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Running with the Truth and Joy

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You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.  John 8:32 

When Jesus said this, he was not talking about a kind of philosophical truth that only deeper thinkers would find.  Rather Jesus was saying that he was the source of all truth and that knowing him would give us the freedom to live fully alive.  Later in John’s gospel, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”   Knowing Jesus as friend and savior guides us to knowing the truth about ourselves, our world and our relationship with others and with God.  Jesus is the true source of a vibrant life.  

Running with Joy is TRUE Running

Truth as personal knowledge of Jesus is similar to how I understand running.  On a biological and psychological level I can know that running is good for me, but that rarely gets me out the door and on the trail.  Rather I need to experience the benefits first hand, feel the joy of lungs breathing deeply and legs turning quickly.  As I run I experience the real truth about the benefits of running. My head clears and my spirit soars (at least on the good days.)  Now that I can run four miles again, the joy is especially sweet. 

The same is true with knowing Jesus, only as I run with him and experience him in my own life do I discover that he is the truth.  Jesus is not some collection of doctrines to comprehend, but a true friendship that keeps me moving along the road of life.  He is a true friend who seeks to guide, encourage, warn and embrace us.  

How true and real is your friendship with Jesus today?

Lord Jesus be real to me this hour, this day.

The Gift of Mentoring

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Tonya, Brian and Terri

One aspect of our youth mission trip that makes me proud as a pastor is the joyful enthusiasm our adult mentors bring to the trip.  Tonya Bushard, Brian Wright, and Terri Nelson agreed early on to accompany the youth as “chaperones,” but they are so much more.  They are fully engaged in the mission, participating in all the activities and encouraging the youth to be open to God’s Spirit.   They are mentors, demonstrating how to trust, live and serve as a follower of Jesus Christ.

When I was in high school, my youth group advisors were Jerry and Nada Torgerson.  They opened their hearts and their home to the dozen or more high school youth who participated in our congregation.  They took us to special youth rallies at Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle, packing more than the legal limit into their station wagon.  They organized backpacking trips into the Olympic Mountains.  They shared scripture and prayer and modeled the Christian life.  They were a big influence in my call to pastoral ministry.

Mentoring youth needs to be a high priority in congregation like Resurrection.  As a congregation we pledge at every baptism to guide and assist our children and  youth as they grow into adult followers of Jesus Christ.   Many have embraced this pledge by being Sunday school teachers, confirmation guides and Vacation Bible Adventure mentors. Others participate in more informal ways, praying for and encouraging our youth.  Mentoring youth is a congregational ministry that cannot be left solely to a professional youth director or pastor.  All of us need to use our unique gifts and strengths to raise up children of God. 

How are you participating in the ministry to children and youth?

Lord Jesus, show me ways to encourage and support children and youth as they grow in you.  

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.

Jonah and the Animals

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One last post regarding the Book of Jonah.   The book is loaded with animal images, beside the whale.  First, Jonah’s name means “dove,” and how he likes to fly.  After the great fish comes the animals of Nineveh: the cattle, pigs, goats, chickens and dogs all dressed in ashes and sackcloth (3:8).   That sight alone would be worth the price of admission.  Then in the final chapter, a bush grow quickly in a day and then shrivels when eaten by a worm.  In each case (except the “dove” named Jonah) the creature follows the commands of the Creator.

Jay and Molly dwarfed by the Grand Tetons

The book of Jonah proclaims the tremendous power of God as creator, managing the natural order of land, sea and sky.  In this summer travel season many of families are rediscovering what a marvelous and awesome world we live in.  I loved this recent photograph of Jay Hickey and his daughter Molly.   First I have always loved the fierce beauty of the Grand Teton Mountains.  But this picture also captures how small we humans are in the vast order of God’s creation.  In a gentle, ironic way the book of Jonah calls us to be faithful, loving creatures of God, serving our place in God’s creation.  Even Jonah, the wayward dove, discovers his place in God’s plan.

In the book of Jonah, God is the LORD of creation, but he has given humanity tremendous freedom.  Will we use this freedom to bless God’s world or to curse it?  To discover God or to ignore the Spirit?

Lord Jesus, create within me a sense of wonder and awe at your marvelous handiwork.

Try A Little Kindness

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I am guessing that many think kindness is a great virtue. It is listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22. Stories about stopping to help a stranded motorist or ailing neighbor pull at our heart-strings. Frequently when we read about a natural disaster hitting a community, we also read how members of the community reach out in kindness to one another, providing meals, shelter, and cleanup activities. Kindness is something we value, but we often neglect. Why?

I think there are at least two things that stop me from being kind. One is my busyness. To express an act of kindness to an individual in need means that I need to suspend my agenda for a time and focus on the concerns of someone else. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is a prime example. The traveling Samaritan gave up his agenda to help the person wounded and bleeding at the side of the road.

The second thing that holds me back is that I am unsure what to do. In a natural disaster, there are clearly identifiable needs, but with my co-worker who is having a bad day I’m not sure what kindness looks like. Perhaps it is just a listening ear, a kind word of encouragement, a cup of cold water? Perhaps the simplest way to act is to do unto others as I would like them to treat me.

Kindness is not so very hard, yet I struggle with it every day. I pray that God will make my heart and my schedule open to acts of kindness for others. For in acts of kindness we see the heart of God. “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water (or lemonade) to one of my children will not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42.

When has an act of kindness touched your life deeply?

Lord Jesus, help me to perform at least one act of kindness this week-end.

Teach Your Children Well

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Yesterday’s post reminded me of the importance of teaching our children well.  They are watching everything we do, even at church.

A family was riding home from church one afternoon and the father was complaining about the pastor going past the noon hour and the fact that he has missed the first inning of his favorite team.  The daughter was distraught with the fact that her boyfriend sat in a row with another young lady and the mom was commenting on what she thought was the poor quality of some members of the worship band.  After a couple of moments of silence the little six year old brother commented from the corner in the back seat “Well, I thought it was a pretty good show for a buck”.

Son Jonathan and I hiking

Parents remain the primary teachers for our children.  What I value as a dad has certainly influenced my children.  I know that my son learned to enjoy camping, hiking and backpacking primarily because he and I would spend a week camping every summer during his childhood.  It was something my father passed on to me and I have shared with my son.   I also know that my children highly value their education because my wife stressed its importance from an early age.  She was constantly seeking ways to enhance their learning beyond the classroom, helping each child reach his or her full potential.

The same is true for spiritual formation, from prayer to Bible reading, from stewardship of finances to volunteering.  As parents we are the primary models of what it means to follow Jesus Christ.  Our words and actions are being watched each Sunday morning as well as the rest of the week.  Are we being models that reflect God’s grace and power?

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Recite these words to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away. Deut. 6: 4-7

O God, giver of all life, provide wisdom and encouragement to all mothers and fathers. Make them teachers and examples of righteousness for their children.  Let their light shine brightly so that their children can discover the path to you, our Lord and Savior

How Long, oh Lord?

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Yesterday in worship I was struck by the cry of Psalm 13.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Like many, I am naturally drawn to the psalms of trust and praise.  I seek to be an upbeat, positive person who sees the cup half-filled.  I prefer the happy psalms that shout praise to God.  Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:2  So when I hear the psalms of complaint and lament, it seems to grate upon my ears and rub against my soul.  Shouldn’t we rejoice and avoid lamentations?

However the book of psalms has almost an equal number of lament psalms as praise psalms.  The book reflects God’s desire to hear our tears and anguish as well as our joys and thanksgiving.  All of life is God’s territory. 

One of the wonders of Psalm 13 is how the psalmist addresses God, even when God seems hidden and aloof.  These questions are not for casual conversation with friends, but a deep cry of the soul to God. Four times the psalmist cries out to God, “How long?”, not knowing when the answer will come, but trusting it will be heard.

Kathy was a parishioner who was wrestling with a potentially terminal illness.  She wanted to live, yet unsure if she had the strength to continue the journey.  When she came to my office, I listened to her complaint and then together we prayed Psalm 13.  The words touched a deep part of her soul, giving her permission to express the throttle cries of her heart, “how long, oh Lord?”

Psalm 13 has a marvelous ending of hope, common to many psalms of lament.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The psalmist still trusted God, even in the sorrow. God has been faithful in the past and will be faithful in the future, so sing to the Lord.  Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

When was a time you cried out in complaint to God?  How did God respond?

Lord Jesus, teach us to trust in your steadfast love.

Miami Heat and Pentecost

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Wade, Bosh and James of the Heat

I have been watching the NBA Finals this week: Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.  The Heat made news last summer when they brought together superstars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  With such individual firepower the Heat was expected to walk away with the championship.  But individual superstars do not make a team so right now Dallas is ahead in the series three games to two.  Even though Miami has more talent, they are not playing together well, especially in the fourth quarter. 

The Finals have me thinking about the TEAM of Pentecost.  One of the amazing things about Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit came mightily to the assembled disciples as a team.  The Spirit did not just “zap” Peter and have him preach.  The tongues of fire were on the whole group, anointing them to be the Body of Christ together. In the Old Testament God’s Spirit anointed individuals like Moses or Elijah.  Now the whole church has the power.

 I think as Americans we struggle with the significance of community.  My college history professor contrasted the colonies in New England with those of Virginia.  The New England colonies were community-based with people living in town together. The Virginia colonists were scattered on large plantation where the individual made his way in the new land.  After contrasting the two models my professor emphasized that the Virginia model became our American ideal of the rugged individualist who makes it through the world by him or herself.

Even in matters of faith we often disparage community. As Americans, we tend to focus on our individual faith and commitment, how our personal faith is a private matter of the heart.  Organized religion is suspect for being “organized.”

Yet we all live in community and our faith is rarely a total individual experience.  We learn from others: parents, teachers, pastors, and spiritual leaders.  We read books written by others, sing songs written by others, and reflect upon questions asked by others.  Our faith can be deeply personal, but needs a community to thrive and live.  The Holy Spirit does not leave us isolated but calls us to trust, live and serve together as the Christ’s body in the world.

How are you living your faith in community with others?

Lord Jesus, keep the Holy Spirit active in us so we can be the Body of Christ together.  

Habitat Day

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Yesterday, five of us from Resurrection worked at a Habitat for Humanity house in St. Paul. In spite of the heat and humidity we hung sheet rock in the upstairs bedrooms. The challenge was learning how to put up ceiling sheet rock, especially above the stair case. Fortunately our crew had an excellent crew chief, Roger Henry, who showed us the right techniques and special tricks to get the job done.

Roger Henry

I have known Roger for over a decade. He has been a long-time volunteer and champion of Habitat for Humanity. He brings his own tools to the work site and gladly teaches novices like myself how to use them. He knows that most Habitat volunteers are not skilled construction workers and that he could probably do the job more easily by himself. Yet teaching others is one of his passions and joys. I like working with Roger (but please don’t tell him that!).

I also have an abiding passion for Habitat for Humanity. I believe in its mission to build safe, affordable housing for people in need. They do NOT give away homes, but they invest in people. Any potential home owner needs to put over 500 hour of sweat equity into the organization, he or she needs to attend classes about home ownership responsibilities, and the family will have a mortgage when they move into the home. As Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat, once said, “Habitat is not a handout, but a hand-up.” The modest house we worked on yesterday is only 1400 square feet and will probably house a family of five or more. Twin Cities Habitat has built more than 850 since its inception in 1985. Learn more at their website.

Hard Work and Good Food

And whenever I have worked at a Habitat site, I have enjoyed a great lunch!

As I reflect on the day, I am extremely thankful for organizations like Habitat for Humanity and for individuals like Roger Henry. They are expressions of hope and joy and make me smile. In a world that often seems dark and foreboding, they shine with the light of Christ.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:16

What people or organizations give you hope in today’s world?

Lord Jesus, may we together shine with your light of hope.

Jesus’ Prayer as Gift

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This Sunday the Gospel reading is from John 17, Jesus’ great prayer for his followers.  After finishing his last meal with his disciple, Jeus looks up to heaven and talks to his Father about keeping his disciples safe.

I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave to me, because they are yours.  All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. (John 17:9-10)

We belong to God and to Jesus, we are woven into the fabric of the Trinity.  Jesus not only prays for us, he models how we can enter into deeper relationship with God through prayer.  Our prayer relationship is a gift from God that we sometimes try to push or pull our way.

Henri Nouwen has written many things on prayer that I find helpful.  The following quote is from his Genesee Diary when he spent six months living at a monastary in 1975.

I wonder if depression in the spiritual life does not mean that we have forgotten that prayer is grace.  The deep realization that all the fruits of the spiritual life are gifts of God should make us smile and liberate us from any deadly seriousness. We can close our eyes as tightly as we can and clasp our hands as tightly as firmly as possible, but God speaks only when he wants to speak. When we realize this our pressing, pushing and pulling become quite amusing.  Sometimes we act like a child that closes his eyes and thinks  that he can make the world go away.

After having done everything t0 make some space for God, it is still God who comes on his own initiative.  But we have a promise upon which to base our hope: The promise of his love.  So our life can rightly be waiting in expectation, but waiting patiently and with a smile.  Then indeed, we shall be really surprised and full of joy and gratitude when he comes.  (The Genesee Diary, p. 129)

Who has been a model of prayer for you and what have you learned from them?

Lord Jesus, like your disciples, teach us to pray.