Discerning God's Ways

Psalm 73

This morning, the sun is shining, and our rhododendron is bright red with the background of woods and rocks. How beautiful! I put on a favorite album of film classics, opened my Bible, and read the words from Psalm 73. It is not one I have read frequently but today it seemed to speak a new word for me.

If I had gone to a news channel first, the morning would have begun differently. I would hear of wars, political bickering and posturing, financial woes, and advertising of products everywhere. It could change the way I begin and live my day. It could arouse great anxiety, fear, and even hatred.

But reaching for my Bible first, reading God’s Word to find hope and courage, better equips me to discern what it means to live in God’s world. It helps me separate the things that are from God and those things that are opposed to God’s Kingdom living. As the Psalmist says,

Truly God is good …
    to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
    my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant;
    I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain;
    their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
    violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
    and their tongues range over the earth.

10 Therefore the people turn and praise them
    and find no fault in them.

I think it is important to know what is going on in our world and community. With such knowledge I can pray for those in need or those with major responsibilities to help our community, nation, and world find solutions or peaceful resolutions for issues beyond my scope of expertise. This information can help me be more sensitive to places where I can make a positive impact. It can also give me a chance to analyze the position I take regarding politics, religions, and people who think differently than me. In whom do I put my trust? The Psalmist concludes with these words:

But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    to tell of all your works.

Amen. Amen.

Easter Living

Matthew 28:5-6
“Do not be afraid.”

When we celebrate Christmas, it is wintertime, the darkest time of the year in the USA. It seems suitable to do so as a reminder that God came to earth in the form of a human being when life seemed dark and hopeless. There in an unlikely setting, a baby was born, and he was called Jesus, Emmanuel. We sing, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” He came to bring hope into the world.

Easter is another matter. We are almost giddy with delight as we recognize that this is the season of hope and promise. In one tight weekend, we walk from a Passover supper in an upper room, to a trial of Jesus, a walk up the hill to the cross where Jesus dies a horrendous death, to a tomb, and then Easter—new life—Jesus is risen! He has conquered death!

The new life of Easter comes in the spring. After the cold and bleakness of winter, when the earth seems to die, comes the new green blade of spring with flowering trees, bushes, and flowers.

Easter is not just one day, but a lifestyle of living in hope that carries us through the year. Even amid death, disease, war, or economic disaster, God has not forsaken us. Just as we have moved from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday to Easter, God is present in our darkness and will bring us through our hardships. As my mother use to say, “This too shall pass.” 

There is hope, a wondrous gift of an ever-present God. As Easter people we join the Taizé Community and sing, “Be not afraid, sing out for joy! Christ is risen, alleluia!"

Prayer: God, today I know you are present. You are the source of new life and hope and I do not need to fear. Thank you. Amen.

Song: “Be not Afraid”     ELW 388

New Life, Again!

John 11:25
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”

This spring we have been watching the earth come to life—again! It always amazes us to see what seemed to be so dead, slowly bring on life. The trees begin their budding process before bursting into white or pink flowers or that bright green that just screams “new life!” The rhododendrons are beginning to bud—and today, the one in our backyard is bursting into a brilliant red and another is in full bloom in brilliant lilac colors!

We just celebrated Easter—again! Easter morning is special. There is a newness in the air, an eagerness to put on new clothes, bring family members, and gather in the church decorated with flowers and white paraments. We sing our Alleluias and raise our hands and give thanks to God for Jesus and the gift of forgiven life and hope for our world! 

One of my favorite Easter songs was written by John MacLeod Campbell Crum about 75 years ago! Called “Now the Green Blade Rises”, it compares the mysteries of new life in the springtime with the story of Jesus from grave to life again—resurrection. As Jesus was buried in the grave “love by hatred slain”, no one thought they would ever see Jesus again. But the grave was like the grain or bulbs that are buried deep within the earth throughout the winter. Like the green blade of new growth rises from the ground, so too Jesus rises from death to life, our living Lord and Savior.

It is the hope we have as well. The writer concludes, “When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain/your touch can call us back to life—again!” Praise God, He lives!  Praise God, we too find life in Christ. 

Reconsidering the Death of Jesus

Mark 15:33-37

By Rev. Todd Penson

It was early on in my Pastoral Internship at First Lutheran Church in Brainard, Minnesota. That November morning I was driving from the farm home where we were living into town, heading to the church for my day’s work with Dallas Young, my intern supervisor. I was playing some music on the car radio.

Suddenly there was a break in the music for an important news announcement. A commentator came on and carefully related the tragic news. The President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, had been shot to death in Dallas, Texas during a large parade honoring him as President. The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald was soon arrested, and while under arrest was shot to death by Jack Rudy as Oswald was being transported to a jail cell. Shock waves of grief engulphed the nation and wider world, especially among those who were his closest followers and supporters.

Tyger and I recently watched a series of DVD presentations entitled “Reconsidering JFK”, where this episode from his life was presented. As I was reflecting on our upcoming Christian remembrance service on Good Friday, the parallels between that day and JFK’s assassination day flashed through my mind. For us as followers of Jesus, who call him our Lord and Savior, Good Friday has every reason to cause us to again pause in grief and wonder and to rehearse in our hearts and minds why Jesus so suddenly had to die and in such a cruel and seemingly senseless way.

 “For our sins” is the reason I have always been given, regardless of who history decides was legally responsible. Too much hatred and vicious wars have been generated by people out to revenge that death of Jesus. Others try to see Almighty God somehow responsible, as if God needed Jesus to die before God could or would forgive our human transgressions.

This week, as you struggle with the question “Why did Jesus die?” and how that relates to your faith life with God, remember that God sent Jesus into the world in the first place because “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), and God loves us as much as Jesus did and does still.

Prayer: Gracious God, let the words and music of Good Friday and Easter worship help me sort out my answers to these questions. Amen.

The Real Wrath of God

Luke 19:41-44

“If we speak of an angry God at all, we will speak of a God angry at indifference, angry at apathy, angry at racism and violence, angry at inhumanity, angry at waste, angry at destruction, angry at injustice, angry at hostile religious clannishness. That anger is never against US (or THEM); it is against WHAT IS AGAINST us (and them). It is not out to destroy us; it is out to destroy what is out to destroy us.”

—Brian McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?, pp. 259-260.

And so, God came in and through Jesus to show us how we are to live. We are to be angry along with God at indifference, apathy, racism, violence, injustice and all the other evil attitudes and powers that constantly invade our lives and the lives of others. So, we find Jesus, weeping over Jerusalem for their behavior that does not exude peace. Jesus walks beside the have-nots, eating with them, speaking out against the religious and political powers that would impoverish them.

As followers of Jesus, what can we do? I believe we can stand up for those who are on the receiving side of hate, violence, and injustice. We can challenge hurtful policies of government and insensitive attitudes by those in power who care more for their freedom and their positions than for those who disagree or get in their way. As citizens of the U.S.A., ask what kind of world and nation God would have. Then vote accordingly. Speak and act in alignment with God’s vision.

Yes, God can be angry. Jesus never said that some folks are “in” and others are “out.” God is angry at the hateful, vengeful words we often speak against others. How sad God must be when he hears the political parties or religious leaders, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or others, bash one another. 

God calls us to be his helpers to work to bring peace and harmony into our homes, our communities, our nation, and our world. We must demonstrate God’s will through our daily actions. It all must begin with us for who else does God have to do his work on this earth?

Prayer: Let there be peace on this earth, O God. Let it begin with me. Amen.

Trees

PALM TREES AND CEDARS OF LEBANON

Psalm 92:12-15

 We have returned from a winter trip to the Southwest. One of the features of Southern California is the abundance of palm trees. They are majestic trees with a multitude of benefits. In many countries the palm tree provides food (coconuts or dates) and palm oil for cooking. Its leaves cover roofs of huts, and its materials are used for ropes and mats. Its genius is that it can bend before a hurricane and survive the worst of storms.

On our way home, we saw the mighty Redwoods, famous for their towering stature, with the tallest trees reaching 360 ft. Similarly, the Bible speaks of the Cedars of Lebanon which are tall coniferous trees with a broad expanse of branches that can grow up to 130 feet with trunk diameters of 6-8 feet. They can live for more than 1000 years. They not only provide habitat for different invertebrates but also offer nesting places for birds or bats. Their wood is used for construction, handicrafts, and furniture as well as providing resins and essential oils. Medicines come from their leaves.

In Psalm 92, The Message translate these thoughts this way: 

My ears are filled with the sounds of promise:
    “Good people will prosper like palm trees,
Grow tall like Lebanon cedars;
    transplanted to God’s courtyard,
They’ll grow tall in the presence of God,
    lithe and green, virile still in old age.”

Would others describe us in this way? If so, like those mighty trees, we are seen as people who flourish (bend and survive) amidst the distortions and the ugliness around us. Our lives sustain others.

Both trees drop their seeds for new growth and so do God’s people send out seeds of hope. Even the righteous grow into full maturity. In their old age, they continue to bear fruit and show the grace and vitality of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, I like the thought of being like a palm tree or a cedar of Lebanon. Help me to live in this way in the presence of God. Amen.

The LORD is in His Holy Temple

Isaiah 6:1-8

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

When I was a child, the phrase “The Lord is in His Holy Temple” was sung as an opening anthem or part of the liturgy for worship. It is a phrase that takes on special significance particularly when we seem to feel vulnerable or depressed or know that we have really blown it. Entering the doorway of the church, God’s holy temple, we discover something very powerful wrapped up in those words.

In this instance, Isaiah feels himself to be in the very presence of God— in a holy place where he experiences “the Holy One.” When you reread the account (Isaiah 6:1-8) you can imagine how Isaiah felt. There, in the very presence of God, the Lord of Hosts, he feels unclean. Yet, in this very same Holy Place, Isaiah receives forgiveness and is made clean! As a result, Isaiah responds by volunteering to do what God needs him to do! It is a life-changing moment!

The same is true for us. Sometimes we come before God with a whole backpack full of “stuff” that seems to make us walk off kilter. Sometimes we look around and see things going bad and our response is, “Why doesn’t someone do something about it?” It is at that point that God calls us into His presence.

It is in this Holy Temple of God, that we bring our guilt, our weariness, our depression, and something wonderful happens. The God who heals and brings wholeness pours his forgiveness, love, and newness into our lives. When this happens, we see we are called to serve and bring that same healing power to others. As cleansed and chosen people of God, we can answer our own question. God empowers us to “do something” and we become God’s voice and hands in our world.

What an awesome God we have! “The Lord IS in His holy temple” to meet us there just as we are!

Prayer: O Holy God, we come into your presence today. We too feel unclean, unworthy of such an experience. Cleanse us, heal us, that we might hear your voice calling us into your service. Amen.

(Picture: Holy Cross Lutheran, Albuquerque, NM – 2007)

Quietness

Lamentations 3:22-23

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord… 
to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it…”

There is a quietness in this reading. It is filled with the assurances that God is present and wants to be part of our lives. Quietness allows us to recognize God’s presence, God’s faithful help and compassion.

In 2009, we worked at the Holden Bed and Breakfast situated along the shores of Lake Chelan in Washington State. It is a place where we experience peacefulness and joy that is different from “the world out there!”

At the B&B, we did very ordinary things, even old-fashioned activities. For instance, I would wash the linens from the beds the guests used the night before. These I would hang up on lines strung outdoors. I still recall the birds flitting about, perhaps chasing a hawk, and the wind gently blowing, the early morning dew still on the grass below my feet.

We carefully pulled weeds from the gardens with newly planted seeds of zinnias and marigolds. I baked bread for the next morning’s breakfast and washed the dishes left behind. Even cleaning the rooms, bathrooms, and corridors provided silence and time to communicate with God.

God calls us to quietness. It is gift from God—a choosing to be silent as if we are holding our breath to listen. Quietness waits and is still, allowing us to become so much more aware of life and air and God. And in that silence, our heart sings, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases/his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning...great is thy faithfulness, O God.”

Finding time to experience quietness and the presence of God in the everydayness of life, can bring new awareness of the wonder of God. It allows the difficulties of the tasks before us, the God-given ministry we are doing, to become bearable, even enjoyable. In the silence, our heart sings to God.

Prayer: Silence my thoughts, my mind, my whole being, God. In the quietness of your presence, help me to see and hear more clearly your purpose for my life. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Vigor!

 Matthew 6:25, 32

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear...  your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

In the mid 1990’s, my husband and I walked barefoot along the Oregon Coast. We covered over 125 miles this way. I found a memoir recalling how one week early in this adventure I hiked four days on the beach.  Each day took an effort to get out of bed early for hiking. But the moment my bare feet hit the cool wet sand and the breeze ruffled my hair, I experienced a tremendous sense of peace, joy, and vigor.

The PEACE came in the form of a sense of awe for the beauty and vastness of God’s world and my soul sang, “How Great Thou Art!” I saw myself in proportion to all of God’s creation and my worries, fears and needs took on a new perspective.  I realized in a new way that God is in charge if I will only put myself in God’s care and I remember Matthew 6:25,32: “Do not worry…”

Then came the JOY -- sheer joy.  I began to sing out loud: “O, the Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need...”  I felt like dancing, running, and jumping all at once.

The freshness of the morning air, the presence of God, and the sense of peace brought me VIGOR and energy. I praised God for what is and will be and thanked God for what had been. The entire experience became a prayer to God! This is prayer at its best!

The entire trip became an experience of finding God, praising God, and experiencing his presence in our walks along the Oregon coast. It is a joy, peace, and vigor that comes when we include God in the events and everydayness of our lives. Joy and peace help us see God as the giver and provider of all that is good.

Prayer: You, O God, accompany us along our journeys whether we know it or not! Thank you for being with me each day of my life! Amen.

Making Choices

Matthew 7: 13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

I attended Confirmation classes at Augustana Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado. We were a class of 23 students, and I recall that we competed feverishly: who could learn the most Bible Verses, list the books of the Bible, learn the Catechism first. My biggest competition was a boy named John. I thought he was smart and cute!

 One of the lessons we had involved making choices in our Christian life. I recall seeing a film showing a mountain, with two different routes to take. The one way was wide and there were lots of people taking it. Unfortunately, it seemed those on this path were lured to venture off onto sideroads that led to nowhere; some were distracted by exciting activities and so they forgot where they were going. Others just lost their way when they followed “the crowd” off the beaten path.

The other route was much narrower and the few people on it were delayed here and there to assist another person or to feed someone. Sometimes the hikers just stopped to look at the beauty around them or to meditate. This route was often steep and those who took it had to help (or receive help) from fellow travelers just to scramble over the obstacles in the way. But when they arrived at their destination, they were awed and fulfilled.

Our intern pastor who taught us explained that we should strive to take the more difficult way. It offered far more rewards as we helped and served others and breathed in the air of God’s Spirit.

This is the lesson we find in the teachings of Jesus recorded in Matthew 7:13-14 as The Message translates it: “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.”

It is a teaching to which I must return frequently. How about you?

Prayer: Take my hand, Lord, and guide, pull, and push me (and my fellow travelers) along the narrow road that brings me into your Kingdom both now and forever. Amen.

Song: “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” by Isaac Watts, ELW 772