Church life

Monday morning check in — Romans and the Ramp project

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Worship
Yesterday was our first worship service in the fellowship hall.  I wasn’t sure what kind of turn out we would get but the basement was full.  But in all honesty it WAS congregational meeting day (with a potluck).  I guess next week will really tell the story.

We do have some bugs to work out though.  Our sound wasn’t the best so we need to do some tinkering this week to fix some bugs.  But worship was fun and “different”.  The setting seemed cozy and intimate.  It made me think of the Church in the first century when people met in homes.  It think it is going to be very strange to move up stairs after being in such a cozy place for a while.  Most people are going to be thankful to be in the sanctuary, but after one Sunday in the fellowship hall, I am liking the closeness while we worship.  It makes me feel more connected with the people.  I wish there was a way I could close off the back half of the sanctuary without getting myself into too much trouble.  There is definitely something to the worship intimacy thing.

Ramp project
Things are moving alone quite nicely.  Today they are putting up the forms and hopefully will be pouring cement tomorrow.  The joke is that since the contractor is moving along like he is, that we will be back in the sanctuary this Sunday.  Of course that is not the case.  We are still looking at August as our move back in date.  Check back soon for some up-to-date pictures of our “little” project.

Sermon
I have added a new page at the top of my blog titled “Sermons”.  I will be adding sermons there periodically; ones that strike me and stand our for me.  This past week is one such example.  I preached on the Romans 6:1-11 text about dying and rising with Christ.  Our “old” life dying to sin and a “new” life rising with Christ.  This text always seems to strike me in a new a different way each time.  Yesterday I used the illustration of our ramp construction project to talk about letting go of the “old” to embrace the “new”; when the new (ramp) comes, the old (ramp) will soon be forgotten.  I don’t pretend to think the sermon was anything spectacular…it just struck a cord with me yesterday.  So take it as it is.

With that I say to you “God bless and have a great day!”

-edh-

Sunday morning prayer – 06/22/08

/ The Pastor

This was a fast-paced morning…reason…I forgot to turn my alarm on.  I had my alarm set, but for some strange (and be it stupid) reason I did not click over that switch that would have saved my heart from some minor panic this morning.  Maybe “panic” is too strong of a word, but when I just happened to roll over and open my eyes to see it was 1/2 hour later than I wanted to get up…my heart immediately jumped into non-hibernation status.  Talk about a rude awakening.  Anyway…I am here and ready to go.  I still made it to my office “on time” but I didn’t get my morning SportsCenter.  What a tragedy there 🙂

Today is our first day worshipping in the fellowship hall downstairs.  As some of you are aware we started our ramp project this past Monday (page down to see some pictures).  I will add some more pictures a little later to chronicle the progress.  Right now, the ramp is completely gone.  They will be pouring the walls this week.  The time table for completion is still sometime in August so we are getting settled in downstairs. 

Today is also congregational meeting day which also means…POTLUCK…WHOO HOO!  You just can’t go wrong with a good ole’ fashioned Lutheran potluck.  Of course…since we are having a potluck today…my parents are coming down.  My dad can’t miss a potluck here (of course they use the excuse that they haven’t heard me preach for a while).  But what ever works…I get to see my parents and go golfing with my dad.

Lastly…before I get ready to leave for Belmont…I want to thank Carmen who left me a comment this week about the ramp project.  She mentioned that I would now have a good sermon illustration about something being torn down only to be built up stronger.  Well…I am going to use something like that when I preach on Romans 6:1-11 today.  I am focusing on our so called “need” to hold on to the old when we are in fact made new through baptism.  It is almost like being so attached to the old ramp that we feel the need to go out to the garbage heap to walk on the rumble of the old ramp; ignoring the new one in front of us.  Through baptism we are buried with Christ and if that is the case (and it is) we will also rise with them.  We are made new so let go of the old.  Thank you, Carmen.

With that…let us join together in a word of prayer.
Let us pray…gracious Lord God, you sent your one and only Son, Jesus Christ to make us new again.  Through our baptism you give us an amazing gift…the gift of life.  But yet we still find it hard to let go of our “old” life.  We too often turn our backs on you to “walk” on something that has been destroyed.  Help us to see the awesomeness and newness of the great gift you have given us.  Help us turn from our old life to see the New Life we have in Christ.  We thank and praise you through your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen!

God bless and have an awesome day!

-edh-

Ramp project photos

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

I have been documenting our “little” construction project here at Salem through pictures.  Here are a few to give you an idea of what is being done:

The before picture

The before picture.

Ramp deck destroyed

The ramp deck is destroyed.

I love this picture

Just in case people don’t notice the construction outside.

I am amazed at how much work they have gotten done.  On Monday the railings were removed and today all the cement of the ramp deck will be gone.  We just need to pray for favorable weather now and I need to finish setting up the fellowship hall for worship.

-edh-

From within

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

I am experiencing a strange phenomenon.

Thursday mornings is a time I set aside to write sermons.  I spend a hour or so in my office; working with my secretary to make sure the worship bulletin in completed then I head out to continue sermon prep (I say "continue" because sermon prep take place all week long).  I continue my sermon prep in the sanctuary where I can get away from all distractions so I can focus on the Word God needs me to preach to the people.  I stand up front (and after praying) and I look out into the pews and imagine people sitting out there.  To my left (the pulpit side) towards the back sits Ken and Janet.  My wife sometimes sits on that side as well (but she does not have her "own pew").  On my right side (organ side) towards the front sits Lyle with Pete, Mazie and Vicki just in front of him.  In the far back on the organ side is the section for families with young children (that can be a zoo sometimes, but I never notice until a parent apologizes to me for their noisy child).  In the last pew on the pulpit side (along the outside wall) sits Sylvia and Virgil…

…and I could continue on and on…giving you a fairly accurate seating chart of a typical Sunday morning, but I won't bore you with that.  My point is that I look out and see people sitting out there and I imagine their lives and ask God, "What do they NEED to hear from you?"  This helps me in some strange way.  But I guess this is only right because as a preacher, we come FROM WITHIN the congregation, not from OUTSIDE the congregation.  We should imagine our people's lives because that is how we are faithful in the craft of preaching.  Otherwise we are nothing more than a disconnected lecturer trying to communicate some truth that does not matter to their lives right now.  So I try to be faithful.

Now…as I write this…I am taking a sermon writing break.  Where?  Well…I am downtown at my favorite coffee place.  I am set up in the corner with my lap top, a cup of coffee and an empty tray that once contained a delicious chicken cordon blu sandwich.  I have been here for about 1 1/2 hours, but I am not alone.  This small coffee shop is filled with people talking about this or that; talking about their lives or the latest gossip.  This is definitely not a place to find peace and quite, but yet I HAVE found peace and quiet.

What a strange phenomenon…

…but maybe this is not so strange after all.  Because as a preacher I come from WITHIN the congregation.  And isn't this the congregation…here in this coffee shop..or wherever?  The "congregation" is not contained in a building…rather…it's "out there".  So if this is the congregation, then this is definitely an okay place to be.  In my office I feel disconnected.  Here…I feel connected.

The murmur of voices are still floating in the air, but they don't bother me; rather…they inspire me.  So with that…I return to my craft…from within God's people.

-edh-

My little oasis

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

This is the story of my little oasis…

On the SE side of Salem Lutheran Church is my little oasis — a grassy courtyard area surrounded by bricks, concrete and asphalt.  On the east side of this oasis is the main church building and on the north side is the education wing (a ramp heads down from the west to the east on the north side that takes you to the education wing door).  On the west side of this oasis is a sidewalk that separates the grass from the concrete parking lot (the sidewalk is elevated a couple feet with a railing).  On the south side is a another ramp that heads up into the narthex that protects this little green sanctuary from North Highway.  In the middle of this little oasis is a beautiful red tree – Myron's tree (apparently Myron was responsible for planting it way back when).  And underneath Myron's tree is a bench — Harold's bench (given in memory of Harold).  This area is a peaceful, beautiful, and restful area – an oasis – where I often go to "escape".  About the only thing missing is a little pond with some brightly colored fish swimming around (but that might be a hard sell to the council).

Even though this little oasis does not protect me from the hustle and bustle of North Highway (or anything else going on around) I still feel a sense of peace when I hang out there.  Sometimes I sit on Harold's bench underneath Myron's tree.  Sometimes I walk around the grassy infield.  I have even been known to sit or lie down in the grass and look up at the blue sky.  And…if you ever walk by without me noticing, you might notice me talking to someone you cannot see.  For in this peaceful little oasis I have had conversations with God. I have even had conversations with myself concerning sermon/worship issues or anything else running around in my head/heart.

But things are going to change very soon…

…in the matter of days destruction/construction is going to begin on the ramp (on the south side) heading to the sanctuary.  The ramp is 30+ years old and needs to be replaced (conversation about that began before I arrived).  Now I find my self getting a little nervous.  I am going to lose my little oasis for a little while (I know it will return eventually).  But I am still a little nervous.

You see…this is my first "building project".  Even though we are not building a new building or adding on to our existing structure, this is still big for us…for me.  And I hope things turn out O.K. because if they don't, I know people will turn to me for answers.  And if/when people turn to me for answers, I won't have my little oasis to "escape" to (at least not the little oasis I am used to).  I will have to find a new, temporary place…unless I want to share "MY" space with the construction workers invading my little oasis.

So for today I am going to sit back on Harold's bench underneath Myron's tree and enjoy some peace and quiet.  I am going to soak in as much of this little oasis as I can…hopefully enough to carry me through the summer.  And…if the time calls for it…I will just close my eyes and transport myself back to my little oasis and have a peaceful conversation with God. 

And who knows…in the end…maybe I will get my little pond with the colorful fish to complete my little oasis…

…a person can dream…can't they 🙂

-edh-

My “job description”

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

I know there is a job description out there some place for me, but I haven’t seen the "real one" for Salem Lutheran Church… 

…sure…my letter of call to Salem has a list of expectations but there are many more unmentioned expectations that are just assumed I already know.  It’s the proverbial "small print" that some talk about.  As a pastor the obvious expectations are:  preaching, worship, pastoral care, teaching, youth ministry (depending on your particular setting), maybe some administration, meetings, etc.  Nobody would be surprised by any of those expectations. 

But there are other expectations (the small print ones) that are also expected:  "Official" prayer leader at any function you are happen to be at (whether at the church or not), dish washer, custodian, jungle gym for preschoolers, computer tech, ecumenical minister at the coffee shop (one of my favorites in this category), and…of course…anything else deemed necessary.  That "deemed necessary" phrase is a dangerous one but…for some strange reason…I don’t seem to mind.

As Lutheran we talk a lot about vocation (no…not just what you do for a living).  Vocation is the place in life where you serve: father, mother, brother, sister, friend, husband, wife, pastor, teacher, banker, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, etc, etc…  We serve in any number of the previously mentioned and many more; one might say "the small print".  And…there are other vocations that we sometimes we forget about. 

Why am I mentioning this?  Today I was asked/volunteered to deliver a box of baby jars to Bible camp for craft projects.  I am going there in a couple weeks so that was not a problem.  In an email (where I was told that I was volunteered), the program director jokingly referred to me as a "mail carrier".  I guess that is another vocation to add to my list….but I don’t mind.

You see…serving God and proclaiming the Gospel is not limited to particular people, particular jobs or particular vocations.  No matter how you slice it…we serve God (and our neighbor) no matter the vocations we reside in; whether we are a teacher, garbage collector, coffee server, "mail carrier", etc.

Anything "deemed necessary"?  That seems very appropriate.  But don’t get me wrong…I am not going to turn into a pastor that does everything for everyone around here, but I will continue to recognize (and help others recognize as well) that our "job descriptions" are not set in stone.  As Christians, we need to do anything that is "deemed necessary" for the Kingdom of God so people many come to know (or be reminded of) the awesome love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

-edh-

Monday morning check in

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

Annual meeting:  Yesterday (Jan. 27) Salem held it’s annual meeting.  Normally our meetings are pretty quick(20 minutes tops)…with very little on the agenda, but this year was different.  Agenda items included: (1) Consider to approve purchase of new ELWs; (2) Budget (of course); (3) Consider to approve bid for new ramp that leads to the sanctuary; (4) Discussion of moving to twice a month communion; among some other items on the agenda.  I looked back in my worship attendance records and normally we average 75 on annual meeting Sunday…yesterday we had 92.  Considering the agenda items I am not surprised.

But everything went great…there was great discussion, excellent questions, and concerns were voiced.  In the end, the congregation approved the purchase of the new ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship – the new hymnals recently released) and there was basically no concerns about moving to twice a month communion.  The bid for the ramp had some discussion but, once again, in the end the bid was approved.  I was very impressed with our congregational president and the discussion that took place.  I hope and pray people felt that their voice was heard.

Now the tough work begins…implementing the new hymnals and our major building project this spring or summer.

Evangelism class:  Today is going to be a day of preparation for an evangelism class I am teaching.  The class is at the First Call Theological Retreat at Shalom Hill Farm near Windom, MN.  This will be the first time I have lead a class like this for a bunch of pastors (first call) and it is a little unnerving, but exciting at the same time.  My class starts at 4pm so please say a little prayer for me as I teach. 

"Winter break":  We are currently receiving a "winter break".  The temperatures are expected to rise into the 40s before taking a nose dive Tuesday night.  By Wednesday morning it is expected to be -14 degrees with a wind chill around -40.  Almost an 80 degree differential…you got to love Minnesota.

I guess the lesson to be learned here is to take advantage of every moment, because you never know when you will get another one (or at least a warm one).  Was that too deep for a Monday? 🙂

Have a super start to your week and God bless!

-edh-

Monday morning check in

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

Busy week
Whew…a busy week is done.  Even though I feel a little tired, I feel pretty good.  Thanksgiving eve went very well with a very good turn out.  The Celebration of New Life service for Gordon went very well also, on Saturday.  We had about 300 people in attendance worshiping and celebrating the New Life we have in Jesus Christ.  We had a great soloist who sang "How Great Thou Art" and the tear jerker, "Thank You" by Ray Boltz.  As prelude music, the family hired a local harpist to play for a half hour before worship – absolutely beautiful.  Sunday worship also went off just fine.  With the three sermons I got to write last week, I was worried something would get missed, but once again, God provided and the Gospel was preached.

Prayer shawls
One of the ministries of Belmont Lutheran Church is wrapping people in prayer shawls.  When people are in the hospital or shortly after they get home, they are presented a prayer shawl from the congregation.  The shawls are made by some ladies in the congregation.  In the two years I have served with Belmont I did not know about this ministry until last week.  Doris, the secretary for Belmont, asked about doing a blessing of the prayer shawls in worship.  They hadn’t done this for a while and asked if I could do that.  I said sure, but I have never done anything like that before, but I will figure something out.  Does anyone out there have any experience with blessing like that or know of a blessing service I can use?  I am not looking for anything too elaborate – just something that can be done during the regular Sunday service this Sunday.  Thanks much.

Sunday morning prayer
I am sorry I did not get a prayer posted.  I know there are people that show up, here, for that Sunday morning prayer, but with the chaos that was last week, I just did not get one written.  For me that prayer serves as devotion for me to prepare for worship.  I know that all that I do on Sunday morning I can not do on my own.  My prayer during sermon and worship prep is basically that I am not that talented and if it were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin (to paraphrase Luther’s sacristy prayer).  I plan to get back to my routine this weekend.

Scripture
"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:  His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’" (Matthew 1:18-21)

God bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS (I love this time of the year)!

-edh-

The joy of September

/ The Pastor / 11 Comments

Well…the joy of September is here.  As always, the second Wednesday of the month from September through May is always the busiest for me.  Thankfully I did a ton of prep work yesterday so I am ready to go.  At 12noon we have our ministerial meeting.  I am beginning my second term as president and third term as treasurer and second term as secretary.  Basically I am the "king" of the Jackson County ministerial.  Scary I know, but no one else will do it…so I am it.  The other part of the reason I continue serving the ministerial in this capacity is because the other pastors have told me that the community now knows who the contact person is and it is easier to keep the same person instead of changing every year.  As long as they want me to serve in this way I will continue and if someone else steps forward I will gladly turn over the reigns.  Until then I wonder if I should have people call me, "Your Majesty" 🙂

Anyway…allow me to continue if you are done laughing at me…at 2pm Release Time begins.  On Wednesdays the schools "release" the 3rd through 5th graders (who have registered) to go to their respective churches for an hour of Bible class.  This year I have 3 third graders and 2 fourth graders (these two kids are not from Salem).  It should be a lot of fun.

Starting in 2 weeks (but not today) I will have confirmation at 3:30pm until 4:30.  So I will have a 1/2 hour break between Release Time and confirmation.  Today at 6:30 I have an Endowment committee meeting and then at 7pm the Deacons meet with the church council meeting at 7:30pm.  I should be ready plop down on my couch at around 9:30pm (if all goes well).

WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER, ERIC!!!

A request
On Sept. 30 Salem is planning on giving our 3rd graders Bibles.  This has been a tradition for us for some time now (as it is for many congregations I know).  We haven’t done this for three years because we haven’t had any 3rd graders for a while.  Also on that day I am planning on introducing the congregation to the new pew Bible we have purchased.  This will be a big change for people; moving from a printed insert to a Bible.  Ooooh…this may cause some controversy…I will keep you updated on this.

Anyway…my request is this:  Do you have a Bible Sunday for your 3rd graders?  And if so, what do you do?  How to you present the Bibles?  What Bibles do you give?  Do you have an inscription inside the Bible? etc.  I am looking for ideas here to help make this a memorable day for our kids.  Also…one thing I am thinking about is after we present the Bibles to the 3rd graders I will ask the 3rd graders in turn to present the pew Bibles to the congregation.  I thought this would be a neat experience for everyone.  What do you think?  Any ideas for me?

Thank you for "listening" and stopping by.  May the joy of the Lord kick you in the butt today to be a light to someone who sees only darkness.  Take care and God bless.
-edh-

One of those weeks…

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It’s been one of those weeks…

…A number of pastoral care issues have come up for me this week and therefore my blogging presence has been minimal.  Besides the individual I mentioned in my "Sunday morning prayer" post from this past Sunday I have a parishioner(who lives in Waseca, MN — 1 1/2 hours away) who just had a stroke.  I left this morning and just got back this afternoon.  Tomorrow is going to be packed with nursing home visits plus I have a couple home communions to celebrate this week.  I guess when it rains it pours (literally and figuratively).

But through all these pastoral care visits I have seen and heard many stories of God’s faithfulness.  One parishioner told me about a dream she had when Jesus came and spoke to her.  It gave her so much comfort and gave me goosebumps.  F (the individual from my "Sunday morning prayer" post) is still going strong and taking everything in stride and is as feisty as ever (our Lion’s meeting last night was interesting — in a good way).

I have more visits tomorrow and am looking forward to more reminders of God’s faithfulness.  Whether we are active and running around, sick and in bed, or immobilized because of a stroke, God uses each of us to proclaim and show His love.  Each of us has a purpose…even to our dying day.  And…to our dying day…GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

God bless and take care!
-edh-