Simply Grace: Recent Episodes
Rev. Wesley Menke
Rev. Wesley Menke The Bible really can be quite a puzzle sometimes to figure out. This morning we read from 1 Corinthians some unusual advice from St. Paul. He says […]
Sermon 2023.09.10 Rev. Wesley Menke Sometimes it is hard to go to sleep at night, and sometimes it is also hard to wake up in the morning. I remember not […]
Sermon 2023.09.03 Wesley Menke One of the really big challenges we have to deal with as Christians is the way our religion has valorized and spiritualized suffering. Jesus says that […]
Sermon 2023.07.23 I was listening to the radio this week and I heard a program about life after death. The person speaking had a near death experience and was telling […]
Sermon 2023.05.28 Rev. Wesley Menke This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to participate in a ride along with Sheriff deputy Chris Carrico, who is a member of this church. […]
Sermon 2023.05.21 Rev. Wesley Menke Happy Sunday! We are more than halfway through May and it is beginning to feel more like summer. But this heat is nothing compared to […]
Sermon 2023.05.14 So it’s Mother’s Day! Thank you to all the Mothers and Mother figures. Mothering is not easy. It’s a tremendous and difficult job. It is a job, perhaps […]
Sermon 2023.05.07 One of the things we do as followers of Jesus is talk to people about their health and illnesses. We do this because we seek to love our […]
In the story of the road to Emmaus we find two disciples walking along a road the same day of the resurrection. The resurrected Jesus begins to walk with them. […]
Happy Easter! Today we celebrate the eternal life of Jesus. About 2,000 years ago Jesus died on a cross on a Friday. Then on Sunday some of the disciples encountered […]
Sermon Good Friday 2023.04.07 Wesley Menke John 18 & 19 Pilates asks Jesus, “What is truth?” Either Pilate doesn’t believe in the truth and is asking the question rhetorically; or […]
Sermon 2023.04.06 Maundy Thursday Jesus says that if one is clean, then they do not need to completely wash, but only the feet. Everyone was clean, apparently, except for one: […]
Passion Sunday 2 April 2023 Wesley Menke On the cross Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What kind of a father would kill his own […]
Sermon 2023.03.26 “How’s the church”? I get asked this question everywhere all the time all at once. “How’s the church?” And what do I say? I say that we are […]
Wesley Menke March 19, 2023 Happy Pi Day! This past week was March 14. So let’s talk a little bit about science and math. In the time of Isaac Newton […]
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him won’t perish but have eternal life.” Too bad this […]
Sermon 2023.02.26 I’d like to say something about who Jesus was, by talking about things he did not do, and then thinking about the things he said. Jesus did not […]
Sermon 2023.02.12 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 The reading from Deuteronomy 30 sounds very nice on the surface, but we should really pause and think about it. Because it appears to promise that […]
There’s this passage in our gospel today that is interesting. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
Some people would take this to mean that if a person doesn’t have faith in Jesus Christ, then they aren’t a full human, and can be treated as disposable. This was why the English, Portuguese, and Spanish Empires used the church and missionaries to sanitize their exploitation of the Americas. The strategy was very simple. Anyone who isn’t a Christian, is like salt that has lost its saltiness, and so they can be trampled under foot, their land can be confiscated, their gold and salt taken, etcetera.
So the missionaries would be there to offer salvation, to offer the possibility of having faith in Jesus. And anyone who resisted faced a sword or the barrel of a gun. That’s quite a terrible evangelism strategy. So why would Jesus say this? Why would Jesus warn us against not being salty and being trampled under foot?
What if Jesus is saying something altogether different? What if he is saying that we should never underestimate our worth? We forget just how precious salt is, and was in antiquity. Salt was like a miracle commodity. If you could get your hands on salt then you could be a rich person. So there Jesus is talking with the masses, and he tells them, you are much more valuable than salt! You are priceless! You are invaluable! You are amazing stuff! You are a living breathing miracle of profound intelligence and capability! We haven’t the foggiest idea of our worth. We undervalue ourselves something terrible.
This is our greatest sin. We believe the lie that we have somehow lost our saltiness. In fact it is our two greatest sins. Number one: we don’t know how valuable we are. Number two: because we don’t know how valuable we are, we allow ourselves constantly to be undervalued and underappreciated and trampled on. To say it a bit more clearly is that our greatest sin is that we allow ourselves to be exploited and taken advantage of.
If you think about it for a moment we know that this is true. Everybody knows that this is true. Some of us get mad at the government, and we think that it is their fault. We resent the fact that after working very hard the government exploits us by doing what? Taxation! They tax us, and it is felt that this is a form of tyranny and exploitation. And indeed it is, especially when they take our hard earned money and squander it while our own children go hungry. Then there is another group of us who get mad at the corporations! They are the ones who are fixing prices, and selling us garbage, with a bunch of empty promises. So which one is it? Big government or Big tech? Neither. It’s big religion!
Think about it. All day long religious leaders, especially so called Christian leaders say that humans are broken sinners who are going to go to hell. But if humans are so bad, then why do all the religions want the people so badly? Here’s the truth, without regular every day people and lots of them: Business, Government, and Religion would all go out of business. It is the people who are valuable! Salt never stops being salty. You can’t not be salty!
When we are talking about grace we are talking about the fact that Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. You are that way built into the fiber of your bones. You are valuable.
I’ve been reading Noam Chomsky lately. Noam Chomsky studies languages. He argues that all of the languages of the world use universal rules. Their differences are minute. It follows that the ability to communicate as we do is almost programmed into our genes, and built into our brains. It has been discovered that deaf communities in isolated communities in impoverished countries develop languages that operate with the same rules as American Sign Language, for example. Furthermore it is an absolute miracle that we are able to communicate at all. The amount of intelligence required to carry on a very rudimentary conversation is extraordinary. What follows from this is that human beings in their wide variety all share an extraordinary capacity for thought and critical thinking. The differences between human beings mostly have to do with the environment more so than internal intellectual ability.
So the question then emerges. If we all share a universal set of rules for communicating, then why do we so badly misunderstand each other? If we have more in common than we have not in common, why is it that as a society we disagree so profoundly one with another? Maybe it’s because we swim in an ocean of lies every day. Maybe we don’t disagree all that much. Maybe it’s all just a big misunderstanding; and we can quite easily get to the bottom of our disagreements, find common ground, and decide on a course of action that the vast majority of us all can agree to.
What it means is this. If and when you see somebody getting trampled on, it is not because they stopped being salty. It is for no good reason whatsoever. There is never a good reason for anyone to get trampled. It’s always a travesty of justice. The only way to stop it is for good people to get together and do something about it.
When we are talking about faith, we are talking about believing in this truth that you are the salt of the earth, as is all of creation. If you truly believe it, and if you recognize it, then you will have the creative capacity to figure it out. To get to the bottom of things, and find a solution.
And whenever somebody treats you like garbage, know that they are committing a lie. They are pretending as though you don’t matter to manipulate you. Don’t believe the lie. Hold fast to the truth. Especially those who resort to intimidation must understand that they are worthy too.
So if you or someone you know is being trampled under foot you have a decision to make. Will you go along with it with your head down believing the lie? Or will you lift up your head, intervene, and speak the truth plainly and clearly? You are the salt of the earth.
Is this person being trampled under foot because God has rejected them, because they don’t have a sufficient faith? Or are the people doing the trampling the ones at fault? Do they lack faith? Do they not see the value of the one they are trampling. Jesus could be saying this: stop the trampling!
Sermon 15 January 2023
Isaiah says that it is not enough to be individually saved, we must care for all the world. So we had better practice spending time together.
Psalm 40 says that any “god” that calls you to act against your conscience is a fake.
When we talk about God saving us from the miry clay, we are talking about leaving behind a way of life that is morally complicated and exhausting. When we talk about God lifting us up and putting us on a solid rock, and putting a song in our mouth, we are talking about the narrow path of righteousness, of doing the right thing. Even if it is difficult or strenuous in effort, it is joyous and a relief for our conscience to be doing the right thing, it’s like standing on solid ground.
When we talk about putting our trust in the Lord we are talking about following our conscience. Remember that “LORD” in the Bible is often a code for the holy name of God, the name that God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai. That name is, “I am.” So we would not be wrong to interpret the verse,
“Happy are those who make the Lord their trust” as
“Happy are those who make “I am” their trust.”
What this means is that deep within you, you have a conscience, and the ability to do the right thing. I would go so far as to say whether or not you struggle with a traditional belief in God, within your being you have a sense of what is right and wrong. When you are doing the best that you can, when you are listening to your conscience that is fearing the Lord, that is having a healthy fear of “I am.”
We get into trouble when we ignore or disregard our conscience, that is sloshing around in the miry clay. Happy are those who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. Unfortunately it is quite easy to go astray. There are many false gods who try to trick us into following them and putting our faith and allegiance in them. You can imagine what they are.
Religion can actually be a false god. We must remember that neither Lutheranism nor Christianity, nor Evangelicalism, nor Catholicism, nor any religion can save a person. When we begin to think that one religion is the only true religion we have already broken the first commandment. None of us should be here because we think this is the only way to salvation. It is much more honest to say that we are a free association of persons striving to have faith. I myself didn’t choose to be born and raised in a Lutheran family. If you came to Lutheranism later in life, there were many coincidences that brought you here. So we can’t judge people who worship elsewhere. We can and should judge the traditions and not hesitate to think critically about first and foremost our own religion, especially if we are to follow the first commandment.
The first commandment says, “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods.” Notice that there is actually no commandment here to believe in God. The only thing that is commanded is to not believe in any other gods. The real spirit of commandment number one is to be self-critical in preventing ourselves from idolizing anything, especially Lutheran Christianity. In terms of the existence of God, it is given as a declaration, as an offering, as a statement of unconditional love. Listen and think about it for a moment, “I am, the Lord your God.” It is deeply personal and internal. God’s name is I am. You can’t say God’s name without involving your very self totally and completely. I am the Lord your God, and you shall have no other gods. Happy are those who don’t chase after false gods and get hoodwinked by the proud.
So let me give you an example of what it means to not have any false gods. Another false god is the bible. Too many people think that to have faith means that you have to accept the Bible as the Word of God, as if it were some perfect and divine document. That’s idolatry. We must read the scriptures critically.
Take this morning’s reading from John 1:29-42. To be honest with you I find things in this passage that both comfort me, and trouble me. I’ll begin with what troubles me. Two times John the Baptist sees Jesus, who he has already baptized and says, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” Thinking of Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world really avails itself to what is called “penal substitutionary atonement.” The idea is this. When we do stuff that is wrong, God gets mad and offended and requires a punishment, a penalty for the sin we commit. I don’t think that’s what God does at all.
If God is supposed to reward good people and punish bad people, then God is doing a terrible job. Some of the richest, most powerful people in the world commit terrible crimes and get off scot free. Some of the most saintly caring people suffer tremendously and are in fact punished for doing the right thing. Tomorrow we will commemorate Martin Luther King Junior as one prominent example. He was killed for doing the very things Jesus told us to do. And if that example doesn’t work for you, consider Jesus himself. He was crucified for sins that he didn’t commit.
Did Jesus have to die? The fact that he did die the way he did means that in the present moment there is no divine justice. Great atrocities have happened throughout history and continue to the present day with little to know recourse. In fact, if we want to see a better world, a world with justice, a world that doesn’t self-destruct in environmental degradation and war, then we have got to be the ones to do something about it. That is what faith is. That is what following commandment number one is all about. No religion, no government, no political party, no person, no business, no technology is going to magically save us from all of our problems. The only way things will get better is if each person takes responsibility for these problems and we work together to fix them. You might think that this is difficult, and you would be right to think so. That is the other side of faith. We have faith in each other, that God is in each of us, and that together we have a tremendous creative capacity. New life can spring up where we least expect it, because there is more than what we currently see. If we spend time together we might see something new.
So the part of the story from John that gives me comfort is the very personal way that Jesus spends time with the disciples. He doesn’t have a formal class for what it means to be a disciple. He just invites them to spend time with him. They get to know each other. If we want to accomplish big things like changing the world and making it a better, more just place, then one thing we can do to start is just practice spending time with each other. It’s enough to start there. Amen.
A look at the scientific properties of water to help understand the significance of baptism.
Sermon 2022.12.24
Luke 2:1-20
A conflict was brewing. You cannot have two kings both claiming to have power and authority over the same land and people. Emperor Augustus decreed that everyone in the world would have to return to their hometowns to be registered. This was a power move by Augustus essentially deporting anyone who had ever migrated; forcing them to go back to where they came from.
Ironically by doing so Jesus is born in Bethlehem the city from which it was prophesied a great king would be born. Then Jesus’ birth as a new king was announced to a group of shepherds who were living out in the fields. The decree of the angels calls the shepherds in to worship this baby.
Notice how these two kings are already in conflict and do things totally differently:
1.Emperor Augustus’ decree pushes people away from him and sends them back to where they came from
- The angels’ decree pulls people in to meet Jesus
Why did the angel announce Jesus’ birth to shepherds? It is highly significant, because a shepherd is a symbol for any human being who is a leader or has power and authority over others. A president, prime minister, CEO, emperor, etcetera are all supposed to be like shepherds who care for their people.
When a baby is born, no matter how lowly or poor, or what the family circumstance is, a real shepherd is to go and check on the wellbeing of the child. To regard this child as worthy of our praise, adoration, and yes our resources and social programs to ensure its well being.
Close your eyes for a moment and think. Where are there babies in the world right now? Babies in the Americas, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and in every corner of the world. If you really focus you can see them, and feel them. Each and everyone of these babies is made in the image of God; and is a sister and brother to Jesus. Each baby deserves and demands clean air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, adequate shelter, to be free from threat of harm or violence, and to be loved. Each baby and child is a little caesar exacting our praise and adoration, overriding, usurping, and undermining any political leader that stands in its way.
Open your eyes. You are the shepherds living in the fields. I am the lone angel announcing to you the birth of these little caesars. In a moment I will be joined by a host of angels and we will sing praises. When we are done singing; you will be sent out to search, and find the babies, the children, and you are to do everything in your power to ensure their well-being. When we succeed in making them happy and secure; we will be happy and secure. And that’s the point of Christmas.
My wife Sheri and I have five kids. By the time we got to babies three, four, and five things were getting pretty hectic. I remember coming home from the hospital after one of them was born, I don’t remember which. My in-laws were with us helping get settled. There was a moment when literally everyone was calling for help at the same time. I turned to my father in law Jim, threw my hands up in the air and jokingly asked, “Who’s the boss?” And he looked at me, smiled, and said, “The baby is the boss.” And that made everything crystal clear.
Boss Babies. Little Caesars. Come adore on bended knees. Christ the Lord the newborn king. Not some distant memory. But actual living human beings. Amen.
Rev. Wesley Menke
Advent 4
2022.12.18
Last week I went to Sedona, Arizona to help my dad take care of my mom after a total knee replacement surgery. I flew between the two waves of a winter storm. We hit some turbulence when we descended into Phoenix and our row of three full size men swayed and bounced off each other like we were on a roller coaster ride. It was fun!
My mom was doing well after the surgery. I enjoyed helping take care of her and my dad for a few days. My aunt left when I got there, and my sister came when I had to go home. Our neighbors, the Trouts, brought lots of delicious food. Caring, sensitive, faithful people band together to bring out the best in one another. You could call it grace in action.
The second wave of the storm came down on us and it snowed for over a day; followed by icy cold temperatures. I felt like reading during my down time, and there was an author I have been intending to read for quite some time. My grandmother, Jean Nielsen, was a published author of about 13 novels. So I asked for a suggestion from my mom, and it was, “Walk Under the Trees,” published in 1958 by Funk and Wangalls, New York for $2.95. The book is 64 years old, but listen to the opening paragraph,
“Measles!”
“Only measles,” Mother said with a relieved sigh, “Gwen, dear, we should have suspected as much right away, instead of imagining that you had some rare virus. My! It’s such a load off my mind!”
Gwen, a high school graduate, isn’t able to participate in prom, graduation, or give her valedictorian speech. It strikes me as incredibly relevant to what young people have had to deal with in the last three years. Some things never change? Gwen runs away from the Pacific Northwest to live with her aunt and uncle in southern Arizona at a truck stop. She experiences the desert for the first time, and life in a small town. One of the themes of the book is how a small community deals with problems. Caring, sensitive, faithful people band together to bring out the best in one another. You could call it grace in action.
Gwen adapts well to her new environment, but gets bullied by a young woman, June, who we find out bullies quite a lot of people. It’s surprising how many people get intimidated and bullied on a regular basis. Even kings can be intimidated. That is what was happening to King Ahaz in Isaiah 7. He is terrified of not one but two enemy kings who threaten to make war with him. God offers Ahaz a word of hope, but Ahaz refuses. Now isn’t that something? Pride can get in the way of faith. So Isaiah offers him a word: a child will be born who will rule with wisdom and righteousness, and the current threats will go away. Who is this child king?
Could it be Jesus? Could it be Hezekiah, Ahaz’s successor? Or could it be us? Could we establish a just and righteous community? Hezekiah is remembered mostly fondly in the Bible for helping the kingdom be more just by complying with God’s laws which had been shoved aside for some years. Leadership isn’t about being exceptional at all, but rather a faithful person who sticks around and tries their best to do what is right. That’s a good description of Joseph.
We read in Matthew that Joseph was engaged to Mary, but before they were living together, she was found to be with child. Oops! So Joseph was going to dismiss her quietly, because he was a “righteous man.” But before he can do so, he is visited by an angel who tells him, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For this child will save the people from their sins.” No pressure at all for Joseph. Some people today have a hard time believing in the virgin birth. Imagine how hard it was for Joseph to believe!
Joseph and Mary are regarded as saints. What did Joseph do that was so saintly? He was faithful. He stuck around, and did his best to create a positive environment for Jesus to grow up in. But it takes a village to raise a child. We can all be like Joseph and Mary. Caring, sensitive, faithful people band together to bring out the best in one another. You could call it grace in action.
It was so important for Joseph to stick around because he was a descendent of King David. It was through Joseph that Jesus is considered a descendant of David and a part of the royal lineage. It’s not about flesh and blood, but the Spirit. That is why through baptism we each become heirs and part of the royal priesthood with Jesus. Jesus shares his nobility and divinity with us. We share in the burden of Joseph and Mary. We are to be caring, sensitive, faithful people who band together to bring out the best in one another. You could call it grace in action.
It wasn’t that long after Sheri and I got married that she got pregnant. We were living in Laguna Hills at the time. I went to get a haircut at this barber I started going to before we got married. He remembered me, and asked how everything was going as newlyweds. I said that my wife was pregnant. He laughed. He was also a married man with a family. He told me, “You are never ready.” We never are fully ready for the responsibilities we are given. But with God’s help: caring, sensitive, faithful people band together to bring out the best in one another. You could call it grace in action. Amen.
Rev. Wesley Menke
Adviento 4
2022.12.18
La semana pasada volé a Arizona tras las nubes del invierno. Vi montañas de nieve como islas blancos en un mar de arena. Descubrí a mi mamá ya con su rodilla nueva y con mucho dolor y mi corazón ardilla con el mismo dolor. Pero la tía, los vecinos, mi papá, mi hermana y yo trabajaban como equipo para la sanación de ella, mi mamá, la abuelita de mis niños. Y sí mejoraba poco a poco.
Descubrí también en la casa de mis padres un estante de libros lleno con las obras de mi abuela, Jean Nielsen. Trece libros escritos y publicados por mi abuela. Tanto el orgullo que tengo yo e inspiración también. Leí uno, con título, “Walk Under the Trees.” Trata de una mujer joven que fue al desierto de Arizona para ayudar a sus tíos por un verano. La protagonista se llama “Gwen.” Ella descubre la manera en que una comunidad de personas sensibles y fieles trabajan juntos para solicitar lo mejor de todos, como gracia en acción.
Los pobres reyes; ricos en dinero y poder no saben cómo aceptar el consejo y amistad de una comunidad de gracia. El rey Ahaz era así. Entonces el profeta Isaias dijo que vendrá otra mejor, un bebé, quién es justo. ¿Quien es? ¿Jesús? ¿Hezekiah, hijo de Ahaz? ¿Nosotros? Un buen líder no es excepcional. Un buen líder es fiel y humilde a las leyes de Dios.
Considera José. José y María eran novios pero todavía no estaban casados ni vivían juntos. Pero luego se da cuenta a José que María está embarazada. Oops. José iba a separarse con ella en secreto porque era un hombre supuestamente justo. Pero un ángel dijo a José, “No way José. No temas en casarse con María. Tu tienes que ser padre de Jesús, quien es un salvador.” Ay ay ay. ¡Mucha presión!
Hoy en día José y María son santos. ¿Por qué? Porque en vez de pensar en sí mismo como excepción de esta gran responsabilidad, José aceptó su llamada y su rollo. Él descubrió la manera en que una comunidad de personas sensibles y fieles trabajan juntos para solicitar lo mejor de todos, como gracia en acción.
Hace 14 años yo descubrí que iba a ser un padre. Vivíamos en Laguna Hills, California y estaban muy al gusto con nuestro estilo de vida con tantito de dinero y no muchas responsabilidades, y luego, oops ya viene el bebé. Fui al mismo peluquero que tuve antes de casarme, un hombre Chino. Me dijo, “Nunca estás listo.” Así es. Nunca estamos listos, pero no importa. Somos una comunidad de personas sensibles y fieles trabajando juntos para solicitar lo mejor de todos, como gracia en acción. Amen.
Sermon 2022.12.11
Rev. Wesley Menke
Sheri and I went for a hike on Monday. The trail forked and we went left, up the mountain. The clouds were thick and the terrain was steep. Sheri wasn’t happy. We turned around and went down back to the fork and went right. It went down into a creekbed where water flowed and trees with orange leaves stood proudly in the autumn air. Sheri was happy.
Isaiah says that there will come a day when the desert will bloom with life. There will be a road in which no beasts of prey will threaten the people. Sometimes humans act like beasts of prey; by taking advantage of others and exploiting their weaknesses.
So where is this magical path with deserts that bloom and no aggressive personality types intimidating others? It is not hard to find this path, but it is hard to stay on it. Because the devil tries to lure us away and get us lost. The devil tries to fool us into thinking that we can find happiness through the acquisition of beautiful things; and the accumulation of money.
John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the messiah, or if they should wait for another. Jesus responds by inviting them to observe what is happening. The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. What is good news for the poor?
It is that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by work. Work of course is necessary. It is how we make money. But it is not what saves us. It is a necessary evil. The good news is that we are saved by grace through faith. Grace is that God loves all humans and creation unconditionally whether you are rich or poor. Faith is believing that this is true and treating one another as if we are all important to God. We would share what we have. Anyone can do this.
John the Baptist was poor; and he was imprisoned for doing good. No good deed goes unpunished. Jesus said that John was the greatest of all prophets, and yet the least in the kingdom of God. So Jesus is really telling those disciples and us; that we shouldn’t worry so much about who we should follow. We should step up and be leaders ourselves; and we should expect and prepare for the consequences of doing so. The path of peace that Isaiah envisioned is the path that leads to the cross.
We are living in the time of miracles. After Jesus died on the cross there was a resurrection. And he is still healing people today. I visited with Alicia and Ann this past Friday. Alicia really made a miraculous recovery and healing from some difficult illness. We have been praying for her and those prayers have worked. Thanks be to God!
So be patient. Be faithful and trust that new life will come. Carrying the cross and sticking to the narrow path is so much easier and less complicated than trying to do things our own way. Amen.
Sermón 2022.12.11
Rev. Wesley Menke
Sheri y yo fuimos de excursión el lunes. El sendero se dividió y nos fuimos a la izquierda, subiendo la montaña. Las nubes eran oscuras y el terreno empinado. Sheri no estaba feliz. Dimos la vuelta y bajamos de nuevo a la bifurcación y fuimos a la derecha. Descendía al lecho de un arroyo donde fluía el agua y los árboles con hojas de color naranja se alzaban orgullosos en el aire otoñal. Sheri estaba feliz.
Isaías dice que llegará un día en que el desierto rebosará de vida. Habrá un camino en el que ninguna bestia de presa amenazará al pueblo. Entonces, ¿dónde está este camino mágico con desiertos que florecen y sin tipos de personalidad agresivos que intimiden a los demás? No es difícil encontrar este camino, pero es difícil mantenerse en él. Porque el diablo trata de engañarnos y hacernos perder. El diablo trata de engañarnos para que pensemos que podemos encontrar la felicidad a través de la adquisición de cosas hermosas; y la acumulación de dinero.
Juan el Bautista envió a sus discípulos a preguntarle a Jesús si él era el mesías o si debían esperar a otro. Jesús responde invitándolos a observar lo que está sucediendo. Los ciegos ven, los cojos andan, los leprosos quedan limpios, los sordos oyen, y a los pobres se les anuncia la buena noticia. ¿Qué es una buena noticia para los pobres?
Es que somos salvos por gracia a través de la fe, y no por obras. El trabajo, por supuesto, es necesario. Así es como ganamos dinero. Pero no es lo que nos salva. La buena noticia es que somos salvos por gracia a través de la fe. La gracia es que Dios ama a todos los humanos y la creación incondicionalmente, seas rico o pobre. La fe es creer que esto es verdad y tratarnos unos a otros como si todos fuéramos importantes para Dios. Compartimos.
Juan el Bautista era pobre; y fue encarcelado por hacer el bien. Ninguna buena acción queda sin castigo. Jesús dijo que Juan era el más grande de todos los profetas y, sin embargo, el más pequeño en el reino de Dios. Así que Jesús realmente les está diciendo a esos discípulos ya nosotros; que no debemos preocuparnos tanto por a quién debemos seguir. Deberíamos
ser líderes nosotros mismos; y debemos esperar y prepararnos para las consecuencias de hacerlo. El camino de la paz que imaginó Isaías es el camino que conduce a la cruz.
Estamos viviendo en el tiempo de los milagros. Después de que Jesús murió en la cruz hubo una resurrección. Y todavía está sanando a la gente hoy. Visité a Alicia y Ann el viernes pasado. Alicia realmente se recuperó y sanó milagrosamente de una enfermedad difícil. Hemos estado orando por ella y esas oraciones han funcionado. ¡Gracias a Dios!
Sé paciente. Sé fiel y confía en que vendrá nueva vida. Llevar la cruz y apegarse al camino angosto es mucho más fácil y menos complicado que tratar de hacer las cosas a nuestra manera. Amén.
Advent 2
Sermon 2022.12.04
Rev. Wesley Menke
This past week was cold, cloudy, and with just a little rain. Honestly the lack of sun makes me a bit depressed as I am originally a child of the desert. How have you liked the weather lately? Friday I walked the Cucamonga Creek trail and with so many clouds and mist it was very beautiful. Stormy and rainy weather in the desert is sacred; it is life for the earth.
A very important man lived in the desert; John the Baptist. I remember once attending a Baptist church in Mexico. There were almost only two options for religion: Catholic or Baptist. I didn’t feel comfortable in either. If I could travel to the past to find John, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with him either. He was a highly eccentric, different, and special man. John was one of those types of people who has the ability to challenge everyone.
For example it is said in the bible that both Pharisees and Sadducees came to listen to him. It’s like saying that both Catholics and Baptists came. But John greeted both with great criticism, “brood of vipers.” Juan did not participate in the game of religious affiliation.
These two groups fought over who was the most faithful and authentic Jew. Sadducees were kind of like how we think of Catholics: very traditional and priestly. Pharisees were kind of like how we think of Baptists: more focused on right living and innovating religion to appeal to the people. John says it doesn’t matter which you are. God can make Jewish people out of stones. If John were living today, perhaps he would say that it does not matter if the Catholic or Baptist is more authentic Christian. God can make Christians out of stones. What matters is the fruit they produce. A tree, or a religion, or a nation, can be chopped down, especially if it does not bear fruit.
How do we produce more fruit? We just finished reading, “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In chapter four Bonhoeffer says that the big problem in a Christian community is the desire to be in control. When people fight for control in a community it makes for a toxic environment. Well, thankfully here at Grace Lutheran Church no one has this problem of wanting control. But maybe in other churches this could be a problem. According to Bonhoeffer the solution is simply to love the people who want to be in control.
When we say that we are saved by grace through faith, it implies that we need both: God’s grace and our faith. The grace of God is that God loves every good and bad human being. Faith is believing in this grace; and treating people accordingly. Love the brood of vipers. John the Baptist loved the brood of vipers. He did not reject them, he called them to repent, and then offered baptism. So when we talk about loving ourselves and others, we mean that we challenge ourselves to be better.
We have a dog. His name is Albie. The truth is, Sheri and I are better with humans than animals. Albe is very cute, but he is not very well trained. I already said on animal blessing Sunday that he pulls a lot. So we finally bought a prong collar. And if it works, but I left it on the dog all the time. Then someone told us, no you have to remove the prong collar and only put it on for walks. So we removed it, but we didn’t have the regular collar handy. Then it was Thanksgiving, my parents visited, and then the very cold weather. Several days passed in which we did not go on a walk with the dog, and he didn’t wear any collar. Little by little the puppy acted less like a puppy and more like a coyote, that is, wild. Until one day Sheri took a tray of meat out of the refrigerator and the dog grabbed the meat in its mouth and ran off. Sheri said, “Wes you have to do something about this dog.” I thought fast. I said, “We need his normal collar, which doesn’t have spikes.” But where was it? I searched and searched and found it in the garage. It was soft, we put his Christmas bandana with his name on it too. And I’m not kidding when I say that he immediately calmed down and transformed from a coyote to a precious puppy once again. You see? He needed love; a practical love that challenged him to be better.
On this second Sunday of advent we read prophecies about a good and righteous leader. The prophet Isaiah says that a new shoot will sprout from the trunk of Jesse. In other words, a leader who is fair, who is not corrupt, who is a good judge who has a deeper vision than appearances. This leader will be so good that a child will play peacefully with a brood of snakes. It is a metaphor for the somewhat aggressive controlling people in the world. The “lowly people” that Bonhoeffer spoke of. And this leader that Isaiah spoke of will love in such a way as to create the conditions that people will behave appropriately. This promised leader is Jesus, but it is not only Jesus. Could it also be you?
You could be a good and righteous leader.
Paul wrote about this in Romans. His point is simple. Jesus is not only the anticipated leader of the Jewish people. He is a leader and example to the whole world. You could be the new branch of the trunk of Jesse.
Sermón 2022.11.27
Adviento 1A
Rev. Wesley Menke
Grace Iglesia Luterana Upland, California
Orar por la paz y trabajar por el bien
La venida del Hijo del Hombre podría ser la segunda venida de Jesucristo. Pensamos en esto el primer domingo de Adviento. Jesús dijo que cuando venga el Hijo del Hombre, la gente será desaparecida. Jesús compara la venida del Hijo del Hombre a un ladrón que irrumpe en una casa para robar. Y de nuevo Jesús compara la venida del Hijo del Hombre con cuando vino el diluvio y solo Noé y su familia se salvaron a causa del arca que habían construido.
La venida de Jesús puede no ser lo que esperamos. Probablemente será muy perturbador. Pero nos engañamos a nosotros mismos. Algunas personas dicen que si usted ha aceptado a Jesús como su Señor y Salvador personal, podrá evitar el duro juicio del Hijo del Hombre y podrá ir directamente al cielo. Eso es una ilusión.
Pablo escribe en Romanos que no debemos hacer provisión para la carne. El mismo grupo de personas que fantasean con un rapto también hacen mucho por la carne. Afirman que los hombres mandan sobre las mujeres. Llegan a afirmar que solo los hombres tienen la autoridad para hacer café. ¿Por qué? Porque en la Biblia dice: Hebrews. ¿Consíguelo? ¡He-brews!
Es un montón de tonterías. Pensar que una carne es mejor que otra nos hace daño a nosotros mismos, a familiares y amigos. Por eso en el Salmo 122 dice por el bien de nuestra familia y amigos oraré por la paz de Jerusalén; y trabajaré para hacer el bien. ¡Qué concepto! Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
Richard Fierro es un ejemplo de la vida real de cómo es la fidelidad. Estaba con su esposa y su hija en un club nocturno LGBT, Club Q, para ver un espectáculo de drag. Entonces sucedió lo impensable. Un pistolero con un AR-15 comenzó a matar gente y causar terror. Richard, que es un veterano del ejército de los EE. UU., derribó al hombre con el arma. Lo agarró por la parte de atrás de su chaleco antibalas y lo tiró al suelo. Dirigió a los transeúntes para ayudar a someter al perpetrador. Ricardo salvó vidas. Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
Creer en la venida del hijo del hombre significa estar preparado en cualquier momento para hacer lo correcto. Podemos ver a Jesús en los rostros de quienes nos rodean, y también en nuestro propio rostro. Richard Fierro dijo que todos en ese club se convirtieron en su familia. Ese era Ricardo siendo el Hijo del Hombre. Cualquiera podría ser el Hijo del Hombre. Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
El profeta Isaías dice que las espadas serán convertidas en rejas de arado y las lanzas serán convertidas en podaderas. Hoy, Isaías diría que todas nuestras armas se derretirán en herramientas eléctricas. Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
Hay un mundo mejor. Las cosas pueden ser mejores de lo que son ahora. La gente de la tierra podría reunirse pacíficamente en Jerusalén para adorar juntos. Podemos imaginar la paz tanto dentro como fuera de nuestras paredes. Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
El otro día alguien me dijo que sufría de culpa y que no podía hacer nada para deshacerse de ella. Le dije: “Bien. Deberías sentirte culpable. La culpa es una señal de que tienes conciencia y te preocupas por el bien y el mal. Tal vez Dios quiere que te sientas culpable para que aprendas de tu error y nunca lo vuelvas a hacer”. Se rieron de mí, sonrieron y dijeron que estaba bien.
Entonces, ¿cuándo vendrá Jesús?
Mírate en el espejo.
Oren por la paz y trabajen por el bien.
Sermon 2022.11.27
Advent 1A
Rev. Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church Upland, California
Pray for Peace and Work for Good
The coming of the Son of Man could be the second coming of Jesus Christ. We think about this on the first Sunday of Advent. Jesus said that when the Son of Man comes people will be taken away, or disappeared. Jesus compares the Son of Man coming to a thief breaking into a house to steal. And again Jesus compares the coming of the Son of Man to when the flood came and only Noah and his family were spared because of the ark they had built.
The coming of Jesus may not be what we expect. It will probably be very disruptive. But we fool ourselves. Some people say that if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior then you will get to bypass the harsh judgment of the Son of Man, and you get to go directly to heaven. That’s wishful thinking.
Paul writes in Romans that we should make no provisions for the flesh. The same group of people who fantasize about a rapture also make a big todo about the flesh. They claim that men rule over women. They go so far as to claim that only men have the authority to make coffee. Why? Because in the Bible it says: Hebrews. Get it? He-brews!
It’s a bunch of baloney. Thinking that some flesh is better than others hurts ourselves, relatives and friends. That is why in Psalm 122 it says for the sake of our family and friends I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem; and I will work to do good. What a concept! Pray for peace and work for good.
Richard Fierro is a real life example of what faithfulness looks like. He was with his wife and daughter at an LGBT nightclub, Club Q, to watch a drag show. Then the unthinkable happened. A gunman with an AR-15 began to kill people and cause terror. Richard, who is a US Army veteran, took the man with the weapon down. He grabbed him by the back of his bullet proof vest and slammed him to the ground. He directed bystanders to help subdue the perpetrator. Richard saved lives. Pray for peace and work for good.
Believing in the coming of the son of man means being prepared at any time to do the right thing. We can see Jesus in the faces of those who surround us, and in our own face as well. Richard Fierro said that everyone in that club became his family. That was Richard being the Son of Man. Anyone could be the Son of Man. Pray for peace and work for good.
Isaiah the prophet says swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears will be beaten into pruning hooks. Today, Isaiah would say that all of our guns will be melted down into power tools. Pray for peace and work for good.
There is a better world. Things can be better than they are right now. The people of the earth could peacefully gather in Jerusalem to worship together. We can imagine peace both within and outside of our walls. Pray for peace and work for good.
The other day someone told me that they were suffering from guilt, and there was nothing they could do to get rid of it. I said, “Good. You should feel guilty. Guilt is a sign that you have conscience and care about right and wrong. Maybe God wants you to feel guilty so you learn from your mistake and never do it again.” They laughed at me, smiled, and said okay.
So when is Jesus coming?
Take a look in the mirror.
Pray for peace and work for good.
Sermon for 20 November 2022
Cancer cells are exceptional. They over function. They are our own cells that act narcissistic, they think that they are so important that the replicate and over function to the point that they stop being helpful to the body, they are toxic. This is what we mean when we talk about “works righteousness.” Sometimes we as people act like cancer cells, when we over-function and try to be exception. Maybe being exceptional isn’t so good.
Consider grace. Grace is unconditional love, and relief. What is normally expected of a cell is not that much, just exist, perform some very basic functions that are built into you, and that’s it. The life of a non-cancerous cell is a much easier less frenzied life. The same is true for us as people. God really doesn’t expect that much out of us. Maybe we try too hard. Maybe we would be more faithful if we could be at peace just being ourselves; who God made us to be.
What is faith for the person who has cancer. First of all remember that God is not in the business of punishing and smiting you. Jesus died on the cross and there our notion that God punishes for sin ought to die too. So a faithful person believes this. A faithful person does everything they can do be healthy. We use modern medicine, we take care of ourselves. That is faith.
When Jesus was dying on the cross one criminal criticized him for not being exceptional. “Get yourself down and save us too,” he said. The other one though; had compassion and felt Jesus’ pain rather than criticizing. So Jesus said to the one who showed compassion, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Today. Not in some distant future. Not in some alternate universe, but here and now. Even on death’s doorstep full of physical pain it is possible to be in ultimate paradise when your conscience is at ease and you know you are using what precious life you have to be part of God’s body, to be you, maybe even unexceptional, but blessed by grace. Amen.
Wesley Menke
Sermon 2022.11.13
Last night we enjoyed a sublime concert featuring Tatiana Thibodeaux and Rachel Vetter-Huang. All of the compositions were breathtaking. The quality of music was such that it wasn’t just heard, but the notes themselves painted landscapes of color before our eyes. The last piece though. It left us in a stunned silence. It was a piece composed about war and the ravages of war. This was purposeful because the concert benefited the resettlement of refugees.
Jesus said that there will be wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and that nation will rise against nation. The question we have to ask ourselves is if this is descriptive or prescriptive?
If it is prescriptive then we go down a road thinking that Jesus intends for there to be war. This leads to Christian nationalism: a belief that Jesus desires certain nations to go to war against others. Martin Niemuller, a German theologian reflecting on World War One commented that the problem was that everyone thought God was on their side. Maybe that’s true, but when God is on your side, God is urging you to de-escalate, and walk toward peace.
I believe that Jesus is not prescribing war; he is describing war. The closing piece of music we heard last night was not a call to war. No way no how. It was a painful retelling of war. Jesus too is preparing us for the worst so that we can strive for something better. One way that we can be peacemakers is to practice less-violence. You have no doubt heard of non-violence or pacifism. I have no problem with pacifism; but I also understand that it is too rigorous for many. If you find yourself to be someone who just can’t get on board with pacifism or non-violence consider less-violence or de-escalation.
In a nutshell de-escalation or less-violence resists aggression through a measured response that uses less violent force than what was perpetrated. How does this work? It works only if there is wide solidarity; that is people in a movement who share and practice the same conviction.
A practical example would be when a gunman attacked a church in Orange County, the parishioners subdued him using not weapons but hymnals, folding chairs, microphone wires, etc. Another example would be how massful peaceful protest has brought wars to an end.
Thinking about the war in Ukraine for a moment. Occasionally I hear people criticize the Russian people for not organizing mass protests to stop Putin. First of all they have. Secondly, where are the peaceful protests here? Why don’t we march in the streets here in solidarity with the Ukranians who suffer innocently and with Russian people who are now being conscripted against their will to fight? We can protest here against that. If we have constitutional protection to protest against our own government, why not protest against other governments? I think maybe we should.
Do we hesitate because of the risks involved? Are there costs involved for publicly denouncing war? Remember that protest is our history. We are protest-ants after all. We are a resistance movement. Consider the costs of not doing anything.
Paul warns us of this in 2 Thesselonians; of idleness. He says don’t be idle. Think of what happened to the Temple in Jerusalem. It happened just like Jesus said, not one stone rested on another. We don’t have the luxury of working for a solution.
Work is nice and all, but the problem with work is that it is too focused on money and merit. When we focus on work we think that we will be compensated properly for what we do. Oftentimes we won’t get what is fair. That is why faith is so important. Faith is about being faithful. If you have faith then you will take your responsibility seriously. Grace tells us the divine nature of all of creation. Grace invites us to love our enemies.
Jesus wouldn’t lie, wo
Sermon 2022.11.06 All Saints Sunday
Grace Lutheran Church Upland, California
Pastor Wesley Menke
This past week at Bible Study we finished reading the book of Leviticus. That really is an interesting book. It’s like a handbook for priests who functioned like public health experts, as well as keepers of religious rituals, and civil law. So there is very little story in the book of Leviticus. It is dry reading to be sure, but near the end of the book there is a story. It says that one day there was a man whose mother was Israelite, and father was Egyptian. This fellow got in a fight with another man who was Israelite. At some point during the altercation the man with mixed heritage blasphemed God. That means he used offensive language either about God or about the man he was fighting using God’s name to do so; or maybe both. The case was brought before Moses; and before God. The command was given to take the man outside of the camp; for all the witnesses to lay their hands on his head; and then to stone him to death. Can you believe that?
Its texts like this from the Bible which cause us to wonder why there aren’t more atheists. How could we in this situation say that God is love? Where is the grace of God? Furthermore it seems like this man is being scapegoated, partly on the account of his marginal ethnic status; and that’s ironic because the ritual of the scapegoat is articulated earlier in the same book of Leviticus. The ritual of the scapegoat was supposed to be humanitarian insofar as it spared punishing humans, but accumulating all of their sin on a goat which would be turned out into the wilderness at least having a chance. But that doesn’t spare the man who was stoned for blaspheming God. No scapegoat saves him. He is the scapegoat.
It occurred to me then, and remains true now, that this man was a lot like Jesus. Jesus was not regarded as a “normal” person. His parentage, while sacred to us, would have been very suspect during his lifetime. His mother was Israelite and his father was unknown or unaccepted by many of his contemporaries. When he was bold in his ministry to call himself the Son of God; he was accused of blaspheming by both Romans against Caesar and by certain religious leaders claiming he blasphemed the God of the Israelites. He was publicly executed and functioned like a scapegoat. In fact he is the ultimate scapegoat: he is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus didn’t do anything wrong; and yet was killed for it. Again how can we say that God is love? How could a loving father demand the death of his son who did nothing wrong? Seems cruel and abusive; not loving. There is of course an answer. The answer is that Jesus was God as clearly as any human could be like God. So if we regard Jesus as God; and Jesus died on the cross; then our whole notion of God is more fragile and vulnerable than we would perhaps like to admit to ourselves.
Consider the resurrection of Jesus. After the resurrection he still left. Some people have briefly seen him. But he still left and everyone had to figure out how to get by without him. That is the “duelo” or grief we feel when we miss someone. There is just one consolation; the Holy Spirit. This is like a personality made up of a contagious set of behaviors.
You know that both good and bad behaviors are contagious? Abuse is a contagious behavior. When we think about people who have died we might remember both good and bad behaviors. We might act like our spiritual ancestors. Their Spirit lives on in our actions. So does Jesus’ Spirit: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a practical sign of the resurrection. And you know what? The Spirit is freely given to you constantly if you wish to have it. There is also a physicality with resurrection. We carry physical genes. We are the re
Sermon 30 October 2022
Grace Lutheran Church
Rev. Wesley Menke
This Is Not Your Church.
Say what?
Let’s get real. Worship attendance is down. But let’s not get personal. It’s all the churches. Church attendance has been in a steady decline for decades. Covid made a fast forward of the trend. Nationwide most churches are worshiping around 60% in person attendance of what they were pre-Covid. Many who worship now are different than those who worshiped before.
So what do we do about it?
We could try to be exceptional and special. We could buck the trend. Maybe.
What else could we do?
We could change the way we think and feel about church.
This is not your church.
What is your church?
Your church is the world!
Each Sunday we do the intercessory prayers of the people. It is supposed to be like a funnel. We start off praying for the biggest thing possible, and then we focus-in, petition by petition until finally we end the prayer by naming specific individuals.
The largest part of the prayer, the first part of the “funnel” is the church. The church is all of time, it is all generations, it is most certainly the well being of all of God’s people; of all people.
When we think about the health of the church, we must think about guests, non-members, strangers, non-Christians, governments, businesses, organizations, the planet, animals, plants, and the universe. When we think about our property it doesn’t end in the drainage ditch to the east of the sanctuary. It includes Euclid Avenue and all the people in the cars and on the trail.
When I was installed at Grace Lutheran three and a half years ago the preacher, Rev. Frohner told me I was now the “local bishop.” I raised my eyebrows at the time. Say what? Now I get it. I am your local bishop. A bishop is a pastor to the pastors. It is my calling to help prepare you to be pastors.
This is not your church. Your church is the whole world. You are its pastor.
Think of Grace Lutheran not as a church, but as a seminary and a synod. It’s where you come to learn how to be a pastor; and to build on those skills for your whole life. When you become an adult member of Grace Lutheran by baptism or affirmation of baptism, you at that minute are commissioned to be a minister of the gospel.
When we talk about being saved by grace through faith, and not by works we are talking about how you are called with your imperfections to be a pastor to the world. That’s what happened to Zacchaeus. Do you remember Zaccheaus? He was a wee little man. He wanted to see Jesus so he climbed up in a sycamore tree. Jesus told him to come down, and then Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. This is another example of Jesus breaking social norms also known as being rude. He invites himself over to someone’s house.
Because up until that point Zacchaeus was a hard working man. He was a tax collector. He was clever and worked extremely hard: long days and nights keeping meticulous records of who owed what. By doing this exceptionally well Zacchaeus got rich and earned a comfortable and secure lifestyle. But when he met Jesus he learned that you can’t buy your way into heaven. He learned that God loves every human being unconditionally. He learned about grace. So the moment Zacchaeus believes in this fundamental truth, the moment he has faith in it, is the moment he gives his wealth away. He stops working; and starts stewarding.
Stewardship is quite simply using the resources at our disposal to care for God’s church; that is, the world. So Jesus says that Zacchaeus is saved, because he now has faith in God’s grace, and no longer puts his faith in work and the pursuit of money. He becomes a steward of what belo
Pastors are like manure. So the saying goes. They are best spread out in the fields. When they are gathered up they only make a stink and scorch the earth. It would appear that October is the month of theological conferences for pastors. It’s a brief window before advent, but after the fall ministries are back up and running when we can get away for a little bit.
This past week I was in La Quinta, California with church leaders from throughout California. The theme was: Grief. A real light and refreshing topic? I think not. The conference finally made sense to me, though, at our closing worship. Bishop Brenda Bos had the sermon translated live into Spanish. She preached on “grief.” But when Pastor María Paiva translated the word grief, she used the Spanish word, “duelo.” Over and over again I heard the word “duelo,” which means yes grief, but also pain from the word “dolor.” This was supremely helpful because often when I think of grief I think of a generic term to describe the process a person goes through when they lose someone they love. Grief is just what you go through. But by hearing the Spanish word, “duelo,” it made me think and feel more honestly that grief is about pain and hurt.
It is fair to say that we have experienced and are even still feeling “duelo,” grief and the pain that comes with it. We have lost both people and relationships, and it hurts us to the innermost recesses of our soul. Or then again maybe it doesn’t! The problem with painful grief is that it can be so overwhelmingly painful that we do all kinds of crazy things to try to avoid it. We have discovered and curated a panopoly of devices to temporarily distract us from the god-awful pain of loss: money, work, shopping, alcohol, drugs, sex, entertainment, and religion.
Honestly religion may be one of the greatest culprits of anesthetizing people from their pain. Marx said that religion was the opiate of the masses. But he wasn’t the only one. Dietrich Bonhoeffer also criticized the church for the same failing. During the rise of Hitler a solid super majority of Catholic and Lutheran leaders quietly supported the fuhrer. They did not criticize or resist. Maybe they tried to comfort people and relieve them of their pain rather than resist the injustice. Bonhoeffer called this “cheap grace,” in his book, “The Cost of Discipleship.” Cheap grace relieves us of our duty to strive and sacrifice for what is right. It asuages us of guilt and smothers us with a false hope that God will come and fix everything.
Costly Grace is what Bonhoeffer advocated for. It takes the cross of Jesus as the center of faith, and so every human being which suffers as being close to the heart of God, and so demands our care, respect, and efforts to resist that which hurts and destroys life. It means feeling the pain and not just looking the other way or distracting ourselves with cheap promises of resurrection. When you feel pain you are actually feeling God’s costly grace. Grace makes all of creation sacred. You are sacred, and so are the people in your life. When you feel pain you are alive to the holiness of all these things. We are in real trouble when we stop caring; and stop feeling. When we cut ourselves off from others and excuse their suffering as merited because of their sins.
The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable is guilty of this. He is stuck trying to avoid the pain of his life. He looks with contempt on the tax collector judging him in order to not have to sympathize or empathize with him, in order to not have to be concerned for his well being. And he has lots of good reasons to do so. Today we all love and respect tax collectors, right? Haha. Well it was even worse in Jesus’ day. Tax Collectors were sending the hard earned money away, impoverishing their own people for the sake of Rome, and keeping plenty for themselves. There was a reason to hate them. But if you believe in Grace then yo
Faith the size of a mustard seed is sufficient to depose unjust tyrants as in mulberry trees of cruel dynasties. How you treat those with less power than you is an indication of your faith in God. Why would God treat you any better than you treat a slave? Jesus doesn’t advocate slavery. If we give freedom and care to others; then we really believe that God gives the same to us. So how we treat animals is indicative of our faith.
I turned 41 last week and it was a little bit harder than I thought it would be. My wife, children, family, and friends were very kind and gracious. Thank you for all the wonderful cards and well wishes! Why is getting older so hard? I know at least one person who says that they love getting older. It is better than the alternative. You only have so much time. At a birthday one thinks of the things they’d like to accomplish, but haven’t. That is hard. What one should do is think about the many blessings one has.
I recently read a book called, “Metaphysical Animals.” It’s quite good, and about four women philosophers who study during world war two at Oxford. For a while one of the women, Elizabeth Anscombe studied in Cambridge under Ludwig Wittgenstein. He was a tortured soul, and his brilliance was terrifying. Ms. Anscombe translated his work into English; which is no simple task. The main work is titled, “Philosophical Investigations.” I listened to that audiobook too. It was a difficult book to absorb, but the main idea is that language is both capable and insufficient. Through hundreds of examples Wittgenstein demonstrates how language can effectively communicate ideas, but that it is also fluid and can almost always mean different things. Wittgenstein seems to believe that there is a reality beyond which language can fully describe and so is kind of Platonic. However, language can’t be boiled down to uncontested logical syllogisms. It is irreducibly nuanced and playful. Wittgenstein talks more about “language games” than formal systems. So playfulness is concomitant with intelligence. If you want to be smart, you need to know how to play.
Wittgenstein died at a relatively young age and he, like many of his contemporaries, was a chain-smoker. He died of cancer and suffered physically at the end of his life. Ironically as he grew closer to death the tormented nature of his soul relaxed and on his deathbed he expressed a profound gratitude for his life; calling it, “a good life.” This surprised many people, because he had endured so much suffering. His deathbed confession is surprising in a similar way that the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is surprising.
It’s surprising that the rich man is not named, but Lazarus is. Usually money and power gain one recognition. But in this story the poorman Lazarus is recognized. This very fact brings up the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Why would Lazarus suffer so terribly and the rich man live so extravagantly? The answer might surprise you.
If you believe that it’s God’s grace that saves us, and not our actions, then you also have to concede that there is no justice in the present moment. God is not rewarding or punishing you or anyone else. God’s grace doesn’t discriminate based on the quality of person that you are. This means that if you want justice and fairness in this life, you have to make that happen. That’s what faith is, it’s believing that you have to take responsibility for what is just and true. You can’t sit back and wait for God to do that for you. It’ll never happen.
But what about the part of the story that happens after Lazarus and the rich man die? Several things are noteworthy. Lazarus doesn’t know or believe in Jesus. He is rewarded with everlasting comfort and peace only because he had already suffered, and was a good man. He endured the suffering that fell on him without terrorizing or tormenting others. He was nice to dogs; and dogs were nice to him, so that helps too!
The rich man has to endure pain and anguish because he already experienced comfort in this life. He tries to command Abraham to order Lazarus to help him. This rich man who is used to using people just keeps on trying to do that even in hades. It
Sermon 2022.09.18 Rev. Wesley Menke
The King Has Taken Back His Throne
The King of England has ascended his throne and his name is Charles. A good name! Time will tell if he will be a good king. We should pray for kings and queens so that we may live a peaceable life, that all may have salvation, and that royalty knows the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-7). And what is the truth? The truth is that there is only one true king, and his name is Jesus. All other kings no matter their wealth or power are less than shadows of the one great steward king, Jesus. His throne was a cross; and his crown was made of thorns. We pray that earthly kings would lay their crowns down at the foot of the cross and practice faithfulness.
The steward King Jesus had a peculiar way of explaining things and helping us to understand his rule. Kings, since forever, are to be understood as divine sons appointed as God’s representative on earth. They exact tribute, allegiance and undying devotion. Kings are like divine managers or stewards tasked with the awesome responsibility of caring for Earth and its inhabitants on behalf of God almighty. The king does not own anything, but at best manages or stewards the wealth that belongs to God. God is the true owner of all wealth and life itself. Some kings merely use the pomp and circumstance of their office as a means to indulge themselves and their basest desires without regard to the well-being of their subjects.
The prophet Amos addresses this problem. He warns against trampling the needy, and ruining the poor of the land through shoddy business practices. False prophets would only tell the king to perform outward religious rituals. Amos said true religion was defending widows, orphans, and immigrants. Taking a cue from Amos, Jesus told a parabolic story of an unusual steward-king.
Jesus said that once upon a time there was a steward who served a rich owner. The steward was busted for cooking the books. He would make special deals with people, showing favor and not collecting what was owed to the rich owner. So the owner finds out about this and decides to fire the steward. But before he can officially send the steward packing there is a twist. The steward quickly calls in all the debtors. He begins to lessen and cancel their debts. One by one he wins favor with the impoverished and indentured subjects of the owner. They love the unjust steward for this largess and the streets are filled with rejoicing. God the owner finds out about this and his plan is foiled. Although he has cause to depose the unjust steward he cannot do so, because the people are in love with him.
What is the meaning of this story? Jesus is the unjust-steward, the king of all creation, appointed by God. And God is the rich owner of all of the multiverses. When Jesus was sent to Earth to rule justly he did not do as he was supposed to do. He did not reward the good and just people, rather he would make special deals with the most unsavory of people: tax-collectors, prostitutes, samaritans, and the general dregs of society. Jesus the unjust steward king infuriated anyone with a sense of propriety and deference. Even God the rich owner of everything forsake his son, his appointed King and wrote him off as dead. So he was drummed up with bogus charges, and executed with a mock coronation. But just as he was being banished to hell, and the dustbin of history; written off as nobody, he pulled off the ultimate hustle. One by one he called the indebted subjects of the Rich and Powerful God of All Creation. He summoned them to the foot of the cross and he struck down their debts. He forgave the debts of everyone, of absolutely everyone no matter who they were, so that not a single person owed the Rich and Powerful God anything. God the Father, the Owner of Everything did not expect this, and rather than disregard, disdain, or disown his son, he breathed new life into him, and
Sermon 2022.09.11
Rev. Wesley Menke
Finding the Face of God
There may come a time in your life when you will yearn to see the face of God, but God’s face will be hidden from you sight: nowhere to be found. This happened to Moses. It used to be that Moses would talk to God face to face; like friends. God first spoke to Moses directly from the burning bush on top of Mount Sinai. Then God would speak to Moses in other ways, including from a pillar of smoke outside of his tent. You could imagine something between a tornado and dust devil from which God would appear and speak to Moses. Then one day it all changed. Moses was no longer able to see God face to face. God said to Moses that nobody could look on the face of God without dying. So God explained that the closest Moses could get would be to look at God’s back.
So why the change in Moses’ relationship with God? Why was the closeness and intimacy cooled? Well, the thing is, Moses had a bit of an anger problem; and sometimes his anger would get the best of him so that he would lash out and hurt people. Moses even killed people. You will remember that he killed an Egyptian when he was a young man living as an adopted prince. Then there was the incident with the golden calf of which we read about in Exodus 32.
So Moses is up on the mountain with God, talking face to face for a long time. The people get restless and maybe a little jealous. So Aaron, Moses’ brother makes a golden calf as a focal point for the people to worship. In the movie The 10 Commandments, which bears a strong influence in our collective imagination, we envision idolatry, but it’s not that simple. There is archeological evidence to suggest that a calf or bull could have been used as a kind of “mount” on which the invisible God would have stood or sat; not unlike the cherubim mounted on the ark of the covenant. Either way, God doesn’t like it, and God gets angry with the people. God threatens to punish them. But what does Moses say? Moses pleads with God not to punish them severely. So God relents and Moses goes back down the mountain. What happens next?
You remember how Moses had an anger problem? Well no sooner after he gets down, he makes the people drink the pulverized gold from the calf. Then he rallies a group of people with swords to go out and slaughter their own people. It’s a kind of civil war: brother against brother. It’s completely brutal. It’s also totally hypocritical. Moses did the very thing he pleaded God not to do. When the dust settles, and the blood stops flowing, the people of God have to regroup and start over. They suffered terribly not from the hand of God, not from a foreign army, but from within. It was after this incident that God took a break from showing their face directly to Moses.
Psalm 51 says, “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my wickedness.” You, like Moses, are without a doubt, saved by grace through faith, and not by works. God is patient with Moses, never tiring of teaching him, of believing that he can keep growing and becoming a better person. God believes the same thing for you.
1 Timothy 1:14 is a testimony to that apostle’s growth by Grace. They write, “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Moses wasn’t the first or the last human to be called to peaceful faith in action inspired by God’s grace. You are called to have faith that each living human being is a sacred creature made in the image of God to which you devote your life to care for, even when they make you angry and at a loss to understand their motives.
The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin are an ethical teaching of Jesus about this very thing. You are to see yourself both as one who has been l
Sermon 2022.08.28
Rev. Wesley Menke
Érase una vez una pareja en la que el marido no era fiel. La esposa le suplicaba y le rogaba que cambiara su comportamiento, pero su comportamiento solo empeoró. Entonces, un día, el hombre le dijo a su esposa que haría un viaje a Florida con una amiga y que regresaría en unos días. La esposa intentó algo diferente. Investigó destinos románticos y luego le sugirió a su esposo un itinerario para él y su amiga. Inmediatamente canceló el viaje y se quedó en casa. El punto es que el poder importa, y cómo lo obtenemos; a menudo se malinterpreta.
Algunas personas piensan que Jesús y sus seguidores no quieren ni tienen ningún poder. Pero, de hecho, hoy Jesús enseña formas de subvertir los esquemas de poder convencionales; y construir poder para nuestra propia supervivencia y bienestar mutuos.
Las dificultades en tu vida no son un castigo divino que mereces y debes soportar. Depende de ti lidiar con los problemas en tu vida. Jesús enseña que el poder se ejerce a través de la comunión.
No se arrodillen a los pies de un rey y de aquellos con poder oficial, sino levántense junto a aquellos a quienes la sociedad ha ignorado. Eso es lo que hizo Jesús.
Jesús vivió esto, comenzando su ministerio entre la base de la pirámide social y finalmente siendo coronado rey por Pilato.
Los que tienen el poder oficial se benefician cuando todos clamamos por ser los mandamás. Pero si te sientas con los humildes y el anfitrión te llama, te dan más.
Leemos en Hebreos 13 que la iglesia debe respetar el matrimonio y la familia. Esta no enseñanza de ser puros. Sino nos necesitamos unos a otros para sobrevivir.
Finalmente, se promete una gran bendición a aquellos que adoran a Dios y pronuncian el santo nombre de Dios. ¿Qué le dijo Dios a Moisés que se llamaba? “Yo Soy.” Habla el nombre de Dios y sé bendecido.
Once upon a time there was a couple in which the husband was not faithful. The wife would plead and beg him to change his behavior, but his behavior only grew worse. Then, one day, he told his wife that he would be taking a trip to Florida with a friend, and that he would be back in a few days. The wife tried something different. She researched romantic destinations and then gave her husband a suggested itinerary for him and his friend. He immediately canceled the trip, and stayed home. The point is that power matters, and how we get it; is often misunderstood.
Some people think that Jesus and his followers do not want nor have any power. But in fact, today Jesus teaches ways to subvert conventional power schemes; and build power for our own mutual survival and well being. The problem is works-righteousness; a scheme devised to take away power from you. The devil tricks you into thinking that you have to keep working all of the time to earn your power. By doing this the devil takes away your power to live freely and happily. Like the unfaithful husband in the story, the devil torments us, for the sadistic pleasure of watching others suffer.
The truth is that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not by works. The hardship in your life is not a divine punishment that you deserve and must endure. God doesn’t do that. Your sins are forgiven. What you do with your life, and how you deal with hardship depends on you; it depends on your faith. It’s up to you to deal with the problems in your life. Power is something we all need to be able to do anything, especially solve problems. Jesus teaches that power is exercised through fellowship.
Fellowship intentionally reaches out to other struggling persons to find common ground. There is a lot more common ground than we realize. The key is to recognize that true power comes not from scrambling or groveling at the feet of a king and those with official power, but standing up alongside with those who society has disregarde
El proposito del sabado es practicar la fe. No merecemos tanta bandicion ni tanta condenación, pero lo pedimos lo que necesitamos. No trabajar en el sabado es acto de soladaridad uno con otro en recibir alivio, perdon, y la justicia. Es como huelga sagrada.
We are currently reading through the book of Exodus at Thursday morning Bible Study. We meet each Thursday at 10:30am and read through the bible verse by verse, pausing for discussion. Please join us! Thank you to Mark Allert who led study while I was on vacation. Last week we read the climax: chapter 20: the giving of the 10 Commandments. While all the commandments are important, some take on a special significance. Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Keeping the Sabbath is central to Judaism. Do you know what is the most holy day of the year in Judaism? It is the sabbath. Every week the holiest day of the year is given to us by God to enjoy.
Something that’s interesting is that even before the 10 commandments are given, the people are instructed to observe the sabbath. The people are starving in the desert wilderness and they complain to Moses for food. God in turn sends them: Manna. Also known as “What is it?” The thing is, each morning people gather just enough Manna for what they need, except on Friday, they gather double, so that they don’t have to work on the sabbath. Today we read from the prophet Isaiah,
Then we have this strange reading from Luke 13. Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years by a Spirit. When the Bible talks about Spirits crippling people and causing all kinds of ailments I can’t help but wonder if we should translate that word, “Spirits” to something that makes more sense for us today. What if we used the word, “virus.” We attribute ailments to viruses like ancient people attributed them to Spirits. Indeed West Nile Virus can cripple people.
Why do people do this? Why is that when someone tries to do something good, they get ganged up on, criticized, and torn down? Maybe it is out of jealousy? Maybe we are afraid that if someone lets their light shine brightly it will diminish our own light. Maybe a good deed makes us uncomfortable because we have grown accustomed to the Spirits or Viruses in our lives. We act out of pain and frustration longing for a healing from the suffering from which we deal with.
So where is the grace in all of this? We believe that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. In other words, if and when someone is giving you a hard time, criticizing and belittling you, don’t for one moment think that this is the will of God. God does not punish us for our sins. The God of judging and condemning is dead. So if someone is judging and condemning you, they do not speak for or represent God. The evil, pain, and suffering of this world is not the will of God, it is the result of broken and hurting people. So if you have faith in God’s grace and God’s forgiveness. If you believe that all sin died on the cross with Jesus’ then your faith must compel you to not standby while innocent people are suffering. Many people, multitudes of people suffer every day in silence. If you would be the one to lift up your head, to come to the defense of the suffering, you have truly become a person filled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
What is the holiest day of the year?
Sermon 2022.08.14
Wesley Menke
Jesus said we are great at predicting the weather, but lousy at understanding what is going on. Sounds a lot like watching the news. Do you ever get frustrated with the news; like they do not tell the whole story? Take Ukraine as an example. We are told the names of places that are attacked without very much or no context. What are these places and what is their significance? So I decided to read a history of Ukraine. It is very complicated. I would like to read more. Initial impressions are that Ukraine is very important. It is ancient in terms of a people, culture, and language, and it is also fairly young as a country with Zalensky as its 6th president. It wasn’t just part of the USSR, it provided key leadership to it. Nikita Krushveb was born near what we consider Ukraine and relied heavily on Ukrainian political leadership. And it hasn’t just been the USSR, but many previous empires like Austro-Hungary, the Ottoman, and the Greek empires all reached into Ukraine and depended on its people and natural resources. It is an area that has been highly contested. One popular example of the historically complicated slavic lands and peoples would be Fiddler on the Roof, focusing on the particular history of Judaism under empire. So the struggle to resist external imperial ambitions is much of Ukraine’s history.
So now we hear from Ukrainian leaders asking us to support their right to resist, their right to sovereignty and self determination. Supporting this seems like the only decent thing to do. But the question is: How? Is the procurement of billions of dollars worth of weapons the only way to support Ukraine? This is where Jesus’ words might show us another path.
Contrary to popular belief Jesus doesn’t seem to want peace.He envisions divisions within families as to be expected. Jesus wants us to be prepared to deal with conflict.
One thing I’ve learned about Ukraine is that in the Eastern Donbas region of Ukraine you could probably find families where one member wants to be Russian and other members who do not. Armed conflict has existed in that area before the recent invasion.
The problem is when someone or some group runs out of patience and in a desire for peace and an end to conflict resorts to violence or coercion to stop the maddening arguings and division.
This is something that parents deal with constantly. A child or children may argue or bicker; it may escalate and then the parent faces a choice:
- Do I escalate? Do I raise my voice even louder and consider other corporal means to settle this thing?
- Do I try to de-escalate, ask questions and invite reflection. In the heart of the moment it isn’t easy.
I feel that option 2 is better, and I strive to do it. What we do in our homes has a great impact on the world writ large. To this Jesus says, it’s ok to get fired up. It’s okay to think differently than even the most intimate people in your life. If we can figure out non-violent confrontation at home; then we can handle it better in larger cases too. Can you let yourself and people you love get angry? Maybe burying conflict and avoiding it will only let it fester.
By seeking to end conflict hastily we can unleash great and terrible suffering. Maybe peace shouldn’t be our goal. Maybe we need to lower our expectations and strive for something more realistic. Ask yourself what am I willing to live without? What am I willing to lose? Maybe it’s time to let go of the fantasy of a comfortable peaceful life. You can’t earn heaven or salvation, so how could we earn peace? We are all guaranteed to lose our lives someday. By grace we know that this isn’t a punishment, but just a fact of life.
I recently heard that the most dangerous man in America was Walt Disney. Why? Because he made it possible for mil
Sermon 2022.07.31
Jesus is asked to get involved in a dispute regarding an inheritance. He says to not be greedy, and then tells a parable about a rich man who harvests a bumper crop of grain. The man builds larger storage facilities. Why didn’t the rich man sell the excess grain? The price would drop. The rich man doesn’t want to see the price of his grain diminish, so he would rather store it, and sell it later. Nevermind people who are hungry.
Jesus criticizes this approach. He says that we could die at any moment. What good will all of our hard work of preserving the price of things bring us when we die? Nothing. Maybe we should concern ourselves about the quality and preponderance of life; at least as much as the quality and preponderance of money.
You used to be able to fill up your tires with air for free at the gas station. Now they charge money. Do you know why that is? Inflation. Get it? Inflation. So what is the government doing to address inflation? They are raising interest rates. They are giving an incentive for people and institutions to save money just like the rich grain grower did in Jesus’ parable. Too much grain in the market drops the price of grain; just like too much money in the market drops the price of the dollar.
What would Jesus do to address inflation? He would admonish us to beware of greed, and tell us a parable. He would warn us to not be fools, to not focus on preserving the worth of an artificial instrument like money; but instead pray to have enough bread for one day, and pray that God’s kingdom of peace and justice would come here on earth. You can’t take it with you, but you can shape your legacy.
Tradition holds that King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. He lacked nothing in terms of wealth and power. Solomon surveys all that he has and concludes that it is meaningless, that working and toiling for wealth, power, and security is like chasing after the wind. No matter how much you get it won’t be enough, you will die, and you cannot control what others will do with it.
The despair that Solomon feels isn’t all bad. Reflecting on life’s brevity can open the possibility of faith. You can see that life is a precious gift of grace. You can serve your neighbor in love with the time you have.
One way that we can practice our faith, serve our neighbor, and keep greed in check is through stewardship. Faithfully giving away a portion of your income, perhaps 10% if you are able, is a way of trusting in God’s Grace. This applies not just to us as individuals, but to institutions, and us as a church. We as a church body need to be generous too.
A couple of weeks ago during Sunday School, one very young child innocently asked, “What does God do with the money we give?” I said that the church together decides what we do with the money. Most of it is used to pay the bills of the church, the lights, the gas, and the salaries of the staff including the pastor. Some of the money we give away to help others in need. That’s how we give it to God.
Sheri and I give 10% of my gross cash income as an offering. We have also written Grace Lutheran Church into our last will and testament as a beneficiary. I would like to see us as a congregation move toward tithing as well. It is so important for us to support the work of the synod and the wider church.
There may be no better time in history to be generous than right now. Economy is a biblical word. It means: managing a house. The true currency of any economy is trust. Trust is created when we sacrificially give and help one another in times of need. So have faith, and be generous. Amen.
At first Jesus teaches a formula: first give thanks and praise God, then ask God for what you want. This is the formula of the Lord’s prayer. Important to remember that we pray that God’s kingdom of justice and peace comes to earth, not that we are raptured away and to leave it in shambles. Heaven is the telos or goal of earth itself.
Some question and criticize the veracity of prayer. How could we change the mind and will of God? Wouldn’t it be works-righteousness to try to win favor from a deity by performing religious acts? Indeed it would. Which is why Jesus gives additional instruction. Prayer is more about self-discipline, than twisting God’s “arm.” Jesus tells us to persevere, ask, seek and knock.
Think of it this way. God’s grace provides everything, all that is needed, air, water, food, shelter, human relationships. So when we pray for daily bread, we are praying that we would have enough, not too much, and that we would share if we have more than enough so that all might have daily bread. When we pray for the kingdom of God to come to earth, we are praying that we would live justly, and strive for justice, by God’s grace. So pray. It’s a practice of peace. It’s a practice of faith that can certainly change ourselves, and maybe the world too.
¿Quién soy yo para criticar a Marta? Yo, hombre, quien tiene tanto privilegio no tiene el derecho de criticar a una mujer que trabaja muy duro como Marta. Celebramos la fidelidad de Marta:
quien invitó a Jesús en su casa
quien limpiaba y cocinaba para Jesús y los discípulos
quien cuando tenía inquietud con su hermana fue a Jesús para ayuda
y quien aceptó el consejo de Jesús con mente y corazón abierto.
¡Que sean más Martas en el mundo!
También celebramos a María, la hermana de Marta. Ella rompió el cielo de vidrio separando hombres y mujeres por sentando a los pies de Jesús. ¡Qué buena mujer!
Por supuesto celebramos a Jesús como imagen y símbolo de Dios. Celebramos que estamos salvados por la gracia a través de la fe y no por obras buenas. No hay el dios que reprima o condena según nuestras acciones. Estamos totalmente libre para trabajar o no trabajar. Lo que necesitamos es tener fe. Fe es aprovechar el momento, cada momento que tenemos con los seres queridos. No hay segundas chanzas. Solamente hay una vida. Por eso María escogió mejor: porque alcanzó su oportunidad estar con Jesús y enriquecer a su vida. ¡No dejes que tu oportunidad se vaya; agarralo con fe; agarra a la gracia de Dios! Amen.
The Season of “Lint” Last Saturday I had the pleasure of servicing the clothes drier in the parsonage. For some time Sheri had been dropping hints and comments that it needed attention. It finally came to a head when my parents came to visit and there were even more comments made, and then I was reminded we had friends visiting from Minnesota who we would be hosting, and who might have to do laundry.
So I watched a few videos online, read some tutorials, called the head of buildings and grounds, who assured me I could handle it, and talked to the parts department at Cagle’s in Ontario. There was but one thing left to do: take it apart and figure out what was wrong.
If you’ve ever fixed things at home or gotten wrapped up into DIY (Do it Yourself) projects you know that it never goes quite like they say it will in the video, book, or blog. But little by little I was able to take apart the drier and found out that a drum roller, its shaft, and the felt seal had all gone bad. This meant a LOT of lint had filled the inside of the dryer. So I vacuumed, cleaned, and then vacuumed and cleaned some more! I also gathered a handful of change!
Next was a trip to Cagle’s. I was given some encouragement and sympathy when the technician helping me found out we were a family of seven. He gave me some tips and I headed back up Euclid with the replacement parts riding shotgun. He also told me their techs charge $100 an hour, so I felt renewed motivation to complete the project! As the children splashed in the pool I replaced the shaft, roller, felt seal, and carefully placed the other parts and screws back where they belonged. Now the dryer hums quietly and peace has been restored.
Thank you for the privilege to serve with you and live at the parsonage! It gives us joy and satisfaction to exercise stewardship, and be able to host and entertain people. Hospitality is a service of love and sacrifice, and it is worth it. Abraham and Sarah hosted angels unaware and as a result received a prophetic blessing, finally Sarah would bear a child.
The friends that we hosted were our friends Jill and Gretchen. They are both pastors and recently adopted four children. I am humbled by their faithfulness, and we were blessed and honored that they would stop and visit with us. We enjoyed getting to know their kids and catching up with our friends.
It was also in a spirit of hospitality Marta and Mary received Jesus. Who am I to criticize Marta? I, a man, who has so much privilege, does not have the right to criticize a woman who works very hard like Marta. We celebrate Martha
Sermon 2022.07.10
Deuteronomio 30:9-14
Los seres humanos pueden cumplir la ley de Dios según el libro de Deuteronomio. Pero Lutero dijo que no estamos salvados por cumplir la ley. ¿Entonces qué hacemos con este enigma?
El problema es una teología de justificación a través de las obras de la carne. Esto es creer en la mentira que unas personas merecen derechos y otras personas no merecen. Un abogado quiso definir esta distinción con Jesús: quien es un prójimo que merece amor y quien no.
Jesús respondió con una historia y una pregunta. En vez de preguntar quien es prójimo se preguntó: ¿Quién se hizo prójimo? El que tuvo compasión. Entonces nosotros debemos tener compasión de todos. Tenemos que sufrir con los que sufren para que alcancemos un alivio juntos.
Cuando yo era consejero en el campamento El Camino Pines hicimos muchas caminatas. Todos los niños y niñas participaron. Los más fuertes fueron a la caminata más larga y difícil que se llama el Sunset Hike. Y lo más pequeño y débil hicieron el Chumash Hike: muy fácil. Pero hace unos años regresé al campamento e hicieron algo diferente. ¡Cambiaron la tradición de las caminatas! Ellos dijeron que todo el campamento desde el más joven, pequeño, o temeroso hasta el más grande, fuerte, y valiente tuvieron que hacer la misma caminata: the Ravine Hike. Me soñaba loco. Pero como buen pastor y voluntario me dejó la boca cerrada.
Lo que sucedió era algo tan difícil y bonito que nunca iba a imaginar. El principio de la caminata es bajar un cañón muy empinada. Los niños chiquitos estaban casi llorando mientras los teenagers corrieron abajo. Pero en ese momento los consejeros dijeron que no podíamos continuar hasta que todos bajaran. Entonces los teenagers subieron el lado del cañón regresando en el sendero hasta que fueron puestos para ayudar. Y los pequeños bajaron confiando en sus amigos grandes para ayudarles. Y si les ayudaron. Y así continuamos la caminata lenta, pero juntos. Los fuertes en cuerpo dando alivio a los con necesidad. Y los más débiles del cuerpo dando propósito a los con capacidad.
Antes no me gustaba mucho la caminata del Ravine porque no me interesaba mucho personalmente. Pero esta vez, me encantaba, porque lo veía desde los ojos del grupo: una experiencia distinta y única. Este es el punto del buen samaritano. Quizás tú puedes tomar un rodeo o una caminata difícil, interesante, divertida o más cómoda. Pero ser un prójimo y tener fe, es buscar el camino que podemos hacer juntos cuidando uno al otro para que todos llegamos al fin juntos sanos y salvos.
Hay muchas maneras de llegar al mismo punto. Unos dicen que hay muchos caminos para llegar a la parte encima de una montaña. Pero hay que pensar en el pueblo, el grupo, la familia, y la comunidad. Según el libro de deuteronomia los caminos de Dios no son difíciles, son cosas que podemos hacer juntos. Esto es un ejemplo de seguir las leyes de Dios.
Amar al prójimo es un acto de fe. La gracia de Dios es la manera en que podemos amar al prójimo y cumplir la ley de Dios. Seguir las leyes de Dios nos llama a enfrentar la injusticia del mundo.
¿Qué pasó en Colosas en la época de Pablo? Él habla de premios y cosas buenas para los creyentes en Jesús. El premio de la fe es la paz y el crecimiento del pueblo. Es una paz que sobrepasa todo entendimiento: es una paz que puedes realizar por dentro. Es la misma paz que Cristo tuvo mientras sufría en la cruz. Esta paz es el premio de la fe. Hay cosas que están en la vida que no podemos evitar. Pero con fe y gracia nos capacitamos para cumplirla juntos. Como prójimos, vecinos, y samaritanos buenos.
Sermon 2022.07.10
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Human beings can fulfill God’s law according to the book of Deuteronomy. But Luther said that we are not saved by keeping the law. So what do we do with this puzz
Sermon 2022.07.03
We are saved by the grace of God through faith and not by works.
What is grace?
Grace is being comfortable and living abundantly as Isaiah 66:10-14 prophesied. He says that everyone who loves Jerusalem and everyone who feels sad and angry about the situation of war and violence that is there will be happy. Not only Muslims, but also Jews, Christians, and all nations. This is grace poured out for all. Our bodies will flourish. It’s great and it’s a free gift that God gives to you. But God is angry with his enemies.
Who are the enemies of God? The enemies of God are those who mistreat and abuse their own beings and others. Paul says in Galatians 6 that we are to receive those who transgress against God with kindness and affection. Let us love the enemies of God. Also be careful not to think too much about yourself, because you too easily fall into error.
This is faith: understanding that we have to take responsibility for our actions and not blame God. You reap what you sow. If you want to reap something different from what you have, you have to sow different seeds. All the violence and suffering in the world is not God’s will. No. Because God has already forgiven human beings all along. If there is violence and suffering it is our fault. Paul says that to sow by the flesh is to reap by the flesh. Violence against human beings and creation exists because we think according to the flesh and not the spirit.
Paul says that he will never presume anything I accept the cross of Christ. This is living by the spirit. Why? On the cross Jesus showed what faith is: receiving God’s enemies with kindness. Open arms in love. It’s not work in order to earn. It is service in order to love.
This kind of life of loving enemies and suffering on the cross is only for Jesus; because he is special? Or is it a lifestyle for everyone? In the Gospel of Saint Luke 10 Jesus sent out seventy disciples to do exactly the same thing as him. He says that you are sent as sheep into wolves. In other words: you are sent to the cross, to love and receive God’s enemies with kindness. To live like this is to live totally free.
Twenty-one years ago I heard a sermon on this text by Pastor Jim Proper, the director of Lutheran Retreats Camps and Conferences. I was a camp counselor. The pastor said that we were sent to serve as Christ. I was surprised to have to take care of children after training. Because we had two weeks of playing and I forgot the purpose: to be a counselor to boys and girls. May we not be too comfortable here together, we are sent like sheep within wolves to love the enemy. Amen.
Sermon 2022.07.03
Estamos salvados por la gracia de Dios através la fe y no por las obras.
¿Qué es la gracia?
La gracia es sentirse cómodo y vivir en abundancia como profetizó Isaias 66:10-14. Dice que todos que aman a Jerusalén y todos que se sienten tristes y enojados por la situación de guerra y violencia que está ahí van a estar gozosos. No solamente Musulmanes, pero también Judios, Cristianos, y todas las naciones. Esta es la gracia derramada para todos. Nuestros cuerpos van a florecer. Es buenísimo y es un regalo gratis que Dios te da a ti. Pero Dios está enojado con sus enemigos.
¿Quiénes son los enemigos de Dios? Los enemigos de Dios son los que maltratan y abusan a sus propios seres y a otros. Pablo dice en Gálatas 6 que nosotros debemos recibir a los que cometen transgresión contra Dios con amabilidad y cariño. Amemos a los enemigos de Dios. También ten cuidado de no pensar demasiado en ti misma, porque también fácilmente caes en error.
Esto es la fe: entender que tenemos que tomar responsabilidad por nuestras acciones y no culpes a Dios. Cosechas lo que siembras. Si quieres cosechar algo diferente de lo que tienes,
Many thanks to Rev. Rene Martin who preached and presided at worship at Grace Lutheran on June 12, 2022! Thank you!
Rev. Wesley Menke
5 June 2022
Pentecost
Every day during the week I look forward to chapel. I lead chapel with the Grace Lutheran preschool usually three to four times each week at 10am. If you would ever like to attend, you are most welcome. Preschool chapel is a lot of fun because the children say what is on their hearts and minds. They don’t sugar coat it, or filter out what is polite or what is not. I’ll give you an example.
Me encanta cada dia entre samana hacer el servicio de la capilla con los niños de la preescuela. Ellos dicen lo que quieren, sin filtro.
A couple of years ago I was teaching them a song, “Shine Jesus Shine.” This is a contemporary Christian praise song. It goes like this:
Shine Jesus Shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory:
Blaze Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire,…
When I taught this song one little girl started to cry, and looked very upset. I asked her: What is the matter? She said, I don’t want my heart to catch on fire! I tried to explain that it was a different kind of fire, that it didn’t hurt, but it was about feeling God’s love.
Una vez enseño una canción que dijo, enciende mi corazón. Una niña me dijo, “no quiero.” Era chistoso porque ella pensaba que Dios iba a lastimar su corazon.
It was kind of funny. It made me think about how at church we have a peculiar way of talking about things, that sometimes just doesn’t make any sense if you haven’t been taught it. Like a heart catching on a fire! Today we remember when the Holy Spirit came to the believers and it looks like tongues of fire resting on each person’s head. Again, who wants their head to catch on fire? It sounds kind of strange!
Es chistoso porque las palabras que usamos en la iglesia son distintas. Y las historias, tambien, como el dia de hoy la historia de lengua de fuego puesto arriba de cada cabeza de los creyentes.
The other thing that happened in the story was the miraculous ability to speak in different languages. Many congregations have a tradition of inviting members to recite a verse in as many different languages as possible on Pentecost Sunday. This highlights the diversity and international composition of the church. It’s fun!
También en el dia de Pentecostés repartieron el don de hablar en idiomas diferentes.
When the Holy Spirit came down from heaven as a sign of God’s grace, it did not just allow the people to speak in different languages. I even wonder if that was not the point. The miracle of Pentecost was that many people who already spoke many different languages could understand each other. So the gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift to be able to understand what other people need, want, suffer from, and desire. You have been given this gift! The gift of the Holy Spirit is freely given to you through both baptism and faith. This allows you to understand your fellow human beings.
En mi humilde opinión, el milagro no es hablar idiomas, sino de entender al prójimo aunque hay diferencias entre nosotros.
Grace is like the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the Pentecost story in the book of Acts, the tongues of fire are distributed evenly among the believers. Each person has a tongue of fire resting on their head. Nobody is left out. The prophet Joel also says that the Spirit of God will be poured out on all flesh. That is grace. Grace also appeared to the people of God when they wandered through the wilderness after they had escaped Egypt. Manna was a sign of God’s grace. There was enough for everybody to have some. Nobody needed or was even allowed to take more than they needed for their household. Holy Communion is also a sign of God’s grace. We all come to the table and receive the same thing: bread and wine. That is how God’s grace works: everybody gets some. It’s a gift of God.&n
Seventh Sunday of Easter May 29, 2022
Rev. Menke
John
17:21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may
believe that you have sent me.
The problem isn’t that we are divided. We really aren’t that divided. The problem is that we are decimated and atomized. We make far too much out of individualism. The result is that we really don’t know how to work together or to have solidarity. Instead it is every man for himself.
I take my kids to school in the morning. What do you think I say to them most mornings? I say to them “I love you.” It is important to say that. That’s good. Do you know else I say most of the time? “Have a good day!” “Have a good day!” It’s not a bad thing to say. Well I said this to my son Paxton down at Badly View Elementary where he goes to Spanish Kindergarten. As I am walking back to my car, there is another day saying goodbye to his children. He says, “Take care of each other. Look out for one another, and take care of your friends.” They nodded and said, “Yes father.” And I thought to myself, “I’ve got to step up my saying goodby game!” That was some solid fatherly advice. And it was focused on the togetherness that we must do, if we want to survive.
Jesus says, “That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:21.
Imagine you were standing there by Jesus, and you asked, “Is the Father in me, and am I in the Father?” What would Jesus say? “Nope. Sorry. Not you, you’re not worthy.” Have you ever stopped to think about the incarnation implying that each of us, togher, will be one? This gets back to last week when Jesus cautions the disciples against making big religious spectacles for their love and faith in him. Rather, he said, just do what I asked you to do. To love one another. So now here Jesus, rather than demand dramatic adoration, encourages whoever would hear him, to consider that they are just as close to God as was Jesus himself.
We are not as divided as we think. There are people who share most of your same concerns close at hand. What we’ve got to do is have faith. Faith is believing that we are one, even when that seems very difficult to accomplish. Faith is taking peaceful action for that unity to occur. So what can we do to achieve this unity? We can study Paul as an example.
Acts 16:16-34
16:16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.
The slave girl was enslaved twice: first by a demon, and then by the “owners.” Slavery is wrong, and their wealth wasn’t legitimate
16:17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.”
Her divination is correct: Paul and the others were slaves of God Most High, and he did come to proclaim a way of salvation. It is ironic that the slave girl calls out Paul to be a slave. And the title that she uses is auspicious, “Most High God,” was the same name for God that Melchizadek used in Genesis where Abram gives a tithe. Paul will not only proclaim a way of salvation to those listening, but also to the slave-girl herself.
16:18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
This is funny. Paul doesn’t heal her because he is empathetic, but because he is annoyed. This is an example of how pastors and Christians aren’t perfect. Paul should have healed this young woman already, if he had that ability. This is similar to the
Sermon 15 May 2022
Rev. Wesley Menke
I believe that we are saved by grace through faith and not by our works. What is grace? Once upon a time there was a man named Peter. He became the leader of the church. Peter was Jewish , and so he assumed that you had to be Jewish in order to be saved by God. All of this changed when he had a dream about animals coming down from heaven. God said, “What I make clean is clean.” In other words grace is something God does, God saves us despite our differences. Grace doesn’t depend on us, it doesn’t matter your religion, gender, race, color, orientation, politics or nationality. It’s a costly gift for all. That is grace. It means you as a person and your body is a sacred space.
We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. What is faith? Faith is being faithful to God and each other; it is non-violent, non-abusive, and does no harm. In our gospel lesson from John 13 Jesus says that he is leaving and we can’t go with. Have you ever felt that God has left you?
This past Thursday we remembered Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was killed by the Nazis because he was judged to be a race traitor. He aligned himself with the Jewish people and criticized the power of the state. He had faith. Faith tells us that we should do no harm to ourselves or others. When we harm others we harm ourselves. We should love ourselves and our neighbors. We should love ourselves and our neighbors. Jesus loved us. That’s the New Commandment.
All human beings have an inherent dignity, and sanctity that must not be violated by any form of abuse: physical, emotional, spiritual, or verbal. The human body is a sacred space to which we must be faithful and peaceful no matter the person’s gender, race, language, culture, religion, or citizenship. We call on all religious leaders to practice peaceful accompaniment in all areas of their life: personal, religious, professional, and public. Pray for peace. No to War. Yes to kindness and compassion. God lives among mortals. A new heaven and a new Earth. Jerusalem will be as beautiful or as a bride. Amen.
Sermon 07 May 2022
Rev. Wesley Menke
Today is Mother’s Day, and I’d like to wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mothers. Motherhood is a very important vocation, probably the most important job any human being could do. Motherhood is also extremely varied. There are many different kinds of mothers.
Once, a few years back, I was working with a couple who was getting married. They shared with me about their families. I asked the groom about his parents. He said quite firmly and directly, “my mother is both my mother and my father.” He meant that she had so seriously taken her job to raise him, that he didn’t consider her to be a “single mother” but to be both. Wow! There are so many different kinds of mothers.
Some women who don’t have biological children are still mothers to children in their lives; taking on a role of caring for the children, they are sometimes called “other mothers.” This is probably how Dorcas was according to Acts 9. We find out about Dorcas who was a disciple and her life was committed to doing good deeds and acts of charity. That’s pretty much the definition of a mother: someone committed to good deeds and acts of charity day after day after day.
It’s impressive how they treated her body. They washed her, clothed her, and put her in a room for people to come and say goodbye. They send for Peter to come and be with them during this time of sadness and mourning. When Peter gets there they show him the clothing that she made for them. Then Peter asks everyone to get out of the room, and he when he is alone with her he says, “Tabitha get up!” She does. It’s totally remarkable and incredible that Peter has the power to bring someone back from the dead. It’s unbelievable! Peter has come a long way from denying Jesus and fishing. He is doing the ministry taught him to do, and he is performing miracles! Way to go Peter! This is a great example of the capacity each of us has as disciples of Jesus. We are not just passive beneficiaries we are co-workers with Jesus.
I do wonder, why? What is the purpose of bringing her back to life?. I think one possibility is that nobody else knew how to sew. What would Tabitha do with her new lease on life? Maybe she would take these extra days given to her and teach others to do the work that she had been doing. Maybe she would get around to teaching others how to sew. According to the text, the main purpose for this thing to happen was to impress upon people the power of Jesus, and thereby bring people to believe in the Lord. Verse 42 says that this miracle become well known in Joppa and so many believed in the Lord.
But what does that mean? To believe in the Lord? We can suppose that it means to believe that Jesus is the Lord, the king, the savior sent from God. To believe in the Lord is to believe in Jesus and everything that he stood for. It means to believe that he died on the cross for our sin; and rose again. It means to believe that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by our works.
Tabitha was a woman of great faith. We know that she had faith because of how she lived her life. She was committed to good deeds and charity. Good deeds and charity are not always easy. Sometimes when we do a good deed or an act of charity people may not appreciate it. Oftentimes we may feel that people don’t deserve charity, because they have made choices that got them into a not good place. But that’s the thing about grace: it is God’s unconditional love for all people whether they deserve it or not. People like Tabitha love unconditionally because they have faith that that is how God is.
While the miracle of Tabitha coming back to life is certainly impressive, it is really just the icing on the cake. So many people came to have faith in t
Sermon 2022.05.01
There’s good news and there’s bad news. Which would you like to hear first? The bad? Okay, we’ll start with the bad. Following Jesus leads to suffering and death. So what’s the good news? Following Jesus leads to resurrection, and abundant eternal life.
Our good friend Connie Wolfe who was the Camp Director when Sheri and I met one fateful summer 22 years ago. Connie was and is a minister of youth and families, and one of her favorite Bible verses is John 10:10, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” Abundant life contains both high and lows. The alternative to abundant life is death, or an approximation to death.
Take Peter for example. He denied Jesus three times at the time of his arrest and crucifixion. Each time that Peter did this he was closing himself off from the judgment, shame, and scorn he would receive from the crowd. He protected himself from this pain. But there was a cost to do this. The cost is that he also lost his ability to feel the profound joy and bliss of life too. He wasn’t being true to himself or God.
You can imagine Peter in the Upper Room, pacing back and forth, locked inside going crazy like a rat in a cage. No. He wasn’t the rat, he hadn’t stooped that low, but he was a coward. Expletives; and colorful ones at that! That’s what I imagine Peter uttering in the upper room. He paces back and forth and speaking to himself out loud for everyone to hear he keeps saying over and over again: What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do?
Half the disciples have moved on. Peter was a coward, Jesus was dead, or not, nobody was quite sure. The other half of the disciples sat, watching Peter pace back and forth, waiting for what to do next. Peter would be in charge, they were sure of it. They were waiting for him to make a move. The rock. Petros.
Then Peter stops in the middle of the room. He starts laughing very loudly. He grasps his head and doubles over laughing louder still. “What is it Peter?” someone asks.
“Fishing! I need to go fishing! Yes, that’s just what I need. Some peace and quiet out on the water. Away from all these people. Away from Jerusalem. Who’s coming with me?”
“Jesus Christ. How could he have done this?” wondered Peter. “He gets himself killed. We are all toast. They want us dead too. He shows up resurrected, walking through walls. Solid as a rock himself. He calls me a rock! He’s the rock. Did you feel his sands and his side? He was completely impenetrable. Strange. Bizarre. Unnatural. Then he breathes on us? He tells us to forgive. No surprise there. Then he’s gone. What am I supposed to do now? I don’t get it!
Fishing. That’s what we’ll do. It will be nice. To be back on the lake. To see my family; my wife; my mother in law. My kids.”
Something like that happened. So he goes back to the Lake. What did his wife say? Was she with him? Based on Peter’s sensitive temperament she was probably all for him going fishing. And he comes up with nothing.
Have you ever had a great idea that turned out to be not such a great idea? We are all scientists. We all experiment with ideas and behavior to see what happens. Peter conducts a fishing experiment and concludes that he now sucks at fishing.
He’s back in that moment of despair and panic of the Upper Room. He won’t be able to live out a peaceful life on the lake. You know they made a movie called, “The Last Temptation of Christ.” They could make one called, “The Last Temptation or the First Temptation of Peter,” to walk away from it all and go back to fishing. But there was a dryness to this option, it seemed to be doomed; this path. Then a sinking feeling settles into his stomach if he is to follow the Way of Jesus, then what will keep him from being crucified himself?
As Peter looked into the darkness
Estudio biblico en español de pastores del sinodo pacifica ELCA en preparaction para tercero domingo de la pascua el domingo 1 de mayo de 2022.
Rev. Wesley Menke
24 April 2022 Easter 2
The disciples were on high alert. They were out of towners and the local officials, the Judeans, had conspired to crucify Jesus. They could very well be next. It was the first day of the week, Sunday, the day of the resurrection. Jesus is able to get into their locked room undetected. Was his resurrected body able to pass through walls and doors? Remember that he was not just a ghost, but his entire body had come alive in some kind of different life. What does this mean? Then when he is with the disciples he shows them his hands, feet, and side, and there is scarring where he had been hurt. You have to ask yourself how we are to make sense of this?
When people experience the death of a loved one, there is often a feeling or question as to what happened to the soul. Does the soul leave the body? Maybe. Whether or not it does, it would seem that God’s design is to put bodies back together and resurrect them. Sometimes people ask me if I feel that cremation is acceptable within Christianity. I say that it depends. If the person is still alive then it is certainly not permissible. But if we are talking about a dead body, then there is no problem with cremation. When the time comes for us to be resurrected like Jesus, then God will figure it out, God will pull together the raw material wherever it might have gone. But we don’t talk about that a lot, really. Mostly when we talk about life after death it has to do with souls leaving bodies and going up to heaven. Is it more difficult to imagine a dead body coming back to life? Maybe it is.
Some people have wondered about where everyone will live. If all the dead from all of time were to come back to life, then where would everyone live? Would we have to build more housing? How will we get food for everyone? Food won’t be required for a resurrected body, so I suppose we don’t have to worry about feeding everyone.
Resurrection seems to bump up against what is physically possible. Everything that we know about anything is that it all dies. So is resurrection some kind of fantasyland that doesn’t even really exist? So let’s talk about Thomas, the twin. Thomas isn’t there when Jesus shows up on the first day of the week. But he is there one week later. Thomas touches Jesus and believes. Jesus isn’t a ghost, he has a body. So Thomas believes. I think that’s a pretty honest account of how faith works. We are all like Thomas in some ways. We question and we doubt, and that’s okay. The problem, if there is one, is that despite our rational brains we have these peculiar experiences that nudge us toward faith. People have dreams about Jesus. Things happen in our life, interventions, and we walk away moved to believe that Jesus is alive, real, loves us, has power, and ought to be listened to.
In so many ways traditional Christian belief is so out of step with popular belief. Perhaps more strange than the physical resurrection of Jesus, is the not frequently discussed doctrine of no free will. Luther wrote a whole treatise called, “The Bondage of the Will.” So what? The point is that faith itself isn’t really a choice. Some people have faith and some people don’t. That’s just how it is. It’s kind of like political preferences. It is completely possible that some people are just more inclined to be liberal, and some people are just more inclined to be conservative. There may not be much choice, it’s just kind of built into people’s personalities.
We shouldn’t judge people based on whether they have faith or not. We shouldn’t judge people on their political preferences either. Judge not; lest ye be judged. Think about Thomas again. One week he didn’t believe. The next week he did believe. People change too. Why did Thomas change? He changed because he had an experience with Jesus. Jesus changed him, and Jesus changes us too. Thomas wasn’t any more virtuous the second
We all know the women disciples were smarter and stronger than the men. They went to the tomb first, they overcame their fear. But when it was empty they didn’t understand. The angels helped them to remember. We forget how good God is. God help us remember your resurrection and to be remembered in to one body.
Rev. Wesley Menke
16 April 2022 Easter Vigil
In the beginning. Can you believe that? There was a beginning! It’s comforting really to think that we could go back to when it all started. Maybe by going back to the beginning we could figure out where it all went wrong and how we got into this mess in the first place!
What mess am I talking about? You name it! We’ve all got messes. Am I right? Places where life didn’t just not go as planned, but it totally went off the rails! What’s surprising, however, is that when we go to the beginning we find that things were good…they were very good! God made light, air, water, land, stars, birds, fish, animals, humans, and rest; and it was all very good! And even when problems happened, God was there to provide and help us work through the problems.
Take slavery for example. God’s people were enslaved in Egypt for decades, for a generation. But then God called on a very special person to lead the people into freedom and throw off the scourge of oppression. Who was this special leader? Her name was Miriam! Miriam’s leadership began when her baby brother was thrown into the Nile river to die; but she intervened and delivered the boy to someone who could help. Not just anyone; the daughter of Pharaoh. Her baby brother grew up; and even though he had his issues, he managed to help get the people out of Egypt, and when they finally made it through the Red Sea: Miriam was there supervising: to make sure Moses didn’t mess it up! She led all the women in a song which we heard read tonight. By Maria. And in case you didn’t know. Miriam is the Hebrew form of Maria.
One of the great privileges of having freedom and prosperity is sharing it with others. Isaiah the prophet writes in chapter 55 of his book that so bountiful and wonderful is God’s grace and what God has done for God’s people that it has not gone unnoticed. Rather the whole world has seen and heard about what God has done with God’s people and for that reason others want to get in on the action! Isaiah says that, “You shall call nations that you don’t know and nations that you don’t know shall stream to you!”
It is overwhelming to consider all of the people God brings into our life. People can come to you with such overwhelming needs that you might feel that you don’t have the resources to deal with them. When people come into our lives they have their own ideas, their own way of doing things, and we struggle to know what to do about it; or how to help. That is how King Nebudchanazzar felt about all the Jewish people he liberated from Jerusalem. Out of his own graciousness he brought these people to Babylon to teach them the enlightened ways of that great empire. But despite his best efforts; they just wouldn’t learn. In particular Shadrac, Meshac, and Abendego would not learn the ways of the Babylonians and insisted on maintaining their religious and cultural uniqueness. So the king felt he had no other choice but to destroy them. So he threw them into a fiery furnace.
In an act of sheer strangeness they didn’ die, they weren’t burned, and when they came out, they didn’t even smell like smoke. The other night we decided to have a fire in a firepit in the backyard. I smelled like smoke for days. I had to wash my clothing and towels multiple times to get the smoke smell out. So how could Shadrac, Meshac, and Abendego come out smelling like a rose? How come we don’t experience the same level of protection and miracles?
Paul tells us why. He says that if Christ died on a cross even though he was without sin, and if we are baptized into his same baptism, then we expect the cross in our own lives too. We can expect suffering that we don’t deserve. But, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we can expect new life and resurrection in our lives too even after suffering and death. Why? Because we are saved by Grace, through faith, and not by ou
In this Good Friday Sermon from 2022 Pastor Wesley explores the question of theodicy, How could God let this happen? Where is God? Grace can be seen in the kindness and mercy that regular people show to Jesus at the time of and immediately following his death on the cross.
In this Maundy Thursday homily Pastor Wesley recaps the Lenten teaching series on how to do ministry tying it in with Jesus’ washing the disciples feet.
6 Six steps to plan a ministry and meet Jesus
| Hungry | Who? | | Thirsty | What? | | Naked | When? | | Sick | Where? | | Prison | How? | | Stranger | Why? (Grace) |
In this Lenten worship service Pastor Wesley teaches the basics of how to share Holy Communion, a task that all baptized Christians should be prepared to do.
Five elements to Holy Communion or practicing fellowship
| Bread & Wine | Jesus (Grace) | | People | Believe | | Bible | Words of Institution | | Prayer | ForgivenessSalvationEternal Life | | Eat & Drink | Faith |
10 April 2022
In this sermon for Passion Sunday Pastor Wesley discusses how Jesus confronted power without violence as an act of love. Wesley shares a personal story from his own life about a non-violent confrontation.
Rev. Wesley Menke
3 April 2022
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Sermon
All three passages talk about the same thing: forgetting the past.
In Isaiah it has to do with forgetting how God led the people out of slavery through the red sea.
In Philipians it has to do with Paul forgetting all of the status and privilege he had.
In the Gospel it has to do with facing a difficult reality: we won’t always have Jesus.
Mary’s behavior seemed odd to them, spending a year’s wages on perfume for Jesus. Judas’ criticism on its face seems to have merit. When we remember Judas we typically remember how he betrayed Judas to be crucified, but we don’t talk about how he stole. It’s really said to think about. Why?
Judas is a victim of the temptation to works-righteousness. He suffers from the delusion that he can secure his own well being apart from God. Perhaps he idolizes something from the past; when Jesus’ ministry was growing rapidly and he was doing mighty acts. I imagine that Judas was increasingly uncomfortable with the direction Jesus’ ministry was going. It was headed toward crucifixion. So Jesus makes it plain. You won’t always have me. I won’t always be with you.
We don’t like to talk about that in church, but there it is in the Holy Bible. You won’t always have Jesus. There are times in our life when we will feel like Jesus isn’t there. When we feel this way it may be tempting to dwell in the past, and linger in our minds in a time in our life when we felt that God smiled on us. We might be tempted to do things to revitalize the past and to somehow replicate the so-called golden days of the past. But this isn’t what God wants us to do. God tells us in the Bible in each of these passages that we must forget the past and move on.
This is some tough medicine, but it is what we have to do in order to move on. We can do this because we must believe that God will do something new.
But hold on a minute. What’s so bad about remembering the past? Isn’t it a good thing to learn about history? Aren’t there beautiful things from our past that there is no point in forgetting? Can’t the past be a comforting salve to help us through the present moment? Indeed it can be. It is dangerous to completely forget the past; it is like historical amnesia. Forgetting the past can lead us to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Having an active memory can be the one things that saves us from getting hurt in the same ways again and again.
So how do we make sense of this? We must understand what it means to have faith differently than we are accustomed to. Faith is often misunderstood to be a passive thing. But this is not what we read about in Philipians. Paul describes faith as basically replicating the crucifixion of Jesus. Paul says in so many words that he wants to suffer and die as Jesus did so that he can also experience the resurrection of Jesus. So faith is about actively sacrificing ourselves like Jesus did for us.
Have you ever stopped to think about the scandal of the cross? Are we called to suffer an ignominious death like Jesus? Paul seems to think that we are. We are each called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. Depending on who you are; your cross might look a little different. Your cross may be abstaining from an activity that gives you a lot of pleasure and distraction but really isn’t all that good for your or for other people. Rather than feeling sorry for oneself you can see your cross to bear as an act of worship.
So what about God’s grace? Isn’t grace supposed to free us from the guilt of not being perfect people? Indeed it is. Grace reminds us that no matter
Reflexioines del evangelio con pastores hablantes españoles para el 27 de marzo de 2022.
Rev. Wesley Menke
27 March 2022
Fourth Sunday in Lent
You know the other day I went to Death Valley with Sheri. It’s quite a unique place to go to. Some people say that it is the hottest place on Earth. It turns out that what that means is that in 1913; they recorded a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit. What the heck is the deal with Farenheit at non-metric units? You have to consider that for every other day in the year someplace else is just as hot if not hotter than Death Valley. We are not the center of the universe. You are not the center of the universe.
Take for example the Prodigal Son. He realized as he was eating pig slop. Do you know how they get pig slop? Rotten food from restaurants. It’s actually a good way to deal with food waste. But you don’t want to eat. So the young man realizes that if he wants to better himself then he has to go apologize to his father at home. The Prodigal Son understands that he is not the center of the universe. So he humbles himself and he has faith. It took an act of faith to go home. His faith leads to his salvation.
The Prodigal Father accepts his son; because of grace. The Prodigal Father really loves both of his sons. I wonder if there were daughters? Love can be practical and emotional. A Father’s love doesn’t exist to be reciprocated. The Father realizes that he is not the center of the universe. He must love his children unconditionally. Do you know that that is what it means to have children. It means to love them as God would love them. It is very nice and comforting when that love is reciprocated; it is a blessing of the highest order. But for better or worse a parent is to love their child unconditionally. Prodigal means in excess. The Prodigal Son lived in excess through self destructive behavior. The Prodigal Father loves and forgives in excess and so is also called Prodigal; the Prodigal Father. God is Grace.
Then there’s Big Brother. He is the rule follower; but he’s also a bit selfish. Big Brother is watching you. Big brother thinks that he is the center of the universe; because he fears his loss of an inheritance. He saw that fatted calf as belonging to him. He is angry that his father didn’t consult him. The father reminds big brother that he is not the center of the universe.
So the food in Death Valley was amazing. We ate at a bar. They had really good french fries. We checked out the buffet. It looked kind of; medium. But it was okay, because we had it for free the next morning in the breakfast burritos. We were at a golf course and there was a shotgun tournament happening. It was kind of interesting to see golfing with breakfast burritos in the hottest place on earth.
My favorite meal that we had there by far was the pizza. We wanted to know if it was good or not. So I asked the bartender how the pizza was? He said it was about 14 inches. So we got a pepperoni. It had a 14″ diameter, and that’s all you could really say about it. It had probably been frozen, but it was actually very good!
The thing is; you know you are going to eat differently when you are traveling. That is why the food got so much better when God’s people entered into the promised land. When they were in the desert they ate WhatsThis or Manna for 40 years. That’s a long time. That’s a lifetime. But you eat whatever it takes to survive. You do that when you know that you are not the center of the universe. But now they were able to eat off of the land: fresh fruit and vegetables, and milk and honey. This is God’s grace. It is helpful for us to remember that we are all visitors here.
That is Paul says that we don’t evaluate others on external criteria. God makes us new creations. Even our current self will change into something else. Jesus changed when he died for us on th
Rev. Wesley Menke
20 March 2022
Third Sunday in Lent
Because we are spiritual and physical beings sometimes there is a disconnect between how we feel in the moment and how we look and feel about ourselves. Once I traveled to Thailand and suffered terrible jet-lag. I remember feeling like I was made of sand bags dragging myself around, and feeling physically very bad. Looking back, however, I feel joyous and springing with energy at how I had that awesome experience.
The other night I couldn’t sleep. I got up and had a cookie. It tasted good and made me feel better. One cooke led to five, and then five led to almost the whole box. I felt great at the time. A few minutes later I felt terrible. Looking back I feel embarrassed.
Just because you are someone else suffers physically doesn’t mean that their soul is bad. Jesus is confronted with some news about Galileans being persecuted by Herod. Their blood was mixed with their other blood sacrifices. I think they were persecuted for not adhering to strict temple worship. Jesus said they weren’t worse sinners, nor where another group of people who died in a construction accident when the tower of Siloam fell on them. But then Jesus says that unless you repent you will suffer a worse fate.
Jesus talks about our souls. Whether you are rich or poor, healthy or sick, powerful or weak, your soul will stand before God in judgment. Jesus tells you to repent; to change. Change from what?
You are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. Whatever you accomplish on Earth and the measures of the world will not help you to face the judgement of God. Rather, God loves you unconditionally and forgives you of all of your sins. Believe it and have faith in God’s mercy!
Jesus goes on to tell a parable of a fig tree. It was planted in a vineyard for three years and yielded no fruit. Then the owner wanted to cut it down, but the gardener begged for one more year to care for it, and to see if fruit was yielded. Jesus was talking about Jerusalem and himself. The tree is Jerusalem and it is planted in the vineyard which is the holy land. The three years are his ministry. He will give his life on the tree. He will be the strange fruit that hangs from the tree upon which we feast at communion. It reminds me of the song, “Strange Fruit” as sung by Billie Holliday. This motif is explored in one of the most difficult, and most compelling works of theology in recent history: James Cone’s, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree.”
The repentance Jesus asks us to do is to change from violence and hate toward peace and unconditional love.
Rev. Wesley Menke
13 March 2022
Second Sunday in Lent
The city and country have had a long standing tension. Cities tend to aggregate resources from the country, sometimes the city can be scene as hostile to the country, as exploitative. I hear this in the words of Jesus from Luke 13. Jerusalem had been a place that at times was violent toward prophets and messengers of God. Jesus was from Galilee, not Jerusalem, and he is threatened with violence. So what does he do? He retreats. God provides a peaceful retreat for Jesus. We can do what Jesus did, we can retreat from harm into God’s grace, if not physically, then at least spiritually.
Paul writes in Philippians that each of us are citizens of heaven. This is significant because it means that no matter our geographical differences on Earth we all belong to the same spiritual family. This is important to keep in mind when violence escalates in our world. We must keep a vision of all of humanity sharing the same spiritual home: heaven. I imagine heaven as a place where all people of all religions are welcome. Currently the war in Ukraine is stressing interfaith relationships. Many Jewish and Muslim people live in Ukraine, not to mention Christians.
I struggled with the reading this week from Genesis 15. Why? Because in it; it appears that God appeases Abraham’s complaint that a slave will not inherit his possessions, and that God will give Abraham land from almost all of the middle east. In a time of conquest and war, this passage can be used to justify conquest. But it shouldn’t be used that way. As I prayed and reread the passage all week long, it became clear to me that God was not condoning slavery or conquestion. God was inviting Abraham to change his worldview: to not see Eliezar as a slave, but has his own flesh and blood, his own family, and full of dignity. In this way the promise of land is not one of dominance, it is one of stewardship. God called Abraham to be a godfather to the many peoples, lands, and even religions of the world. We are to understand ourselves as siblings in one human family. We are included not because we are so great, but because of God’s grace to admit us in like a loving adoption. We must work for peace. Amen.
Rev. Wesley Menke
6 March 2022
First Sunday in Lent
War and violence are all too real. The current war in Ukraine is a sobering reminder of this. One of the things that helps to create peace is faith. Faith is a non-violent act. The devil tempts Jesus in three different ways, each with things that can result in harm to others. So Jesus responds creatively and with faith.
The first temptation is to turn stone into bread. This is a temptation to capitalize on the needs and scarcity of others. Rather than succumbing to this test Jesus reframes the confrontation into the power of God’s word. The Word of God is supreme in its power and its ability to shape minds and behaviors. During the pandemic we had to fast form communion. Why? Because it was not safe to gather and break bread. Worship continued and we were forced to focus on God’s word which is what makes the sacraments holy anyway.
The second temptation is when the devil led Jesus up to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and offered them to Jesus in exchange for Jesus’ submission. The devil offered glory and authority! Jesus reframed the offer to highlight what is more important worship and service to God. Empire and nation building has been fraught with violence from time immemorial. Religion has been used to justify much of this. The reading from Deuteronomy 26 would have us remember that all land belongs to God as do we. While people move from one place to another; all places belong to God.
The third temptation is a violence against self. The devil tempts Jesus to attempt suicide. Suicide, a disease of despair, affects many types of people, but especially persons who have been traumatized by violence. Veterans of war and combat are at risk of suicide. Let me say that if you have thougth about suicide, please don’t do it. We need you here. God forgives our sins and has purposes for us to exist. Jesus said to not test God. This means we are to work for justice, and to build and create just and safe structures for the flourishing of human life.
A few weeks ago I was struck by a vehicle as I was walking across the street. I am so blessed and lucky that it wasn’t worse. I had a dream last week in which I relived it. In the dream I was protected by angels. The angels glowed red, green, and yellow. They had lights on them. Then the angels grew into stoplights posted around the corners of the intersection. To not test God means to work for justice and peace.
Rev. Wesley Menke
2 March 2022
Ash Wednesday
When I was a youth minister I challenged the youth to give up something or fast for Lent. The teenage girls responded very enthusiastically saying they would skip lots of meals. At first I was impressed, and then I was concerned. Adolescents really shouldn’t be skipping meals. After talking with the pastor we contacted parents and asked them to reframe the discussion with their youth, as did I the following youth group. I had to repent as a leader from something that I thought was a good idea, but really wasn’t. This is the danger of works-righteousness. This is what Jesus warned against in Matthew 6. Public displays of piety can lead to some hurtful outcomes. Rather, let your piety be simple and intimate between you and God.
Lent is about more than repentance, it is also grounded in an awareness of our mortality. On Ash Wednesday we say, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” A couple of years after the story I shared I had gotten married and my wife and I were expecting the birth of our first born child. My wife gave birth on Ash Wednesday that year right about the time many people were at church. I was aware of the tremendous sacrifice she made, risking her life to bring life into the world. She reminded me of Jesus, who gave his life for us. In the book of Joel chapter 2, we read about the day of the Lord being thick with darkness and unknowing, like death itself. By grace we fear not death, but have faith. The deepest night and darkness spring forth life.
Finally Lent is about serving God not out of fear or wanting to earn God’s favor, but simply to do what is right and needed in the world, to endure some degree of suffering. The first time I put on a clerical shirt with the collar was at home, as I was preparing to do a teaching parish. Just seconds after putting the clergy shirt on my wife told me that the baby’s dirty diaper needed to be changed. I thought that was kind of ironic and coincidental. It was good preparation for pastor ministry. We each serve God by serving those who are in need, but rolling up our sleeves and caring for others in practical simple ways. That’s something you can do this Lent.
Link to bulletin and videos of this worship service.
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Jesus seems to get grumpy and annoyed that this father asks him to heal his son. Why? Could it be that Jesus expects not only his 12 disciples, but all of his disciples to be able to do the things that he does? We are tempted to think that working and serving God is reserved for special people, but it is a task for all people. Because you are saved by grace through faith, you are called to serve like Jesus. A couple of chapters before this passage the 12 disciples are called, named, and immediately sent as apostles, there was no lag time. In your baptism you are called and commissioned as an apostle of Jesus.
Sometimes people ask me to do things as a pastor. I ask them, “Why”? They say that I am their personal conduit or connection to God. I say, “No. I am not.” I really mean that. If you expect me to be your conduit to God, then you will be terribly disappointed. I am no holier than anyone else. Through baptism, we are all the priesthood of all believers. A pastor is more like a coach, who has taken time for extra education, and made a commitment to serve the church in a professional capacity. But spiritually there is no ontological difference between a pastor and a lay person.
When Jesus was transfigured before the disciples God’s own voice said to “Listen to him.” You are invited to listen and learn from Jesus to be his disciple and his apostle commissioned and sent to preach, teach, pray, and let God’s spirit heal.
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses wore a veil after he spent time with God, because it made his whole face to glow. His glowing face would distract the people and prevented them to receiving the Law, the Wisdom God shared with Moses. Imagine the isolation and loneliness Moses felt. Maybe some were tempted to think that such a proximity to God was something that couldn’t be shared, that the people could not receive it because they weren’t good enough. But this wrong. The people innovated a kind of wearable technology, the veil, that allowed fellowship to be restored and for the sharing of all the commandments. So all flesh, all people, are able to receive this word of God!
2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2
The irony and challenge of interpreting the reading from second Corinthians is the likelihood of missing the point completely. On the face value it would appear that Paul is judging people based on their ethnic identity. Some have tried to use this passage as a proof-text to make prejudicial judgments against Jews, as if there were some kind of problem with their minds. But it is just the opposite. You will remember that Paul is a great missionary and evangelist who wanted to expand the scope of the church to include non-Jewish people within the worshiping community of Jesus. What Paul is saying is that there is a veil over our minds when we think that God’s promises are for only certain groups of people. Faith is a spiritual gift: it does not depend on flesh. The Lord is Spirit, and the Lord will move in the hearts of anyone who accepts this Spirit. What unites us isn’t anything with the flesh, but it is the Spirit that brings us together. You are saved by grace through faith and not by works!
One time I went to Nicaragua in college, one of my friends went with me, James Pike. We were in college. Our pastor, shortly after arriving to this remote village, prayed for a sick girl, and the girl was miraculously healed. So many people came to be healed as well. Unfortunately our pastor had to leave because his father had died. So we were without a pastor and had to the praying on our own. We did have at least one nurse in our group too, who did much of the healing work. Though difficult at the time, it taught us that we are expected to do the same things as our pastor. We are each expected to be an apostle of Jesus.
Rev. Wesley Menke
20 February 2022
7th Sun After Epiphany
Well there was some sad news recently. The ELCA youth gathering is canceled this summer. We are a part of the ELCA. The ELCA means Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Some people say, “Elka,” and others say, “E.L.C.A.” We are the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. The youth gathering typically happens every three years and regularly draws at least 30,000 people for about a week during the summer in large metropolitan centers with adequate hotel and convention accommodations. The youth gathering is the largest thing that we do, outpacing by far our church wide assemblies. For many high school Lutherans attending the youth gathering is a rite of passage and one that multiple generations of families share. In the 60’s musicians like Pete Seeger and pastors such as Martin Luther King Junior were noted speakers, and controversial at their times. In fact, one of the traditions of the youth gathering is to gently push the envelope a little bit.
I attended a youth gathering called River of Hope in 1997. It was a good experience, and it was an interesting experience. I remember checking into our hotel and taking an elevator up to our floor. When we got off the elevator some boys had duct taped the button down on the ice maker and a huge pile of ice was filling up the hallway. That was kind of crazy. You bring together tens of thousands of teenagers and there will be some shenanigans. But for the most part we behaved ourselves and it was a very powerful experience that can shape and mold a young person in very positive ways.
I led youth groups to youth gathering in 2003 to San Antonio, then 2006 and 2009 in New Orleans. The youth gatherings in New Orleans were particularly meaningful because of the devastation that was caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. At the time there was overwhelming pressure to cancel the youth gathering. Imagine all of those thousands of parents sending their children to New Orleans after everything that had been witnessed on TV. But in one of its finer moments the Lutherans doubled down and said, we will not cancel, we will go to New Orleans and do a gathering unlike any we’ve done before. We went and worked, and cleaned, served, painted, and planted. And as one of our finer moments of ecumenism the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod did the exact same thing. There was so much service activity in New Orleans following Katrina that when I went there some New Orleanians from a Lutheran congregation said that it felt like immediately after the hurricane hit Lutherans in Minnesota got in their cars and drove down to help, showing up just days later, and staying for a long time.
Then three years later we all went back and did it again. Many teen-agers petitioned to come as servant corps young adult volunteers because they didn’t want to miss out. It was highly unusual to have the youth gathering be in the same spot twice in a row. But we had a purpose, so we did it.
So 2021 was supposed to be in the Twin cities. It was rescheduled because of Covid to 2022. And just this past couple of weeks, news was released that it would be canceled in 2022 as well. What a contrast to 15 years ago. Then we decided to take the risk in order to serve a higher purpose. This time around we choose to avoid the risk. For the record, I understand and I agree with the decision. The difference is that now gathering itself is the risk. It doesn’t matter where. 15 years ago we were able to go to a particular place and help churches that had been flooded. Today all of the churches have experienced devastation. We are now the ones who need to be helped, and we are like this in every town, city, state, country, all over the world.
The theme was going to be, “Boundless: God beyond measure.” I agree that we cannot mesure God, but I wonder if this migh
Rev. Wesley Menke
13 February 2022
6th Sunday after Epiphany
Jesus, especially as they are represented in the Gospel of Luke unrelentingly turns the world and conventional wisdom upside down. This may not be any clearer than in the Beatitudes. I have found that in order to understand Jesus, sometimes it helps to start at the end, and work backwards. So let us begin with the “Woes” section of the beautitudes.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” Luke 6:24
Notice what this is not. It is not a wholesale condemnation, but it is a warning. The temptation rich people struggle with is nohting less than works-righteousness. If you are rich, then you will be tempted to think that you earned your wealth and are a successful hard working person. This quickly slips into believing that God has blessed you for being a good person, and so God will also reward your goodness with eternal life and salvation. Rather, one day all will lose their physical comforts and stand before God’s judgment in eternity.
“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.” 6:25a
I’ll never forget when I went to Haiti as a seminarian. One day we had lunch in a trendy beach town called Jacmel. We were all very hungry after a long day of traveling, and the restaurant we went to was delicious! It was strange to me that our tour guide only ate half his sandwich for lunch. He had told us how hungry he was too! He took the other half with him. Then, we visited a Lutheran church that was being established on a hill outside of Jacmel. We went there. It was literally a little clearing serrounded by trees and shacks were people lived. They had lots of people who would gather at this church, but no building. After our time with the pastor, the tourguide gave him the other half of the sandwich. The pastor’s eyes grew large and he clutched the sandwich to his chest and uttered a heartfelt, “Thank you!” The shared a smile and hug that was full of love. I remember having a full stomach and feeling kind of empty inside.
Again, there is no condemnation here against eating a delicious meal, but there is a warning to not forget that the physical comfort from eating is temporary; and the deepest hunger and longing of your heart and sould cannot be satisfied with mere food and drink.
“Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.”
Elie Wiesel said the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. The worst atrocities of history, the genocides and systematic tormenting of people are able to occur in plain sight because of a numbness and a paralysis of emotional and moral response. There is no shortage of entertainment in the world today, popping out at us from screens everywhere we look. The consequence of so much clever and pretty entertainment is a distraction, but only a temporary distraction from the painful realities of injustice we experience personally and collectively.
“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”
Because, if, as a pastor, as you all will remember I think of you as pastors too, if you focus your ministry on making everybdy happy, and everybody to like you, then you will probably have to lie, regularly compromise your values, and not preach the gospel. You cannot make it your aim to get everyone to like you. It’s impossible and dangerous. But why?
Jeremiah 17:5-10 tells us why. It says that the human heart is a total travesty full of deceit and evil. We call this total depravity in evangelical theology. There is a warning here to not put your trust in people. People are frail and will disappoint. Instead, put your trust in God who is dependable.
If you are just waiting around f
Sermon 2022.02.06
Rev. Wesley Menke
5th Sun After Epiphany
Why do we work? Well, one reason is to make money to buy the things that are needed to live and survive. But that’s not the only reason. We also work because it can be therapeutic. Work can be a welcome distraction from the worries of life. When you work you can get into “the zone,” or feel a sense of flow where time slips by quickly, and there can be an immense sense of satisfaction having seen the results of your work. What if God’s intention for work in your life is not to burden you, but to give you something to do that engages your interest and passion? What if work isn’t something you have to do, but something you get to do? As Lutheran Christians you believe that you are saved by Grace through Faith, and not by Works. Your eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness are all gifts from God that you have not and cannot earn. If you believe this, that you are saved by Grace, then you know that you don’t have to work for your salvation. Your salvation doesn’t depend on you, it depends on God.
Consider Simon. Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, teaching the people. The crowd was eager to learn and be close to Jesus, and unfortunately as they crowded close to Jesus he was getting pushed into the water. So he asked Peter to take him in his boat a little ways into the water. This made a buffer zone. Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the people. When Jesus was done speaking, but he wasn’t done teaching, he asked Simon to take him out to the deep water. Simon questions this a little bit. He tells Jesus that they have already been working all night, and have caught no fish. Yet Peter obeys Jesus, and goes out. Why? Well this is not the first time that they have met. Recently Jesus had healed Simon’s mother in law. So what Jesus lacked in fishing credibility, he made up for in some kind of miraculous power and teaching authority. Do you know what happens next? Simon’s nets catch so many fish that the nets would have broken, if James and John weren’t ready to help out. Evenso there were so many fish that two boats almost capsized due to the weight of the catch.
What’s the point of the story? What is the lesson that Jesus was trying to get across to the crowds, to Simon, his colleagues, and to us? Well it is nothing less than the gospel itself. You are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. Simon had made the classic mortal mistake of putting faith in himself. He had already worked all night and caught no fish. He hesitated to fish anymore because he had already done so much work. In his mind he believed that if you work hard, and put your mind to it, you could be a successful fisherman. If you worked hard enough perhaps you could even lift yourself up by the bootstraps and get yourself and your family out of generations of grinding poverty and subsistence living. We know from history that the recent expansion of the Roman Empire opened up new avenues of trade for Galileeans so that an industrious fisherman could tap into the growing market of fish connoisseurs not just in Capernaum, but the whole Roman Empire. A new city was being built for this express purpose: Tiberius, named after Caesar, on the Lake of Gennesaret also known as the Sea of Galilee. The sea of Galilee wasn’t a sea at all. It was this same freshwater lake. It was an exciting and heady time for the old fishing families near the Sea of Galilee like Simon. This was their chance to be something bigger. And yet, like many ambitious dreams, things weren’t materializing like many people had hoped. There were scads of new fishing operations on the lake, and that meant more competition. The preponderance of fishers also meant the price of fish stayed low. You put all of this together and you can empathize with Peter for how discouraging and disheartening the whole situation was.&nbs
Lutheran understand the Bible and the Word of God as Law and Gospel. Gospel gives comfort and hope. The law confronts injustice and points toward a better world. You can imagine Nehemiah reading the law and the people crying as they confront injustice in their lives.
Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a points to a shared concept of living together in unity like parts of a body.
Jesus’ mission directed him to foreign settlements because we are all interconnected.
All baptized persons are called to share the word of God, like pastors. Be prepared to share both Law and Gospel.
The story of the wedding at Cana is very interesting. It comes to us from the Gospel of John, and in John’s Gospel there are few to no parables. Parables are the stories Jesus would tell to make a point. Oftentimes parables begin with, “The Kingdom of God is like…” It’s peculiar that Jesus taught so frequently with parables according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but almost never in John. This has led some to wonder if John’s Gospel creatively embedded parables or wove them into memories of Jesus’ own life and teaching. The Wedding of Cana is one such example.
Consider the cast of characters in this story. Since it is a wedding there is a groom, but no mention of a bridegroom. There is a “chief steward” like some kind of ruler of the party, then there’s the servants, and finally sitting in on this celebration is Mary, the one who was invited and Jesus and his disciples sound as if they didn’t quite crash the wedding, but were allowed to come by the extension of Mary’s invitation.
There’s a problem. The wine has run out. This is a problem for a lot of reasons. First of all we know that people like to drink and have a good time at a wedding. Secondly, running out of provisions at a party in which you invited people would appear to be the height of ignominy, shame, and disgrace. Thirdly, and this is a historical point, wine was perhaps the only safe thing to drink. Wine in those days was much less potent than it is now. It had alcohol, but not as much. Wine was safe to drink because the fermentation process ridded the liquid from many deadly pathogens. Regular drinking water was not as safe to drink. You put all this together and you have a situation where the very first moments of this new couple’s life together is potentially cast under a very dark and disturbing omen.
Mary steps into the picture. Saint Mary. Hail Mary full of grace, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. That’s how Elizabeth greeted Mary, by the way. Mary nudges Jesus. She tells him that they are out of wine. In true motherly fashion she doesn’t exactly tell Jesus what to do, but she presents the problem to him. He balks. “Mom, I’m not ready.” No, that’s not right. “Woman! I’m not ready!” That’s what he says to his mother Mary. What kind of a response is that? I’d say it’s a combination of exasperation and respect. It’s fascinating that at the very end of this self same Gospel of John, Jesus after he resurrected will say to Mary Magdalene. “Woman! Why are you weeping?” It’s fascinating to me that Jesus would use the exact same word at the beginning and at the end of his earthly ministry, the first time with his mother and the second time with his most faithful disciple.
Mary is undeterred and unbowed. She says to a servant standing by: “Do whatever he tells you.” That’s a lot like what God the Father says at the transfiguration: “This is my Son the beloved, listen to him.” So Jesus’ aware that he has no choice but to obey his mother. Jesus instructs the servant to fill the ritual purification jars with water. What is a ritual purification jar? It’s an ancient sink for washing your hands before there was widespread use of plumbing. You fill up this very large ceramic vat and people go to town washing their hands. One right after the other. The trick of course, if you ever find yourself at an ancient wedding, is try to get in the front of the line, because the further back you are the less clean the water will be. Keep in mind that the party was already underway so all of the people had already washed their hands. So at this ancient handwashing station that was already full of dirty water Jesus says to the servants to fill them up the rest of the way, then fill up a cup, and take it to the chief steward, the ruler of the party. What you should be thinking right now is: disgusting! Outrage! To knowingly give someone to d
Pastores María Santa Cruz, Ramon Zarate, Wesley Menke y Sra. Josefina Ramirez discuten la Transfiguración de Jesús según San Lucas 9. Jesús invita a sus discípulos hacer la gran tarea de hacer buenas obras y milagros como él, de tener una vista larga y no sólo vivir en el momento, de tener paz en trabajar como equipo, y entender que bajar nuestra seguridad para convivir con mas gozo uno con otro.
https://youtu.be/8xcB17LcFMQ
Bienvenidos al Obispo Andy Taylor, Pastores Maria, Nathan, Wesley, y Sra. Josefina!
Estudiamos la ensañanza de Jesús en el plano después de bajar la montaña: “The Beatitudes.”
Estudio bíblico con pastores de la Iglesia Evangelica Luterana de América
Pastores Marí Santa-Cruz y Wesley Menke discuten la boda en Caná, María la Madre de Jesús y el primer milagro de Jesús. ¡Provecho!
Wesley Menke
26 December 2021
Some seasons of life are more difficult than others. Take adolescence. That can be a very challenging time of a person’s life; not just for the adolescent but also for their family. It is a time of life marked with transition. One is somewhere between childhood and adulthood not really being either one. It’s typical for there to be added stress and tension within the family structure. The same thing was even true of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
When Jesus was 12 years old entering adolescence, a tween-ager, there is a profound miscommunication and he is left alone in Jerusalem while his entire family travels back to Nazareth, maybe with a stop in Bethlehem. How did this happen? It wouldn’t be fair to say that Mary and Joseph were negligent. Nor would it be fair to say that Jesus was rebellious. But at the same time they all have to bear some of the blame. Jesus very well wandered off away from his family and got wrapped up in a deep discussion either not noticing or not caring that his family had left him. Mary and Joseph were busy helping with nieces and nephews, and worried about the responsibilities that faced them when they got home. All of these little factors add up to Jesus being a 12 year old child being left alone for three days. What did he do during that time? Where did he sleep? How did he eat? Maybe Simeon and Anna took him in and cared for him, remembering when he had been presented in the Temple.
There’s just something about being an adolescent that is different from the rest of life. It’s not the only time either. Two year olds are known to have strong personalities and are prone to test the limits of safety. Sometimes at the very end of life a person can also require extra attention and care. That’s just how it goes. Some seasons of life are more challenging than others. But no matter how old or young a person is, now matter what chapter or season of life they are in, they are still made with an indelible image of God. Whether you are middle aged, a toddler, a senior, or a teenager, you are always made in the image of God. There is no age in which you are not one of God’s precious children.
Why is this so? Because you are saved by Grace through faith, and not by your works. Rebellious teenagers, and terrific two year olds are just as saved by Grace as are perfectly behaved fourth graders and mild mannered octogenarians. Your behavior doesn’t earn God’s favor or salvation. God loves you unconditionally no matter your age or how well behaved you are. Jesus was a teenager. Jesus was a two year old. Jesus was an adult, and though his life was cut short, and because his life was cut short he knows the full arc of human life, the suffering he endured on the cross was not unlike the suffering some people experience from chronic illness. So if Jesus who was the sacred Son of God knew every age and stage of life, then every age and stage of life is known by God, and is sacred. This has profound ethical implications.
As people of faith we must treat human beings with utmost respect no matter their age. We must look critically at how our world treats people during the difficult seasons of life. How do care for the elderly, for those who live alone, for those who need medical assistance? How do we care and support teenagers and children?
When I was in my last year of seminary before internship I received some pastoral care from famed Clinical Pastoral Education supervisor Pastor Rod Seeger. Pastor Rod is a legend in the west coast Lutheran church as one who has mentored many a pastor and chaplain with brutally honest guidance. At the time I had a lot of anxiety about being a good parent, and raising my children up the right way. Pastor Rod asked me if I knew the three rules of parenting. I said that no I didn’t. So he told me.
Rule #1 of parenting: T
Thank you Pastor Linda, Pastor Emeritus (Interim) at Grace Lutheran Church for preaching, teaching, and encouraging the saints on the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday!
Sermon 2022.01.02
Pastor Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
Did I ever tell you about the time I met the guy who invented rocket fuel? I was serving as a chaplain at Arcadia Methodist Hospital. It must have been one of the nurses who told me she had this highly regarded patient. He had had a procedure and I was sure that he would love a visit from the friendly chaplain who was a mathematics major in college, and a huge science geek. When I went into the room I saw him sitting in his bed looking down at his tray of food. He had very long fingernails. The fork, spoon, and knife all sat unused as he methodically ate using his bare hands.
I tried to strike up a conversation but he never once turned to acknowledge my existence. With him there was a kind of attendant. He was a very kind man who cared for the patient like a personal assistant or caretaker, and this same man smiled at me and said, thank you so much for your visit, chaplain, I don’t think today is a good day to chat. I left the room feeling not a little disappointed. I had so wanted to talk about science, engineering, math, and space exploration with this legendary man, but as it turned out, that isn’t what he wanted to do.
It could have not been a good time to talk, it didn’t seem that way, it seemed more likely that the attendant felt that a scientist wouldn’t have anything to gain from religion and vice versa. Why do so many people think that way?
Many science minded people reject religion because they cannot find evidence for a God who rewards or punishes people based on their behavior. So they say, I don’t believe in God. Actually, as Lutheran Christians, we should not disagree with them. Luther rejected the belief that there was a God who punished or rewarded us for our behavior. Luther had such a sober and realistic view of humanity that if that were true all of humanity would be condemned to death, except for Jesus of course. Instead, what Luther found in scripture, and what he had faith in was a God who loved all of creation and humanity with unconditional love. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was a salvific act and declaration of God’s word for all of humanity to save us not because we are good enough, but just because that’s how God is. So in a way I don’t believe in the “God” that many atheists don’t believe in either!
Rather I look at all of creation, the miracle of life itself and I see a benevolent loving God caring for all of life despite our evilest attempts to subvert it. We see written into creation itself that we are all saved by grace through faith, and not by works.
When I was in seminary in Berkeley, California we had a day when many different faiths and their people gathered for worship and fellowship that is to say lunch. Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary is part of the Graduate Theological Union, and so we studied with many Catholics, Episcopalians, Unitarian Universalists, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and we could take classes from one another. This was a very good thing and living outgrowth of the freedom of religions we value in our country.
During one such occasion I sat down at a table with some men wearing brown robes. They were Franciscan monks. We started to talk about Christmas. Somebody made a comment about how culturally Christmas is a much bigger holiday than Easter. More money is spent, more time is taken off of work and school, maybe even more people got to church at Christmas than at Easter. Then the question was asked or rather the opinion was stated, Isn’t Easter more important for Christians and for our salvation? When this question was asked the friars all leaned back in their chairs and took a collective sign. But before they could answer I jumped into the fray.
“No.” I said. “Easter is not more important than Christmas. The birth of Jesus as a divine and human bein
Wesley Menke
24 December 2021
Emperor Augustus commanded a census, and so everyone had to go to their hometown. Joseph’s hometown was Bethlehem. He was descended from David. David was probably the greatest King of Israel and Judah, next to Jesus, of course. Do you remember how it came to be that David became king? It’s important to remember, because the birth of Jesus cannot be understood without remembering the anointing of Joseph’s ancestor David.
Once upon time, hundreds and hundreds of years before Joseph, Mary, and Jesus the Hebrew people insisted that they needed a king. So God made Saul the king, and Samuel was the prophet and the king-maker. But things didn’t go so well for Saul, and this made the prophet Nathan very sad. One day God spoke to Samuel and said, “How long will you grieve for Saul?” Get up and go to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Go to Bethlehem. So there Samuel went, to Bethlehem, and when he got there, everyone was terrified. Samuel was a great prophet who had the ear of the king. They wanted to know what he was up to. He said that he came in peace and asked for a heifer to make a sacrifice to the Lord. This would have cheered everybody up, because sacrificing a heifer to God, meant basically that the whole town would get to have a giant carne asada, or barbeque. Keep in mind that only a few pieces of the cow would be burned up completely, the smoke rising up was understood to be a smell that was pleasing to God, and then all the meat, the steaks, would be shared with everyone. It was a big deal!
But there was a twist. While everyone was focused on the sacrifice and the feast that would soon follow, no doubt accompanied by delicious Bethlehem wine, Samuel would take the opportunity as directed by God to anoint a new king, and it would be someone in Jesse’s family. You can imagine the people gathered to watch the sacrifice by the famed prophet. You can also imagine the stomachs begin to rumble as the meat was cooked over an open flame. While everyone is busy making preparations for the celebration to follow the sacrifice Samuel askes Jesse to bring forth his eldest son Eliab. Samuel is convinced that Eliab is the man but the Lord told Samuel, “Do not look on this appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:8. It bears repeating: for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
After Eliab, there was Abinadab, then Shammah, then four more for a total of seven sons oldest to youngest and God said, “no” to each one. Samuel begins to wonder what is going on. The people are restless and ready for their steak. Samuel questions Jesse, “Are these all of your sons?” Jesse tries to brush off the question, explaining that the youngest boy, the eighth, is little David who was out shepherding. Samuel digs his heals in and says that they won’t sit down to eat until David is brought forth. You can imagine all the seven older brothers and all the neighbors throw up their hands in exasperation, and at the same time everyone shouts: David! Meanwhile David is just over the hill diligently watching the sheep, hears the summons, sees his brothers running for him and quickly hurries to meet the strange prophet Samuel. As soon as Samuel sees David he knows that he is the one. He anoints David, and the Spirit immediately fills David. David was a boy, the youngest of his brothers, small in stature, but: for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
So hundreds of years later and after countless generations Joseph was descended from David. He takes his family to Bethlehem to his hometown to be
Wesley Menke
19 December 2021
The prophet Micah indicates that the people will be left by God until a new leader emerges. Bathsheba was a woman in the Bible who was seemingly abandoned by God for much of her life. She was taken by force from her home and husband and made to be with King David. She lost a child. Little by little she was taken care of by the prophet Nathan while she lived in the royal court. Eventually her child Solomon became the King, and even though some tried to usurp him, he became the king. Bathseba became one of the first “Queen Mothers” of the kingdom.
Leaders are called and made more from process than personality.
Mary, the mother of our Lord also was unlikely person who became a great “Queen Mother.” In her song, the Magnificat, she sings less about the physical attributes of Jesus and more about the process of leadership he will share.
This process includes:
- busting up cliques of the proud
- Lowering the powerful and raising up the humble
- Filling the hungry with good things and sending away the rich empty
Jesus even believed in the work and the process of his salvation more than his personality. He kept his identity a secret as much as possible emphasizing people to believe the message of God more than Jesus’ personality.
We believe that we are saved by Grace through Faith and not by works. This means we ought not put our faith in our own personality or in that of others. We should trust in God and God’s saving grace.
Once upon a time there was a small little junior high school. At this little junior highschool the teachers all did their best, and the students, also, definitely tried their best. But you know, even when people try to do their best, they sometimes make very big mistakes. Sometimes children going through adolescence experience profound changes both in themselves and in their social environment, and as a result a young man or woman may feel deeply insecure about who they are. So adolescents experiment and try different things to establish a sense of security and belonging.
One day a fantastic rumor began to spread throughout the school. The rumor, was that one of the newer kids was fantastically rich and would give you a hundred dollar bill just to talk to him. What made the rumor somewhat plausible was the fact that recently in this small town that previously was populated by very humble people indeed had families moving into it from the big city into big luxurious houses. So it was a rich kid! But to some, including my own twelve year old self, it seemed too good to be true. It was in December and who wouldn’t want some cold hard cash to spend if one was so lucky to be taken to the mall in far away Phoenix, just a two hour drive away?
While I was pondering all of these things in my heart, my friend Jarid whispered to me in class, “Did you get your money?”
“No,” I said. That rumor isn’t true, is it?
Jarid smiled a toothy smile then pulled out of his pocket a pen. Then he slowly took the pen apart and inside of it was rolled up a one hundred dollar bill! Our jaws both fell open and our eyes were as big as the harvest moon. “Jarid and Wesley and get back to work,” the teacher yelled at us. Jarid deftly stuffed the cash safely into his jacket pocket and we got out our three ring binder with color coded dividers. Opened it to that period and started taking our annotated notes.
When class was over I asked Jarid how he got it, and if the rumors were true after all. He said it wasn’t a rumor. All you had to do was go to the new kid, and ask for a “pen.” Then you had to wait a day, and then the next day he would have a pen with your name on it, with $100 dollars inside. “Why not,” I asked myself. That afternoon as we all climbed out of the sunken part of the West Sedona School campus toward the bus circle I tapped the new kid on the shoulder. He turned around quickly and looked…scared.
“Hi, I’m Wes,” I said. “Umm. May I please have a pen?”
The new kid looked around nervously, he said, “Sure. I’ll have a pen for you tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then he got on his bus that went to the new part of town. I got on my bus that went to the old part of town. When I got home there was a list of chores that had to be done including stacking firewood, taking out the trash, and various types of manual labor, and I knew for certain there was one thing I wouldn’t find: stacks of hundred dollar bills. I fantasized in my mind what I could buy with a hundred dollars: a mountain bike! A
Wesley Menke
05 December 2021
Sermon ~ Advent 2
Malachai’s Unacceptable Offerings
You might have an offering to give to the Lord, but what if you are in no condition to give it?
Malachai dice que el Señor se alegrará al recibir ofrendas igual como en otros tiempos.
Malachai says that the Lord will gladly accept offerings like in times past. So, why does God regard some offerings and not others? God regarded Abel’s offering of a lamb, but not Cain’s which was cereal. Micah also said that God detested some offerings, and detested solemn assemblies, but wanted justice in the land. The true offering God wants is justice. But what if God isn’t even interested in our offerings of justice? The problem is when we think of our offerings as a valorization of our suffering. We falsely try to take the place of Christ by thinking that we can earn God’s salvation. Instead, a true offering is acceptable only when we are purified from our evil desire of works-righteousness. When we accept God’s grace in faith then our offerings are acceptable to God.
La mentira es que la salvación es obtenida por buenas obras. Pero no. La salvación de Dios es dada por la gracia de Jesucristo. We are saved by grace and not by work.
Before we have faith in God’s grace we are like an unpurified metal that is full of imperfections. These imperfections are the parts of us that want to earn salvation, they are our sins of which we are guilty. Imperfections within us are also like bruises. The injuries and traumas we have experienced also are impurities within us. When we receive the Holy Spirit, it is like a king entering the temple. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit purifies us and heals us giving us peace and new life! I remember a time in my life when I repented and was purified.
Engineering Purification
I remember when I was a freshman in college. I started out as an engineering major. In the spring semester I took an introduction to engineering class with all of the other engineering students of all types in the whole university. It was a massive classroom full of nerds, geeks, and some dorks. I was just a nerd. There were four group projects that determined the bulk of our grade. We were free to choose our groups. The first project was to build a bridge out of paper. I feel into a group of enthusiastic students of which I knew only one or two. I remember spending hours and hours in the Student Union trying to build a bridge out of paper. It was so frustrating. But the thing that was most frustrating of all was the people. Everybody in our group thought they were smart, or the smartest, and so nobody worked together at all. Our bridge was not good at all. It was a relief to find out that many of the bridges were not good. Really there was just a couple of groups that had good bridges. One was called the “log” and it was a husky sized tube of rolled paper. The last group to present was three people who joined the class late. They called their bridge the twig. It was like the log but much much smaller. They said that they were trying to minimize “P,” and P was a numerical value based on price vs. strength. They aced the proj
Wesley Menke
28 November 2021
Sermon ~ Advent 1
Something must have gone wrong in Thessalonica. Probably somebody important had left the church either by death or some kind of a disagreement. For this reason there was a crisis of faith. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica and says that he wishes he could go there and see them face to face in order to restore whatever is lacking in their faith. This is a puzzling thing for Paul to write, because faith isn’t something you can give someone else. Only the Holy Spirit gives faith. A related concept to faith is trust. Which raises the question of the church in Thessalonica had trust issues with Paul or each other. A key ingredient to building trust is healthy boundaries.
My parents live on the upper banks of the Oak Creek just outside of Sedona, Arizona. Flooding is a perennial concern. A flood of water has the ability to destroy everything in its path. For this reason careful records are kept of the maximum height of the creek during flood times, and engineers can predict just how high flood waters can reach in a 100 or even in a 1,000 years. So when you build something near the creek, the lake, or the ocean, the essential question is, “What are the boundaries of the water?” Boundaries tell you where it is safe, and where it is not safe to live and build your home. If there is uncertainty as to where the boundaries of the river lie, then there is a reluctance to build a home. Sedona has been booming like many other communities in the Southwest, and as a result there is new construction along the banks of the Oak Creek. People are willing to invest hundreds of thousands of daughters and their personal possessions why? Because they trust that the boundaries of the river are secure.
Like a river, God’s love and grace flows through the church and our lives. God’s power is so great that indeed it is the power of life and death. We baptize in water to underscore the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the fragility of each of our own lives. But when a person goes to church, has trust in other people, and when that trust is violated and boundaries are crossed, then sadly often a person has a crisis of faith, because the very community that helped shape faith, can be guilty of violating trust, and so trust in God can suffer as a result.
Thankfully the goodness and faithfulness of God doesn’t not depend totally on us. When we fail as people God works to teach us. That is what Psalm 25 is all about. In this psalm we pray that God would teach us God’s paths. Specifically we pray that God would be patient with sinners and teach sinners the way of righteousness. We are saved by Grace through faith, and not by our works. That means that God doesn’t give up on us as people or the church when we fail, but God patiently teaches a better way to live.
I often talk about my experience doing Clinical Pastoral Education, when I served as a chaplain in a hospital. One of the things that made the experience so positive was that our supervisor built trust with us so that when a visit didn’t go was well as it could have, both she and our colleagues could gently give suggestions for how to improve. This wasn’t about criticizing. This was about believing that we could all be better and more effective as chaplains and pastors. As you hear these words my prayer is that you would be open to God’s grace which comes as gentle instruction. Each bapti
Wesley Menke
21 November 2021
Sermon ~ Cristo Rey
Everything about the Gospel reading from John 18 is very symbolic and full of meaning. The words have both a surface level meaning, and a deeper spiritual meaning. What Pilate and some Judean leaders intend for trial and condemnation are flipped into a coronation and evangelization.
Pilate calls Jesus into the palace. Pilate unwittingly brings Jesus into a palace, a place for royalty and kings. He is vesting Jesus with royal power and place. Pilate asks Jesus earnestly and out of curiosity, “Are you the king of the Jews or Judeans?” It sounds less like an accusation and more like a genuine curiosity. One has to wonder if Pilate has learned about the history of the Jewish people, and the expectation of a Messiah, a king?
Jesus then asks Pilate if he is asking on his own behalf, or because others have told him. What Jesus is doing here, is learning about Pilate, and assessing where he is on his own journey of faith. It’s remarkable that Jesus doesn’t escalate things into a confrontation, but calmly seeks to get to know Pilate, arguably the most powerful man in all the region, not as someone to be feared, but as another human being to minister to. Jesus wants to know if Pilate is just, “doing his job” or if he has a deeper interest or longing to connect with the divine.
Pilate seems to detect the personal nature of Jesus’ question, and no doubt the penetrating gaze of Christ upon his soul, because he deflects the question by pointing to obvious talking points. He says in some words, “Do I look like a Jew to you?” In other words he tries to deny his personal interest or involvement. He tacks to the position of, “I am an outsider simply ruling your bizarre people.” He says that Jesus’ own people, nation, and religious leaders have handed him over to Pilate. By saying this, Pilate is at the same time trying to depersonalize himself, and insinuating that Jesus is being rejected, judged, and ostracized by his own people. He tops it off with, “What have you done?” In other words, what have you done wrong in order to incur this wrath from people you’d think would want to love and care for you? All of this would be enough to make the feelings and reactions of most any person flare, but that’s not what happens to Jesus.
Jesus responds with, “My kingdom is not of this world.” When we read and hear or even see bumper stickers with the phrase, “Not of this World,” our immediate impression is spiritual. Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom from heaven and God and therefore not of the physical earthly world. But that is only a fraction of what Jesus is saying. His words are very political and confrontational in nature. You can imagine Jesus maintaining a peaceful calm composure with a docile bowing of his head, but the words that he utters cuts to the heart of Pilate and the entire geo-political reality of the epoch. “My kingdom is not of this world.” Rome and it’s Caesar were the rulers of the entire world. Their power was so absolute, and the
Wesley Menke
Sermon 14 November 2021
So Jesus went to the temple with his disciples. This is near the end of his earthly ministry according to the Gospel of Mark. He teaches while in the temple and interacts with the people who are therein. When they are leaving the temple the disciples marvel at how beautiful it is, and how large stones are stacked upon one another to create it. Jesus tells them that a day is coming when the temple would be completely ruined. We are fairly certain that in fact the temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 ce. This would have been about another 30 – 40 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The destruction of the temple happened so close to the time of Jesus that most scholars of the Bible believe that the gospels were almost certainly all written after that destruction. In other words Christianity was so fresh, so in its infancy that there weren’t written gospels for decades after Jesus’ earthly life. There were spoken traditions. There were collections of Jesus’ teachings, but by the time leaders in the church sat down and said, “We’ve got to write this all down” the destruction of the temple had already happened.
Why did the destruction of the temple happen? It happened because there was a Jewish uprising; a revolt against Rome. So the Roman army totally destroyed the temple. This is what is called the Pax Romana; totally destroy the spiritual core of your enemy, then you have peace. Of course nobody would ever try to use that same strategy today. Would they? Rome issued a coin with an image of the temple being crushed under a Roman Sandal with tears pouring out. This went all over the empire as a “Gospel” or “Evangelical” message. Don’t mess with Rome.
This tells us that at the time of Jesus there was already this possibility.There were zealots and sicarii that would do violent acts against their enemies and especially the Romans to stir up trouble and to try to start a rebellion. They wanted political and spiritual freedom from Rome. In fact, when Jesus is standing trial, this very fear and concern is what likely led to his death. Some of the religious leaders said, “It is better for one person to die, than for the whole people to be destroyed.” Jesus made the leadership extremely nervous because they thought he would lead a rebellion. Right before Jesus is sentenced to death, he has an opportunity to be released, but that favor is given to Barabbas. Barabbas was a known violent zealot or sicarii. What if Barabbas helped to lead that rebellion some years later?
Sociologists have a term for when a group of people decide that in order to save themselves they must destroy one of their own. It’s called the scapegoat principle. From the dawn of time groups of people, when they face a crisis and their group identity and cohesion is tested, will identify someone deemed to be the cause of their strife, and will either kill them or expel them from the group believing that it will save them, their integrity, or purity.
The most terrifying thing
Wesley Menke
Sermon 7 November 2021
All Saints Sunday
Once I was visiting with a man who was dying. He told me a story about a pastor he had. This pastor was known to preach often about heaven and eternal life. Then this same pastor got sick with cancer and was dying. The pastor and his family went to great lengths to ask people to pray for him to be healed from the cancer. So the man asked me, “If the pastor believed in eternal life and heaven, why was he trying so hard not to die?” The truth was that though I didn’t know this pastor, I had wondered the same thing myself, so I appreciated being asked the question. I answered as honestly as I could. I said that pastors, and not ust pastors, but all of us became very enamored with this world and the work God sent us to do. It’s hard to face the reality of leaving it behind. Even people with great faith don’t know what our journey looks like after death.
That same question applies to the story of Lazarus from the gospel of John. It’s a bizarre story. Jesus is in a nearby town when they send word that Lazarus is dying. They say that Lazarus was someone who Jesus loved. So they were close. Jesus denies the request. He’s not quite aloof, it’s not that he doesn’t empathize, but it sort of seems that he doesn’t take the problem all that seriously, either. He says, “This sickness doesn’t lead to death.” So he lets two more days go by. Then he decides to go back. The disciples urge Jesus against it. There are people there who want to kill you, Jesus, they say. They have a funny exchange. Jesus says that Lazarus has fallen asleep and needs help. The disciples say, “Then let him have a nice long rest. He’ll be okay.” Then Jesus speaks more plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” The disciples get frustrated and say, “Well let us all go and die together with him.” So they get to Bethany and Lazarus’ family is angry with Jesus. Basically they say that if Jesus would have come when they asked him to, then Lazarus wouldn’t be dead.
We can all relate to that. If you’ve ever been sick or had a loved one who is sick and they actually didn’t get better, and were not healed, you can’t help but think, “If God had showed up, if Jesus was here, then my loved one would not have died.” When terrible untimely deaths happen, it is natural to ask, “Where was God?”
So then Jesus does bring Lazarus back to life. It’s a messy business. He’s been dead four days and so he stinks. No doubt he reeks. They open up his tomb and Jesus commands him to come out, and he does. What must it have been like for Lazarus and the family? Joyous, yes, but also just really really weird. What did Lazarus experience? The Bible never has him utter a single word. Think about all the books and movies they’ve made about near death experiences. A bright light at the end of a tunnel. A paradise far more wonderful than we can ever imagine. Nothing at all? Lazarus doesn’t tell us what it is like.
The strangest and most difficult thing of all, is that after Lazarus is raised from the dead, some people become infuriated with Jesus and with Lazarus. Those who set themself against Jesus and desire him to be dead, now also set themselves against Lazarus. They actually make plans to kill Lazarus. Can you believe that? Lazarus is inconvenient and stirring up too much hope and faith, and so they make a plan to kill him. So was Lazarus raised from the dead only to be killed by an angry mob? Was Lazarus raised from the dead just to prove a point that Jesus is powerful?
It really gets to the heart of what we believe about life and death. Is death always a bad thing? What about when someone has suffered and agonized for years, and actually welcomes death? Death and taxes. The only two constants we can be sure of. I had a philosophy professor who liked to say that the death rate has remained constant throughout the years: one
31 October 2021 – Reformation Day
So Joseph asked Pharaoh’s officers, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” Genesis 40:7-8
We’ve been studying the book of Genesis in Bible Study. Have you ever studied the book Genesis? I mean really studied it? I got to be honest with you. It’s a lot of fun! My grandma Jean, who authored Sunday School curriculum was known to say that every single type of family dysfunction can be found in the book of Genesis. My wife Sheri recently said that reading Genesis was like watching the Jerry Springer show. The level of scandal and human depravity is quite honestly, off the charts. Some things never change; like human capacity for sin.
Let me give you an example. Adam and Eve have two sons: Cain and Abel, until Cain gets jealous and kills Abel. This was the first family. Many generations later we read about Jacob.
Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter with Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah. Dinah, the daughter, was gifted with diplomacy and almost was a nation builder. The twelve brothers were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. From these twelve brothers would come twelve tribes of Israel. Of the twelve boys, Joseph was different, special, and favored by his father. As a youth he was kind of a brat. Joseph had a special coat and had fanciful dreams and his brothers thought he had delusions of grandeur. So what did his brothers do to him? They took a page from their ancestor Cain, and sought to kill him! Reuben the firstborn son intervened, worked out a compromise, and Joseph was sold into slavery. He was sold to Ishmaelites, the descendents of his great uncle: his cousins basically. His cousins sell him to Potiphar in Egypt. Joseph is betrayed by Potiphar’s wife and thrown in jail. Joseph always seems to land on his feet, and soon is working for the jailor and has a degree of authority among the other prisoners.
Then one day Pharaoh’s baker and cup-bearer are imprisoned and feeling down for the terrible and troubling dreams that they have. Joseph sees that their faces are downcast and asks them what is wrong. They tell him they have had terrible dreams. What does Joseph the dreamer say? In true rabbinic form he asks a question: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” Interpretations belong to God!
We don’t get to choose our dreams, at least not the ones that come to us while we sleep. We don’t get to choose holy scripture. We don’t get to choose our families. We don’t get to choose whether or not we pay taxes or for how many days we will walk on this earth. People like to say that God gives you a free will. Really? Where does it say that? 500 years ago our dear brother Martin Luther was summoned to debate the brightest minds of his age, including Erasmus of Rotterdam. What was it that they debated? Nothing less than whether or not the will was free. Erasmus was put forth to represent the intellectual power of established dominant teachings of the church. His position was that the will was free. Erasmus and many o
24 October 2021
This past week I spent three days in the desert at a continuing education event for pastors, deacon, and church leaders. Thank you for the opportunity to go! Our keynote speaker was pastor Wilk Miller who had served in downtown San Diego. The theme of his presentations was the tradition of the Holy Fool. A Holy Fool and by the way it is from Russia that this tradition comes, is someone who the world sees as a crazy, insane maybe mentally ill, and unreasonable person. Such a person incessantly talks and mumbles about Jesus. A great example from history is St. Basil who is buried under the cathedral in Moscow with the colorful and gorgeous Onion Shaped domes. The Tsar Ivan who was known to be terrible for how he ruthlessly punished cities that did not obey him was confronted by Basil. Basil offered the Tsar raw meat to eat. He told Ivan, “Why not eat raw meat on a fast day since he was so accustomed to eating raw human flesh anyway.” Ivan was so shamed by this fool that he spared Basil’s town nor did he harm Basil. The irony is that Basil wished to die a humiliated death like Christ and the cross, but instead became venerated and buried as a hero of the people.
The point of all of this; is that Pastor Wilk was encouraging us to embrace the calling to be Holy Fools, because being a Holy Fool might be the most appropriate way to serve God during such a time as this. Pastor Wilk retired right before Covid, and he reminded us a number of times how lucky he felt about being able to do so, and at the same time how utterly useless he felt at the same time. His favorite part of Zoom worship was being able to work on the NY Times crossword puzzle during worship! So the truth comes out.
Pastor Wilk told us about churches he had served. Churches that had once been buzzing with life, organization, activity, vibrancy, and that now in some cases, didn’t even exist. They have been replaced with high rise apartments and condos. They are gone from the face of the earth. The point in telling such stories is to bring to light that a group of people can dedicate their whole lives to building something, to making something great, and in a few short years it can all fall apart.
One response would be to redouble our efforts, to reshape our strategies and to set out to keep build back better. Another response would be to ask a deeper and more foolish question. Is this what God wants us to do in the first place? Are we to builders of buildings, activities, groups, and organizations? Is that what this is all about? It gets to the heart of the question about mission. What is the reason we are here?
What if our purpose and calling is to be Holy Fools? What if your calling is to be a Holy Fool? What if our only purpose is to ramble on about God, not worrying so much about the outcome, but to simply embody a foolish disposition about God? Bartimaeus, who we learn about in the Gospel according to St. Mark chapter 10 could have been a Holy Fool.
You are saved by grace through faith, and not by your works.
What happened at Jericho? Jesus presumably went there for some reason. But we hear absolutely nothing about what he did there. They came to Jericho. As they were leaving Jericho with the disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was outside; on the way out. What Jesus did in Jericho had to be impressive because this large crowd is going with him. Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus. How did a blind man know that it was Jesus? Obviously he had to listen. Did he know what Jesus sounded like or did he hear people talking about Jesus? It says that he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth. This makes it sound like Bartimaeus already had heard about Jesus. Jesus had a reputation that had reached Bartimaeus before this encounter. That’s really something because this was before “social media.” This was back when people talked to each other; back in
James and John wanted Jesus to give them whatever they wanted. In the same breath Jesus says, “no,” and tell them true leader are servants of all. How could Jesus tell them to be servants while Jesus’ doesn’t even give them what they want? The answer is that true service and servanthood is not about pleasing people or giving them whatever they ask for. True servanthood is about doing the best thing for someone, even if they don’t see it or appreciate it at the time.
Did you hear about the rich man who died? He wrote in his will to take all of his money and buy gold bars with it. Then he wanted to be buried with it. Some people told him this was foolish, because you can’t take it with you. He insisted, however, because he said he was a righteous man who earned his money honestly and he believed that God would let him take it. So one day the man died. His body was buried in a coffin with bars of gold. After he was buried mysteriously his soul was able to grab the gold, and when nobody was looking he took the gold up with him to heaven. St. Peter welcomed him at the pearly gates. Indeed the man’s name was written in the book of life, so the gates were opened and he was permitted to go in. As he got ready to walk into heaven St. Peter stopped him and said, “I’m curious. Why did you bring pavement with you?” The rich man was puzzled and then looked into heaven and saw that the streets were literally paved with gold!
You can’t take it with you. That’s one of the lessons we can get from this morning’s gospel reading from Mark 10 and a rich young ruler. He asks Jesus how to have eternal life and Jesus tells him to give away his wealth. This makes the young man sad. No doubt he has worked very hard for his wealth, and so giving it away doesn’t seem so appealing. Jesus takes the opportunity to turn this into a teachable moment. He tells us, the disciples, that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to get into heaven.
The disciples ask, “If this guy can’t do it, then who can?” They were perplexed and astounded. The disciples believed, as many still do today, that material wealth is a sign of God’s blessing. They believed that if you are a good person, and follow the rules, as the rich young ruler said he did, then God would shower you with…money! This is called the, “prosperity gospel.” Jesus flatly rejects this point of view. He turns it completely upside down. Rather than wealth being a sign of God’s blessing, Jesus says that it is a hindrance and roadblock from being able to go to heaven and be saved. But the question remains: why does Jesus have such a problem with wealth and success?
The answer is that the more successful a person is on earth the less they believe that they need God. The problem with having a lot of money is that the mind can be tricked into a false sense of security. The mind and the heart begin to put their trust not in God, but in…money. Money is not necessarily evil, but it can be a very tempting idol that people adore, worship, and dedicate their whole lives to. Even more sinister than the lure of money is the lure of “works righteousness.” This is our most deadly sin: the sin of believing that we are capable of saving ourselves, that we and not God, are the real person in charge of saving ourselves.
500 years ago brother Martin in Germany saw a very sad situation. Salvation was basically for sale in the church. One could buy indulgences, and pay for religious services that were advertised to be efficacious to get one into heaven. So basically the rich could buy their way into heaven, but the poor who could not do so were left feeling as if they could never be saved. It was implied that they were more sinful, it was implied falsely that poverty was the consequence o
Not too long ago my wife took our daughter back to school shopping. The next morning when we were getting ready for school my daughter was wearing what looked to be gym clothes. I said, “Do you have P.E. as the first class of the day?” She rolled her eyes and said, “No!” So I asked why she was wearing workout clothes to school. Do you know what she said? She said, “Dad. These days, everyone wears this.”
These days. Not those days. We’re talking about: these days.
Saturday morning I was sipping a cup of coffee. I decided to take a look at Instagram. I scrolled a little bit. And finally I said: I don’t get it. I don’t like Instagram. Sheri backed me up. Across the table sat my daughter, she looked at me with pity, she sighed, and said, “Well dad, these days that’s what everyone uses.”
So I detected a pattern! I said, “What do you mean by these days?” My daughter said, “You know about the old times, and the old days. I know about these days.”
These days. She’s right! She’s absolutely right! Most of the time I have no idea at all what is happening these days. The old tried and true patterns of understanding the world just don’t seem to work as well as they used to. Something has changed that can’t be put back. We are living in different days. We are living in “these days,” not “those days.”
Those days are long gone. Long ago, or in those days according to Hebrews, God used to stay in touch with us, with humanity, through prophets. Prophets were special people who were close to God that would receive messages, words, visions, form God and share them with the people. God would also send angels, messengers with divine power, to carry out special tasks on earth. That was then. That was, those days.
These days, God has spoken to us through a Child. God birthed a child into the world who has been with God who has been God since the beginning of time. This spitting image of God although far superior to angels, for a time was made low and lowly and walked this earth as any other human being suffering just like any other human.
If Jesus were alive today and walking the earth he would suffer just like you. He got hungry and thirsty. He suffered physical pain and could even die. He could get Covid. He could die from it. He would have to get vaccinated just like all of us. This pain and suffering wasn’t accidental. It was intentional. It was necessary. For how could he understand and save us from the suffering of these days if he didn’t know the pain and the struggle to live in these days.
“It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10
The glory of God isn’t being coated in teflon and being bright, shiny, white, sparkling clean. No. The glory of God is revealed in the cross. When Jesus was nailed and hung on the cross there all of creation was placed below his bloody nailed feet. That is the glory of God. That is fully knowing these days.
It’s no picnic being a kid, or a teen. The price our children pay for being in touch with these days is a price I’m not sure anyone would willingly choose. How many of you would like to be twelve again and go to junior high? It’s a privilege to not know what is going on these days. It’s a privilege to have the luxury to shield oneself from the vagaries of life and live in a bubble. Children don’t get that luxury. They, because they have no other choice than to live at the whim of adults, teachers, schools, societies, churches, clubs, teams, cliques, social media trends, they experience first hand exactly what is going on these days. The price they pay is a high price.
You know that. You know that the children suffer. You know that mental illness is a real issue in young people. Y
Rev. Wesley Menke
26 September 2021
The Problem
Congratulations! You made it through another week! That is no small task. There are big problems and challenges to surviving everyday. It is remarkable that we as a species, the human race, have come so far. It really is quite remarkable all the things we have achieved like the increases in standards of living for so many people. Sociologists and Anthropologists believe that the reason that we as a species are as successful is because we are so highly social. We are phenomenally social beings. Even the most introverted among us, like pastors for example, are able to step away from our silent meditations on scripture to interact with other people. It’s phenomenal. But you know what? It comes at a price.
Our highly social nature as human beings is a two sided coin. On one side you have empathy, and on the other side you have jealousy. The two social responses are related and in tension with one another. One of my professors of pastoral care in seminary told us of an experiment conducted on babies. It was a very benign experiment in which crying was recorded in nurseries in hospitals and observations were made. You have probably heard that babies have different kinds of cries. Parents can often tell if a baby needs milk, sleep, burping, or a diaper changed. Well scientists have studied the social nature of babies crying.
It turns out that almost immediately out of the womb and into the world babies are social. They demonstrate both empathy and jealousy. How do we know this? We know this because when one baby begins to cry in a nursery out of hunger, the same or similar type of hungry cry spreads throughout the nursery. Babies are naturally empathetic; they feel what their neighbors feel. Emotional intelligence theory says that feelings are contagious. This is a beautiful thing, because it means that built into the fabric of our beings is the capacity to relate to others and have an understanding of what they are going through. But as I mentioned before, there is a flipside to this phenomenon.
The flipside is jealousy. Babies are also naturally jealous. The same experiment mentioned above yielded proof of natural jealousy. When one baby is picked up in the nursery and it’s needs are attended to, the other babies change the tone of their cries to one of anger and pain if they do not receive the same care. Babies naturally know and are hurt when they feel they are not being given the same love and care.
Both Josua son of Nun, the second in command to Moses, and the 12 disciples of Jesus demonstrate their very human capacity for empathy and jealousy. In both cases there is unsanctioned ministry happening. Elded, Medad, and some unnamed people get inspired, get in front of people, and start doing the work of the Lord even though nobody asked them or gave them permission. Joshua and the disciples don’t like it. They are jealous. This very human response highlights the strength and weakness of being so social. While these disciples excelled at empathizing with people in need and with their leaders, they weren’t prepared to handle the emotional challenge of being upstaged as it were. They were suffering from jealousy.
Works-righteousness, that old stubborn sin, is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to jealousy. Joshua and the disciples had worked hard and sacrificed much. This was admirable. But it was no doubt the devil whispering in their ear that tricked them into believing that they had earned the authority and ministries they had been given. They had forgotten that God does not call the equipped, but God equips the called. It seemed unfair that Eldad, and Medad who couldn’t even show up to a meeting on time, nor wanna-be’s who didn’t even know Jesus could be afforded the Holy Spirit of God, ministries, and recognition. So Joshua and the disciples went to their leaders to express th
The Problem
It can be difficult when you figure out that people are out to get you. When you thought someone was your friend, but then you find out that they are scheming to do you in. That is what happened to the prophet Jeremiah. He lived in Jerusalem in the time before the Babylonians conquered them. He was a different kind of prophet. Most of the prophets in his day said that there was nothing to worry about. Most of the prophets said that God would protect them from their enemies. They shouldn’t worry. Jeremiah was given a different message from God. The message that God told him was that Jerusalem was in deep trouble. All round there was injustice. The Babylonian army was coming form the Northeast and they would utterly destroy Jerusalem. God also told Jeremiah not to think that anyone else would save them either. Don’t be tempted to go to Egypt for help.
At first Jeremiah thought that he was okay. The company of prophets had always had different prophecies. He believed that he was safe and protected to speak the truth, and even though not everyone agreed, he was okay to speak the words given to him by God. But that is not what happened. Jeremiah figured out that he had been betrayed by people he trusted. Powerful rulers and prophets who didn’t like his message conspired and had him arrested, beaten, and thrown into a pit to starve and suffer because of the message he gave.
Jeremiah understandably felt abandoned and betrayed. Perhaps you have felt this way. Perhaps you have tried your best to speak the truth, and rather than have your words received you have felt betrayed and rejected by the very people you thought were your friends. What do you do when this happens? Jeremiah asked God to take vengeance on his behalf. The Psalmist shares a similar theme in psalm 54. Sometimes things happen in life that push people in different directions.
The Solution
I heard from one of our previous members this week. Emily was a member here at Grace, and she taught biology at Chaffey College. Emily is now living in Albuquerque working in bio-medicine, and attending another Lutheran church. I was so happy to know that Emily was a part of a worshipping community. Sometimes things happen in life that makes us lose people in our community. This is always sad, but knowing that people find new churches for me, is a sign of the resurrection.
Emily introduced me to the work of Dr. James Lawson. Dr. Lawson is a Methodist pastor and leader of the civil rights movement. Some say he was the architect and intellectual that accompanied Dr. King. One of the things Lawson teaches is how to love your enemies. He emphasized that non-violent action isn’t passive. It is an active way to change the heart of your enemy. It is ingenious because it is about converting an enemy into a friend. It isn’t about dominating. It is about loving.
One of the ways to do this is outlined by James in chapters 3 and 4. James says to sew peace and you will reap justice. For example, if you find yourself having a discussion with someone and they say things or have opinions that you strong
Have you ever thought about what it must have been like to be Jesus? Did he know everything that was going to happen to him? He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” It seems like he was aware that there were different theories or rumors about him floating around. But perhaps because most of his time was instructing the disciples, he did not have as much contact with the conversation happening among the people. This is a consequence of leadership. Once you become a leader some people might act differently around you, so that it is difficult to get the whole story. By asking the disciples about what people think about him, Jesus indicates that to some degree he is living in a bubble, and that he needed to have a dose of reality.
The disciples tell Jesus about the different theories. Some say that he is John the Baptizer. What a strange theory. John and Jesus were born within months of each other. Their mothers were cousins who were pregnant at the same time. How could Jesus be John? It doesn’t make any sense! And yet enough people must have believed that for the disciples to have registered it and reported back to Jesus. Another theory was that Jesus was Elijah. This makes a bit more sense. Elijah had been raptured away in a chariot of fire hundreds of years before, and to this day there are traditions of expectation for Elijah’s return. Others said that Jesus was one of the prophets. But both John and Elijah were prophets. What all of these theories have in common is an orientation toward the prophetic past. Jesus can be explained by one the previous people who have gone before
Then Jesus shrewdly turns the question onto his own disciples. Who do you say that I am? Peter nails it. You are the messiah. Wow. What a confession. Peter to his credit, does not look merely to the past or somebody else to explain Jesus. Peter makes a claim on the present. You are the anointed one, now! Of course Jesus wasn’t the first Messiah. There was Saul, David, Solomon, and the list goes on. Kings were anointed by prophets to rule the people on behalf of God. This was a daring claim. A prophet surely has power, but their power and role is to spur and influence kings and rulers. To be the messiah, was to be more than a prophet, it was to be none other than God’s own son appointed to rule over and above anyone else.
But what did it mean to be the messiah or the son of man? Jesus said that he would be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he would be killed. Talk about cognitive dissonance. Peter had a hard time hearing this because it didn’t make any sense. How could Jesus be the chosen one of God, divinely appointed to rule, and so quickly suffer and die? The problem was that Peter was looking at things from a human perspective and not a godly perspective. This is the age old problem of works righteousness. It is the enduring opposition to the will of God. This is the perspective that you deserve what happens to you. Peter was afraid that people would lose faith in Jesus if he were to suffer and die like a common criminal. Both then and now there is a temptation to believe that external metrics like power, wealth, and physical beauty were supposed signs of God’s favor. It is a toxic way of attempting to make sense of reality.
The cornerstone of Lutheran theology is that you are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. The Epistle of St. James seems to challenge this theology. James writes:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 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? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” James 2:14-17.
What a stinging criticism! Consider the weight of this implication. Ask yourself if you are guilty of ever sending someone away without attending to their physical needs. Ask yourself if you have turned a blind eye to the poverty and desperation of someone and rested in your own material comfort. If so, then James would have you wonder if your faith isn’t faith at all, but something dead.
James criticizes the behavior of treating some people favorably at church based on their wealth. He indicates to his audience that they treat people with a lot of money better than people who are poor. He calls this foolish behavior, because it was the rich who were quick to haul someone to court for committing some small error. James says that it is the rich who oppress you. James’ is addressing all different kinds of people in the church whether they have money or not.
To the poor James says, “You give special treatment to the very people who exploit you. You claim to have faith that God will save you, but you don’t live as if it were true. You are paralyzed with fear, and you willingly silence yourself and close your own eyes and ears to the truth. Call it willful ignorance and inaction. James dares you to prove that you have faith by unmuting yourself and daring to speak the truth, even in uncomfortable or awkward situations. To this wealth and power he dares them to open their eyes
Theologian Miguel de la Torre writes about a hermeneutical privilege of the oppressed. What he means be that is the person or people who really have the best insight into the ways things are; are the poor and powerless. Think about the schoolyard playground. Which kid on the playgrounds truly understands the character of all the other students. It’s the kid who gets picked on. They know who is cruel and who is kind. They know who protects and who picks on. That’s the hermeneutical privilege of the oppressed. Then consider the playground bully. The kid with the most power and influence who almost always gets what they want. They are blind to the character of everyone around them, because they all just get out of the way and give the bully what they want. James sees this behavior happening and he basically says two things:
- If you have a lot of power, then you should really try to open your eyes to better understand everyone else.
- If you don’t have a lot of power you need to speak up and share the truth so that others may understand
One such person who did have faith was the Syrophoenician woman described in the Gospel of Mark chapter seven. This story may throw you for a spin because Jesus comes off looking kind of biased. First of all he doesn’t want to be seen even entering the house, probably because it was not a Jewish house. Secondly, he calls this woman a dog, and tries to minimize her request as irrelevant to his mission to save Jewish people. But she persisted. Rather than challenging Jesus’ reasons or language she cunningly appropriates his label of “dog,” and pleads with him: even dogs get a few scraps that fall from the table. Surely you can give this dog a tiny scrap. Something that is small for you is big for me. Jesus doesn’t get mad at this. Rather he is impressed, and calls her a woman of great faith. She does exactly what James challenges you to do. She proves her faith by unmuti
Rev. Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
29 August 2021
14th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 22, Proper 17, Complementary Series, Year B
Lutherans Christians highly value the law. We respect the rule of law, and we talk about not just one, but Three uses of the law.
- Social Order and Well Being
The first use of the law is to create structure and order out of chaos. When God’s people left Egypt in the Exodus they found themselves in the wilderness with no overlords and total freedom. God gave Moses the law to be a guide for the people. In Deuteronomy 4 Moses encourages the people to follow the law especially when they enter into the promised land. If the people would follow the law, then they would be very successful among the Canaanites and be a witness to the power and wisdom of God. In short, they will live a good life in the promised land.
When I was living in Orange County California I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Christ Cathedral as it was being remodeled. Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller had died, and the Crystal Cathedral had fallen on hard times. They sold their world class architectural buildings and land to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County. The catholic bishop invited the lutheran bishop to get a private tour. I got to go along with other Lutheran clergy and laity.
As we walked through a courtyard there was a giant statue of Moses holding up two stone tablets; the 10 Commandments. Below the statue was a placard that talked about the “Good Life.” Following God’s laws, especially the 10 commandments is the way to experience and enjoy the “Good Life.” The logic is simple and unassailable: just complete the law. Don’t change it. Don’t add or subtract. Just do it. And you too can live the “Good Life.” The words on the plaque were reinforced by the towering glass cathedral behind it.
One pastor who was in our group joked that she wished she had a can of spray paint to deface the plaque and say, “Wrong!” I thought that was a bit harsh, but I understood her criticism. As human beings we constantly fail at doing what we are supposed to do. We are sinners who break God’s law constantly. Which brings us to the second use of the law.
- Total Depravity and the Need of Salvation
The second use of the law is that it helps us understand our hopeless condition and the need of salvation from our sin. God’s law shows us that we are sinners! Legend has it that a young Lutheran pastor became friends with the esteemed Dr. Schuller. One day Schuller invited this pastor up to his office at the top of the administration building at Crystal Cathedral. As they visited the young pastor saw a cancelled check framed and posted on the wall behind Dr. Schuller. The check was for One Million Dollars. And the person who had written the check was a name that was familiar to the Lutheran Pastor. It was a member of his own church in Garden Grove!
When the young pastor saw this and put the name together he could not hold back from sharing this fact to Robert Schuller. Schuller was not surprised in the least. Many of the donors to that church were members of other churches. Dr. Schuller said to the young pastor that the Lutherans have the best theology. Your problem is that it doesn’t sell. You can’t market it or commodify it. That is why your members send me their million dollar checks! The irony is that that young pastor was now the bishop, and he told us this story as now the Catholic Bishop sat in the old office of Dr. Schuller. None of the clever marketing lasted the test of time.
This is a similar criticism Jesus makes of some of the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees made a big show of washing their hands, washing after th
Sermon from Worship on August 22, 2021, Lectionary 21
Have you heard the midrash about the young Abram and his father Terah? Many thousands of years ago human civilization was beginning to develop in the fertile crescent, that is, in the area of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Some human beings were able to specialize in trades as a result of a developing economy centered on agriculture. One such man was named Terah. He had sons: Abraham, Haran, and Nahor. They lived in Ur. Terah was an artisan. He made the most beautiful statues of gods and goddesses. He worked with stone and clay. All the people knew that he was the most gifted artisan in Ur. Furthermore, the power of the deities were attested to as well. They were supposedly efficacious at receiving offerings and influencing nature. It was widely regarded that they were not merely stone objects but vivified beings; powerful deities who were alive.
Abram was the most precocious of Terah’s sons. He would ask unusual and difficult questions of his father Terah. He wanted to know in detail how the deities worked. When did they come alive? At night? Could you see them? It was bothersome to Terah that Abram would hone in on contradictions and question the long held traditions of Ur. Occasionally Abram would wonder out loud if there was only one God. Again and again Terah would lecture Abram that he must stop with these foolish questions. Their entire livelihood depended on the fact that everyone believe and not question that the deities were real.
Then, one day, when Abram was a teenager, something monumental happened. His father Terah asked him to watch the shoppe while he went out to run some errands. While the father was away Abraham impulsively took a hammer and began to smash to pieces all of the deities. He smashed the large ones, and the small ones. He smashed the expensive and the economical. He smashed statues and images that appeared like men, women, and animals. He smashed them all to bits except for one. He left one idol untouched. He rested the hammer in the idol’s hands and then took a seat on a stool in the corner of the shoppe, put up his feet and relaxed. A while later Terah came back to the shoppe. His eyes grew as big as an owl’s and he put his hands on his head while he squatted down on the ground and yelled at the top of his lungs: “What did you do!” He stood up turning on his heels rounding on Abram staring at him with bloodshot eyes. Abram sat slouched a little and in a soft voice and gentle eyes said, “I didn’t to anything father. That one god over there did it all.” He pointed at the statue with the hammer in its hands. “It is powerful and alive, isn’t it father?” It’s no wonder they left Ur and headed to a promised land.
Have you ever noticed that it is kind of impossible to control people? Why is it that the harder and harder you try to tell somebody something the harder and harder they resist?
God has told us as humans repeatedly not to worship anything other than God; and yet we keep doing it.
“I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods. You shall not make false idols.”
Hundreds of years after Abram, Joshua gave his big speech at Shechem. Joshua reminded the people of Abram and how he led his family in leaving behind idols on the banks of the Euphrates. That was when a move from polytheism to monotheism took place. Kind of. Joshua’s speech was very inspirational. All of the tribes stood at attention and pledged that from this day forward we will leave all of the idols behind. They really meant it this time! If they quit once, they can quit again!
Have you ever asked yourself: What’s the problem with idolatry anyway? Why is that commandment one? Are we supposed to criticize, judge and feel superior to polytheist
15 July 2021
Mary, Mother of Our Lord
I’m baaack! Vacation was awesome. Thank you for the privilege of being able to have one. But you know what? Vacation isn’t always easy. For example when you are a guy like me, and you unload all your stuff for camping to find out that the spot your friend decided to go camping is about 100 degrees in the shade, and you are the only guy with three women and eight kids. Do you know what happens to a tent in 100 degree weather. It turns into a solar oven. And I thought I got bossed around at church! You know what two words really started to bother me after a while? “We should.” Because whatever followed those words didn’t really matter, I knew it would involve me doing a bunch of grunt work. That’s when I remembered an old trick I learned in the very first parish that I served as a youth ministry. Once I tried to tell Stephanie, a parent volunteer what “we should” do. She looked at me and said, “Do you have a mouse in your pocket?”
Have you ever felt emotionally worn down? Have you ever felt simply exhausted from listening to other people’s problems, and intervening on their behalf? If this is true for you, then you might actually be doing too much. It is possible you could actually help people more, by doing less.
For example, a person with a problem may approach you presenting themselves as a victim needing help. Perhaps someone is being mean to them, or not giving them what they want. This person might be genuinely hurting, sad, angry, and at a loss for what to do. They may ask you to go and confront someone on their behalf.
The problem is that when you confront someone on behalf of somebody else you may not help anybody, and might actually make things worse. Here are three reasons why.
- By taking on somebody else’s problem you are not helping the victim to take responsibility for their own problem which encourages a helpless mentality and gets in the way of their ability to grow and heal.
- If you serve as someone’s proxy and confront the person they are having a problem with then you are actually not allowing the supposed perpetrator to really understand what happened or to make amends. When a person is confronted by a third party they automatically become defensive because it just became two against one. You might succeed at using your power or influence to manipulate the accused into some action, but it will likely be short term and not genuine until they get out from under your thumb. If someone really is in the wrong, they need to hear it from the victim directly. This will be infinitely more powerful than hearing it form a third party.
- Once you are known to be a “go between,” you will likely be approached again and again by apparently helpless people and you will see your own resources of time and energy depleted. This may feed your ego, as a big time problem solver, but it will drain your soul.
Another course of action is to accompany people who ask for our help. Accompaniment means letting people solve their own problems but being there for them to encourage and witness. Accompaniment is the power of presence without the toxicity of manipulation. Accompaniment is what Mary, the Mother of our Lord does. We can look to her as a brilliant example of how to help people in their time of need.
For the first thirty five years of my life I did not pray to Mary, the Mother of our Lord. I was led to believe that it was unnecessary and inappropriate to do so. I thought that if I had a problem I should go directly to God in prayer asking for help. Then one day everything changed. It was the year 2016. I was serving as a pastor in Santa Ana when life became very difficult. I felt overwhelmed by the challenges that faced me. Personally our family was expanding from small to big. Professionally I felt overwhelmed by the constant need I
11 July 2021
Lectionary 15, Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
APOSTLES’ CREED With the whole church, let us confess our faith.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Credo Apostólico Creo en Dios Padre todopoderoso, creador del cielo y de la tierra.
Creo en Jesucristo, su único Hijo, nuestro Señor. Fue concebido por obra del Espíritu Santo y nació de la Virgen María. Padeció bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato, fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado. Descendió a los muertos. Al tercer día resucitó subió a los cielos, y está sentado a la diestra del Padre. Volverá para juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos.
Creo el Espíritu Santo, la santa iglesia católica, la comunión de los santos, el perdón de los pecados, la resurrección del cuerpo, y la vida eterna. Amén
Lectionary 14, Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
- Our Father, who art in heaven [love]
- Hallowed be your name [faith and works]
- Thy kingdom come [Holy Spirit]
- Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven [Faith]
- Give us today our daily bread [thank you]
- Forgive our offenses as we lose those who offend us [grace]
- Do not let us fall into temptation [devil, world, sin]
- Freeus from evil [body, soul, material, reputation]
- Because yours is the kingdom, yours is the power, and yours is the glory now and forever. Amen. [a good prayer]
- One God, no idols
- God’s name is sacred use it for prayer and praise
- The sabbath is sacred, rest and worship God
- Honor mother and father, parents, and children we all live longer when we care for one another
- Do not murder, do all that you can to support life
- No adultery, there is tremendous blessing in long-term faithful and trusted relationships
- Do not steal or defraud others
- Do not lie, but speak well of others when they aren’t there
- Don’t envy things
- Don’t envy relationships
In case you can’t remember them all:
- Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind
- Love your neighbor as yourself
Joey, Roy, Harlean, Loretta, Sandy, Aurora, Fran, Ingrid T., June, Joisanne, Mark, Chris, Sergio, and Pastor
Bible Study! Theology Thursday
Lamentations 3:22-33, Psalm 30, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43
Lectionary 13, 5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
June 24, 2021
Grace Lutheran Church
Once upon a time there was a person who was caught in a storm. They couldn’t leave their house even though there was a mandatory evacuation order. They prayed to God to be rescued. There was a knock on the door and it was a firefighter. She said to get in the firetruck to go to safety. The person refused and said that God would rescue them. Flood waters rose so that a boat came by. They knocked on the door too. “Get in the boat,” they said. The person refused believing that God would rescue them. The flood waters rose and the person stood on their roof. A helicopter hovered over and a man lowered down and said, “Come with me if you don’t want to die.” The person didn’t; believing that God would rescue them. Then the person drowned and went to heaven. There they said to God, “Why didn’t you rescue me?” God said, I tried three times, but you didn’t have faith in me, and that I would provide for you through others. So what’s the moral of the story? If you have faith in God, then you must take action in your life and see that God is caring for you through others.
Once Jesus fell asleep in a boat with the disciples. A storm came and threatened to sink them all. They woke up Jesus. Jesus calmed the storm, and then reprimanded the disciples for being afraid and not having faith. Was he mad that they woke him up? I don’t think so. It is good that we go to God and ask for help. The problem is that they didn’t trust one another. They hadn’t gelled as a group and trusted one another and cared for one another in the storm. The simple fact of the matter is that if you have faith in God you must also have faith in other human beings. If you trust God, you must trust others. If you are faithful to God, you must also be faithful to other human beings. If you commit and love God you must also commit and love other human beings. That is why we are the church.
One of the best ways you can make a commitment to God and other human beings is by joining a church, and becoming a member of a church. Joining a church is scientifically proven to help you in life in practical and spiritual ways.
Who? Any person baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is eligible to join this church.
What? Church membership means that you come to church regularly, receive the word of God through worship and Holy Communion. Church members are asked to practice stewardship. That means giving some of your time and money to God. As a member in good standing you are entitled to vote at annual meetings, and to serve on committees and the church council if you are so called.
Adult Confirmed Members are expected to know a few things:
- The 10 commandments
- The Lord’s Prayer
- The Apostle’s Creed
- The Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion
In this sermon and in the next three sermons I will be teaching about the core beliefs of what it means to be a Lutheran. We will begin with the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
What is Baptism: It water and the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God.
What is Holy Communion: It is bread and wine and the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. For this reason we believe that communion is the body and blood of Jesus.
Wh
13 June 2021
Lectionary 11, Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
Ezequiel 17: 22-24
In Querétaro, Mexico, is the Cerro de las Campanas where the put a memorial for Maximiliano, the King of Mexico. Maximilian was a man from Austria who in 1864 began as an emperor with the help of France. There was an understanding that with Maximiliano in power, Mexico was going to pay money to France for its debts. But there was also a president in Mexico, Benito Juárez, who had the support of the United States. Coincidentally the kingdom of Maximilian existed while the United States was in a civil war, so the support of the United States was not much until the civil war ended. Maximiliano died in 1867 by execution and liberal democracy was restored in Mexico with its president Benito Juárez. This incident in history is an example of a leader being taken out of one place and being placed or planted in another place. Sometimes it works and other times it is useless.
In the bible the cedar tree is symbolic of the kingdom of a government. And according to the prophet Ezekiel, God has a plan to take a leader out of one place, and put him in another place. The aforementioned sapling is a symbol of a king or leader moved and planted in a new place. The most important thing to remember is that apart from the changes of earthly leaders and governments it is a spiritual kingdom that is even greater than the kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ was like a tender sapling on top of the largest and most powerful Cedar in the universe. Jesus was the son of God taken out of heaven out of time and space and planted in the shape of a cross in Jerusalem, Mount Zion 2000 years ago. His species of Cedar according to Ezekiel was designed to give home to all kinds of animals and birds. These are symbols of us human beings, with all our diversity. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is a king who loves and accepts all kinds of human beings, animals, and birds. And in the Kingdom of God there is peace and justice for everyone.
All the trees in the field will be aware that their existence is totally conditional on God. It means that all governments, states, nations, empires, companies, in the eyes of God are nothing more than trees of the field. The largest and most beautiful cedar is Jesus Christ who we find peace and justice.
But wait for a moment please. Didn’t Jesus die on a cross as a criminal? Where is your kingdom? If we find peace and justice in the kingdom of God established by Jesus Christ, why do we still find violence and injustice in many places? Why are there so many leaders of nations who act like gods or goddesses and not humble servants of God?
We are foolish if we think that we can be sitting back and passive while a benevolent dictator is going to make the whole world cool and cool with no effort on our part. No. No. No. The apostle in 2 Corinthians 5 says that even though we cannot see the kingdom of God we have to walk and live in faith. It is easy to walk with the eyes, but it is limited to what we can see. But if we could walk by faith, we could move forward and progress and improve our lives and the world.
Last week was the last week of school for my children. It is something special to receive and hear the grades, evaluations,
Theology Thursday Bible Study
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
Ezekiel 17:22-24, Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17, Mark 4:26-34
10 June 2021 for Lectionary 11 the Third Sunday After Pentecost Year B, 2021
Lectionary 10, Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
Adam and Eve. History and archeology can be useful to understanding the scriptures. There are two related things we know from history and archeology of the ancient Near East.
- Female deities or goddesses were worshiped and were believed to have the power of fertility and life. They were sometimes depicted holding tree branches, such as an olive branch.
- Snakes were also included in statues of goddesses and were revered as symbols of divine wisdom.
The worship of goddesses in the ancient world centered around fertility and wisdom. There were other gods like “Seth” in Egypt who was the god of the desert. There is a famous carving from Egypt that shows Seth standing next to a goddess who is holding a tree branch, and another man worshiping her. This is recorded as the famous figure 129 in James Pritchard’s book, “The Ancient Near East.” In this account of things the woman is not at fault for committing a sin, nor is she even a human being. She is divine.
The fact that these ancient artifacts existed within the same cultural milieu of ancient Hebrew people, suggests that there is more to the story of Adam and Eve than we have been led to believe. Some have claimed that the serpent in the story from Genesis was the devil. But there is at least one major problem with this interpretation. Nowhere in the story does it say that the snake is evil or the devil. It doesn’t. It does say that it was the most clever of the created things.
What the story does make clear is the frailty, temerity, and foolishness of human beings from the very get go. Right away they stumble. Right away they fight. The symbolism of tree and snake with a man and women may have been used by God to question the reality of gods and goddesses that people held to with superstitious beliefs.
Who told you that you were naked? God asks Adam and Eve, almost teasing them for the slowness on their part to realize their condition. The figures once revered to be gods by such powerful and noteworthy subjects as the Egyptians are now portrayed quivering and shivering in the bushes. God commands consequences to ensue. To save the relationship between Adam and Even, God punishes the snake. It gets bruised on the head, which is far worse than the also very bad condition of being bruised on the heel for Eve and the terrible pain of childbirth. Notice the centrality of birth and new life. If Adam and Eve are not to be gods then they are mortal and will die. The pain of childbirth is offset by the tremendous and ineffable gift of life!
But what of Adam. What is his punishment? He blames Eve for his actions and doesn’t seem to yield very bad consequences. This has led many a reader of the sacred scriptures to ask if there isn’t some gender bias, or patriarchy woven into the story. One professor of mine in seminary went so far as to say that the superiority of the Hebrew God is elevated in Genesis over ancient near eastern gods at the expense or on the back of Eve.
Feminist theologians have argued that maybe we’ve had the story wrong all along. What if Eve made history? She was the civilizing force that lifted the first primate into a higher state of consciousness! If it wasn’t for Eve eating th
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
We study the readings for Lectionary 10, the Second Sunday after Pentecost year B, 2021
Genesis 3:8-15, Psalm 130, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, Mark 3:20-35
Segundo domingo después de pentecostés
Leccionario 10
Pastores Nathan y Wesley
Genesis 3:8-15
Salmo 130
2 Corintios 4:13 – 5:1
Marcos 3:20-35
https://fb.watch/5TIEd7Yyy0/
Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
30 May 2021
Holy Trinity
Do you ever feel different? Do you feel as though you don’t fit in, or that the world is changing around you and you stick out in a crowd as someone who is different than those who are all around you?
Once I had a roommate who wasn’t different at all. This was in college. He majored in something that a lot of other people majored in. He had a couple of different girlfriends and was very smooth. He had the cool clothes and the cool music, and a cool car. One time we were just hanging out and talking on a Friday night. He had his current girlfriend with him. He said to me, “You know what Wes? You are so normal! You are the most normal guy I have ever met!”
I said to him, “Excuse me? You think that I am normal? No sir. You have it entirely backwards. I am different. You are normal!” We then began an argument as to who was more normal. I went to church. He said that made me normal. I said that it was just the opposite. Most people in college don’t go to church, therefore I am not normal. The conversation proceeded along those lines for a while. Finally it was decided that “normal” and “different” are very subjective concepts. We decided to accept each other just the way we were, as two normal and yet different guys.
What is normal anyway? We all think we know what normal is, but it is totally relative to what we think is normal! If there is anything I know, it is that God is 100% without a doubt, NOT NORMAL! God is different!
God is different!
The Father is different from the Son. The Son is different from the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is different from the Father. Yet God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore we must say that God is essentially different. God is not internally consistent. God is not uniform. God is different.
Sometimes people like to ask me about the Trinity. They say, “What’s the deal with the Trinity? I don’t get it!” A family member once asked me when I was in seminary, “When did they invent the Trinity?” That one made me laugh. It’s funny to think about inventing the Trinity because on the one hand it is a very honest question. You can study the history of the church and in fact lift up dates when the doctrine of the Trinity began to take shape in the Christian mind and discourse. On the other hand, the doctrine of the Trinity itself would argue that the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-eternal with the Father. That is, that the Trinity has been the Trinity since all of eternity.
Christians are monotheistic, but other monotheistic religions understandably struggle to understand how we believe that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is also God, but that there is only one God. If it sounds confusing, that is good, because it should sound confusing. The whole point is to disrupt your mind from thinking that you can understand God. You can’t! God is far beyond your understanding. <
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
We study the readings for Holy Trinity Sunday year B, 2021
Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17
Domingo de Santísima Trinidad
Invitado especial: Jade Ortiz
Isaias 6:1-8 Misael
Salmo 29 Misael
Romanos 8:12-17 Wesley
John 3:1-17 Jade Ortiz
Oración final: Jade Ortiz
https://fb.watch/5Kq6ELcLcz/
Do you ever wake up in the morning and wonder why you are here? What is the point of your existence and what are you supposed to do with your life? If you have asked yourself these things, do not worry, you are not alone. I have asked them too, and so have many others. The good news is that the Holy Spirit can stir you up and get you up out of bed. The Holy Spirit will give you new force and energy. There are five things you can do to accept the Holy Spirit into your life.
- Breathe
Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones
Holy Spirit – God!
- Drink water
Birth story with bath
Psalm 104
- Eat food
Holy Communion
- Protection from the elements: clothing and shelter
Stewardship
John
- Fellowship
Acts 2
Holy Spirit
Grace Lutheran Church
Honored to have special guest: Rabbi Zev-Hayyim Feyer
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
We study the readings for the Day of Pentecost year B, 2021
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 104:24-34,35b, Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Invitado especial: Moisés Pérez Espino, de la Iglesia Luterana de México, director del ministerio de la migración
Nathan Allen y Wesley Menke
Lecturas para Pentecostés
Ezequiel 37:1-14, Hechos 2:1-21, Juan 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
https://fb.watch/5Bagm9zbmd/
Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
16 May 2021
7th Sunday of Easter
One of the best parts of being a pastor is learning about people. People are very interesting. I learned that ministry was largely about getting to know people when I was a summer camp counselor. Each week I would lead a cabin of about ten boys. They would always be so different from each other. One week there was a boy named Matthias. I said he had a cool name, and asked where it was from. He said it was from the Bible, that Matthias was one of the twelve apostles. I was puzzled by this. Then he explained that after Judas betrayed Jesus and died, that God called somebody else to be the twelfth apostle. The disciples narrowed the list of candidates to just two: Matthias and Justus. Finally they cost lots, or flipped a coin, to decide the winner. It was Matthias! What would it feel like to be Matthias? Was there a lot of pressure? I guess that the bar wasn’t really set that high by Judas, so it must have been kind of easy to make a good impression.
The moral of the story is that God does call people into ministry. I felt my call to ministry that first summer that I was a camp counselor. Ministry is really only about two things:
- God’s People
- God’s Word
If you care for both of those things, then you too might be called to ministry.
After I was called to ministry I became a youth and family minister in San Clemente, California. I was in charge of the youth groups. I wasn’t just a youth director; I was also a Spanish teacher at Our Savior’s Lutheran School. The nice thing about having a school is that you reach a lot more families, just as we do with our preschool now. One family, who was very sweet, had a hard time with people gossiping and spreading falsehoods about them. I remember when they shared this with me. I had just read Psalm 1. When we allow ourselves to be taken in to gossip, slander, and naysayers we will end up suffering and failing to grow. Constantly criticizing others and worrying about it is toxic. To be nourished and grow strong like a tree planted by water, is to focus on God’s word. God’s Word is like a river of life. I learned in my calling in ministry that while it is always essential to love and listen to people, it is sometimes better to not focus on the criticisms of others.
The high school youth group decided that they wanted to do a series of lessons about different world religions. They wanted to not just criticize them, but to learn about them. We began with Roman Catholic. A number of our youth attended J Serra Catholic High School. We invited Father Vincent who taught religion to join us one evening. He was a nice man and wore an all white habit with a very small hood in the back. He was a Norbertine monk. Father Vincent shared Jesus’ high priestly prayer for unity. Jesus said, “Father may they be one as we are one.” This is essentially what it means to be Catholic, to strive for the unity of the universal church. I thought that it was kind of cool for Father Vincent to make the effort of telling us that he didn’t want to exclude us Lutherans, but pray for unity. Father Vincent shared about his calling to become a monk and priest. It was so cool to learn about him.
It’s easy to criticize, b
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Mark, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
We study the readings for the seventh Sunday of Easter year B, 2021
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 , Psalm 1, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:6-19
Invitado especial: Pastor Juan Cabezudo de la Iglesia Luterana Evangélica Peruana
Gracias a pastores: Misael, María Rojas, María Santa Cruz
Los que escuchan el verbo de Dios son bendecidos.
Misael: Hechos 1:15-17
María: 1 Juan 5:9-13
Wes: Juan 17:6-19
Juan: San Lucas 24:44-53
Sermon May 9, 2021
Pastor Wesley Menke, with recognition to the theological work of Bishop Ismael Laborde of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cuba, Lutheran Synod.
Grace Lutheran Church
Did you hear the news? A woman was recently ordained as a bishop in the Lutheran Church of Cuba. When I read this news story it kind of made my head hurt. First of all, I didn’t know that there was the free exercise of religion in Cuba. I was led to believe that the freedom of religion was not permitted in Cuba. Secondly, I was surprised to find out that the Lutheran Church is growing in Cuba, but so much so that they have multiple bishops in addition to pastors, and that now one of those bishops is a woman. Bishops are pastors to the pastors. And we all know that women make great pastors. Why is that? Because the same skills you need to be a mother, are what you need to be a pastor. Furthermore, the skills that you need to be a bishop, or a pastor, or a mother, also happen to be the same skills you need to be a Lutheran.
So I let my curiosity run wild a little bit. I sent a message to the Lutheran Church of Cuba to say hello. I wanted to know more about the Lutheran Church in Cuba. So I was put in contact with Bishop Ismael Laborde. Bishop Ismael is a man, and not the person obviously who had just made international news. But he was the one who responded to my message and so we found a little time to talk. I wanted to know what it was like to lead a church in Cuba. Was there a lot of persecution?
The bishop was very direct. His answer was, “No.” The biggest problem for the Lutheran church in Cuba isn’t religious persecution. It is confusion as to what it means to be Lutheran. “There are many currents within Christianity,” the Bishop Said. There are many different churches: evangelical, Catholic, pentecostal, and more. We have to teach people why being Lutheran matters. I thought about this problem, and I realized that I too can relate, and I think you can too! With so many churches out there, why be Lutheran?
There are four key concepts for Lutherans. Bishop Ismael calls these “code words.”
- Theology of the Cross
- Saved by Grace through Faith
- Two Kingdoms
- Law and Gospel
Theology of the Cross
Some of the flashy churches out there preach something called “prosperity gospel.” This is the belief that if you believe in Jesus, and follow the 10 commandments they you will be showered with financial blessings. This is a lie. Jesus showed us the power of God by suffering on a cross. He said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Therefore Lutherans don’t seek God in the halls of power, but among those who are suffering. People experiencing suffering are closer to Jesus as when he suffered. You won’t find God in comfort, power, or wealth. You will find God in discomfort, weakness, and poverty. This sounds a lot like the love of a mother. Mothers are constantly giving sacrificial love. That is the Theology of the Cross.
Saved by Grace through Faith
Some people are attracted to a religion because they want to be told what to do. They are looking for a rulebook to follow. There are religions out there that will do that for you. They will tell you exactly how to live your life. How to think on e
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you for studying: June, Loretta, Sandy, and Pastor Wesley
We study the readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter year B, 2021
Acts 10:44-48 , Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17
Invitado especial: Obispo Ismael laborde
https://www.facebook.com/Iglesiaevangelicaluteranacubana
Gracias a Misael, Nathan, y Wesley
Presentación de “Cuatro códigos de la teología luterana”
Estudio para el sexto domingo de pascua
Hechos 10:44-48
Salmo 98
1 Juan 5:1-6
Juan 15:1-8
Sermon May 2, 2021
Pastor Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
When I was a student at the seminary there was another student from the southeastern United States. One day there was a lot of noise outside the classroom. Workers were cutting down the trees. The new student from Southern California said. I am from the southeastern United States. We have trees everywhere. There are quite a few trees, and we never cut them down. But here it is more like desert. You don’t have many trees. So why are they always cutting down the few trees they have?
Have you never paid attention that he is right? We are always cutting down the trees. Especially on Euclid Avenue. Teams of workers come and go and never end up cutting down the trees! Just the other day they were picking the lemon crop from Scheue’s orchard on 21st Street. And after the harvest? They pruned all the trees not gently. No. With a terrible machine they cut and covered all the trees in line. Because? Because the owner of the garden knows: to have more harvest, more lemons.
Jesus said: I am the vine, you are the branches. The one that does not produce will be cut off. The one that does produce, will also be cut in the form of pruning. It is not an option to be cut. It is necessary to grow.
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? That is. What is the decision you made that resulted in something that tortures your mind every day? If you could go back in time to change your decisions in order to prevent something from happening, you may find that this terrible thing cannot be avoided.
It is arrogance to think that we can change the course of life. Consider Jesus. He did no sin, but suffered a death on the cross. How is this fair? That’s not fair. He had to suffer because it was his destiny.
Perhaps the most difficult thing you have ever experienced in your life is not the result of your actions. You don’t have the power to change it. It’s not your fault. The thing that happened to you is not your fault. The thing that happened to you is not your fault.
Do you remember that the branch that does not bear fruit is what? Chopped up. And the branch that does produce fruit is what? Also cut. You do not know if the adversity you have is because you are good or bad. You cannot decide if you are going to be cut. If you haven’t felt the pain of losing, then good luck. You will feel it.
The Ethiopian eunuch knew the pain of being cut. What a price to pay. He was an official of the queen. I imagine they were close and intimate. But not so intimate. This intelligent and educated man was reading the holy scriptures in his carriage. Maybe he was a Jew because he was in Jerusalem for the Passover. He was isolated and alone when he approached Felipe. A cut man without issue. He is reading words that speak of a suffering servant of the Lord who was also cut off from his offspring. Philip says that this is Jesus who died at a young age. But Jesus rose again. And his disciples were his offspring. They are made brothers and relatives by the Holy Spiri
Grace Lutheran Church
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy, and Pastor
We study the readings for the fifth Sunday of Easter year B, 2021
Acts 8:26-40 , Psalm 22:25-31, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8
Textos para el quinto domingo de pascua año b
Hechos 8:26-40 Wesley
Salmo 22:25-31 César
1 Juan 4:7-21 Nate
Juan 15:1-8
Oración Final, Juan Leyva Cabezudo
April 25, 2021, Pastor Wesley Menke
Have you ever felt a pain in your heart? How many songs are there with the theme of heartache? It can be caused by a difference between what you want and what you have. Also the heart feels bad when there is a difference between the words you say and your actions. You can hurt not only your own heart but also the hearts of others. This is called hypocrisy. 1 John 3: 16-24 says that our love is not only in words, but is demonstrated in deeds.
The solution to this problem is: change the words. Works and facts are difficult to change. Words are much easier to change. But words have much more power to change and motivate actions. The pen is mightier than the sword. So if you want to change your actions first change your words. Do not abandon words for hypocrisy. No. Change your words to change your way of thinking and ultimately your actions.
In the holy gospel according to John 10: 11-18 Jesus says, “The sheep listen to my voice.” Once upon a time, a youth pastor started serving a church in the country. In this church there was a family of ranchers. There were sheep on his ranch. ” The head of the ranch, who was a member of the church and also a dad with youth, invited the youth pastor to the ranch for a field trip. After exploring the entire ranch, the chief told the shepherd, “It is time for the sheep to eat. So yell at them ‘food’ to come. ” The pastor yelled, “Food!” But the sheep did not pay attention to the shepherd. The rancher said, “Louder!” And the pastor tried several times without results. Finally the rancher said to the youth pastor, “Look. A) Yes.” And in a whisper he said, “food.” And immediately all the sheep started running to the rancher. They ran very fast. The rancher said, “The sheep listen to my voice. You are not a shepherd of these sheep. You are the pastor of my children and the youth of the church. They are going to listen to you. Please use the power of your voice with care. ” Words have the power to motivate and change actions.
Jesus Christ is our good shepherd. He has power in his voice to guide us. Psalm 23 describes the process of being led by God. Jesus guides us through the calm waters and makes us rest in green pastures so that we don’t eat too much either. Our pastor God guides us on the paths of justice. I love justice. I am glad to know that God guides us on the paths of justice. But where do the paths of justice go? The psalm says: although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. What thing! Following the path of the Lord implies that we do not avoid the valley of shadow, on the contrary the path of justice crosses the valley of the shadow of death. You cannot follow the Lord without entering or crossing this valley.
God does not call us to a path without giving us help. The psalm says that we are not afraid because God protects us. Your rod and your staff infuse me. God protects us and helps us precisely because following the path of justic
We cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God! That is why we study the Bible.
Thank you for studying: Ingrid, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy, and Pastor
We study the readings for the fourth Sunday of Easter year B, 2021
Acts 4:5-12, Psalm 23, 1 John 3:16-24, John 10:11-18
Hechos 4:5–12, Marsha
Salmo 23, María
1 San Juan 3:16–24, Misael
San Juan 10:11–18, Cesar
Oración Final Wesley
Cuarto domingo de pascua
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The environment is suffering from our ignorance In the month of February I did a sermon on climate change. If the planet continues to rise in temperature, more ice will melt and there will be more water in liquid form in the world. Some people have doubts about this reality: climate change. Other people do recognize the reality that the climate is changing but say: it doesn’t matter. Why?
We have a problem. The problem is a limited perspective that says that the salvation of Christ only matters in the spirit and not in the physical. Sometimes some Christians do not want to take care of the environment because they think that the planet and all physical reality will be destroyed by God and it is not worth it. This perspective is limited and dangerous, because if we do not take care of the planet we will ask for our ability to live well. We will ask for our home that God gave us.
In the book of facts Peter says that Jesus Christ died because of the ignorance of the leaders. He says that Jesus Christ was the author of life, and that we put the author of life to death. This is horrible and is a description of what we are doing. We kill the author of life while we kill the planet. But we don’t have to stay that way. We can learn and open our minds.
The solution is to learn a bigger perspective. Two weeks ago I received the second dose of the Covid vaccine. I asked the pharmacist to take a photo. He told me that you cannot take a picture during the administration of the vaccine, but afterwards, yes. Then she graciously took my photo. The photo I put on social networks to encourage my relatives and acquaintances that they also receive the vaccine. I wrote a short prayer thanking God for the vaccine and for inspiring the doctors and scientists to create the vaccines. I noticed that the next day another pastor I know also put up her vaccine photo, but instead of writing a sentence like me, she simply wrote, “Thanks science!” When I saw it for the first time, I thought for a moment noticing the difference, I felt happy, and I thought: cool! I agree. Thanks science! I like this attitude of gratitude for science. It is because of science that we know so much about the world, and we have discovered so many solutions to the problems that exist. Science helps us to get out of the ignorance that makes us put the author of life to the dead.
Science is not perfect. Nor is it clean. Science is a slow and dirty learning process. There are many mistakes and theories that are not good. But it is a beautiful, very important, and necessary process. It is very similar to our theology of being saved by grace and not works. If you read the history of science you will notice that many of the discoveries are accidents and moments of divine inspiration after a long time of mistakes. There is no shame or shame for making mistakes out of ignorance. This is why Peter said in his sermon in the book of Acts that there is forgiveness for sins. Learning from our mistakes and sins is the grace of God. If you have suffered from mistakes you have made, don’t worry, don’t be so hard on yourself. Accept the grace of God. Trust that you can learn and improve! You are saved by the grace of God through faith!
The good news is that the resurrection renews all life. Jesus Christ, in the reading of Saint Luke, opene
Thank you June, Loretta, Mark, and Pastor Wesley for taking time to study the Word of God!
Readings are for the Third Sunday of Easter.
Themes include: not knowing to having your mind opened, and the bodily physical reality of the resurrection.
There are stones that trouble our relationships. Mary Magdalene worried, “Who will move the stone?” So she could be with Jesus.
Jesus taught us how to love the stones. Jesus loved Peter who could be stubborn like a stone. That was his nick-name!
God will roll the stones! Resurrection means new life and changed hearts. Saint Paul is a stone who was moved by God. His heart of stone melted to heart of flesh and love.
God will move the stones in our life!
Hechos 3:12–19 Nate
Salmo 4 Maria
1 San Juan 3:1–7 Wesley
San Lucas 24:36b–48 Cesar
¡La fiesta no es privada sino para todo el mundo!
It’s been two weeks since we were at Easter. And if you listened to the Good Friday sermon you know that attacks and persecution of Jews is a problem. Religious persecution also happens against Muslims. And this past week my hairdresser, who is a Buddhist from Vietnam, told me that her brother and several acquaintances have experienced persecution. It is important that we are aware of these forms of religious persecution. But do you know that there is a group that has experienced an increase in persecution more than any other group in the world? Which group is it? They are not Christians. They are the atheists. They have received an increase in evil acts more than any other religious group.
Jesus Christ was not like that. When Thomas was in doubt, Jesus did not scold or criticize Thomas. Jesus shared God’s love with Thomas. The thing we have to remember is that although Jesus rose from the dead, He was still not with the disciples for long. His appearances after the resurrection were just this: appearances. A moment, an instant, a sight, a sense, a vision, a whisper, and it’s over faster than smoke or steam. So not only did Tomás have doubts, maybe everyone had doubts.
Consider the time notation in the Gospel according to John:
- Jesus appeared very early to a few people for seconds not minutes.
- He passed all day and then he appeared to the disciples in the afternoon and said very few words.
- The text says eight days later. It means he spent the whole week with nothing.
If you love someone. If you love someone. What if you want to have a deep relationship with someone, is it a good idea to say hello twice briefly on Sunday and then not have any contact for the rest of the week? Is it possible to have a meaningful relationship with that contact pattern?
It makes me think from the book and the movie, “I will love you forever.” In this story we read of the love between a woman who is an artist in Chicago and a man who has a rare condition that makes him travel through time involuntarily. He has no time travel machine. No. He has a rare genetic condition. He leaps into the past and future of his own life. Many times he scares his family members who have rare opportunities to meet him as a teenager or child. These moments are usually brief. It is a form almost of torture to his family because he does not have any control as to travel to the past or the future. For example, the family could be celebrating Christmas and in an instant he disappears and does not return for a few days. Several friends and relatives of the time traveler’s wife tell him that it is better to leave him alone. It’s not worth it, they said. You never know when he’s going to be or not. But the woman is very in love with him and faithfully continues with the faith that he will always return. I imagine it was like that for the disciples after the resurrection.
I know that for many the past year has been a time of deep doubt. Where is God in all this pandemic and quarantine? Some people hav
Appropriately sharing the good and the difficult!
Thank you: Ingrid, Mark, Sandy, Loretta, and Pastor!
Study is for the second Sunday in Easter.
Baptism in 12… Creation 1. Light and Darkness 2. Sky and water 3. Land 4. Stars and heavenly beings 5. Birds and fish 6. Animals, and humans 7. Sabbath 8. Resurrection
Liturgy 1. Presentation Who is getting baptized? 2. Confession Apostle’s Creed 3. Thanksgiving Water in salvation history 4. Baptism Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 5. Holy Spirit Laying on of Hands 6. Cross Marked with cross of Christ and sealed by Holy Spirit forever 7. Gifts Candle, certificate, handkerchief, savings account, quilt, chest 8. Welcome Fellowship among the believers
Luther’s Small Catechism 9. What is baptism? Water + Word 10. Why do we baptize? Forgiveness, Eternal Life, Power 11. How does it work? Faith 12. So what do we do? Practice it daily: Wash your hands, Take a shower, etc.
Intro: Polar Vortex over Texas! It could happen here too! Also, persecution can happen to any religion. So we must work to end all forms of religious hatred. It is troubling that the Christian Holy Week has been a time of religious persecution of Jews. I will focus on why Christians should not blame or persecute Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. Rather, we are saved by grace through faith.
The Problem of Anti-Semitism:
- The Holocaust happened and was beyond horrible. Some tried to justify it with religion.
- Hate crimes against Jews and many religions still happen today, and must be rejected.
- Conspiracy theories seem to have grown as feeble attempts to try to explain why suffering happens in our world today.
Reasons Not to Be Anti-Semitic:
- Jesus, our Lord, was Jewish as were all of the early disciples. In the book, “The Christian Imagination and the Origins of Race” by William Jennings, the reader is reminded that Jesus came as a Jewish messiah for Jewish people. The whole project of salvation as a gift of Jesus came to be as a movement within Judaism and a broader Greco-Roman cultural milieu. Jews did not kill Jesus. That is just wrong. Jesus was Jewish, as were all of his disciples.
The fact that Christians are allowed to participate in the salvation given by Jesus is a gift. We are allowed to participate in the wonderful story of salvation. Throughout history gentiles have been attracted to Judaism because of the compelling relationship with God Most High.
A certain Jewish plumber is a local man some of you know who does great work. If you ever meet him you might have a very rewarding conversation. When I spoke with him we talked about Jesus a lot. He enjoyed sharing the fact that he believed in Jesus. I asked him where he went to church. He said he went to a Jewish Temple, or a synagogue. This is great! Jesus was Jewish, and we have more in common than we realize.
- The term, “the Jews” in John’s gospel and passion narrative could be interpreted as a geographical term, as in, “the people from Judah.” Jesus was from Galilee a different region than Judah. So there was a regional conflict that can be read into the narrative over and against a religious one.
Throughout the passion story for Jesus over and over again we hear the term, “the Jews.” Without knowing any better this sounds like a blaming of a specific religious group for Jesus’ death. But that’s not what it is! Everytime you read or hear the term, “the Jews” in the gospel of John, you can think about a tension and even conflict between Jews from Galilee and Jews from Judah, not to mention Samaria, and other areas. Many, though not all of the people from Jerusalem and the area of Judah would have been seen as different from the more country oriented group of disciples form Galilee. Keep in mind that most of their ministry was itinerant. They went a lot of different places. But it was in Judah where Jesus was arrested and crucified. When you know that this term has a geographical meaning, it helps to understand why it was wr
Maundy Thursday
Rev. Wesley Menke
Grace Lutheran Church
1 April 2021
Tonight we remember how Jesus showed us how to love and lead like servants. Jesus washed the disciples feet in humility, one of the lowliest jobs of antiquity reserved for servants. What is so interesting, however, is the exchange between Jesus and Peter. Peter doesn’t want Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus in response tells Peter in no uncertain terms to consider his choice carefully. Peter may choose not to have his feet washed, but in doing so, he will also be choosing to have no share, no inheritance, no continued participation with Jesus. Jesus said, “If I do not wash you, then you have no part with me.” Isn’t it ironic that at the same time Jesus extols his disciples to be humble like servants, he is so uncompromising with Peter?
Some people would say that a good Christian is somebody who goes out of their way to make other people happy. Some people would say that a good Chrisitan would never step on anyone’s toes or allow somebody to become emotionally distraught. They would say that just as Jesus was humble like a slave and washed feet, so Christians should do whatever it takes to make other people feel comfortable and happy. The only problem with this kind of thinking, is that it is not what Jesus did at all. For Jesus to wash feet would be queer and obviously made people like Peter uncomfortable.
If good Christians are supposed to make other people happy and comfortable, then the Gospel lesson from tonight would have been very different. You can imagine how the exchange might have been if Jesus’ sole mission was to make people happy and comfortable. Imagine this:
“So he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord do you wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him. “Never shall you wash my feet!” So Jesus quivered, bowed his head, rubbed his hands together, and looked down avoiding eye contact with Peter. Jesus said unto Peter:
“I’m sorry Peter. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I had a really nice activity planned to teach servant leadership, but I can tell that I could have picked a better learning activity. It’s okay. You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to. In fact, let my total negation of self be a sign to you of what I meant by washing feet. Just do whatever it takes to make people happy.”
That, of course, is not what it says in the Bible. Instead Jesus called Peter out on his acting childish and said, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.” So the real question is why would Jesus at the same time teach us to be loving humble servants and to have boundaries? Perhaps the reason is that you cannot authentically love anybody without having boundaries, and sticking up for yourself. Elsewhere Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” To be a servant leader like Jesus means loving yourself and others even when it is different, atypical, or unusual. This should bring to mind all of the similar stories we have been remembering during Lent.
Jesus loved people with boundaries. He never compromised on who he was. He maintained emotional differentiation with: Peter,
You may not be able to pick which hill you die on, but you can pick which hill you will live on.
Do you really want to die on that hill? That is an expression used to encourage someone to think about what is so important that they are willing to give everything or die for. While there is value in asking this, the question is misleading. You may not have the power to decide which hill you will die on.
Jesus didn’t get to decide. He asked God to remove the cup of suffering placed before him. But when the powers of the world conspired, it spelled the end of his life on Earth as a physical human being. What makes his crucifixion so remarkable, is that he didn’t allow the prospect of death, suffering, being bullied, and even mobbed allow him to waver from what mattered most.
Jesus chose to live fully on the day of his crucifixion. He knew that he was made in the image of God, that he was God’s son sent to save the world. Powerful people who could make him suffer and die tried to get him to cave, cower, and forsake the truth. All he had to do was lie, all he had to do was say that, “Cesar is the Son of God.”
But if he had done that, then he would have saved his body, but lost his soul. Whenever we give in to fear, deny the truth, and deny who we are, we let our souls die a little. “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, but lose their soul?”
Jesus kept his soul strong all the way to the end. You could say that he was fully alive, that he chose to live according to faith rather than fear, and so he lived his last hours in peace, love, and resisting evil.
So powerful was his witness to life, soul, and truth, that all along his final journey to the cross he converts people.
- Pontius Pilate tries to intimidate Jesus. Rather than be intimidated Jesus says, “You say that I’m a king.” How audacious to try to convert Pilate!
- Simon of Cyrene is compelled to take the cross of Jesus, to walk with him and help carry the load. Simon is brought to faith.
- Many women including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses walked with Jesus and by his witness their faith was strengthened.
- Joseph of Arimathea got Jesus’ body and helped to bury him with honor.
- A Roman Centurion at the moment of Jesus death confessed Jesus to be the Son of God. That would put the Roman in direct conflict with the Cesar. It was Jesus death on a cross that brought the Roman to faith, because Jesus truly lived the truth in faith.
We can do this like Jesus did, because we have a soul that exists beyond the physical realities. I remember my uncle Charles who was a peaceful man. He would catch lizards, put them in the freezer to cool them off, and then sketch them. They would warm up and run away by the time his sketch was over.
One day I went to watch a movie with my wife. A man sat near us who looked exactly like my uncle Charles even though we were hundreds of miles away in a different state. He even had my uncle’s same sketch book with him as he watched the movie. How often do you s
Processional Gospel (alternate): John 12:12-16 Jesus enters Jerusalem
12[Five days before the Passover] the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!”
14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
15“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.
Gospel (alternate): Mark 15:1-39 [40-47] The passion story in Mark’s gospel presents Jesus as one who dies abandoned by all. He shows himself to be the true Son of God by giving his life for those who have forsaken him.
1As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” 3Then the chief priests accused him of many things. 4Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
6Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. 7Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. 9Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. 12Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 15So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
16Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. 17And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. 18And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. 20After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple
Thank you to everyone who participated in this week’s study preparing for the fifth Sunday in Lent.
When I was in my young adult years I had a roommate who was a raging alcoholic. I didn’t know about it at first. For two months everything was great. Then two months after I lived there, he started to drink. Alcohol addiction is a disease. His disease was so intense that he became a totally different person who was very aggressive. He broke into my room, went through all my belongings, and stole the money I had hidden. It was $50. Which at the time was a lot of money for me. That was money to buy food. For a long time afterwards I harbored a very strong bias against who suffered from alcoholism.
In the Gospel according to John, there were Greek foreigners who came to meet Jesus. Although they were from a different culture, they wanted to know Jesus and share in his ministry. The disciples did not know what to say. They still didn’t know that Jesus was going to be a king for all people, even Romans and Greeks. When the disciples asked Jesus about the Greeks, he didn’t give a direct answer but said that a grain of wheat must die to generate an abundant harvest of new grain. Maybe the disciples had a bias against Greek speaking people.
Jesus meant that he had to die on the cross in order to save us from our sins. He also meant that the disciples would have to follow his lead and sacrifice their lives too. The gospel of Jesus doesn’t make your life easier. It is a call to daily die to our sins, to sacrifice the things that give us comfort, and to more fully depend on God. The disciples would have to “die” to any bias they had against people different from them.
For the disciples it meant that they would have to sacrifice the notion that Jesus’ message was only to their cultural group. They would have to learn Greek, they would have to speak Greek, they would have to write Greek. If they tried to keep Jesus’ message to themselves then it would be preserved like a little grain of wheat. But if they would do the difficult work of translating the good news into Greek, then even though their comfortable group of twelve disciples might “die” the Good news would spread over all the world. And it did!
The entire New Testament was written in what language? Greek. Everything we know about Jesus we have received through the Greek language. We would not be Christians without the Greeks. God’s love translates to all languages and peoples.
The disciples’ belief that Jesus was a special messiah only for them had to die in order for God’s salvation to be available to all creation. This was the point written in the letter to the Hebrews when it spoke of Jesus as a descendant in the Order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a king and priest of Salem in Abram’s time. When Abram was successful in a battle, he offered a tenth of what he won to God by way of Melchizedek. Abram was not the only believer in the true God. There were others on earth, there still are, and they will always be believers that we do not know. Jesus said that he has other flocks of sheep that we don’t know about. We have to be humble like Abram and recognize that Christ is God
Estimados colegas,
Dios les bendiga en este tiempo de cuaresma. Jesucristo es el Verbo de Dios que nos ama y nos cuida. Les invito pasar tiempo con el Verbo de Dios mañana el miércoles. Tendremos un invitado especial: Pastora Hazel Rebecca Salazar-Davidson. Ella va a presentar sobre el salmo 51. ¡Gracias Pastora Hazel! Todos ustedes invitados a participar en el estudio y compartirlo en sus redes sociales.
Los textos son para el Quinto domingo de cuaresma: Jeremías 31:31-34, Salmo 51:1-12, Hebreos 5:5-10, Juan 12:20-33. https://www.graceupland.org/cinco-domingo-de-la-cuaresma/
Hacemos un “sprint” a través los textos evangelicos de la Semana santa hasta el día de la resurrección:
Domingo de ramos y pasión Juan 12:12–16 Mucha gente había ido a Jerusalén para la fiesta de la Pascua. Al día siguiente, supieron que Jesús iba a llegar a la ciudad. Entonces cortaron hojas de palmera y salieron a recibirlo, gritando: —¡Hosana! ¡Bendito el que viene en el nombre del Señor, el Rey de Israel! Jesús encontró un burro y montó en él, como se dice en la Escritura: «No tengas miedo, ciudad de Sión; mira, tu Rey viene montado en un burrito.» Al principio, sus discípulos no entendieron estas cosas; pero después, cuando Jesús fue glorificado, se acordaron de que todo esto que le habían hecho estaba en la Escritura y se refería a él.
- Marcos 15
Al amanecer, se reunieron los jefes de los sacerdotes con los ancianos y los maestros de la ley: toda la Junta Suprema. Y llevaron a Jesús atado, y se lo entregaron a Pilato. 2 Pilato le preguntó:—¿Eres tú el Rey de los judíos?—Tú lo has dicho —contestó Jesús. 3 Como los jefes de los sacerdotes lo acusaban de muchas cosas, 4 Pilato volvió a preguntarle: —¿No respondes nada? Mira de cuántas cosas te están acusando.
5 Pero Jesús no le contestó; de manera que Pilato se quedó muy extrañado. Jesús es sentenciado a muerte
6 Durante la fiesta, Pilato dejaba libre un preso, el que la gente pidiera. 7 Un hombre llamado Barrabás estaba entonces en la cárcel, junto con otros que habían cometido un asesinato en una rebelión. 8 La gente llegó, pues, y empezó a pedirle a Pilato que hiciera como tenía por costumbre. 9 Pilato les contestó:
—¿Quieren ustedes que les ponga en libertad al Rey de los judíos? 10 Porque se daba cuenta de que los jefes de los sacerdotes lo habían entregado por envidia. 11 Pero los jefes de los sacerdotes alborotaron a la gente, para que pidieran que les dejara libre a Barrabás. 12 Pilato les preguntó:—¿Y qué quieren que haga con el que ustedes llaman el Rey de los judíos? 13 Ellos contestaron a gritos: —¡Crucifícalo! 14 Pilato les dijo:
—Pues ¿qué mal ha hecho? Pero ellos volvieron a gritar: —¡Crucifícalo! 15 Entonces Pilato, como quería quedar bien con la gente, dejó libre a Barrabás; y después de mandar que azotaran a Jesús, lo entregó para que lo crucificaran. 16 Los soldados llevaron a Jesús al patio del palacio, llamado pretorio, y reunieron a toda la tropa. 17 Le pusieron una capa de color rojo oscuro, trenzaron una corona de espinas y se la pusieron. 18 Luego comenzaron a gritar: —¡Viva el Rey de los judíos! 19 Y le golpeaban la cabeza con una vara, lo escupían y, doblando la rodilla, le hacían reverencias. 20 Después de burlarse así de él, le quitaron la capa de color rojo oscuro, le pusieron su propia ropa y lo sacaron para crucificarlo. Jesús es crucificado
21 Un hombre de Cirene, llamado Simón, padre de Alejandro y de Rufo, llegaba entonces del campo. Al pasar por a
Estudio bíblico para el cuarto domingo de la cuaresma, 14 de marzo de 2021
Gracias Pastor@s: María Rojas-Banda, Nathan Allen, Wesley Menke
Números 21: 4-9 el proceso de “discutir” como pueblo de Dios
Salmo 107:1-3, 17-22 una meditación de la bondad de Dios
Efesios 2:1-10 Estamos salvados por la gracia de Dios
Juan 3:14-21 el fuego del Espíritu de Dios alumbra la oscuridad de nuestras almas
Pacifica Synod Facebook Page
Pacifica Synod’s YouTube channel
Hello good day. Last week I preached on the Ten Commandments and immigration. I have had a few conversations afterwards and received a suggestion because it does not clarify my point of view. This I am trying to do today.
God’s people walked in the desert according to the book of Numbers chapter twenty-one. They decided to go around the territory of Edom. The journey was difficult and the people spoke badly of Moses and God. As they walked they were attacked by poisonous snakes. Then the people approached Moses, admitted their mistake, and asked for help from God. They asked for help not only because they were afraid of suffering and dying from the snakes, but also because losing so many people does a lot of damage to the people. A people, or a culture of people, is an organism. Each person depends on the other to survive. Losing a person is devastating. Losing several, dozens, hundreds, thousands, or millions makes an incredible devastating impact until it is difficult to understand. Suffice to say that everyday life is even more difficult after a loss of people. Many hands make work light. If you lose hands, it turns out that life’s work is heavier.
We are in a similar situation. We have lost more than five hundred thousand people in the United States and almost three million people around the world. There are no words to describe, nor are we really aware of the trauma we are experiencing. Life will be more difficult. At the beginning of the quarantine there was a hope of a growth of births. But sadly a year later, the situation is exactly the opposite: there are fewer births. Forty years ago in the 1980s there was a concern that the world’s human population was growing at a dangerous and unsustainable level. But they were wrong. The world’s population is going down, and they are possibly going to go much lower.
We are the people of God and like our ancestors we feel the anguish of trying to survive when the people suffer losses. But why were the people walking around Edom and not through? Tradition says that Edom was the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. James was the ancient ancestor of the People of Israel. I imagine there was fear and anger that Israel and Edom would be separated, and above all a lack of confidence. If the people had crossed into the land of Edom there would be no attack by the serpents.
The letter of the Ephesians speaks of this situation. He says that there is an evil spirit that makes us live according to the desires of the flesh or the skin, and that is why we are children of wrath. The people did not want to confront Edom because they had anger and hatred for this people with different flesh and skin. Living according to the flesh means living with prejudice and fear against people with different skin. But while we were dead in sin and anger, Jesus Christ died on the cross to save all mankind. He did not die for the good, but for sinners like us. Jesus said that just the snake had to be lifted up in the desert so that God could save the people who were dying from the poison of the snake, the son of man,
Thank you Pastor Thom Johnson for leading the study, for Mark Allert who hosted the study, and all who participated!
Did you hear about the tragic car accident in Imperial county. Ford Explorer with 25 people inside crashed into a big rig hauling gravel. At least 13 people died. We know that the car had snuck through the border fence and was attempting to smuggle immigrants. Some may say that the cause of this accident is simple: not obeying the law. But I say to you that the cause of this accident is that we have all failed to follow God’s laws. The result of not obeying God’s laws is suffering and death. Today we study the 10 commandments and consider how following God’s laws can improve the world and help solve the problem of an immigration crisis.
- Commandment number one is that there is only one God. Do not worship any idols. An idol can be anything we worship that is not God. A very great idol can be the nation. Worshiping a nation is nationalism. Having faith that America is something that can save us from evil is idolatry. This idolatry can lead toward a prejudice against people from other countries. Jesus rejected nationalism when he overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple. He was expelling the image of Cesar and his false claim to be the son of God. Only God saves. Remember that it was God who set the people free from slavery. God saves us still today.
- Commandment number two is not to take the name of our God in vain. To be vain or to have vanity is to be selfish and use the name of God to satisfy our human desires. God’s name is so powerful that it calls us to lay down our lives to serve God. Someone asked me why I learned Spanish. Spanish is the language of heaven, and of the kingdom of God. You know why? Because the boss is called, “Jesús.” And his name is sacred. All of God’s names in all languages are sacred and worthy of our attention, and learning.
- Commandment number three is to keep the Sabbath day holy. God made all of creation in six days and rested on the seventh. What if God can do all his work in six days, why not you? Ha ha. But in reality God did not finish all his work in six days. There was a lot of work. But if God who is almighty needs to rest, why not you? Are you stronger than God? I do not believe it.
Also included in this commandment are the following instructions according to the holy and sacred Word of God: “You shall not do any work on the seventh day, you, your son, your daughter, your servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the foreigner who is with you.” The foreigner means the immigrant. When God gave the law to Moses on top of the mountain, he put in this reality that you will be strangers with you. They have to rest too.
When I lived in Mexico, a friend of mine invited me to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I was surprised that there was a Chinese restaurant in Mexico. And when I went to the restaurant, who was working in the restaurant? People from C
Theology Thursday 4 March 2021 Thank you: Dianne, Ingrid, Jim, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy R. and Pastors Thom and Wesley
We studied the texts for the Third Sunday in Lent:
Exodus 20: The Big 10 commandments, don’t make or worship idols. Only God saves!
Psalm 19: We are humbled by God’s power to reveal love and word through nature and humble believers
1 Corinthians: God’s weakness and foolishness is greater than our strength and wisdom
John 2: 13-22: Jesus disrupts the goings on of the outer portions of the temple!
John us Thursdays at 10:30am
Verbo de Dios 03 marzo 2021 Estudio bíblico para el tercero domingo de la cuaresma, 7 de marzo de 2021
Una presentación de pastor Misael de cuatro perspectivas para estudiar la Biblia: devocional, historia, literaria, y teológica. Estudiamos los diez mandamientos, 1 Corintios, y San Juan cuando Jesus quita a los comerciantes del templo.
Estamos en vivo a la 1:00 tiempo pacifico por Facebook live con la pagina https://www.facebook.com/pacificasynod/
Peter doesn’t like what Jesus is saying. He does not want his friend and teacher to suffer. He tries to change the mind of Jesus. Later in the garden hours before the crucification of Jesus, Peter was going to try to fight with the sword to prevent the suffering of Jesus. I think we are like Peter. We want to focus on our relationship with Jesus, and forget about the rest of the world. The problem is not that Peter does not understand that Jesus is divine. This is good. The problem is Peter wants to be entangled with Jesus. He thinks that Jesus’ purpose is to satisfy his emotional needs. Peter prefers that Jesus does not save the world but offers a limited salvation to the preferred and exclusive people. Recognizing that Jesus is God is nothing. Even that the devil and the demons recognize that he is God. That is why Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”
Get Behind Me Emotional Enmeshment One day everyone will have emotional maturity. One day you can be happy and have a peace that passes all understanding. One day you will have peace and feel safe with yourself even though people are angry at you. Let the day come when we enjoy nothing else in doing the will of God. These days all human beings are going to relate to each other in a dynamic way. When we reach this reality we will have faith. And our children are going to number like the stars in the sky. Come out of us kings and queens, states and nations.
God makes us humans Thank you Ingrid, Loretta, Mark, and Sandy for joining Pastor Wesley. Second Sunday in Lent.
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 God makes Sarai and Abraam more fully human by adding the “ha”
Psalm 22:23-31 God acts and brings justice, and we focus on the future
Romans 4:13-25 I reckon God makes us righteous
Mark 8:31-38 God help Peter be a person by not enmeshing with Jesus emotionally
A video of some humans God made
La tribu “Verb of God” is a Bible Study in Spanish Wednesdays at 1:00pm PT live via Zoom. This week’s episode is available on the following platforms:
Segundo Domingo de Cuaresma, 28 de Febrero de 2021
Pastores: María Rendon, Misael Fajardo-Perez, Nathan Allen, Samuel Nieva, Wesley Menke
Génesis 17:1-7, 15-16: La jornada nueva y el pacto extravagante que Dios dió a Abraham y Sarah
Salmo 22: La tribu, la fe, y la cruz, sustantivos “femeninas” en el idioma español pero dones universales
Romanos 4:13-25: Los gentiles pueden participar en el pacto de Dios a través de la fe.
Marcos 8:31-38: Jesús ayuda a Pedro formar su humanidad. La clave es enfocarse en la misión de Dios.
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Pacifica Synod’s YouTube channel
Believe in Rainbows Genesis 9: 8-17
God promises never to cause a flood to destroy the world. The bow or rainbow is the symbol of this promise from God. The bow placed in the sky is a symbol of peace. The bow is a weapon used to shoot arrows. Then the bow set as a rainbow communicates that God is no longer angry, he will not shoot arrows like lightning and punishments to the earth. God will never flood the earth again.
The environment
But is it really not possible for us to experience floods? Scientists say that the world’s temperature is rising and that is why the ice is melting in the Arctic and Antarctic. The ocean levels are rising.
But what does the Bible say?
The bible says that God will not cause a flood, this is the covenant between God and Noah. However, the Bible does not say that we cannot cause catastrophe like a flood. It is possible that the actions of human beings can cause tremendous problems in the world.
But isn’t God going to save us?
Spiritually we know that we are saved by God’s grace through faith and not by our good deeds. Physically human beings still get sick and die. The world is the same. Although God loves and cares for the world, the world can get sick, change and suffer.
Twenty-fifth Psalm
The twenty-fifth psalm is a prayer for God’s help. It says, “ To you oh Lord I lift up my soul and I trust in you.” God has the power to save us from our enemies. The enemies are not necessarily other human beings but our sins. Sins are actions that harm God and ourselves. Once upon a time someone said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
God saves us, then, by helping us improve our behavior. Psalm twenty-five says that God teaches his ways and his straight paths for us. If it is our conduct that has resulted in dangerous threats to the environment, then it is our conduct that must improve the situation. God is going to teach us the ways we should follow and act better.
1 Peter 3:18-22
Holy baptism is a sacrament of God that saves us from our sins. Peter says that baptism is like the ark that saved Noah and his family during the great flood. Baptism saves us from death, sin, and the devil. Baptism is water and the Word of God. Baptism works through faith. And we must practice baptism not just once, but daily. Every time we wash our hands, bathe, or drink water, we must remember and renew our faith in God.
The changing climate in the world means that there is more water in liquid form: more floods, more big storms, and more rain on the face of the earth. The presence of more water is an opportunity to remember our baptism. Perhaps the purpose of all these changes is to remember and increase our faith. If we had more faith in God we would cause less destruction in our lives and in the world. It is our obsession to prove our worth that causes us to exploit the world and damage our lives. I tell you that we must have more faith and less action.
Mark 1: 9-15
Have you noticed that this is the fourth time since Advent that we have read of the baptism of Jesus? It suggests that there is something important in baptism. The baptism of Jesus indicates the beginning of his public ministry. He repented, that is, he changed his life at this time from his career as a carpenter to a preacher, healer, and savior. And I ask you, what is the first act that Jesus does after being anointed by the Holy Spirit and called the beloved son of God? Absolutely nothing! He goes to the desert for forty days, and he has a fast. He did not eat, he did not work, he did not heal, and he did not preach. He just spent time with the wild beasts and let, but he let, the angels serve him.
Jesus Christ had the most important job in all of history and his first act is to do what? Absolutely nothing! Do you know how long Jesus had his public ministry on earth? Three years. That is not that much time. He had one year less than an American president. Can you imagine if any president’s first act after inauguration was to say, “Bye. See you in forty days. I’m going to the mojave desert. See you.” The country would have had a collective heart attack and finally the parties would meet and with one voice say, “You have to work!” Why? Because they are deceived to the idol of good works.
But we are not like that. We are not deceived. We know the truth. We are saved by grace through faith. The only thing you have to do is have faith!
God saves us.
Angels serve us.
The beasts and animals accompany us.
Trees bear fruit in abundance.
The oceans are full of life.
The heavens cry out and sing with songs of the birds.
And further up in the sky is the bow of God, a symbol and reminder of our salvation.
God says, “I will never destroy you. I always love them. Amen.”
In order for a team to be successful it has got to tolerate differences. A team is strong when different people work together to share their gifts. However, a team is weak when it’s members attack those who are different. This is called the scape-goat phenomenon. When a team suffers loss and hardship it is tempted to blame the problem on someone who is perceived to be different and a problem maker. But when somebody is made to be the scapegoat and mobbed, the team preserves unity and conformity at the expense of losing a greater set of strengths. The team experiences only a temporary cohesion in its rejection of the scapegoat. In the long run the team is weakened, because it cannot overcome existing or new challenges without a broad array of capabilities.
Treasures in Heaven The only way out of the scapegoat phenomenon is to change the behavior of the group. Instead of looking for someone that is the problem, who is different, who nobody likes, each person in the team must learn to stop and look in the mirror. That is what Ash Wednesday is all about. You are invited to consider the uncomfortable reality that perhaps all of your problems are not somebody else’s fault, but your own. As Jimmy Buffet sings, “It’s my own damn fault.”
So let me show you how this works. As your pastor I have failed you. I have not set an example as I should have. I have tried too hard to depend on my own righteousness and not enough on God’s righteousness. Today I publicly repent. I confess that I am a sinner. I am 100% dependent on God’s mercy and forgiveness.
When I was an intern pastor in Sierra Vista, Arizona I was under the supervision of Pastor Mark Perry. Pastor Perry was a great pastor who taught me so much. But of all the things he did, I have to say that he really excelled at Lent! I remember him sharing a resource with different ideas of Lenten disciplines. It wasn’t the regular list of giving up chocolate or gum. There were things I had never heard before. The one that captured my attention was secret keeping. Keeping a secret as a Lenten disci pline was something I had never thought of before. The idea comes right out of the gospel reading from Matthew chapter 6.
Jesus encourages his disciples to practice their piety in secret. If you give money, do it in secret. If you pray, pray in secret. If you fast, keep it a secret, cover it up, so that nobody knows what you are doing. Jesus compares all of these good works to saving money or storing up treasure. If we do good deeds so that other people see us, then we will be disappointed when those people we were trying to impress are no longer with us. People often fall from prominence and importance. It can leave you feeling disappointed and let down. They key is to not perform your good works for other people, who are bound to disappoint, but to God who can always be counted on. In other words don’t do good deeds to gain social status, do it only for God.
When you dedicate your life to God you will never be disappointed.
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
So, be reconciled to God!
Jesus became sin for a sinner like you!
In Jesus you become righteous
Do not accept the grace of God in vain.
God will listen to you
God will help you.
Now is the time;
now is the day of salvation!
There is no obstacle in your way
So Be a servant of God
Give everything to God:
Give your: endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities,
beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger to God
God will give you power and strength in both your right hand and your left hand
God will give you: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit,
genuine love, and truthful speech
You will have honor when you are dishonored
When you have a bad reputation, good will give you a good reputation
When you are treated as an impostor, God will show that you true;
When you are unknown, and will make you well known;
When you are dying, God will make you alive;
Even if you are punished, you will not be killed;
Nobody can crush your soul
Even when you are sorrowful, God will always give you something to rejoice about;
When you are poor, God will make you and everyone rich;
When you have nothing, In God you will possess everything.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Thank you Ingrid, June, Loretta, Mark, Sandy for joining Pastor Wesley. We studied the readings for the First Sunday in Lent.
Genesis 9:8-17 reminds us of God’s covenant of peace shown through the rainbow.
Psalm 25:1-10 encourages us to remember that God can lift up our soul.
1 Peter 3:18-22 connects the waters of the flood to the promise of baptism. The eight people in the ark remind us of the eight days of creation, and the eight steps of baptism!
Mark 1:9-15 is the brief account of Jesus being driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. God provided for Jesus with the company of beasts, and the care of angels!
This is the story of Elijah’s passion
Gilgal is where Elijah’s passion with Elisha begins. Elijah told Elisha that it was not necessary for Elisha, the student to continue with Elijah his teacher. But Elisha wanted to stay faithfully with his teacher. That is why she went with him. But before we go to the two prophets, why don’t we consider the significance of this location: Gilgal?
Passion of Elijah Sermon Gilgal is the place where the people of Israel camped after crossing the Jordan River. They crossed over after forty years living in the desert under the human leadership of Moses. They have received the law during this time and learned how to live obedient to God’s commandments. But Moses died before crossing the Jordan River. The people were under the new leadership of Joshua. Immediately after crossing the river, Josué told the people something very important. You have to decide who they are going to serve. Will they serve the gods beyond the Euphrates River, the gods of Egypt, or the God of Israel? Joshua and the other leaders placed huge standing stones, an “Ebenezer,” as symbols of their faithfulness to God.
We can reflect on this question. Who do we worship? To the gods of our pasts or to the only God who is present with us today? Each of us has a past. We have had people and things in life that we loved. Although they were slaves in Egypt, the Hebrews had many good years with abundance and connection to the most impressive empire in all of history. Don’t you think there were people who missed the Egyptian way of life?
Very soon Elías is going to leave the world in a whirlwind and leave Elisha alone. That’s what the sons of the prophets at Bethel said when Elijah and Elisha arrived. The sons of the prophets were mocking Elisha as a faithful disciple. Remind yourself that Elijah was not popular with all the prophets. Several of them always made beards to the king and didn’t really care much about the true word of the Lord.
Do you know that recently “Christian prophets” have been very fashionable? These people make a lot of money selling their books and appearing as special preachers. But many of his predictions have had false results. His false predictions were things that people wanted to hear, but they were not based on any reality. Elijah was not like that. He told the truth that sometimes he was against the king and against false prophets. That’s why their sons were mocking Elisha as a threat, and all of this happened at Bethel, stop two of Elijah’s passion.
Bethel is quite an interesting location. “Bethel” means “the house of God.” It is where Abraham praised the Lord and built a holy site. Abraham is the godfather of every believer because God chose him to be a blessing to the whole world. Abraham was great but he was not perfect. He made very big mistakes. Abraham pretended that his wife Sarah was his sister in Egypt to avoid persecution. All of this happened after God promised that Sarah was going to have a baby! God removed and saved them from Egypt. Again with God’s promise and protection Abraham praised God at … Bethel a second time.
Finally Abraham and Sarah did have a son named Isaac, which name means to laugh. Isaac’s youngest son was James. Jacobo was a tremendous child, some called him “scoundrel” because he had a tremendous capacity to hide. There was a time when he was running out of his troubles and stopped at night precisely at Bethel to sleep. During the night he had a dream of a ladder that extended from earth to heaven with angels going up and down. And in the dream he received the same promise from God that his grandfather Abraham received: to have land and children, and to be a blessing to the whole world.
Remembering all this Elisha the disciple of Elijah knew that God’s blessings are very great and more important than the threats of others. We too must remember God’s unconditional promises. We are saved by the grace of God. That is why we say with Elisha to people who always criticize and mock: be quiet. They do not throw dirt or lies on me: I am a son of Abraham, a son of God, although I deserve or not, God has chosen me and I am saved by his grace. But neither the path nor the passion ends there in Bethel, but continues to Jericho.
In Jericho everything happened the same. There were more sons of corrupt prophets mocking and criticizing Elijah and Elisha. But Jericho brings its own history and symbolism. It was in Jericho a great and prosperous city that God showed his power and choice really rare and strange. God chose a prostitute named Rahab. She is named and remembered in the New Testament as a woman of great faith. When Joshua led the conquest of Jericho it was Rahab who hid the Hebrew spies. And then Rahab gave birth to Boaz who married Ruth and they had Obed who had Jesse who had David the great king. The point of all this is not only that God’s love is unconditional and for everyone, but God has the custom and way of choosing people on the margins of society, people rejected by the world for having essential purposes for God.
Now who are these people today? Who is the person in your life who is on the sidelines that God is going to lift up to a tremendous purpose and position? You have to meet this person! This is what Elisha did with Elijah, be faithful and present with the rejected.
There was only one more stop on earth for the passion and way of Elijah, the Jordan River. When Elijah and Elisha arrived by the river, a group of fifty men approached, sons of the prophets, it was a crowd. We imagine that they were there to ensure that this was Elijah’s last day on earth. But when they were closing in, Elijah folded his mantle, touched the water of the Jordan and parted the waters of the river. The two true prophets crossed on dry land exactly as the people crossed generations before in the opposite direction and another generation before did through the Red Sea of Egypt. This same God who parted the waters at the dawn of creation.
The other night my family and I watched the movie “Aquaman.” I said to my wife, or this is the movie they made for women. She scolded me, saying, no, with such violence this movie is surely for men. In the movie there are supposedly billions and billions of human types who live in the waters far more than on land. The point is that the seas and oceans are vast compared to land. The space we have to live is light and fragile. The planet, the oceans, and the climate God holds like a miracle in front of “gazillions” years of light in all directions. This opportunity to physically live may be the greatest miracle of all! After the Aquaman movie he asked Sheri, Did you like the Aquaman movie? She couldn’t hide her smile and said, yes. We are the same. There is a joy in living in this miracle on earth. Elijah is like the Aquaman controlling the water of the Jordan reminding us of the miracle of creation and escaping the threats of evil people.
But this is not the end. Elías and Eliseo do not hold hands and jump to a paradise without problems. No. Elijah cannot escape his destiny. Just as Jesus could not escape his way to the cross. Although today on the Sunday of the transfiguration we remember the sublime joy of being up on the mountain with Moses and Elijah and feeling energy in the presence of God. No. God said, “Listen to my son.” The son Jesus said, “come down the mountain and come with me to the cross.” And for Elisha the poor disciple in an instant passed the chariots of fire separating him from his beloved teacher and Elijah went in a whirlwind to heaven but not without promising to give his spirit. Jesus also promised us his spirit. Jesus also ascended into heaven. We have the spirit. We have the way. We are the pilgrims. We have the promises. No one disturbs us, no one scares us. We go on the road. Let’s go to the cross. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Theology Thursday 11 February 2021 Thank you Bob, Loretta, Mark, and Sandy for studying with Pastor Wesley the Bible readings.
2 Kings 2:1-12 the departure of Elijah with chariots of fire and the Spirit anointing Elisha
Psalm 50:1-6 God’s call to faithfulness
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 The light of Chris illuminating each heart and not veiling or sealing off the light from others
Mark 9:2-9 Jesus’ transfiguration and the presence of great ancestors like Moses and Elijah
https://youtu.be/5g_JO_UZBHE
Estudio bíblico para el Domingo de Transfiguración. Gracias a Dios por la oportunidad de aprender de pastores latin@s un mensaje para toda la humanidad. Los textos están llenos de imágenes y símbolos poderosos para animarnos en el camino de la cuaresma: el camino a la Santa Cruz. Gracias al Pastor Cesar presentar sobre el evangelio.
2 Reyes 2:1–12
El tema de discipulado y maestro como Eliseo aprendió de Elías. Es doloroso decir “adiós” a un tiempo de ser internado, y empezar en el liderazgo. El Espíritu Santo nos ayuda en llamar estudiantes nuevos.
Salmo 50:1–6
Dios llama a creyentes fieles. No sólo decir con la voz, sino también con acciones. Cuando Dios viene, viene ruidosamente.
2 Corintios 4:3–6
La luz de Jesus brilla en nosotros como vela sagrada. Nosotros no debemos poner velo en frente de al vela de Cristo, sino compartir la luz de Jesú con todos.
San Marcos 9:2–9
La experiencia grande arriba de la montaña con Jesús, Jacobo, Pedro, y Juan, pero también con Moises y Elías. El hijo del hombre es el hijo de Dios y sigue en las tradiciones de la ley y los profetas para caminar a la cruz.
https://youtu.be/RZI5l8NGCQ0
Vaccinating is an Act of Faith When I was a boy just knee high to a grasshopper my friend and I would go fishing in Oak Creek. We used to try to dig up worms until my neighbor, Lee, a man originally from Oklahoma taught us how to catch grasshoppers. The trick was pinching off their back “jumping” legs. Without the powerful hind legs the couldn’t get too far so you didn’t have to worry about them escaping from the jar, and they were excellent bait for catching fish.
The prophet Isaiah compares human beings to grasshoppers. In the long perspective we have short life spans, and like swarms of locusts we have the tendency to mindlessly consume, grow until we cannot be sustained and then crash into famine and death. Sound familiar? Living the Covid 19 pandemic is a sobering reminder that we are mortal creatures too. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Isaiah said that even though young people can grow faint and weary, anyone who waits upon the Lord can have their strength renewed and soar like an eagle. The psalmist writes in 147 that God doesn’t delight in the strength of a horse, or in the speed of a runner, but in those who fear the Lord; those who have faith. So the difference between being a mindless grasshopper and a powerful eagle is faith. Faith makes all the difference in the world.
Consider the mother in law of Simon Peter. She was sick in bed with a fever according to Mark chapter one. Jesus come to the house with the disciples. What did she do? Did she jump out of bed like a grasshopper to serve her guests? No. She remained in bed until Jesus healed her. She was a woman of faith, and to be a woman of faith means to wait on the Lord. Ironically as soon as she is healed she begins to wait on the Lord serving him and the disciples. It is a good thing because soon the whole town gathers outside the house to be healed by Jesus. God bless Simon’s mother in law for giving sustenance to Jesus and for having faith!
On the big problems with the Covid 19 pandemic, and why it is so hard for us to get better, is because it is hard to have faith, and to rest like we should. Furthermore the real problem is that we think that we are individuals who get sick and fail to understand that we are not just individuals but we are part of a larger body. Just like our body is made up of cells, each one of us is like a cell in the body of Christ. In this way the whole Earth can be thought of a living being. The Covid 19 pandemic doesn’t just affect individuals it affects us as a globe, the whole Earth is sick. The body of Christ is sick.
So how do we move forward? How do we let Jesus heal us like Simon’s mother in law? How do we become more like an eagle than a grasshopper? We must have faith that we are not lone individuals, but members of the body of Christ. Only until we each listen to God in faith will we together rise up like an eagle and fly!
One great way to have faith is to get vaccinated! Receiving the Covid vaccine from Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, or perhaps even others is an act of faith. You have to have faith that the mystery of God’s love for you could work through the cold steel and glass of scientific laboratories. Getting the vaccine means trusting that God could work through leadership of various political parties and countries to create a healing serum. Faith in God means even though you may not completely understand what is in the vaccine, you allow it into your body with the hope that it will protect you. That is an act of faith! I hope that everybody who is able to will get vaccinated. When it is my turn I surely will! If you aren’t sure I hope you consult with your doctor.
The reason cells in our bodies are able to cooperate, work together, and allow us to live as people, is because the cells listen to the instructions and do their part. Our mind and consciousness is like a higher power to our cells. We as people when we listen to God we are listening to the consciousness of Jesus’ body. When we do our part and wait upon the Lord, we are transformed from grasshoppers to an eagle that can fly.
When I was a boy I liked to go fishing down in Oak Creek. I remember the first time we saw a Bald Eagle. It was so cool! There we were with our feeble fishing poles trying to catch a fish. The eagle could just swoop down into the water and get a fish! God’s people will rise again. God will renew our strength. Our fevers will break. Each town will be healed. God will knit us into a beloved kingdom, one body that soars! Amen!
Bible Study for Thursday 4 February 2021 preparing for Sunday 7 February 2021, the fifth Sunday after Epiphany.
https://youtu.be/n9LKr0Eli0I Theology Thursday 4 February 2021
What is going on with truth and lies? What is going on with all of the conspiracy theories? Why is it that you can watch one channel of news turn to another channel of news and hear a total contradiction from the one to the other? Why are there some social networks that support a perspective of reality, and why are there other technologies that support a totally different view of reality?
Sermon 4 February 2021 Artichoke courtesy Flickr Camila It is also hard to know what is the right thing to do sometimes. The truth and moral perfection of God is so demanding that we as human beings can hardly stand it. The Jewish people experienced this when they left Egypt during the time of Moses and spent time in the wilderness. They found that if the presence of God came and dwelled among the people in the camp, that it was simply too much and people would die. God’s righteousness just too much. So the people asked if there could be an intermediary between God and the people. And God said, “Yes.” Moses became the go between. Moses was a bridge between God and the people. Moses' body and face would be so supercharged from being in God’s presence that he had to wear a veil over his face otherwise it growed so brightly that the people would be blinded.
There was a catch. God would only provide prophets under two conditions. The first is that the people had to listen to the prophet, otherwise there would be consequences. You couldn’t blow of the words of the prophet as if they didn’t come from God. You have to take those prophetic words seriously. The second condition is that if anyone ever presumed to be a prophet that wasn’t, that person would suffer terrible consequences. To utter falsehoods in the name of God would carry severe punishment from God: death.
My parents were like prophets to me. They taught me the truth in a way that I could understand it. It all began with artichokes. My mother would steam artichokes, then drizzle them with butter. As a family we would gather round and pick the leaves off of the artichoke and dip them in butter. It was wonderful. At the end, the artichoke looked hairy and leaves were small, white and pokey. It looked gross. I asked my father, “Is the artichoke heart good?” He would say, “No. You wouldn’t like it.” My sister and I would run off and he would enjoy eating the artichoke hearts with my mother. Now we all know that actions speak louder than words. My dad was a smart man because he had a sense of humor and took that opportunity to enjoy the best part with my mom. In doing so he taught us that indeed the heart is delicious. And as soon as I wised up and asked for some of the heart he and my mother generously obliged. My parents were prophets to me, they taught me the truth in a way I would understand and accept on my own.
Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall. 1 Corinthians 8:13
The practical advice of Saint Paul continues. Two weeks ago we read from Paul that Christians should avoid participating in prostitution. Last week, however, Paul said that we should not cling too tightly to that which we love on earth, even spouses, so that we can love God first. This week Paul has words about diet and eating meat. Don’t do it! Paul says, “I will never eat meat.” What is that about?
I myself am not a vegetarian nor a vegan, however, I try to not eat a lot of meat. There are good reasons not to eat a lot of meat. A diet that focuses on fresh vegetables and fruits is healthy. Nobody argues about that. A diet that is made up of lots of rich meat and dairy brings with it health consequences. Everybody knows this. But why did Paul say this?
Paul was concerned about faith for at least two reasons. The first has to do with Jewish purity laws. It was forbidden to eat pork and other types of meat. Many converts to Christianity also converted to Judaism. Keep in mind that almost all of the early Christians were observant Jews. So converting to Christ meant converting to Judaism, and thus giving up eating various kinds of meat.
The second reason why eating meat was avoided by most early Christians is because meat was butchered and sold alongside pagan religion. An animal was sacrificed to a pagan god, some of the portions would be burned, and other portions would be sold. So to buy meat would be to participate and fund pagan religious practices. So for both of these reasons most early Christians were not big meat eaters.
Some people did eat meat, however. They figured that their salvation came not from the food they put in their mouths, but the faith they had in their hearts. They would say that it wasn’t necessary to follow all of the purity laws of the Hebrew Bible, because our spiritual purity comes from Jesus as a gift. Paul agreed with this thinking. He said eating or not eating meat doesn’t make you acceptable to God. Faith is what saves you. However, if eating pork, that was sacrificed to a pagan god scandalizes a member of the church, if it gets them all riled up, then maybe not for your own salvation, but to be sensitive to your fellow believers, maybe try eating less.
Paul is also like a prophet, helping us to understand practical advice in a way that we can understand. By the time I got to college I knew all about artichokes, and I could even cook them on my own. One day a group of friends decided that we would make pizza from scratch. One friend said, “I have artichokes in my room that we can cook and cut out the hearts for pizza.” We were all excited because this was when it was very trendy to put artichoke hearts on pizza. One friend, however, looked horrified. He said are the artichokes alive? We were puzzled. Then it came out that he thought artichokes were animals! He had never had the opportunity to eat them before. So we initiated him to artichokes and when it was time to eat the heart he asked if the heart was good. What do you think I said? We help one another to know the truth.
Enter the gospel. Today we study the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark chapter one versus twenty one to twenty eight. In this account we look into the first time that Jesus teaches in a synagogue. He does so with strength and power. He teaches and sheds light on scripture in a way that impresses the people. They like what he has to say. He is almost like a prophet! But not everyone like what Jesus has to say. There is a man who interrupts him. Now we know that this man was possessed by a demon. But nobody else knew this at the time except for Jesus. When the man interrupted Jesus he told him to be silent. He set a boundary. Then he cast the demon out of the man! He healed the man! Without the falsehood or demon within him, the man was freed, he was liberated to know the truth.
The good news I am here to say to you today, my friends, is that we are like the demon possessed man. We are weak and feeble people. We are easily captured by falsehoods and sold a pack of lies. We are but mere mortals who under the right conditions can be persuaded to believe all kinds of nonsense. It could happen to anybody. Especially when times are tough, when you have things that you are worried about, manipulative people can play off of our fears and cause us to think that the source of our troubles is some boogeyman. There are terrible consequences to believing a lie or a conspiracy theory. It can take over your life a person possessed by a demon. When you succumb to a lie you begin to lose sight of people in your life who care about you and want the best for you. When you believe in a lie, it is like being possessed by a demon and you can even grow to despise Jesus who is the word of God. And God warned what would happen if you don’t listen to the truth. You will be held accountable by God for not taking the truth seriously, for not fearing God.
But once again let us return to the good news. Because when a man who believed a lie yelled out to Jesus, Jesus put a stop to it. He said, “silence!” He said to the demon, “Get out!” Jesus won’t tolerate lies. But Jesus will tolerate and love you. Jesus will help to heal you from the sickness of buying into falsehoods. Jesus will love you conditionally and shower God’s truth upon you. You are saved by grace through faith, and not by your works. If you eat the wrong thing, if you eat the wrong message and internalize it, and it becomes a stumbling block to you, you are not forsaken forever, but Jesus will heal you!
Psalm 111 says that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Knowledge is good, it is very good, and it is power. We live in the information age, and information is power. But power without love is nothing. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8 that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Wisdom is knowledge that has been tested and applied, and worked out, and is hard fought and hard won. Wisdom comes from prophets, and from God’s people who take the time to listen to the prophets. God give you wisdom!
Bible Study from Grace Lutheran Church for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany 2021. Together we study:
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 11
1 Corinthians 8
Mark 1:21-28
To see the liturgy and accompanying video for this Sunday visit the worship webpage.
https://youtu.be/yy9OokywQWI YouTube Video of Bible Study Theology Thursday January 28, 2021
Verbo de Dios 27 de enero de 2021 Disfruta el estudio bíblico en español preparando para la alabanza en 31 de enero de 2021, el cuarto domingo después de la epifanía.
https://youtu.be/0O9AyLZynfI El video del estudio Verbo de Dios para 27 de enero de 2021
“I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none.” 1 Corinthians 7:29
Photo courtesy Vanderbilt photo Ramon FVelasquez Is there a stranger command in all of the Bible? Why would Paul write this? Does Christianity as a religion promote marriage and traditional family values? I mean think about it for a moment. What would happen if every single person who has a wife all of a sudden be as though they had none? It sounds like the premise of a comedy movie starring Adam Sandler! Were you paying attention when Ralph read this out loud, all the wives that here this morning shoved the Bible passaged up to their nose to take a closer look at what was really printed. All the, ahem, those who have wives stuck their heads up and began to look around. Isn’t there a term for this these days. I think they call it a “hall pass,” right?
Talk about an evangelism strategy. Word of this is going to spread like wildfire. Can you imagine the talk around the neighborhood? “Hey honey, all the guys were saying there’s a great little Lutheran church on 21st street. I think you’re gonna love it. They preach great family values!”
When I was a chaplain I visited with a woman who had just successfully come out of surgery. She would soon be going home, and despite all of this she had a sad look on her face. I asked her what was the matter. Here eyes focused on her feet whose toes pointed up under the hospital sheets and blanket. The blanket was tucked under her arms, her hands held onto the hem. Her chest swelled and then contracted, she sighed. “It’s my 60th wedding anniversary,” she said flatly.
“Oh wow congratulations, that’s wonderful!” I said. She stared at me with a long face. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. “Or not?” I asked. Looking back I wish I would have thought about this Bible verse. Can you imagine? “You know ma’m the Apostle Paul encouraged couples to just pretend they aren’t married after all.” The poor woman would have probably falled out of her bed. Then she’d be having the other hip replaced.
But that is the point of this passage. Paul is trying to rattle us awake. To make us fall out of bed. To read closely what he is talking about. Yes to even lift up your head and scan the perimeter to see who and what is out there. Paul says that the present form of this world is decaying. Paul is like Jonah finally walking into Nineveh telling them to repent or else God is going to wreak havoc.
The end of the world. The funny thing about the end of the world is that even atheists believe that the world is going to end. The sun will not last forever. Even if we could make it to another planet, eventually all the stars in the universe will die out, and the universe itself would collapse into itself destroying all matter and energy forever. And before any of that happens, each one of us will have our world end too. So it is interesting that Paul talks about this. He says that those who mourn shouldn’t. If you have lost a loved one pretend as though you haven’t. This is also a very strange verse. The point is to not place trust in the temporary conditions of this earth.
Did you believe the truth or did you put your trust in lies? He will judge you and examine you to see if you are righteous. How will you measure up? Will stand before God as a person that lived a holy and righteous life? Keep it mind that there is precisely one thing that God will care about more than anything. He will want to to know if you did the one thing you were supposed to do. You have one job to do. You have one task to complete. Faith. Did you have faith?
That is exactly what Jesus calls you to do, and what Jesus called the disciples to do. For Simon and Andrew, faith meant leaving their fishing nets in the water or the boat and following Jesus. For James and John it meant leaving their father with hired workers and following Jesus. Faith means nothing less than leaving absolutely everything behind and giving all of yourself completely to God. Leaving behind spouse, parent, job, business, money, nothing short of absolutely everything including yourself. Depend fully on God and nothing else.
Why? Because Jesus said that the kingdom of God is at hand. Paul said that the present form of the world is passing away. Jonah said repent because the hour of the Lord is at hand! The Kingdom of God. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in the kingdom of God!? In the Kingdom of God, the ruler, the leader is God, and God is perfectly just and loving.
God makes sure that the air we breathe is perfect and healthy. In the kingdom of God we create all the energy we need without polluting the air. Any smoke or carbon dioxide that is created is absorbed by trees which filter the air and make it clean and beautiful and it smells wonderful.
In the Kingdom of God the water is pure and clean. The oceans do not have bits of plastic in them that kill fish. There is not toxic waste. If ever the water becomes too acidic God takes away the acid so the creatures can live well. The temperature of the water is perfect for each life form.
In the Kingdom of God everyone has just the right amount of food to eat. The food is healthy and good for you. It is delicious. Nobody has too much. Everyone has enough.
In the kingdom of God there is shelter. Nobody is homeless. Everyone has a warm dry place to sleep and be clean. People are safe and are not bothered or harassed.
Finally in the Kingdom of God nobody is alone. Nobody is lonely or scared or afraid. But everyone has a friend. Someone to talk to, and laugh with, and be quiet around. And, well, you know. Except for Paul. Apparently he just wants to be alone. That’s okay too, because the Kingdom of God is at hand.
The other day I spent the whole day painting a bedroom. We had put up crown moulding earlier in the week, and now it was time to paint. It took me all day, a sixteen hour day. Welp! I was so tired by the end. I used flat paint for the ceiling, satin enamel on the moulding, semi gloss white on the walls, and finally the last wall was a semigloss green color called, “Fresh Cut Grass.” Kneeling outside, cold wind blowing, clouds leaving us all in shadow. Then the sun broke through and for a moment I was bathed in golden light. My skin warmed up, and the warmth filled me to my bones. Then the sun was gone and I had to go back to work. That was okay because I was reminded that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen.
The sun shines brightly in Berkeley, California, but perhaps not as intense as it does in southern California. I stood outside of the chapel at the Episcopalian Seminary with the sun gently warming my face. Professor Carol and doctoral candidate Kyle set forth to explain to me what made Luther a theologian unlike many others. They explained that Luther was an “occasional theologian.” This does not mean that he was only occasionally theological! No. It means that occasions would arise that demanded Luther to write, teach, and explain what was the appropriate Christian response. For example, the practices of indulgences, was an occasion that elicited Luther to write the 95 theses. Luther was not a systematic theologian. He wasn’t like Calvin, or Barth, or Aquinas, who set out to explain in systematic harmony all the components of Christian faith with scripture and philosophy. Luther wrote with such commanding theological brilliance that systematic theologians all around him chased after his line of thinking attempting to make order out of it.
Occasional Theologian Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Four hundred and fifty years later another occasional theologian rose to the occasion. Ironically, or perhaps serendipitously he was named Martin Luther King Junior. His father named him after the German theologian. True to his namesake Dr. King set about articulating faithful Christian responses to the challenging situations of his day most notably Jim Crow segregation, but also questions of war, poverty, and more. MLK did not write a systematic theology either, but the depth and power of his writings, speeches, and sermons were so potent that indeed theologians have chased after his words too, attempting to systematize his thinking.
These two Christian pastors and theologians are linked through history not merely by the fact that they are both occasional theologians, or what many simply call “prophets” but the heart of their message resonates together with the sound of God’s saving Word. On this seventeenth day of January, the eve of MLK day, two thousand and twenty one let us consider the indelible connections these men share in the prophetic tradition of faith.
“The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” 1 Samuel 3:1.
There are times in history in which corruption and injustice appear to be widespread. During such times a powerful word from God or a vision seems to be lacking. This was the situation in which young Samuel found himself as a child. His mentor, Eli the priest, had failed to live out his faith ethically nor apply it to his own children. Eli’s children took advantage of their status and exploited the temple for their personal gain. God spoke to the boy Samuel, giving him words and vision to address the injustice of that time in history.
Martin Luther in the 1500’s was also moved by the Spirit of God with a word about the injustice of indulgences. An indulgence was a religious artifact a person could earn or purchase to give them additional time in heaven. An entire system was put in place between the church and state that kept people oppressed. No matter how hard a person worked they could not get ahead. If any material wealth was accumulated by a person, rather than save it, the church gobbled it up with the promise of more time in heaven. At the heart of this injustice is what Luther called, “works righteousness.” Working and doing something constructive is a gift of God. But it was turned into an idol to be worshiped. People became more focused on doing “good deeds” rather than focusing on God from whom all good things flow. Luther identified this problem and dared to lift his head and voice to address. Of course he was aided by the recent technological advancement of the moveable type printing press, so that his message could be spread with rapidit unlike previous times in history.
Four hundred and fifty years later Martin Luther King Junior also found himself in a time where the word of God was rare. Throughout the United States African American women and men were being exploited in a ruthless system of segregation called Jim Crow. Even though black people had won freedom from slavery after the Civil War; within a generation new laws were created that forced black people into a new kind of oppression. They were exploited at every turn. Public lynchings happened with terrible frequency and practically zero consequences to those who organized them and carried them out. This was works righteousness in another form. Again, the exploitation of people was rationalized in the form of work. Some said that black folks needed to work harder to overcome their poverty, while their hard earned money was exploited at every turn. Dr. King looked at this situation and saw the corruption as plainly as Dr. Luther saw it some 450 years earlier. He dared to raise his voice like Luther did before him.
The Montgomery Bus boycott began as a way of peacefully protesting an unjust system. It was called non-violent resistance and civil disobedience. Representative John Lewis called it, “good trouble.” Martin Luther also disobeyed civil authority when he openly taught against the pope! Luther made good trouble too! Luther claimed that the most important thing a Christian can do even more than their good works is to have faith. All a person needs to do in order to benefit from God’s salvation and grace is to believe it! He discouraged people from thinking that they had work in order to be saved. Luther wasn’t lazy. Luther wasn’t encouraging people to be idle. He called people to an active faith that put trust in God’s ability to save and shape society above any ecclesiastical rule. He saw the Word of God transcending the laws of human beings.
Dr. King also called people to have faith over and above works-righteousness. Dr. King wasn’t lazy either. But the activity he called people to was to protest unjust civil laws. There were boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and teach-ins. While some members of the Black community tried to get their followers to take up arms and fight for reform Dr. King urged non-violence. He urged non-violence because he believed that salvation would come only with God’s help. Faith was absolutely essential, the most essential thing to empower his followers to take nonviolent action. So Dr. King and Dr. Luther both placed creative faith over and above work as the center activity of human liberation and salvation.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." John 1:43 Jesus prefigures and inspires both Luther and King. Jesus called his disciples to abandon the work of fishing, collecting taxes, and other ventures to follow him in faith. God was up to something big, and the most powerful work a person can do is to have faith in God’s saving work.
If asked you what were the most memorable and widely known words of Dr. Martin Luther King, what would you say they would be? I suppose you would quote the final section of his speech that occurred on the march on Washington when he said, “I have a dream” I have a dream that one day children will not judged by color of the skin, but by the content of their character! When little black boys and girls will hold hands little white girls and boys. Dr. King almost always concluding his rousing sermons and speeches with a prophetic vision of a reality that he fully expected to come to be, but that had not yet fully come into existence. He told us that he had been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land. He said that, by the way, the night before he was assassinated. The point is that the most powerful and memorable aspects of his thought is the graceful action of God. It was only by God’s grace that justice would flow like water and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Dr. King proclaimed good news. He proclaimed the gospel. This was the high point that everything was aimed toward: God’s salvation for all people and creation. This is a faithful development of Lutheran theology.
Dr. Martin Luther in the 1500’s insisted that the core of any sermon or Bible study, or liturgy should not be instructions for how to live your life, but rather a proclamation of God’s grace. Luther focused on the cross, and the sacrifice Jesus made for us to save us from our sin. Luther lifted up Holy Communion and Holy Baptism as sacraments which powerfully communicate the saving power of the Word of God. You are saved by God’s grace, God’s love, God’s unmerited favor! Proclaiming salvation is the most powerful and essential task of the church, the preacher, and the follower of Christ. That’s what Dr. King did!
So here we are almost 100 years since the birth of Dr. King and over 500 years since the birth of Dr. Luther. We still hold in our hand the sacred gift of the Word of God. We read and remember the call of Samuel. We reflect on Jesus calling of the disciples. We ponder the admonition of Paul to the Corinthians to repent from their own fixation on work to the saving power of God’s love. We hold in our hands today children who need to know the Word of God. We look out onto a nation teetering on the edge of violence and social unrest. We are situated in a globe that is reeling from the worst pandemic in a hundred years. And we ask ourselves the question: Is the word of God rare today? Are visions of God not widespread, again? What is the vision, the hope, the word of God that is good news and gives us hope and direction today? We ask ourselves these questions and while we do so we pick up the Bible and read. Take it up and read, like Augustine said! Today we read Psalm 139, perhaps penned by King David who the prophet Samuel himself annointed, and we read this:
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
139:1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
139:2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
139:3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
139:4 Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.
139:5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
139:13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
139:15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
139:16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
139:17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
139:18 I try to count them -- they are more than the sand; I come to the end -- I am still with you.
“I am still with you,” says God.
I am still with you, Amen!
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9
Baptism of Jesus Did you hear the one about the pastor who went for a hike? He met a hungry and angry bear. The bear chased him, and the pastor ran for his life. Finally the pastor tripped on a log and there was no chance for escape. As he lay on the forest floor he prayed that the this would be a loving Christian bear. Then he pastor heard a voice, it was low and rumbly it was the voice of the bear that was kneeling with its front paws together in prayer it said, “Dear God, thank you for this food you have provided for me. Amen.” Ha ha ha. The moral of the story is, you may call yourself a Christan, but if you devour others around you, you might think about what it means to be a Christian.
About five thousand people violently stormed and vandalized the United States Capitol this past Wednesday January 6, 2021. Many of them Christian flags, crosses, t-shirts, etc. It is said that the last time this happened was during the British Invasion in which they went so far as to burn the capitol. That was 1814. I am so very deeply sorry and saddened by what has happened. It was wrong for people to storm the Capitol building, vandalize, and wreak havoc. Vandalism and looting are not God's will for any group of people.
Not long after the time of Jesus, the Jewish temple was destroyed for the second time. There was a Jewish revolt against Roman authority. The revolt failed, and the Romans burned down the Jewish temple. About 700 years before the Romans burned the temple, it was the Babylonians. The strategy of such an action is to demoralize a perceived enemy, to strike fear in their hearts, so that they may be overtaken.
Then again, sometimes destructive behavior is done not because there is any animosity toward the victim, but rather because the perpetrator just wants something and they are willing to crush anyone who is in their path to get what they want. Just the other day one of our members was robbed at gunpoint in our parking lot. The criminal didn’t see our church as it’s enemy, but as a means to get what they want, money. What is troubling is that they would use a weapon, like a gun, to get what they want. Thankfully our member is okay, and the police have been helping us to secure our campus.
What I can’t help thinking about, however, is how the very same member who was robbed had just finished building the beautiful cross tower we have been enjoying. How could it be that as soon as a faithful follower of Jesus completes an act of faith and devotion they suffer. It makes me think of the old adage, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Jesus himself spent his whole life loving, healing, teaching, and caring for others. What happened to him? He was crucified! Doing good and being good are not guarantees that you will not suffer. If could even be the opposite. Doing good in some twisted way arouses persecution. So what can you do?
You can evangelize. As Christians we are called by Jesus to love our enemies. This includes people who have hurt us, and people who have done hurtful things. Loving someone is not enabling them. Love has boundaries. Love is not about being foolish or unwise so that others may victimize you. No. Loving an enemy includes justice. It includes a reckoning of what has been done that was wrong. It includes atoning for wrongs made. But as Christians we are to see beyond retribution and work toward the evangelization of our enemies. We are to love our enemies.
The apostle Paul was a genius at evangelism. We read about his evangelistic missionary journey in the book of Acts chapter nineteen. He finds some people who say the believe in Jesus, and are baptized, but they know nothing of the Holy Spirit. We further discover that they had been evangelized first by Apollos. Now there was a bit of rivalry between Apollos and Paul. There were what we call perhaps frenemies. But Paul doesn’t talk bad about Apollos. He doesn’t criticize these new converts for having been baptized “wrong.” He asks them to tell him about their baptism and they do. It is discovered that they were baptized in John’s baptism, which likewise is not criticized or condemned. Rather they are invited to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They are, and they receive the Holy Spirit, the very breath of God.
Sometimes Paul has been compared to a shrewd entrepreneur. What I admire most about entrepreneurs is that they don’t see enemies, they see opportunities. Why would you hurt or destroy an enemy, when you could befriend them, form a relationship with them that is mutually beneficial? That is what evangelism is all about. It’s about converting an enemy into a friend. It doesn’t mean that you will ike everything about them, but that deep down there are common interests for which we will do better together. We all do better, when we all do better.
If you think that evangelizing would be difficult for you to do, don’t worry, because it was probably hard for Jesus to do too. If you think that you are already on in years and settled into your occupation, and that the last thing that you will do with your life is make disciples of Jesus Christ, you are in good company. Because today when we remember the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ we witness first hand the radical transformation of none other than Jesus Christ himself. Before he was baptized his life’s road was headed toward the very respectable job of being a carpenter! He was raised by Joseph and at the age of 30 in the ancient world, it would be like a person being the age of 50 in our world today. By that age you are not a new start in your career, you are settled in. You have put in the time to learn your trade. And yet Jesus, who was without sin, gets in the same waters of Jordan River with other sinners and is baptized by John his second cousin once removed. Jesus may not have had any sins to wash away but he did repent. He radically changed his life to become an itinerant preacher, healer, and teacher of God’s children both Jewish and Gentile. The Holy Spirit descended down from heaven in the form of dove and this same Spirit animated by God’s words, “This is my Son the Beloved” spurs Jesus to radically reform and repent his life to begin his public ministry.
The same Holy Spirit today falls on each and every person who hears the Word of God to stir up your hearts to go and evangelize and do public ministry. Listen. A lot of those 5,000 people who stormed the capitol had Christian flags and banners, and crosses. I suppose some of them thought they were doing God’s will. I am not one to judge whether they are truly Christians or not. That is between them and God. But I will say this. That was a terrible evangelism strategy. Violence and coercion never made a disciple of Jesus. Love is the only way to win a heart for God.
Martin Luther King Junior said that darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, but only love can do that. We must be in the business of God’s entrepreneurial evangelism converting enemies with love to fellow disciples of Christ. We can do this!
We can do this because out of chaos God creates new life. From the crucifixion came resurrection. From the earth being a formless void, the Spirit of God created the cosmos. Today we read in Genesis chapter one verse one that in the beginning it was a mess. It was chaos. Everything was darkness and reality all around was a formless void. If you have never done so before I would invite you today to consider how the words of creation in Genesis so closely compare to the birth of child.
A baby that is still in the womb lives in darkness and a formless void. All around the child is water. Genesis says that in the darkness the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. Before a mother gives birth her embryonic sac is ruptured and so now air can enter and hover over what was once just water. Then when the blessed mother gives birth for the frist time in the life the child sees light. And God said, “Let there be light!” The child realizes at that moment that there is light, and that it is good. Creation unfolds before the child. When Jesus was born 2000 years ago, he came into the world born of Mary and when he saw the light he saw creation unfold before him just like he must have seen it eons before at the dawn of all creation. It was a proleptic fold of time upon itself unfolding anew with the presence of God woven into the physical fabric of creation.
Each time a child of God is baptized they are immersed into these same waters of creation. They enter into the water that ran down the Jordan and held Jesus. In your baptism you enter into the same water that broke to bore Jesus into the world. It is the same water that poured from Jesus side when the lanced his lung on the cross. And by his wounds you are healed. By his death you are resurrected. God is delivering us God’s precious creation unto new life. Everything old is passing away, and God says, “Behold I am making all things new!”
God calls down from Heaven, God’s own voice chasing after the Holy Spirit in flight like a dove and God voice speaks to each of you sayings, “You are my beloved! With you I am well pleased!”
You are my beloved! With you I am well pleased! Amen.
Yesterday all morning long I kept being asked the same question, “Dad are you going to help me make the bad guy Legos”? At first I said, “Yeah, whatever, daddy needs a cup of coffee first.” After coffee again I was asked, “Daddy when are you going to help me with my bad guy Legos?” Well, then I had to help with the dishes to unclog the kitchen so that breakfast could be made. Then there were more dishes, and a sermon to write. The child asked me again for the 972nd time, “Can you help me with my bad guy Legos”? What are bad guy Legos anyway? I looked at the box. The day before we had opened bag one and put together a police care and police officer. Now bag 2 had the getaway care, a safe with some money, and a bad guy who carried a crowbar for his weapon, or tool? The bad guy really looked bad too, he had a mean scowl on his face, his clothes looked kind of aggressive.
BadGuyLego courtesy flickr legopicler The problem with bad guys, isn’t just that they exist, but how many there are. It’s a sad fact that almost anyone, under certain circumstances, might buckle and do really bad things. It is the human condition. And it is this condition for which God sent a savior in Jesus Christ whose birth and salvation we celebrate. How exactly does Jesus save us? There are many theories of atonement; and blessedly none are deemed to be the only correct way. In other words there are many different theories of atonement. One such theory is the Moral Influence theory.
Moral Influence Theory suggests that Jesus shows how to live justly, and influences us to do so. The emphasis on the crucifixion in this theory is that Jesus non-violently resists the evil in the world. He shows how we should resist it too. What Would Jesus Do? That is a question at the heart of Moral Influence Theory. A saved person who does and Jesus would do.
The epistle reading from Galatians conveys a Moral Influence theory of salvation. Paul says that at first we are like children being raised by a guardian. The guardian teaches us right from wrong according to the law. Jesus when he was born on Christmas and grew up as a child and into an adult showed us the way to live under the law. But long term we grow up to have the law written on our hearts. We naturally align with God’s intention for creation. We don’t worry so much about the laws or rules, but we follow God with joy!
The grace of God changes people’s hearts and makes them better people. But some people aren’t told the good news about God. They are more at risk of going down a path that leads to bad behavior. Furthermore, what does it mean if less and less people practice religion? What does it mean if Lutheran have a hard time growing? What does it mean for our future, and what does it mean for the future of civilization?
There are three things that evangelicals do:
- Experience salvation
Simeon the prophet is an example of what it means to be an evangelical. He was at the temple, like he was almost every day. A stirring in his heart and a whisper in his mind told him to approach a family that was presenting their child to God in a religious ritual. When he saw the child his heart filled with joy and he was overcome by emotion. He was so moved by this religious and spiritual experience that he took the child and blessed. He had a personal encounter. The evangelical experience of Christian faith is one that is marked by having a personal experience of accepting, seeing, or experiencing Jesus in a real way. John Wesley called it a warming of the heart. For many traditional Lutherans this experience happens during Holy Communion where you actually receive Christ.
- Personal Testimony
The prophetess Anna is an example of evangelical Christian faith as well. She openly shares about her faith with others. Actually it’s more like she would talk to anyone who would listen. Word of mouth is the way that news of Jesus spread, and someone like Anna was very important to getting the word out. Being evangelical, and telling people about Jesus doesn’t have to be dramatic or in your face. It just means telling your story. Your experience which is unique from everyone else’s.
- Performing Everything according to the law
Evangelical Christians are concerned about the difference between right and wrong. They strive to do what is right. There is vigorous and robust debate and disagreement on some areas of what it means to live a holy and righteous life. But evangelical type Christians have in common is a desire to follow God’s law. To do what is right and just in God’s eyes. Mary and Joseph take the time to bring their child to the Temple, to study God’s word, and to participate in religious tradition. Evangelical Lutherans do the same things, we try to live and teach our children to follow God’s laws.
The truth is that all three of these things can be hard for people to do. I would go further to say that these things are impossible for anyone to do, on their own. But with God all things are possible. In fact the Holy Spirit guides us, influences us, gently nudges us, and occasionally knocks us upside the head. Jesus does this for us too.
St. Paul writes in the letter to the Galatians that Jesus came at just the right time to lead us into lives of holiness. While we are still learning how to have faith in God the law is a disciplinarian giving us guidelines for what is right and what is wrong. Eventually faith in God guides us from our heart so that we freely serve in God. Jesus gently leads us.
In the fullness of time we will be transformed by God’s salvation. This time of year the surfing beaches can get a little bit crowded. Regular surfers might be known to giggle at people who are out trying to surf for the first time. They call it the Christmas paddle. It’s a general term used all year long for someone who sits way back on their board and paddles out in a not so natural way. The term is used because people who get a surfboard for Christmas will be out their paddling funny at first. But that’s how most people start. Over the course of time the grace of God’s ocean, the waves, the wind, the sun, the water, all of it come together so that beautiful surfing happen. People appear to walk on water with movement and grace. An evangelical Christian is one who is moved by God’s grace, and others want to be like them! So be an Evangelical!
This Christmas is a very special Christmas, because it comes on the heels of a very unique year. The year 2020 has been one to remember. Wildfires have ripped through much of the western United States ravaging property and threatening life. There has been loss of human life due to violence. Some of the deepest political division folks can remember have tested our social groupings often near the breaking point. Many relationships have suffered. But the biggest challenge of all has been the worldwide pandemic known as Covid19.
The pandemic has challenged us in so many ways. Countless jobs and businesses have simply just vanished. Meaningful social interaction and support has been ripped apart by the need to distance and stay home. Millions of people are sick. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. And even though we are thankful for the development of vaccines; we are not out of the woods at all. Our lives have been disrupted. That is why we are worshipping outside and online.
There are a lot of parallels to the Christmas story, actually. There was social unrest at the time of Jesus’ birth too. Jewish people were divided about how to faithfully follow their religion and live under Roman rule. There were extremist movements, and religious and political leaders divided about how to live. There was violence. We read that there was a mandate by the Roman Caesar for a census. We also had a census this year. But this mandated action of the government totally disrupted the lives of Mary and Joseph.
Mary and Joseph were literally forced out into the cold in Joseph’s ancestral home of Bethlehem because there was no room in the inn. Too many people were travelling. So when the time came for Mary to have the baby, they simply had to make do. They had to improvise. They had to think creatively about what they could do with what they had at their disposal. They had a manger, that is a kind of trough for feeding animals. That is where they placed the Christ child, the baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph had to make do.
Make Do Because of Christmas courtesy Malcolmon Flickr Right after the baby is born a delegation of angels goes and announces the birth to shepherds keeping watch of their flocks by night. The angels tell the shepherds that a savior has been born. A savior! A savior is born! Christmas is so special because yes it is Jesus’ birthday, but it is also more than just a birthday. The saving work of Jesus begins as soon as he is born. He is the savior! So what is it that a newborn child does to save? He gives Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the animals, and everyone a purpose and a reason to keep going when times are tough. He gives them a reason to make do. Mary and Joseph didn’t have time to wallow in the misery of being out in the cold, they had to take action, they had to make do! Now here we are two thousand and twenty years later and Jesus our savior is still giving us a reason to make do!
Our good friend Jeremy who is also godfather to our children was born early. Very early. He came premature. When his mother Jaimee went into labor the story goes, she was upset because they didn’t yet have a crib for the baby. Greg, Jeremy’s father, was a sheriff’s deputy. As a part of his training he took a course on childbirth in emergency situations. So when Jaimee expressed her worry about not having a crib, Greg simply said, we’ll make do. We have a laundry basket. We can just use that and put a towel in the bottom! Can you imagine the look on Jaimee’s face!? But they made do! Why? Because when you have something as precious as a baby to take care of, it puts things into perspective, and you make do. The baby child saves you from despair and the “paralysis of analysis” and inspires you to take action and make do!
So here we are in the Christmas of 2020. And what are we doing? We are making do! We are meeting outside with masks on. We are working and learning from each other. Our lives are totally disrupted, we don’t like all of the changes, but we are making do. Why? Because that’s what you do as a responsible caring person. You make do, to reduce harm, and preserve life, especially the life of the most vulnerable. Why do we care for the most vulnerable? Because of Christmas! That’s what Jesus was on this night 2020 years ago: a tiny vulnerable child that was also God with us, incarnated, the savior of the whole world.
I remember when our third child was born. I was finishing up pastoral internship in Sierra Vista, Arizona. To be honest I was feeling kind of depressed those days. We would be moving back to Sheri’s family home and just waiting for a call to come so I could pastor and provide for my family. I felt so anxious and worried for my family. It was during that time that my heart felt heavy and burdened. Has your heart felt heavy or crumpled up during the pandemic? I remember holding my newborn child during that time against my chest as I lay on a recliner. As I held the baby child to my chest I would feel the pain and anxiety in my heart get pulled out. I called him my, “poultice.” My heart would warm and I would be filled with happiness and joy. For a moment I started panicking and thinking, is the child absorbing this from me like a sponge? And if so, is the baby ok? I took the baby off my chest and examined him. He had a happy little contented face. He seemed alright, so back he went on my chest vacuuming away my anxiety. Christ the savior does this for us. He takes away the pain and uncertainty during this time of disruption.
Christ gives us the strength to make do so that as we struggle through these days we look forward to better days. We look forward to a world after the Covid pandemic that is better than the world we lived in before the pandemic started. It’s not enough to just go back to the way things were, because things weren’t good enough! Christ doesn’t want normal. Christ wants a world better than normal. Christ wants a better world, and exceptional world, a more peaceful and prosperous world. We know that God is totally 100% committed to caring for and saving this world. Why do we know this, because of Christmas!
Right now millions are suffering from Covid, but millions more were suffering before Covid ever happened. God doesn’t just want to heal us from this disease but to heal us from the diseases of injustice, and hate, and fear, and lies, and sin. God will heal us and lead us into a better world. Why? Because of Christmas!
Right now people are suffering from Covid and do you know what their symptoms are? Of course you do!
People with Covid often can’t smell or taste. That’s bad. But how many people can’t smell or taste because there isn’t any food? God is going to give the ability to smell and taste, but also God is going to lead us to place where none suffer from hunger or thirst! Where every child in the whole world can enjoy the delicious smells and flavors of rich food. Why? Because of Christmas!
People with Covid may struggle to breath. That’s bad. God is going to heal the lungs not just of those who have Covid but the millions of living creatures who breath in toxic fumes of our own making! God wants there to be clear beautiful air over the entire earth. God will heal the earth and make a world where all children can run and climb and play in safety. Why do we know this? Because of Christmas!
People with Covid burn with a fever and shiver with chills. That’s bad. God is going to heal that. But millions more people burn with hatred and or shiver with fear. Oftentimes both! God is not only going to heal the Covid, God is going to heal the hearts of those who suffer from fear and hate. So that all people know the peace of God that passes all understanding. Why? Because of Christmas!
People with Covid suffer from fatigue, which is bad. But how many millions of people all over the world were already fatigued by working not one, not two, but three and four jobs just to make ends meet. God is going to help us beat Covid, but also beet grinding poverty. God is fashioning a world where all parents and adults can have time to rest and celebrate with loved ones, not in isolation but in togetherness. It will happen in God’s time! Why? Because of Christmas!
This Christ child born 2020 years ago is still saving, still healing, still calling us to make do with what we have, and by God’s grace lead us into something better. Something more closely fashioned to the will of God, to the kingdom of God, whose reign has begun, and whose reign will have no end. How do we know this? Because of Christmas! Amen.
We read in the Gospel according to Saint Luke chapter one beginning at verse twenty six that the angel Gabriel visits Mary while her cousin Elizabeth is already six months pregnant. The angel says to Mary, “Hail Mary full of grace, blessed are you among women.” That is quite a greeting, and it comes from none other than Gabriel. So how does Mary respond? She is perplexed and maybe a little disturbed by the greeting. She wonders what kind of a greeting this might be. In other words Mary was skeptical and cautious..
La Virgen Indígena by Walker My first call as a pastor was in Santa Ana, California. There was this thing in Santa Ana that we called the “Santa Ana Stare.” It was a thing you do when you live in Santa Ana, and you use it pretty much every time you are in public and interacting with people you don’t know. You elevate the chin, stick it out a little bit to look tough, maybe cock your head to side slightly, definitely narrow your eyelids, and if necessary: you scowl. It was just something everybody did, and we learned to do it too. You never knew if someone was coming at you to hustle you, or take advantage of you. Put it this way, if you didn’t do this on a regular basis then you were seen as a soft target and pushover. Nobody took you seriously and assumed that you had driven into town from Laguna Beach or Ladera Ranch or wherever. Now I need to be clear that I’m not talking about mad dogging someone. That’s when you stare at someone provocative as if to want to start something. Don’t do that. The garden variety stink eye is just a way of letting people know not to give you a hard time. What if that’s how Mary looked at Gabriel? I could really see it. Mary knew how to be cautious and put up a wall; as to not be hustled. I could see her staring Gabriel down! Who does this guy thing he is coming into my space and telling me who I am?
Gabriel senses this, because the next words he says are, “Do not be afraid.” He tells Mary that she has found grace with God. Now isn’t that something? She doesn’t find grace with God after she believes, or after she has faith. She finds Grace with God even while she is doubting and criticizing and picking apart these words of Gabriel. Gabriel continues and explains that she will conceive a child, name him Jesus, and that he will be a savior of the people. He will rule like King David, and his kingdom will have no end. What happens next? Does she believe? No! She questions Gabriel. How can this be, since I am a virgin? Mary is nobody’s fool. She knows how these things work.
We often talk about Mary being a woman of faith, which is true, but we don’t always talk about how tough she must have been. She doesn’t just believe Garbriel at first. She doubts and questions.Once again, now for the third time Gabriel shares with Mary incredible words and promises. He says that she will conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God almighty will be on her, and the child will be called the Son of God. He says that her cousin who is old is six months pregnant. The kicker that Gabriel says is, “For nothing is impossible with God.”
Finally Mary after the third attempt of Gabriel acknowledges and seems to accept. But her affirmation is very shrewd. She doesn’t jump up and down and get giddy. She simply acknowledges that God will do what God will do. Let it be. It isn’t a resignation; it’s not that she is worn down. She says it with her head held high: “I am the servant to God; let it be as you have said.”
Back when we lived and served in Santa Ana, we gained the confidence of our friend Genesis. One day she watched our kids when Sheri attended to some visitations. When we came back we found Genesis standing in front of our kids with her arms crossed and staring down some guy as he passed. It meant so much to us that she cared and for and protected our kids. Maybe that’s why God chose someone like Mary to be the mother of Jesus. The fact that she doubted at first, and questioned, didn’t get in the way of her faith. It meant she was the right person for the job. If you struggle with doubt or questions that’s okay. There is still room for faith. God still pours out grace to you and has a purpose for you. Amen.
I don’t know about you, but I am feeling a little blue this Christmas season. The main reason is the lack of social interaction. I miss not being able to see my family and spend time with them, and that makes me feel a little sad and lonely. But you know, it’s funny because if this were any other year I’d probably be feeling stressed out about having to deal with out of town relatives. Normally the holidays are known for an extra added level of stress in dealing with your relatives, friends, and family members. You know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about those disagreements and debates you get into with your relatives about politics, social issues, religion, money, and more.
Peanut Butter and Politics, photo courtesy flickr GT#2 My brest friend from college and I agreed an almost everything, so we thought. We both really liked our math classes, mountain biking, hiking, and definitely had the same sense of humor. So we decided that we would be roommates! Everything was going great until we discovered we had a big difference. It had to do with the “p” word. Peanut Butter. I was die hard Laura Scudder’s oil separates naturally, and he was die hard Skippy partially hydrogenated oil that didn’t separate. How would we get along? But seriously, it wasn’t until after college that we discovered that we did disagree quite significantly on the other “p” word: politics. But we have stayed friends despite this difference.
Religion is definitely one area where there are differences of opinion. One such difference is between prioritizing acts of service or acts of ritual. On the one hand people will say that a truly faithful life is reflected in worship. That is making time to participate in an organized religious service with prayer, music, word, tradition, rituals, and a sermon. On the other hand are people who argue that a truly religious and faithful life is shown in acts of service throughout the week, that is, in living a life that is holy and upright as God would intend.
These differences of opinion are reflected in the Gospel reading from Saint John chapter one. The temple priests and Levites have left the temple in Jerusalem and gone out to see what John is up to in the wilderness. The priests and Levites would have emphasized traditions and rituals done in the temple as a core and perhaps primary sign of what it meant to be a faithful Jew. Others were critical of worship in the temple because it had become burdensome and weighed down by unnecessary practices and costs.
The Pharisees, in fact, emphasized daily practice of following God’s laws rather than just doing religious rituals in the temple. Many of the Pharisees had a reforming spirit in which they attempted to interpret the laws of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, so that ordinary people would be able to follow them and practice their faith. But as a group they were criticized for being at times legalistic and overly worried about monitoring people’s behavior.
We have the same arguments today. Some people argue that the most important thing is worship and ritual, while others argue that the most important thing is how we live our life. However, the real problem isn’t that there are differences of opinion, it is that there is often an unwillingness today to try to listen to and understand another person’s point of view. The reason why we have such a hard time listening to and appreciating a different point of view is because we are entrapped in works righteousness.
Works righteousness is a deadly and dangerous way of thinking. It holds that a person must by their own efforts make themself into a good and righteous person. It is the illusion that a person by hard work and perseverance may secure for themself safety, stability, and salvation. It is so dangerous because the person who is seduced by works-righteousness believes that they must be right. So if we are all obsessed with having to be right, then a person who disagrees with us is a threat. If they are right, then we might be wrong. And if we are wrong, then we must really be a loser.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We actually don’t have to be obsessed with being right. Consider the example of Mary. Today we read Mary’s song, the Magnificat. Mary sang out with joy to the Lord because even though she was humble and small, God looked with favor upon her and blessed her immeasurably. Her song reflects the themes in Isaiah chapter sixty one. God will bring back to life the places that have been devastated for generations. God will give relief to the afflicted. God’s grace binds up the brokenhearted to give hope to those who are sad. God will give freedom to the captives and imprisoned who feel the walls closing in on them God will set you free. God will give food to the hungry. For those who suffer from having too much food or power God will help take that away too, and give it to those who need it. But the best part of all is that God does all of these things not to people who are right and good, but to people who are sinners and wrong. You are saved by grace through faith, and not by works.
Today is the third Sunday in Advent. We light the pink candle. We remember Mary’s song, and we share in joy, because God is gracious and loving to us; more so than we deserve. Christmas is a time of joy because we get together with friends and family who we might disagree with deeply, who might make us crazy, but somehow we also find joy in it. I know there is joy in being with people I disagree with, because this year in quarantine when we aren't able to make each other crazy, we miss that joy, that frenzied joy of the holidays.
So what can we do? What can we do to bring joy back into our lives during a Christmas season that is right in the middle of a pandemic. I believe the answer is obvious. You need to reach out and talk to somebody who you wildly disagree with. You need to pick the phone and call someone, write a message, or somehow communicate with someone that makes you crazy. The reason you can do this, is because you don’t have to worry about being right. Let them try to prove you wrong. What do you have to lose? Nothing! Because you’re saved by God’s grace anyway! You don’t have to be right. Think of the joy you will receive by communicating with someone you disagree with. I better watch out. I’m gonna notice who calls me after this sermon and just want to talk. It’s a tip off, if you know what I mean.
So a great example of taking time to communicate with someone you disagree with is in the gospel reading. Did you catch who sent the Levites and priests out to see John? It was the Pharisees. The Pharisees who disagreed with the priests and many things took the time to reach out and say, “You have got to go out into the desert and meet this John the Baptizer guy.” So if they could do it, then we could do it. You can pick up the phone and call your crazy uncle just because.
My friend Brian and I caught up just the other day. I was feeling kind of sad and lonely during the holidays. We had a great chat. We talked about our families, our jobs, religions; and although we didn’t talk about politics too much, we enjoyed catching up. It gave me great joy. I hope you can reach out and find joy in connecting with a friend and loved one too. Amen.
Sheri and I decided to travel to Nicaragua to visit my friend Craig who was in the Peace Corps. It would be an adventurous journey. I bought the book, “Central America on a Shoestring Budget,” published by Lonely Planet Press. The only reservation we made for a two week journey was a one way ticket into Managua, Nicaragua, and another one way ticket from Costa Rica back to the Los Angeles International Airport. We didn’t pack suitcases. We packed backpacks. The plan was to travel by bus from Managua to Estelí. The bus we got at the airport was not a greyhound bus, no seats that recline, no AC, and definitely no toilet. It was a school bus. There wasn’t any room for our backpacks, so the driver let us put them at the front on top of the engine. We kept a close eye on them as we drove north into the mountains. The closer we got to Estelí the more road construction there was. Travel slowed to a crawl. By the time we reached the small city of Estelí the roads were totally torn apart with countless people working.
Nicaragua Bus via flickr Hurd Have you ever seen people building roads in a developing country? It’s a little bit different than what you might be used to. Think of cobblestone roads. Construction workers pour concrete footings and curbs only. The middle section has dirt that is tamped down and then bricks or stones are meticulously laid down in rows under yellow strings that are pulled tight as a guide to make the road level. Finally we lurched into the bus depot in Estelí and there was my friend Craig waiting patiently with a big smile. He welcomed us, and asked how the drive was. I said that it was slow because of all of the road construction. Sheri didn’t say much at all. I think maybe she was in shock. I asked Craig why there was so much construction. He laughed and said that it was because an election was coming up. The local governor was up for re-election. He had run on a platform of improving roads and infrastructure a few years ago. Now he was attempting to get the work done to prove that he was worth earning another term. Craig said that most people thought it was hilarious because the election is in a couple of weeks, so there’s not a whole lot that he can get done. The people were frustrated at the government for not caring for them, and for making life difficult.
People in the time of John the Baptize were also frustrated with the government and religious leaders. The problem was that the temple based religion had become corrupt. It was expensive and burdensome for most people to physically travel to Jerusalem, go to the Temple, exchange Roman money for the Temple currency, and then buy an animal sacrifice to give to the priest in order to have their sins forgiven. It was a lot of expensive work! Does this remind you of anything?
During the time of Martin Luther it was also expensive and burdensome for most ordinary people to buy or earn and indulgence that would give them the assurance of sins forgiven and religious salvation. Luther studied the Bible and discovered that salvation couldn’t be bought or sold, or even earned, but that it was a free gift given by God to all of creation. You are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Luther took it as his life’s mission to proclaim the Word of God and make it available to as many people as possible.
John the Baptizer also had a mission to proclaim the Word of God. He called people to repentance, baptized them in the River Jordan, which is how he gets his name, and declared to people the forgiveness of their sins. In other words John preached the grace of God that forgives, and not the work of going to Jerusalem and abiding by all of the rules to have one’s sins forgiven. John took his inspiration from the prophet Isaiah of whom we read and study today. Isaiah in chapter forty encourages comfort for the people. He says that the people have already suffered and paid double for all of their sins, and that now God has forgiven their sins.
John the Baptizer joins ranks with Isaiah and all of the prophets throughout history to call the people to have faith. God will come to be with you, and to save you. John says that the one who is coming is greater than he. He will baptize with fire of the Holy Spirit, and he is so great that John isn’t worthy to touch his feet. The Lord will come at any moment. God will come like a thief in the night. Remember that a day for God is like a thousand years for us, and that a thousand years for God is like a day for us. So have faith that God forgives you, and that God will save you from sin, death, and the devil.
What you can do, says John with Isaiah, is to prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. God will be patient with you as you prepare the way. When Sheri and I traveled to Nicaragua we saw people working hard to create good roads. When we got off the road and went into the town square we carried our backpacks with us. They were heavy. We could not roll them on the ground because the didn’t have wheels, and even if they did the ground was too bumpy to roll them along anyway. We walked to city square not far from the Bus Depot. Craig told us to take off our backpacks and set them down. It would be much easier to give us a tour this way. I asked if there were lockers or some place we should leave them that was safe. He said that it would be safe to leave them right there on a bench in the square, in the middle of this little city. I looked around to assess the situation.
I saw a woman selling food. She was right next to us. She had tacos and sandwiches arranged on platters and the whole thing was covered with plastic to keep the bugs and critters away in the high altitude semi tropical environment. She had a swatter to help her get rid of the bugs. She looked at us and smiled. In the other direction a man with a cowboy hat was walking a very large pig. A rope was tied around its neck. He held a few loops of rope and with the other end he would hit the pig’s butt to get it to walk. It would let out a little squeal take a few steps and then he would swat it again. There were children everywhere laughing and looking at us. There was a tall Catholic church on one side of the square and closer to us a convenience store selling what was advertised to be the coldest beer in Nicaragua. I looked at Craig like he was crazy. Are you sure we should leave our things here unattended?
Craig smiled and laughed again. He said that if we were in a big city like Managua we should be careful. But here in this place everybody knows everybody, and traditional family and religious values rule supreme. He said that if anyone touched our bags the rest of the town would swoop on them and they would live with scorn and embarrassment for the rest of their days as a person so inconsiderate as to steal from a foreigner. He looked at me and his face communicated nonverbally as if to say, “Have faith.”
Faith is about laying down your burdens and realizing that your hard work isn’t going to save you. Insisting on carrying my earthly possessions throughout the town would not save anything but just waste our time and energy. I was a complete stranger to these people but they welcomed us with hospitality and grace. For the next few days we ate the most delicious food of “gallo pinto” black beans and rice with homemade goat cheese. We drank coffee that was sweeter than Coca Cola and cookies that were saltier than saltines. We had naca tamales with chicken bones inside of them because it added more flavor. We didn’t earn any of it. We didn’t deserve any of it. It was God’s pure grace given to us by some of the most economically poor people I have ever met. These were a people of faith. These were people who were prepared for surprise guests. These were a people who laughed at their local politician trying to earn last minute favors by fixing the road into town. They had already made the most important preparations. These were a people who had prepared the royal highway of their hearts. These were a people of faith calling us to faith. They are calling to me now still. They are calling you too. Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare your heart. Have faith that God will come. Amen.
Sometimes you don’t see God
It is traditional to begin the season of Advent and the new year at the end of time. Mark chapter thirteen has been called the mini-apocalypse, because it sounds so much like the book of Revelation and a prophecy about the end of time. The language is poetic and striking. The sky will grow dark and the stars will fall from heaven. I can imagine the sky growing dark from smoke, but for the stars to fall this would suggest a total collapse of the galaxy and universe. That would be very bad. I read something like this and I wonder if Saint Mark had taken a modern astronomy class if maybe these words of Jesus would have been remembered differently. But the real kicker is when Jesus says that all of these things will happen before this generation passes. Well that was two thousand years ago. So what does that mean? We have been waiting for a long time to see the face of God.
What happens when people don’t see the face of God? According to Isaiah chapter sixty four, the people begin to behave very badly and live unethically because they begin to think that perhaps nobody will hold them accountable, and that they are alone in the universe. It is sobering to note that some of the greatest atrocities to humanity have occured while the Christian faith was reinterpreted into a liberal theology. Both the holocaust in Europe, and Jim Crow segregation in the United States with widespread lynching took place when high minded Christian theologians sought to separate Christian faith away from supernatural claims on reality to a more palatable and congruous. In other words something like the second coming of Christ and the end of time when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead was changed into an allegory to say that Jesus wasn’t really going to come back, but that was just the backwards thinking of a millenia ago. Rather than put their trust in Jesus, many people put their trust in their own work and inventiveness.
At the same time that Christianity sought to be relevant to a modern world, most Christian leaders, preachers, theologians, were silent in the face of cruelty and abuse of Jews in Europe and Blacks in America. At the time many people even saw a lynching tree as a good work that kep civil order. But it was precisely blacks in America who suffered unspeakable cruelty and Jews in Europe who out of anyone should be the ones to question where the face of God is. For many black Americans who knew mob violence it was in the cross of Jesus that they found hope and the strength to keep on going.
La solución: Jesús viene
The good news is that Jesus is going to come. The prophetic words that he spoke in the Gospel of Mark did come true within his generation. The sun and moon were darkened, possibly by an eclipse. The powers that be were shaken from their thrones namely pontius pilate and the Roman rulers. And Jesus Chris the Son of Man did come into his glory. Jesus was glorified on the cross of Golgotha, he was hung from a tree. To many people they looked to the cross and saw only foolishness and weakness. But those who are being saved, but to those who are suffering, moaning, and groaning to see the face of God then the cross indeed is the glory of God. Jesus cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” These words give hope to anyone that has ever longed to see the face of God. Even Jesus who is God, felt like God had abandoned him on the cross. When you feel abandoned this gives you good news, because you aren’t alone. Jesus reaches out from the cross to give you his strength. Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will remain forever.
photo courtesy Mueller flickr So while you wait for the coming of the Son of Man, for God’s face to be revealed to you, it sould help to know that you have everything that you need. Pau writes in the first letter to the Corinthians that the people are not lacking in any spiritual gift while they wait. God has given this church every spiritual gift that we need to carry out the mission. God intends for us to love one another as God loved us. A person is not given strength from the cross simply so that you can endure the hardship of life. No. Said again the purpose of the cross is not to romanticize suffering. The purpose of the cross is to give you strength to endure hardship to help God in creating a more just and peaceful world. We do not want to replicate the cross of Jesus. We don’t want people hung from trees, sent to gas chambers, or otherwise enabled to die at a young and senseless age. We want to wake up and create a more peaceful and prosperous world.
“Get Woke”
Have you ever been so tired you didn’t know you were asleep. When I was a teenager I had the enormous blessing to participate in a two week long hiking and backpacking trip through Colorado Outward Bound. We were mountaineering through the Rockis. I loved it! I remember one night being so tired. We had finished making our dinner and were all lined up in our sleeping bags. I heard one kid talking. I told myself that I would close my eyes and try to fall asleep and just ignore the talking. So I closed my eyes but the talking continued and I got so frustrated that I told him to be quiet, I was trying to sleep. Everyone laughed and said, but it is time to wake up! I opened my eyes and indeed dawn was breaking. The sky in the east was lightening. Every part of my body still felt tired. Nevertheless I got up. I knew that this could be the only time in my life that I could spend all day everyday hiking in nature. It wasn’t about my work or being clever. It was about the awesome magnitude and terrible beauty of the mountains. Something good was going to happen. I didn’t want to miss it. That is what Advent is all about. It’s about waking up. Seeing the world in all of it’s terrible beauty so that you don’t miss out when God shows up when you least expect it.
I like numbers. I was a math major in college. Numbers have a soothing way of being orderly in a world that can be very chaotic. I get along well usually with engineers, scientists, and other people who think technically. So if you are more of a social or emotional person, please be patient with me. Know that I love you, but know that you are dealing with a numbers person. For some time I’ve been thinking about how the first few garden variety positive whole numbers have to do with faith. So let’s start at the beginning shall we.
There are at least six ways to know Jesus Zero - nothing without God there is nothing
One - There is one God
Two - The two natures of Jesus: Human and Divine, the mystic union of physical matter and spiritual essence
Three - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God in three persons perfect unity, The trinity gets its own Sunday
Four - The four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and also the four fold form of worship: Gather, Word, Meal and Sending
Five - The five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, The Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy
Six - What about six? Honestly this number has tripped me up for some time. I have always been a little freaked out by it, because of the mark of the beast: 666. Is there something bad about the number six? How relieved I was when studying the texts for this Sunday it occurred that six was a number core to the message. You see there are six ways that Jesus can come to us in our lives.
Today is Christ the King Sunday. Today we remember that Jesus will come back to Earth and judge as a righteous king. Jesus will judge each and everyone of your according to your actions. To determine if you are worthy of entering into the kingdom of God. Are you an unjust sinner? Or are you a righteous follower of God? I cannot be that judge, none of us can judge or know who is saved and who is not. Only Jesus can judge. But know this, you will be judged. Everybody will be judged, and nobody is above God’s righteous judgement.
Are you worthy to enter heaven? When you stand before God almighty, how will you measure up? Well there’s good news. You are saved by grace through faith and not by your works. If you put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you will be saved. You don’t have to worry about death, evil, or sin. All you have to do is have faith and believe that Jesus is real, and worship him. So what does that mean, exactly? To have faith in Jesus. Thankfully today in Matthew 25 Jesus gives us specific instructions for what it means to believe in Jesus. And as a math person, I love the fact that there are exactly six ways you can believe in Jesus. So let’s take a look.
One - I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. Who is hungry? A hungry person is Jesus. Believe it! So give them food. The other night we were putting the kids to bed. Everyone had brushed their teeth, put on their jammies, and was tucked in bed. Then one kids says, “Daddy I’m hungry.” It was soul crushing. I had a glass of red wine with my name on it. The remote was all queued up for binge watching TV. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that we had already had dinner, and the child didn’t eat. A hungry person is Jesus. So if you believe in Jesus, you feed the child. This is the way.
Two - I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. We adopted a dog. We did this, large part, due to some social pressure from some of you. You know who you are. We love our dog. And my wife asks the kids everyday. Did you feed and water the dog? Water the dog? What does that mean? If I just pour water on him, he’s not going to like that! But if the dog is thirsty you have to give it water. By the way, how we treat animals is a reflection of how we love God too. But how many people don’t have clean water in the world? Anyone who is thirsty is Jesus.
Three - I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Do we have any strangers this morning? How do we treat strangers in our society? How do we treat people who are knew, who are foreign? Anytime you meet someone who you don’t know, who is a stranger, a newbie, you are meeting Jesus. Believe it. Put your faith in it. You want to talk about numbers. Do you know how many migrant children are in detention centers, and we can’t find their parents. 666. I believe in the rule of law. I believe in legal immigration. But I also believe in Jesus. Are we treating those 666 as if each one is Jesus Christ? Legal or not. Jesus.
Four - I was naked and you gave me some clothes. The other day we had a vagrant on our property. They trashed our bathroom and startled our preschool staff and parents just as school was started. I was called in and I worked with the person. We talked, we prayed, I gave her a Bible, gift cards, and she went on her way. It felt pretty good. But you know what bothers me about that day. She walked away without shoes. I could have done better. God forgive me. Maybe someone out there listening would be willing to help me.
Five - I was sick and you cared for me. Too bad there aren’t any sick people right now. Oh wait, we are in the worst global pandemic humanity has dealt with in over 100 years. Over 250,000 dead. Millions more getting sick every day. Each person who gets sick is Jesus. The other day I called me sister. She was so sad and depressed on the phone. I was like, “sis, what’s wrong with you.” I just got back from a funeral. Our friend died. He was doctor from San Francisco. His husband is crushed and doesn’t know what to do. This doctor from San Francisco, I don’t know if he was a church goer, but he cared for sick people. He gave his life trying to save life. I would say he had faith in Jesus. He saw Jesus in the sick. Do you?
Six - I was in prison and you visited me. When I was an intern one of our members got arrested and sent to jail. He called us asking for help. I remember feeling so mad, how could he just be picked up like that? Then when the pastor and I visited him in jail, the more we talked to him, the more I realized that he had done some really bad stuff, and frankly he kind of deserved to be there. And yet Jesus doesn’t say what kind of prisoner. Any prisoner, including the vast majority, the overwhelming majority who have done bad things. They are Jesus. It’s a matter of faith. Eventually he was released, and he and his wife reached out, and what do you think they wanted. They wanted their kids baptized, right away. There was a reckoning, and priorities were getting sorted out. We baptized the children.
So this is our last of three stewardship sermons. I would encourage you to support this ministry through your financial gifts. Sheri and I do. We do because we believe that faith makes all the difference in the world. Faith is healing balm that has the power to change lives, right wrongs, and fashion this world into the kingdom God would have it be. So go forth and believe in Jesus. Amen.
Every single human being that you encounter is to be treated like Jesus Christ from on high. Your neighbor, your enemy, your child, spouse, friend, ex, parent, step-parent, weird uncle, long lost cousin, mailman, politician, homeless, every single human that you encounter is to be treated as you would treat Jesus.
This is your stewardship sermon 202. The Church.
Construction Tools via flickr Sheri and I had decided that we would tithe. We would give 10% of our earned income to God. The problem was that on a regular basis I was asked for money or assistance. So we decided that we would have cash on hand to help people in need, and that the amount we would have was $100. So the next day a guy said he needed help buying tools. He was learning carpentry at a union school. We went to home depot with his list and when we checked out the total is $101.30. I opened up my wallet and pulled out five $20 bills. I had a hundred dollars even.
So are we saved by works or not? The parable of the talents from Matthew 25 seems to suggest that work makes all the difference in the world. Two servants do a good job in doubling their master’s money. The master tells them, “Well done good and faithful servants.” They are rewarded for their labor. The third servant fails. He hides his master’s money and gives it back to him basically untouched. He is called wicked and lazy and punished severely. What’s the difference? On the surface the difference seems to be works. The two good servants work well and are saved. The third seems to not work, and is not saved. This is challenging for us, because the core of our confession of faith is that our own works don’t save us, but only God’s grace. So how are we to make sense of this parable?
Could we suffer the same fate as the wicked and lazy servant? Could God chastise us and condemn us to eternal suffering? That all depends on you, doesn’t it. Remember that in this parable the owner of the talents leaves the servants alone for a long time. If God is the owner of everything, then has God left us alone for a long time? When was the last time you had a close encounter with God? When was the last time God walked the face of the earth directly in contact with human beings and the beasts of the created order? It has been two thousand years since Jesus resurrected and ascended into heaven. I don’t know about you, but for me, two thousand years is a long time! Jesus promised that he would come back!
Today we read the last of the five consecutive readings from First Thessalonians. Paul again is encouraging the church in Thessaloniki to not lose faith that Jesus is coming back. It is inevitable, says Paul. It is like a woman who is going to give birth. She cannot escape the reality. We cannot escape the reality of Jesus coming back to earth. It will happen. Just as you cannot control the birth of new life you cannot control the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s going to happen. The question is, how will you measure up when the Lord of Heaven and Earth stands before you asking you to give account for the talents he has given you. Have you accomplished the task that Jesus gave you? Have you followed the 10 commandments? Did you love your neighbor as yourself? What will God say to you? Well done good and trustworthy slave? Or will God call you a wicked and lazy slave?
In order to answer that question, it is necessary to clarify what exactly does God expect from you? And what exactly are the talents? Historically speaking a talent was a lifetime worth of wages. It is a quantity of money that only kings and queens dealt with. It represents the accumulation of hundreds and thousands of subjects paying tribute to the king. It is unequicicolly the most precious and valuable form of currency that exists. But you are no fool are you? You know that God does not value money above all else. You know that there are things that God values more than money. Quite simply: you and I. When you gather together not just money, but the people who earn and give money. When you gather together the faithful who believe in God what do you have? You have the church! So they key to understanding this parable is in recognizing what God values above all else, that is, God’s people. You and me. You are more than a servant to God, you are God’s most prized possession.
God loves you. God loves you and is jealous for you so badly that God will not rest until all souls are under his loving care. God gathers where he does not sew. God collects from far and wide to own you and possess you, and care for you forever. You live under the caring domain of God’s unconditional love. You are God’s talents. For God you are more valuable than the most precious currency in existence. You are worth more than Bitcoin! More than a trillion dollars! More than Class A shares of Berkshire-Hathaway. You are worth more than the gold of Buckingham Palace. Once you know that, it makes all the difference in the world. Once you know that God desires an ingathering and care for all of creation then your life takes a different shape.
The desire to serve God is not to earn salvation. It is a recognition that everything we are and have belongs to God, and we live under God’s perpetual love and grace. So this is supposed to be a stewardship sermon, right? So when does that come into play? Last week the point is that God wants you to save and be prepared to take care of yourself so that you can serve God at a moment’s notice. This week the point is that God wants to see the church grow. God wants all people on the face of the earth to know of God’s unconditional love. God wants the people, God’s people, to be gathered to God, and the church to be strong and capable of witnessing to God’s love. If the first commitment in stewardship is yourself, the second one is God’s church. Remember the 10-10-80 rule? A good rule to strive for is to save 10% of what you earn. That is stewardship. Another 10% God invites you to give to the church. The tithe. Your finances, your time, your talents, as gifts to God help to grow the church. To bring God’s most precious treasure, God’s people together to know the unconditional love of God.
So when we were at the cash register I looked at Jesus. He stuck his hands in his pockets and pulled them in side out. In one pocket was a crumpled up dollar bill. In the other pocket was a quarter and a nickel. The amount totalled $1.30 exactly. I kid you not the cashier clapped as did the person behind us in line. I dare you. Set aside some money you wish to invest for God. See what happens! See what the return is on your investment. Amen.
Have you ever felt abandoned by God?
Telecaster The Problem: Waiting
Matthew 25:1-13
The groom was late, very late. He didn’t show up for the wedding until midnight. Some of the bridesmaids were foolish and assumed that he wasn’t going to show up at all. They thought very little of the groom and that it wasn’t worth their time to be prepared. Maybe he just wasn’t going to show up at all. Why bother bringing extra oil for the lamps. That is why they didn’t have any extra. This is the parable from Matthew 25:1-13. What if the groom in the parable is Jesus, and Jesus’ bride is the church? The foolish bridesmaids then, would be people who doubt that Jesus will ever show up to fulfill his promise. They are the doubters.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Believe it or not the early church was so focused on the imminent return of Jesus that it was a surprise when Christians died of natural causes or old age. Sure there was martyrdom, that is, believers dying because of their faith. But when Jesus didn’t come back right away and older members started dying of natural causes the new church wondered about what was going on. Paul addresses this issue in his letter to the church in Thessaloniki. He encourages them not to give up hope. The dead will rise like Jesus rose form the dead and they will be a part of God’s kingdom. It’s okay to be sad, but don’t lose hope. That was Paul’s message to the church. Jesus will come, and when he does we will meet him in the clouds and be part of his entourage into the earth. These good words and good news give faith to all who hear them.
Amos 5:18-24
The Solution: Wisdom
Matthew: being prepared because you have faith that God will come
Faith is what keeps you going when you have to wait for God to act, to save, and yes to come back to save us. Faith is believing that God will be true to the promises made. Faith keeps you going through uncertainty. It is like oil that can be burned in a lamp. Even though the night is long and dark; oil is a wonderful thing like liquid sunshine that burns and gives hope in the darkness. Faith is a gift of God that does just that.
You are saved by grace through faith and not by your works.
So What: Save
One way to practice your faith is to save and prepare. The five bridesmaids who are wise also have faith. They believe that the groom will show up. The believe that Jesus will come back. They are so certain of this that they have purchased extra oil to keep with them so that they can welcome the groom at whatever hour he comes. Faith isn’t about sitting around doing nothing, faith is about taking your responsibility seriously because God will show up at any moment, and we want to show that we are ready to serve our Lord.
So what does this have to do with stewardship? Stewardship is about how we manage the resources God has give you; your time, your money, and your life. When it comes to money God wants you to be wise and to save. Yes you should give money away, but you should also give money to yourself. God wants you to be wise and prepared like the five wise bridesmaids. They were savers. They were ready for the long night. Are you ready for a rainy day? Are you ready for the long night?
Financial experts suggest having enough savings to pay for at least three months of expenses, but really six months is the goal. Do you have enough savings to live for six months: your rent or mortgage, utilities, food, etc? If you don’t then it’s time to start saving! Stewardship is about more than the money you give to God at church. God wants your whole life to be an offering. That means being prepared to take care of yourself when the night is long, or when the rain falls, or when any of life’s uncertainties happen.
Now what about the five foolish bridesmaids and how they ask for the oil. Some have asked me that isn’t the Christian thing to do, share? What if the five foolish bridesmaids had enough money and time to get oil, but they really just didn’t have faith in the groom. They only asked for oil at the very last moment, when the groom came. In that situation the Christian thing is to say, “no.” It’s having a boundary. It’s letting the five foolish bridesmaids take responsibility for their actions. That’s part of stewardship too.
1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13
When are you going to open the church?
If I had a nickel for each time I have been asked this question, then I would have a whole pile of nickels. I might even have a drawer full of nickels. It is actually a very good question, but in order to answer this question we must first define what the church is. You see these buildings? They are beautiful. They are useful. But they are not the church. You are the church. Whether or not the church is open isn’t up to just me, it is up to each and everyone of you, because you are the church. So let me ask you? When are you going to open the church?
We need to talk about being prepared not just for a spike in cases of Covid 19, but any kind of disaster that would prevent us from regularly worshipping together. The problem is that we think that in order to practice our faith we need a church building. But that’s not true. The good news is that God will still love you, forgive you, and bless you even if you cannot attend a traditional worship service. You can worship God anywhere. Today I will teach you how to organize a worship service, so you can worship God at any time anywhere. So check it out!
There are four steps to a complete worship service:
- Gather
- Word
- Meal
- Sending
I will briefly explain each one.
- Gather
Life is chaotic. Think about the strong winds we had this past week. They were so powerful as they blew down off the mountains and ripped through the valleys out to the beaches and sea. Consider the path of destruction they left. Trees were uprooted and fell onto cars and houses. Leaves, branches, and trash scattered everywhere. Halloween decorations strewn across yards and into the street. Of course it could be worse like Hurricane or Tropical Storm Zeta. The point is that these are extreme cases of an everyday phenomenon. Life gets messy, and order is disrupted. After a strong wind you go outside and gather what has been scattered. The first step of worship is to gather with God.
In our household the best time for us to gather everyday is dinnertime. We use the fact that we all get hungry and thirsty to our advantage. Either Sheri or I will, and mostly it is Sheri, will prepare a meal and have everyone in the household sit down together at the same time. We gather around the table. When you gather you may listen to one another. How was your day? What was good? What was difficult? That’s it! It’s simple.
Not everyone lives in a family group. Many people live alone. Gathering is about much more than the physical. Today is All Saints Sunday. We remember that our loved ones after they die are with God. They are part of the “Cloud of Witnesses,” and the great multitude form every tribe and nation as prophesied in Revelation chapter 7. So even if you are alone in your apartment, when you take time to Gather with God you gather with the saints of the past, present, and future. You are with the Great Cloud of Witnesses. Not to mention new ways we gather with telephone, letters, and increasingly video conferences.
- Word
Worship in the Christian tradition must involve the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. The simplest most accessible way to receive the Word of God is to open up your Bible and read. As a pastor I have to study the Bible everyday to prepare for the sermon and Bible Studies. So when we eat a meal as a family, I will sometimes just tell a story from the Bible that I have been studying. This is the easiest way to tell the word of God to children. Don’t worry about getting all of the details exactly right. Just do your best to tell the story. Sometimes there isn’t a good story to tell, or there might just be a really good verse to share. Read and meditate on this verse or story. Think about it. Ask question. What does it mean? Again don’t worry about having a perfect understanding. God doesn’t expect perfection. Just try your best to study and understand the Bible.
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 that the new church in Thessaloniki was successful because the received the Word of God not as just a word form humans, but as from God. Then the Word of God worked inside of them. Like something with a mind of its own it spreads throughout the body, mind, and soul. Think about a virus. It spreads in your body too, often doing harm. The Word of God spreads, but to give life and faith.
- Meal
This is the tricky one, but not really. Holy Communion is a treasured part of worship. When for six months we were not gathering together people worried a lot about not taking communion. I remember being on a zoom call with the Bishop and other pastors the week after we were in quarantine. He asked that we show leadership by fasting from Holy Communion for the time being. I remember feeling like I was going to panic. “What is worship without communion?” I thought to myself. The Bishop reminded us that for many generations Christians would only receive communion once a year. Martyrs have been imprisoned for years without communion and yet they had tremendous faith. He was right.
Jesus said, “I am wine. I am bread. Give to all who hunger and thirst.” The whole point is that God can come to be with you in regular nourishing things like bread. So if you are quarantined, or if you are alone, please do not starve yourself. Eat bread. Drink water, or wine. As I mentioned my family makes time for God when we eat dinner. The food that God has given us is sacred, and nourishes our bodies, minds, and souls.
No meal is complete without prayer. Food tastes better when you pray. You connect to God, you connect to one another, you commune with the saints past present and future when you pray.
- Sending
When our family eats dinner at the end of the mealtime there is a lull. The lull is when you begin to think about what is next. Who will do the dishes, sweep the floor, and take out the trash. Maybe you will do all of these things if you live alone. Fine. What will you do afterwards. This is when we make a plan of action. Rather than let the night or day dissolve into entropy, what are your goals. Will you take a go at that challenging book gathering dust on your nightstand, like, “Godel, Escher, Bach,” by Hoffstader. Will you play a board or card game? What are the big projects you have to tackle tomorrow.
Paul writes in 1 Thesselonians 2:9 that when he came to Thessaloniki he was not a mooch. He didn’t roll into town expecting to be fed and housed. He earned his keep. Some say he was tailor, or a leather worker. He had practical skills and carried his weight. The Christian life is one where we are sent out to work and be productive! So worship extends into the labors that keep everything going. Worship has the power to transform our spirits into joy so that we may engage in the struggle of life with hope, dignity, and joy.
So here we are. It is a beautiful day. Maybe we will all be together again in real life, face to face, physically gathering next Sunday. But if we aren’t. Please oh please do not ask when the church will be open. This building behind me is not the church. The church is people. The Saints are the church. Church happens when you in your home do four very simple things:
- Gather with God
- Receive the Word
- Share a Meal
- Be Sent to Serve
Do these things and the church isn’t closed. Do these things and you will have communion with God. Do these things and you will grow more closely into Saint that God is calling you to be. Amen.
Slide courtesy flickr