For our Lenten Wednesdays this year our worship will follow closely the stories of Genesis. On Ash Wednesday we will contemplate the creation of the world and our fall into ashes (Genesis 3). On each of the following Wednesdays we will hear the stories of the call of God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph as God calls forth his people from the ashes.
Join us for worship at 11 am or 7 pm with a light supper served at 6 pm.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
4 Jars
If you have not yet read it, pick up a copy of Three Cups of Tea and read it. The story of Greg Mortenson and his journey to build schools in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan is inspiring. The associated organizations are the Central Asia Institute and the Pennies for Peace initiative.
Inspired by all of this, we've started a Pennies for Peace jar in our house. That got me thinking, however... what to do with all those nickels, dimes and quarters. After a week of the best minds in our family working on it, here is what we have come up with:
Nickels for New Pastors: Supporting the work of our alma mater, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
Dimes for Dinners: Supporting the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's World Hunger appeal and local food banks
Quarters for Quarts: Supporting the work of WaterAid and other charities that provide clean drinking water, especially in the developing world
Perhaps you can come up with other creative ideas for directing our resources to those who are poor and suffering. I am also always interested in hearing about charities that are important to others and the reasons why.
Inspired by all of this, we've started a Pennies for Peace jar in our house. That got me thinking, however... what to do with all those nickels, dimes and quarters. After a week of the best minds in our family working on it, here is what we have come up with:
Nickels for New Pastors: Supporting the work of our alma mater, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
Dimes for Dinners: Supporting the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's World Hunger appeal and local food banks
Quarters for Quarts: Supporting the work of WaterAid and other charities that provide clean drinking water, especially in the developing world
Perhaps you can come up with other creative ideas for directing our resources to those who are poor and suffering. I am also always interested in hearing about charities that are important to others and the reasons why.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
To Know, To Love, To Cooperate with God
In a little over a week (on February 8), our congregation will kick off the e100 Bible Reading Challenge, a journey through the "essential 100" passages of Scripture. We will also have a luncheon and a Bible Fair as part of that day's events.
But why read the Bible anyway? I'd like to take some time this week to answer this question. It was raised during one of the teaching sessions for our Bible in 90 Days program, when we were discussing some of the less "exciting" passages in Leviticus. Why should we read the Bible, anyway?
If the goal of human existence is to know God, to love God and to cooperate with God in God's active work in the world, then it seems to me that reading the Bible is part of how we know God and God's will for us and for the whole creation.
I know there are many excuses for not reading the Bible, but I don't really buy any of them. I know it is difficult. I know it is tedious at times. I know that it can be contradictory or confusing. But God is not simple either. I like to use the analogy of marriage. If you are married, you know your spouse is complex, sometimes hard to understand and even downright confusing at times. But it would be ridiculous to say something like: "He is so hard to understand, so I'm just going to give up getting to know him better or learn anything new about him. I have to live with him, but I just give up." However, we do this all the time with our relationship with God. "I don't understand how God is three in one, so I just don't think much about the Holy Trinity." "I don't get Leviticus, so I always quit reading the Bible then."
This past week we heard how Jesus called his first disciples, who would later be the Apostles. Jesus did not go the halls of the Hebrew Academy or to the famous CEOs. He called simple fishermen to follow him, to know him, to love him and to cooperate with his work in the world. He called people like you and me.
My encouragement this week is to roll up your sleeves, pick up the Bible and read. Bible in 90 Days? E100? Whatever. Open the Scriptures and read, that we may know and love God and cooperate with God's active movement in the world.
But why read the Bible anyway? I'd like to take some time this week to answer this question. It was raised during one of the teaching sessions for our Bible in 90 Days program, when we were discussing some of the less "exciting" passages in Leviticus. Why should we read the Bible, anyway?
If the goal of human existence is to know God, to love God and to cooperate with God in God's active work in the world, then it seems to me that reading the Bible is part of how we know God and God's will for us and for the whole creation.
I know there are many excuses for not reading the Bible, but I don't really buy any of them. I know it is difficult. I know it is tedious at times. I know that it can be contradictory or confusing. But God is not simple either. I like to use the analogy of marriage. If you are married, you know your spouse is complex, sometimes hard to understand and even downright confusing at times. But it would be ridiculous to say something like: "He is so hard to understand, so I'm just going to give up getting to know him better or learn anything new about him. I have to live with him, but I just give up." However, we do this all the time with our relationship with God. "I don't understand how God is three in one, so I just don't think much about the Holy Trinity." "I don't get Leviticus, so I always quit reading the Bible then."
This past week we heard how Jesus called his first disciples, who would later be the Apostles. Jesus did not go the halls of the Hebrew Academy or to the famous CEOs. He called simple fishermen to follow him, to know him, to love him and to cooperate with his work in the world. He called people like you and me.
My encouragement this week is to roll up your sleeves, pick up the Bible and read. Bible in 90 Days? E100? Whatever. Open the Scriptures and read, that we may know and love God and cooperate with God's active movement in the world.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Christian Unity
I would like to offer just one thought on the unity of the Body of Christ during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: working toward the unity of the whole Body of Christ is not an option for us as Christians. In fact, I would argue it is central to our calling as the Church.
In this spirit, I would invite you to reflect on two texts:
1) The Gospel of John, chapter 17: Jesus' "high priestly prayer" for his disciples before his Passion and
2) The New Delhi Statement (1961) of the World Council of Churches, especially paragraph 2:
We believe that the unity which is both God’s will and his gift to his Church is being made visible as all in each place who are baptized into Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord and Saviour are brought by the Holy Spirit into one fully committed fellowship, holding the one apostolic faith preaching the one Gospel, breaking the one bread, joining in common prayer, and having a corporate life reaching out in witness and service to all and who at the same time are united with the whole Christian fellowship in all places and all ages in such wise that ministry and members are accepted by all, and that all can act and speak together as occasion requires for the tasks to which God calls his people.
It is for such unity that we believe we must pray and work.
With prayers for the unity of the whole Church...
In this spirit, I would invite you to reflect on two texts:
1) The Gospel of John, chapter 17: Jesus' "high priestly prayer" for his disciples before his Passion and
2) The New Delhi Statement (1961) of the World Council of Churches, especially paragraph 2:
We believe that the unity which is both God’s will and his gift to his Church is being made visible as all in each place who are baptized into Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord and Saviour are brought by the Holy Spirit into one fully committed fellowship, holding the one apostolic faith preaching the one Gospel, breaking the one bread, joining in common prayer, and having a corporate life reaching out in witness and service to all and who at the same time are united with the whole Christian fellowship in all places and all ages in such wise that ministry and members are accepted by all, and that all can act and speak together as occasion requires for the tasks to which God calls his people.
It is for such unity that we believe we must pray and work.
With prayers for the unity of the whole Church...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Moderation in Growth | Joy in Work
I would like to tackle a couple of topics this morning: moderation in all things--including our spiritual growth--and working daily with excellence and joy.
1. Moderation
I have written several times in the last few weeks on New Year's Resolutions. I think they are, by and large, a good thing. However, they often become quite ambitious: "lose 30 pounds, eat healthy every day and exercise 45 minutes a day." The problem, of course, with overly-ambitious resolutions is that quickly we give up on them. Or, sometimes we go strong for a few weeks, delighting in the new life upon which we have embarked, and then crash and burn when sometime interrupts the flow.
This is one reason, I think, why we often fail at dieting. Rather than see a diet as a lifestyle, we adopt a strict asceticism in our eating and then, when we fall and eat the whole pint of ice cream, throw up our arms and say, "Well, I guess I failed at that, so I might as well give up altogether." Then the floodgates open.
It is no secret among those in the fitness field that the gyms are packed in January and that by February the numbers are back to normal, except for the number of annual memberships sold! The "regulars" at the gym, so I am told, sometimes even stay away during January because it is too hard to get a treadmill.
This all concerns me because I see this attitude also being adopted when we consider spiritual growth. Disappointed at the state of our soul, we embark, New-Year's-Resolution-style, on an ambitious project of spiritual renewal: an intense prayer, Scripture reading, fasting or works of mercy regimen. My guess is that many of us crash and burn by late January in this area too.
So what then shall we do? Give up altogether when we have fallen and eaten the whole pint of ice cream? Not at all. I think our ambitious projects, even in faith, and our subsequent failures invite us to a different way. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus invites us to take up our cross daily and follow him (Luke 9:23). In other words, just as moderation in eating and exercise is beneficial for our bodies, so too moderation in the spiritual disciplines is also beneficial for us. In other words: baby steps.
Both world-class athletes and professional musicians will tell you the key to their success is daily practice. First you master the basics, even if they are tedious, before stepping up to the next level. So I invite you to consider your life in terms of prayer, Scripture reading and works of mercy. Where would you like to be at the end of January... 2010? And then ask: How can small steps, a daily routine, be taken so that we might take up our cross daily and follow our Lord Christ?
2. Excellence and Joy in Daily Work
Speaking of the daily grind, I always see a lot of grimaces come January. Perhaps it is because of the winter perma-cloud that descends on NW Ohio this time of year. Perhaps it is the winter blahs. I wonder if this not a time to recover delight in our daily grind, in our everyday work, in our "toil."
Now what I am speaking of is not simply a "grin and bear it" attitude (which in my mind is just a grimace with a thin veneer of a smile). Nor am I encouraging an artificial "positive attitude" wherein we do helpful self-talk. Remember the Stuart Smalley character from Saturday Night Live? "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." No, instead God desires for us something much deeper.
God has given us the gift of work (even when it is "toil" as in the book of Ecclesiastes) and God expects diligence and excellence in the tasks which God sets before us. If you are a builder, work to be the best builder you can be, by God's grace. If you scrub floors, scrub those floors to God's glory. If you are charged with the care of children (in my humble opinion, one of the highest callings, and here I am including teachers), care for them with God's own tender mercy and love, and in doing so you will raise up children for the Kingdom. Whatever "state" (vocation) you find yourself in, do it to God's glory.
When we recover this excellence in our daily work, then true joy is found. This is not ephemeral, wistful happiness, but a deep joy that rests in the conviction that God has given us the gift of work and has provided an inherent satisfaction in doing that work well.
Peace be with you this week.
Calendar
You may want to check out our calendar for upcoming events. The newsletter also has more detailed information on many of these activities. Finally, remember that the e100 Bible reading challenge begins in just a few weeks... spread the word!
Next Sunday: January 18
You are invited to join us for a youth luncheon this Sunday (1/18/09) after 10:30 am worship and a Creative Arts and Puppet Ministry workshop beginning at 12:30 pm. All are also invited to a public performance at 6pm as part of this workshop.
1. Moderation
I have written several times in the last few weeks on New Year's Resolutions. I think they are, by and large, a good thing. However, they often become quite ambitious: "lose 30 pounds, eat healthy every day and exercise 45 minutes a day." The problem, of course, with overly-ambitious resolutions is that quickly we give up on them. Or, sometimes we go strong for a few weeks, delighting in the new life upon which we have embarked, and then crash and burn when sometime interrupts the flow.
This is one reason, I think, why we often fail at dieting. Rather than see a diet as a lifestyle, we adopt a strict asceticism in our eating and then, when we fall and eat the whole pint of ice cream, throw up our arms and say, "Well, I guess I failed at that, so I might as well give up altogether." Then the floodgates open.
It is no secret among those in the fitness field that the gyms are packed in January and that by February the numbers are back to normal, except for the number of annual memberships sold! The "regulars" at the gym, so I am told, sometimes even stay away during January because it is too hard to get a treadmill.
This all concerns me because I see this attitude also being adopted when we consider spiritual growth. Disappointed at the state of our soul, we embark, New-Year's-Resolution-style, on an ambitious project of spiritual renewal: an intense prayer, Scripture reading, fasting or works of mercy regimen. My guess is that many of us crash and burn by late January in this area too.
So what then shall we do? Give up altogether when we have fallen and eaten the whole pint of ice cream? Not at all. I think our ambitious projects, even in faith, and our subsequent failures invite us to a different way. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus invites us to take up our cross daily and follow him (Luke 9:23). In other words, just as moderation in eating and exercise is beneficial for our bodies, so too moderation in the spiritual disciplines is also beneficial for us. In other words: baby steps.
Both world-class athletes and professional musicians will tell you the key to their success is daily practice. First you master the basics, even if they are tedious, before stepping up to the next level. So I invite you to consider your life in terms of prayer, Scripture reading and works of mercy. Where would you like to be at the end of January... 2010? And then ask: How can small steps, a daily routine, be taken so that we might take up our cross daily and follow our Lord Christ?
2. Excellence and Joy in Daily Work
Speaking of the daily grind, I always see a lot of grimaces come January. Perhaps it is because of the winter perma-cloud that descends on NW Ohio this time of year. Perhaps it is the winter blahs. I wonder if this not a time to recover delight in our daily grind, in our everyday work, in our "toil."
Now what I am speaking of is not simply a "grin and bear it" attitude (which in my mind is just a grimace with a thin veneer of a smile). Nor am I encouraging an artificial "positive attitude" wherein we do helpful self-talk. Remember the Stuart Smalley character from Saturday Night Live? "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." No, instead God desires for us something much deeper.
God has given us the gift of work (even when it is "toil" as in the book of Ecclesiastes) and God expects diligence and excellence in the tasks which God sets before us. If you are a builder, work to be the best builder you can be, by God's grace. If you scrub floors, scrub those floors to God's glory. If you are charged with the care of children (in my humble opinion, one of the highest callings, and here I am including teachers), care for them with God's own tender mercy and love, and in doing so you will raise up children for the Kingdom. Whatever "state" (vocation) you find yourself in, do it to God's glory.
When we recover this excellence in our daily work, then true joy is found. This is not ephemeral, wistful happiness, but a deep joy that rests in the conviction that God has given us the gift of work and has provided an inherent satisfaction in doing that work well.
Peace be with you this week.
Calendar
You may want to check out our calendar for upcoming events. The newsletter also has more detailed information on many of these activities. Finally, remember that the e100 Bible reading challenge begins in just a few weeks... spread the word!
Next Sunday: January 18
You are invited to join us for a youth luncheon this Sunday (1/18/09) after 10:30 am worship and a Creative Arts and Puppet Ministry workshop beginning at 12:30 pm. All are also invited to a public performance at 6pm as part of this workshop.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
New Year's Resolutions
The danger of posting your New Year's Resolutions semi-publicly is that a lot more people will hold you to them (or at least give you a hard time about not keeping them). I suppose the upside to doing so is that there is another level of accountability. In any case, for 2009 mine are (in no particular order):
1.) Practice the virtue of being present in all situations.
2.) Read through the New Testament each month.
3.) Strive for 7 hours of sleep each night (10:30 pm - 5:30 am).
It seems to me that New Year's Resolutions and growth in faith have a lot in common. It's easy to be too ambitious and quite early. The best course seems to be slow and steady growth over the long haul.
1.) Practice the virtue of being present in all situations.
2.) Read through the New Testament each month.
3.) Strive for 7 hours of sleep each night (10:30 pm - 5:30 am).
It seems to me that New Year's Resolutions and growth in faith have a lot in common. It's easy to be too ambitious and quite early. The best course seems to be slow and steady growth over the long haul.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Bible Reading Opportunities
A Blessed Epiphany to you all! May the Light of Christ shine brightly in your lives and in this world.
As we begin a new calendar year, I invite you to consider how you are engaged with Holy Scripture on a regular basis. Our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is encouraging us all to be familiar with the Bible, our "first language of faith." You can read all about this new initiative, called Book of Faith.
In addition, our congregation and community will be participating the E100 Bible Challenge program, a 20-week walk through 100 "E"ssential passages in the Bible (50 Old Testament, 50 New Testament). It begins the week of February 8. You can read all about it at our local e100 site.
Before the program begins, we will also explore how the Bible came to be in a three-week Sunday school class (Rediscovering the Book of Faith) that begins on January 25.
And on the Sunday (February 8) of the kick-off week, you are invited to a Bible Fair (a chance to look at different Bible versions) and a luncheon at noon.
Peace be with you!
As we begin a new calendar year, I invite you to consider how you are engaged with Holy Scripture on a regular basis. Our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is encouraging us all to be familiar with the Bible, our "first language of faith." You can read all about this new initiative, called Book of Faith.
In addition, our congregation and community will be participating the E100 Bible Challenge program, a 20-week walk through 100 "E"ssential passages in the Bible (50 Old Testament, 50 New Testament). It begins the week of February 8. You can read all about it at our local e100 site.
Before the program begins, we will also explore how the Bible came to be in a three-week Sunday school class (Rediscovering the Book of Faith) that begins on January 25.
And on the Sunday (February 8) of the kick-off week, you are invited to a Bible Fair (a chance to look at different Bible versions) and a luncheon at noon.
Peace be with you!
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