Exploring confirmation

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Hey all…I am doing some rethinking of confirmation and would welcome your thoughts and feedback.  Last month I started a series of articles for our church newsletter to help people think about what confirmation is; why we do it, etc.  A number of questions have been running around in my head.  And this is a good time since I won’t have a confirmand for a couple years.

Below is the article that I wrote and turned in today that will be coming out in the August newsletter.

What is confirmation and why do we do it?
Those were the two questions I challenged you to consider last month.  How many of you did your “homework”?  Now let’s be honest…did you really consider those questions or did you just blow them off as something that isn’t all that important or figured Pastor Eric would write about it so why bother think about them?  I hope you did think about them because I would venture to say that a good number of you have either confirmation students, kids that will be in confirmation, grandchildren in confirmation or know of someone in confirmation.  And I am not even mentioning the fact that most of you have gone through confirmation yourselves.  So let’s start with that category ~ those who have gone through confirmation.

Those of you who have gone through confirmation answer this question:  Why confirmation?  My guess is that your answer will be “because mom and dad said so”.  And I would also venture a guess that is the reason for many students today.  Don’t get me wrong…I have had students who actually wanted to be in confirmation and enjoyed it.  But the fact that many attend because of mom and dad is not all that bad.  It actually shows mom and dad are following through with promises they made when their children were baptized.

You see…when children are baptized they generally have no clue what is going on; they generally have no memory of the event (I am assuming infant baptism here of course).  So during the service the parents and sponsors confess the faith for their child and then promise to raise them in the faith.  They promise to place in their hands the Holy Scriptures, bring them to the services of God’s house, teach them the creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 Commandment, to bring them to Sunday school…and confirmation.  Basically…parents promise to ensure that their children learn about God, so much so, that they can someday make their own confession of faith.  Confirmation helps students down this road.  So it is not bad that kids are in confirmation because mom and dad say so.

I have described briefly the “What” and “Why” of confirmation but there is still another issue that needs to be addressed.  As I mentioned, parents are responsible to teach their children the faith.  This happens so that their children “…may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace.” (Service of Holy Baptism, ELW pg. 228)  No where in that description does it say that they need to make sure their children make a confession of faith but yet I fear that we, as a church, are doing that very thing.  Students are brought to a confirmation service at a particular time of the year at a certain point in their lives.  They are brought to the service and expected to make a confession of faith ~ ready or not.  Students are to stand up front as the pastor asks them questions.  They are told to respond “Yes, by the help of God”.  But what if their answer is “No”?  What if they say that they do not believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit? What if we are forcing students to confess a faith they don’t believe in?  What if they need more time?  What if?

I can’t help but to wonder if we have turned confirmation into a rite of passage in the church rather than a celebration of faith.  As a church and as parents we are doing the very thing we need to do but are we taking it too far?  Are we driving kids away from the church by forcing them into a service and confession of faith that cheapens the Gospel?  Are we making ourselves out as hypocrites by turning the Good News of the Gospel into something that is “forced”?  So with that I am lead to a couple more questions; questions I would like you to consider for next month:  (1) When should it (confirmation) happen and (2) Who should it (really) involve?  Don’t cheat this time…actually do your homework and answer these questions.  Let me know what you think ~ I really want to hear from you.

Next month I will dive into confirmation a little more deeply and challenge you.  Stay tuned and let’s talk…

-edh-

My big run

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

Well…I am doing it again…

…Grandma’s Marathon is coming up this Saturday (June 18) and I will be in the field of nearly 10,000 runners who will be vying to complete a 26.2 mile run from Two Harbors to Duluth, MN.  This will be marathon #3 for me.  After marathon #1 (Twin Cities 08) I thought I was done but I was beat by a 85 year old man so I had to try again.  After marathon #2 (Grandma’s ’10) I thought I was done but my brother-in-law wanted to run his first marathon so I said I would run with him.  Now I am saying that marathon #3 will be my last ~ well…we’ll see I guess 🙂

I’ve been asked why do I put myself through this; why do I subject my body to running a grueling race such as a marathon.  The only and best answer that I can give is: “Because I can“.  After giving that answer to someone one time they responded by saying, “Well…I can jump off a skyscraper but it doesn’t mean I will“.  To which I responded, “It doesn’t take determination, dedication, training and hard work to jump off a skyscraper.”

I also think about the greatest running movie of all time; Chariots of Fire; a movie about Eric Liddell, a devote Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God and won the gold medal in the 400 meter run in the 1924 Olympics.  Eric Liddell’s answer to why he runs was “I believe that God made me for a purpose.  But he also made me fast, and when I run I feel his pleasure.”  That is a great quote and it gave me goose bumps when I heard it.

Now…I am not saying that I am fast.  I am not saying that I am anything special when it comes to running.  I am definitely no Eric Liddell.  But I believe I run because God made me in such a way that I can…flat feet and all.  I am simply using the ability that God gave me.  Granted…I am not going to change the world through running another marathon but since I am doing something I enjoy; something God gifted me with, I feel a connection to God.  Because it is only through the grace of God that I finish a marathon.

So if you are at all interested in following my progress you can sign up to receive email or text messages updating you on my progress by going to:
http://grandmasmarathon.com/site/index.php?page=runner-tracking

Once at the site you simply enter my name: Eric Hullstrom

All runners wear a timing chip on their shoe to keep track of them on the course and to record times at various locations along the way.  My goal is to run Grandma’s in under 4 hours (I ran it last year in 4:02:39).  The race starts at 7:30am on Saturday, June 18.

If nothing else please pray for me…I can use all the prayers I can get.

And in the end all praise and glory goes to God our Father through Jesus Christ.  Amen!

-edh-

Creature of habit and the god of routine

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I am a creature of habit (as I expect a lot of you are).  I have certain routines that I depend on.  Some I can live without if need be but some, if disrupted, can throw me for a loop…if I am not careful.  Case in point ~ Thursdays.

Thursday is a day I look forward to because it is the day I head down to my favorite coffee shop to write the sermon for Sunday.  I arrive downtown at around 10:25am and set up my lap top and work space.  I order my pre-lunch snack ~ a scotcheroo.  I also order my lunch to be prepared at 11am and, of course, I order my coffee.  Each Thursday…that is what I do ~ so much so that my coffee shop has a scotcheroo set aside for me each week unless I let them know ahead of time that I am going to be gone.  I am a creature of habit.

Thursday is not only scotcheroo day but more importantly it is worship and sermon prep day; a day that Monday through Wednesday builds up to.  Thursday begins the three day process of preparing for Sunday.  Sunday of course is the Sabbath and then the process starts all over again on Monday.  Week in and week out that is the “normal” routine.  Variables, of course, are funerals, pastoral care emergencies, holidays appearing during the week, etc.  Those times call for a little extra energy (a.k.a. coffee) and concentration…and a lot of prayer.  I don’t mind those “variables” because they are part of being a pastor.  I say “I don’t mind” meaning they don’t annoy me for throwing off the routine because it is also those times that I am called to minister.  I hope and pray everyday that I never approach the idol of “routine” that would steer me away from those holy moments I am called to.  I hope and pray that these “variables” don’t become an annoyance…for it is in that moment where I would be failing to trust in God’s faithfulness.

Routines can be a safe haven but they are a false “safe haven”.  Routines may provide order in chaos.  Routines may give you a sense of security.  Routines may provide something to look forward to.  But routines can never provide that which God provides.  Routines will be disrupted from time to time but God’s love and faithfulness will never be disrupted.  Routines will lead people into ruts, but God’s love is always exciting.  Routines can become idols; false gods, leading to destruction.

I cherish the routine of Thursday but not more than I cherish the God who loves me ~ so much so that Jesus died and rose that I may know forgiveness and everlasting life.  Thursday scotcheroos, coffees and lunch are great but God’s promises are better.

God…I pray that I may not be drawn into the idol worship of routine.  You have proved your faithfulness through Jesus Christ and for that I worship and praise you.  May your name be praised!  Amen!

–edh-

Wednesdays

/ The Pastor

Wednesday/hump day is a strange animal for me.  I have very mixed feelings about this day ~ and the feelings depend on the time of the year.  If you haven’t read my previous post titled “ups and downs” I commend that to you ~ but you can still continue reading this post without being lost.

During the “down time” (May – August) Wednesdays are a quiet and relaxing day (even those Wednesdays that contain council meetings in the evening).  My secretary is not in and the phone usually is quiet (knock on wood) and there are no classes.  On these Wednesdays I take my time getting ready in the morning.  I usually try to get to my office by 8am on Mon, Tues and Thurs but these Wednesdays I usually stroll in sometime between 8 and 8:30am ~ almost like I am getting away with something when Vicki isn’t here 🙂

During the “up time” of the year (Sept – May) Wednesdays can be crazy.  It’s then that I have release time and confirmation classes ~ and Wednesday Night Live is in session along with some adult classes.   During this time of the year the second Wed of the month is especially crazy with ministerial meetings at noon AND church council after supper.  Those second Wednesdays are long ~ where extra coffee is usually required.

Wednesday are unique and require a whole different mindset than Mon, Tues and Thurs (Friday’s mindset is, well, nothing as that is my Sabbath Day).  But as I mentioned in my previous post, I see “ups and downs” throughout the year as a gift from God to keep me fresh in ministry.  I am wondering if Wednesdays (during the “down time” of the year) are that “mini gift” each week to mix things up for me.  It is like a fueling station before I hit Thursday (my worship and sermon prep day).  During the “up time” of the year, Wednesdays are a weekly reminder that it is only by the grace of God that I can do all things.  I can’t risk getting complacent when I am teaching my kids and leading adult studies week in and week out.  Maybe, just maybe, Wednesdays (and especially those 2nd Wednesdays) are God’s way of kicking me in the butt each week; reminding me of his incredible faithfulness.  And I know that God is faithful because for 7 years God hasn’t failed me yet on a busy Wednesday.  Praise be to God!

So today I am preparing for a Bible study I am leading tomorrow and preparing for a wedding I am presiding at this weekend.  It’s a quiet day.  I might even clean up my messy office (but don’t count on that).  Thank you God for Wednesday’s and all those “Wednesdays” in our lives that you gift us with.  You never cease to amaze me with your faithfulness and love.

-edh-

Ups and downs

/ The Pastor

I never cease to be amazed at the ups and downs of pastoral ministry.  I am not referring to bad times and good times; joys and sorrows but rather the pace of ministry.

The month of August feels like a warm up run.  You know the real “workout” is coming but in August you are just getting ready.  There are no confirmation or release time classes yet, but I am busy making sure things are ready for the kids; working on the schedule and lesson plans.  Wednesday Night Live isn’t up and running yet but we are busy recruiting teachers.  Even though it feels like we are “off and running” it doesn’t feel busy or rushed…yet.

September hits and now one can say we are “off and running”.  Nearly every weekend is packed.  My weeks are filled with more lesson planning and Bible studies…which is on top off the sermon and worship prep (that is a constant in the weekly schedule).  Then of course in all this madness you have the occasional meeting, funeral and other surprises to make things interesting.  This pace keeps going through mid-May.

This faster pace is made even faster (and sometimes more crazy) with Christmas, Lent and Easter.  But just like speed work is good for a runner, these little bursts of speed in the year are good for the soul.  I mean, after all, it’s Christmas, Lent and Easter…my favorite times of the year.

May hits and all of a sudden things slow down to a crawl.  No more confirmation, release time or Wednesday Night Live and adult small groups take a summer break.  Now my schedule is dominated (in addition to sermon and worship prep) with more visiting and reading.  Reading is a nice change of pace (something I don’t do nearly enough during the rest of the year).  This slower pace maintains itself until August when the whole cycle begins again.

Currently we are in the slow pace (obviously since you know it is June).  I have knocked out a few books already and currently working on 3 more right now.  I am getting caught up on my visits.  And I am thinking about new and exciting things for the fall.  I like this slower pace, but I know I can’t stay in this pace forever…nor do I want to.

I am thankful for the ups and downs of pastoral ministry.  It is energizing and it is humbling.  It is energizing because I have more time to feed my soul during the down times and humbling because during the up times I am reminded that I only can do it by the grace of God.  And I think the up times come just in time because any longer I think I would risk complacency in my faith.

So for the time being I will enjoy the slower pace as I get ready for the faster one that will hit in September.  Until then bring on the books and the visits over a hot cup of coffee.  Fill my soul, O God, and let it overflow.

-edh-

The gate (key)

/ The Pastor

The Gospel text for this Sunday (May 15) is from John 10:1-10.  This is the account of Jesus saying “I am the gate…“.  Call me goofy but this great scene from the Princess Bride came to mind.  There has got to be a way to use this in the sermon 😉

Enjoy

-edh-

Wrestling with justice and death

/ The Pastor / 10 Comments

I have been doing a lot of wrestling today over the events of the last 24 hours or so; the killing of Osama bin Laden.  My wrestling will continue but I wanted to write down what I have been mulling over so far.

Throughout today I have been keeping an eye on Facebook and Twitter to see what others have been saying.  I have also watched some news reports and read a few articles.  As I reflect on everything I have seen and read I find myself dealing with a tension.

First off…I am proud of our military and of their sacrifice.   Those men and women have made great sacrifices in the war on terror and in their hunt for bin Laden.  There is a part of me that is glad that this terrorist is gone.  There was a part of me that felt relief last night when I heard the official word of his death.  Will the world be a safer place…I doubt it.  But has justice been served…Yes.  So this part of me is happy and glad.

But now here’s the tension…

…as a Christian how are we to respond to the death of an individual who was created by God.  That’s right…Osama bin Laden was created by God…it’s hard to believe sometimes but he was.  So the question is this:  Is it a proper Christian response to cheer, celebrate and party over the death of a human life…no matter how evil we may think they are?  That is what I am struggling with…and the struggle feels even worse considering that it is bin Laden; a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and for changing our lives forever.  But another problem I am having is if it is alright to cheer this person’s death where do we draw the line?  It seems to be a slippery slope and one I am not willing to approach.

Another theological issue arose this morning for me.  I received a phone call from a parishioner who asked me if Osama is in hell.  I know what they wanted to here but I was forced to respond with a very difficult phrase:  “I don’t know…only God knows“.  This person wanted me to do better so we talked about the fact that we are not God and that God is the only true judge.  We also discussed that it is a dangerous business to get into; trying to determine who is going to hell and who isn’t.  “Do not judge lest ye be judged“. (Matthew 7:1)

So where I am at now is the fact that I live in two different worlds.  I am a citizen of the United States of America and a citizen of the Kingdom of God.  These worlds are in tension with one another but it is a tension we need to learn to live with and respond to.  Maybe the challenge for all Christians is to follow what Jesus commanded us to do…pray for our enemies.  That can be a tall order sometimes.

I am not going to mourn bin Laden’s death but I am going to try to refrain from celebrating it.  So in the mean time the wrestling match is going to continue…and maybe that is a good thing.

How are you responding to Osama bin Laden’s death?

-edh-

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-

Pack rat hunting

/ The Pastor

I did something yesterday in worship that I had never attempted before…

…I preached the sermon from my Kindle.

I knew I was able to send Word documents to my Kindle for reading later but it never occurred to me to send my sermons to this piece of technology.  I have always been fairly low tech in worship but now I am finding myself moving into the realm of high tech (if you want to call preaching from a Kindle “high tech”).  I do have friends that preach off iPads and laptops (laptop seems too cumbersome to me and I haven’t justified the plunge to an iPad yet).  I know that there are pros and cons to preaching from technology, but I am liking the pro side of this so far.

One of the reasons I made this move to try preaching from my Kindle was a realization.  Behind my desk and to my left sits a file cabinet.   The top drawer is filled with old sermon manuscripts.  I have 5 years worth of sermons sitting in there waiting…but waiting for what?  In my nearly seven years here at Salem (I haven’t put 2010 or 2011 sermons in that file) I have never once opened that drawer to look for an old sermon.    If I have been curious about a previous sermon I have always looked it up on my computer (but even that doesn’t happen that often.  Every sermon I preach is a fresh sermon…never recycled).

So I started asking my self…why am I keeping all these printed sermons?
Why am I wasting all this paper; printing sermons off every week?
What is preventing me from throwing all those old sermons in the recycling box?
Maybe I am keeping them for some selfish reason.
Maybe I am keeping them because they really aren’t my sermons; they belong to God so what right do I have to throw them out.
Or…maybe it’s simply the pack rat in me coming out in force.

I am thinking it is the “pack rat” reason 🙂

But still…it almost seems sacrilegious to throw a sermon in the recycling bin.  I guess I could reason that they are being reused in God’s creation; doing some good by saving some trees.  That works…I like that.

In any case…whether I fully make the plunge and preach each week from my piece of technology (whatever that turns out to be) or use a combination of high tech and low tech I am thinking I am going to start recycling in my office sermon drawer at some point, but not quite yet.  I still need to go pack rat hunting.

-edh-

Overcome

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

I was asked a question about God yesterday:  “Why does God allow little children to suffer terrible illnesses?”  It is the age-old issue of God, evil and suffer.  How do they coexist if indeed God is a loving God.  I don’t like watching little children suffer.  I don’t like watching footage of earthquake and tsunami damage.  But suffering is part of life…but why?

My first response was that God created this world perfect but sin messed it up…and God was grieved (to put it mildly).  But the suffering we experience in this world is not the end for God has overcome the world.  God overcame the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  As I sat and pondered this issue some more I was drawn to John 16 where Jesus is comforting his disciples.  Jesus closes that chapter by saying “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.“ Praise be to God!

I still don’t like suffering.  I still grieve when little children suffer terrible illnesses and when I see reports of natural disasters.  And…I still ask that age-old question from time to time:  Why God, why?  But each time God comes through with words of reassurance and hope; strengthening my faith through reminding me of his love. And through this faith strengthening I am reminded that this is not the end.  My faith tells me that when I am going through hard times that God is right there with me.  My faith tells me that in the midst of suffering God is right there whispering those words of Jesus in my ear and in my heart.  My faith tells me that when Satan takes his best shot to drive me to despair I can respond by saying, “You have already lost!  My God has defeated you and has given me the victory through Jesus Christ so go away!”

Evil and suffering are here to stay…for the time being…but take heart…Jesus has overcome the world FOR YOU and FOR ME.

Praise be to God!

-edh-