ADVENT
THANK YOU ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS WORSHIP
PLANNING TEAM
This past summer, some people from our
congregation came together to study the scriptures for the Sundays in
Advent and for Christmas. They
also studied what Advent means and the various parts of the worship
service. They then planned
all of our worship services for the season of Advent (December
2nd through December 23rd) and our Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day worship services. Special
thanks to: Ann, Lucille, Terri, Cheryl and George for your
ministry in designing our worship services this Advent and Christmas.
ADVENT HAPPENS . . .
The
four Sundays before Christmas
ADVENT
IS . . .
A
time of waiting
A
time of hoping
A
time of preparing for Christ’s birth and
second coming
THEMES FOR THE SUNDAYS in ADVENT ARE . .
.
§
December 2nd and 9th, focus on the second
coming of Jesus.
§
December 16th, centers on John the Baptist,
as the herald of Christ.
§
December 23rd, centers on the Virgin Mary,
as the servant of God chosen to bear God’s son.
Archives
Here are Musings from the
past
November 2007
SYNOD NEWS
RESTRUCTURING
At the Synod Assembly in June, a
restructuring plan for the synod was approved.
Some current and future changes include: replacing a number of
synod committees with task forces that are oriented toward a specific
goal, shifting responsibilities for support staff, and the addition of
another full-time assistant to the bishop.
The purpose of these changes is to “enhance the ministry of the
synod . . . . as well as allow more time for the bishop and assistants
to the bishop to be present in congregations and at other synod events.
This will . . . help build healthy relationships with and among
pastors, lay persons, congregations and the synod.”
CHANGES
IN SYNOD STAFF
In the October newsletter, you
learned more about our new bishop, The Rev. Robert L. Driesen.
The Upper Susquehanna Synod also has on staff Administrative
Assistant, Ms. Virginia Frantz, and two new Assistants to the Bishop:
The Rev. Beth Ann Stone and The Rev. Karl-John Stone.
Pastor Dan May continues to serve on the synod staff until
December 1st.
Trinity will have the opportunity to
worship with and meet Bishop Driesen, Pastor Beth Ann Stone and Pastor
Karl-John Stone in December and January.
Each of them will lead worship and preach one Sunday during
Pastor Erin’s maternity leave (provided the maternity leave happens at
the expected time!).
Where does
benevolence giving go?
Trinity Lutheran Church gives
benevolence money to the synod each year, as part of our budget.
64.4% of synod
expenditures are for support of outside affiliated church organizations
such as Diakon, Gettysburg Seminary, Camp Mount Luther, Campus
Ministries, Global Missions and more.
That means most of the money sent to the synod passes through the
synod office to support other ministries.
Peace,
Pastor Erin
October 2007
What is
Confirmation/Affirmation of Baptism?
This
year, three youth in our congregation are beginning their Confirmation
study, also known as Affirmation of Baptism.
This year, they will be studying the Bible in greater depth, and
next year they will be studying the Ten Commandments, the Creeds, the
Lord’s Prayer, Communion and Baptism.
In
the Lutheran tradition people are often baptized as infants.
When people are baptized as infants, their parents and sponsors
promise to raise them in the faith, to place in their hands the scriptures
and to teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creeds and the Ten
Commandments. The church also
promises to be supportive of these parents, sponsors and children.
When
these youth are confirmed, they will affirm God’s gift given to them in
their Baptism – they will say “yes” to their Baptism – and they
will publicly respond to the promises God made to them in their Baptism.
During
the Confirmation/Affirmation of Baptism service, they will respond to a
commitment statement similar to this one:
P.
You have made public profession of your faith.
Do you intend to continue in the covenant God
made
to live among God’s faithful
people,
to hear his Word and share in
his supper,
to proclaim the good news of
God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following
the example of our Lord Jesus,
and to strive for justice and
peace in all the earth?
Those
affirming their baptism then respond, “I do, and I ask God to help and
guide me.”
Please
hold the confirmation students in your prayers over the next two years.
Pray that they may learn more about the scriptures and grow in
deeper relationship with God and with our community of faith.
Pray also for their mentors, as they share their faith with and get
to know these youth.
Peace,
Pastor Erin
September
2007
This
year, the Church Council is studying the Book of Acts at the beginning of
each council meeting. Soon we
will be reading Acts 9:1-22, which is often called “Saul’s Conversion
Experience,” but this title doesn’t tell us nearly enough about all
that’s going on there.
Before
we jump into Acts, chapter 9, here are some
FAST
FACTS ABOUT ACTS:
-
The
same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke also wrote Acts, so Acts is
part 2 of the story.
-
The
Gospel of Luke tells us about Jesus and his ministry; Acts tells us
about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s ministry through the
Apostles.
-
Questions
to ask, as you read Acts:
-
What
is the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?
-
What
is the Holy Spirit doing in my life?
-
What
is the Holy Spirit doing in our church?
READ:
ACTS 9:1-22
Acts
9 tells about Saul’s conversion experience.
Saul had been persecuting followers of Jesus, and was on his way to
Damascus to alert the synagogues to keep an eye out for these “People of
the Way.” Saul wanted to
find them, bind them and haul them off to Jerusalem.
But, in the midst of his search, Saul encounters Jesus Christ, and
undergoes a dramatic, life-changing conversion.
He turns from persecutor of Jesus to one who proclaims that Jesus
is the Son of God.
When
we think about conversion experiences, many of us may think of Saul’s
incredible conversion or of other dramatic experiences of people we know.
Some people encounter Jesus Christ and their lives are drastically
changed; they can name the moment their lives moved from death to life in
Christ. Praise be to God for
the amazing changes God makes in those lives!
Many people, however, do not undergo such a dramatic experience as
Saul’s, but rather a transformation much like another character in Acts,
chapter 9.
Ananias
is someone like many who have been life-long Christians.
He is a person of faith and a devout follower of God.
When God calls him, Ananias immediately says, “Here I am,
Lord,” though he’s not so excited about his call when he has to go
talk to Saul.
Ananias
says something like, “Um, God, are you REALLY sure you want me to do
that? Maybe you mean a
different Saul?” But, by
the time Ananias comes to Saul, God has worked an amazing conversion in
Ananias too. God worked
through Ananias’ faith to transform his view of Saul.
When Ananias encounters Saul, a man who once hated people like him,
Ananias says, “Brother Saul . . . the Lord Jesus sent me so that you may
regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Ananias calls Saul brother and speaks God’s word of life to him.
Saul’s sight will be restored; he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
-
What
is the Holy Spirit doing in this situation?
-
What
conversion is the Holy Spirit doing in your life?
-
How
is the Holy Spirit working transformation in our faith community?
Peace,
Pastor
Erin
July
& August
2007
Our
mutual ministry began on March 20, 1995 and ends on July 29--twelve
years, four months and nine days. My ministry with Trinity has been bout 5 years longer than
any of the other calls in my career.
What
a great 12 years it has been. We
have done a lot of marvelous ministry together.
I will reflect on some of that in my concluding sermon.
Here it is sufficient to say that just about everything that has
been given to us to do has been picked up and done.
One of the things that gives me great joy about Trinity Church is
the resources of people, capabilities, willingness and money that always
seem to be available when we make up our minds to do something.
Throughout my ministry among you I have thought of these
ministries as being placed before us by God along with the gifts needed
to carry out the ministry. We
have denied neither the tasks nor the gifts.
What a joy that is for me. Thanks
be to God.
We
have had our struggles, too. We
have not always seen eye-to-eye. When
God’s people commit themselves to do ministry, they do it with zeal.
Sometimes one person’s enthusiasm rubs against another
person’s desires. Then we
talk to each other and God directs us.
In the midst of our struggles God leads us to the place the Lord
wants us to be. That’s
the way God works sometimes—through disagreement.
As long as we keep those differences on the table and openly talk
about them together, God uses them to accomplish His will.
I’ve
begun, of course, to look to the future.
Many have asked me in the past few months, “What are you going
to do?” There are so many
things I want to do--I will be busy.
Things around the house need attention.
The fishing boat has been asking to get its bottom wet more
often. Volunteering with
service organizations and agencies to make life better has always been
important to me and that will continue.
And, of course, I will continue to do ministry and serve the
church by supply preaching, serving as interim pastor and who knows how
the church may use me. That
part I want to put on hold for 6 months or so.
I need to rest. June
and I have already been talking about some of the trips we want to do
and have thought about vacations. That
sort of thing will be important to our future.
The
future of Trinity Church has been on my mind, too.
Not being your pastor will seem strange for a while.
I will miss the part of my routine that brings me into
McAlisterville most mornings to park by the AC unit, come into the
building and be greeted by a bunch of children as I make my way to the
office. I will miss being
kidded by Betty Lou and being reminded that no matter what I think, I
have never really been the one in charge. J
I will miss talking and working with all of you.
That hole in my routine will all get resolved with a new routine
in time. That will take
care of itself. Other
thoughts about the congregation’s future bring me to wonder what will
stay the same and what will change.
Things have already begun to change as Pastor Bovendam
establishes herself and brings new ideas, capabilities and ways of doing
things to the congregation. They
have been helpful changes.
I
have had the privilege of being in pastoral ministry with Pastor
Bovendam for a year. I
quickly identified her special gifts when she was our intern.
I was pleased that you called her to be our second pastor.
My thoughts about Trinity’s future are positive because of her
and you, the people of Trinity. The
ministry of the congregation will undoubtedly and necessarily change. I
am just as certain that the ministry of the congregation will continue
to grow and strengthen as God moves you into the future.
On
July 29 Bishop Main will say to you and to me, “This ministry is
ended.” That thought
brings me sadness but no regret because this ministry among you has been
good. As it ends I am
confident that God will continue to bless you individually and as a
congregation. God will go
with me and June, too. In
that confidence, in this last of my “musings” I give you my thanks.
Thank you for the privilege and blessing of being your pastor
these past 12 years. The
Lord be with you.
Peace,
Jim
June
2007
We
have known only one Synodical bishop!
With the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
20 years ago, Central Pennsylvania Synod became three smaller
synods—Lower Susquehanna Synod, Allegheny Synod and Upper Susquehanna
Synod (that’s us!)
A. Donald Main was elected to be our first bishop and has been
reelected three times.
He has served Trinity Congregation, our synod and the whole ELCA
very well.
We are grateful that God raised him up to serve in this position.
We rejoice and celebrate his ministry among.
Thanks
be to God.
Because
Bishop Main has decided to retire, the synod assembly will elect a new
bishop this summer.
As we prepare to gather at Susquehanna University on June 15 and
16, we pray for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that we may
have the wisdom to select someone to serve as our chief pastor for the
next six years.
What an awesome responsibility!
Presiding Bishop, Mark Hansen, will be with us to conduct the
election of a Synodical bishop which is expected to take five ballots
spanning both days of the assembly.
Our
synod uses the ecclesiastical ballot for the election of a bishop.
That means that the pastors of the synod and voting members from
the congregations will nominate a slate of candidates for bishop by
writing the name of any rostered pastor of the ELCA on a ballot.
The pastors named on those ballots who do not withdraw their name
are the nominees for the office of bishop and the balloting continues.
Unless one person receives a very large, prescribed majority of
the votes on an early ballot, the successive ballots will eliminate the
candidates who receive lesser votes until finally two people remain on
the ballot and one is elected by simple majority.
We believe that this whole process is under the direction and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides the voting members and
pastors in their balloting and assists the candidates in assessing their
gifts that may bring them to the office of bishop.
For
those of you who are interested, the process and relevant questions and
answers about electing a bishop are available at the Synod’s web site:
http://www.uss-elca.org/.
Take a look.
I
firmly believe that the Holy Spirit is already stirring in Upper
Susquehanna Synod and in the lives of Lutheran pastors.
We are being led toward the selection of a new Synodical
bishop.
The election is by no means haphazard or aimless.
We are on a course being determined by the Holy Spirit.
What
can you do?
Pray!
Pray that a pastor will discern his or her gifts and be lifted to
the position of bishop just as Bishop Main was 20 years ago. Pray that
the pastors and voting members of the synod assembly will have the
insight to determine and vote for a pastor to become our chief pastor.
Specifically pray for Pastor Erin, Pastor Billow me and all
other Lutheran pastors you can name.
We will be casting ballots for the election of the bishop.
Pray for the voting members from Trinity Church:
Nicole Aldinger and Sonya Delancey.
In January you elected them as your voting members to the Juniata
Valley Conference and Upper Susquehanna Synod.
Now they need your prayers.
On June 15 and 16 pray for Upper Susquehanna Synod in Assembly at
Susquehanna University.
Stir
up your power, O God, and come.
Peace,
Jim
Giving
Back, Paying Forward
King
David gave and invited freewill offerings from his people to build a
temple to the Lord. The
following
scripture
is part of David’s prayer after the offering had been received.
13
And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. 14 "But who am I, and what is my people, that
we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come
from you, and of your own have we given you.
15 For we are aliens and transients before you, as
were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and
there is no hope. 16
O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building
you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
17 I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take
pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely
offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are
present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
18 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our
ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your
people, and direct their hearts toward you. (1
Chronicles 29:13-18 )
King
David planned to build a temple to the Lord, but passed this task onto
his son, Solomon. David
gave much of his own wealth – gold, silver, bronze, wood, iron, onyx,
stones and more – for the building of that temple.
In his prayer, he recognized that all the abundance, all the
gifts that he and his people had given, came from God in the first
place. David and his people
were simply giving back what they had first received.
The
same is true for us. All of
creation is the Lord’s. Our
body, our soul and all that is ours first came from God and is God’s
own. When we give, whether
it’s of our time, our money, our talents, our things, or our
compassion, we are giving back what God has given us.
We “pay forward” to others and give back to God, what God has
given to us.
Last
November, we met as a congregation, to review our budget.
That budget was not passed.
There was significant concern that income would not keep up with
expenses this year. The
Stewardship Committee spent long, hard hours working to develop a budget
that was eventually approved by our congregation.
As I’ve heard conversation in the months following our budget
meeting, I have come to realize that that time was a tense one for some
in our faith community. The Stewardship Committee continues to prioritize fulfilling
our benevolence commitments, building up some reserve funds, and
increasing giving outside of ourselves.
Over
the past few months, we, as a congregation, have continued to recognize
God’s abundance and have given back to God, have paid it forward to
those in need, and have simply responded to God’s grace.
I don’t know if you keep your eye on the offering total listed
each Sunday in the bulletin from the previous week’s offering, but it
has been truly amazing. We
can celebrate and rejoice in how much we have come together as a
congregation and shared of our resources.
The
need is, of course, still there, and I trust we will continue to live
out of the grace God has given us, whether we’re able to share our
monetary resources, other gifts we have, or our time.
I know some of you have not had the financial resources to
increase giving, but I also know that you have given of yourselves in
other ways and that is something to celebrate just as much as any
financial growth we have experienced.
We respond to God’s grace in different ways.
As
we look at the world around us, we will continue to see need out there. We
know there are those who do not have enough to eat, people who have
suffered from disasters and more. We
continue to look at the resources we have been given and to see where
those resources can best be used to ease hunger and pain, whether we
give through our church, to the food pantry, to ELCA Disaster Relief or
to some other aide organization.
Like
David, we give of our resources and celebrate that all of these gifts
have first graciously come from God. Thanks
be to God for all that He has done for us and thanks be to God for His
continuing work in our lives.
Peace,
Pastor Erin
April 2007
If
you don’t have anything to say on Easter, you don’t have anything to
say any other Sunday either.”
One of my seminary professors said that a long time ago.
And, of course, he was and still is correct.
After all, Easter is the chief festival of the Christian Church.
Without it there would be no Advent, Christmas, Pentecost, or
Epiphany.
If we lose faith that God raised Jesus from the dead, then the
whole church is dead, too.
Both I and Pastor Bovendam would be engaged in some other work,
and we could all sleep in on Sunday mornings
The
Easter season isn’t the longest liturgical observation.
Pentecost gets that honor.
But, there are seven Sundays of Easter—The Festival of the
Resurrection and six more Sundays before we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension
and Pentecost.
We preachers have a nick name for the first Sunday after Easter.
We call it “low Sunday.”
Just like the Sunday after Christmas, observably fewer people
come to church the Sunday after Easter than do on Easter day.
I’ve been looking at the Gospel readings provided for us
through the Easter season.
They provide a remarkable journey of faith for us.
I’d like to share a running summary here in hopes that you will
be encouraged by good news of Easter.
This
is the year of Luke.
Most of our readings for the year come from that Gospel. The
Gospel of John gets mixed in occasionally.
Our Gospel readings for the season of Easter reflect that
pattern.
We begin with two readings from Luke and then turn our ;attention
to six lessons from John.
Easter
morning we hear the familiar account of the women who brought spices to
Jesus’ tomb.
They were perplexed to find the tomb empty and instead of Jesus
they saw “two men in dazzling clothes. St. Peter came to take a look
and when home “amazed.”
What a great start to our Easter celebration.
Unfortunately,
we don’t often get to hear St. Luke’s next resurrection story.
It is read every year for the service on Easter Eve!
How often have you gone to church Easter evening?
The other time that it is read is the Third Sunday after Easter
every third year.
I say that it is unfortunate that we don’t hear it because it
is my favorite account of the resurrection.
As Cleopas and his friend walk along the road from Jerusalem to
Emmaus, the resurrected Christ joins them in the walk and in their
conversation, but they do not know who he is until later when he serves
them dinner.
When He breaks bread their “eyes are opened” and they begin
to understand.
That
concludes Luke’s readings for this Easter season.
We begin to hear from St. John the Sunday after Easter.
He tells us about the disciples’ encounter with Jesus on Easter
evening.
They were all there in the house, except for Thomas (and Judas, of
course.)
The ten who were there were excited.
“We have seen the Lord!”
But Thomas, as we know, demanded proof.
He wanted to see for himself.
And he did, a week later.
I am always grateful for the words Jesus speaks to Thomas.
“Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to
believe.”
That’s us—the one’s who believe without the proof that Thomas
had.
Then
St. John takes us to the shores of the Sea of Tiberias where the
resurrected Christ is watching Peter and some of the disciples fishing
from their boat.
On Jesus’ suggestion they cast there nets in a place that they
had fished earlier and suddenly catch more fish then they could handle.
They knew it was the Lord.
When they come to shore, Jesus already has a charcoal fire prepared
and they cook some fish and have breakfast together.
The Jesus challenges Peter, “Do you love me?”
That
concludes the resurrection appearances in our Gospel readings for Easter.
We complete the season with a few more lessons which assure us of
the resurrected Christ’s continual presence among us.
The fourth Sunday of Easter is commonly called “Good Shepherd
Sunday.”
Jesus is the good shepherd and we read Psalm 23.
The
following Sunday we revisit a part of the Maundy Thursday reading in which
Jesus during the last supper gives the disciples and us a new
commandment—“love one another.”
The
sixth Sunday after Easter includes the promise of the coming of the Holy
Spirit which is just two weeks away.
Finally, we conclude the season with Jesus’ high priestly prayer
from John in which He asks that we be made one with Him even as he is one
with God the Father.
What
a marvelous set of texts.
Witness from St. Luke and St. John to the resurrection of the
crucified Jesus.
Reassurance that the world has done and will continue to do its
very worst, and God will not be defeated.
And if God is not defeated, neither are we.
Pastor
Bovendam and I encourage you to celebrate
Easter
in church, not just on April 8 but on every Sunday in April and
May—the season of Easter.
Peace,
Jim
March 2007
Among
other things, you have called us to “teach and preach the Word of
God.” Part of teaching and
preaching includes leading Bible studies and encouraging people to delve
deeper into the Word. This
month we will be presenting two different Bible studies.
Pastor Bricker will be exploring the resurrection appearances of Jesus in
the scriptures.
This study will take place on Sunday mornings in the social hall.
Pastor Bovendam will be presenting a study of the
Gospel of John
on Wednesday evenings in the social hall.
We invite everyone to take advantage of either or both of these
courses as we, as a congregation, continue to grow together in the faith.
Here are just hints of what you will encounter in these studies.
Resurrection
Appearances,
Sundays 10:30 AM-11:30 AM
St.
Paul in I Corinthians 15 records that after the resurrection Jesus
appeared to Cephas, the twelve, 500 people, James, all the apostles and
finally to himself. Depending
on how you count, there are as many as 11 resurrection appearances
recorded in the Gospels and Acts. I
have two favorites. Jesus
journeys with two men on the road to Emmaus.
What a fascinating account of bewilderment finally cleared up by
eating bread served by the resurrected Christ.
My second favorite resurrection story is introduced by Peter
saying, “I am going fishing.” That
one, too, ends with food—charcoaled fish and a loaf of bread.
Which
is your favorite resurrection account?
The Gospel of John, Wednesdays 7:15-8:30 PM
The Gospel of John is a wonderful
gospel study for those new in the faith and for those who have been
lifetime Christians. There
are many levels of meaning in the Gospel of John and also metaphors of
everyday experiences that help to expand our understanding of Christ.
I love this gospel!
The Gospel of John study will last
ten weeks and will tentatively have the following schedule.
It would of course be great if you could be at all ten studies, but
come when you are able, even if its only once or twice.
February 28
John 1
Testimony Concerning the Word
March 7
John 2:1-3:21
Of Signs and Faith
March 14
John 3:22-5:47 The Varied Responses to Jesus
March 21
John 6:1-8:11 Jesus Himself as Sign
March 28
John 8:31-9:41 Growing Opposition to Jesus
April 4
John 10-11
I Am the Good Shepherd
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
April 11
John 12-13
The Final Path to Jerusalem
April 18
John 14-17
The Farewell Sayings
April 25
John 18-19
The Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus
May 2
John 20-21
The Resurrection Appearances of Jesus
Resources used for teaching this
study primarily include “John,” written by Mark A. Matson, from the Interpretation
Bible Studies series, and “Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel,” by
Craig R. Koester.
We
hope you will both take advantage of and enjoy these studies.
Peace,
Pastor
Erin
Pastor
Bricker
From Potato Chip Crumbs to Ashes
The Super Bowl is coming. I
have to admit that Super Bowl Sunday once was a day I dreaded.
But this year is a new year. This
year, much to my husband’s glee, I became a football fan!
I am ready to cheer on Peyton Manning & the Colts on February 4th.
Super Bowl Sunday is a big day of the year.
For some people, it’s a day of watching football, laughing at
commercials, eating food and enjoying time with friends and family.
For others, it’s the last Sunday afternoon they have to hear
football commentators blaring from the TV, as their spouses don team
colors & potato chip crumbs. And
speaking of potato chip crumbs, one article about Super Bowl Sunday
pointed out that “no fewer than $55 million is expected to
be spent on food.” Okay,
that’s a lot of food.
Traditionally, Lutherans have said that we
have our foot in two worlds or two kingdoms.
One is the civil or secular world, and the other is the Kingdom of
God, where we experience salvation & the in-breaking of Christ.
On the one hand, we mark our days by big activities like the Super
Bowl, but on the other, we mark our days by religious days and seasons.
One such religious day is Ash Wednesday, which brings in the season
of Lent. This year, Ash
Wednesday is February 21. The Ash Wednesday Worship is a solemn time, and we will
receive ashes on our foreheads that are made from the palm branches from
last year’s Palm Sunday Celebration.
In the biblical tradition, ashes represent God’s condemnation of
sin, repentance, death and our reliance on God for life.
Hmm . . .this day is quite a contrast to our earlier Super Bowl
celebration.
I know the end of the football season is here, when I put on my
team colors and sit down in front of the tube with a bag of chips to watch
the Super Bowl. In the same
way, I know Lent is here, when I come to church on Ash Wednesday, have
ashes put on my head, and hear the words, “You are dust and
to dust you shall return.” The
Super Bowl reminds me of affluence, overabundance and prosperity.
That’s where we like to live.
In contrast, Ash Wednesday and Lent remind us of our finitude, our
sinfulness and our complete reliance on and need for Christ.
Finitude, sinfulness and reliance on something outside of ourselves
are things most of us would rather avoid.
So, why join in such a solemn worship service?
Why observe the forty-day season of Lent?
Let’s go back to football. Football
players have to train hard before they can celebrate a Super Bowl victory.
Sometimes we’d prefer jumping to the Easter celebration without
going through any type of preparation.
Lent is our training – our preparation – for the celebration of
Easter. Lent
leads us to Easter, a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and a reminder
of our baptismal identity. As
Paul wrote in Romans, “Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? Therefore
we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too
might walk in newness of life. For
if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be
united with him in a resurrection like his” (NRSV Romans 6:3-5).
So, how can we observe Lent? For
starters, I encourage you to come to the Ash Wednesday service this year
at 7:30 PM on February 21, at Lost Creek Presbyterian Church.
There are also some spiritual practices that help us observe Lent,
such as fasting one day a week, starting a Lenten devotional, or just
reminding ourselves of our baptism each day.
You will receive a Lenten calendar in your member mailboxes that
will help mark the days of Lent. I
also invite you to do one of the following activities each week with
family or friends. Watch for
more Lenten activities in the March newsletter.
If you’d like more information about Lent, visit: www.elca.org/communication/lentresources.html.
Peace,
Pastor
Erin
Without a doubt, of all my teen-age jobs, waiting on tables
was the one I liked the most. During high school and college I worked
several years at the Dutch Cupboard, a restaurant in Gettysburg. I did
almost everything except cook. I washed dishes in the winter and began there
as a bus boy. But the best job was serving the people. I met a lot of nice
people and I got a lot of satisfaction out of serving them good food and
serving them well. Of course, there were those moments. Like when a lady
tried to tell me that there weren’t any potatoes in the potato pancakes I
had just served her. Oh, well.
My restaurant experience is one of the reasons that today
I appreciate being served well when I eat out. The tastiness of the food is
important, of course, but I get a little grumpy when even really good food
is served badly. I can not understand, for example, why a server ever has to
ask who gets which meal. It is not very difficult to make a note on your
order pad about where each dinner goes. On the other hand, if I get a refill
of my coffee and the server doesn’t have to ask whether I am drinking
decaf or regular, that’s impressive.
Probably no one is surprised to hear that another reason I
liked working as a waiter was the tips! The restaurant didn’t actually pay
me much, but the money folks left under their dirty dishes made up for it. I
remember going in at noon one summer day to cover lunch for a coworker who
wanted to take off. I worked that lunch and then my regular shift right
through supper. I was a tired fellow by the end of that day. But, was I ever
surprised when I counted my tip money--$30.00 in one day! (Now remember, I’m
talking 1960’s here.) Of course, I also remember the table of eight people
I served one evening and found just one thin dime on the table as I was
cleaning up after them.
Today, I take seriously the job of tipping those who serve
me meals. The guideline used to be that you would tip your server10% of the
cost of the meal. That has risen to 20% these days. So, when I sit down for
a meal in a restaurant, I’m automatically thinking 20% tip. However, if I
don’t like the way I am served there are deductions. And I have been known
on occasion to go beyond 20%. Technically, TIP stands for "to insure
promptness." I expand that to mean "to insure good service."
When I am served well, I tip well.
Jesus used a table setting to illustrate a teaching. After
dinner with the disciples, Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s
Supper and concluded while seated at the table, For who is greater, the
one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the
table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:27) The teaching
is powerful because of the reversal of what one normally thinks. God sent
Jesus to serve us. That service led to Jesus’ death and to God raising Him
up. What better service could one want?
Most Sundays we remind ourselves of our faith through
either the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed. They also help us appreciate the
ways in which God serves us. God the creator serves up the whole world. God
provides for our every need in this life. We pray, "Give us this day
our daily bread," knowing full well that we have been and will be
served shelter, food and clothing. We are among those in the world who
continue to be served luxuries like nice cars, swimming pools and more than
enough food to eat. God the redeemer gives us His son, who took on our flesh
and serves us grace beyond comprehension. God the Holy Spirit sustains us in
faith and serves us with daily care, enlightens us in God’s ways and
brings us to holiness. Indeed, what better service could we ever expect? We
are the recipients of the very best service imaginable. Life is a banquet
served in perfect elegance.
And what about our tip for this good service? It often
gives me a chuckle to think that the world we live in strongly suggests that
20% is an appropriate tip for good service. The scriptures, on the other
hand, don’t mention a percentage point above 10, the tithe. And that is
Old Testament. There are other accounts in the scripture, like the widow’s
mite, in which Jesus commends those who give everything they have. There are
times when I wish the scriptures did not mention the tithe—it sort of
boxes us into thinking that we can’t go beyond the 10%. So, just forget
that guideline for the moment. Rather, consider God’s service. What sort
of tip does that inspire? 1%? 3%? 5%? 10%? 12%? More?
As I said, "When I am served well, I tip well."
And I do take seriously the matter of tipping those who serve me
well. I encourage you to take seriously the matter of tipping God, the
ultimate server. As we consider "New Year’s" resolutions, let us
begin by rethinking what we give to God’s church. Let us carefully review
our income, our time, our capabilities and all the resources and gifts God
is giving us. Might we even make some actual calculations on paper? We could
not ask for more attention than the service we receive from God. Let us
respond throughout the year with a tip which says, "Thank you, Lord,
for the good service."
Peace,
Jim
Every
once in a while, two ideas come together to make a bigger impression than
either thought does alone. I
had that experience recently even as I was still thinking about Pastor
Erin’s musings about forgiveness in last month’s TIDINGS. (So maybe it
was three ideas coming together.) I
want to tell you about that combining of ideas and hook it to Advent and
Christmas.
While
studying Luther’s comments on baptism in his Large Catechism, I ran across
a proverb which he used there and in other places in his writings.
The proverb is this: The
longer evil lasts, the worse it becomes.
The second idea comes from Phillip Yancey’s book, What’s So
Amazing about Grace. In a chapter
entitled “Getting Even,” he writes, The strongest argument in favor
of grace is the alternative, a world of ungrace.
The strongest argument for forgiveness is the alternative, a
permanent state of unforgiveness. … Where unforgiveness reigns, as
essayist Lance Morrow has pointed out, a Newtonian law comes into play:
For every atrocity there must be an equal and opposite atrocity.
(p. 114) Those two ideas, obviously related, at least in my mind, make
a powerful statement, especially when taken together.
Withholding
grace and forgiveness are sin, as far as I’m concerned.
Jesus practiced forgiveness in ways that the people of His day could
not comprehend. In fact, some
were offended. Jesus lived a
life of grace, so much so, that finally, some could no longer tolerate His
presence. The Lord’s
life and teachings tell us that it is God’s will that we forgive
and broadcast grace. To be unforgiving and practice what Yancey calls ungrace, are
affronts to God, to each other and are sin and evil.
A
world of unforgiveness invites more unforgiveness which requires more
unforgiveness. It becomes an
unending spiral of hurt and destruction.
A world of ungrace begets suspicion, hurt feelings and hardness of
heart. There is no future in
either unforgiveness or ungrace. And
the longer that one holds a grudge, or is so hardened that forgiveness is
not offered, the more difficult it becomes to “give in,” and put an end
to the ongoing hurt. Escalation
would be a good way to picture what happens when ungrace is offered.
The pain of the offender escalates into stress, ulcers, coronary
problems and who knows what else. The
resentment and the sorrow of the one offended deepen into hardness and a
closed life that eventually cannot let forgiveness reign.
Escalation
can also take place by spreading the pain and sorrow to families,
communities, clans and even nations. Consider the hatred that controls Iraq,
Palestine and Israel today. The
escalation of those long-held animosities results in kidnappings,
mistreatment of prisoners, bombings, war and death upon death.
Don’t you think that the proverb is true? The longer evil lasts, the worse it becomes.
So,
what do we do? What can we do?
First of all, consider what God is doing.
For centuries God dealt with His people sending patriarchs, judges,
kings, and prophets. Folks
would heed them for a bit, and then slip back into their sinful ways.
Over and over again, God expressed anger and then forgave. And still the people were rebellious. What to do. God
decided that a messenger was insufficient and decided to come in person.
In that coming, God took on our flesh, lived out forgiveness and
grace in the midst of humanity. In other words, God decided, enough is enough and did
something different and dramatic. God
personally brought forgiveness and grace into the world.
Can
we do that? Probably not.
Not by our own will and power, that is.
But, with the leading of the Holy Spirit we can do what needs to be
done. Here is what needs to be
done. Say it with me:
“Enough is enough. This
evil is not going to get any worse. I
will break the reign of unforegivness and ungrace.”
I can think of no better time of the year to resolve to break the
reign of unforgiveness, ungrace and the escalation of evil.
While we contemplate the meaning of God taking on flesh during
Advent, we can come to grips with those grudges we may hold and the hardness
and pain we are experiencing. We
can celebrate the coming of God into our lives by releasing the pain, for
ourselves and for others. Let’s
do it. As God comes into our
lives with grace, let us broadcast grace into our families, our homes, our
communities and into our world.
How
silently, how silently The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So
God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his heaven.
No
ear may hear his coming; But, in this world of sin,
Where
meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.
Peace,
Jim
Forgiveness
Since the shooting in a small Amish school a few weeks
ago, a word which seldom hits the headlines was briefly the talk of the
news. The word, of course, is "forgiveness." In conversations we’ve
had, I’ve shared your amazement at the Amish’s incredible capacity to
forgive in the face of immense wrong.
In our Wednesday night book study on "What’s So Amazing about
Grace," we’ve been reading and talking about grace and forgiveness.
Author Philip Yancey writes, "It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, not
dog-forgive-dog."
As a first grader, I had a bullying classmate named Desiree. Every time I
leaned over to take a drink from the drinking fountain in the hallway, she
bumped my backend with a meanness I didn’t know people could have. I hated
it, absolutely hated it. And I didn’t like her much either.
Finally, one day, I decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore. Boldly
bearing nature’s law of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth," I kneed her, as she leaned over the drinking fountain. She
bawled, quickly ran to the teacher and told on me. My teacher, who was
famous for pulling out his students’ teeth if he knew they had a loose one
(scary, but true), publicly punished me. My face burned red with
embarrassment and shame in front of all my other classmates. The injustice!
It wasn’t fair; I didn’t deserve the treatment I got! The last thing on
my little mind was forgiveness, especially since Desiree didn’t deserve
it. But, forgiveness isn’t about what we deserve or don’t deserve. As
Yancey states, "Forgiveness has about it the maddening quality of being
undeserved, unmerited, unfair."
When we’re the ones who need forgiveness, we are happy that it isn’t
fair, that we receive forgiveness even when we don’t deserve it. BUT, when
we are the ones who are to forgive, we easily come up with reasons – and
good reasons at that! – not to forgive. We may see
how much the person we are to forgive doesn’t deserve the forgiveness.
Forgiveness certainly isn’t easy.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us." We get stuck on the
"as" of this prayer petition. We focus on the horrifying concept
that God won’t forgive us if we don’t forgive others. But that’s not
the point of the petition. The point is to remind us that we are forgiven
and thus, we are to forgive
Luther writes about what this petition means:
We ask in this prayer that our heavenly Father would not regard our
sins nor deny these petitions on their account, for we are worthy of
nothing for which we ask, nor have we earned it. Instead we ask that God
would give us all things by grace, for we daily sin much and indeed
deserve only punishment. So, on the other hand, we, too, truly want to
forgive heartily and to do good gladly to those who sin against us.
The emphasis is on the forgiveness God has given us, and then on our need
to forgive; it’s not on the terror of the question, "What if I don’t
forgive?"
There are, of course, some things that seem wholly unforgivable. What
then? We think, surely God does not hold us to forgive those things as well?
But the Amish have taught us that forgiveness can even happen for horrific
sins, and forgiveness can be a way of life. However, I would add that it can
take far longer than it took the Amish to forgive. It may take years. When
someone has hurt us, the wounds go deep and are not easily forgotten. When
we retell a past wrong, its memory can sting us almost as much as the
original hurt. When we struggle to forgive, then we pray, "God, please,
please help me forgive this person. I just can’t do it, help me!"
Forgiveness is healing. Sometimes we are able to forgive immediately, and
that is a blessing. Other times, it takes years or even generations to
forgive past wrongs. It becomes a process. In forgiveness is healing,
healing for all involved. We experience healing when we are forgiven, and we
also experience healing when we are the forgiver.
So, I guess it’s about time for some forgiveness and healing. God,
please help me forgive Desiree. Desiree, I’m sorry for hurting you. Please
forgive me. I forgive you.
Peace,
Pastor Erin
October 2006
In a very
simple way in which the head of the house is to present it to the household.
Martin Luther, Small Catechism
Trinity Church has a strong ministry in Christian
Education. Vacation Bible School excites these rooms and halls week. This
summer was no different as children from all over the neighborhood gathered
here to experience the greatest treasure in their lives. We have begun
another fall and winter of Sunday Church School for our youth and adults.
The lull in our confirmation instruction is only temporary. A new class
begins in the fall of 2007. TGIW, though not exclusively Christian
education, often brings thought provoking topics and information that makes
us think. Ladies’ study and fellowship on Tuesdays is appreciated by many
who gather for prayer and study. (Though I must disclose that I hear a lot
of frivolity coming from the library some Tuesday mornings!) Our library
bursts with material for individual reading. (The librarian just cleaned the
shelves of some outdated materials to make room for new titles!) TALC and
Good News Bearers support our youth in their faith journey. We encourage
youth to experience a different kind of Christian education through summer
camping at Camp Mt. Luther.
Pastor Erin and I have just begun a series of sermons
based on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Luther often preached on the
subjects in the catechism—The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord’s
Prayer, The Sacraments. He encouraged pastors of The Reformation to do the
same. Pastor Erin offers adult catechism classes on Sunday mornings and
evenings concurrent with the sermon series. Both of those activities are in
keeping with importance placed on Christian Education by the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and consequently our congregation.
Christian Education occurs on two levels in the life of a
congregation. Both are inherent in the Sacrament of Baptism. Christian
Education is something that takes place in the home. Parents promise to
teach their children the faith at baptism. The minister addresses the
parents during the service for Holy Baptism (LBW 121):
In Christian love you have presented this child for
Holy Baptism. You should, therefore, faithfully bring him to the services of
God’s house, and teach her the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten
Commandments. As she grows in years, you should place in her hands the Holy
Scriptures and provide for his instruction in the Christian faith, that,
living in the covenant of his Baptism and in communion with the Church, she
may lead a godly life until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you promise to
fulfill these obligations?
I have baptized 138 infants. None
of the parents of those children answered "No."
One of the loci for Christian Education is the home. At
the head of each section of the Small Catechism, Luther wrote the words at
the top of these musings-- In a very simple way in which the head of the
house is to present it to the household. Luther strongly encouraged
parents to teach the faith to children.
At the same time, parents need to continue in their growth
in faith. So Luther wrote the Catechism for pastors as a text for teaching
parents so that they could teach their children. That, I think, is the other
loci for Christian Education—the Church. Consequently, Trinity Church
takes its teach ministry seriously.
This fall, Pastor Erin and I focus on teaching parents so
that they can teach. But, we define parents in a very broad way.
"Parents" include: grandparents, great grandparents, aunts,
uncles, sisters and brothers, Sunday school teachers, mentors and anybody
and everybody who influences children. "Parents" teach children
sports, cooking, laundry, lawn care, music and lots of other things,
including the faith. Let’s all continue in our Christian Education and our
growth in faith so we can teach and nurture others.
Peace,
Jim
July/August 2006
Jesus
welcomed the children over the objections of the disciples.
(See Matt.
19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17)
For
some that is a favorite Bible story, probably because of our natural
tendency to love little ones. I’ve
been thinking about the young people of Trinity.
It is, of course, our task to help raise them in the faith.
We make that promise at their baptism. For many adults that role puts
us in a superior position which prevents us from seeing and appreciating the
ministry provided us by children and youth.
So, I’ve been thinking about how the younger members of Trinity
bless us all.
I
have the special privilege of
offering children’s sermons on Sundays. I take that time very seriously.
Sometimes it is so difficult to translate what I’m thinking into
concepts that smaller minds can absorb.
But, you know what? That
time is such a blessing to me. Those
children minister to me in fairly intangible ways, but minister any how.
I really like it when they make me laugh and that is pretty often.
And those of you who sit there and listen, you are blessed, too.
I hear you laugh, especially when it appears that the children may
have stumped me. Our children
bless us.
We
have been making an effort to engage whole families in ministry functions.
I see families ushering and welcoming folks to worship.
Families take their turns as the altar guild.
Sometimes families read lessons for us as happened on Palm Sunday. A couple of families have been volunteering at the Angel Food
distribution. It is enjoyable
to see our young people serving right along with the older folks.
This is another way in which our young people serve us.
Acolytes
provide a very important worship function.
Sometimes those candles can be quite a challenge!!
They’re assistance in serving the meal is not to be taken lightly.
It sure is helpful to me. Lately our youth seem to be especially
enthusiastic about this ministry. Just a couple of Sunday’s ago, one of
our newer acolytes asked if she could acolyte if the scheduled person
didn’t show up. It didn’t work out for her that Sunday, but it sure is a
blessing to have someone willing to fill in on a minute’s notice. Have you
noticed how nice a job they have been doing for us lately?
I have. Thanks,
acolytes. I appreciate you.
Several
of our youth serve as worship assistants.
They read the scriptures and offer prayers.
They have begun to assist in the distribution of the elements. I
can’t ever remember being encouraged to participate in worship to that
degree when I was a teenager. I’m
very glad that we at Trinity are open to the leadership of our youth in
worship as much as we are. And
I am glad that we have youth who are capable and willing to do it.
Vacation
Bible School will bring lots of students to our building.
It will also bring youthful volunteers.
Our young people are here to help lead the still younger ones and
help them grow in faith. That’s
the way it should be. Each of
us sharing our faith with others.
How
about social time when TALC is in charge!
With some help from moms and dads our youth lay out a pretty nifty
snack table. And another thing,
have ever noticed an unhappy child around here that doesn’t get the
att
