Easter

Sunday is coming

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

It’s Saturday.

It is the day between Good Friday and Easter.

A dark day.

A bitter-sweet day.

But for those first disciples this had to be a day of deep darkness and hopelessness.  Think about it:  Their teacher, Messiah, friend, hope had been killed and placed in a tomb.  All of their dreams of a new kingdom had been completely destroyed.  Now what?   Their fear of the Jews kept them locked inside but I can’t imagine they would even want to leave anyway.  I would want to stay curled up in bed…forever.

Jesus is dead.

But we are not living in those days.

We know something that they didn’t know then.

It is 2013 and we are living in the days after that first Easter morning.  We are living in the days when we know what happens next.  It is Saturday, but Sunday is coming.

EmptyTomb-50JESUS HAS RISEN!

Dark days come and go in our lives.  Hopelessness enters the scene from time to time.  There may be days when you feel like curling up in a ball and staying in bed.  But know this…

JESUS HAS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Ever since that day when Jesus defeated Satan and destroyed the grip of death, Satan has been trying to shoot arrows of hopelessness at God’s children.  But know this…remember this…boldly proclaim this…

JESUS HAS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Satan has been defeated.  His arrows are powerless.  His threats are empty.  Death still remains but death does not have the final word.  Why?  Because…

JESUS HAS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Have a blessed Saturday knowing that tomorrow is Sunday; that tomorrow is EASTER 🙂

The pastor -|—

Where’s the cross?

/ The Pastor

A few weeks ago my wife and I were chatting with some friends about Holy Week.  We were sharing what our respective congregations were planning.  Here…we share Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worships with Belmont Lutheran Church (the small county congregation I serve).  We each take one of those services and then flip the following year.  This year we worship at Belmont on Maundy Thursday and at Salem for Good Friday.

As I was sharing this I was talking about this old rugged cross that a couple Salem guys made a few years back.  It stands about 6 feet tall and made from two nice-sized tree branches.  They did a very nice job and it’s perfect for Good Friday worship.  As soon as I mentioned this I froze.  You see…on Ash Wednesday we put a larger cross in Salem’s narthex (we decorate this cross with palm branches and lilies for Easter Sunday).  There is a crown of thorns on top and it is draped with a purple cloth.  It greets people as they enter the narthex to remind then of Lent and of Jesus’ suffering and death.

Well…the cross was not there in the narthex.  I forgot to put it out 😦

How could I possibly forget the cross?  My wife was quick to remind me that our custodian always put it out…but here’s the thing…that person is no longer our custodian due to a stroke he suffered last June.  I always took for granted that Dave would have the cross out and ready to go for Ash Wednesday and Lent.  But that doesn’t absolve me for forgetting that cross.

I mean…think about it.  Lent is a time for us to remember why Jesus suffered and died on the cross.  We are to remember our mortality and sin.  We are to remember that from dust we came and to dust we shall return.  We are to remember that without the cross we are condemned to hell.  The cross is the focus…and I forgot that narthex cross.  But here’s another thing…no one else noticed either (or at least they didn’t say anything to me).  I am not sure what bothers me more:  Me forgetting or no one saying anything about it.

So the solution was  to put it up for Palm Sunday (which we did); marking the beginning of Holy Week.  The purple cloth on that cross will be replaced on Maundy Thursday with a black one.  The cross will then be put outside for Good Friday to REMIND people of what Jesus did for us.  And…the cross will be “decorated” with palm branches and lilies to remind us of the joy that comes through the cross.

Now…when I walk through the narthex I feel a little more complete…with the reality of the cross staring at me.  I hope that when Easter is done that I won’t need a large cross in the narthex to remind me of what Jesus did FOR YOU and FOR ME.

May you have a blessed Holy Week and a very happy Easter!

Praise be to God!

-edh-

Post Easter vacation ramblings

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Hi there…my name is Eric…

OK…enough of that…<“we all know you haven’t been around for a while”>.  I hope it doesn’t worry you that I was just talking to myself.  Maybe I need a longer post Easter vacation. Maybe I need some more coffee (which doesn’t sound like a bad idea).  Maybe I need…well…we could go on for a while here so I won’t bore you.

In any case…Easter is done (at least the day of Easter is, we are still in the Easter season) and my vacation is over.  Now I am back in the office and I was greeted with another death in the congregation.  Nothing quite like being thrown into the fire right away.  But hey…the life of a pastor.

I spent the morning attempting to clear off my desk (notice the word “attempting”) and now the call of this 70 degree day is tempting me to leave the office.

<Must…do…some…work…>

Wow…this post has turned strange very quickly.  Maybe I DO need some more coffee 🙂

Anyway…I just wanted to check in with you and share a couple things that you will be seeing here shortly:

(1) I am working on an adult class on Paul’s letter to the Romans.  I have always been intrigued with this book and decided I wanted to dive deeper into this with some people.

(2) I am continuing my preparations for my educational event that I will be attending in June at Virginia Theological Seminary.  I have a case study to write, a book to read and a couple congregational projects to do.  And this is all due on June 15.  I need to get to work.  I hope to share some insights with you here.

(3) More ponderings as a pastor (me) serving in a rural context.  Now that the program year is coming to a close in a month or so, I am hoping to do some more writing.

OK…enough rambling for now.  Hopefully you long time readers aren’t too worried about me.  And hopefully you first time readers aren’t being scared away.  I am really quite “normal” (whatever that means).

So with that…God bless your day…and I hope to see you again soon 🙂

Take care.

-edh-

Many But One: The Final Countdown

/ The Pastor

If you haven’t had a chance to stop by Many But One I encourage you to do so soon.  Many But One is a Lenten devotional blog being written by seven pastors (6 from the east coast area and me in the Midwest) and is scheduled to end by Easter (at least that is when we will stop posting devotions).  We have been using texts from the daily lectionary, commenting on the chosen text and then finishing with a prayer.  It has been a joy to be part of this blogging team.

To those who have stopped by…I hope Many But One has been a blessing to you.

Praise be to God!

-edh-

The Heart of a Pastor update and pondering

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

No doubt you have noticed my absence from blogging.  It seems that has been happening more often recently.  I go through “sabbatical” times where I am discerning whether or not to continue and then I come back strong…blogging a few times a week.  Now I have been gone for a while and I am still trying to figure out if this blog has run its course or not.  Maybe Lent has gotten the best of me (it has been strangely busy this year).  The last two weeks have been extremely overwhelming for me (and Holy Week isn’t even here yet).

So where does that leave us?

I do not know.

I have been spending a lot of time doing ministry via Facebook and Twitter.  And I have been putting a renewed focus on education here at Salem (things are really taking off there).  Part of me is thinking I need to put more focus on writing lesson plans for here and shift some focus away from blogging for a while.  Part of me is reluctant to pull the trigger on this blog.  So I am still left wondering what to do.  I know some people have gotten sick and tired of waiting for me and I understand that.  I just don’t know what is next.

This blog has been up and running for nearly 4 years now and that fact completely blows me away.  How have I had that much to write about?  In any case…I am still around.  I am doing well.  And I still don’t know where this blogging is going next.  Maybe the time down after Easter will give me some clarity on the direction of this blog…who knows (God knows).

I thank you for your understanding.

So in the mean time I hope and pray you have a blessed Lenten and Easter season…celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Praising God…always and forever!

-edh-

Holy Week stress and an answer to prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Holy Week has been a good one for me this year, but there was still some stress for me.  This is an account of one particular stress point and the faithfulness of our awesome God who came through for us.

We have a number of traditions here at Salem Lutheran Church as it pertains to Holy Week; traditions I look forward to.  Here are just a few of them (that relate to my particular stress point this week):

–We have a large rugged cross that stands in the narthex during lent that has a purple cloth draped on it topped with a crown of thorns.

–On Maundy Thursday we strip the altar and bring that rugged cross outside, to the base of the narthex ramp and drape a black cloth over the cross beams.
[A cool story about this from Good Friday.  Our custodian saw a van flying down the street next to the church on Friday.  When the van got to the church and saw the cross at the base of the ramp he slammed on his breaks and came to a screeching halt.  He looked at the cross for a couple moments and then proceeded on his way.  This cross, each year, attracts a lot of attention.]

–On Saturday we bring that rugged cross back inside to prepare it for Easter.  There are rings attached to the cross that hold Easter lilies.  We then staple the palms from Palm Sunday to the cross.  And let me tell you it is quite a sight…as pictured below…

100_0200

…well…here’s where the stress comes in…

…on Wednesday this week my wife and I noticed that the Palm branches from Sunday were dead.  They were dried up and crunchy even though they were still in water.  The problem was that we forgot to cut the ends to allow the branches to soak up the water.  Now what were we to do?  Wednesday was already a stressful day for me and this was the last thing I needed.  One of my deacons came in and cut the ends and put them in water.  We prayed that somehow God would resurrect those palms for Sunday.

On Thursday when I went out to Belmont for Maundy Thursday worship I noticed that Belmont had a bunch of palms that they were no longer needing.

[cue the ligh bulb that popped up over my head]

I asked the ladies of Belmont if Salem could have the palms and they said that would be no problem.  Now we have palms for the cross and our Easter tradition can continue.  An answer to prayer.  Praise be to God!

Now…as I write this, people are up in the sanctuary getting ready for Easter worship.  There are families in the Fellowship Hall preparing for the Easter breakfast.  And I am here finishing this post and soon will be finishing my Easter sermon.  I sit here feeling refreshed from great Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worships.  I sit here feeling hopeful that our amazing God is ever so faithful.  I sit here looking forward to our Easter worship services (as tiring as they will be for me, but I never seem to notice at the time).

God is faithful…not because He “resurrected” some palm branches for us, because…well…just look at the cross.

Have a very blessed Easter Sunday and God bless!

-edh-

Tired and excited

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Greetings and salutations (or "hallucinations" as my custodian likes to joke).

I had a very fun and very busy weekend this past weekend.  Because of that I did not get my normal "Sunday Morning Prayer" posted.  I will be resuming that this Sunday.

This past weekend, my wife and I along with two other couples (plus a baby) packed a van and traveled down to Iowa to the Amana Colonies (follow the link to see for yourself…it was really neat).  We had some great German food (and of course some great German beer).  We walked through some really neat stores and had breakfast at an old stone hearth bakery.  Needless to say I took a "tiny" step back in my marathon training.  Oh well…I will get back on track this week.

In any case, the weekend was a great little break for me.  This Lenten season has been an extremely busy and tiring one for me…on so many levels.  Please don’t get me wrong here though…I don’t mean to wine with a sob story, but I am tired…and excited.  You see…Holy Week and Easter is what keeps me going.  This is the time of the year that gives me so much energy.  I am going to prepare hard for this joyous time of the year.  I am going to give all I have (and then some).  We are going to praise God for the gift of life we have in Jesus Christ like there is no tomorrow. 

In a way…I am running a marathon and am sprinting to the finish line.  The adrenaline is pumping and I am ready to "finish" hard…but…

…after I finish this "marathon"…after Easter is done I will be crashing hard for a couple weeks to recover and re-fuel.  Frankly…I will need a break.  So please excuse me if I don’t post as much as I normally do until after Easter.  With my energy reserves running low, I need to focus on what I need to do here.  I love leading worship during Holy Week and Easter and love preaching during this time even more.  It is such a powerful time for me (and my wife).  I know I will have the strength I need (thanks be to God), but I need to focus on my church family here.  I will be stopping by to visit the blogs I normally read, but I need to take a break from writing for a little bit, but with a periodic post from time to time as energy and time allow.

So in the mean time, God bless you as you prepare (however that may look for you) for Holy Week and Easter.  And may we all basket in the glow of God’s awesome glory.

Praise be to God…always and forever!
-edh-

Post vacation reality

/ The Pastor

I am back!  I have been on vacation these past few days — hence the low activity on my blog.  Thursday and Friday were lazy days for me.  The weather is finally becoming bearable for shorts so my wife and I went for our first bike ride of the year.  It was nice when we left, but half way through our ride the sun went behind the clouds and it turned cold in a hurry (I guess we jumped the gun a little bit).  It still was nice to get out for some exercise, though.  Today I am looking forward to running during my noon hour.  It is suppose to hit 70 degrees today and you just have to take advantage of that when you can.

I am also hoping with spring finally here I will get more motivated to do some more running and exercise.  I still want to lose about 20 more pounds.  So far I am doing O.K.  Pants that were once too tight for me to wear are comfortable for me now.  That is indeed a good sign, but with diabetes in my family I want to make sure I keep my weight down and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  So far everything is fine, but we are still keeping an eye on things.

Text study

Last week I did not post any thoughts on the up coming texts like I have been lately.  Since I was not preaching I did not go through my normal sermon prep routine — I missed that.  This weekend I am off to synod assembly and therefore not preaching again, but I am still going to study the texts for Sunday.  Whether I am preaching or not, I need to continue my routine of text study — we all need to do that.  So later today or tomorrow I will post some text study thoughts on the scripture for Sunday.

Post vacation (Easter) reality

I was cleaning out my landscaping around my house yesterday.  As I was raking out the leaves I saw tiny, green shoots coming out of the ground.  My plants are rising from the depths of the dark cold ground.  And it was not a far stretch for me to immediately go back a week and think about our Easter celebration.  I was instantly reminded that the reality of the resurrection is always with me.  God’s love for us through Jesus Christ is always present with us.  The reality of the resurrection is not just a once a year thing.  It is a daily promise we have through our baptism.  So take joy in the fact that you are a beloved child of God. 

So rejoice and be glad:  Christ has risen!  He has risen indeed! Alleluia and Amen! -edh-

P.S. Now it’s time for some coffee.

A Masters faith statement

/ The Pastor

I am a huge golf fan, but I don’t sit and watch too many golf tournaments, except for the Masters.  This year the Masters happen to fall on Easter weekend.  Saturday afternoon consisted of me watching about 3 1/2 hours of golf.  And Sunday afternoon (after our dinner guests left) consisted of me watching another couple hours of golf.  Both days had exciting action (as exciting as golf can get).  On the final day (Sunday) Tiger Woods was in the final group so you had to give him the edge.  But it was a no name guy from Iowa, Zach Johnson, that held off Tiger to win his first Masters.  It was only his 2nd PGA Tour win…an amazing story.  But here is the part that made me proud — as they were talking to Zach afterward he starting thanking various people.  Zach thanked his coaches and trainers and his wife and family.  Then Zach said, "But most importantly I have to give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus was with me the whole time out there." He said this with tears in his eyes.  You could just feel his faith radiating through the T.V. screen and into your heart.  What an incredible witness. 

I have heard other people say similar things after receiving an award or some other accomplishment, but with Zach, I truly believed him.  His statement of faith came directly from his heart and was not said in passing as a nice thing to say.  I wish more people were that authentic with their faith.

What made me sad was when T.V. stations were replaying Zach’s interviews from that day, nobody replayed Zach’s faith statement (at least not that I saw or heard of).  Why were they so afraid to do that?  That interview was the best one he gave because he did not think about it.  It was a natural response to something that he achieved with God’s help (not that his other interviews were artificial).  Zach spoke from his heart (and faith) in that first interview.

Thank you, Zach, for sharing your faith like that.  It meant a lot to me and I know to many others.

My prayer for all of us is to remember God in not only the bad times but in the good times as well.  Don’t just cry out to God for help, but give God credit in your victories.  Jesus is the reason we can even begin to celebrate in the first place; for Jesus gave us the ultimate victory through the empty tomb.  Praise God ALWAYS and Amen! -edh-