Connections March
March 1
Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.
Psalm 34:28
Ash Wednesday is tomorrow - worship at noon and 7:00 p.m.
This is the last of our Epiphany devotions, Bishop Laurie Jungling provides an Ash Wednesday reflection for us tomorrow, then I will return to writing daily for us. As I said the other day, I am looking forward to that…
Today my good friend Pastor Scott Hedegaard offers a reflection on Psalm 35. As we read of war and the terrible destruction that it brings, Pastor Scott leads us into the season of Lent with a reflection on how one enemy we contend with is our own waywardness.
On Sunday - I shared part of a letter from Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, which she sent to Lutheran leaders in Russia:
“Please know that your brothers and sisters in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are joining you in prayer. We pray that the God of peace grant comfort to the people in Ukraine and in Russia, that the Holy Spirit guide political leaders to act for peace, in wisdom and humility. We pray for all those who are working for peace in their respective roles and positions: for the politicians who seek diplomatic solutions and for organizations and initiatives that create space for dialogue. We pray for all those providing and receiving humanitarian assistance during this conflict. We pray that our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia will soon live again fully in God's peace without war.”
Holy God, out of your great love for the world, your Word became flesh to live among us and to reconcile us to you and to one another. Rekindle among us the gift of your Spirit so that we seek to live in unity with all people, breaking down the walls that divide, ending the hostility among us, and proclaiming peace to those who are near and to those who are far away; through Christ Jesus, in whom we all have access in the one Spirit to you, both now and forever. Amen.
In God’s Mercy,
The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop, ELCA
Psalm 35:11-28
I’m not sure I have any enemies. There have been times though....
What I have found in those times is that it often is hard to find anyone who is willing to defend you, even when the attacks are so outrageous that they would defy belief.
There is one enemy however that seems to be after me all the time – myself. That sneaky little voice speaks inside my head, telling me, “You aren’t good enough. You are failing. You can’t measure up.” Then another whispers too, “Oh, you are so much better than others.” No matter which one is speaking, I find myself in danger.
As we prepare to mark Ash Wednesday, we are invited to bring all that we are before God. We are reminded that we are mortal and offer ourselves to the Immortal. We seek vindication and deliverance, not only from those enemies external but those internal as well. We cry out to God gracious and merciful, “I am baptized! I am yours! Save me!”
PRAYER:
In the presence of our enemies, O God, welcome us to your table of forgiveness. Amen
Pastor Scott Hedegaard
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Great Falls, Montana
March 2
Ash Wednesday
But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father
who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:6
I hope to see you at worship today, at noon or at 7:00.
I like Lent’s call to devote ourselves to acts of piety, that is, to our walk in God’s grace each and every day.
Our Ash Wednesday liturgy has this life-giving invitation:
“As disciples of Jesus,
we are called to a discipline that contends against evil
and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor.
I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—
self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting,
sacrificial giving and works of love—
strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.”
While I do not often talk about a Lenten fast, I have read some theologians who say that we should consider reclaiming that tradition. One preacher said she fasted from considering people’s motives.
(I may have suggested to a congregation that for Lent, they should give up being busy. I may have added that they didn’t have to change anything, just don’t say you’re busy. That might also not be the most helpful thing. In fact, it may well be it is very much passive aggressive of me to like that so much...)
Others have suggested adding something for Lent.
Add a time of prayer.
Add Wednesday evening worship.
Add special gifts to different ministries, like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, or ELCA World Hunger, or Lutheran World Relief or… There are many, many possibilities!
I pray that you may know God’s loving presence throughout this season of Lent, and that we might rejoice continually in the gracious call to live in God’s love, now and always.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 3
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Joel 2:13
One fun thing about the Ash Wednesday service, is that the cross on each person’s forehead is a bit different. Years ago, I saw a funny meme, with a whole bunch of different shaped ash crosses, giving names to different patterns. “First in Line” to a really neat cross, “The Mini” to really small cross and more.
One pastor said he goes home from Ash Wednesday worship and looks in the mirror to reflect on the cross on his forehead…
In a way, Lent can be a season to reflect on that cross on your forehead.
“Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”
I invite you to live these days of Lent as a gifted time, a time to return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful.
Remember that you have been marked with the cross, and your gracious and merciful God calls to live always and forever in God’s loving presence, a presence marked with a cross…
Lenten Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
March 4
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—
you will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold,
my God in whom I put my trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2
The song, “Eagles Wings” is Psalm 91, which is our Psalm for Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent.
I wonder. In what ways is God your “stronghold”?
Perhaps Lent is a season in which we take the opportunity to seek to live and hope and pray so that we find ourselves ever more fully dwelling with God as our stronghold, the one in whom we put our trust…
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
p.s. We need hosts to help serve for Coffee Hour on Sunday. I understand that there are plenty of cookies, we need someone to prepare the coffee, set out cookies and all…
Please give me a call if you want to take on that task for us. PRW
March 5
“So faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:17
I like Lent. I have mentioned before an idea that I found compelling. Someone suggested that the 40 days of Lent could be seen as essentially a tithe of the year. In this, pretty much 10% window of the year, we are invited to tend to our piety.
As the Invitation to Lent of the Ash Wednesday service says:
“As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor. I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love—strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.”
(Yes, I shared this invitation a few days ago…) Our 2nd lesson tomorrow is from the 10th chapter of Romans. The reading stops short of verse 17, where Paul proclaims:
“So faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
How might you shape your observance of Lent as a season to recommit to learning and living in God’s Word of love for all the world through Jesus Christ our Lord?
I suspect that there could be a number of life giving, and even fun answers to that question.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 6
Today is the First Sunday in Lent
The Prayer of the Day today is:
O Lord God,
you led your people through the wilderness
and brought them to the promised land.
Guide us now,
so that, following your Son,
we may walk safely
through the wilderness of this world
toward the life you alone can give,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 7
[Jesus said] “The days will come
when the bridegroom will be taken away from them,
and then they will fast in those days.”
Luke 5:35
Friends in Christ, as I prepared for the First Sunday in Lent, I encountered a number of different preachers who encouraged us to embrace the tradition of fasting for Lent…
They wanted us to consider the benefits that might come from this ancient discipline. Many will point out that the moment you decide to give up - let’s say cookies - for Lent, that is when you will remember the package of Oreos at the back of the cupboard.
Whatever we might do this season, the point is not to seek to succeed or fail at this or that endeavor, but to grow closer to God, to be ever mindful of the gifts Jesus bears to you, and to grow in your awareness of our calling to faithfully respond to God in lives of love and service.
I am thankful for the many ways you - people of Trinity - faithfully live out your love for God, and how that love overflows into the lives of others.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
I shared this prayer in worship yesterday from the ELW
- Prayer Book for the Armed Services
Prayer for Peace among the nations:
Gracious God, grant peace among nations.
Cleanse from our own hearts the seeds of strife:
greed and envy, harsh misunderstandings and ill will,
fear and desire for revenge.
Make us quick to welcome
ventures in cooperation among the peoples of the world,
so that there may be woven the fabric of a common good
too strong to be torn by the evil hands of war.
In the time of opportunity, make us be diligent;
and in the time of peril, let not our courage fail;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
March 8
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
Our Psalm for this coming Sunday is Psalm 27.
I saw an interesting comment, that it is not doubt that is the alternative to faith, but fear. I find that quite a provocative insight.
Another preacher, Alan Brehm wrote a nice reflection on Psalm 27, which in many ways is a working with faith as an alternative to fear. It was titled: “What do we have to fear?”
I would like to share a fair bit of what he wrote.
“There are some things that are simply frightening, and it is only human for us to respond to them with fear. But it’s one thing for us to feel fear; it’s another thing for us to live in fear. Too often, we turn fear into something that occupies our whole lives. Part of the problem with fear is what it does to us when we give it that much power. We cling to whatever it is we fear losing—we hold on for dear life! In the process of trying to control what we cannot control, and trying to cling to what we cannot hold, our fear can bring out the worst in us.”
Later he writes:
“It’s interesting that the Psalmist seems to go back and forth between intense feelings of fear and confident declarations of his trust in God. And yet, I would say that’s fairly true to life…”
He concludes:
“Fear is a natural part of being human. Unfortunately, however, we have a way of letting our fear get the best of us. But fear doesn’t have to control us. As we learn to find the light of God’s presence always surrounding us and protecting us, always bringing good out of anything that may come our way, we can feel our fears, but live from our faith. Then we can find a kind of safety that nothing can shake--at least not for long. Then we can say with the Psalmist, “What do we have to fear?””
While there are many reasons in our lives for fear, we can live in trust that the light of the world has come to make us God’s own, to quell our fears, and to send us into the world to bear God’s creative and courageous love into the world.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 9
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV
I wonder how long it has been since we gathered together and sang the Holden Evening Prayer liturgy? I think it might be Lent in 2019. I hope you can join together with us this evening for worship at 7:00. We will have a simple Lenten Supper beginning at 6:00.
Our theme for Lenten midweek worship this year will be “Repentance and Hope.”
I suspect that as often as not, repentance is seen as a move of remorse, a sad sort of exercise that we would all rather avoid. It is so disappointing when people see the call to repent in a sort of stereotypical picture of the self-righteous person calling for other people to reform their ways, to stop misbehaving, to straighten up and fly right, so to speak.
Perhaps a fair measure of good theology is a matter of reclaiming - or more fully understanding - concepts and words that have been greatly misunderstood or distorted. Among them sin, righteousness, faith, salvation, piety, vocation - as well as repentance.
A favorite definition of repentance comes from Presbyterian preacher and author, Frederick Buechner. In a book where he poetically defines and reflects on many theological words and ideas - “Wishful Thinking” - he gives this succinct definition of Repentance:
“To repent is to come to your senses. It is not so much something you do as something that happens. True repentance spends less time looking at the past and saying, "I'm sorry," than to the future and saying, "Wow!""
I pray this will be a time for us to look to hope filled future God promises, and saying “wow!”
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 10
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
Isaiah 42:9
It was a delight last night to gather for worship, and to be able to sing the Holden Evening Prayer. Thank you to all who led our music! Thank you to our lOGOS youth for helping lead worship. Thank you also to BASICS the Worship and Music Committee for providing our meal, it was an excellent evening all around!
In our Isaiah class yesterday, we were struck by the fact that in speaking a word of promise to the people of Israel who are in Babylon, the prophet is addressing people who have been exiled from their homes.
Refugees.
It is interesting to find how these ancient words of the prophet Isaiah, address situations we see in our own day. As people in Ukraine are driven from their homes, and we are sadly aware of the devastation of war, the prophet speaks of God, who does a new thing, and sets the prisoner free…
May God work God’s newness in you, and may we together bear God’s creative and redeeming world to all who find themselves exiled, lost or alone.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 11
Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
I Corinthians 16:13-14
Some might see the season of Lent as a time where we work harder at our faith or something like that. This is not quite what we are doing when we exercise our piety. Perhaps it is more a tuning in and taking note of the gifts given.
This past October, the daily devotion from WELCA had this excerpt from an article by Dr. Martha Stortz:
GOD’s BOUNDLESS FAITHFULNESS - Martha Stortz
“The righteous live by their faith,” the prophet Habakkuk observed.
The words impressed a young Martin Luther deeply, and he made them the centerpiece of his Reformation theology. Yet generations of Lutherans have turned faith into a work, as if by grunting and greater effort, we could have more of it.
Luther wanted to be the best monk around, and he prayed and he studied and he worked to be faithful.
Then with sudden clarity, he realized that the faithfulness at stake was not the disciple’s—but God’s. And God’s faithfulness is boundless.
Lent is a season of tuning in to the boundless faithfulness of God, and seeking to live ever more fully trusting God’s faithful love for us and all the world.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 12
“Is not this the fast that I choose…?”
Isaiah 58:6a
Tomorrow, when we gather for worship, at 8:30 and 11, we will hear Jesus as he expresses his determination to go to Jerusalem, even though Herod (and we soon learn, others) wish to kill him.
I will include the Gospel reading for tomorrow in this email.
Here are some profound words from Isaiah:
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Isaiah 58:6-7
Jesus’ determination to go to Jerusalem - even if that means going to the cross - is grounded in God’s determination spoken by the prophet Isaiah. “…to break every yoke”
Like so many of you, I am deeply saddened by the war in Ukraine. As we pray for peace in Europe, let us grow in compassion for all who suffer the perils of war and violence, and let us seek to be peacemakers in God's world. Let us look to that day when God will truly 'break every yoke' and bring peace to all parts of our world in need of God's peace and love.
Blessings, Pastor Phil
2nd Sunday in Lent
March 13
Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 today - the first day of Daylight Saving Time!
I hope to see you! The service will be posted on the web site.
The Prayer of the Day
God of the covenant,
in the mystery of the cross
you promise everlasting life to the world.
Gather all peoples into your arms,
and shelter us with your mercy,
that we may rejoice in the life we share
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 14
Peace, peace, to the far and the near,
says the LORD;
and I will heal them.
Isaiah 57:19
The sad news of war and violence in Ukraine calls for our response.
Let us continue to pray for peace, and to do the things that lead to peace, and let us reach out with care to those impacted by war.
While Martin Luther did not hold the book of James in the highest regard, he readily turned to its wise counsel when it suited his purposes. James chapter 2 says “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?”
Being part of a larger Church, we are able to band together to bring care and aid to our neighbors, and there is great good in these acts of love…
I trust that our ELCA ministries do excellent work in international aid.
A number of people have asked me about opportunities to reach out in meaningful ways for the people of Ukraine.
The main entities I would recommend are ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). ELCA World Hunger. In addition, I consider these Lutheran ministries in which the ELCA is a partner to be quite excellent in their work as well: Lutheran World Federation (LWR) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).
Here is a note from the LDR web site:
Our Response:
Lutheran Disaster Response is accompanying our companions in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, as well as such ecumenical partners as Lutheran World Federation and Church World Service, in their humanitarian responses to the crisis. These partners provide refugees with immediate support and supplies such as food, blankets, water and hygiene kits.
What you can do:
Pray: Please pray for those in Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries that have been affected by the crisis in Ukraine. May God's healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.
Give: You can give directly online click here
You can write a check to Trinity, and write LDR on the memo line. Those gifts will go to Lutheran Disaster Response and will be used entirely (100%) to provide support for people impacted by conflict in the region.
You can also give directly through Lutheran World Relief click here
The LIRS web site has a page addressing issues for Ukraine refugees click here
As a conclusion to this note, I thought of Philippians 4:7; “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The previous verses seem equally fitting. . .
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:3-7)
March 15
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more
Micah 4:3
The promises of God invite us to live in human communities of justice and peace. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares..."
We have more than a heavenly hope. We are called to live in God’s grace our entire lives, to practice forgiveness and love toward all, to know God’s caring presence, and to seek to bear that life giving hope to all we can. We have the promise that there shall be that time, when we shall not “learn war any more.”
The news today reminds us, sadly, that this is a future hope.
Let us pray for peace, and do what we can to bear peace in our own lives, and share this gift with generosity and hope.
I have shared a number of prayers from the ELW Prayer Book for the Armed Services. Here is a prayer for a time of war.
Eternal God, whose steadfast love never ends, we ask that you look upon the nations now engaged in war and hasten the day of peace. Look in mercy on those exposed to peril, conflict, sickness, and death; and show compassion to the dying. In your good providence, remove all causes and occasions of war. Incline the hearts of all people to follow the path to peace and concord, that war may cease and the day of reconciliation may come quickly, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Peace, Pastor Phil
March 16
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV
I have become caught up in conversation and pondering and reflecting on repentance. Considering how we might speak about repentance and reclaim it as a life-giving call to live in the Good News of God’s love for us and all the world.
When I have something on my mind like this; I am fascinated when I encounter these ideas in other contexts.
I was reading a comment made by Alexey Navalny, the activist who was poisoned last year, and now has been jailed in Russia. He is a bold advocate for justice and democracy. He put out a statement, I am not certain of the circumstances, but it seems he was threatened with 13 years in a “strict regime colony”. He said that they could threaten him with 113 years, and he would not change his words.
Here is the line I want to share with you. Alexey Navalny commented that they would continue to work against corruption, no matter what and he invited people to support his organization.
Then he said this:
“Now we all should not just yell, swear, repent and lament.
Everyone must act. In his own way, as he can,
taking into account the circumstances,
but still act.-- “
Navalny and others who are on the side of justice, they should repent? Isn’t that fascinating?
I suspect there is deep power here, and a wisdom that comes from Christ.
Let us, also repent, and let us continue to pray for peace, and seek to be among the blessed peacemakers.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 17
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Considering all who are working to give aid to the many refugees of war, considering the dangers they face, the immense task at had; we prayed this prayer from our hymnal last night.
A prayer for Emergency Workers
God of earth and air,
water and fire, height and depth,
we pray for those who work in danger,
who rush in to bring hope and help and comfort
when others flee to safety,
whose mission is to seek and save, serve and protect,
and whose presence embodies the protection
of the Good Shepherd.
Give them caution and concern for one another,
so that in safety they may do what must be done,
under your watchful eye.
Support them in their courage and dedication
that they may continue to save lives,
ease pain, and mend the torn fabric of lives and social order; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
As we pray for peace, may God fill our hearts with peace, and send us out to share God's love.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 18
For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you…
Isaiah 43: 3a, 4a
In our Wednesday noon study of the book of Isaiah this week, we looked at chapter 43.
Did you know? Isaiah 43 verse 4, is the only place in the entire Bible that God says to us these three simple words “I love you”!
Of course, the entire Bible is the story of God’s love for you and all creation.
This passage begins with these words of promise:
Now thus says the LORD,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
God loves you, calls you by name and promises to always be your God. Like so many things in life, it is easy to take this for granted. Easy to overlook this deep reality. And then, there comes that moment of remembrance, and we are once again filled to overflowing with gratitude.
May this season of Lent be a time of remembering and reclaiming the great gift of belonging to this one who created you, redeems you, and speaks those wonderful words “I love you.”
Peace to you this weekend, Pastor Phil
March 19
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
We hear from Isaiah 55 tomorrow, this well known verse; “...my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways…”
Theologians will say that “God is wholly other.” That is, you and I are not God. We are, in fact, entirely and completely, not God. Nor are we gods… God is wholly other from you and me...
Sometimes, people will talk as if our calling to live as Christians, is a calling to be more like God.
No.
You are called to be you.
God has created you, and named you beloved, and marvelously made.
Theologians have pointed out that human beings - in our fall from God’s perfect creation - fall one of two ways:
we fall down, and live beneath God’s created intention for us. Or,
we fall the other way, seeking to take God’s place.
Lent is a season to seek to more fully live into the love God has for you, and to live more fully into being yourself.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
I hope to see you in worship tomorrow.
3rd Sunday in Lent
March 20
The Prayer of the Day:
Eternal God,
your kingdom has broken into our troubled world
through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son.
Help us to hear your word and obey it,
and bring your saving love to fruition in our lives,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 21
Jesus began to proclaim,
“Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven
has come near.”
Matthew 4:17
Friends, I pray you have a good week.
Wednesday evening we have midweek worship at 7:00 with a simple supper preceding, beginning at 6:00.
I am continuing to reflect on repentance and what repentance might mean for us and for our lives in Christ.
It is hard for us to move beyond understanding repentance to mean feeling sorry for sin, and leaving that sin behind.
That is partly accurate, but not entirely…
The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia.” This might also be translated “change of mind.”
While regret and resolve to do better may be part of what is meant by repentance, I suspect Jesus is after much more from us. I wonder if he desires transformation of our minds, so we see God (and life) in an entirely new light. Perhaps this is primarily what Jesus is calling for when he bids us to repent.
In Romans 12, Paul says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
May our repentance be a life-giving walk with Jesus.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 22
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Epesians 6:8-10
I invite to consider again the “Call to Lent” from our Ash Wednesday liturgy:
“As disciples of Jesus,
we are called to a discipline that contends against evil
and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor.
I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—
self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting,
sacrificial giving and works of love—
strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.”
As we consider the works of love that might be part of our Lent - I want to share this poem that I first encountered years ago - it is by at 20th century Japanese Christian theologian; Toyohiko Kagawa
I read
In a book
That a man called
Christ
Went about doing good.
It is very disconcerting to me
That I am so easily
Satisfied
With just
Going about.
As we go about our days, may our Lenten discipline move us to works of love, so that, we too, go about doing good.
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
March 23
But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life;
he was lost and has been found.’ ”
Luke 15:32
This coming Sunday, we will hear the parable that we know as the parable of the Prodigal Son. When I was in seminary, I learned about a book titled: “The Waiting Father.” It was by a German post-WWII era preacher, and this title for this wonderful parable might well have been one of the first times I encountered the insight that our preconceived ideas will impact how we read or hear the words of Jesus.
March 24
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:4
As we read news about Ukraine, we want to remember in our prayers, those who are serving to care for the sick and injured, those working to provide humanitarian relief…
The sad realities of war call me to deeper gratitude for the gift of peace, and all that we enjoy as citizens of the United States. With gifts come responsibilities, and I pray we may be faithful stewards of all things.
This prayer is from our hymnal:
Peace among the nations
Gracious God,
grant peace among nations.
Cleanse from our own hearts
the seeds of strife: greed and envy,
harsh misunderstandings and ill will,
fear and desire for revenge.
Make us quick to welcome ventures in cooperation
among the peoples of the world,
so that there may be woven
the fabric of a common good
too strong to be torn by the evil hands of war.
In the time of opportunity, make us be diligent;
and in the time of peril, let not our courage fail;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ELW page 76
March 25
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God —
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
Our Invitation to Lent says: “I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent - self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting…”
I wonder if self-examination necessarily should go right next to repentance… As I mentioned at worship Wednesday evening, I have a suspicion that we make a mistake when we equate repentance with confession.
The Greek word for repentance - metanoia - can be translated: “change of mind.” Last night I shared an insight from a Canadian author. It is quote Douglas John Hall used as a forward to a book on Christian Theology that he titled: “Thinking the Faith”
“Jesus says in his society
there is a new way for people to live:
you show wisdom, by trusting people;
you handle leadership, by serving;
you handle offenders, by forgiving;
you handle money, by sharing;
you handle enemies, by loving;
and you handle violence by suffering.
In fact you have a new attitude toward everything, toward everybody.
Toward nature, toward the state in which you happen to live,
toward women, toward slaves, toward all and every single thing.
Because this is a Jesus society
and you repent,
not by feeling bad,
but by thinking different.”
Rudy Wiebe (born 1934; Canadian writer)
That might well provide plenty of insight for consideration all weekend. In fact, it could probably carry you through the rest of Lent and beyond.
May you have a life-giving weekend.
To those who are heading out on Spring Break adventures; “God-speed” and to all, you are in my prayers.
Peace to you, Pastor Phil
March 26
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…
Joel 2:13
I have mentioned often that repent might be understood as a “change of mind.” This can be one way to translate the Greek word for repentance; metanoia. The Hebrew word for repent can possibly be translated, “turning around” or “changing direction.”
That turning around can be a turning away from something - or a turning towards something.
Tomorrow we will hear the parable about the Father whose younger son takes off with his share of the inheritance, and wastes it. The older son stays behind, and he provides his own challenges to the Father. Through it all, we see the Father go to great lengths to include them both in his family…
The Parable of the Three Prodigals...
Considering the younger son, the parable says that he was starving and he “came to himself” and concluded that he could go to his father, get hired on, and be able to eat.
Many see this story as one of repentance, whereby the younger son sees the error of his ways, and in shame, turns away from his prodigal wastefulness.
This is a turning around - away from his error.
I would like to suggest that one might just as well see the repentance of the younger son as primarily his turning to.
In his hunger and his lostness, he turns toward his loving Father.
Interesting.
While we are wise to turn away from that which “leads us away from love God and neighbor” (as the Invitation to Lent suggests) - perhaps even more inviting, is to see the great love and grace and life offered to us by the one to whom we turn!
Blessings in your turnings! Pastor Phil
March 27
4th Sunday in Lent
Today we get to wrestle with the wonderful parable of the Father who had two sons, or maybe this marvelous story wrestles with us!
I hope to see you in worship today.
The service will be posted here…
The Prayer of the Day:
God of compassion,
you welcome the wayward,
and you embrace us all with your mercy.
By our baptism clothe us with garments of your grace,
and feed us at the table of your love,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
March 28
“But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours
was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”
Luke 15:32
A Methodist minister in Butte shared a story from a friend and colleague who lived in a big city. Her pre-schooler daughter surprised her teachers. They asked the children to share what their parents did. This little girl, describing her mom’s job said:
“Each week my mom has a party, and sometimes there’s food.”
Living in a big city, her teachers did not know that her mom was a minister. They couldn’t imagine what she did for a living! I wonder what they thought once they learned of her calling…
The 15th chapter of Luke has 3 parables.
The shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the lost sheep; the woman who searched for and found her lost coin, and the Father who loses two sons (The Parable of the Prodigal Son).
In each of these stories, we are told that when all were reunited, what followed, was a party.
Yesterday, we had a nice party. We didn’t have any food during the service, but some of us gathered for cookies and coffee between services. This coming Wednesday, the 7:00 party is preceded by food at 6:00! Next Sunday, 8:30 and 11:00 we will gather again, and we will share that remarkable meal of Jesus giving himself for the life of the world…
Frederick Buechner wrote a wonderful definition of grace. In part it says:
“The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.”” ~originally published in Wishful Thinking
It is true, the party is not complete without you.
I hope to see you soon.
Blessings, Pastor Phil
March 29
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you.”
John 20:19b
On the first Easter, the Disciples were afraid and hidden in a room behind locked doors. John tells us that Jesus joined them in the locked room, and his first words to them were: “Peace be with you.”
The Gospel good news of the resurrection is a message of peace. Peace for you, peace for one another, and peace for the world.
As the book of Hebrews comes to a close, we are given a beautiful benediction:
“Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
May our words and actions be inspired by “the God of peace” and may we continue to pray for peace, and give thanks for those who watch over us.
Peace, Pastor Phil
March 30
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV
Tonight we gather for worship at 7:00.
Our Lenten theme has been: Repentance and Hope.
The first three Wednesdays, we have paid particular attention to our call to repentance. I suspect that more often than not, we have connected repentance to any of a number of different things, but rarely to hope…
Mainly, we have understood that repentance goes with regret. Also, we have connected repentance to sin and confession, and perhaps most positively, to right living.
I want to suggest that while none of these is wrong, none is complete.
If repentance is a returning to God, and if God is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” - then beyond regret, confession and sorrow for sin, repentance is a hopeful connecting with the one who bears to you promise and life.
May you know the hope of the Gospel as we mark the days until Easter, and look to our celebration of the hope born from the terror of the cross.
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
March 31
Now may the God of peace,
who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
make you complete in everything good
so that you may do his will,
working among us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21
For this last day of March, a month in which we have seen the sad realities of war more clearly than we have in a while; I would like to share this prayer from our hymnal:
A Prayer for Peace
O God,
it is your will to hold both
heaven and earth
in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love
shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows,
and give peace to your church,
peace among nations,
peace in our homes,
and peace in our hearts;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ELW pg 76
Peace, Pastor Phil