Lent

Get your ash on

/ The Pastor

I love that title…

a little lighthearted fun as we begin this season of Lent; a season for reflection and remembering that we came from dust, and because of our sin, to dust we shall return.

This season is also a very somber time as we reflect on our mortality but we can’t forget the celebration at the end because of Jesus. And therefore, in the midst of taking ourselves very seriously, don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember that you are a sinful, mortal human being under the curse of death. That is serious and undeniable. But through the cross of Jesus, you are redeemed and thus, through faith in him, the curse is lifted on that Last Day. That is also serious and undeniable AND “fun” let’s say.

[Leave it to me to put a not-so-serious spin on Ash Wednesday and Lent]

So with that seriousness, let’s move to some fun stuff:

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This is me burning palm branches saved from last year’s Palm Sunday worship service. Seems normal, but what you can’t feel is that I am standing outside in a -30 degree wind chill that is chilling me right down to the bone. I guess one can add this to the list of crazy things that only Minnesotans (and other crazy upper Midwesterners] do. But when you live in this part of the country/world you have to make do.

So the ashes are made.
Worship is planned.
The sermon is set.

And I am ready to get my ash on as I dive head-long into Lent.

A serious season in preparation for a “fun” event.

May God be praised and glorified. May you be humbled with the serious fact that you are a sinner. May you be lifted up through the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

The Curse and The Victory

/ The Pastor

Many Christian churches around the world will be recognizing Ash Wednesday tomorrow (Feb 18). This is the beginning of the 40 day season of Lent (40 days not including Sundays) culminating in the vigil of Easter and then Easter itself the next day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

The season of Lent is one when we remember our mortality and to focus on our sinfulness. Reminders are placed on foreheads as people are marked with ashes; signifying the curse of sin which was pronounced to Adam and Eve (and all humanity) in Genesis 3, “from dust you came and to dust you shall return”. Through our willful disobedience to God we have incurred the penalty of death. Our bodies are subject to decay and thus will perish someday.

But this is not the end…

The mark of the curse is made in the form of the cross signifying our redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Earlier in Genesis 3, when God was cursing the serpent for his actions; ones that drew Adam and Eve into temptation; God announced his plan of redemption:

[15] I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring (Jesus); he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The offspring of the woman is Jesus.
The heel bruising is Jesus being crucified.
But the head bruising is Jesus defeating death through his resurrection.

The serpent, Satan, will be destroyed for his part in corrupting God’s beautiful and perfect creation. In the mean time, we will be subject to death and the rule of Satan, but through faith in Jesus, we will taste victory.

So Lent begins with a curse but ends with victory; but in order to know this victory we need to accept our fallen sinfulness and Lent is a time to focus on that. So remember who you are AND know who Jesus his. The curse of death is not forever. The victory has been won and has been given to you.

Praise be to God and Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Palm of my hand to my forehead

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I did it again…

[Palm of my hand to my forehead]

…I forgot the cross. (see my post from two years ago: Where’s the cross)

“Traditionally” we put a huge, rugged cross in the narthex at Salem on Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Holy Week.  It has a crown of thorns on top with a purple cloth draped over the cross beam. For Good Friday, the cross is moved outside to the end of the ramp leading to the narthex with a black cloth draped over the cross beam.  Then for Easter the cross is moved into the sanctuary where it is “decorated” with Easter lilies (something that gives my allergies a run for it’s money).

After this happened in 2011 I asked my secretary to write it on her calendar figuring one of us would remember. We remembered for 2012…just not for 2013.  So…like what we did in 2011, we will wait to put the cross out until Palm Sunday as a way of setting Holy Week apart.

There is so much that can be said theologically about this but I will refrain since I am too busy palm planting my forehead.

Doh!

The pastor -|—

Embracing Suffering

/ The Pastor

What I have posted here is the sermon manuscript from our joint Lenten worship service that we do with the Presbyterian Church here in Jackson.  We are exploring a book together called Embracing Obscurity by anonymous.

Embracing Obscurity

The chapter we spoke about on Wed, March 13 was titled “Embracing Suffering”.  Below is my portion of the message:

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As I begin this message I want to share with you a couple short paragraphs from the book Chris and I are talking about, Embracing Obscurity.  These paragraphs will help set the stage as we talk about Embracing Suffering tonight as a way to help us embrace obscurity.  This is what our anonymous author writes:

In A Path through Suffering, Elisabeth Elliot muses, “The word suffering is much too grand to apply to most of our troubles, but if we don’t learn to refer the little things to God how shall we learn to refer the big ones?” Perhaps that’s why her definition of suffering seems so fitting: Having what you don’t want, or wanting what you don’t have. This is the perfect definition of suffering for our discussion about embracing obscurity because it’s in the little “sufferings” of demotions, hard breaks, layoffs, out-of-state moves, menial jobs and (allow me to add…failed adoptions), that we learn to defer to God our dreams of being well-known, respected, and admired. It’s in these trenches that we realize God is big and we are small, where we exchange our will— our dreams, desires, and plans— for the opportunity to make much of Him and less of ourselves.
[Anonymous (2012-09-20). Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything (pp. 108-109). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

And that is the embracing obscurity part ~ to make much of God and less of us.  That is what we should be about, but when we are in the midst of suffering, that can be very hard to do.  After all, we are sinful, self-centered and glory-seeking people.  We want what we want and this makes it hard for us to embrace the obscurity that Chris and I have been talking about for a few weeks.  We naturally look inward but when we do that, our suffering is what we focus on…not on what God is doing.  So when something happens that we can classify as suffering some initial reactions include (but not limited to):

Why is this happening to me?  Where is God?  If God loves me then why did this happen? If God exists then suffering shouldn’t exist either, right? How long, O Lord, how long?

Sound familiar? Those are tempting questions… aren’t they?  And I have to admit…I was asking questions like that last week.  As Connie and I were in Florida on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; waiting to adopt a baby, I have never prayed harder for anything in my life.  I so wanted to be able to bring home a baby.  I prayed for the birth mother and family.  I prayed for the baby.  I prayed for our attorney.  I prayed for wisdom and strength.  I prayed, I prayed and I prayed some more.  You know 1 Thessalonians 5 where it says “Pray without ceasing”?  That was me.  But then on Wednesday afternoon we got the news we were dreading the most: “The birth mother has decided to parent the baby.”  My first prayer following those words was “Why God, why?”  My heart began to ache. And if we are to use Elisabeth Elliot’s definition then one could say I began to suffer.

The walk through the long hospital parking lot, back to our car, felt like the longest walk ever.  When we finally reached the car, I sat down and placed my hands and head on the steering wheel; not knowing what to do.  I didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to believe what just happened.  I was at a loss. The only thing I could think of doing was to cry out to God.  So we prayed…again.  We continued to pray for the birth mother and the baby and the family.  We continued to pray for strength and wisdom.  But this time we added healing and understanding. We had so many questions.

As we began the long 1600 mile trip back to Jackson I can remember thinking through my tears:  How in the world does anyone do this without God?  It totally baffled me.  How does anyone deal with any kind of suffering without the Almighty?  How does anyone move on with life without the awesome love of our Father?  At that moment, I needed God more than ever.  I didn’t like feeling the way I did (and I still don’t) but what I pray for now is for understanding and wisdom in how to best use this for the glory of God.  Because, no doubt, someone else will go through something similar. If they don’t know Jesus I want them to or if they DO know Jesus, I want them to remember, because true healing can only be found in Jesus. You can’t do this alone.

When we are suffering we have a couple choices to make.  We can wallow in our suffering; in self-pity, drawing attention to ourselves (which does not glorify God) or we can use what we are experiencing to help others; to give glory to God…to make more of God and less of ourselves. It is all a matter of faith.  If you truly believe that God is sovereign then you know that life is not about you.  The world does not revolve around you and me. And as I thought about that I even struggled to write these words to say to you tonight.  I didn’t want this to be a therapy session for me or something to portray me as some hero of the faith. So please don’t look at me as some kind of hero for not falling apart or for not being angry, because if you were in my home on Friday afternoon when we got home, you would have seen a person falling apart…still asking questions; emotionally raw.  I am no hero…I’m a child of God.

What we need to remember, my friends, is that God does not delight in the pain of his children.  God does not take pleasure in the suffering of his children.  The Good News in the midst of pain and suffering is that God has overcome suffering through Jesus Christ.  If we make suffering about us then we fail to proclaim this Good News to the world.  But…if we embrace suffering to the glory of God then we shift the focus from us and highlight the conquering and glorious King; drawing others to Him.  If you are looking inward; focusing on your own suffering, then you fail to see the awesome love of God.  Like I said, life is not about you and me.  So we might as well point to the one who it is about…God, for God is indeed in control. And that is my prayer each and every day; that I remember who is in charge and who it is that should be glorified.

As I close my portion of this talk, allow me to share one more paragraph with you from our book: How has God allowed you to suffer? Have you lost a home? Received a startling diagnosis? Been plagued by self-doubt or troubled relationships? Longed for a dream that evades you? Suffering is inevitable. You know it; I know it. We also know that how we respond says much about us. Will we be teachable through the dark moments and difficult seasons? Will we allow God’s Spirit to humble and transform us through our pain and disappointments? Will we allow our suffering to multiply what we have to offer others?
[Anonymous (2012-09-20). Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything (pp. 111-112). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

In this sin-torn world we live in suffering is a reality; we can’t escape that.  And to deny that is foolish.  But the the bigger reality that we all can take great joy in is that God has overcome the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the one who suffered more than anyone can possibly imagine…and he did all that just FOR YOU and FOR ME.  We won’t suffer like Jesus did, but we can use our suffering to glorify God like Jesus did.  So in the meantime…do not let Satan use your suffering for his purposes but rather let God use your suffering for His purposes; to draw people to Himself.  Make more of God and less of yourself and know true healing; healing that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  For through faith in Jesus Christ you will know a life ABSENT of suffering.  And that is what it is all about; proclaiming that Good News in the midst of a world of suffering.

May GOD be praised, always and forever.

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The pastor -|—

“Something” for Lent

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday; the beginning of Lent.

As I reflect on the coming season I have been thinking about a Lenten discipline to engage in.  Not that you have to do something or give up something, but “something” has been tugging at my heart.  It’s been tugging for a couple weeks now.   I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I think I finally know what that “something” is.

Starting tomorrow I am going to do something that I haven’t done before…

Pray.

Well…actually I do pray daily but what I am going to do for Lent is engage in the discipline of writing out my prayers in a prayer journal.

That is new for me.

I write prayers for worship and for this blog but I have never done so in such a personal and intimate way.  Never in a way to track and see what God is doing in my life.  I have never gone back to prayers I have written to see what God did with it.  I am not going to write those prayers here, but I may share experiences of this discipline here.

But I am curious, though…

Has anyone out there done this or does this on a regular basis?
Do you even engage in a spiritual discipline?
Do you give anything up?

Whatever you do, may you have a blessed Lenten season as we make our way to the cross and the empty tomb.

Praise be to God!

The pastor -|—

Rested and Ready

/ The Pastor

I’m back 🙂

After Easter I took 2 weeks of vacation and let me tell you…that felt good.  I so needed that.  I feel refreshed and energized…and a little feisty (see my Twitter account @SWMNRev).  I am excited to get back into the pulpit on Sunday.  I am looking forward to teaching this afternoon.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my pastoral care visits this week.  Not that I didn’t enjoy all these activities during Lent but it is nice to do them at a slower pace.  I don’t know if that makes sense or not.  It’s just…different.  It’s hard to explain.  But when you are going 100 mph for so long it feels nice to creep along at 10 mph for a while.

And that’s what I am doing…creeping along.  Enjoying the sites.  Smelling the roses (as it were). Spending more time on a few activities.  And basically just getting caught up (including writing here).

So that’s what I got for now.  Me basking in aftermath of the gift of some Sabbath rest…and looking forward to what God is going to do through me in this new season.

Praise be to God!

edh -|—

Post Lent/Easter post

/ The Pastor

A couple days ago we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; a victory won FOR YOU and FOR ME.  We sang our praises; we heard the Word proclaimed; we participated in the Lord’s Supper.

Now all seems quiet.  Almost eerie. And kind of nice.

Don’t get me wrong…I love Lent and Easter even though it is extremely busy and sometimes stressful.  And I think this year it was busier and more stressful than others though.  I am not sure why but it just was.  Half way through Lent I was “knocked down” for a couple days.  I had to cancel a couple small groups and just rest…but I was ready to go for Wednesday evening worship that week.  The rest of Lent I could still feel the effects of that mid-Lent hit.  I had my good moments and my bad moments.  But praise be to God…the Holy Spirit gave me strength to continue in my ministry.  Satan took his best shot but lost.

Now it is the Tuesday after Easter.  I am sitting on my couch enjoying the very beginning of a 2 week vacation.  And it almost feels strange,  but I feel more relaxed than I have for a couple months.  And despite my love for Lent and Easter I am enjoying this feeling of having nothing pressing on my to-do list other than:

~ Working in the yard
~ Running some errands
~ Watching some TV
~ Catching up on some reading
~ Sitting by the river
~ and enjoying some time with my wife

So even though I love the Lenten small group studies, the mid-week worships and the Holy week schedule going into Easter Sunday…and that on top of my normal weekly duties, I am also enjoying this time down.  But once again…don’t get me wrong.  I love being a pastor.  And in some strange way I also love the busyness and stress:

~ I love the hustle and bustle of ministry.
~ I love running around visiting people.
~ I love the lesson planning.
~ I love the worship/sermon prep
~ I love dealing with the day-to-day demands.
~ I love the proclamation of the gospel.

So BECAUSE I love being a pastor, and all that goes with it, I am going to enjoy this time away.  I am going to take full advantage of this rest.  I am going to make the most of this vacation.  And if you see me anywhere near the church building for any other reason than to get my mail…kick me out.  I won’t be offended…because I know that with the proper rest these next couple weeks I will come back even stronger on April 23; ready to take on the world and all that goes into being a pastor in this small town in SW MN.

So in the mean time, continue to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  Continue to proclaim this victory.  Continue on with “business” as usual.

Now…it’s time to return to my next vacation agenda item.  Let’s see what’s next…Hmmm…NOTHING.  Sounds good to me 🙂

edh -|—

Defeated

/ The Pastor

It never fails.

Every year at this time in Lent I hit “the wall”.
Every year I begin Lent thinking I am going to be fine…I have this under control.
And every year God humbles me.

On Monday I hit the proverbial wall.  I maybe got an hour of sleep that night as my brain was running wild. I had very little energy on Tuesday that no amount of coffee could fix.  I was experiencing stress related aches and pains.  And I had a hard time concentrating.

It was not a good day 😦

Mid-afternoon on Tuesday I made the difficult decision to cancel my Tuesday night small group at Belmont and cancel confirmation on Wednesday.  I was ready for my Wednesday small group and almost ready for Wednesday night worship.  So I after I got the word out about the schedule changes I went home to lie down.

Defeated.

God help me.

I prayed and prayed.  I confessed my sin of self-confidence in my ability to go through Lent on my strength.  Not that I totally ignored God, but I was happy with MY plan to get everything done.  I scheduled everything out.  I felt I could just plow headlong through Lent and then rest for 2 weeks after Easter.  But I ran out of MY energy.

God defeated me…and I thank God for that 🙂

I got a solid 8 hours of sleep on Tuesday night and felt better on Wednesday.  It felt good to sit and relax…and reflect…and pray.  It felt good to take my time to prepare for release time and then small group and then worship.  It felt good to have fellowship with God and rely on God’s strength through the Holy Spirit.

It felt good to be defeated.

One of these years I am going to figure this Lent thing out.
One of these years I am going to remember who is truly in charge.
But in the mean time I am going to cherish this feeling of being defeated and enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit working through me.

God help me 🙂

edh -|—

Lenten discipline – Prayer journal

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It has been placed on my heart recently to do some reflecting on various spiritual disciplines throughout Lent.  One of the reasons is my recent rebelliousness of not giving something up for Lent.  I have found that when I give something up for Lent that it doesn’t help me focus on God more but rather it distracts me.  Instead of focusing on God I find myself focusing on how much I miss the thing I have given up.

So I am changing the rules.  Instead of giving something up for Lent I am taking something on.

And when I say that I mean taking on a spiritual discipline such as:
Bible reading
Prayer
Journaling
Mediation
Worship
Fasting
Study
Serving
Etc…

Something I have started doing recently is keeping a prayer/study journal.
On the left is my Bible.  The book on right is a leather bound journal for taking notes during scripture reading and meditation.  The white paper in the middle is my prayer list that I update often.  All of this is contained in a canvas Bible cover with storage compartments for writing utensils and other items.  This is super easy to carry around with me and use as needed.  If a prayer request comes my way I make sure I immediately write down the name, date and circumstances…and also make sure I follow up.  I do this through personal visits, Facebook messages, email or phone calls.

I have found that this discipline has drawn me closer to God and closer to others as I work through this prayer list.  Something else I am starting is praying through the church membership list; a couple names/families at a time.

But this is not just a Lenten discipline…this is something I plan to maintain after Lent is done.   You see…the old Lenten rules said that when Easter arrived you could STOP giving up what you gave up and begin indulging in what you had deprived yourself of for 40 days (not counting Sundays).  The NEW rules encourage you to continue what you began.

Don’t give it up after Lent…keep it up.  Let it become a daily ritual for fostering and nurturing your relationship with God.

So there you go…the NEW rules:
Don’t give up but take on and continue.  Pretty straight forward.

So…who’s in?

And…

What are you going to take on?

edh -|—

Ready…set…go…

/ The Pastor

It’s Ash Wednesday!

Lent is here!

Bring on the craziness 🙂

Today I kicked off Lent by enjoying the Holy Spirit work through me to finish off the sermon for tonight.  I went to bed last night with writers block.  Woke up this morning hoping and praying that the sermon would finish itself.  Went to my office and BEHOLD…

…enter the Holy Spirit.

Now the sermon is done.  Praise be to God.  I can hardly wait to preach it tonight.

For my next Lenten activity…
I made some ashes for tonight.  I always look forward to doing this.  I just wish I hadn’t inhaled so much ash smoke.  I am still coughing it up. [Mental note ~ wear a mask next year]

Anyway…I am one of those purists who take the Palm branches from Palm Sunday the previous year, burn them to ash and then mix in some olive oil.

Presto!

Ashes for worship tonight 🙂

Now it is off to release time…then confirmation…then Lenten small group…then Lenten supper…then Ash Wednesday worship…then…at some point…bed.

Lent is here!

Ready…set…go!

edh -|—