Category Archives: Beginnings

On the seventh day they had a picnic

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Yesterday was the kick-off to the fall season for Resurrection Lutheran. Under bright beautiful sky we had our church picnic after worship. The tempting smell of grilled brats, the energetic conversation of friends and neighbors and the loud squeal of dunk-tank participants permeated our church grounds. In the morning worship I joked that for one afternoon we would be Resurrection “Baptist” Church as people were fully submerged in the dunk tank. When my turn came, I was thankful for the cool water on a very warm afternoon.

Two thoughts popped in and out of my head as we celebrated our Vibrant Life in Christ. They both arose from our worship text in the morning: Genesis 1 where God creates the heavens and the earth. Throughout the chapter there is the constant refrain: “And God saw that it was good.” The goodness of God’s creation was being experienced by picnic participants; the joy and wonder on their faces reflected that goodness.

A second thought followed the first. The thought came from part of the Genesis story that I had skipped over in my morning sermon.

So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it because on it God rested from all the work he had done in creation. Genesis 2:3.

God’s rest on the seventh day is a powerful reminder that as God’s creatures we need rest as well. The third commandment flows from this: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. I sensed that many of us were “resting” at our church picnic, even as we scurried around. Much of my normal week is spent sitting indoors/the opportunity to be outdoors, enjoying a beautiful fall afternoon was restful. And when I engage in meaning conversation with other saints it is holy. The morning worship and the afternoon picnic provided me with a healthy dose of rest and remembrance.

Pastor John becomes John the Baptized

And, to top it off, I had the opportunity to remember my baptism as I went into the tank!

How do you find ways to remember the day of rest?

Lord Jesus, help me to remember the gift of the Sabbath each week.

9/11 and Genesis 1

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9 11 Tribute in Lights

As we approach Sunday and the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I have a mixture of emotions. Like many Americans I have strong memories of that tragic day, first hearing the initial reports on my car radio and then watching the TV news feeds through the day. That evening I led an impromptu worship as people gathered to pray and to grieve. The prayer service had a raw anguished energy as people grappled with their fear and anger that came with the impact of the planes.

The following Sunday churches were packed as people continued to wrestle with the meaning and purpose of such a man-made disaster. Yet that spiritual fervor quickly passed as daily life for most Americans did not change. Many local churches marked the one-year anniversary, but I have not seen or heard of a local church memorial service since 2002.

This Sunday I have chosen not to center our worship around 9/11 but rather on the beginning of the school year and our sermon series, The Narrative Lectionary: The Story of the Bible. If Resurrection Lutheran was in New York City or Washington DC we would respond differently. I understand the national news media’s focus upon 9/11, but I wonder if so much attention only serves the terrorist’s cause, continue to give al-Qaeda the notoriety that it had been seeking.

The day after 9/11 I wrote some of my running buddies about my decision not to run on 9/11 or the day after so as to honor those who died in the Pentagon and World Trade Towers and the many first responders who made huge sacrifices to help others. But the following Saturday I choose to run with my running group as a statement to myself and to others that the terrorists did not win that day. They had not destroyed our culture or community. I would remember but not relinquish.

As I prepare to preach on Genesis 1, I am struck by the contrast of that text and 9/11. In the text we read that God declared that the creation is GOOD. Both Genesis 1 and 2 shows us the beauty and wonder of God’s creation and the special place humanity has.

Yet we know evil has worked itself into our world.  Genesis 3 introduces us to the concept of sin and evil, when Eve and Adam eat from the forbidden tree. Genesis 4-11 reveals how widespread sin and evil are: Cain murders Able (Genesis 4:8), the wickedness of humanity (Genesis 6:5) and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). 9/11 only reinforces that theme of human sin. But human sin does not negate or destroy the underlying goodness of God’s creation. On Sunday, we will remember the tragedy of 9/11, but we will also go much, much deeper and remember the goodness of God’s creation and his power to restore us.

What do you think is an appropriate way to remember 9/11?

Lord Jesus, help me to trust, live and serve you even on the darkest days.

In the Beginning

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Genesis 1 starts in a conventional way, In the beginning.   Isn’t that where all stories should begin? Occasionally a novel or movie may start in the middle or end and then flashback to the beginning, but we are conditioned to think Beginning/Middle/End. If we were to start near the middle, we would wonder, “How did we get here?” Genesis 1 has no such confusion.

Genesis 1 however pushes, “In the beginning” to the Nth degree. This is not simply the beginning of a story or a life. It is the beginning of time itself. There can be no earlier beginning or start. This is the ultimate starting point and in some ways beyond our comprehension.

Genesis 1 then states that the only thing prior to the beginning is God. God precedes the beginning and is the one who creates all that was, and is, and will be. In confirmation students sometimes ask, “Who created God?” They struggle to comprehend that God is the First Cause, the Eternal One. I often respond to their question with this response: if I said “X” created God, then you would ask “who created X?” And if I said “Y created X,” then who created Y? God is at the very beginning and the first creator. In the beginning God created.

I find this opening phrase of the Bible to be not just a deep theological concept, but also an even deeper source of comfort and hope. The creation is NOT a random act of physical and chemical reactions, but a CREATION that God started for a reason. God wanted a beginning, chose to create. God did not do this in secret, but revealed this creative beginning to us in his Word. God wants us to know that He stands behind the creation we observe and live within.

And if he is the author of this creation story, then he has a purpose for us. God deliberately choose to create each part of creation, giving us significance. God stands at the beginning of creation and at the beginning of each day.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

How do you invite God into your beginnings?

Lord Jesus, may my beginnings start with you today.

The Story of the Bible

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Pop Bible Quiz: Place these five famous Biblical characters in their correct chronological/ Biblical order: (answer at the bottom of the blog.)

  • Moses
  • Ruth
  • John the Baptist
  • Elijah
  • Abraham

The reason I popped this quiz is to prep for our upcoming sermon series this fall, winter and spring. This year at Resurrection Lutheran we will be using a series of Bible Readings that covers the WHOLE Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

The series is called the Narrative Lectionary. Narrative means story and Lectionary means series of Bible readings, so our series of Scripture readings will tell the large story of the Bible. We will be racing through the Old and New Testament, touching on the highlights of the God’s interactions with humanity. We will not be reading every chapter or book, but we will be seeking the BIG PICTURE of God’s consistent search to pull humanity back into God’s loving care.

This fall we will be moving through the Old Testament. We will read how humanity rebelled against God and how God chose a special people, the children of Abraham, to be his agents of restoration. This will be a quick survey of major stories and events and will lead us to the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

The Wonder of God's Creation

We will begin this week with the first chapter of the first book, Genesis 1. Many of us know the opening words, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” As one reads the chapter, a constant refrain keeps popping up, “And God saw that it was good.” (v. 4, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). The goodness of creation is especially emphasized with the creation of human being. Humanity is the crowning glory, the best of the very best, in God’s magnificent creation. Humanity is not some fluke of chemistry, but the planned desire of God.

Which means you are not a random act, but a beautiful creation of God, made in God’s image. You are beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). You have purpose and meaning, given to you by the Creator. Part of that purpose and meaning is to discover your role or place in God’s story. So join us as we discover the unending story of God’s love for God’s people, and specifically for you.

Answers to the Pop Quiz: Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Elijah, John the Baptist

Lord Jesus, thank you for the wonder of your creation.  Help me to discover my place in your ongoing story.

Go in Peace, Serve the Lord

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Yesterday morning our youth mission team left for a mission trip to Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota.   They will be serving among the people of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe in both children’s programs and work projects.  I ask for your prayers as they live out our congregation’s mission statement: trust, live and serve.   They bear witness to the vibrant life of faith in Christ by their trusting in Jesus, their living in daily community with the Word of God and prayer, and by serving others. 

Launching our Mission Team for Service

We had a prayer of blessing as they prepared to leave.   As I reflect on their departure, I realize that this is a graphic illustration of what a congregation should be every week: a launching pad for ministry in the world.  This week our youth team is doing that in a very intentional way. 

I believe mission trips are vital to a congregation’s vitality.  Such trips provide opportunity for intentional reflection upon our place in God’s kingdom.  Participants  interact with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.  They discover how their unique gifts and dependable strengths can be used to help others.  And each day the team has devotions and conversation so that they can integrate their often physical experiences into their spiritual, emotional and mental lives.  Such trips can truly be life-changing.

Yet Christian service is not restricted to mission trips.  We can serve God by loving our neighbor wherever we are: in our homes, workplaces or community.  As we love our children or spouse, as we work with our staff and customers, as we visit with our neighbors, we can be God’s hands, feet, voice and heart in the world. We all can be servants of God in our daily lives.  A mission trip trains the heart and mind for such daily service.

At the end of worship each Sunday I announce. “Go in peace. Serve the Lord.”   The congregation responds, “Thanks be to God.”  I love this sending.  I just wish that some Sunday we would take time to report on how we serve the Lord this past week.  I am confident that our youth team will have some stories to share.

What helps you  to serve?

Lord Jesus, we ask you to bless and encourage the youth of Resurrection as they serve in your kingdom.

Running Club Passion and Pain

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One of my passions is consistent aerobic exercise. However my passion has been inconsistent, waxing and waning through the years. Through most of my adult life, I have had spurts of consistent running, only to be sidelined by the “urgency” of my daily life. This was especially true when my children were little.

The Running Club in a non-running moment

Then in the winter of 1999 Tim Torgerson approached me about starting a church-based marathon training group. He was looking towards October’s Twin City Marathon. I was gullible and naïve and so said yes. The training group started in March, running together on Saturday mornings. Each week we were accountable to each other. I had a training schedule to keep and people checking on me.

However a dreaded “running injury” struck and I had to take a month out in June for physical therapy. Still I felt this need/desire to be back with the group as quickly as possible. Finally on October 3, 1999, I finished TCM with seven others from the group. After our suceess “the training group” became a year-round running club.

Over the next ten years the St. Andrew’s Running Club gave me the support and encouragement to finish ten marathons. Last summer when I finished Grandma’s, I knew I needed a break to recover from some nagging injuries. Later I said good-bye to St. Andrew’s Running Club as I followed God’s call to Resurrection Lutheran. After a long winter of physical therapy, I am now finally ready to start running. Last week I was able to do three runs of 2-3 miles.

I have also discovered a new joy with cycling. Last Wednesday Dave Johnson from Resurrection showed me some of the great bike routes nearby. Yesterday I biked with Tim and Dan and needed their support as I experienced my first three flats.

Through these experiences, I have discovered that I benefit from a group to help me stay consistent in running or cycling. Which leads me to a question: Is anyone interested in a running or cycling club based here at Resurrection? Let me know.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another, Proverbs 27:17

Lord Jesus, lead us into the fellowship groups you want us to have so that we might live the vibrant life.

Deep Gladness and Deep Hunger

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The Wonderous Joy of Graduation

Yesterday Resurrection Lutheran honored our high school seniors who will soon be graduates. There are seventeen seniors in our congregation who now embark on a new section of their life journey. For many of them the journey includes further education or training before embracing a vocation or career. Rarely will that choice be a life-long decision in which they work at one setting all their lives.

I have posted before on Martin Luther’s perspective on God’s role in our vocation or calling. Yesterday with the seniors I quoted from author Frederick Buechner,

Vocation comes from the Latin vocare, “to call” and means the work a person is called to by God. There are all different kinds of voices calling you to different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of society, say, or the superego, or self-interest.

By and large a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need to do and (b) that the world needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you’ve missed requirement (b). On the other hand if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you are bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a), but probably aren’t helping your patients much either.

Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. (F. Buechner, Beyond Words, p. 404-405)

Buechner’s words ring true for me. I have discovered great joy as I grow into my calling as pastor of Resurrection. I see it in my family as my daughter prepares again to be a pastry chef for the summer and as my son works to start a new business. Each of us is doing something we love and in a setting that will benefit others.

How have you heard God’s calling in your life?

Lord Jesus, show me how I can best love my neighbor through my vocation.

New Website for Resurrection

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Trust Live Serve

After six months of thought, discussion, prayer, work and waiting, Resurrection Lutheran Church has a new look for its website.  I am so thankful for all the creative work Sue Guck, Matthew Mayer, Susan Asplund, Sarah Storvick, and Betsy Hickey put into this project.  They not only worked hard rewriting and reformatting information, but they had to tolerate my occasional rants and false starts.  They are a great team and I am so thankful for each of them.

The website has some new features: calendar, map and streaming audio.  In the coming weeks we expect to add other features such an on-line registration, store and video.  It remains a work in progress and your feedback is welcomed.  Our primary goal is to introduce visitors to Resurrection and then to serve people within our community.

The new look is part of the process of communicating our congregation’s mission and vision.  Like many congregations, Resurrection is seeking how to best utilize the many tools the internet now provides: web, e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.  This blog is also part of the overall process.  No one tool is sufficient by itself.  Together they have the potential to reinforce our congregation’s mission: to call all people to a vibrant life of faith in Christ.

The internet is a powerful set of tools for our mission.  Yet there is an even better tool available. I am convinced that the best way to invite people to join our mission is face-to-face invitation.  A warm personal invitation to a neighbor or co-worker has the power of the Holy Spirit with it.   People are more likely to trust your personal words of invitation than all the e-mail, blogs or tweets that I or anyone can send.  You are God’s missionary in your community.

Jesus said,  “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The last time I checked south Washington county is not beyond the ends of the earth.

How do you bear witness to Jesus in a creative or caring way?

Lord Jesus, show me a way to bear witness to you today.

Bicycling Together

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At times I look as stiff as this sculpture

This week it seems as if someone has hit a button and Minnesota has shifted from winter to summer.  Thunderstorms, hail and tornado warnings have replace snow and windchill as topics of conversation.   With this shift in weather, I have been able to use my new bicycle, but I still need to check the radar before changing to bike shorts.

Bicycling is a new sport for me.  I still do not know all the nuts and bolts of my bike.  Someone recently asked what shoes and clipless pedals I had.  I had no idea.  I still awkward each time I start out for a ride.  I am thankful for my friend, Tim Torgerson,  who mentors me in the fine art of a group ride.

It reminds me when I first started serious running twelve years ago, training for my first marathon.  Being a newbie is awkward.   I remember the first time I went on a ten-mile run with the group in the spring.  I wore a cotton t-shirt and paid the price when the sweat-soaked shirt chaffed my skin.   By the end of that run I had blood streaks on the shirt from chaffed nipples.  Not a pretty sight.

Yet even after that embarrassment, I came back to run with the group, because they gave me so many rewarding training runs.  I remember especially some of the long training runs around White Bear Lake or out through Stillwater and back along the Gateway Trail.   The camaraderie of a good training group gave me confidence to set high goals and to work hard to achieve them. 

The spiritual life of a Christian can have similar moments of awkward beginnings.  We may not know where to find a book in the Bible or how to pray out loud with others.  We’re not sure what words are correct or how to express our feelings.  Yet to maximize the vibrant life with Christ, we need to be in fellowship/training with other Christians.  We need other followers of Christ to help us grow in the study of God’s Word, in the art of caring for one another, and in the discipline of prayer.   Hopefully we will remember our own awkward beginnings and with patience mentor each other to grow more Christ-like.

Who has been a mentor to you in your Christian life? How have you mentored others?

Lord Jesus, show me the path to true Christian community.

Colorful Vegetables for the Spiritual Life

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Whats more colorful or spiritual than VeggieTales?

Every week I receive an e-mail from Mayo Clinic on how to live a healthier life.  Recently it recommended that my dinner plate become more “colorful” with a variety of vegetables and fruit.   Yesterday when I visited my mom, she and the other residents were served a plate bright with red pepper, yellow squash, green beans and orange carrots.  Mom was eating healthy.

Afterwards I made the connection to yesterday’s post and my disparaging comments about zucchini.  As I thought more, zucchini grows into what God created it to be: zucchini.    It adds color and nutrition,  if not taste, to many meals.   It can be part of a healthy diet.

So I want to stretch the vegetable analogy.  Perhaps, as Christians, we need variety in our spiritual disciplines to live healthy lives with God.  We need to add color or spice (even zucchini?) to the ways we open our lives to God.  

Certainly, if one has no discipline, no method of reading scripture, saying prayers, or attending worship, then the simple acts of reading Matthew or John, saying the Lord’s Prayer and participating in Sunday worship are a great beginning.  But if such a pattern is already established, then variety may be needed.  Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Instead of praying a list of prayers,  light a candle and sit in silence, listening for God
  • Instead of reading a Bible chapter, do research on a favorite word in the Bible: love, joy
  • Instead of praying at your desk or table, go for a walk outside and converse with God.
  • Instead of attending your normal church, worship in a church of a different tradition: charismatic, Quaker, Roman Catholic (this is very hard to write as a pastor, but I do it when I am on vacation, so why shouldn’t you?)

In other words, change your pattern of spiritual discipline, with the intention of opening your life in a new way to God’s presence.   You may discover that the old ways are still the best, but you may return with a fresh perspective.  Or you may discover a new spiritual practice that you can embrace fully.

Lent starts tomorrow; what new spiritual disciplines might you embrace for the journey?