The Life Tour Guide

A key element within the human spirit is the function of longing—a longing for harmony, for belonging, for purpose and grounding. Longing is idealized in two directions: remembering the past with nostalgia and looking forward to the future with hope. However studies have shown that we have difficulty remembering the past accurately, and experience has shown that the future seldom turns out the way we anticipate. That probably includes heaven too.

Composers who capture longing with their music usually have a symphony of success to show for their imagination. “Take me home over the country road;” but sad to say the old homestead doesn’t look as inviting as I remembered it. Somehow it is smaller and a bit run down. You can’t step into the same river twice. Change is a constant flowing stream that complicates the environment and with it our outlook and anticipation.

So how do we deal with longing? The German word is ‘Sehnsucht’—this yearning for that which is more perfect and complete where the vicissitudes of life can no longer beat down an upright spirit. We are not there yet. We are like children asking parents from the back seat of the old sedan “how much longer til we get there?” We entertain faint glimmers of the ideal moment and location…but must be satisfied with patience.

What is the ingredient in longing that separates reality from illusion? I think it is found in a presence, in a faith that knows instinctively what a real presence actually is—an appearance that takes hold of us and does not pretend to be superhuman nor unworldly but life-giving. “See the scars in my hands and feet and the spear scab in my side,” says Jesus. I am one with you in your humanity so that you may be one with me in a peace that passes understanding. 

“I am the good shepherd,” asserts Jesus. “I know my sheep and my sheep know me! I lay down my life for the sheep.” Not all shepherds are “good”. Most were not. So the negative critics assail him: “He is demon-possessed and raving mad,” they claim, “why listen to him?” (John 10:20). The counter-argument is “can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (John 9:1-41). Sight, deep insight, is one of the many gifts Jesus grants us through faith—to heal our blind eyes to truly see the holy in the midst of the profane, the handy-work of a Creator who loves his creation and all creatures. He points our sight to a more worthy and beautiful “white supremacy” found in the snow atop Mount Hood, calling into question our idolatries and pointing forward to life.

Shepherding is not quite as common today as it was in Jesus’ time. Perhaps we could change the metaphor a bit and understand Jesus as our “life tour guide.” He has a global positioning antenna that includes both space and time. “Hey Jesus, how do we get from here to eternity?” And he responds, “just love each other as I have loved you!” As we lose ourselves in love for one another we suddenly discover that longing is realized and fulfilled and God is with us here and now.

We pray: Lord Jesus, you invite us to follow you into a full life of love and self-giving. Strengthen us by the power of your Spirit to enter this journey toward the fullness of your paradise and presence, that we may enjoy the bounties of this good creation on the way to life. This we pray in your most holy name. God hear us. Amen.

LBW Hymn #370:

Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The unity of heart and mind is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.

From sorrow, toil, and pain, and sin we shall be free.
And perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity.

The Rev. Joel Nickel, STS
Artist

TURN-AROUND-THOMAS

Some Christian communities celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter as “Thomas Sunday.” The Gospel of John includes the disciple known as “The Twin” in the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection. Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t mention him. Thomas is the human, real disciple, with flaws and gifts, doubts and faith. He is one of us!

The aftermath of Easter was a mixed-up time for the followers of Jesus. Having heard from Mary Magdalene that Jesus was alive—after being crucified and buried—the disciples were filled with fear, not knowing what to expect from the religious authorities. Timid, they isolated themselves in a locked room.

Coming to them where they were, the risen Lord gave a greeting of peace, showed them the scars on his hands and side, real signs of crucifixion, and gave them the Holy Spirit. But Thomas wasn’t there that day, not able to participate in the revealing. The disciples told him that Jesus was “truly alive,” but the absent “Twin” would not believe the fantastic news unless he saw and touched the wounded Teacher in the flesh. A week later, Jesus came back to their hideout, invited Thomas to verify the story and have faith. The skeptic follower believed and called Jesus “My Lord and my God!” Some biblical commentators say Thomas is the first person to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus.

Into that very confusing and scary setting suddenly comes Jesus. Wasn’t his death the reason the disciples were afraid? And rising from the tomb...well, that’s the most unexpected and unbelievable thing that could happen! He says “Peace” several times and “I’m sending you out as the Father sent me. Receive the Holy Spirit and forgive one another.”

Can we relate to the lonely and scary situation that the disciples and Thomas found themselves? Our neighbors and we deal with the pain and uncertainty of illness and accidents. Personal crises like death in our families and relationships strike nearby. We are hit by
financial need and national calamity. Trust in Jesus is difficult, even impossible at times! Yet, our risen Lord comes quietly and unexpectedly with His gifts of the Holy Spirit and faith, offering life that is full, unselfish and shared out of concern for one another, especially those in dire need.

Thomas the skeptic becomes Thomas the verifier, truth-teller, and exemplary person of faith. The Holy Spirit empowers our turn-around—perhaps not as dramatic—but very much like his.

Learn more:

+ Search for the well-known sayings of Thomas in John 11: 16 and John 14:1-7.
+ A “minor festival,” St. Thomas, Apostle is celebrated each church year on December 21, a few days before the Nativity of Our Lord.
+ We read about Thomas in John 20: 10-31—the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter every year.
+ Christian tradition notes that Thomas travelled to India to share the Gospel and died there

between 50—55 A.D.
+ Not in the Bible, the Gospel of Thomas from the Coptic Church (Egypt) consists of sayings

of Jesus. Read them to determine why they were not included in the biblical record! +++++

Pastor Ed Brandt

The Resurrection of Our Lord

Having been deprived of a full and complete Worship experience for more than a year I celebrate each small advancement toward a Word and Sacrament Celebration. And, as there are new opportunities to open attendance for more people, with “in person” communion, and the offering of both bread and wine; (even to once again sing hymns and liturgy), I realize how much I have messed.

Now with the arrival of the Resurrection of Our Lord, I am excited to experience (along with the announcement: “He Is Risen”) the colors of gold and white. I look forward to the presentation of the Christ candle, the lilies, the “Alleluias”, and the attendance of friends and family and more.

This year, more than most, many congregations will be attempting to make Easter especially grand. But, let us remember that all we attempt to plan is only a response to what God has accomplished through Jesus, the Christ.

It is God who makes this Resurrection Sunday possible, and special. With the Resurrection of Jesus, and the 40 days that Jesus walked and talked, before his Ascension, we are forced to accept that resurrection was permanent. And, eternal life with God is possible.

Easter is more than a special Sunday. The days between the Resurrection of our Lord and the Day of Pentecost include events that give us the assurance that eternal life is real; and that eternity with God is in our future.

In fact, it is our reality today. So, let’s celebrate!

Pr. Rob Bjornstad
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021

Hosannas, Palms and More…

“Christ Jesus…humbled himself and became obedient unto death – even death on a cross!”  (A portion of Palm Sunday’s Epistle from Philippians 2:5-11)

Last Sunday, March 28, was Palm Sunday. For as long as I can remember, I’ve found myself humming the melody of “All Glory, Laud and Honor” (LBW #108) well before I walk through the doors of church on that Sunday of Holy Week.  I’ve recalled past years’ celebrations singing that hymn, along with beautiful decorations, special choir anthems and festive processions.  I’ve also smiled as I visualized the palm fronds handed out to kids…the same fronds later used for “sword fights” (probably by the Koehneke kids) after worship was finished.

Maybe that’s what encouraged me at some point in my ministry to hand out palm crosses to the kids instead…so that we all remember that Palm Sunday was about much more than just palms and a Sunday parade.  After all, there can be confusion about this day in Jerusalem as people either forget (or purposely avoid) what happened in the days afterhosannas and palms. 

I recall the story of the customer who went into a jewelry store looking for a cross to fit on a chain.  The clerk waited on him, found out what he wanted and asked, “Well tell me, would you like a plain cross or one that has a little man on it?”  For the clerk the cross had no meaning.  It was just a decorative piece of jewelry, with or without a little man.  And if truth be told, there were many others who didn’t understand Jesus from the very beginning either.

It’s true, when He entered Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed colt, the crowd was chanting “Hosannas” at the top of their lungs.  But slowly, and gradually, the Hosannas became quieter and quieter.  Then nothing.  By afternoon, another chant had begun, almost in a whisper, “crucify him,” softly, louder and finally bursting with power, “Crucify him!  Crucify that man!  He’s an imposter.  A fake.  He’s no king, that’s for sure.” They wanted a warrior on a stallion, and instead they got a carpenter on a donkey.  So, by week’s end, the cheers would turn to jeers, they would kill Him and put a poster above His head that said, “King of the Jews.” Big joke of a king.  That’s the way it was on that first Palm Sunday.

Eventually though, the crowds brought Jesus before Pilate, and Pilate questioned Jesus.  “You are Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews, are you not?”  Jesus replied, “You have said so.” Pilate persisted: “Are you king of the Jews?  Out with it, are you or aren’t you king of the Jews?”  Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world.  My kingdom is not like yours, Pilate.  My kingdom is not of this world.”  Then Pilate asked the crucial question: “Well, then, Jesus, what kind of a king are you?”  

That’s still our question today, “What kind of king was this Jesus of Nazareth?”  Obviously, He was a different kind of king.  When He came to earth, He didn’t live in a palace, occupy a throne, wear a crown of gold or command armies like other kings.  He didn’t rule with a queen, and He had no servants waiting on Him hand and foot.  But then again, His kingship was not of this world.  That’s what He said Himself.

So, “What kind of king was this Jesus of Nazareth?”  It’s hard to recognize this king when you don’t look, act or behave like one.  After all, can you imagine a king getting down on his knees and washing the feet of his disciples?  That’s what He would do later this same week.  Or, what kind of king goes out and tries to get His subjects to love him?  

What kind of king is it who is like a rejected father, who goes out and waits at the fence for His wayward son to come back to him?  What kind of king is it who searches for His lost citizens like a shepherd searches for His lost sheep?  What kind of king allows you to address Him by His first name, who allows you to address Him so personally, instead of some glorious sounding title?  And then, to top it off, this king does the ultimate.  

What kind of king is this, when I have committed a crime, and I am about to be executed for my crime, that this king comes forward and volunteers to be executed on my behalf?  Have you ever heard of a king like that?  One who would die in my place?  It’s crazy.  It’s ridiculous.  It doesn’t make any sense.  But wasn’t it Jesus who said Himself: “My kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world?  Pilate, you’ll never get it.”

 In the epistle lesson for Palm Sunday, St. Paul says very clearly: “CHRIST JESUS...MADE HIMSELF NOTHING, TAKING THE VERY NATURE OF A SERVANT, BEING MADE IN HUMAN LIKENESS.  AND BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME OBEDIENT TO DEATH - EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS!” (Phil. 2:5b,7-8) That’s who our King is.  One who cares so much about His people, that not only does He declare His love...He proves it in the most demonstrative way.  He goes from riches to rags, He empties Himself of His divinity, He humbles Himself and submits Himself to a humiliating death, He does all that...to point us to His love, to win our salvation, to help us trust even more strongly in Him and to give us quite an eyeful as to what this different kind of King is all about.  

It’s this King who also wants to rule our hearts and lives.  A king who wants to rule our lifestyles, habits, homes, marriages, jobs, friendships and our time.  This king wants to rule everything about us.  Not by using religious tricks.  Not by using political power.  This king wants to rule everything inside of us and around us, solely by virtue of the love that drove Him to the cross in the first place.  What a different kind of king.

After the initial hosannas of that first Palm Sunday, there were few who realized Jesus for the King He really was.  But the events to happen in the next week...not to mention the days, months, years and centuries that followed would add to the numbers of those who understood more about His kingship and realize that he truly was the “real deal.”  He was a whole lot more than they ever expected.  Believers and followers who would recognize a king who rules from His cross, whose cross is His throne, who rules through suffering, love and humility.  

As we join another Palm Sunday crowd singing our hosannas, let’s praise and honor this different kind of King too.  And let’s remember that this King is also very much a part of us, His citizens of God’s Kingdom.  And as we relive those last days of the King’s passion for us, may they point us to the King who came into this world unlike any other.  May we remember His supreme act of love on the cross and the model He would leave for us to imitate.  For then we will be strengthened in the conviction that Jesus Christ is all He said He would be and all that we need Him to be...our Savior, our Lord, our Friend and our King.  And we’ll wait with joy to hear the angel tell us without any doubt on Easter morn: “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” 

All glory, laud and honor To you, redeemer, king,

To whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring,

To you, before your Passion, They sang their hymns of praise,

To you, now high exalted, Our melody we raise. (LBW, #108, v. 4)

Pastor Dale Koehneke – March 28, 2021

We Want to See Jesus!

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.  So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”  John 12:20-21  

             We are all familiar with the carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, but we are probably less familiar with the author of that carol.  Phillips Brooks was an Episcopal priest in Boston.  He was responsible for building Trinity Episcopal Church, one of the masterpieces of nineteenth century architecture.  But there is one little detail of Trinity Church that can only be seen by the ministers who preach from its pulpit.  Phillips Brooks instructed a wood carver to engrave these words on the inside of the pulpit so that only the preacher could see them: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus”.

             Each week in Lent our Scripture readings have been bringing us step by step closer to that fateful Thursday evening when Jesus was arrested and to the next day when He was crucified.  Each year as we live through the Season of Lent, those events become ever more real to us...precisely because we know what will happen at the end.  I recently watched the four-week series on CNN about Abraham Lincoln.  Last Sunday’s program began as President and Mrs. Lincoln prepared to go to a play at Ford’s Theater.  Knowing what was going to happen, I watched that program with growing sadness.  That is how we also approach Good Friday.  As we travel through Lent every year, we see Jesus moving closer and closer to Jerusalem, and we know that when He gets there He is going to be betrayed and crucified. 

             In this past Sunday’s Holy Gospel, St. John told us that some “Greeks” approached Philip and said:  Sir, we want to see Jesus.  There were many “Greeks” or Gentiles living in Israel at that time, and many of them had come to believe in the God of Israel.  Because they did not fully convert to Judaism, they could not be called “Jews”.  But they were called “God-fearers” – Gentiles who worshipped the God of Israel.  Just as Jesus and His disciples were going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, so also were these God-fearing Greeks also on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  But Jesus was going to Jerusalem for a different purpose.  He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die on the cross and on the third day rise to life again for us and for our salvation.

             When those Greeks approached Philip, they said to him:  Sir, we wish to see Jesus.  When Philip brought their request to Jesus, Jesus said, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  This verse is a key turning point in the Gospel of John.  Up until now, Jesus kept making references to his “hour” or to his “time” by saying that his hour has not yet come.  But now when these Greeks ask to see Jesus, now Jesus knows that “his hour” (his time) has arrived and he says, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  

             If somebody were to say to us, “Now the time has come for me to be glorified”, we would probably think that they had just gotten a big promotion or had won a big prize or were being honored with a special award.  But because we know what is going to happen to Jesus when He gets to Jerusalem (just as I knew that Abraham Lincoln was going to be assassinated when he went to Ford’s Theater that night) we know that Jesus’ “glorification” is going to be something very different than receiving an award or a metal.  For Jesus to be “glorified” means that He will be nailed to a cross and die.  Jesus knew what it meant that His “hour” had finally arrived.  That is why He goes on to say what He does here:

 ...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it does, it bears much fruit...Now is my soul troubled.  And what shall I say? “Father, save Me from this hour”?  But for this purpose I have come to this hour...And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.”

            And then, to make sure the readers of his Gospel understood it, John adds this comment: Jesus said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die.  By those Greeks coming to see Jesus, St. John is telling us that Jesus’ mission is not just to the people of Israel but is universal – to the whole world. That was a sign for Jesus that the hour had come for Him to be lifted up – that is, to be crucified – so that He could complete the mission His Father had sent Him on to draw all people to God.

 These words Sir, we wish to see Jesus are words for all of us.  All around us there are people who need to see Jesus.  The problem is that most of them don’t even know what Jesus looks like.  If they are ever going to see Jesus, then they are going to have to see Jesus in the loving faces and in the serving hands of the lives of the people who are Jesus’ people — you and me.  Martin Luther once said that every Christian is to be a “little Christ” to the people around us.  So, let me ask:  When people look at us, do they see Jesus in us?   Do people see in us the compassionate Savior who reached out in love to lepers and blind and deaf people?  Do people see in us the Jesus who accepted sinners and outcasts and embraced them with His love?  Amen.

Rev. Paul D. Doellinger
March 22, 2021

Greeks?

In the Gospel for this Sunday, the 5th Sunday in Lent, from John 12, the evangelist tells us, “Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’

For some reason, in spite of the many times I’ve read this text, it struck me as odd that suddenly these folks show up and want to see Jesus. Who are they? Why do they want to see Jesus? They seem out of place. Jesus is in Jerusalem for the festival, we’re told. Why would Greeks come to a Jewish festival? And what in the world did they hear about Jesus that would so spark their curiosity.

John then explains that Philip brought their request to Andrew and then the two of them went and told Jesus. “Hey Jesus, there are some Greek dudes here to see you.” Jesus’ response is even more strange because he starts talk about how his hour has come, and John never says that Jesus actually met the Greeks at all.

What a strange and confusing episode. One suggestion is that John didn’t actually mean “Greeks,” as is people from Greece. What he meant was people who weren’t Jewish, like the rest of the disciples and Jesus himself.  In reality you could say that the whole of the Mediterranean world was “Greek” – Greek was the language everyone spoke, it was the language of philosophy and commerce, of drama, and story. 

I think it could be that these Greeks represent a new reality: they represent the world (as it was known then), and the world desires to see Jesus.  In some ways they are like the Magi in Matthew who don’t belong ethnically in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, and yet who come and honor the new born Jesus with their gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh. In a sense the world, represented by these foreigners, has come to see Jesus. 

Does the world still desire to see Jesus, to come to know him, and to come to believe in him? Are there folks who need to come to know who Jesus is and what God has done through him for the world. Remember John 3:16? “For God so loved the world…the world!” 

The Gospel of John is a Gospel of God’s love for the world. God doesn’t love some more than others. All people are God’s beloved. Did the Greeks finally meet Jesus that day? What did they discover about him? About themselves? 

Here’s a better question: what if someone comes up to you tomorrow and says, “Say, what do you know about Jesus?” What would you say?  

It’s our calling as disciples of Jesus to do what Andrew and Philip did in the Gospel this week: bring people, even people we might not think belong, to Jesus. 

That my friends is the purpose of the church, isn’t? 

It’s not to bring people to church. That can turn out to be a disappointment. 

Rather, the church is to bring people to Jesus. 

When people gather for worship at Peace, so you think they meet Jesus?

Pastor Joe Hughes
 March 21, 2021

Prayer for All Nations

Down in the depths of the human psyche, dissatisfaction happens when we see the
disparity of the world as it is and at the same time know what it really ought to be. The
fig tree has beautiful, bountiful large green leaves…but no fruit grows on its branches,
Jesus discovered (Mark 11:13-14). The Jerusalem temple is built with beautiful
massive stones that suggest a huge impressive engineering feat of holy architecture,
but inside it has become a rotten money-making marketplace; according to Jesus, it
had become a “den of thieves” that contradicted its spiritual purpose (Mark 11:17). We
live in a land where our national creed says that all people are created equal and are
endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights…yet we are bedeviled by inequality,
the disparities of privilege, and social unrest. So we should welcome a spirit of
dissatisfaction that creeps into both our national pride and religious consciousness
with a sharp twinge to the conscience. Do our deeds match our creeds, religiously and
socially? 

Jesus asks the fig tree, “Where is the fruit?” He asks the temple priests, “Where is the
repentance?” He asks of us, “Where is your trust?” Trust becomes manifest in prayer,
Jesus teaches his disciples (Mark 11:22-25).

Contrary to some strains of religious piety, I think it is true that doubt protects our faith
and guilt protects our goodness. Both guilt and doubt are uncomfortable and tricky to
deal with, but they are part of the prayerful wrestling that needs to happen when we
see and are troubled by the distance between what is and what ought to be. At a time
when the assertion of “fake news” rankles the idea of objective truth and permissive
ethics obscures the reality of sin, both doubt and guilt are welcome components of our
daily walk with Jesus. How can we know the truth, and how can we aspire to
goodness? Both sanity and serenity are at issue here, and personal integrity hangs in
the balance.

 Much ink has been spilled in the past century by theologians searching for the
“historical Jesus” in an academic attempt to question the accuracy of his words and
deeds as conveyed by the gospel writers (cf the “Jesus Seminar”). This isn’t too
different from the quest of the chief priests, teachers of Torah and elders (Mark
11:27-28) who ask “By what authority do you do these things?” (like cleanse the
temple & curse a fig tree—an enacted parable). Jesus, by what authority do you
command our conscience and invite our trust? The story of Lent centers on Jesus’
integrity as it is established by his suffering. He “pays his dues” in the face of the
religious authorities who plot his death (Mark 11:18). His authority is embedded in his
life.

 In typical hyperbolic fashion Jesus suggests that trustful prayer can “move mountains”
(Mark 11:23—possibly the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prays; Gethsemane is on the
lower slope of the Mount, just outside Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley from which
point the Dead Sea is visible). We fallible humans are tempted to turn our
dissatisfactions into huge barriers—"turning mole hills into mountains”—to excuse any
focused and promising effort to alleviate the problem. So move the mountain because
it obscures reality, the reality of our relationship to God established by Jesus. The
spiritual task of prayer is to counter inertia by leveling things out, to make the path to
“what ought to be” plain and clear and approachable with human effort. Move the
mountain out of the way, for with God all things are possible. Didn’t the Gospel of
Mark begin with the call of John the Baptizer to level the highway out in the wilderness
for the Messiah to come (Isaiah 40:3-5)? Make his path plain! Live for what ought to
be. Christians, like our Jewish partners, are to be a light to the nations, united in
prayer, living for the truth of the gospel covenant, and not allowing the mountain of evil
to outweigh the good, even when faced with a cross. So, just what is our mountain?
Is it in the Way of our faith? Move it!

 Pray…and sing: (WOV #754)

 Let us talents and tongues employ, reaching out with a shout of joy:
Bread is broken, the wine is poured, Christ is spoken and seen and heard.

         Refrain: Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again pass the word around:                      Loaves abound! 

Christ is able to make us one, at the table he sets the tone,
Teaching people to live to bless, love in word and in deed express. Refrain.

Jesus calls us in, sends us out. Bearing fruit in a world of doubt,
Gives us love to tell, bread to share: God (Immanuel) everywhere! Refrain.

The Rev. Joel Nickel, STS
Artist

Cleansing the Temple

Friends,

The Gospel for this Sunday, the 3rd Sunday in Lent, is one of my favorite texts from the Gospel of John, Jesus’ “Cleansing the Temple,” John 2:13-22.  All four Gospels relate this episode in the life of our Lord, but only John puts it up front, in the 2nd chapter of his Gospel.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic Gospels,” because they see the story of Jesus in a similar outline, thus “syn”-together and “optic”-to see. They are just getting started with the Galilean ministry of Jesus. John, on the other hand, has been called “The Maverick Gospel” because he brings Jesus to Jerusalem right after the miracle of the wedding at Cana, and a short stay in Capernaum with his family. 

 At Passover time, the observance of the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, Jesus goes to Jerusalem like many other observant Jews. God had commanded that the Passover be observed every year. Making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem would have been momentous. But Jesus hasn’t come to the temple as another observant Jewish man. He has come as a disrupter.

Everything is just as it should be when he gets there. Things are “normal.” The business of changing money into “temple money” is going gangbusters.  That’s because the image of the Roman Caesar on Romans coins made their use prohibited in the temple, and they could not be used to buy the animals needed for sacrifice. Then in comes Jesus and he disrupts the whole place. Tables overturned, coins flying through the air and clanking on the stone floor, Jesus with his whip chasing off the money changers.  

 What was Jesus’ problem with “business as usual” in the temple? Why is he so hostile to the sacrificial system of 1st century Judaism? I’m not authority on this, but here’s what I think. I think Jesus wasn’t just overturning the temple-market place. In John’s Gospel Jesus is the disrupter par excellence! He is overturning assumptions all along the way: 

·       In John 2 Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and now people can’t go through the ritual washing because the water for that purpose has become wine.

·       In John 3 Nicodemus learns “must be born again by water and the Spirit.”  Though he is a religious scholar and teacher (Rabbi) has no idea what this means.

·       In the next chapter, John 4, Jesus breaks all the rules by having a personal and intimate conversation with a Samaritan woman. It’s not clear what the disciples thought was more horrid, that she was a woman, or that she was a Samaritan.

·       In the next chapter, John 5, Jesus breaks the rules again and heals a man on the Sabbath Day. 

·       John 11 Jesus “disrupts” the funeral of Lazarus by ordering the mourners to “unbind him and let him go” as he walks out of his grave alive. 

I think you get my point.  John is the Gospel of Jesus the disrupter. Maybe this means that we should ask what it means when our world is disrupted. Might it be that God is doing something new, something contrary to our assumptions about life, about death, and about God?

 Reflecting back on the cleansing of the temple, and Jesus words, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will re-build it,” John says his disciples saw what happened as an event the pointed ultimately to the resurrection, the ultimate disruption.  Normally speaking the dead do not rise. But in Christ they do because Jesus has disrupted the power of death. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)      

 Lord God, give us faith to trust you in the midst of the disruptions of our lives, believing that in you we have eternal life. Amen. 

Pastor Joe Hughes
March 7, 2021

AN AGREEMENT WITH PROMISE

Lent 2, February 28, 2021

Whether you have a Sunday School certificate in your scrapbook or a theology diploma
in your office wall, you probably know about “covenants.” They are promise
agreements between persons or between God and humankind. Consider God’s
promise to Noah and family after the great flood; the rainbow would be the symbol of
their rescue. Also, the nation of Israel joined with God in a covenant through Moses
on the mountain at Horeb-Sinai: Yahweh would be their God and Israel, the people of
God. Signs of this chosen relationship were the giving of the Ten Commandments and
Sabbath as day of renewal and rest for the people.
 

The covenant of El Shadai (God of the Mountain) with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis
17) is at the pinnacle of this week’s Old Testament reading. Though the couple is well
into their 90’s, God promises, “You will have a child and one day you will be parents of
many nations.” They are called to trust in God, to move to another region and begin a
new life.
 

Generations later, a descendant of Abraham and Sarah, Jesus of Nazareth, speaks
with disciples about the cost of being his followers (Mark 8: 31ff). Just as Abraham
and Sarah were called to give up their life of stability, so also Peter and friends must
look ahead to a selfless life, and even persecution and death.
 

Then, there is God’s promise agreement with all of us, the human family, as Jesus
gives Himself as the mediator through his ministry, death and resurrection to forgive the
sin of all. As promoter of this New Covenant, the apostle Paul in Romans 4 speaks of
the vital aspect of faith (following the example of Abraham and Sarah) for being
members of God’s family. Obeying the law is not enough! In God’s gift of the
sacrament of Baptism, we are invited to live with, die with and be raised with our
victorious Brother Jesus.
 

How else is God’s covenant renewed each day? The season of Lent provides the gift
of Bible study, personal and community reflection and serving neighbors. An
opportunity this year is to explore the Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. (All hold Abraham in reverence and believe in one God.) What are their origins,
beliefs, traditions and festivals? When there is hatred / violence against another
member or branch of the human family, how can we call out hate speech and racist
acts and work for reconciliation with God’s guidance?
 

+++ Breuilly, O’Brien and Palmer, Religions of the World, Illustrated Guide, 2005, Facts
on File, Inc., Consultant Editor is Rev. Dr. Martin Marty, University of Chicago.
 

~ Ed Brandt

Lenten Portal of Peace

This week, Christians everywhere, begin the observance of Lent. The season of preparing for the suffering and death of Jesus, the Christ, lasts forty days; and begins with the temptation. (when Jesus is challenged to leave his appointed mission of redemption for humankind). The temptation was to avoid the pain and suffering of the cross (required for the reconciliation of God and his creation) by accepting lesser goals. Goals that the lord of lies promised would be just as righteous.

If this story, alone, is used as the theme of the Lenten season, we may focus on Jesus’ victory over the tempter; and adopt the term “resistance” as our Lenten goal. We could use the forty days to concentrate on all the ways we are tempted by the world. And we could use Jesus as the example of resisting the evil all around us. However, if we do this, we will be drifting away from the message that Jesus himself was announcing.

In Jesus’ own words, we find the term that is intended to be our Lenten goal. “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” The word that Jesus gives us, as a focus of our Lenten season is “repent”! 

Unlike the word “resist”, the call to “repent” is an inside job. Repentance is the task given to us sinful humans; a work performed within our hearts and minds. Lent is a time to turn and ask the Spirit for power in following Jesus’ way. The life of loving service to any and all others. Jesus calls us each to turn from self-serving interests. We have a precious forty days for the Spirit to focus our attention on the gracious and merciful suffering and death of Jesus. There, the kingdom of God revealed. And there, in love, God is reconciling the world to himself.

Rev. Rob Bjornstad

February 17, 2021

Shining Moments…

“Jesus took…them up a high mountain…There he was transfigured before them.”

(Mark 9:2, part of Transfiguration Sunday’s Gospel from Mark 9:2-9)

A world filled with bad news was in evidence long before the challenging days of 2020-21. We read about it and hear about it through media and word of mouth to the point of overload. So, it’s especially refreshing when we hear or read an occasional “good news story” that makes us pause, smile and take notice. They can even provide the kind of “shining moment” that changes our thinking, transforms our perspective and instills a measure of hope.

When Jesus once climbed a mountain with his three trusted disciples, He was also looking for all of them to be encouraged, inspired and have their perspective changed. For sure, He needed to be reminded of His mission...enter Moses and Elijah, who embrace Him and tell him He’s on the right road and encourage Him to keep on going. Jesus also needed to know His dad still cared...so enter God the Father, who repeats the words first spoken at Jesus’ baptism:

“THIS IS MY SON, WHOM I LOVE. LISTEN TO HIM!”

And the disciples? They needed to learn more about this Christ, whose plans did not include setting up a glorious kingdom on earth, but instead paying the price for humanity’s sins so there could be a kingdom in heaven. The disciples may not have had cameras, but they needed to freeze-frame the mountaintop moment that followed in their hearts and minds...because that future picture would include Jesus’ suffering and death. But it would also mean an empty cross that would precede His resurrection, which would end up guaranteeing our resurrection and the promise of life to come.

Have you ever been confronted with a message that memorably changed your perspective? It seems one church chose as its upcoming Lenten theme, “Forty Days of Love.” Each week members of the congregation were encouraged to show their love and appreciation in different ways. During the first week of Lent they were encouraged to send personal notes to people who had made positive contributions to their lives.

After the announcement came out, a man in the congregation wanted to speak to the pastor. The pastor described the man as “kind of macho, a former football player who loved to hunt and fish, a strong self-made man.” The man told his pastor, “I love you, and I love this church, but I’m not going to participate in this Forty Days of Love stuff. It’s OK for some folks,” he said, “but it’s a little too sentimental and syrupy for me.”

But a week went by, and by the next Sunday the same man waited after church to see his pastor again. “I want to apologize for what I said last Sunday,” he told him, “about the Forty Days of Love. I realized on Wednesday that I was wrong.” “Wednesday?” his pastor repeated. “What happened on Wednesday?”

“I got one of those letters!” the man said. It came as a total surprise. It was from a person the man never expected to hear from. It touched him so deeply he now carries it around in his pocket all the time. “Every time I read it,” he said, “I get tears in my eyes.” It was a transforming moment in this man’s life. Suddenly he realized he was actually loved by others in the church, and it changed his entire outlook. “I was so moved by that letter,” he said, “I sat down and wrote ten letters myself.” (James W. Moore, HEALING WHERE IT HURTS, pp. 54-55)

Receiving the letter was a transforming experience for “Mr. Macho.” It came from a mailbox rather than a mountaintop, but the effect was the same…his perspective was changed. That’s what can happen when God breaks into our lives…we are changed. That’s what mountaintop moments can do…they can change us and even help prepare us for life in the valley.

The time did come for Jesus and his three disciples to come down off the mountain. As Peter, James, and John descended the mountain, they undoubtedly mulled over the significance of what they had just experienced. My guess is that they walked back down pretty quietly, they were so filled with awe. As they came down the mountain, though, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone of their recent experience, “until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

The time would come when they would tell everyone, but the time wasn’t right yet. Jesus and the disciples still had work to do, and Jesus needed the disciples’ help. This mountaintop experience played a major role in the lives of these three disciples, though. However brief the experience was, they were given a glimpse of the future. In fact, those who have seen the future are better prepared to live in the present. You and I see the future through the eyes of faith…a present and a future blessed by life, forgiveness and salvation. A present and future that includes our great God, who changes perspective on life, so we can help influence change on the lives of others. In that regard, a few closing words are in order from a person we’ve probably heard of before…a fellow name Fred.

The late Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame once wrote: “In the external scheme of things, shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of – moments when we human beings can say ‘I love you,’ ‘I’m proud of you,’ ‘I forgive you,’ ‘I’m grateful for you.’ That’s what eternity is made of: invisible, imperishable good stuff.” (The World According to Mr. Rogers, 2003, p. 88)​

I don’t fashion myself to be a rock climber, much less a mountain climber. In fact, my knees get shaky when I climb further up a stepladder. I’ve never witnessed a transfiguration event like the one pictured in Sunday’s Gospel. But there have been numerous shining moments in my life when I’ve been led to see and hear the “invisible, imperishable good stuff” of God. The shining mountaintop moments when God breaks into our lives and works to change our perspective...a perspective that too often gets clouded over by sin, fogged over by distraction and obscured by things way too unimportant in life. But no matter how they appear, I’ve discovered that those shining moments can help prepare us for the life that follows in the valley below.

So keep your eyes and ears open for those often brief “twinklings.” Better yet, take notice, take advantage of them, learn from them, use them and enjoy these precious moments given to all of us. We might not be expecting them. They may come as a surprise, but they really are the “good stuff.” Blessings and Joy!

Pastor Dale Koehneke – February 14, 2021

Eagles

But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.         Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

 One of the thrilling experiences of living in Oregon is the opportunity we sometimes have of seeing a beautiful eagle soaring through the sky.  The eagle is the grandest and noblest of all birds.  That is why our Founding Fathers made the eagle a symbol of our nation’s strength and power and why the eagle is prominently featured on our nation’s official seal.  In this Old Testament Reading for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany, Isaiah uses the image of a powerful eagle to describe how God restore His people and makes them strong and powerful once again.

 As a nation, we have experienced many problems over the past few months.  The insurrection that invaded our nation’s Capital came as a shock not only to people all across America but also across the world.  If such gang violence could happen in our nation’s capital, it could happen anywhere.  The continuing spread of Covid-19 has now caused over 450,000 deaths.  On January 31, 2020 there were 8 cases of Covid in the United States; on January 31, 2021 there were over 26,000,000 cases.

 But as bad as our problems might be today, the problems the people of Israel were facing when Isaiah wrote these words worse than anything we can imagine.  Their nation had been defeated by the mighty Babylonian army; Jerusalem and the beautiful Temple had been leveled to the ground; thousands upon thousands of Israelites had been taken captive into Babylon to work there as slave laborers of the Babylonians.  But now — finally — Isaiah is bringing them a word of comfort from God!

 Don’t you know?  Don’t you hear?  Hasn’t it been told you from the beginning?...  It is He – God! – who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers...

 I once went to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, and from the observation deck on top of that tall building I could look down and see people walking on the streets below, and they looked no larger than grasshoppers.  That is what Isaiah is saying here.  From God’s perspective, those mighty Babylonians are no larger than grasshoppers! 

 In case the people of Israel had forgotten what God was like, Isaiah reminds them (even as his words still remind us today):

 The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.  

 Isaiah uses the image of a strong, soaring eagle to show how God can work in our lives:

 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

 Like many birds, eagles have fantastic vision.  I was once riding in a pontoon boat on a lake in Pennsylvania when the owner of the boat handed me a box of Cheetos and said, “Throw some of these into the water and see what happens.”  I did, and within seconds sea gulls that had been flying hundreds of feet above the water swooped down to grab those Cheetos.  An eagle can spot a rabbit over two miles away.  Now, apply that vision to God seeing His people.  Proverbs 30 says:  Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand.  When he lists those four puzzling things in life, the first is:  The way of an eagle in the sky.  As it is hard for us to understand how an eagle can soar in the sky, so is it hard for us to understand the ways and doings of God.

 Now, to the exiles in Babylon, Isaiah promises that if they would wait on the Lord, then God would renew their strength so that they would mount up with wings like eagles.  We are going through bad times these days to be sure.  The roll out of the vaccine for Covid-19 is going much slower than we would like.  New strains of the virus are making it even more threatening.  Businesses are struggling…and many are going out of business.  Our Congress seems to be in a gridlock that prevents help from coming to those who need it.  Public health officials are warning that the epidemic may will get worse before things start to get better.  But what we are going through isn’t one-fiftieth as bad as the exile that the people of Israel went through in Babylon.  And yet to them came this promise from God – the same promise that God makes to us in Jesus Christ:  

 They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

                                                  Amen. 

Rev. Paul D. Doellinger
February 4, 2021

TRUTH LIVING

January 31, 2021
The Rev. Joel T. Nickel, Pastor Emeritus/Artist

Satan is identified in the scriptures as the “father of lies” (John 8:44).  Lies are his “native language” and this language can play havoc with human perception, susceptibility, and culpability.  The event on January 6 in Washington DC with a mob (another name for the forces of Satan, Mark 5:9) storming the capitol building where Congress met in joint session was deliberately incited with lies that the election was “stolen” and needed to be overturned.  This event again reinforces the realistic meaning of universal sin and the weakness of human nature (“flesh”) as a restraining resistance to pathologies.  The lies play on the ego—its willful fictional belief, blaming a scapegoat rather than acknowledging the difficult truth about human responsibility.  So we must deal with the droplets of hate as well as the droplets of a virus that infect our nation.  Mask up!

Already at the beginning of his ministry (Mark 1:21ff), Jesus encountered a man with an evil spirit that spoke a truth about Jesus’ identity: “you are the Holy One of God!”  The footnote in my Bible notes that in occult belief, the precise use of a person’s name gave one power over that person, so the cynical assertion of the man identifying Jesus isn’t innocent.  Jesus had already met satanic temptation in the wilderness (Mark 1:13) so he knew what he was up against, even a flattering identity (see also Mark 10:17-18).  Even Satan can quote scripture and hold up a Bible.  In this confrontation Jesus again encounters opposition that will plague him for the next three years right up onto Calvary’s hill.  In the Capernaum synagogue Jesus “muzzles” the shrill voice of the demoniac and demands the cessation of his protest.  So much for “free” speech (see also Mark 1:34).  

What bedevils us today in the USA is how to understand the separation of church and state.  The idea originates with Martin Luther, who describes the “two kingdoms” of God’s reign: the kingdom of His left hand—the State where He rules through the use of laws and just punishment, and the kingdom of His right hand—the Church where He rules through the gospel, the good news of grace and creation’s renewal.  The two kingdoms are seriously impeded when they are confused or conjoined, like if the State claims “divine right” and ordains a specific theological world order, or if the Church utilizes the power of the State to legalize its doctrines and criminalize those who refuse obedience.  The Church cannot compel the State to do its job of inviting trust and obedience, while it may ask for help in caring for the poor and outcast.  May God bless America is a correct prayer; the imperative “God bless America” is a thoughtless demand more reflexive than meaningful, a heretical praxis.

In our fast moving times our eyes seem to glimpse everything and grasp nothing—immediate impressions that don’t last.  At least the worshippers in the Capernaum synagogue were “amazed” at what they witnessed—a “new teaching with authority”.  How long this amazement lasted is anyone’s guess (Matthew 11:23-24 suggests it was short lived).  Perception has been defined as “what we make of the world before we ever think about it.”  Jesus has to break into this “seeing but not understanding” with parables, like the “good Samaritan” who perceives the plight of the man in the ditch who was ignored by the two religious persons, a priest and a lawyer.  Who is my neighbor?  This is a question at the heart of truth living—a looking at the present time with faith-inspired “feel for the world”—a “faculty of perception pitched somewhere between intellect and instinct.” 1 It is a “tuning in” to what both amazes and puzzles us, to what can register and enter into our imagination.  What is your “feel for the world?” asks Jesus.  Can you fathom the kingship of God in the midst of this time?  Imagination is based on images perceived both actual and ideational, and the ministry of the Word is insightful to both, calling forth our memory of Christ.  “Do this in memory of me” covers more than just the Lord’s Supper as we learn how Jesus imaged the world (John 3:17) in the cruciform meeting of heaven and earth.  

What makes truth living so difficult in our land is the deeply dehumanizing history of slavery and the abiding and troubling persistence of racism.  Perpetuating this injustice creates an unacknowledged guilt that results in fear: what might happen if there is a turn-around reversal and dark skinned citizens treat the white population as they were treated, with lynchings and discrimination in housing and job opportunities and all?  The despicable language used by some of the capitol invaders highlights this festering wound, much like the rantings of the man with an evil spirit in the Capernaum synagogue. Where would Jesus “abide” in this moment?  What would be his council?  How should we pray and respond with civility?  Where there is fear there is no faith, and trust disappears, but in Christ there is healing for the sick and demon-possessed.  Be amazed!  The kingship of God is no small thing!  

There is a hymn for such a time as this: LBW #415 “God of Grace and God of Glory,” Verses 2-4:

Lo! The hosts of evil round us, scorn the Christ, assail his ways!

From the fears that long have bound us, free our hearts to faith and praise.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the facing of this hour….

Cure your children’s warring madness, bend our pride to your control;

Shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things but poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the facing of this hour….

Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore; 

Let the gift of your salvation be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, Serving you whom we adore….

-------------------------------------

1.  James K.A. Smith, “Healing the Imagination”, in IMAGE magazine, Center for Religious Humanism, Seattle, WA; #107, p. 3)

Epiphany 2 God Knows You!

Lord, you have examined me and you know me. Your knowledge of me is too deep, it is
beyond my understanding (Psalm 139).

Last summer I entered the dentist office alongside another patient and as we went in, she
recognized me, said hello and my name. I didn’t have a clue who she was, as we were both
wearing face masks and she had totally changed her hairstyle since we had seen one another
six months before.

I suspect that not knowing other persons will occur as long as we are unable to see their faces clearly. And it is especially difficult for many of us lip-reading folks who have hearing
impairment.

Still, one thing has not changed as we navigate these challenging days: God knows you and
me! God knows us better than we know ourselves, our abilities and shortcomings and
possibilities. How evident is God’s awareness in this week’s biblical readings!

In the story of Samuel (1 Samuel 3: 1-20) God calls a young boy who had been dedicated by
his parents Hannah and Elkanah to work in the Shiloh temple. To make a long, interesting story short, Samuel says to God, “Speak, your servant is listening.” As Samuel grows, he is blessed by God to become one of the greatest and last of Israel’s judges—like Deborah and Gideon—in that crucial century after the conquest of Canaan and before the first Israelite king.

Two adults are given an invitation in this week’s Gospel reading, John 1:43-51. Philip and
Nathanael of Galilee are recognized by Jesus soon after the calling of Andrew and Peter.
Nathanael says the oft-quoted “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip responds,
“Come and see!” The chapter ends with Jesus telling the two, “You’ll see heaven open and
God’s angels going up and down on the Son of Man.” The embodiment of salvation is in the
person of Jesus—where heaven and earth meet—in whom God saves us and all humankind.

This week we find ourselves in the heart of the Epiphany season with God urging us—through our baptismal call—to live as people of faith to pray for unity with the global Christian family. January 18 marks the Confession of Peter (“You are the Messiah, Son of the living God”) and
January 25 celebrates the Conversion of the Apostle Paul. Do we know other followers of
Christ, beyond our families and congregations? How can we express our one faith more fully?

Where does God find and know you? In isolation in a care facility? In a tent along the
Willamette River in West Salem? En route to work (carpool, plane or public transport)? In a
refugee camp anywhere on the planet? Serving others in a disaster zone, COVID test site or
feeding station / food bank?

We gain strength from Samuel, Philip and Nathanael! Is God calling you to change your daily
routine to meet someone for the first time and begin a lasting friendship? Will you explore an
untapped ability to serve your faith community or explore a new career or hobby to be able to serve God more capably?

In the Prayer of the Day for this Sunday, we ask God to “lead us to perfect faith in Christ.” We are in the lifelong endeavor empowered by the Holy Spirit to be known by our Creator and to be led in Word and Sacrament to serve others. This eternal adventure comes to fulness when
we meet God face to face, knowing God fully, without earthly obstacle or temptation.

~ Ed Brandt

Epiphany

At the Epiphany, we celebrate the coming of the Wise Men. They are said to be eastern astronomers, searching for an infant king. The story tells of how they found the child in Bethlehem; the son of a very young mother and a Jewish carpenter. For centuries this day has marked the beginning of a season, in which, this child is revealed as God incarnate; and the celebration focuses on the reality of Emmanuel, (“God with us”)!

In our weekly worship, we celebrate Emmanuel, whenever we gather around Word and Sacrament. There we know the promise of God’s gracious presence, in the bread and the wine of communion; where God is with us, extending mercy. The body of Christ is visible in the meal we share and in the fellowship we experience.

During the majority of this past year, we have longed to feel the promise of God with us; as we have missed the regular gathering of our congregations in worship. We have been prevented from touching (and being touched by) God, by not being present for weekly communion worship.

A few months ago, I read a book by Pope Francis. There, Francis, reminds the reader of the promise in Jesus’ words: “Just as you did to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did to me.” (Matthew 25:40) Francis points out that here is the same promise of “God with us”, that we celebrate in our weekly communion worship. The promise that we can touch, and be touched by God. Just as we take hold of the bread of communion, knowing that it is Jesus that we grasp; so, when we reach out and take the hand of someone in need, then too, we can be assured that it is Jesus whom we grasp; and it is an encounter with divine grace and mercy. It is “God with us” in the hungry, the naked, the person without shelter, the imprisoned. This realization was an “Epiphany” for me. I had not thought of it, quite like this, before.

Might it be an Epiphany for you too?

The Rev. Robert Bjornstad, Pastor Emeritus

We Have Come to Worship Him

Epiphany: Matthew 2:10-11

When they [the Magi] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 (ESV)

Epiphany is not a word we use every day. Maybe I can explain its meaning by referring back to one of the Superman movies. When Clark Kent (a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet) finally revealed his true identity as Superman to Lois Lane, it came as an epiphany to her — a mind-bogging revelation. That’s what our Christian word “epiphany” means. Seeing Jesus and then suddenly realizing that He is God in human flesh — that is a mind-bogging revelation…it is an “epiphany”.

The season of Epiphany begins on January 6th as we commemorate the visit of the Wise Men (“Magi”) to Jesus. Two details in Matthew show us that the Magi came some time after Jesus’ birth. Matthew 2:11 says, And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Mary and Joseph are now living in a house, and Jesus is called a “child”, no longer a “baby”.

We usually place the Wise Men in our manger scenes next to the shepherds of Christmas Eve. While that may give a slightly “false” picture of Jesus’ birth, it really doesn’t hurt anything. But there are other false pictures of Jesus which are damaging to people’s faith. Picturing Jesus simply as a great teacher puts Jesus in the same category as other religious teachers like Muhammad or Confucius or Gandhi. But when the Magi saw the child, Jesus, they fell down and worshipped Him. And that puts Jesus in a completely different category; nobody worships a teacher...not even a great teacher. When the Magi came to the house where Jesus, was, …they fell down and worshipped Him. This Baby is the Holy One of Israel, God in human flesh.

The Wise Men (or “Magi”) were astronomers from Persia (today’s Iran) who studied the stars looking for signs from heaven. When they saw a unique star in the eastern sky (astronomers are still trying to figure out just exactly what that “star of Bethlehem” was) they decided to follow it. And it led them to Israel. Since they were looking for a king, they did the logical thing and went to the king’s palace in Jerusalem. There they asked the present king, Herod, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”

The only problem was that Herod was “crazy” — today psychiatrist would probably label him as a “paranoid schizophrenic”. When he heard of the possibility of a new “king of the Jews”, his paranoia burst forth in full vigor. It is significant that the Wise Men said they wanted to worship this newborn king. By mentioning this, Matthew wants both his Jewish readers and all of us Gentiles who read his Gospel to know that Jesus was born to be the Savior of all people. Jesus was born in order to give His life on the cross as the sacrificial payment for the sins of the whole world. For that, Jesus deserves to be worshiped by all people, both Jews and Gentiles alike.

In this season of the Church Year that we call “Epiphany”, we are standing just where the Wise Men stood when they came to worship Jesus. Whether in this time of Covid-19 we are worshipping in church, in the parking lot or in our homes as the Divine Service is streamed to us electronically, we are standing before Jesus, the One who was born to be the King of the Jews. We come to Jesus for the very same reason the Wise Men came to Jesus on that first Epiphany. We come to worship Him. We come to worship Jesus and to offer to Him gifts — our service, our prayers, our praises, our gifts, indeed, our very lives.

The prayers we offer, the hymns of praise we sing, even the monetary gifts we offer might not seem like much when compared with the gold, frankincense and myrrh the Wise Man offered to Jesus. But in God’s eyes, they are just as precious, for they come from hearts cleansed of sin by the blood of Christ. And so, like the Magi, in this Season of Epiphany and all through this new year, let us worship Him as our Messiah and Savior. Amen.

Rev. Paul D. Doellinger January 6, 2021

Portals of Wonder

Dear friends,

Portals are doorways that take us from one place to another. The Monday after Christmas, December 28, my wife and I, our granddaughter Maddy, stepson Chris, Niceaux the golden retriever and Sassy the corgi decided to take a morning walk on Finlay Road. It’s a quiet section of gravel road between Edison and Victor Point Rd. in eastern Marion County, not too far from where we live.

It turned out the walk was a kind of portal, a doorway. For one thing, there had been a lot of fog and rain for days. But that morning the sun was shining bright, the air was clear, the sky was blue, and the views were spectacular. That’s Maddy and my wife, Patricia, in the photo above at left.

For another thing there was thick frost still on the ground, and in places where shadows prevented the sun from shining, the frost was still thick, but in the shape of the shadow. I had never seen that before.

As we walked along we came to a place where there is a thick stand of timber, Douglas fir I think, on one side of the road. The trees grow so thick there we couldn’t see the sun shining through them. That’s when I saw something else I had never seen before, certainly not this close up: an owl, a large owl. I’m not sure what species. Maybe a western screech owl. Maybe someone can identify it for sure (see photo at lower left).

At first it didn’t look real, it was so still. Then I saw the head move in the particular owl way where they turn their head but the body remains still, and it opened its eyes briefly. It was only about 7 feet off the ground, and sat perfectly still for the pictures we took on our iPhones. It would have been very easy to have walked right past this beautiful creature and not have noticed it at all. But we didn’t, and our walk on a quiet country road on a frosty cold December morning just after Christmas turned out to be a portal to things I had ever seen before, and it that filled me with a sense of wonder.

We went on with our walk toward the top of the next hill, that’s the 1.5 mile mark where we turn around and head back to the car, getting in our 3 miles total. Amazingly the owl was still in exactly the same place, watching as we walked by, our dogs oblivious to its presence.

As we live out the final days of 2020, I am thankful for moments of wonder and beauty that prevail in spite of the difficulties and ugliness we have been living through, and count myself exceedingly blessed to have experienced them. May God continue to bless us all with moments of wonder and beauty when we can simply be thankful for life.

Lord God, help us to appreciate more the wonder and beauty of the earth and the creatures that you have made, and let them be signs of the assurance of your steadfast love for the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastor Joe Hughes
12/29/2020

So, What’s New?

Some years ago I served an elderly home-bound parishioner who always welcomed me at her front door with the question, “So, what’s new?”  Anna wouldn’t let me get away with “same old, same old” and always insisted that she knew the Spirit was bound to be up to something with all of us…and the pastor, of all people, certainly must be “in the know” about when, how and where the Spirit’s newness had broken into our human circumstances to make itself felt. I always had to ponder this question’s answer prior to knocking on her door.  It was a good exercise in spiritual awareness.

If we are to be aware of and welcome what’s new, let us remember that it comes to us in the midst of what’s old wherein we creatures of habit have programed our minds to minimize surprise.  It is safer to keep on keeping on with the predictable because we have associated these activities with survival and achieving goals, like doing chores, interacting with family members, getting an education, working at a job, or worshipping at a church.  We instinctively sit in the same pew because ritual is comforting.  When our conditioned routines are disrupted, say by Covid 19, it seems like the protective structures around our lives have come tumbling down.  How do we navigate this infected world?  What new structures and practices can we put into use that can restore our safety, health, worldview, faith, happiness, and community?  The new is disruptive.

So in this light consider the shock of the angelic announcement: “Mary, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son.  Name him Jesus” (Yesuah in Hebrew, meaning, “Yahweh saves”) because his life will become a fulfillment of his name.  Hey, Mary, what’s new?  Do you really feel highly favored or are you just incredulous or simply shocked?  What will the community say about your “condition”?  What will Joseph think?

Mary was certainly aware of how pregnancies happen, so she inquires how this new reality will come upon her since she “knows not a man”.  The way in which Luke records Gabriel’s “shock of the new” message utilizes two Greek verbs which indicate both the Spirit’s procreative power and sheltering: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).  The parallel to this action is found in Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit of God “hovers” over the primeval waters—both the overshadowing and the hovering are new beginnings, one a microcosm and the other a macrocosm of life.

Mary, wary of public notoriety, hid her pregnancy at the home of her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John (later called “the Baptist”), in a tiny town down south in the hill country of Judea.  Later we are told that Mary “pondered in her heart” all that happened to her.  We, with St. Paul, find in her maternity the beginning of God’s “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).  I like the medieval theological suggestion that Mary’s “organ of conception” was her ear.  She heard Gabriel’s message and sang the song of acceptance: “Let it be…” and was found “to be with child.”  It was the song of a servant pondering the will of God.

The truth is that we cannot control what happens to us in life, but we can develop and grow new protective understandings and blessings that enhance our lives in community.  This is what Mary did in visiting Elizabeth, in helping Joseph to understand his dream (Matt 1:20-21), in learning a new style and capacity for child rearing (Luke 2:40-52) and later discipleship (John 19:25-27).  There is one reality that is always new for us: Christ held within the heart, parallel to Mary holding Christ within her womb that allows us to encounter the new with faith, resilience, creativity and hope.  And this is good news for us, looking still for blessings as we adapt to the new surprises happening around us.  We light a candle rather than curse the darkness.

A hymn to sing:  LBW #393  “Rise, Shine, You People”

Rise, shine you people!  Christ the Lord has entered
Our human story; God in him is centered.
He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, 
With grace unbounded.

 See how he sends the powers of evil reeling;
He brings us freedom, light and life and healing.
All men and women, who by guilt are driven,
Now are forgiven.

Come, celebrate; your banners high unfurling,
Your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling.
To all the world go out and tell the story
Of Jesus’ glory.

Tell how the Father sent his Son to save us.
Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us.
Tell how the Spirit calls from every nation
His new creation.

Rev. Joel Nickel, Pastor Emeritus
Portals of Peace Devotion: Week of 12/20/20 Advent 4

The Song in Our Hearts

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things…” (Psalm 98:1)

You may have noticed, that as soon as the Halloween candy and pumpkins disappeared from our stores this year, advertisements and displays were dramatically changed overnight to accents of Christmas, almost everywhere! Oh, and so did the music many of us are exposed to, so much so that by November 15th, I needed to make a shift. While I couldn’t do much about the ads, displays or music being played at Freddie’s and on the radio, I could do something about the sensory overload of songs that heavily paid homage to Santa, Rudolph and Frosty. Not that I don’t enjoy those fun songs, but when I approach Christmas at this time of year, I’m looking for more. Thankfully, the CD music highlighting the coming of Christ made its way into the confines of both my car and study, and I was reminded of the song in my heart. And in spite of recent restrictions to limit our corporate worship and personal singing, these welcomed anthems provided me with ample and welcomed opportunity to join in and sing.

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, this should be a familiar message, as the Scriptures are full of reminders to draw closer to God and remember His message, with singing helping us to do just that. Maybe some of these verses sound familiar:

Psalm 96:1
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Psalm 98:1
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Psalm 108:1
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Psalm 149:1
Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

Ephesians 5:19
…speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord…

Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

Yes, there are many more examples. But even with all this prompting, it still might be tempting not to sing at all in these early December days. After all, we’ve all got Covid fatigue. There’s all the “extra stuff” we need to accomplish in the next few weeks. We’re disappointed we can’t share with friends and family in events and activities like we used to do. Or we’ve got a ton of other worrisome concerns affecting us and those we care about. But any and all of that may signal added reason to think about singing. So, may I kindly invite all of us to carve out a few minutes to think about the message of Advent and Christmas, and sing about it, even if we can’t carry a tune in a bucket?

Sing a verse of “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” (LBW 34), and in addition to remembering that Emmanuel means “God with us,” personalize it: “God is with me! And He sent His Son Jesus into this world to be my Savior and Lord!”

Pick one of your favorite Christmas carols or hymns that you know from memory, and imagine your kids or grandkids singing that song in the front of church at the last Christmas program you can remember attending with them. Then say a quick prayer giving thanks for the gift of the Christ child, because He came for all those kids too.

Listen to one of those majestic choral pieces with full instrumentation, enjoy turning up the volume and wonder out loud, “I wonder if this is just a taste of what those shepherds heard and felt from the angels on the hills outside Bethlehem?”

Play one of your favorite Christmas CD’s while you’re baking, putting up the tree and/or preparing your Christmas cards. Enjoy the melodies, sing along where you can and find joy in a task that might otherwise be burdensome and provide a reason to complain.

Feel free to sing those carols with gusto in the car, especially when you’re by yourself. If you feel like your driving is getting distracted as you try to remember words, feel free to just hum along. I guarantee it will still put you in a better mood.

I think we all get the idea. Beginning with yours truly, let’s simply take a little time in the next few weeks to locate and focus on the song in our hearts. It’s there for a reason, and it’s there to be used. By the way, if I happen to spot you singing a solo in your car, I’ll just smile and wave my affirmation of approval. A blessed Advent and Christmas!

​​​Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay
​​​Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
​​​Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
​​​And take us to heaven to live with Thee there.
​​​​​​​(Away in a Manger, LSB 365)

Pastor Dale Koehneke – December 6, 2020

Advent

Friends,

Thanksgiving is now behind us, except for the sliced turkey and stuffing leftovers we’ll be having for lunch this week. We’ll enter the Season of Advent as of sundown Saturday, November 28, the four Sundays before Christmas. As the old song goes, “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” 

Indeed my neighbors have their Christmas decorations up, and as of now, so do we, thanks to step-son Chris and granddaughter Maddy. It’s what we do after Thanksgiving in our house. And Maddy is adventurous, she likes to climb on the roof and hang the lights from the gutters. Me? Well, not so much. But we’ll stand by to catch her in case of mishap. Soon it will be time to search for a Christmas tree. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 

Except in our worship at Peace.  There we are reminded it is not Christmas. It is Advent. I think of Advent as a big orange warning sign on a super highway that reads: CAUTION! SLOW DOWN!

For example, the Bible readings for the First Sunday in Advent remind us once again of how temporary and unsettled everything really is, as if in the COVID pandemic we needed such a reminder. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”  And In Mark 13:26-27 Jesus called the disciples to be mindful of the day when, “They will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” Next we’ll hear about John the Baptist and his message that we must “Prepare the Way of the Lord.”  And we will hear the story of Mary and the “annunciation” from the Angel Gabriel that she would bring God’s Son into the world, and we will hear her song 

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.

These are unexpected voices proclaiming messages that are decidedly not Christmas like. Advent is a strange season of the church year because of the mixed messages in the Bible readings. Some speak of a time yet to come – the last day, like Jesus in Mark 13. Others speak of the time that was, when the angel came to Mary and told her that the child to be born to her would be Jesus, whom God sent to save his people from their sins. And in worship we hear and receive weekly what the mind cannot fully comprehend: that as we set apart bread and wine with the words of our Lord they become for us the very body and blood of Christ. 

How to draw all this together? One way is to think about the meaning of the word “Advent.” At its root is the Latin word for come or arrive. The original of “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel,” a favorite Advent carol, is “Veni, Veni” i.e. “Oh Come, Oh Come…” As someone put it very succinctly, in Advent we celebrate how God comes to us in history, in majesty ad in mystery. 

In Advent the prayers of the people of God turn to asking God to come among us, now. But we also recognize that God has already come among us in Jesus. And we believe the promise that “He will come again to judge the living and the day.”  In Advent we celebrate that God in Christ comes to his people. Christ has come in history, he will come again in majesty at the end of this age, and he comes to us in the mystery of the Holy Communion when simple bread and wine become for us the body and blood of Christ. 

This is the essence of the Gospel. We do not come to God. We do not make ourselves good enough, as if climbing some ladder of righteousness and good works. Rather God comes to us. And in this Advent season God will most certainly come to us. We may not know where, or when, or how, but God will come, and by the Holy Spirit, make us ready to receive Jesus, our Emmanuel; God with us!

In Christ,
Pastor Joe Hughes