Author: The Pastor

God’s bare voice

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

"And this is the glory of faith, namely, not to know where you are going, what you are doing, what you are suffering, and, after taking everything captive — perception and understanding, strength and will — to follow the bare voice of God and to be led and driven rather than to drive." (From Luther’s commentary on Hebrews)

A friend of mine from seminary wanted to propose the preceding statement, from Luther’s commentary on Hebrews, as a tag line on seminary diplomas.  Given that the Gospel text for Sunday (5th Sunday after Pentecost) is about discipleship the preceding excerpt (which is taped to my computer monitor) serves as a great reminder to me of my call.  It is a scary thing to not know where you are going or what you are doing or what you are suffering.  We want to be in the know.  But when we can turn things over to Jesus the ride is always much more fun than with us at the wheel.  When it comes right down to it…we don’t know how to drive.

Dear God, help me to hear and listen to your "bare voice" so I may be led and driven. The journey is too treacherous for me to handle alone.  Please take control and drive.  Amen!

-edh-

Looking ahead with Jesus

/ The Pastor / 8 Comments

The Gospel text for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost is from Luke 9:51-62.  This text is a great one about discipleship.  It is about looking ahead (with Jesus) and not focusing on the past.  It is about following Jesus without reservation.  It is about getting off our butts, leaving the sanctuary and actually doing something for the Kingdom.

In verse 58 Jesus says, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  I have always liked this verse.  It serves as a reminder that following Jesus is no bed of roses.  We are not promised riches and luxury (like some prosperity Gospel preachers like to promise).  We are not promised comfort.  We are not promised ease of life.  Jesus had no place to plop down and take it easy.  Jesus has no temptation to enjoy His possessions while forgetting about the outside world.  Jesus’ home was out on the road — with people.  Ministry is "out there" and that is where the Christian needs to look and live.  Christianity is not a get rich quick scheme.  It is not a way to pad your bank account.  Jesus never did any of this.  Christianity is about loving people and serving our God by going to where people are at; proclaiming (through word, deed, and action) that Jesus has died and risen for the forgiveness of our sins.

Another kick in the butt this text gives me is the fact that Jesus does not live in the sanctuary of our individual congregations.  A while ago I attended a meeting at another church in SW MN.  As I walked up to the main door (going into the sanctuary) I noticed a sign that read, "Servants Entrance".  I thought that was neat.  On the other side of the sign it read, "Entering the Mission Field".  I thought that was even neater.  So I stole/borrowed the idea (not the sign) and now a sign like that is taped to the sanctuary door at the congregation I serve.  We enter the building being reminded we are servants and leave being reminded we have a job to do.  We are all missionaries (as scary as that may sound to some people).  Worship may be a safe place to be, but we can’t live in the church sanctuary all week (for a number of obvious reasons).  People that need to hear the Gospel live "out there" in the mission field.  You find these people in your home, school, work place, coffee shop or the grocery store.  They live "out there" not in your sanctuary or on your living room couch.

And lastly…this text reminds me they we are called to follow Jesus without reservation and without gripping on to the past like a security blanket.  History and tradition are fine but when it gets in the way of the future you are heading in the wrong direction.  Nobody drives down the highway keeping their eyes focused on the rear view mirror.  Nobody travels from point A to point B in reverse (unless for the obvious reasons of course).  That kind of silly (and careless) action will only get you hurt while finding yourself coming up short of your destination.  Jesus does not command up to "forget" about the past, he tells us not to "look back" or long for the past to a point that impedes your movement forward.  Simply…remember where you came from, but trust Jesus and follow Him while looking to the future.

In the sea of change that Salem is finding themselves in (see Changes are coming and Changes are coming — part 2, this text is going to be a fun one to preach.  Trust Jesus and look forward.  How can we possibly go wrong?  Take care and God bless.
-edh-

Expensive pants — reprise

/ The Pastor

Just a quicky follow up from my previous post titled Expensive pants.  Fellow blogger, Proclaiming Softly emailed me an interesting link: Dry cleaner wins in missing-pants case.   A quick re-cap:  A judge was suing a mom and pop dry cleaners for $55 million for losing his pants.  The judge that heard this case ruled in favor of the dry cleaners.  This story has given me a shot of hope in the legal system (if only for a moment).  So with this link being sent to me and shared with you I am officially dropping this story (I hope) and moving on.
-edh-

Changes are coming — part 2

/ The Pastor / 11 Comments

Well…the congregational meeting I wrote about last time went pretty well.  We had the election of new church council members and there was nothing too out of the ordinary (the transition between the former and new financial secretary is going to be interesting though). 

Another big item at the meeting was a discussion about the new ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship).  I bought 6 copies of the hymnal for people to check out and review.  So far a 1/2 a dozen people have looked at them (we have a ways to go).  We have not made any decisions but I am guessing we will be moving in that direction.  Then after the meeting a parishioner came up to me and said that along with new hymnals we need to have Bibles in the pews (we currently use the ELCA "Celebration" insert with the lessons printed).  I agreed whole heartily and said I was looking for some good ones that had a type that was the same size or bigger than our inserts.

The last big item was how to spend the money from the large gift we received from a parishioner.  The committee came up with a priority list and number 1 was was no surprise (the entrance ramp going into the sanctuary needs a big face lift).  Number 2 on the list was to re-model the church offices.  I currently have a closet for an office with no air conditioning (did I mention I have no air conditioning and the dew point today is suppose to approach 70).  Anyway…I was excited about that.  People seemed to agree with the list.

The one thing that did come up (that caught me off guard – in a good way) was about celebrating Holy Communion more than once a month.  A woman mentioned that she works every other weekend and usually misses out on communion.  She asked if we could do it more often so she could participate.  Of course I am all for that and according to Luther, celebrating Holy Communion EVERYDAY would not be enough.  Unfortunately it will be a tough road for me to move people to a more than once a month Communion habit.  My internship congregation went through this long process just before I arrived there and so far it is going well.  I guess I will have to take things slow and do a lot of education.  Any advice about this?

As Diane commented the other day, it is an exciting time to be the pastor at Salem Lutheran Church.  There are some big challenges ahead for us, but I know that God will guide us.  I pray that I have the wisdom and strength to persevere when things get tough.  With that…I embrace the changes that are coming.
-edh-

Changes are coming

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

June 1 marked my three year anniversary of my ministry here at Salem Lutheran Church.  This is still my first call and one I see myself in for quite some time yet (unless, of course, they run me out sooner).  Coming out of seminary they warned us about getting too feisty and making too many changes too soon.  One month after I arrived here I moved the baptismal font from the back of the sanctuary to the front (bold move, I know).  This got the attention of a couple people and one in particular — so much so that she stuck her foot so far into her month that she needed a team of <something> to pull it out.

At my installation service in August of 2004 this person, N, was talking to my dad (she did not know he was my dad).  They got to talking about the "new pastor".  At this N started complaining about how I moved the baptismal font and complained about a couple other "trivial" things.  During this little rant S came over and said to N, "Hey, have you met pastor’s dad?".  N froze up and quickly ended the conversation — probably to find some help to remove her foot from her mouth.  Today N and I have a great working relationship.  She is a valuable member of this ministry.  I don’t know what I would do without her.

Tomorrow (June 24) is our congregational meeting and more things are changing.  We are electing new council members.  One such council member has been the financial secretary (keeping track of offerings and deposits) for a couple decades and as of July 1 she is done.  We are also talking about the new ELWs (new hymnals for the ELCA).  We aren’t making any decisions yet but hopefully moving in that direction (I wonder how people are going to respond).  We will also be discussing how we are going to spend a large monetary gift we received from a parishioner (they want the money spent on the property while they are still alive).  Lots of things changing and hopefully for the better.

I know God is going to do something amazing here at Salem and these changes are signs of those (new) amazing things.  My prayer is that people are open to God’s calling and see that we need to move in a new direction if we are to be more relevant in our community.  Tradition is great but context is also important.

I am looking forward to tomorrow.  I am looking forward to how the Holy Spirit is going to lead Salem Lutheran Church through these new changes.  I am looking forward to how God is going to use us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I am looking forward to how God is going to use me here at Salem as I continue to lead these people into the future.  God is awesome and God is faithful.  And I hold onto that with all my strength.

As always…praise God always and forever, Amen!
-edh-

Deviled Ham

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

I just had to share this with you…

…I was visiting this exegetical web site I visit quite often for sermon prep called CrossMarks Christian Resources.  If you page down a little bit to "Other Resources" there will be a link to exegetical notes on the lectionary.  I then found the Gospel text for today and this is what I found in the opening paragraph:

"…this is the one shot the lectionary preacher has of saying, ‘This is the first reported case of deviled ham."  (Of course this is the reference to Jesus driving out the demon from a man into a herd of pigs)

I don’t know about you but I laughed out loud when I read that.  That line could be a good sermon opener this Sunday.  If not a sermon opener then you could use it as a fun Bible fact to open a conversation…an ice breaker.

On a serious note…check out CrossMarks sometime.  There is a lot of good information for Bible study and sermon prep plus other resources.  The author of the site is a former pastor in Minnesota but now is a professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg.

Enjoy and God bless!
-edh-

Five Things I Dig about Jesus

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

I have been tagged by a fellow blogger and have been asked to share five things I dig about Jesus. Afterward I am to tag five other people and leave a link in their comment section so we can keep track of what is shared.  The origin of this meme can be found at John Smulo’s blog.  So…he it goes:

(1) Jesus was not (and is not) repulsed by "sinners" (like the wild naked man running through the tombs and me).

(2) When pushed by the "powers that be" (and even by His very own disciples) Jesus stood His ground.  He knew His mission and kept His face set toward the cross.

(3) Jesus was the first youth director:  "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs". (Mt. 19:14)

(4) Jesus is always ready to leave the 99 in order to search for the one (me) who has strayed.

(5) Jesus loves me so much that He was willing to endure such torture and pain and die on a cross that I may live forever with Him.

There is more I could add to this list, but five is all that was asked for.  Now…the five people that have been tagged are as follows:

David
P.S.
Kevin
Chris
Rick

I hope you five are O.K. with me tagging you but I would love to read your lists.

-edh-

The healing of the wild, naked man

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

"The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him (Jesus); but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’  So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him." (Luke 8:38-39)

The Gospel text for this Sunday, June 24 (the 4th Sunday after Pentecost) is from Luke 8:26-39.  This is the story of Jesus healing the wild, possessed naked man who found his joy by running through the tombs (this always gets the attention of my confirmation kids).  As Jesus entered the country of the Gerasenes he is greeted by this possessed man.  The demons plead for their life as Jesus commands them to come out of the man.  Jesus, showing compassion, allows them to enter a swine herd and they proceed to drive the herd into the ocean; destroying it. 

The wild, possessed naked man is now healed, clothed and now in his right mind.  The people looking on, however, are scared silly.  Because of their fear they ask Jesus to leave, so he does.  As Jesus is preparing to leave, the healed man wants to go with Jesus but Jesus commands him to stay and proclaim the good news.  The man obeys and proclaimed "throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him."

The response of the healed man is nothing unusual.  Many of you have probably attended retreats, seminars, worship services or Bible studies where you truly felt the presence of God.  In those cases many people want to stay put.  They don’t want to leave and risk losing that incredible feeling.  This is what we would call a "mountain top experience".  They feel good and safe.  Our problems seem to melt away and time seems to stop.  But we all know that the time comes when we must return home – for life is not lived on the "mountain top, but in the valley".

The healed man had experienced an amazing healing (a mountain top experience) and wanted to stay with Jesus, but Jesus wanted him to proclaim the good news.  And the same goes for us.  We can’t live at the retreat center or seminar or worship service or Bible study.  We can’t live on the "mountain top".  The point of our experiences is to share with others the amazing things that God does for us.  And this command to tell others what God has done for you means to re-enter the valley.  But as we re-enter the valley we can be assured that the Holy Spirit goes with us.  Jesus promised his disciples this and Jesus promises us this as well.

So…"‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’"  Return to the "valley" so others may have a "mountain top experience".  Praise be to God, always and forever.  Amen!
-edh-

Expensive pants

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

54 MILLION DOLLARS!!!  What is this world coming to?

A judge in Washington D.C. is suing his dry cleaner for 54 million dollars for losing his pants.  Check out the story here.  I know this post probably doesn’t exactly fit the flow of what I have been writing on this blog, but I need to say something…because seriously…is a pair of pants really worth 54 million dollars?  I guess if they were gold plated with diamond studs running down the seams with a solid gold belt bucket then I could begin to understand.  But at last check…they were a pair of suit pants.  Sort of looked like a pair that I have (and mine are not gold plated with diamonds).

The judge here is claiming that this mom and pop business is engaging in deceptive business practices with two signs that say: "Satisfaction guaranteed" and "Same day service".  Seriously…if you are not satisfied with the service most places will make it right — if they don’t is the "damage" really worth 54 million dollars (unless of course we are dealing with gold plated pants with diamond studs and a solid gold belt buckle — hmmm…I better be careful here…this judge might sue me for 54 million dollars for writing this. <UPDATED> "God, forgive me…I need to be nice here").

Anyway…to my point:  Where does forgiveness play in this case?  I am not saying this judge should just ignore the fact that his pants were lost but at what point do you "turn the other cheek"?  In 2 Samuel (the Old Testament text for Sunday June 17) king David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover it up.  Of course God was not too pleased and sent Nathan to confront him.  After David learned of his sin and was caught red handed he pleaded to God for forgiveness.  God spared David’s life when the sentence should have been death, but God DID punish David by killing his son with Bathsheba…seems like an appropriate punishment.  God did not go overboard.  There was forgiveness and there were also consequences.

In our legal system AND in our world there needs to be some grace but there also needs to be accountability and punishment when deserved.  In the case of the missing pants isn’t grace deserved somewhere?  Isn’t a more lenient punishment justified (if indeed the dry cleaner is guilty)?  At what point do we cross the line and go too far?

I don’t know all the facts in this case so I will stop short at passing judgment on this judge (even through my rant at the beginning may communicate otherwise).  What I want to do is pray that this man experiences God’s forgiveness in his life.  For when we understand how much God forgives us through Jesus Christ (see the woman from Luke 7:36-8:3) then we are able to show much love.

Mr. Judge person…Jesus Christ died for you.  Jesus Christ loves you beyond measure.  Jesus Christ offers forgiveness to you.  Can you show this love to your neighbor (including your dry cleaner)?  Won’t you please live in peace?

We have an awesome God!  Love as if you have been forgiven much (and you have).  Praise be to God, always and forever.  Amen!
-edh-

Amazing Forgiveness

/ The Pastor

Last week we had some great resurrection texts.  God, through Elijah, raised the son of a widow and returned that son to his mother.  Jesus raised the only son of a widow.  Both accounts speak of hope.  Both accounts speak of an unimaginable love.  In my sermon from last week (Sermons by Eric) I focused on the theme of hope.  Jesus came to this world and overcame this world.  Jesus showed a love like no other and (as another pastor said in her sermon) returned us to each other after raising us to New Life in Him (I love that thought).

This week we have a number of texts dealing with forgiveness.  The Old Testament text is from 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15.  Of course, the lectionary organizers left out verses 11 and 12.  Well…here they are in case anyone is interested:    "For thus says the Lord, ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you.  Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight (this takes a great deal of faith to sleep with the king’s wives in broad daylight) You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’"  Are these verses too difficult for people to hear?  I just can’t stand it when the lectionary organizers insist on trying to "protect" people by picking and choosing verses to be read.  This happens a lot.  But I digress and step off my soapbox…

The Gospel text for Sunday, June 17 is from Luke 7:36-8:3.  This tells the story of a "sinful woman" anointing Jesus feet with oil at the home of a Pharisee.  The Pharisee gets upset but Jesus tells a parable about the debts of two people being forgiven, one larger than the other.  The point is that the person who is forgiven much will love the forgiver more.  We are forgiven much…do we love God much?  I think we take forgiveness for granted.  I think too many people go through the motions of the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness and don’t think about the words or the proclamation of forgiveness.  God has forgiven us much but do we show love in return?

We have a lot to learn from this woman.  She knew her sin.  She was ashamed of her sin.  She was repentant of her sin.  So…she threw herself at Jesus feet and experienced amazing forgiveness.  You and I experience this same amazing forgiveness each week when we hear the pastor (or worship leader) announce forgiveness by the power and authority of Jesus Christ.  Know your sin, throw yourself at Jesus feet, and live the love of Christ. 

Love much for we have been forgiven much.  Praise God always and forever.  Amen!
-edh-