Life in the Key of Peace

"But there are also many other things which Jesus did;  were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." - John 21:25 

LIFE IN THE KEY OF PEACE 

Dear First Lutheran friends,

It was a glorious celebration of Easter we shared this year!  Large crowds helped make our worship services from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday so rich and meaningful.  We have again proclaimed to each other that "Christ is risen!"

I have always been intrigued by the verse above.  It is written by the gospel writer, John.  It is the last verse of his gospel.  In a nutshell, it says, "I've reported to you a lot of what Jesus has done, but there is a whole lot more unwritten that He did, as well.  What I've written is plenty for you to have faith He is our Messiah."  

I've especially liked the "there are also many other things which Jesus did" part.  In this month of May and in early June, all kinds of "last things" will take place:  Confirmation for our 9th graders, last day of Sunday school for this school year, last senior choir rehearsal and anthem, Baccalaureate and graduation for our seniors.  There are many more "last things," too, that could be written here.  But suffice it to say that the beauty of John's words is that Jesus was so active in bringing His presence to people and bringing about His miracle of new life for people that even the gospel writers couldn't keep up with Him.  There was too much new life Jesus created!  

I find this very, very hopeful and comforting, particularly for those who go off into a new chapter of life.  One of my own will do this as she graduates from high school with 500 of her classmates.  Many of you are experiencing this, as well, whether through graduations or weddings, entering new stages of life or having a family member move away, births or deaths.  I am so thankful we can't keep up with Jesus because Jesus then can go to the places where we need Him most and do it even ahead of us, even in ways we can't imagine, even often without us seeing Him at work, always with enough of what we need. 

This gives me great peace.  And, again, it reminds me that it is always about faith for us.  We put our faith in our Lord always.  We even share our faith with and for others when theirs is waning at the moment.  And we trust our Good Shepherd to always be shepherding us to rich pastures of life and peace.  May the peace, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Why?

In two days, I will step into the season of Lent again.  So will you.  We will worship on Ash Wednesday.  We will see a cross prominently set in our sanctuaries.  In our church, we will even hand out cross necklaces for each worshiper.  We will hear about Jesus' death to and for our sins.  Perhaps we will be revolted by that thought.  Or, perhaps the thought of Jesus dying on a cross-  no matter its meaning to you-  will not seem striking but rather will seem consistent with how we know God from week to week or even day to day.

Over coffee with a friend last week, I was asked, "Why are you Lutheran?"  I was taken aback;  I hadn't anticipated the question.  We were discussing this person's life journey and recent new awarenesses and also struggles.  After a moment of "hemming and hawing," my answer was, "Because of grace."  Grace from God through Jesus' death on the cross for the sake of redeeming and saving humanity is not only for Lutherans, of course.  But Lutherans have a unique understanding of it.  Lutherans see it as central.  Grace is at the heart of God's entire way with the world and with us.  In the cross, no matter what other actions on God's part you see-  conviction of our sinfulness, God's power to put our sins and sin to death, God's mighty act of conquest over the evil of the world, God's call of us to follow our Savior by also faithfully bearing our own cross, the sense that Jesus has been the sacrificial lamb in the place of us-  you and I must see the grace of love for us that is in the heart of God.  In the end, grace toward us from God saves us.  It is the prime mover of every second of our lives.  It is God's force of life inherent in every moment.  It is the light that shines in the darkness that the darkness can never overcome.  It grasps us, loves us beyond measure, does what it needs to do to rescue us time and again from what hurts us and treasures and keeps us reconciled with God.  No matter what you and I see in the cross that God reveals to us, His grace for us envelopes it all...and envelopes us.  I firmly believe God wants to live these days with us in this way.  Praise and thanks be to God, through Jesus, in our Lenten journey.  Blessings to you as you follow in grateful faith.

When We Live in the Language of God

Some of you may know that I have been on a sabbatical this summer.  This has allowed me to worship at a variety of churches.  Today, I was a Methodist.  The message was on prayer.  The pastor had us sit quietly for a couple of minutes.  It was quite nice.  All during this time, a little girl who was sitting with her parents was doing what little kids do: coloring and humming a tune.  She sang the entire time, though softly.  No one batted an eye.  It was quite beautiful, a moment of grace, to be sure.  There she was, probably a 3-year old, sitting in the presence of God and God's people, humming the tune of joy, not being "shushed" for it, and soaking in God's love and grace.

Next, I received an email from a parishioner this week.  She was telling of her 3-year old's song that he had made up.  He had been singing it since coming home from Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago.  Here were his original lyrics:  "Lord God, how many people have you made?  How much have you made? How much have you made?  For us?  Lord God, you made everything for us.  And all of the skies and made trees and food and everything.  You made us.  You made everything for us.  Of course you made everything.  Ohh, you made everything."  I love it!  Again, this little guy has been shown the joy of being in the presence of God.  Not only that, but perhaps his little mind can imagine the truth that God has created everything and that we have been the beneficiaries of God's beautiful creation.

Finally, two of my three kids went off to Bible Camp today.  They have been looking forward to this all summer.  Both agree that it is their favorite thing to do each summer, perhaps even all year long.  Why?  Because they make new friends?  Maybe.  But, is it because they sense the wonderfulness of being in the presence of the God of love there as much or more than any place else?  I believe this to be true.  This is grace.  It is the goodness of God being infused in our very normal, everyday lives.  

I would like to invite you today to be extra-aware of God bringing His gentle, life-giving, joyful love to you this week.  Notice it and point it out.  By doing so, you are speaking the language of faith in God.  That love and grace becomes our language, then, as well, and we live in God's way.  Peace to you.  

But How Can We Not Worry? Instead, Look Big.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;  they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed (arrayed) like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field...will he not much more clothe you...?"  Matthew 6:25ff

These words of Jesus' have been both confounding and powerfully hopeful to me-  and I would guess to you, also-  for a long time.  How can we not worry about our life?  Our neighbors in Wadena, MN, are worried that a good share of their population will not return to town after a tornado last week.  The Gulf of Mexico oil spill just goes on and on, tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil a day pouring out of the gulf floor into that important ecosystem, with not much resolution in sight.  Our global economy is in deep hurt.  And here at home, so many are out of work, hurting badly.

My parents always taught me to "look big."  That doesn't mean what it sounds, though.  They didn't teach me to look macho or tough (that wouldn't work for me anyway!), but to look wider than the worry, to look at but also beyond the hurt, within but also beyond the trouble.  They taught me to look at life in hope, with faith in the leading of God in the midst of the daily living of life.

As hard as that may be, I believe this is Jesus' revelation of God in this passage and in the Scriptures.  He tells us that God is always at work "clothing us" with Him.  In the most difficult struggles of life, God is upon us, within us, within the flow of the day.  God's power is the power of His care of His whole creation and His calling of all people to be part of the healing of it.

God is about healing.  This is the grace of salvation in the Bible as much as any of our other images of what it means to be saved.  Healing is as much salvation in the present as we see God calling us to take part in ministering to others and being part of a healing, hopeful presence in their lives as it is a sure and certain hope of God's full healing of us and His creation eternally.

Today, how are you the voice and image of hope and healing in your sphere of influence?  By embodying hope and faith in God, you help draw others out of despair and into, in a sense, salvation and new life in real time.  Does your faith and ability to "look big" spring from the overwhelming, overriding love of God for this world, for you and all people?  Will you be a visionary today of hope-filled and faith-filled engagement in healing ways of living?  Do not worry about this life, Jesus said.  He reveals to us again the way of God.  It is grace.  Peace to you today, in Jesus, our loving and good God.             

Guarded by Grace

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain." - Psalm 127:1

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!  Memorial Day was first celebrated in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War.  More than 620,000 people died in that war.  The violence and anguish is unimaginable.

On this weekend, we remember and give thanks for all who have served our country to guard this "city" of America.  We are especially thankful for the sacrificial nature of serving one's country, particularly in warfare.  Our prayers, as people of faith, are always that God guard us from danger, evil and pain.  The grace of being guarded by God is that we trust God's guarding as Jesus described it:  that, like a mother hen, He loves us as children and always is seeking out the safety of all His people.

Today, our awareness of the grace of God is that God is seeking to guard the "city" of the world, not just our nation.  Often, when we pray for God to bless our nation, we forget that that prayer also appears to require an un-blessing for those not in our nation.  It is a prayer for God to be violent against those who are "enemies."  Why would we ask for that?  Why would we stop at only assuming that God sees us as the "un-enemy," but others as the "enemy?"  It doesn't make sense.  And, why would we think that God wants to let life include ongoing battles between perpetual enemies?  Why would we not ask God to bless all nations the same and guard all nations so that dramatically less anguish and pain would be felt by those who had to sacrifice their lives in times of violence?  God wants anything but violence and division for His people and the world He so joyfully created.  He pours out His grace in Jesus to create a bridge of reconciliation and healing love between us and Him.  This is the image of grace, God's freely flowing love to His world and people to renew it and them.

This weekend, thank you for your prayers for and words of thanksgiving for all who have guarded the "city" of our nation.  But thank you, also, for that larger prayer that thanks God for all people around the world who have sacrificed for bringing about peace, not extending hatred and violence.  May your life be so guarded by God's limitless grace that you see it also in all others and seek to guard that countenance about them with all your strength, joy and faith.  Peace in Christ to you!        

Breadth, Length, Height and Depth

"I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:18-19

This is a favorite passage of mine.  Read these words again and then close your eyes.  See God's promise.  Comprehend the breadth...length...height...and depth of God's love and fullness toward us.  I suppose as good a way as any to describe this promise is that its fulfillment comes in

you and me even just stepping into faith that God initiates this kind of goodness toward needy creatures like us.  When we trust it, it begins its filling and fulfilling work in us!

So, with this possibility, here is a wonderful story.  I was serving Holy Communion two Sundays ago.  A line of people awaited receiving the sacrament.  One-by-one, they came and heard again the words of Jesus' promise that unlock the eternal wideness of God for them:  This is the body of Christ given for you.  This is the blood of Christ shed for you.  To those who are young and have not yet participated in Communion preparation, a blessing from me is given them that involves me placing my hand on their head and sharing with them the words, "God's grace is with you in your baptism.  Jesus loves you."  

This day, one little 3-year old came up.  He received the blessing from me as he was sandwiched between his mom and dad, who received the bread and wine.  However, this little guy brought up his favorite stuffed animal, a rabbit named "Bun Bun."  After receiving his blessing and reminder of God's very sufficient grace and Jesus' sure love for him, he lifted Bun Bun up, fully expecting a blessing for him, as well.

What's a pastor to do but bless the bunny?  This 3-year old had imagined in his mind and heart the grace and love of God that had been promised him.  He knew it was good and joyful.  He loves being in church with his parents.  He wanted nothing less than the same thing for his beloved companion, Bun Bun.  And that is what each received that day...and receives every day in the kingdom of God.  Grace is, by definition, free and undeserved.  God pours out His saving and redeeming love for all creation all the time.  We Christians hear it and receive it.  We live by it.  And, hopefully, we rejoice over it and take it so seriously that it fills us and transforms our lives as we live for God, live as faithfully as we possibly can and minister to God's whole world in proclaiming the wide, deep, broad and long grace of God.  Today, I pray that you will comprehend how big God's love and grace are for you as you live for Him.  More than that, allow yourself now to be filled by Him.  Peace in Christ to you!

The Gentle Nudger

If grace is free, undeserved mercy and love from God, I love this example.  Tonight is Confirmation Memory Work Night here at church.  Tonight, the recitations happen.  Who likes memory work, really?  I talk about it from my teenage confirmation years as if it's a battle that I won, a conquest.  I'm pretty proud of having memorized all of Luther's Small Catechism (some of which is still there!), as well as I Corinthians 13, my pastor's choice for at least one key portion of Scripture to know.  But, of course, getting kids to memorize anything is like pulling teeth.  Maybe worse.  In fact, I had one kid call today to tell me he'd scheduled a root canal after he found out when Memory Work Night was.  Just kidding.  I am looking forward to sharing this time with 50 confirmation kids whom I dearly care about and enjoy.

Last Sunday, a parent of one of the kids told me that her child was not going to be ready to recite her memory work.  Reason?  She refused to do it.  She is a great kid, great student, one who is in church every Sunday.  But for some reason, she wasn't going to memorize a chapter of the Bible.  This parent told me to prepare me for this.  I indicated I'd take a shot at a last-ditch encouragement effort with the student.  However, even before I could do that (which would have carried only minimal weight anyway; as the pastor I "have to" bear this message), one of the parent's friends gently started to work on this student.  Her way was masterful:  a happy shepherd, a joyful encourager, a gentle nudger.  Wisdom came wrapped in this package between a teenager and someone 35 years her senior.  It came in love-  undeserved, free, joyful, encouraging, nudging-  reminding that child how good God is and how loved she is.  I learned today that this student is looking forward to tonight, ready to recite.  Grace is great.  It lives in God's people.

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete:  be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  -  Philippians 2:1-4