Category Archives: Resurrection Lutheran Church

Touched by G.R.A.C.E.

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Grace is something you can never earn or deserve, because it can only be given. God’s love and forgiveness is a gift of grace given to us in Jesus Christ. My confirmation pastor taught me that G.R.A.C.E. can be defined as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. No one can climb the ladder of moral righteousness to achieve God’s favor, rather God has come down the ladder to us in Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ death and resurrection are grace to us.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God. Ephesian 2:8

However, the word is so heavily use among Lutherans that it becomes common jargon.  Grace can lose its luster and awesome quality. I yearn for a fresh perspective on the gift of God’s grace to me. I yearn to be touched again by G.R.A.C.E.

Then tonight as I preached about God’s grace, it struck me, “This congregation is a gift of God to me.” I don’t deserve or merit their trust in my ministry. God’s grace is manifested in the welcome I have received as their pastor. The “awe” of that gracious gift overwhelmed me as I worshipped, prayed and preached among gracious people. Thanks be to God. And thanks be to Resurrection Lutheran Church.

Lord Jesus, touch us once again with your G.R.A.C.E.

Buying the Bib

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This afternoon I registered for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 7. I did it after completing a cold 5 miles run and noticed an immediate lift in my mood. I was excited to get started in the training. I realize the psychological lift comes partially from setting goals and working towards them. I have completed ten marathons since 1999, but skipped 2011 for a variety of reasons. Now that I have “bought the bib,” I need to back it up with proper training.

Running last Wednesday with friends Tim and Dave, we talked about proper training. Proper training means not being a slave to a training program and learning to listen carefully to our bodies. It means the gradual increase of weekly mileage and seeking the balance between rest and hard training. Above all it means perseverance towards the goal. I know that my initial enthusiasm will wane in the coming weeks as the training intensifies.

What has helped me a great deal in my past training has been a good group with which to do the weekly long run. As those weekly runs gradually climb to over fifteen miles or more than two hours, I appreciate having company to encourage or distract me. When I might have quit and turned back early, the group seemed to pull me along. Running is often a solitary sport, but a good running group can be a true blessing. Being now at Resurrection Lutheran, I look forward to find some new running friends.

The Apostle Paul used the image of a foot race in his writings. The Hellenistic world where he preached continued to celebrate the Olympic Games. The Games included several foot races, from 200 meters to 5 kilometers. (The marathon race is a modern development with ancient roots.) Paul had a much more serious “marathon,” establishing new missionary outposts in the cities and towns of Asia Minor and Greece. He persevered through tremendous opposition to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. He preached in a world where people were often more interested in who won the last Olympic wreath than in who could bring them eternal vibrant life. Sounds a bit like today. Near the end of his life Paul wrote, “”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Lord Jesus, train me to fight your good fight and to finish the race you have set before me.

R U Hungry?

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This coming Sunday at Resurrection our Gospel reading will be Mark 6, Jesus’ feeding of the 5000. It is a familiar story that is in all four gospels. On several occasions when food was running low at a church event, people would approach me as pastor to duplicate Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes. I have failed every time to perform some magic trick. However, I never remember anyone going away hungry. Usually we “s-t-r-e—t – c—h” out the food to feed whomever is needy.

Like many stories in scripture this is open to various interpretations as to how it impacts our lives. I don’t believe the story has only one meaning to it, that once the reader discovers it, the story is finished. Rather the story rubs up against my life, challenging, enlightening, guiding my life.

A primary interpretation is that Jesus is like Moses in the Exodus, providing manna in the wilderness for the people of God. In fact Jesus is God himself, since he did not need to consult God about the people’ need, but simply blessed, broke and gave the bread to the people, a foreshadowing of his “blessing, broke and gave” sequence at the Passover meal (Mark 14:22). Jesus is the one who feeds us. John 6 is a lengthy teaching on Jesus as the bread of life.

But I think a second interpretation is the calling of the disciples to feed the people.

Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” (Mark 6:26)

Jesus gave the loaves to the disciples that they might feed the people. As followers of Jesus we are called to be people who feed others, literally. The church has often been an agency that works to feed the hungry. Whether it is the hungry in the horn of Africa or local hunger of our city streets, we are still called by God to feed the hungry around us.  God has blessed us that we might give to others in Jesus’ name.

Lord Jesus, teach me how to feed the hungry in your name.

Church: Cause, Corporation or Community?

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The office staff and I are busy preparing for our annual meeting on Sunday, February 12.  Sometimes it feels like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  Last year  I wrote a post regarding the annual meeting.  In it I argued that every annual meeting needs the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and challenge us. It remains my prayer this year.

Congregational meeting have often gotten a bad rap because they deal with controversial topics like budgets, mission and staffing. They are the central moment when the corporate business of the church takes center stage. Many (including myself) have a discomfort with this focus because it is not our strength. I did not feel call by God to RUN a church, but rather to preach the Gospel and to shepherd God’s people. Yet the corporate business of the church is necessary.

Twenty years ago Jim Dethmer wrote an article for Leadership Journal that continues to help me. He described the church as having three primary identities: Cause, Corporation and Community. As a Cause the church is like an army with a central mission: to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to drive back the forces of evil. The model participant in the Cause is the engaged volunteer who works hard to spread God’s love and grace in word and deed.  As a corporation, the church is like a business, seeking to use its financial resources in the most “profitable” ways. As a corporation the church tries to be a wise steward of its assets.  Finally as a Community the church is like a family with the central attribute being love. The focus of that love is often on the weakest among us: the sick, the grieving, the unemployed.

All three identities (Cause, Corporation and Community) have value and purpose. Scripture bears witness to all three circles.  They also can conflict with one another from time-to-time. The Holy Spirit is needed in all three circles so that such conflicts can be creative and energizing, rather than destructive.

Dethmer rightly observed that pastors often have a strength in one of these and a weakness in another. I invested much of my pastoral ministry in the community circle, writing my Doctor of Ministry Thesis on Congregational Care. I also have a passion for the Gospel of Jesus and how it can impact people’s lives. My weakest area is the corporate or business side of the church. I am very thankful for those members of Resurrection who have that as their strength and passion.  With each person using their strengths and gifts, the church can function well in all three circles.

Which circle is your passion and strength?

Lord Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to empower us to your church.

Baptism Fire

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Teaching confirmation last week, I told our students that Jesus’ baptism by John was not a sign of repentance of sin, but an ordination into ministry. Baptism is a multifaceted experience for Christians that needs to be lifted up in various ways for us to see the beauty and wonder of this gift from God.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes this about baptism connecting all God’s people together, both ordained and laity.

What we have in common is our baptism, that turning point in each of our lives when we were received into the household of God and charged to confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share in his eternal priesthood. That last phrase is crucial. Our baptism are our ordinations, the moments at which we are set apart as God’s people to share Christ’s ministry, whether or not we wear clerical collars around our necks. The instant we rise dripping from the waters of baptism and the sign of the cross is made upon our foreheads, we are marked as Christ’s own forever. (The Preaching Life, p. 30)

Our baptism is our call into ministry. We all have a place to serve in God’s family and God’s world. Through baptism, the Holy Spirit is placed within us to be a burning ember of power and life.  To discover our place can be a challenge in the free-market society we have. There are so many options from which to choose. Yet God has given the Holy Spirit to guide, nudge, empower, coax and affirm our direction in life. The community of faith and our inner voices become crucial in the discovery process.

Luther Seminary has a process called the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process which helps congregations and individuals discover their calling for daily life.  Resurrection Lutheran will be using this process on Saturday morning to help people discover how they can use their baptism fire for God’s glory.

Holy Spirit, ignite us with a passion to serve Jesus and his people.

The Path of Questions

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Winter Wonderland Road by Andrew Young

Often our journey with Christ is like this snowy roadway, uncertain and slippery. We seek certainty and God gives us surprises and questions.

This morning in our Men’s Bible Study as we read Mark 2 and 3 together, I was struck by how many questions Jesus asked:

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? Mark 2:9

The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? Mark 2:19

Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill? Mark 3:4

How can Satan cast out Satan? Mark 3:23

Who are my mother and my brothers? Mark 3:33

I realized that several of these questions are rhetorical in nature. Jesus answered them himself in short order. Still he asked questions to push and to prod his listeners to think about their faith, to consider how their faith in God impacted their lives. The questions are something that we as readers of the gospel should take seriously.

As a pastor I am often asked questions by congregants about current theological issues. Such as, “Must someone confess Jesus Christ as Lord in order to go to heaven?” or “Is the Bible literally true when it says _________________?” I sometime like being the expert, the answer man. It seems to gives me a certain status or recognition. However there is a danger if I answer too quickly. I can possibly cut off the conversation one is having with God, wrestling with the question. The “chewing” on the question can push us to deeper trust and faith in God.

Jesus seemed to recognize this, often answering a question with a question. Clearly he was the “expert” who knew the answer, but he sought a deeper trust relationship with the questioner and also with us, the modern reader.  He showed us that his path is not like a superhighway, but  more often a winding path on a winter’s day.

So pay attention to the questions Jesus asked by asking yourself, “What is Jesus trying to teach me?” 

Lord Jesus, help me not to settle for easy answers, but to trust you to guide my wandering journey.

P.S.  Andy Young is my nephew in Seattle and has a great photo slide show on Facebook.

Social Media Scream and Seeds

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Ahhhhhhh by kennymatic
Ahhhhhhh, a photo by kennymatic on Flickr.

Okay, this social media stuff is becoming more of a challenge. I started this blog over a year ago and I have two Facebook accounts (one for family and one for the congregation) and I use my Droid 3 phone to text my daughter and I have dabbled a bit on Twitter and I want our congregational website to be as current as possible and I need to start an on-line newsletter for the members of Resurrection Lutheran and I know that there are technologies that will link this all together and sometime I just want to SCREAM.

Well, maybe “scream” is a bit of an over-reaction, but certainly I am at time overwhelmed by the technological possibilities that have grabbed hold of our society. I could bury my head in the sand (or an old fashion book), but I feel this call to adapt. After all, the message of Jesus Christ is worth spreading out into the world. I remember that the apostle Paul had to adapt as he made his missionary journeys into the Gentile world. His sermon to the people of Athens revealed how he work to understand their culture, their native religiosity, so as to make a connect to the good news of Jesus Christ (Acts 17:22-34). Every age has had to adapt to new technology and culture. I think one of the great strengths of our Christian faith is that it is adaptable to new times and situations, while staying true to our God.

As I write blog posts and try to compose cleaver tweets, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20), my sermon text for this Sunday. The sower was pretty wild in his tossing of seed. He seemed to be intent on flinging it everywhere, with the confidence that it will find good soil. As I post, tweet, facebook, e-mail and preach I need to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit, the wind of God, to carry the seed to productive soil, where the fantastic news that we are loved and cherished by God will be heard.

Lord Jesus, send your word on the wind of your Spirit.

Seeds of Vibrant Life

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My posts are often inspired by scripture, but occasionally the Holy Spirit works through other mediums. Drew Jonell is a talented artist and photographer who has won awards as a high school student. He is a member of Resurrection Lutheran Church and his photo struck me as an expression of our congregation’s mission statement: to call all people to a Vibrant Life of Faith in Christ.

There are several ways it expresses the Vibrant Life. First, the brilliant blue sky is the source of light. Jesus Christ is our intense blue sky that creates the vibrations and brilliance in our life with Him. The blue sky draws us into the photograph. Jesus Christ draws us into the Vibrant Life.

Second, the drifting clouds, reminds me of the cloud of witnesses who are mentioned in Hebrew’s 12:1. These clouds of witnesses are all saints of God who have preceded us in faith. They now stand in heaven cheering us on in our faith journey. We are not alone in the Vibrant Life.

Third, the seeds being given to the wind are representative of God’s Word giving us strength and hope for the future. The sower sows the Word (Mark 4:14).

Finally the silhouette reminds me that it is the light of Christ which shapes and forms what people see of me. My life is formed by Jesus; I vibrate to his light waves. Without him, everything would be dark or grey. Yet surrounded by him, I am fully alive.

Thanks, Drew, for being inspired to take this photo.

What gives you inspiration for your Vibrant Life of Faith in Christ.

Lord Jesus, continue to sow the Word of life in me.

Cheerful Giving

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Like many of you I have received year-end giving appeals from various organizations, many of them Christian. I realize that many (if not all) realize that people make year-end contributions for two main reasons. The first is the year-end tax deduction that one can receive from the IRS for charitable giving. The other is the “Holiday Spirit” when people feel more charitable.

A part of me sometimes chafes at such reasoning.  “A true and pure Christian would simply give out of love of God, no matter what time of year it is.” But is that just being cynical and snide?

In the Old Testament, the people were instructed to give their offering with the first harvest. It was when they actually had something to give.

Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest (Lev. 23:10).

I’ve come to think that God is very practical and earthy, not so idealistic as I sometime make God to be. God knows that our hearts need encouragement in giving. Many of us are not instantly generous. If the IRS or the “Christmas Spirit” gives you an incentive to give to your favorite charity, then go for it. And if that helps you become a more generous person, give thanks to God.

Which reminds me of a story of a congregation where a guest missionary preach. After her sermon, an offering was taken by the ushers. The usher stopped by one grim-looking member who refused to pass the offering plate. The usher whispered, “It’s for the mission work in Africa.” The member still refused. The usher whispered louder, “Don’t you care about unbelievers?” Still no response. Finally the usher in a voice everyone could hear, “Then why don’t you take some out, it’s for pagans like you anyway.”

Our generosity is to be a fruit of our trust in Jesus.

With that thought made, I would encourage you to make a year-end contribution to your local congregation. And since this blog is an outgrowth of Resurrection Lutheran Church where I am a pastor, you are welcomed to make a contribution to Resurrection if this blog has been a blessing to you in the past year.

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous towards others.

Beginning the Gospel School

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Beginnings need special attention. On the first day of school I would wait with my children at their bus stop and snap a picture to mark the occasion. My first day at Resurrection, I arrived early in the morning and walked the grounds, thinking and praying for the congregation’s future. Our western culture declares a holiday to begin each New Year. The Bible starts with the awesome statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

The New Testament begins with four gospels, each declaring Jesus Christ as Lord, but in unique ways. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus, showing his Jewish heritage through Abraham and David. Mark begins with the words of the Old Testament, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you,” an introduction to John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism. Luke begins in the temple of Jerusalem where an angel announces to the priest Zechariah that in his old age he will have a son, John the Baptist. John has perhaps the most auspicious beginning, directly echoing the words of Genesis, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and was God.”

All four Gospels want to make clear from the beginning that Jesus is a central actor of God’s ongoing story to redeem a corrupt and broken world. The story of the Old Testament set the stage for Jesus’ entrance into the cosmic drama. His entrance shifts the story in a radical new direction, but it is still connected to God’s ongoing redemption.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are called Gospels (Good News) and not biographies. Their purpose is not simple to inform the reader about Jesus’ life, but rather to transform the reader into a passionate follower of Jesus. They make no claim to be unbiased. They have an announcement to declare: Jesus is Good News for those who embrace his mission.

As 2012 begins, I pray that you will embrace this news and seek to follow Jesus as you read from the Gospels. At Resurrection, our Sunday morning Bible texts will be from the Gospel of Mark and we will follow Jesus chapter by chapter to his death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter. Good news is coming in 2012 as we begin our study of Jesus.  Let’s start with joy.

Lord Jesus, show me the way.