

John 14:23-29

23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. 25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Oh really, Jesus? That’s ridiculous. Just listen to the news for five minutes. Political fights all over the place. Racial injustice. Terrorism around the world. Women harassed in the streets. All this, and we’re supposed to not be troubled or afraid?! How’s that supposed to work?

Jesus’ message of peace is difficult to accept. He promises to give us his peace, but it sure doesn’t look like he’s followed through on that promise, does it? Because peace means no more conflict and no more suffering, right?

I sometimes wish that’s what it meant in our faith, but I don’t think this is what Jesus is promising. Jesus isn’t promising a life free of pain and struggle. He’s giving us a lasting peace of promising to always be with us, to send the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of him.

The peace Jesus offers us doesn’t eliminate the hard things. But, as David Lose writes, Jesus gives us “a peace that allows us to lift our gaze from the troubles that beset us and see those around us as gifts of God worthy of our love and attention.”

In other words, when we receive Jesus’ peace, we are not dominated by the world’s messages of fear … instead, we are overwhelmed with love to act on behalf of our neighbors. We are accompanied and guided by the Holy Spirit to live out Jesus’ teachings and messages.

But still, how do we actually do this? How do we move ourselves from fear to a life full of Jesus’ peace? Jesus says, “Do not let …,” which gives us some responsibility. It indicates that we have a choice, that we can, with his help, of course, actually do something about our trouble and fear.

I think of trouble and fear not so much as things we can get rid of completely, but things we can manage. For example, many of us, including myself, feel anxious sometimes. We might be unsure if we can actually do something or worry about what might go wrong. Sometimes this feeling just bubbles up inside. To manage the anxiety, you might exercise regularly, meditate, and journal. You might develop breathing techniques to help you when you’re feeling anxious.

These practices don’t make the anxiety leave forever, but they do make it so you’re not dominated by it, so you have peace and can do the things that are important to you.

In a similar way, regular prayer, worship, Scripture reading, and other practices help us to receive Jesus’ peace and let it flow through our hearts and lives. They don’t make it so we’re never troubled or afraid, but consistent practices help us to set our eyes on our neighbor and give us the strength to hope and to live out our faith.

But you might insist, “I don’t have time for all that. I’m too busy.” Sorry, but that isn’t going to cut it. I don’t expect you to be in worship 52 Sundays every year or be diligent absolutely every day in prayer and reading Scripture. I certainly am not. But again, we have choices to make.

And it’s not about what I expect or what anyone else expects … it’s about how you want your life to be. And how God wants your life to be. You have a choice, everyday,  between receiving the world’s busy-ness or receiving Jesus’ peace.

The constant go of our culture has made an idol of being busy. And it’s definitely a huge pressure. There are so many extra-curricular activities for kids, a growing blur between work and home, and being constantly available via technology. It’s a lot. We’re so accustomed to being busy that we forget we have a choice, we forget there are other ways to live.

Jesus even says, “I do not give to you as the world gives.” The world gives us a to-do list; the world gives us over-scheduling, selfishness, and temporary happiness. Jesus gives us deep peace. Jesus directs us to not let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to make worship, prayer, service, fellowship, and other practices a priority in our lives, to make them regular habits. When we do this, when we have this consistency, we are far more likely to receive Jesus’ peace.

Again, it doesn’t fix all of our problems, it helps us navigate them and frees us from fear so that we can live the life God calls us to live.

Think of Jesus’ peace as an anchor. As something that centers or grounds you.

When I was studying abroad in southern Africa in college, we had a ten-day break to travel as we wished. I took a bus with two of the other students to Victoria Falls. While we were there, Steph and Taryn somehow convinced me to go white water rafting on the Zambezi River. I’d never done this before, much less on a world-class river -- this is much rougher than you’d get on your average tourist rafting trip in the United States. I would not do this again.

But anyway, off we went with others for a full day of rafting, 20-25 rapids in all. About the third rapid or so, our raft rose in the water and tipped over. I got stuck briefly under the raft, and was tossed about in the water. This probably was all only a few seconds, but it felt like forever. It scared me in a way that I hadn’t been scared before. It was all I could do to not break out in tears as I climbed back into the raft in calmer waters. I looked up at either side of the river -- it’s not like I could scale the hundred feet of cliff and leave. No, the only way out was to continue.

I took a deep breath and centered myself on moving forward. This was only rapid number three. There were many more to go. I held myself together and was determined to make it through the rest of the trip. I didn’t so much pray as I just tried to focus on God as a source of strength and peace. Trying to focus my energy on being calm, centering myself with peace. Luckily, the raft didn’t turn upside down again the rest of the time, though it was still a rough ride. But I made it.

God’s peace didn’t make the rapids disappear or get me out of the situation -- it helped guide me through.

It’s similar to an anonymous quote I saw this week that said, “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

No matter what we are troubled by or afraid of, Jesus’ peace is here for us to receive.

There are many things we may fear, that are very real and not to be ignored. We’re afraid of relapsing into an alcohol or drug addiction. We’re afraid a family member might hurt themselves. We’re afraid we might have a panic attack or slip into deep depression. We’re afraid we’re not good enough. We’re afraid we’re not the mother or friend or spouse that we’re supposed to be. We’re afraid of losing someone we love and of our own health deteriorating.

These are big things.

But God is bigger.

Jesus’ peace is greater than all your troubles and fears.

And he invites you to receive his peace. It changes your life. It won’t take away the hard things, but it will keep them from dominating you. It will free you to do what’s most important -- serve Christ.

It will give you the strength to open wide the gate for justice to flow. It will give you freedom from captivity to to fear. It will give you an imagination for a world where all are fed and all are healed. It will give you the anchoring and the drive you need to live out the Gospel in your corner of the world.

So what choices will you make? Will you be dominated by fear and trouble, or will you develop habits in your life that fill you with Jesus’ peace? Will you let him free you to live your faith? Say a prayer, read Scripture, talk about faith with your family and friends. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid. Jesus does not give as the world gives. God’s peace is yours. Amen.

Purposeful Life

John 21:1-19

1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

A Great Big Net

Today’s Gospel reading comes at the very end of the book of John - almost as an after-thought.  After all, the big news has been shared. We’ve already heard: Jesus has risen. He appeared to his disciples. He appeared to Thomas, clarifying doubt. Today’s Gospel is a story about the day after the party. The question that I think today’s Gospel addresses is this: How does Jesus’ resurrection matter for YOUR life Monday - Sunday? Does it?

I think that Peter was asking that question.  After all of the excitement from listening to Jesus teach, watching him perform miracles, taking part in a royal procession into Jerusalem, sharing a passover meal, watching as Jesus was betrayed and arrested, standing helplessly by - and yes - denying Jesus. The shame Peter must have felt as Jesus was crucified. But then —- miraculously - Jesus rose from the dead. And he appeared to them. It was all too wonderful… Perhaps Peter just did not know what to do. And so… Peter went home. The other disciples did too. What was there left for them to do in Jerusalem? But then… what was there for him to do at home?

So Peter did what Peter had always done - he went fishing. The others came too. But what was he catching? Nothing.

Now I know from personal experience, that sometimes the fish are biting - and sometimes they just aren’t. I remember one year that I was up in the Boundary waters. Some in my crew wanted to fish. But it was a couple of days after the Mayfly hatch. It didn’t matter what fly or worm or lure we used. The fish just weren’t biting. Why would they? They were gorging themselves on the free and abundant mayflies blanketing the water.

Perhaps the disciples were sitting in the boat blaming their lack of fish on mayflies, the moon or something else. They probably had tried everything. After all, many of them had grown up fishing. Clearly they knew what to do. The situation looked rather hopeless. So when a stranger called to them from the shore, and suggested they throw the net on the other side, it was almost laughable. But they did it anyway.

The catch was amazing. The nets were almost breaking.  Seeing abundance where there had been scarcity, one disciple was wise enough to look up - and seeing said, “It’s the Lord.”  It was Jesus, providing an overwhelming abundance in a situation they had found hopeless and felt helpless.

And that’s not all - Jesus invited them to breakfast too. Jesus provides the fish - and the breakfast. Notice that Jesus already had fish cooking - but invited them to add to the potluck.

But then Jesus does something really interesting. In asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?”, Jesus restores Peter to his flock, allowing him to be the one who confesses Christ rather than the one who denies Christ. But that’s not all. Jesus also commissions Peter, giving him a task, a purpose. Jesus says,"Feed my lambs….Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep.” and he ends with… “Follow me.”

Care for my sheep. And follow me. That is the invitation that Jesus gives to Peter and that Jesus gives to us too. This is the secret to a meaningful life// This is an invitation to purpose/meaning. This is the antidote to the hopelessness in the world around us - a hopelessness that sometimes seeks to suck us in. Because it is SO EASY to become hope-less. It’s tempting to despair. Often times the world around us does not seem fair. And it’s not. Sometimes the challenges of our everyday living seems a bit, frankly, overwhelming. our pain and sorrow can feel suffocating. But Jesus does not want us to stay there. Instead Jesus says, “Care for my world, my children - and follow me.”

This isn’t always simple. It isn’t always easy. But when you are looking for hope in a seemingly hopeless world, a world against which you sometimes feel helpless - then listen to Jesus’ invitation. Jesus is inviting you into a life of meaning - and a life of purpose.

Yet…sometimes situations in life make us feel as if we are holding an empty net. In those times, it’s hard to believe that net will be full of fish if you simply cast it on the other side.  At those times…we feel stuck - hopeless and helpless.

I had an extended conversation this past week with a woman in our congregation about hopelessness. She called it a “spiritual disease”. And I think she is right. Hopelessness comes when people lack an imagination to see life differently - to see an alternative to the life they now live.

She told me the story of a man I’ll call John. He was an alcoholic and had had several DWIs. In fact, he had had so many DWIs that they became almost “normal” for him. He wan’t even depressed about it. He simply assumed that he would die as a result of his alcoholism - maybe while he was driving. He just hoped that he wouldn’t kill someone else in the process. He had no hope for his own life. He felt it was inevitable.

John was stuck in hopelessness. He had lost all imagination that life could be different. That is… until he met Bob and Mary.  It was hard to say what exactly changed. It wasn’t anything dramatic that they did. They would simply listen to him. They made it clear that they were truly interested in him and in his life. What changed? Somebody cared — and he did not want to let them down.

Jesus said, “"Feed my lambs….Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep.” Jesus isn’t shaming Peter for denying him and he doesn’t shame us either when we fall short. But Jesus is giving Peter and us a new way, a path to live a life that is full of meaning and purpose. It’s simply this: Love and care for the neighbor, the “other” as if they were Jesus.  This is the way to follow Jesus.

If this seems overwhelming - or too hard to do - remember this: when Jesus invited the fishermen to cast the net over to the other side of the boat, he wasn’t just talking to Peter. Indeed, it needed all of the fishermen, all of the disciples, to try to haul in that great catch of fish. Jesus does not call us to work alone.  Rather, Jesus is calling us ALL - every one of us — to be the net that tends to his sheep and catches any child of God who fears that he or she might “fall through the cracks.”  And the blessing is two fold. For you see… sometime we are the ones who are holding onto the net - catching those who might fall. And there is nothing more meaningful or purpose filled than being part of that net that holds your brother or sister up.

But sometimes… we are the one in need of a net. We are the ones who need to hold on for dear life.  Sometimes, when we are feeling hopeless and helpless like John was, we don’t have eyes in which to see that there are brothers and sisters surrounding us ready to help. Too often… the last place that someone wants to be vulnerable - to admit needing help — is in the church.

So I wonder… can you and I change that impression? Can we tell others that we are not here to judge others but simply to do as Jesus taught - love others as Jesus has first loved us.

While you are at it, you could mention that Jesus has a really big net.  For Jesus has promised to be with us - to send the Holy Spirit to catch us when we fail. So come - follow Jesus. For Jesus is calling you - and me - and our neighbors to a live a life worth living. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane
April 10, 2016
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran

Gift of Descipleship

John 12:1-8

1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Gift of Discipleship: Loving & Following Jesus

Giving gifts can be wonderful. I remember being at a little child’s birthday party – I don’t even remember who it was - but on opening a small gift, he exclaimed with joy and delight: “Oh! Just what I’ve always wanted.” It was delightful to see the joy on his face – but even more delightful to see the joy on the face of the giver and everyone around the circle. That’s the response that we want when we give a gift. But… it doesn’t always work out that way

Mary’s gift was smelly. Imagine – a whole pound of perfume! The whole house must have reeked with the aroma. But besides the pervasive smell, Mary must have raised more than a few eyebrows when she caressed Jesus’ feet with her hands and she let down her hair to dry his feet. In the culture of the time, women’s hair was something that only their husbands saw. Plus, the perfume that she used was often saved to anoint the dead. Looking around the room – there was Lazarus – Mary’s brother, the man Jesus raised from the dead. Was this a joyful thank you to Jesus for bringing Lazarus back to life? Or was it a reminder of the nearness of death?

As if that wasn’t enough to make people notice, this was an extravagant gift. And people always pay attention when gifts are extravagant.

This past week, when I was at Breadsmith – the bakery that donates our bread on Wednesday nights – the man ahead of me kept adding to his order. He turned and looked at me and apologized saying, “Oh I’m sorry it’s taking me a long time. But I just had to come here – even though I live in Eden Prairie. My wife loves this bakery.”

I looked at his order. I noticed it included very large package of chocolate brownies. I smiled. But the man continued… “I’m in the doghouse.”

I didn’t say a word – just smiled. He went on, “You think this is bad – he gestured to his growing pile -- I work in jewelry and one day a man came in and bought a very expensive 18 inch gold necklace for his wife. As I was wrapping it up, he said, ‘I’m in the doghouse. I hope this will do it.’ Just as a joke I said him, “Well, the next time you are in the doghouse, you could come back and get the earrings to match!” He looked at me and said, ‘Wrap them up.”

These two men were giving extravagant gifts for a purpose – they both wanted to get “out of the doghouse.”

That wasn’t the reason for Mary’s gift. Her gift was extravagant too – and actually far more expensive than the gifts of those two men. Scholars estimate that nard, the perfumed oil that Mary poured over Jesus’ feet, would cost a year’s salary. How could Mary afford that? What was she thinking? What was the purpose in spending that money – wasting it as some would say?

That was Judas’ complaint. He clearly wasn’t happy with what was going on. He piously complains that the nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Judas’ seemingly practical, sensible and even pious complaint is in sharp contrast to Mary’s extravagant – seemingly wasteful gift. John gives the readers an aside that Judas stole from the common purse, revealing a personal, selfish reason for his complaint. But still…why did Mary offer such an extravagant gift? If she had that much extra, why didn’t Mary give it to the poor or to some other cause?

Jesus provides the answer. It’s not that Jesus doesn’t care about the poor. When he says, “You always have the poor with you,” Jesus may have been referencing Deuteronomy 15:11 which says, “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” Matt Skinner

But Jesus also wanted to remind his disciples, that Good Friday was not far off as he says, “but you do not always have me." So Jesus accepts Mary’s gift. It might not have been “the gift that he always wanted.” But it was a prophetic gift – a gift that pointed to Good Friday.

Why would Mary provide such a gift? Did she know more than the disciples? We don’t know. But remember the first time that we hear of Mary and Martha. Jesus is called upon to settle a family squabble. Should Mary have to help Martha in the kitchen or could she sit at Jesus’ feet and listen? Jesus honored Mary’s wish and made a place for Mary to sit at his feet, the place of a disciple, and listen.

In response, Mary’s extravagant gift was smelly, personally intimate and expensive– it was a gift of her whole self, her resources, time, talents and money.

For us, Mary models what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Like Mary, we too can listen to Jesus and act with love and care, not holding back but out of love, sharing our whole selves and our resources. And like Mary, you have been given a gift. Jesus has made room for you at the table. You too are called to discipleship. You too are called to love and follow Jesus.

But how do we do this?

It doesn’t mean that there should be a run on smelly perfume. As Jesus said, Mary’s gift was prophetic – a preparation for his burial.

But Jesus has welcomed you to His table too. He loves you and has claimed you. And God has given you gifts and talents that are given “for you” – and are given for you to share.

The question for you to ponder is this: how can you respond to the amazing and inclusive love that Jesus has for you? How can you respond – with love, like Mary did -- to the love of Jesus?

We could look at the marks of discipleship printed on our wall – the practices of worshipping, learning, serving, giving, inviting , encouraging and praying. All of these are good. But…let’s start with prayer, trusting that Jesus will lead us in our prayers to action.

Dear Jesus,

    Thank you for calling us to and giving us the gift of a life of discipleship. Lead us and guide us so that in our words and in our deeds we may show your love and walk in your way. Amen.

Where are you in Bible stories?

Vicar Katelyn
3.6.2016

Luke 15 - the parable of the prodigal son

Do you ever find the Bible confusing? Or hard to understand? Scripture can seem so far from daily life. I often hear, from people of all ages, that sometimes it’s difficult to connect with something written 2,000 years ago. And yet the Bible is the best-selling book worldwide every year, indicating that it must still have applications, insights, and meaning that are valuable to us in 2016.

The Bible has plenty to say to us and we aren’t as far away from the story as we might think. As one pastor I know recently put it, “These are biblical times” -- meaning that our present time has resonances with contexts, situations, and lessons experienced by those we hear about in Scripture.

Today, I invite you to see yourself in the story of the prodigal son, which is likely a familiar story to you. When we do more than just gloss over familiar Bible stories, they can help us to see ourselves in the story and gain new insights. We’ll do this by exploring different perspectives in this parable and finding where we might fit in. You’ll hear a lot of different messages today, but keep in mind that you don’t need to remember all of them. I want you to focus on what perspectives you feel connected to and where you find yourself in this parable from Jesus.

Before we get into the story, let’s start with the understanding that all of us bring unique perspectives and contexts to interpreting Scripture. You cannot read the Bible objectively -- you hear and interpret Scripture based on who you are. This is a good thing! And this is exactly why we engage Scripture together -- to learn from one another.

I’ve been leading a parents’ group on Wednesday evenings in Lent as part of my internship project, and we discussed the prodigal son story a few weeks ago. Each person resonated in different ways with the characters and heard particular messages. I also shared with them this true story from author Mark Powell:

Powell separately asked a group of Americans and Russians to recount the prodigal son story. Only 6 out of 100 Americans remembered the famine, but 42 out of 50 Russians did. And whereas most Russians didn’t reference the son squandering the property, almost all Americans did. Powell also asked Americans, Russians, and Tanzanians, “Why is the younger brother hungry?” The Americans said because he wasted his money; the Russians said because there was a famine; the Tanzanians said because no one gave him anything to eat. Who was right about why the younger son was hungry? They all were. (Powell writes about this in chapter 2 of his book What Do They Hear?: Bridging the Gap Between Pulpit and Pew. I summarized this paragraph from STORY 2015-2016, a curriculum by the NE MN Synod.)

Your experiences impact what you hear, what stands out to you, what strikes you as important. Pay attention to what you connect with and why as we explore some perspectives and messages in the parable of the prodigal son.

Let’s start with the younger son. He goes to his father, demanding his inheritance now -- essentially saying he wishes his father was dead. He receives the inheritance, and spends it recklessly. Then a famine strikes and he has no resources left. He takes a degrading job feeding pigs, and has a difficult time getting by. With shame, he finally returns home and is met with surprising and overwhelming compassion from his father.

Perhaps you have had a period in your life in which you did incredible wrong, but eventually found your way back to someone you hoped would still love you. Consider the story of Jenna. Jenna grew up in a troubled home with parents who weren’t always around. She had access to drugs and alcohol pretty much whenever she wanted, and had no problem finding friends to join her. As she got older, her addictions became worse. Too young, she had a son, Caleb, and couldn’t care for him with all her problems. So she sent him to live with an Aunt, Lila, who was the only stable and successful family member she knew. Jenna, even with her addictions, was ridden with guilt from giving up her son. She didn’t clean up right away, but a few years later she finally began a rehab program. After more time had passed, and with help from a new support network, she was able to get her life on track - a job, an apartment, regular help. But she hadn’t spoken to Lila or seen Caleb since that day she sent him off, eight years ago. Nervously and shamefully, she knocked on Lila’s door. Her aunt opened the door and could see at once that there was something different about her niece than in years before. Lila embraced her, crying, “Have you really come home?” Jenna, overwhelmed by the acceptance, told her aunt all about her current situation, and said she felt new life in her aunt’s love.

Maybe this is your story, maybe not. Perhaps your first semester of college you took a turn for the worst and had to seek forgiveness from your parents. Perhaps you distanced yourself from good friends to follow a relationship that was never going to work, and you returned to them seeking support. There are many ways you might be like the younger son.

Let’s consider now the father. He gives the inheritance and painfully watches his younger son abandon and disregard him. But when the younger son comes home, he can’t help but be overwhelmed with love, that “what was once dead is alive again” -- and this is cause for celebration. His lost son has been found.

If you haven’t been the lost one, you may have been the one who received and welcomed the lost. Aunt Lila may be your experience. Think about how good it feels to find something that was lost. I have two brief examples.

One day, while I was waiting for the bus to go home from Luther Seminary, I realized my wedding ring had fallen off. My heart raced as I frantically searched for it in the dirt -- I probably looked ridiculous to others. The ring isn’t only special to me because it’s my wedding ring -- which is special enough -- but also because it had belonged to my great grandmother, a woman I adored. This ring has deep value to me. I kept searching, and finally, I found it, and was overcome with relief. It was far more important that I found it than that I’d lost it.

A second example - growing up, I watched my two younger brothers a lot. I am 7 and 13 years older than them. One summer day when I was 13 and my brother, Kade, was 4, he was having a particularly rough day. Nothing made him content and he wasn’t happy with me for some reason, probably because I wouldn’t let him eat chocolate all day or something like that.

Anyway, I went to use the bathroom while he was playing, and I came back and he was gone. My 13-year-old self was terrified. I couldn’t find him anywhere in the house. Finally I checked outside, and there he was, a short way down the dirt road. I caught up to him; he told me he was “Running away.” I was just really glad I found him! Eventually he forgot why he was mad and we had a good rest of the day.

Often we are so overtaken with joy at finding what has been lost - especially a person - that everything else fades and you’re just so glad to be reunited with what or who was gone.

Now let’s move on to the older son -- too often he is overlooked in this story! He is not excited that his brother comes home and that his father is celebrating. He has worked hard exactly like he is supposed to and can’t find it in himself to be happy that his brother is now “alive again.” You can understand his frustration while also wishing he would set it aside and put the possibility of a new relationship with his brother first.

Maybe you are the responsible sibling, always taking care of household chores or always the one to take care of your aging parents. But when one of your less-dependable siblings does one good thing, they get all kinds of recognition and praise, leaving you, the always-reliable-one, rather annoyed.

Or maybe you’re an always-in-church-every-Sunday kind of person, which is a good thing. But you become prideful and arrogant about it -- not a good thing. Then, when someone who hasn’t been to worship in months comes one Sunday, you scold them for never being there instead of extending a grateful welcome that they’ve come. This is like the older son, too.

I’ve shared several possible connections with the story of the prodigal son, and suggested a variety of messages that it may speak. Where do you find yourself? What message do you hear most clearly?

Although I can identify with each of the characters, yet another perspective stood out most for me this week. I feel grateful that God can do something that I can’t always do – embrace others who’ve gone astray. Even when I can’t love someone as God has called me to, I trust that God can and does, and I’m thankful for that. What is not always possible for me is more than possible for God. And that’s okay.

Instead of preaching one particular message today, I wanted to invite you into the richness of Scripture. I hope you see and experience the many insights of this Bible story. One passage contains so much. God’s Word breathes life into our lives, and if we’re willing to delve in, to put ourselves in the stories, then we can draw deeply from this rich well of Scripture.

Today I encourage you to go home, take out your Bible, and start reading. Start reading and experiencing, even if it's confusing or hard to understand … and expect God to show up and speak to you in that holy time. Amen.

A Life Worth Living

Bad news happens and people talk. Imagine the buzz in the marketplace in Jesus time. Maybe it sounded like this: Did you hear about what Pilate did this time? He killed the Galileans and dared to mingle their blood with the blood of sacrifice. That goes against God. Did you hear about the tower that fell in Jerusalem and killed 18 people? It’s awful.

Some things don’t change. Bad news happens… and people talk. It happens today too. Remember what ISIS did to the Coptic Christians in Egypt? Lined them up hooded and killed them execution style. What about the Uber driver – randomly killing innocent bystanders? It doesn’t make sense.

Whether in Jesus’ day or ours, bad news happens and people talk. People talk – and ask God: “How can you allow such a thing? How can you permit such evil?” “Why is there such suffering?” Then and now people ask the questions: “If God is All Good and All Powerful, why is there evil in the world?” “Why do innocent bystanders suffer?” “Is this part of God’s plan?” “Did God cause this suffering?” And then…people try to find meaning for all this suffering and often wonder…sometimes out loud: Did those people who are suffering or who were killed DO SOMETHING to deserve this? Are they being punished for their sin?

Jesus answers the last question with an emphatic “NO.” Speaking plainly, Jesus says, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you.” And in case his listeners wondered if he was speaking only of this particular situation, Jesus gives another example. Speaking of what seems like innocent bystanders when a tower fell, Jesus says, “do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you.”

Jesus makes it really clear that God does not cause people to die horrific deaths or suffer excruciating pain because they were worse sinners than anyone else. This is true for the people killed by Pilate, by Nazis, by ISIS or any other hateful person or group and it is true for people killed by the falling tower of Siloam, the falling of the Twin Towers, the bridge collapse or for those killed by the Uber driver. God is NOT punishing them for their sin. These people were no worse sinners than anyone else.

The fact that everyone sins doesn’t mean that sin – falling short of the life God has for us – doesn’t matter. It does matter – and Jesus calls us to repent. Twice Jesus tells his disciples and us, “unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." Can you hear the urgency in his message? Repent. Do it NOW.

Stories of unexpected deaths remind us: We are mortal. I serve as a volunteer Police Chaplin for Robbinsdale, Crystal and New Hope. Most of the time when I’m called to a scene, it’s because someone has died. This past week the deceased was a woman who had clearly made some unhealthy choices in life. She smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day, drank 3 pots of coffee, used street drugs, never exercised, and after staying up all night watching TV together, her brother – who weighed close to 450 pounds -- would make her a breakfast of “the works” including fried eggs, bacon, and sausage and more. And, he told me, “I didn’t give her skimpy portions.”

It’s pretty easy to make some connections between her lifestyle and her early death. Of course, the story is more complicated than simply making bad choices. They had other challenges that they couldn’t control that may have led to the unhealthy behavior that I won’t go into here. Their story made me sad for them – but their bad choices didn’t make them any worse “sinners” than I am.

Jesus calls them AND ME to repent. In Greek, the word is “metanoeó (met-an-o-eh'-o).” While in Hebrew the word for repentance means: “turn around,” the New Testament understanding is a little more nuanced. It means: “to change one’s mind or purposes.” Change is still needed, but it might not be a 180 degree turn. I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things that I do and choices that I make that aren't “bad” – they are even “good” but sometimes doing those things keeps me from doing the most important things. In calling us to repent – to turn from those decisions that keep us from being all that God made us to be, Jesus is calling his disciples and us to live a life worth living.

I heard a story on MPR this week about a sculptor who makes beautiful sculptures of people out of ice. When asked why she goes to all of this work – only to have her beautiful sculptures melt away, she gave a surprising answer. She had looked at the great sculptures of people of the past and noticed that they were made of the most durable materials – bronze and stone. And she noticed that they were made larger than life – and that often they were raised high on horses or pedestals. She set out to do… the opposite. So she made smaller than life - three foot - figures out of ice, a most impermanent material, especially since she doesn’t place them outside at a Winter Carnival but instead takes them out of her frozen workshop and displays them inside. She sets metal bowls under her melting masterpieces to catch the drips and then amplifies the bowls to make the noise of dripping water even louder… When asked why she goes to so much work only to have it melt away, she replied, “to remind us of our mortality.” Clearly taken aback, the interviewer said, “Oh! Isn’t that depressing?” To which the artist replied, “No, it’s to remind us to make the most of THIS Life.”

We are mortal. How do we repent, change our mind, our purpose, to make the MOST of this life, to live the life that Jesus would have us live? As followers of Jesus, you maybe don’t need a 180 degree turnaround. But just as a sailing ship continues to need small course corrections as it battles wind and waves, so we too need help to “stay the course” and focus and refocus on Jesus’ way, and not to get distracted by all of the things around us, things that aren’t really “bad” -- especially compared to what other people are doing.//

But wait… did you catch that? We so quickly make this move: “especially compared to what other people are doing.” We are accustomed to comparing ourselves to OTHER PEOPLE – like the woman with the unhealthy lifestyle. The people in Jesus’ day made the same kind of comparisons. But that’s not the standard that Jesus holds out for them or us. The standard is Jesus – on the cross. So…if you want to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to Jesus. We all fall short.

Jesus calls us to repentance. Again, there’s urgency to it. Don’t wait. Life is too uncertain. Jesus doesn’t give excuses or reasons that life is uncertain. He just states the truth. Life is uncertain. You are mortal. Repent. Do it NOW.

The reason that Jesus wants us to repent is because Jesus wants more for us. Jesus wants us to have a life worth living. And Jesus wants that for ALL of us. To illustrate, Jesus tells a story, a parable of hope and second chances.

In the parable, the owner of the fig tree first pronounces judgment – and then a second chance. That’s Grace. But the question remains: Will the fig tree change? Not by itself. The fig tree needs the help of the gardener to dig up the soil, to add the manure and fertilizer before it can grow.

Jesus calls us to repent, to change our focus, to refocus on Jesus’ ways. But like the fig tree, we can’t do it by ourselves.

This reminds me of the picture of heaven and hell that someone once painted. In hell there were people sitting at a table filled with sumptuous food – but they were given long forks and were miserable because they could not feed themselves. In heaven there were people sitting at a table filled with sumptuous food – and they were given the same long forks. But they were having a delightful time feeding one another.  Jesus has given us one another – to care for the other, to dig around the soil, to put Miracle Grow on the roots – and to encourage one another.

Jesus invites you and me to live a life worth living NOW. To do this Jesus has given us a community of faith. In this community of faith we are called to do our part to care for one another, to feed the neighbor, so that we – and our neighbor may bear fruit and live a life worth living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane
February 28, 2016

MESSAGE:

Jesus invites us to live a life worth living NOW – and to do this as a community of faith, doing our part to care for one another so that we – and our neighbor may bear fruit

Luke 13:1-9

1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' "

Prophetic Action & God's Wing

2.21.2016
Vicar Katelyn

Gospel Reading: Luke 13:31-35

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Jesus is angry. He’s angry that the people of Jerusalem have chosen to reject truth-tellers, to banish and kill those who seek justice and who seek to lead the people in the ways of God.

“How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Jesus is also sad. This image of Jesus as a mother hen is at the same time tender and fierce. A mother hen keeps her chicks safe under her wing and is willing to protect them. Jesus longs for the people to gather together under his wing, but they’re not willing. It pains him to experience their rejection.

We’re not so different. While we’re not stoning prophets, we’re at least often shutting them down and refusing to listen to their truth. We’re telling them to quiet down, don’t cause such a fuss. We’re telling them to just be patient in matters of urgency. These prophets are truth-tellers, justice-seekers, God-messengers.

Prophets are the people demanding justice be served and leaders be held accountable for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Prophets are the people changing policies and educating the world about modern-day slave labor. Prophets are the people striving for equal and equitable education.

Sometimes it all just seems too overwhelming and we shut the prophets out. Or we figure “out of sight, out of mind.” And still other times we refuse to take off our rose-colored glasses and see the hurt and the pain and the devastation.

Or maybe you have experienced the other side. Maybe you’ve played the role of prophet at times in your life. Perhaps you’ve consistently spoken up for the millions of peaceful Muslims in the world. Perhaps you’ve taken a stand to uplift gender equality. Perhaps you’ve engaged in collective action by protesting apartheid or other oppressive regimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you have taken prophetic action in your lives and experienced hatred and rejection from those unwilling to even hear your story.

We’ve got to stop doing this … for the sake of our neighbor, and of ourselves.

And this isn’t what God desires. God desires for all of us to be gathered under God’s wing, trusting our lives to God’s guidance and care. When a mother hen enfolds her brood, she brings them all not only close to her, but close to each other. When we’re gathered together under God’s wing, we can’t help but be close to our neighbors, to our brothers and sisters from all walks of life. And in this closeness I hope that we couldn’t help but truly know each other’s stories, joys, and sorrow. It’s pretty hard to ignore someone who’s right next to you.

I don’t doubt that you know these things. You know that being close to God changes your life, and you know that the well-being of everyone, no matter who they are, is important. But even for the strongest advocates and the best-hearted people, things can get in the way.

Distractions and selfishness shift our attention from where it should be. Fear keeps us from doing the right thing. Wanting to be well-liked keeps us from speaking up. And it all makes us wary of these truth-telling prophets who might just rock the boat a little too hard for our liking.

So we shut them out. And when we shut out the prophets, we’re also trying to push our neighbors out from under God’s wing. To push them out of the beloved community. You see, these prophets are speaking and taking action on behalf of people who are included in God’s fold … which is everyone.

When we don’t listen to the truth, to the struggles of our immigrant neighbors, to the fear of young women being harassed, to the cries of those never given a second chance … when we don’t listen to the truth the prophets speak, we’re saying we don’t have time or concern for our brothers and sisters. We’re saying we wish they weren’t there so we didn’t have to deal with their problems.

Now I said that when we shut out the prophets, we’re trying to push our neighbors out from under God’s wing. But that’s not what actually happens. Instead, we end up walking away from God ourselves. God desires compassion and truth and justice … when we ignore these, we’re the people that Jesus is talking about, the ones “who aren’t willing.” Jesus longs for us all to be gathered, and it grieves him when we choose to walk away.

When we walk away from Jesus, life takes awful turns. We eliminate remarkable prophets, like Dr. King, because we’re afraid of “the other.” We end up destroying creation because we’ve valued human excess over creation care. We end up with huge wealth inequalities because we always want more for ourselves.

So what’s the good news? What do we do? We examine ourselves, our motives, our relationship with God. We’re honest. We repent. And we seek God’s transforming ways. Basically we embody the message of the Lenten season.

The good news is that God continually extends the invitation to gather under God’s wing, and that changing our ways is always possible with God.

A place to start could be aligning your life with what’s expressed in the psalm for today. Psalm 27 reads, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” God’s light illuminates your path and God is your stronghold when standing up for truth gets tough.

The psalm goes on, “I will seek to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” This sounds like seeking to be in that community gathered under God’s wing. Lastly, it says, “Teach me your way, O Lord … Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries.” Adversaries could be people, or they could also be the things - like distractions and selfishness - that are keeping you from following God’s path. Shifting your focus daily to this psalm’s message can help you evaluate what you’re doing and why. It’s a good way to begin.

Secondly, you can take an honest look at the gospel and at who Jesus is and at the faith you are professing. C.S. Lewis once said, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” You don’t need to be uncomfortable all the time, but seeking truth and justice, listening to the prophets, taking prophetic action … none of these are going to be comfortable. But they’re life-giving.

When we hear the truth of our neighbors and of the prophets and we act because we’re convinced we must, then so much good can happen. So much new life is given. I’d like to share two brief examples.

With some of my friends at Luther Seminary, I visited a church in the metro area. A member of this church told us how, at a different congregation, she and her son had been asked to leave because he was “too disruptive.” Her son had a mental disability and occasionally made noises during worship. In her current church, where we visited, she and her son were welcomed and they listened to her experiences. As a result, she was able to connect with other families who had special needs children, and together they formed an additional worship service that allowed for the noises, sounds, movements, and uniqueness of their children. Her truth-telling on behalf of her son made a difference. Their voices were uplifted and praised God. The church that rejected them certainly missed out!

Secondly, consider the partnerships we have with Wildfire. We could choose to be in competition with one another for members, seeing as most of us are relatively small. We could try do things bigger and better than the other churches, and promote only ourselves. Instead, we’re listening to the prophetic voices who decided to start Wildfire and to those who further its connections. It is prophetic to stand up and say we must work together in a world where so many, even churches, are in competition and are only looking out for themselves. Because we work together, our confirmation students can have fun and serve together, our choirs can praise God with a music concert together, we can hear different preachers during Lent, and ultimately we are nurturing our faith in ways we never could on our own.

These are just two examples of the many ways that seeking truth and justice change things -- there are so many powerful examples in our world. Take with you the knowing that while Christianity isn’t always comfortable, it’s always life-giving. And when things get tough, you can always depend on your God. So what truth have you been shutting down? What call for justice have you been ignoring? Choose to listen this week instead, ask God to teach you God’s ways and be your stronghold, and you might just find yourself as a prophet, welcoming more and more people under God’s wing. Amen. 

Listen to Jesus

Most people order their life and the world around them according to concrete and predictable rules: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west; 24 hours in the day and so on. But what happens in today’s gospel is anything but concrete or predictable. Instead, is full of mystery. It gives the disciples – and us -- a glimpse of Jesus as holy, glorious and awesome.

Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray. The disciples were exhausted – after all, they had just climbed a mountain. This is all understandable. But as Jesus prayed, something unexpected, mysterious and wonderful happens as Jesus begins to glow with a holy light and prophets from of old join him on the mountaintop.

Peter responds by impulsively trying to somehow hold onto that holy moment and to stay in that holy place, saying, “Let’s build three dwellings!” In other words, “Don’t just stand there, DO Something!” But instead of a call to busyness, Peter, James and John hear the voice from the clouds proclaim, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

“Listen to him.” It’s good advice – then and now. So how can we listen to Jesus? We can read scripture. We can hear Jesus’ word in Worship. We can taste Jesus’ blessing as we come together for communion. We can see Jesus in the world around us. Jesus is present where two or more are gathered in His name. We can listen to Jesus in all of these ways. But today, I want to focus on what Jesus went up the mountain to do: pray. We can listen to Jesus through prayer.

How do we pray? I’m glad to say there are many ways, including:

At WAPO Bible camp, youth jump up and down, energized by the Holy Spirit and singing songs of praise. That’s prayer.

When we gather for contemplative prayer, a candle is lit, the body stilled and silence is held. That’s prayer.

In our worship, we read prayers together and respond to prayer petitions, asking God to “Hear our Prayer.” That’s prayer.

Before mealtimes, we join together reading or reciting words of thankfulness to God for the food and fellowship. That’s prayer.

Before and after meetings, Bible studies, and any time two or more of us gather together, we listen and respond to words calling for God’s presence and guidance. That’s prayer.

These are examples of Corporate prayer. That’s a fancy way of saying: We pray together. Whether written or spontaneous, sung, read, recited from memory or silent, when we ask for God’s presence to be with us, we are speaking and listening to Jesus through prayer.

But we don’t have to wait to pray until we gather together.

There are many ways to pray on your own – and if you don’t have a habit of prayer, you may want to consider trying one of these methods during the season of Lent. If you have a pattern already that you enjoy, great. Keep doing it. But, perhaps for the season of Lent, you may want to try something new. Here are some ideas:

If you don’t currently have a prayer that you say, you can’t go wrong by learning or reciting the Lord’s prayer. If you know the traditional version by heart, you could try another translation.

Or, you could try using the Small Catechism. Martin Luther suggests prayers for the morning and the evening as well as at other times.

Another idea is to pray through the hymnal. You may borrow one of ours – please bring it back for Sunday worship! The words of the hymns that we sing reflect our faith. As the hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus” proclaims, regardless of the challenge, you can “take it to the Lord in prayer.”

There are several Lutheran online sources for prayer – especially through Luther Seminary.

You can try the Contemplative prayer group. Send me a note on your green sheet if you can’t make the Tuesday at 10 a.m. group. I would be happy to begin a second group. Contemplative prayer gives extra attention to the listening component of prayer. You can try it with a group first – and then try it on your own.

Clearly, there are many ways to pray – and God does not prefer one more than another. As one old Scandinavian professor at Luther Seminary once said: God hears the prayers of those who jump and shout “Praise the Lord” – but my fervent quiet prayers ring just as loud in God’s ear. The style of prayer is not the issue. All that is needed is a willingness to pray to God – sharing your cares and concerns and then… taking time to stop, listen and reflect upon God’s love and mercy and the way of Jesus.

There are lots of ways we can pray. But perhaps we need to address the question of: WHY we pray.

The easy answer of course, for the faithful, is that God commanded us to pray – and in our Gospel today, God commands us to LISTEN. Listen to Jesus.

But people often ask: if God knows everything then why should I bother to tell God what God already knows? It’s true that God doesn’t need us to act as reporters on the ground informing God of what is going on. But that’s not what God is asking for in prayer. What God wants is a relationship with YOU. It’s hard to have a relationship with someone if you never talk with them – or if they never listen.

So, for example, God knows that my mother has cancer. I did not have to report that to God. But I can talk to God, share my concerns with God and am comforted by knowing that God hears my prayer. But what’s more, I can listen for God’s response. In this case, God has more than answered my prayers not by healing her completely – she still has cancer – but by giving us some time together, time that we would not have taken if she had continued to work long hours. Am I glad for the cancer? No. I would never wish anyone the pain that she experienced. But I am glad for the way that God works through the pain to bring blessing.

Another question that people often ask is: If God is Almighty and has a plan for everything, what difference does my prayer make? In response to this question, I would say: look at Scripture. God has been known to change God’s mind. For example, God told Moses that he would destroy the people of Israel after they made a golden calf as an idol. But Moses prayed to God to change God’s mind – and God did. This is just one example of many.

The point is, God wants a relationship with you because God loves you and has claimed you as God’s child. God wants the BEST for you. This is why Jesus teaches us to pray – and the voice from heaven says, “Listen to him!”

God knows that there is evil in the world and that danger and challenges are there to meet us. And God wants to strengthen us and empower us for whatever lies before us, whether that be challenges, trials or blessings.

Like Peter, we may want to stay on the mountaintop basking in the glory of Jesus. But Jesus and his disciples did not stay on the mountain top – and neither can we. Jesus and his disciples come down the mountain to find a boy suffering from what looks like an epileptic seizure. Although dismayed at what is translated as the “perverse” but what really means backward looking generation, Jesus takes the time to heal that little boy. Jesus – and we – can have mountaintop experiences. Indeed it is both the mountain top experiences and our habit of prayer, of listening to Jesus, that gives us the strength to face the trials and challenges of life in our community.

This is why we need to take time for prayer – for OUR sake. God knows that our lives are busy, full and noisy. And God knows that we can easily fill up our life with TV, texts, twitter, facebook, and a myriad of activities. But God also knows that we need a Savior. We need Jesus. And so it is for OUR sake that the voice from the cloud says, “Listen to Him.” Through prayer, we can both share our joys and our cares and listen to Jesus so that we can hear God’s Word and see Jesus enlighten our path.

Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane

Faith-Lilac Way

February 7, 2016

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43)

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 

[37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.]

MESSAGE:  Listening to Jesus through prayer gives you the strength to face the trials and challenges of life

Love – Beyond Measure

First Corinthians 13 is probably the most popular scripture for weddings – ever. Called “the love chapter,” it is absolutely beautiful. How many of you have EVER heard this scripture at a wedding? It’s beautiful and says wonderful things about love.

But it wasn’t written for a wedding. Paul wrote this passage of his letter to the Corinthians not because they exemplified these qualities or were looking starry eyed at one another – but because they were at each other’s throats. Instead of describing what is – Paul seeks to inspire the Corinthians – and all faithful people who have come after – of what we should seek to become. So we can keep reading this scripture at weddings – but in my pastoral meetings with couples, I’m going to encourage them to dust this scripture off – at their first fight.

Listen again to how Paul defines LOVE: Love is patient.

Love is kind… It rejoices in the truth…

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

Love never ends. In our world that is so full of heartache and pain, we could question Paul’s assessment. But while we sometimes fail to love and to be loving, Paul writes, “Love never ends” because God is Love and God’s love is everlasting. It is beyond measure.

As Vicar Katelyn noted in her sermon last week, the chapter prior to this “love chapter,” Paul speaks about the great variety of gifts that God has given to us. Paul ends that chapter and introduces this chapter by urging the Corinthians and us to: “strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” This is not a bad translation. Love certainly is “a still more excellent way.” But literally translated, that introductory line reads “beyond measure.” Paul urges the church in Corinth and faithful followers ever since to embrace a love like Jesus’, a love “beyond measure.”

Beyond measure. The people in the church at Corinth were quite adept at measuring. Much of Greek society depended upon the ranking of people as well as professions. Those who were not “in” your group were not to be socialized with or even spoken to. But at the new church at Corinth, people of many different economic, professional, racial and ethnic groups were gathered into one. And Paul wanted them to act differently than how they had been taught by their culture. But he noticed that they were starting to jockey for position in the same way that they were accustomed to doing OUTSIDE the church – except instead of economic status or ethnicity, they were starting to measure themselves according to spiritual gifts.

Given the benefits of hindsight, it’s easy to see that the Corinthian Christians were falling into that trap in Greek culture. But what about us? While we pride ourselves on our diversity, our culture is just as prone to making distinctions based on race, ethnicity, socio-economic status and then treating people differently because of these distinctions. The lead poisoning in the water in Flint, Michigan is just one example. Officials are embarrassed now, but many have asked the question if that problem would have happened in a richer community. The point is, our culture has within it the same temptations – very human temptations – of measuring one group against another. A followers of Jesus, we, like the Corinthian Christians, need to guard against that temptation of acting like the culture instead of acting in love, acting like Jesus.  

So what does acting in love, acting like Jesus look like?

One of my favorite theologians is Henri Nouwen. He was thoughtful, brilliant and renowned an author and scholar at Harvard University. It would seem to all outward appearances that Nouwen was the picture of success. But Nouwen felt something was missing. He tried going to Latin America to get involved in Liberation theology. But because he was famous and didn’t speak Spanish very well, he was more of a liability for the group – and they asked him to go home and to pray and teach about their work. He became very depressed. Then one day, he received an invitation to become a part of L’arch community in Canada. L’arch is a community of people with disabilities and people who come to work with them. In the midst of caring for the basic needs of a developmentally disabled man, including changing his diaper, Henri learned to love and to receive love.

Henri Nouwen found the need to make a radical change in his life in order to learn to love and to receive love. Likewise, our youth often report that the change of place and the intentionality of serving others on Mission Trips helps them to see Christ. But we don’t have to go anywhere in order to see Christ at work in our world. Ordinary acts of kindness, showing patience and care, and acting out of faith within the confines of our ordinary lives, may be the best place for us to begin acting in love. That’s what it means to show Christ to the world.

At the opening sermon of the Conference for Listening for Change, Episcopalian Bishop Curry shared a story that Howard Thurman used to tell. Howard Thurman was an African American professor, the founding pastor of the House of Prayer for all People and an eloquent poet and author and an inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr.  

Howard Thurman said that he learned the power of love from his grandmother. Raised in a Southern state by his mother and grandmother at a time of segregation, they happened to live on the border of the segregation line. On the one side of their house lived a black neighbor and on the other side of their house lived a white neighbor.

The neighbor who was white resented the fact that she lived next door to a black family. And so, to show her disdain for her black neighbors, every day she cleaned out her chicken coop – and threw the “droppings” over the fence into the Thurman’s back yard.

Thurman said he wondered why this grandmother did not rise up in righteous anger. It happened almost every day. The white woman came out of the chicken coop and threw the chicken droppings over the fence. And Thurman’s grandmother did not do a thing about it. Granted, there probably wasn’t much she could do about it. These were times of segregation. So… like the old spiritual, she never said a mumbling word.

Then one day, years later, the white woman got ill. By this time, both the white neighbor and Mrs. Thurman were quite old.

Mrs. Thurman, a Christian woman, saw that her neighbor was ill and so she packed up some of her homemade chicken soup that she made with vegetables from her garden and she cut some roses from her backyard.

When Mrs. Thurman knocked on her door, the white neighbor suspiciously answered the door and said, “Can I help you?”

Mrs Thurman replied, “Well I came to help you!” and showed her the soup.

The neighbor was so weak she couldn’t resist. She let her in and then, because she was so weak she went back to her bedroom to lie down. Mrs. Thurman followed, got out a bowl and a spoon, poured a bowl of soup and then…quite literally… began to feed her neighbor soup, spoonful by spoonful.

When her neighbor was done eating, Mrs. Thurman asked, “Do you have a vase?” After finding the vase, she began to arrange the roses. The neighbor asked her, “Where did you get those flowers? They are beautiful!”

Thurman’s grandma smiled and said, “Well you’ve had a little something to do with it. You know all those chicken droppings that you’ve been throwing over the fence all these years?” Well… I’ve been using those droppings as fertilizer.

You’ve been eating the fruit of the land in that soup. And these flowers are the result of that fertilizer too. They are from my garden too. “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.”

Thurman later recounted that it was learning that lesson that helped him realize that the transformative power of love could change a nation. Or as Bishop Curry said, we can learn from the old African American spiritual: “If you cannot preach like Peter and you cannot pray like Paul you can share the love of Jesus and say he died for all.”

Sharing the love of Jesus, the love which is beyond measure. Sometimes it starts with sharing a bowl of soup. But regardless of who we are or where we live, opportunities abound. May we as a congregation and each of you in your own neighborhoods, schools and workplaces and with all the people you meet, love your neighbor as Jesus has first loved you. Amen.

Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane

31 January 2016

Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Churc

Unity in Diversity

Vicar Katelyn

1.24.2016

“The future of the church … ” This phrase often stirs up anxiety. We associate it with declining numbers, financial issues, and a long list of unknowns. These all have some truth, and we shouldn’t ignore them, but like Pastor Pam talked about last week, we should also look for opportunity, for God’s abundance. Today, I want to frame “the future of the church” with hope, drawn from our First Corinthians reading.

This passage is well-known. It describes the necessity of all people’s roles in the body of Christ, links us all together, and reminds us of the many kinds of spiritual gifts we’re given. It sounds like a loving community where everyone matters and is able to use their God-given gifts for the sake of all.

It’s easy to turn this into an idyllic dream without recognizing that actually living this way takes hard work. We also might miss that this vision of the body of Christ isn’t just a nice suggestion -- no, Paul is telling us that “unity in diversity is a reality without which the church cannot live.”(1) In other words, we need all of us, all of our unique selves, to live fully as the body of Christ.

Listen to this Word of God again. “14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If a Woman would say, “Because I am not a Man, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make her any less a part of the body. 16 And if the Child would say, “Because I am not an Adult, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make him any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were White, where would the Africans be? If the whole body were Big-Picture Thinkers, who would manage the Details? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The Lutheran cannot say to the Methodist, “I have no need of you,” nor again the U.S. Citizen to the Immigrant, “I have no need of you.” … the members are to have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with her; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with him.”

Ok, so I changed the passage a little. I think it helps us to name real characters and attributes in this text. The point is that we need everyone’s voices and uniqueness to be lifted up for the sake of the gospel and for the strength of the church. If we can do this, then we have great hope for the church’s future.

The problem is that this unity in diversity is rarely lived out. We confuse unity with uniformity. We want to stay comfortable with people who think and look and act like us. We’re willing to let different people in our community, but ultimately want them to assimilate to how we are.

We’re missing out on a lot by not living fully into this call as the body of Christ. We’re missing out on a lot of rich stories, relationships, and ways of being Christ’s hands and feet in the world.

When we don’t live out this unity in diversity, it hurts all of us.

For example, I have a few friends who grew up in congregations that didn’t allow children or youth to participate in worship roles, like lectoring, ushering, greeting, music, and so on. In this way, they learned that they were less-than full participates in the faith community. They learned that their age was a problem, and that it was best to just watch the adults handle everything. It also hurt the adults because they were missing out on passing on teaching and on deepening connections with the youth.

I think that’s pretty awful. Think about how here at Faith-Lilac Way students lector, greet, play music, usher, help with communion … right alongside adult members. This is a real gift. It shows kids and youth that they’re just as much a part of this church as anyone else. And relationships are strengthened as adults and students serve in worship together. Everyone benefits from this inclusive approach.

We also miss out when we deny people’s gifts and contexts, when we reject something based on stereotypes instead of giving it a chance. For example, dance and rap music don’t easily find a home in some parts of Christianity. While dance is less of a problem, some still consider it inappropriate for church. Rap faces a stronger refusal, carrying baggage of trashy lyrics and images.

Dance or rap isn’t the issue. The issue is how people use them.

For a couple years, I attended Redeemer Lutheran Church in north Minneapolis. If you’re not familiar with this congregation, it’s located in the Harrison neighborhood and has worked very hard to become a church of and in support of its community, listening and tending to the gifts, struggles, and stories of its people. Most of the kids who attend their Wednesday after-school program and who are picked up for Sunday school and church like to dance and many of them also like to sing and to rap. Instead of rejecting these things, Redeemer has lifted up these gifts.

Sometimes the kids write raps in the after-school program and perform them in church. There are also junior high and high school boys who get together to write and to perform, and I can tell you that the lyrics and the messages they share in church are full of God and truth. While this expression might not be authentic everywhere, it is very authentic for these students, and instead of rejecting rap and dance based on stereotypes, Redeemer has allowed these gifts to flourish and to glorify God. Everyone benefits from encountering God in worship through their words and their praise.

Finally, we also miss out when we don’t do the hard work of getting to know one another and building each other up. The history of racism and hatred of other cultures and ethnicities in our world is long and painful, and it continues today, especially as people talk about immigrants and refugees. Even if we are welcoming and understanding, sometimes we stop at that and don't build deeper, lasting relationships because it just seems too hard. People just seem too different.

The strongest example of working together in unity across these lines of race and culture that I know personally is the Protestant hospital that my husband’s parents work at in Cameroon, West Africa. This Protestant hospital - and a few others in Cameroon - exist because of the partnership of the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon, and the Malagasy Lutheran Church. Over the last two decades, my in-laws have served at a few of these hospitals as medical missionaries. The Malagasy Lutheran Church provided my in-laws as medical missionaries to help meet the needs the Lutheran Church in Cameroon saw for their hospitals. Cameroon also raises up leaders for the hospitals as well as workers. The ELCA is called upon, primarily through Global Health Ministries in Fridley, to help provide the necessary medical equipment. There are also ELCA congregations in South Dakota who have helped my in-laws with medical training during their visits to the United States. Here you have three different countries, three different peoples, three different churches working together in a common mission to be the body of Christ. No one is rejecting to work with another because their race is different, their theology is different, or their culture is different. They work together and take advantage of the gifts each has to offer in the unified service of the hospitals. Of course there are struggles and challenges, but those are worked through, with God.

I’ve given three examples of trying to live as the body of Christ in the way Paul describes in First Corinthians. But what does all of this have to do with the future of the church? Well, contrary to how we usually think of it, as something a few decades away,  the future of the church starts now. The examples I named are only a few of many sources of hope and of unity in diversity. The future of the church is forming as we speak, and we have to lift up these examples of working together, of allowing differences in gifts and backgrounds to flourish. The future of the church is together, is this body of Christ that Paul describes.

Times may be changing, and the center of Christianity has shifted from the West to the Global South, leaving places like the United States wondering what’s next for our congregations, but God has not stopped moving and acting and lighting our way.

We just have to be willing to let go of our fears and anxieties and let new things take place and shape the Church as we work with all kinds of people. The more we can work together and hold each other up, the more hopeful we can be. Our congregations won’t always look and feel and exist the way they do today, but in these times of wondering about our future, we’ve got to heed this message from Paul -- the only way forward is together, with all of our unique voices, histories, and gifts fully honored as Christ’s body. Amen.

(1) Brian Peterson, Commentary on 1 Cor 12:12-31a, Working Preacher http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2733.

GRACE UPON GRACE: With Eyes of Faith We See Jesus Offering Abundance and Blessing

“What if there is not enough?” Fear of not having “enough” plagues every funeral, wedding and gathering. Usually, people’s anxiety and fear causes them to order more than enough – and then discover that the caterer also wanted to be sure there was “enough” so they added to the original order and so we end up with an abundance of food – and a large quantity of leftovers.

At the Wedding of Cana, that fear became a reality. They ran out of wine. Jesus lived in a different culture than ours. Weddings lasted for days and the whole village and surrounding area was invited. Hospitality was a primary value. To run out of food or wine at a wedding celebration would have cast shame and dishonor upon the newly married couple. The social consequences of running out of food aren’t quite as desperate today – plus we have many more options. Someone can always run to the store for more. But the fear and anxiety of not having “enough” is the same today as it was then. No one wants to be embarrassed.

Out of compassion for this newly married couple, Jesus’ mother tells him, “They have no wine.” Jesus seems a bit surprised at her request. Yet, Jesus fixes the problem by transforming the water for washing the dirty hands and feet of guests into the finest wine. There’s no thunderclap announcing the miracle. Jesus doesn’t clear his throat and get everyone’s attention. As the servant brings the steward the ladle of wine, no one announces into a microphone: the gift of Jesus of Nazareth is 6 stone jars of the finest Cabernet. There was no fanfare. Yet, Jesus brings grace to a poor wedding couple, saving them from stories of scarcity and shame and transforming a sorry story into a joyful celebration.

Ordinary problems. Extraordinary generosity. Grace upon Grace. That’s the gift that Jesus brings to this wedding – and the gift that Jesus gives to us. Today’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of John. John is a bit different from the other Gospels. It begins by announcing: “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory…full of grace and truth…. we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:14 & 16 This is the Good News that Gospel of John proclaims. Everything that follows are examples, John calls them “Signs” of Jesus, the incarnate God, God with flesh on, offering grace upon grace. Into ordinary life situations, Jesus provides extraordinary grace…. Like saving a newly married couple from embarrassment and shame by providing the equivalent of 1000 bottles of the best wine ever. To those anticipating scarcity, Jesus brought surprising, amazing abundance. That’s grace.

Grace. It’s hard to define. Dictionary definitions don’t help much either. The dictionary defines grace as elegance, poise, decorum and blessing. But these words don’t capture God’s Grace – which I consider more of a combination of mercy and blessing. A better definition is found in the Gospel of John. Through very earthy signs done in ordinary places to ordinary people, Jesus demonstrates what grace looks like, smells like, feels like and tastes like.

So… if Jesus so clearly demonstrated God’s grace, why didn’t everyone at the wedding in Cana respond with faith and praise? The answer is probably because most of them had no idea what had happened. When the servants brought the steward the wine, not telling him anything about where it came from, the steward smelled it, tasted it, drank it and proclaimed it good...very good…the best wine – but he doesn’t ask where it came from -- maybe he did not want to know. After all, it was his job to manage the wedding and he was about to be embarrassed if they ran out of wine. He makes an assumption it had been kept it back – like you do with the burnt or broken cookies – we’ll serve them if we run out. Operating from that perspective, he instead asks why this great wine was kept until last?!

As for the other guests, most of the wedding guests have no idea what happened – they are probably simply glad that the rumor of “no more wine” was false. Only the servants and the disciples knew the origin of the wine. We don’t know how the servants responded. But for the disciples, who had just begun following Jesus, another transformation took place. This transformation was harder to taste or touch than the water becoming wine but was even more remarkable: they believed. They were given the gift of faith. They were given eyes of faith to see God’s grace and hearts transformed by faith to believe.

At text study this past week, I was reminded of a story in which people were quick to make judgments about scarcity – and abundance.

There was a farmer who had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to condole over his terrible loss. The farmer said, "What makes you think it is so terrible?"
A month later, the horse came home--this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer's good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, "What makes you think this is good fortune?"
The farmer's son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, "What makes you think it is bad?"
A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. "What makes you think this is good?" said the farmer.”

Unlike his neighbors, the farmer wasn’t quite ready to make any interpretations on his fortune. But we, as Christians, we are called to interpret our life and the world around us in light of the Gospel, the Good News of Christ.

Sometimes, what seems like scarcity – is really simply opportunity. At the wedding of Cana, if they hadn’t run out of wine, Jesus would not have been called upon to provide more. Like the guests at that wedding – who rumored to Mary that they have run out of wine… we too are apt to focus on scarcity instead of opportunity

At the Council meeting this past week, we discovered good news and bad news – the bad news is that we fell short of our budget for the year. The good news is that we received significant gifts for the elevator fund. Do we look at that as scarcity and with anxiety? Do we bemoan the shortage? Or do we celebrate the generosity of people for our capital appeal and look at the shortfall in the budget as an opportunity to remind ourselves of the “ordinary but essential” ministry that costs money too. As one of my pastor friends said at her annual appeal this past year, Grace is free. Church isn’t.

Likewise, on a cold day like today we could worry about the low attendance. Or, we can simply acknowledge that on days like today in Minnesota some people should not venture out. We could use this opportunity to remember in prayer those who, for medical or other reasons, could not leave their homes. We could think about who we could call to day to check in on them. We could wonder about who else, in our neighborhood, needs to hear Good News? We could think about how we could offer hospitality to the neighbor?

The truth is, God is still present and active in our world and in our lives. But not everyone has eyes of faith to see it. Our job, as children of God, is to proclaim God’s Word and to share Good News. God keeps offering new and surprising ways of showing us what God is up to in our world and in our lives – and offers us ways to be a part of God’s mission and ministry. And so, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us open our eyes to see and proclaim the ways God is acting in our world and in our lives offering Grace upon Grace.

Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane

17 January 2016