Remembering Charlotte

Ruth 1:15-18
“…your people shall be my people, and your God my God…not even death itself is going to come between us.”

By Rev. Tyger Penson

Charlotte died this week. She had been a very influential person in my life at one time. She will always be part of my faith journey.

When I was in ninth grade, our family moved from Colorado to California, in the middle of a school year. When I arrived at my new school, I felt friendless, insecure, and unhappy. We attended First Lutheran Church and there I met Charlotte. One day, Charlotte who was a couple of years older than me, befriended me and brought me to the youth group at the church where I developed friends. She began to mentor me in my spiritual life. Even though I do not recall a single word she said, she was Christ’s presence for me. I felt safe and loved with her. The thought of Charlotte makes me smile.

In the Bible, we read the story of Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. When Naomi’s husband died (as well as her sons) in the foreign land of Moab, Naomi knew she must return home to the land of Judah. Her two daughters-in-law accompanied her for a distance. Then Naomi dismissed these two women, Orpah and Ruth, encouraging them to return to their own country. Naomi said, “Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? Go back, dear daughters—on your way, please! I’m too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, ‘There’s still hope!’ and this very night got a man and had sons, can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow—more bitter for me than for you. God has dealt me a hard blow.”

Orpah eventually left, but Ruth would not leave. Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I will live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!” (quotes from The Message, a Bible translation by Eugene Peterson)

Ruth came to know God through Naomi. It changed both of their lives. That is what happens when two people share life and faith together. I thank God for Charlotte and all those like her who have graced me with their love, faith, and friendship.

I am sure there are people in your life who have made a difference in a positive way. They may be someone from the past or someone presently mentoring you. Praise God for them. Perhaps this week might be a good time to give them a call or send them a card or text message. Let them know you are thinking of them. Tell them how they have inspired you.

Prayer: God of all creation, thank you for those who have touched my life with your love. Make me an instrument of your peace and love for others, also. Amen

God Always Ahead of Us (Exodus 13)

There are those who think that there is no God. Others say that God exists only as the figment of one’s imagination. Some think that God is only an ancient concept no longer relevant. Others insist that God is dead. So, the question arises, are they right? Is this faith-in-God thing something that we should just ditch? Is science or reason our best gods in this decade or century?

I reflect on the fast-moving technology that we face daily. I consider the changes in day to day life we constantly encounter. My question is, “What’s up God?” Are there new ways to see you at work? Do you understand the challenges which we all face?

My answer is that God is and always has been way ahead of us from the get-go. God not only has watched us with a gleeful eye as we have uncovered the intricacies of the power and workings that are daily revealed but God is also opening new possibilities to the curious and the scientific about new things just waiting to be discovered all the time. I believe God is walking just before us to guide us and lead us in the opportunities that lie before us.

Let us take a peak back at a passage about God and his care for the Israelites. As you read, notice how God really gets how his creation thinks. Exodus 13 says, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought,  ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So, God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle” (Exodus 13:17-18).

The writer of Exodus describes this guiding God as going before (leading) the Israelites by day as a pillar of cloud and by night as a pillar of fire so that the people will always be able to find their way. God even understands how tempted the people will be if they are distracted by a warring enemy or unknown obstacles, so God adjusts the route “by the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

Because God did this for the Israelites, and through the centuries there have been innumerable examples and testimonies of individuals, groups, and nations who have experienced similar wonders of God’s leading and interacting in their lives, it would be difficult to imagine that God would suddenly stop. Can you even imagine that God would just sit down and say, “I’m finished; I have had enough of this creative and leading business; I’ll just let people, all of my creation, fend for themselves?”

Is it not possible that God is doing a new thing today and tomorrow? I believe God is leading us forward into new ways of being and doing, new formats of life together, and new instruments of creativeness that will unveil discoveries we never even dreamed existed. I do not believe God is dead or irrelevant. In fact, perhaps, maybe God is just getting started. The question is, are we willing to let God lead and guide us into the future?

Prayer (from “Creating God” by Jeffery Rowthorn}:

Creating God, your fingers trace the bold designs of farthest space. Let sun and moon and stars and light and even me praise you. Amen.

Living in the Desert...Still

And the Spirit immediately drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (Mark 1:12-13)

This last week, Pastor Doug asked me if I was going to change the name of my Desert Reflections weekly page. The name began when we were living in Arizona—in a desert. Now we have moved to Washington State in a rainy, heavily forested area. Would some other name be more appropriate? I have been contemplating the situation, and for now at least, the name stays. Why?

We are experiencing a most bizarre year and situation. You know about how topsy-turvy everything seems to be. Nothing seems “normal.” Not only is there anxiety about health and wealth, weather and climate, but also who our leaders should be and what the future will be like.

I keep thinking about Jesus being sent by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. Wilderness to me equates to a desert place—a deserted place—where one is given the opportunity to think, to re-evaluate, to plan, or to discern. It is a place and time to get in touch with who we are and whose we are. It gives us a chance to choose who will govern and guide our lives. It is a time to tune out the noises that work so hard to convince us, to change us, to rule us. What direction is the right way?  A desert time is what I need the most right now and I suspect you do too.

In the Old Testament, Moses was chosen by God to guide his people out of the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt. They trudged across watery areas into a wilderness, a desert, where they lived for a long time. Sometimes they thought back to those days under Pharaoh and fantasized how good they were. But that was what it was, a big fantasy. It was in the wilderness, however, that God showed them how much God cared for them and assured them God would feed them: giving them manna, quail, and water. In that desert land, God taught these desert residents how to live together in harmony with God and with one another (The Ten Commandments). God chastised his people for their turning away from God towards idols but with the intercession of Moses, God renewed God’s covenant with them—I will be your God, and you will be my people. You can read the story, called The Exodus, beginning with Exodus 12.

So, perhaps Desert Reflections is a suitable title for these thoughts I share with you via social media. We are not physically in the desert but we all need time to emotionally and spiritually step away from our environment to be in the presence of God’s Spirit to evaluate and discern what is truly important not only for us but for all who share this planet with us. Join me in the adventure. Let me know what is helpful for you. Let us seek God’s plan for us, our community, nation and world today and tomorrow.

Prayer: God, here I am, open to your Word and to your will for my life and for those around me. Help me hear your voice. Amen

Being Yeast

Matthew 13:33
Jesus told them a parable: “The kingdom of [God] is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

There seems to be so much that is negative these days. We are six to seven months into a Covid19 pandemic alert around the world. We have had the most unusual weather we can imagine over the same time frame. If you consider only the turbulence in the United States, there have been extreme winds, water inundation, and storms blown in over the seas that have left havoc behind. There are unprecedented wildfires burning throughout the west. Many have lost their homes. People are suffering from racial hatred, hunger, and despair. People seem distant, tempers flare easily, and there is a lack of communication when points of view differ. Politics add an ugly garment over it all.

And then, in the most unexpected manner, some miracle of hope and promise shows up. It happens to each of us if we just keep our eyes, ears, and minds open. It happened again to me yesterday.

My husband and I took the ferry (as foot passengers) from Kingston to Edmonds and back. While in Edmonds we had made a major purchase and we were returning via the ferry to our car in Kingston. Some place along the way, I lost a major receipt and paperwork that was critical to our purchase. I looked everywhere but to no avail. We had no choice but to go home. Late that night, the phone rang. A worker on the Washington State Ferry called to say she had found a receipt and attached papers that seemed to be important. We worked out an arrangement for me to retrieve it on Sunday. What a wondrous gift of kindness. The worker did not need to do that. She did not know me. But she cared.

Even in the darkest of times, there are these little lights of hope and caring that occur. How important it is for us to feel the blessings of those moments. It also reminds us that we have opportunities to be lights of encouragement or joy to others.

It is what a Christian person calls living in the Kingdom of God. It is not a future world in which to live but a present time where we are God’s agents to make life better or easier or more just for the other. We are to be those who see the kindness of others and say thank-you. We are to be the bringers of hope and goodness. The 13th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew defines this Kingdom of God on earth in various ways. In this verse, the yeast represents the quiet permeating power of God’s kingdom. Only a small amount is needed to make a difference. We are that yeast.

Prayer: God of hope, thank you for those who bring joy and goodness. Help us not to become depressed about the ugly or the awful that want to dominate our thoughts and lives. Help us to be yeast to the world and lights of Hope because we care. Amen

Song: “This Little Light of Mine”

 [TP1]

Trail to Nowhere, Rev. Tyger Penson

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

Recently, I took a new trail that promised to be a one mile plus trail to the beach. So I set out through the forest with high expectations.

Shortly I came to a “Y” in the path, with the most prominent path seeming to go toward the water. It sounded good to me. I had also heard that there was a trail that ended up at the marina—maybe this was the way! It did seem strange that a sign said, “Trail to Nowhere” but the only other option was a very unclear narrow trail to the right. Its insignificance convinced me to go left and ignore the sign.

I should have trusted the sign. The trail was steep and difficult as it headed toward the water. I could see the marina but as I turned a final zigzag, the trail ended. Period! Only logs and water lie before me. My only choice was to turn around and climb back up the hill to the sign, “Trail to Nowhere.”

The poet, Robert Frost, wrote a poem called, “The Way Less Traveled.” It begins,
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The choices we make in our lives often define who we will be. Fortunately, we have a God who loves us dearly and wants only the very best for us. God wants us to be happy and free and safe. God wants us to make our way through life with joy and confidence. God has given us minds and hearts to make good choices and we have a God and people around us who will be there when we hit a dead end or find we have taken a path to nowhere. Just like me, we sometimes take the wrong path. Yet God and good people can help us get back on track.

Jesus said, “I will be with you always, to the end of time!” In fact the idea of God’s constancy with us is mentioned over and over again (see Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38-39).  It can’t get any better than that!

Prayer: Thank you, God, for your guidance and love, even when I mess up! Amen

Song: “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”      (words by Thomas A. Dorsey)      (ELW 773)
               Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand,
               I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
               Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light.
               Take my hand, precious Lord, led me home.

The Foreigner Among Us (Leviticus 19)

Leviticus 19:33-34
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. You shall love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

By Rev. Tyger Penson

The key theme of Leviticus is holiness—the holiness of God and the holiness of God’s people. In Leviticus 11:45, we read “For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.” To be holy means you are set aside to be special, to represent God in all your words and actions. The book of Leviticus attempts to direct us to worship and live as God’s people.

That brings us to chapter 19. My Bible titles it as “Ritual and Moral Holiness.” Verse 2 begins with that theme reminder, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Thereafter are instructions of how that honorary place we hold as “holy people” includes revering your mother and father and keeping the Sabbaths. Be respectful of the aged and old.

The list continues with instructions for caring for others. Specifically, when you reap your harvest of your land, be sure to leave some behind for the migrant worker, the poor, the hungry. Living in the San Joaquin Valley of California, we gleaned grapes and so did many others. But that was long ago.

Then in Leviticus 19:33-34, we read, “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress them. The foreigner who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the foreigner as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” 

I have been thinking about that. The political and social uneasiness in our nation today seems to contradict this concept. Sometimes in our words, often in our actions, we want the foreigner to “just go home.” We want the elderly to fade out of sight. We quickly say, “Not in my back yard” to any attempts for the homeless to reside in our neighborhood. We do not trust the wanderer who strays upon our land—to glean what has been left behind and call authorities to arrest them. We form our world view around that which is comfortable, less demanding of our attention, and best for us. We have strayed far from God’s instructions outlined in Leviticus.

In the book, The End of White Christian America, Robert P. Jones reminds us that White Christian Americans have steadily lost their influence. That scares us. Rev. Dr. Chris Scharen writes in response to Jones’ book, “Can white people do the work to shift from expecting to decide who gets a seat at the table, to simply taking a chair at the table along with everyone else?”

I am convinced that God wants us to think seriously about how we are treating the aged, the poor, and the foreigner among us. For us to truly be God’s holy people, to be holy as God is holy, we may need to make some changes in our behavior, our words, and our attitudes toward the foreigner. It will mean we treat the foreigner as ourselves and stand with them through the tumultuous times we are facing.

Prayer: I hear your cry, O Holy God! Forgive me when I act less than holy. Change me. Amen.

Song: “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love” by Tom Colvin, 1925-2000

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

By Rev. Tyger L. Penson

Recently I went for my yearly check-up with my doctor. He asked, “How are you doing, emotionally?” I replied, “Fine, why do you ask?” Doctor: “I am seeing so many people who are suffering from the effects of fear, hate, uncertainty, disunity. They display depression, even illness.” He went on to talk about the dangers of sitting in front of the TV all day long, witnessing and hearing the rhetoric and dangers and bad news that rattles the tube hour after hour. 

And then I noticed the plaque on his wall with these words of the Dalai Lama:

WE CANNOT ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE WITHOUT FIRST ACHIEVING PEACE

WITHIN OURSELVES…INNER PEACE.

IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF HATRED, ANGER, COMPETITION AND VIOLENCE,

NO LASTING PEACE CAN BE ACHIEVED.

THESE NEGATIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE FORCES

MUST BE OVERCOME BY COMPASSION LOVE AND ALTRUISM,

WHICH ARE THE ESSENTIAL TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA

Through his actions and wall messages, my doctor was doing what he could to show compassion and to help those who were suffering. What a blessing he is!

In Colossians, we hear these words. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”  (Colossians 3:12-15, NRSV)

That is helpful and good advice. When we clothe ourselves in those virtues, we display God’s desire for each of us to be his helpers and show the face of God to others.  It is what the world really, really needs now!

Prayer: Make me an instrument of your peace, dear God. Help me to touch the lives of those who are depressed, destructive or negative in their attitudes and actions. Let me be your hands and voice to bring them hope through the light of your love. Amen.

Joy Is Like the Rain

By Rev. Tyger Penson

Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm (Mark 4:39).

It’s raining today. I see the rain drops on my window, hitting the leaves and bouncing merrily off to nestle in the ivy and sword ferns. I begin to hum a song I loved years and years ago when I lived in Canada: “Joy Is like the Rain” by the Medical Mission Singers.

The Medical Mission Sisters were part of the beginnings of new movement of Religious Sisters in the Roman Catholic Church who began in 1925 with a mission. As their founder said, the members “were to live for God…to dedicate themselves to the service of the sick for the love of God and…to be properly trained according to the knowledge and standards of the time in order to practice medicine in its full scope, to which the Sisters were to dedicate their lives.” It was not until 1935 that the church allowed them to work in medicine and all its branches. Their work extended across the world.

In the 1960s, the Sisters began singing their own brand of Christian folk music as an aide to the medical health and wellness which was their focus. And that is where I came in. I had a folk singing group called Yahweh Singers and one of the Sisters’ songs we sang was, “Joy Is like the Rain.”

Today as I recalled that appropriate song, I recalled the third verse which is taken from the Gospel of Mark. “I saw Christ in wind and thunder, joy is tried by storm/Christ asleep within my boat, whipped by wind, yet still afloat/Joy is tried by storm.”

Sometimes the rains and storms are gentle like the one today, but we are also aware that the “storms of life” can be powerful, tumultuous, and terrifying like the one the disciples experienced at sea. Our storms may come as emotional trauma or overbearing fear or anxiety. They often come quickly as an unanticipated surprise or as a creeping virus of an unknown future. Sometimes they attack our bodies with illness or take away loved ones or cloud our vision of what can be. The storms would like to imprison us. Christ does not want that to happen, and neither do we!

In and through it all, is Christ, in our midst to bring us peace, safety, and healing. “Peace! Be still!” says Jesus to our winds and storms. Have faith in the ever-present Christ who will never desert you. Sing with the rain drops, dance with the bouncing leaves, smile with the joy that Christ gives to us! Joy is like the rain! With the help of Christ, we can weather the storms and come out with a heart filled with joy.

Prayer: Christ, here I am. Sometimes I’m frightened by the storms about me. Let me hear again and again your words, “Peace! Be still!” Let me feel again the joy that comes as an aftermath of storms. Amen.

Who God Is

by Rev. Tyger Penson

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only son, that whoever believes in God will have eternal life.

When someone asks, who is God, it becomes a difficult task to answer. All I can come up with are metaphors or examples from the Bible or my own experiences of God in my life. It is much like trying to take a photo of the wind or attempting to describe electricity. But no one seems to question the fact that there is electricity or wind or a multitude of other difficult to explain phenomena that we daily encounter.

So what about God? How do we explain God? The early Christian church developed a concept of Trinity. They said that God is the Creator, Jesus is the Savior, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. As a pastor I tried to help folks understand this “trinity” by saying there is only one God but God wears different hats, or God takes on different roles, or God, though one, demonstrates God’s oneness in three different ways. It certainly can be confusing and I’m not sure I was very good at it.

There is but one God! That we agree upon with our Muslim and Jewish friends. We Christians just see the multitude of ways that God comes to each of us so that we will trust God with our lives. In that effort, we have struggled to describe this mystery of God in words and images. From this came the concept of the Trinity: God as Father, God as Son, God as Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, that picture has brought confusion for some who think we have three separate gods. We don’t.

But this I can attest. There is one God who loves the world so much, God came to earth in the form of a human being, Jesus, so that God could show people what it means to live as God would have them live and to assist God in bringing in God’s Kingdom on earth, a kingdom of justice, peace, hope, and wholeness. God dwells within us as God’s Spirit that we might be guided in the ways we should go. This Creator God also displays his awesomeness in the wonders of the mountains, plains, deserts, oceans and lakes, rivers and rain, sun and growth, birds and animals of every description. And from this creation, which includes you and me, God provides for our food, shelter, and all that makes life possible. God is the author of our laughter and our joy, our music and dance, our ability to create and build, and the passion to cry with God when our world is going haywire.

As you consider the mystery of God, keep on wondering, asking questions, and seeking answers. And when all else fails, trust that God is for real.

Prayer:  Awesome, loving, and powerful God, I come with many doubts and questions. Yet, here I am, in your presence, willing to believe. Help my unbelief.  Amen

Song: Lord of All Hopefulness by Jan Struther

Living Water (John 7)

Rev. Tyger Penson

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

It is April, 2015, and Todd and I are taking a drive along the Zimovia Highway on Wrangell Island in Alaska. It mainly follows the body of water called Zimovia Strait on the right as we leave the town of Wrangell with hills and trees on our left, interspersed with houses for the first six miles.

It is mostly cloudy with patchy breaks in the sky and the occasional rain shower patters on our windshield. About seven miles down the road, we begin to see small waterfalls cascading over the cliffs or between the stumps of the now logged off areas. At one point a wide waterfall emerges. 

On our drive back, we realize there are even more of these mini-waterfalls than we first imagined, all flowing toward a trough along the road. As the rain increases, the water flows at an even greater speed into the ditch.

These waterfalls are like the Pentecost event described in Acts 2. They demonstrate the love and care of God, gushing forth frequently into our lives. There is no way to turn them off—they just flow and spray out with an abundance of undeserved love. It seems as though they are most abundant when the weather (our life) is stormy or dreary or even despairing. God’s love knows no bounds. His care is profuse!

Jesus said as he was teaching in the temple courts, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38) The miracle is that those who recognize this outpouring of care and love of God will find that their lives too will begin to flow abundantly with care and love for others.

In the song, “Shine, Jesus, Shine” are the words, “Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy.” The waters of God’s mercy and care are generous and flow freely where they will. You find them pouring upon you no matter what!

Prayer: Thank you, God, for your generous outpouring of care and love, not only for me, but for all of your creation. Let me help others see this generous outpouring you so wondrously give. Amen.