Your Faith Journey

All of us are on a journey of faith in our lives. At Faith Lutheran in Okemos, Michigan we bring people one a journey of faith each week and share that journey with the world.

Sermon - 11-25-24 11/25/2024

Sermon - 11-25-24 Today is Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday. Pope Pius XI in 1925 began this festival which was around the time of World War I. He felt that the followers of Christ were being lured away by secularism. They were choosing to live in the kingdom of the world and focus on themselves and not the kingdom where God reigned where the focus is on others. Christ the King Sunday was declared to counter nationalism. People at that particular time were getting the 2 kingdoms blurred. Could this be what we are experiencing today? The worldly kingdom, nationalism, is about gaining power and control to benefit only a certain group of people. It is about making one race, gender and sexual orientation superior. Jesus’ kingdom is about making sure everyone is taken care of. It is about recognizing that every person is part of God’s creation, and are equal. Each person has gifts and abilities that the kingdom needs in order to function. Jesus’ kingdom is about loving our neighbor, which is the person living next door to us, across the parking lot, all over our country. Exclusion begins when we become jealous of what others have. It is when we decide someone is not worthy. This is not what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. Jesus’ kingdom is about realizing that no one is really worthy of anything. This means that everything we have is a gift from God and we are called to care for them. So, this then ties in with Stewardship Sunday which is also today. This Reign of Christ and Stewardship Sunday have appeared at a time in our country and the life of our church to remind us of what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. I believe that Jesus is looking for grateful followers who are willing to let him reign. But his kind of reigning is not about just saying yes Jesus, but actually doing what Jesus commands us to do. Jesus reminds us that we are commanded to love God with all of our hearts, souls and minds and our neighbor as ourself. We know this, so why do we have to keep being reminded. Because just as in the time of Pope Pious we are being lured by secularism. Our country is taking a direction that could be destructive, and I know not everyone sees it that way. It seems that our country is headed away from Christ reigning. Our lessons for today instruct us about the difference in the 2 kingdoms. They describe for us what power and control look like. What we learn challenges us to look at where our allegiance lies and how to be followers in this time of the blurred kingdoms. In our Gospel lesson we have Jesus being interrogated by Pilate. This is the trial narrative where Pilate confronts Jesus about being the king of the Jews. The Jewish leaders had accused Jesus of treason. Thus, they handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities. Pilate represented the Roman authorities and not the Jewish people. He was kind of in the middle of it. He was being asked by the Jewish leaders to declare Jesus guilty of saying he was the messiah, and they didn’t believe it. The church and the state were working together. They like to keep each other happy. Jesus is no different here than any other time that he was confronted. He did not answer anything directly or sometimes not at all. Pilate’s first question to Jesus was “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus turned it back on Pilate, “Are you asking this on your own account or did others tell you this?” Pilate responds. “Well, Do I look like a Jew? Your people have handed you over to me. Tell me, what have you done?” Jesus responds, “I’m not really from here. My kingdom doesn’t exist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?” Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.” In the gospel of John, the truth is not just a piece of information, it is the person, Jesus Christ. Jesus is asking us to listen for his voice, which is the truth. The more the kingdoms may seem blurred, the keener our hearing needs to be. Then once we believe we hear the truth, Jesus, what will be called to do with it? First of all, let’s talk about ways to hear the truth. I believe we are called to listen and observe how power and control are carried out. Is it used to control people or empower all people? Nationalism is about singling out one group to be in power and control. Christians are involved with this also. We are given the ability to see that this is not what Jesus’ kingdom is about. So, when we see this going on in our country, we will be called to stand up for the truth, Jesus. Nationalism is about putting people in their places, defining for them what their place is in our country. Christians are saying that this is spelled out in the Bible, and this has been written into Project 2025. A number of the authors will be on staff in our new government. We have come here today to offer our allegiance to Jesus, to remember that everything that we have is a gift from God, and be part of Jesus’ kingdom. On this reign of Christ Sunday, we are being reminded that there are two very different kingdoms. I have said earlier that the kingdoms may be blurred, but I wonder if when we work on hearing and observing the truth, Jesus, that the difference will become clearer and clearer. Faith Lutheran Church has taken a stand on who we believe to be part of Jesus’ kingdom, Jesus accepts all and we are all equal. We will all be challenged to listen and observe as things change, whether it looks like Jesus’ kingdom or not. If it doesn’t is when we will be challenged to clarify as to how we see and hear the truth of what Jesus’ kingdom is to look like. What will Faith Lutheran Church do if what is being done does not reflect what Jesus’ kingdom is to be like? Let us pray, We gather on this day to recognize you, Jesus, as our king and remember our role as grateful stewards. We often find that difficult to live out in our lives. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see you, the truth. Give is your wisdom to know how to stand up for you when your kingdom and the worldly kingdom get blurred, or when we see stark differences. In Jesus Name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34139831

Special Music - Will Give You Thanks 11/24/2024

Special Music - Leaning on the Everlasting Arms 11/24/2024

Special Music - God Will Make a Way 11/24/2024

Sermon - 11-17-24 11/17/2024

Sermon - 11-17-24 Jesus has called each one of here this morning and we have answered that call. He wants to speak to us today and give us a message of trust and hope. Through word, sacrament, and each other we are reminded of Jesus’ love for each one of us and then he calls us to share that love with others and then encourage them to share it. Through times of happiness and joy as well as times of disappointment, anxiety and anger we can come here to experience Jesus though word, sacrament and each other. Many of us are still trying to process the election. Each of us are at a different place. Wherever we are emotionally, we can bring it to Jesus. Here at Faith, even if we don’t always understand each other’s views, all our welcome. Our welcoming statement reads: We welcome you as God’s beloved child, “for in Christ Jesus… [we] are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:26). No matter your age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, marital status, neurodivergent status, faith background, political leanings, or mental, intellectual or physical ability – you are welcomed here just as you are. In this church, we commit to pursue gender and racial equity in all that we do, and to support one another as chosen family, being parents and siblings for each other regardless of who we have as biological family (Mark 3:31-35). For we are all one in Christ Jesus and rely on the unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide as we strive to serve our world. Our second lesson from Hebrews addresses the importance of drawing near to Jesus to receive his acceptance and love, and the author reminds followers of Jesus that we can have the confidence to this. It is only through Jesus’ work on the cross that we are able to do this. The author of Hebrews encourages us to meet together and experience Jesus and then encourage each other to love and do good deeds. But who is the author of Hebrews and who is the audience, to whom was this letter written? Scholars have not agreed upon who actually wrote this letter. The letter was written to second generation Christians, thus an established church. At some time, this church had suffered persecution. It was a church that was marked with generosity and liberality. Scholars believe that it was written by a great teacher, one who had a great knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, to a small group or college of Christians in Rome. The author wrote this letter as they were separated from them, and it seemed they were drifting away from the faith. The teacher reminds this small group of the new covenant or agreement that Jesus had now made with all people. The author reminded them of what Jesus had accomplished through his death and resurrection and fulfilling what had been promised in the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus represented a new way of living in freedom and love. A new way that was not about power and control. It was a new way that Jesus welcomed all people. This is what we have attempted to define to the best of our ability who “all” means in our welcoming statement. Not all people including some Christians agree with this and that is their opinion. We want to be a safe place for all people here at Faith. We are entering into unchartered territory in our country with all new leaders. Some people are excited, others very fearful. I believe Jesus is telling us today that our focus needs to be on him as he is the only one who offers us freedom from sin, death and power of the devil. Jesus is the one that we can trust and have hope in. Jesus and his followers are then called to provoke one another to love and good works. We are very thankful for everyone at worship today and especially those who chose to visit us today. As I have been saying we welcome all people into a safe place to experience Jesus and his love through word, sacrament and each other. I firmly believe that Jesus has called all of us here today to hear his message of trust and hope. He stands ready to receive us at any time and in any place. Even as followers of Jesus, we often look for him in the wrong places. We have and will continue to hear things that are God’s will. People who are vying for power and control will have skewed versions of God’s will. This is when we need to take these things and our feelings to Jesus. We are in a safe place, but hopefully all of us have other safe places too. In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus tells his disciples that they will hear many people saying that they are acting in his name. These people will use fears, such as wars and rumors of wars. Jesus told them not be alarmed. Jesus tells his disciples not to fear, just he tells us not to fear. Remember these things have been going on for many years. We see this through all of the Hebrew Scriptures. This is still going on today. Wars, people vying for power and control. Low self-esteem causing people to show disrespect for others. It is happening now and unfortunately will continue and we may wonder where God is. It may become more difficult to follow Jesus’ teachings. Just as the author of Hebrews encouraged his students, we are encouraged. The Message puts it this way: 19-21 So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God in Jesus Christ, into “the Holy Place, the safe place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice on the cross, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body which was broken for you and me. 22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out because of Jesus’ work on the cross. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. In Hebrews we are reminded that Jesus will never walk off and leave us. Jesus always keeps his word. With this kind of support, let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on to love, not hate and to do good works as long as we are on this earth. The message of trust is stated in Hebrews that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Also, that Jesus never fails. I believe our hope is in our working together to love our neighbor, encouraging each other. Faith Lutheran Church is a safe place to do this. Let us pray, Jesus, thank you for calling us here today to experience you through word, sacrament and each other. We have answered your call and have come to hear a word of trust and hope. Thank you for your work on the cross that we may approach God in your name. May your Spirit spur us on to share your love and to do good works and encourage each other to do the same. In Jesus’ name. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33961967

Special Music - Days of Elijah 11/10/2024

Sermon - 11-10-24 11/10/2024

Sermon - 11-10-24 Have No Fear, Little Flock Have no fear, little flock; have no fear little flock, for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom; have no fear, little flock! ELW 764 For many of us, though not all of us, this has been a very hard week. For many of us, though not all of us, the path ahead looks frightening. For many of us it looks especially frightening for the lives of the poor and marginalized. In Jesus’ day, this included widows, orphans, strangers, lepers, and anyone else considered unclean. In our day for those of us who are worried, it is hard not to believe that many, many people will experience greater suffering, except for those who like the rich man in the text from Luke 12 will do well, at least for a time…though the story is clear about a day of reckoning… Hear again the soliloquy of the rich man: I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” We may wonder about the fate ahead for those we serve through the food pantry; or about the fate of supplemental government programs meant to help the poor: single parents with children, working married parents living below the poverty line; or about the fate of pregnant women, who for many except for relatively wealthy, face serious health crises. We may wonder about the fate of non-citizens like the six young men living in our parish house; or about up to estimated 20 million undocumented folks who may be deported. We may wonder about the future for the LGBTQ community…All of these people above are, we confess, like us, children of our heavenly Father. If these wonderings, these worries soon do come to pass, then if ever there was a time for us to be supportive of the ministries of the food pantry and the parish house, it is now. If ever there was a time for us to be supportive of the ministry of Faith, this little flock, this Reconciling in Christ congregation, it is now. Jesus says to us, do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We together are that little flock, that little flock cared for, loved, and protected by Jesus, who is the good shepherd. Before we can seriously think about selling our possessions, we need to know, we need to believe and trust that we are loved, that we will be protected, that we will be led beside still waters, that our souls will be restored…our souls and the souls of our children and our grandchildren. “Have no fear, little flock... for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom….” [Please sing it with me, ELW 764] Jesus is saying to us,” I understand your fear, but do not be afraid. Absolutely nothing can separate you from my love. No matter how awful the future might be, especially for the least of these, my sisters and brothers, I who suffered and died and rose again will be with you and with them. Little flock, Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos Michigan, I will be with you.” Do not be afraid…sell your possessions, and give alms. This word is from the lips of Jesus who elsewhere also said to the worried and the weary, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But his words here in Luke’s gospel about selling possessions and giving alms seem anything but easy or light. This is a hard saying, to be sure. But I wonder if Jesus is not speaking here so much about earthly possessions as about making room for the creation of a very rich heart, about a heart that is not afraid, a heart that knows it is deeply loved, a heart set free from defining our worth by our numerous possessions. That heart is a very rich heart. It is a heart content with simple things. It is a very generous heart. God knows we need food and clothing. God knows we need a shelter for ourselves and for our families…as does every person on earth. And God wills that all should have not only adequate food and clothing and a place to call home, but also a just government, access to health care, and good and trustworthy friends. Our true worth is not how much of those things we have. Our true and lasting treasure is measured by the priceless, unfathomable love God has so richly poured into our hearts, hearts so full of love that we cannot help but give it forward to both friend and stranger. Do not be afraid…sell your possessions and give alms…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Hear again these words from Psalm 146 we read responsively this morning: Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help…who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger…The Lord cares for the stranger; the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help. In the next couple of weeks, hopefully we’ll all be thinking and praying and deciding about what portion of our hoped-for income in the coming year we want to give for the ministry of this little flock. Mindful that when our fears are day by day allayed by the good shepherd, and mindful that in the words of scripture God loves a cheerful giver, we will boldly declare our generous, joyful, even radical intentions. We hear in the story of today’s gospel in Mark a way of radical giving: [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples [including us] and said to them [and us], “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” In a way I am confounded by Jesus’ words. I don’t think Jesus meant these words to be woodenly prescriptive for all of us. I do think they mean that radically loved people who belong to the kingdom of God are not afraid to give away everything they are and everything they have to express this radical love and mercy of God dwelling so abundantly in their hearts, in your heart and in mine. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33868782

Sermon - 11-3-24 11/04/2024

Sermon - 11-3-24 Jesus Cries with Us, Jesus Cries Out for Us Last Sunday afternoon Jamie, Laurie, Phylis and I sitting at a large round table visited with Anna, Ashley, Alison (from Panama), Fatima (from Venezuela), three little people, and a faithful member of St. Christopher Episcopal Church. St. Christopher is a sanctuary church in El Paso, Texas, a safe place for migrant people to live until they can travel on to a more permanent safe and caring community in which they could live and work and thrive. Many take dangerous and often illegal risks. Many are filled with great anxiety and uncertainty, exacerbated by antiquated immigration laws and processes that can mean months and even many years of waiting. Many are filled with fear both of countries they have fled and of our country because they know we are a deeply divided nation given to fear and even hatred of these aliens, these sojourners, these strangers. But Sunday we all were in this safe and sacred place. Except for the little ones we introduced ourselves, shared little bits of our life stories, either in Spanish or English or both. All of us children of God, all of us on a journey, though for Alison and Fatima, a much more dangerous and harrowing one. We talked together, prayed together, sang a little together, ate a meal together, held babies (the best part!) and hugged one another… A couple thousand years ago, Jesus too was on a dangerous journey. In John 11 we read of his crossing the Jordan River, going to Judea where he knowingly faced threats of stoning, persecution, and death. On the way there he received a message from beloved friends, Mary and Martha, that their brother Lazarus was ill. Jesus, the Son of God, knew that Lazarus’ illness was terminal. In fact, Jesus knew, he had already died. Yet Jesus stayed where he was for two more days… And then came the account from the Gospel of John for this All Saints Sunday. In it we learn what God is like when we suffer, when we die. We know what God, is like, revealed most fully to us in Jesus, when Bob and Joy and Walter and Dale and Chip and David, whom we remember this morning, died during this past year. Jesus, the Son of God, wept with and for their families and friends. Jesus cried with them. Jamie and Laurie and Phylis and I spent five days with Border Servant Corps guides, mostly with Ashley, a young woman about to graduate from college and then after a gap year on to law school. With her we visited border patrol folk, spent time with “guests,” always these migrant people were called guests, in processing centers and shelters on both sides of the Rio Grande River, talked with criminal court Judge Ritter presiding over cases against those crossing the border between legal points of entry. Perhaps most moving for us was our visit with Amanda, a federal public defender. With all of them we could see Jesus. We could see Jesus “greatly disturbed’ and crying with these guests and with those so committed to accompanying them on their journeys toward some semblance of mercy and justice. We saw Jesus in Gracias, a feisty, self-proclaimed activist who is the shepherd of the shelter we visited in Juarez, Mexico. In, I think, more than a coincidence for us sojourners from Faith, Okemos, her call to this ministry came years agowhen she mourned the killing of two LGBT people at the border. At times Gracias has provided a safe haven for as many as 370 guests in a clean but very dilapidated five-story building. Last Monday we prepared and served a meal for 60 men, women, and children currently living there. We saw Jesus in Gracias and in Cesi with us that day, who translated my mini-sermon proclaiming God’s watchful care for these his beloved children. Cesi walks step by step with guests when they are able to fly or take a bus from El Paso to a new home somewhere in our country. We saw Jesus in the guarded but gently smiling faces of these guests, perhaps especially in the faces of the children. But the gospel for today is not only about people for whom and with whom Jesus wept, for Martha and Mary and their friends. It is that, Jesus, the Son of God, the incarnation of God, was also for them the resurrection and the life. Jesus was and is God making of death only a transitory experience. Jesus, the resurrection and the life, cried out, now not with tears, but with a loud voice, to a man dead for four stinky days, “Lazarus, come out!” To Walter and Dale and Bob and Chip and Joy and David, Jesus said, perhaps more gently, “Come, dwell with me now in my Father’s house. There you be forever safe, forever free, forever whole, forever loved and in love with all the children of God from Michigan and Texas and Mexico and Panama and Venezuela, from Sudan and Ghana and Mauritania, from Palestine and Lebanon and Israel, from Ukraine and Russia…” On this All Saints Sunday remember. Remember that Jesus cries with you and Jesus cries out for you. Remember that Jesus cried with the family and friends of Joy, Chip, Dale, Walt, David, and Dale. Remember he wept for the LGBT people killed at the border. Remember he wept for those who bodies were and are still to this day found in the deserts of Mexico, bodies of souls striving in desperate, vain attempts to find a better life in our country. But remember too and above all that Jesus cried out for Lazarus to come out, to rise from death. Remember, as you come at his invitation to dine with him at the communion table this morning, that he suffered and died for you and that he rose again for you and for all whom we remember this day. I think of these beautiful words from Romans 6: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Phylis and I, Laurie and Jamie, we did see Jesus at the border. With the eyes of faith, we see him here too, with our congregation in our worries, with us in our pain, with us in our losses. We see him here in the hearts of so many here who care deeply about each other and about strangers, about people on difficult journeys, people God has called us to walk with in love, to “walk in newness of life.” We see Jesus speaking through the work of the call committee, “crying out” to us to come out of any dark tombs of worry, of any paralyzing fears about the future well-being of our congregation. And, especially this week, may all of us see Jesus crying with us and crying out to us, “Come out of your dark tomb!”, no matter the outcome of the election on Tuesday. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33768742

Special Music - Hine Ma Tov 11/03/2024

Special Music - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God 10/27/2024

Sermon - 10/27/24 10/27/2024

Sermon - 10/27/24 Since I will be on vacation beginning Wednesday, this will be my last sermon before the election. This does not mean that I am going to tell you who to vote for. I will be voting tomorrow. Many of you have voted by mail, others will take advantage of early voting and others will wait until election day. The important thing is to vote. Leading up to this election the political ads have gotten to be very tedious and I mute most of them. I believe it is best not to listen to them as there are so many half-truths in them that it is not good to base your vote on ads. We all desire people to see the same truth that we do, but unfortunately that is not the case. Thus, today on this Reformation Sunday, our texts point us to the truth that has kept the church moving forward since it began. We are pointed today to the person who represents truth and that is Jesus Christ. It is in John that we hear him say that he is the way, the truth, and the life and we can only get to God through him. This is a different kind of truth than what may be considered true or false in regards to our upcoming election. Jesus came to give us freedom from sin, death and the power of the devil. I will not try and decipher truth or fiction from political ads, but I will tell you that I believe in Jesus, the truth who frees us. The truth that we hear about today on this Reformation Sunday, is one of relationship with Jesus, the truth. Every day Jesus invites us into relationship with him. In our Gospel lesson we hear Jesus telling the Jews who had believed, if you continue in my word, if you abide in my word, if you stay connected to me, then you will be my disciples. Then his disciples will know the truth as they will know him and this is what and who frees us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus says today that anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, and they will not have a permanent place in the household. In the Gospel of John sin is defined as not being connected to Jesus. Jesus invites everyone to be connected to him, to be in relationship with him. Jesus has told us that it is only through him that we can get to God. Thus, it is only Jesus who frees us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus has done the work for us and now he is asking us to be in relationship with him, to be connected to him. Jesus is God’s grace revealed to us. Jesus is truth revealed. Even though there is no way to really verify any of this, we are asked to have faith and believe. We have been given God’s Word to help us know the story of God’s people. We are then invited into that story. Paul lays out for us in our second lesson what we stand on as Lutheran theology, justification by grace through faith. This is what I have already been explaining. God sends Jesus to earth to die on the cross to forgive our sin. We are asked to believe this to be true. Jesus’ death justifies us before God out of love, God’s grace. We are then asked to believe and receive. There is nothing that we can do to justify ourselves before God for our sin. It sounds easy, but often as human beings we want to earn it, we want to do something, and this is where the law comes in. The law can point out to us the need for God’s grace, but it cannot justify us. Instead, the law is what we live out in love as a response to our justification by grace. Paul wrote this letter to the house churches in Rome to prepare them for his visit. He was attempting to address the polarization between the Jews and Gentiles. Paul was trying to reconcile the two groups. Does this polarization sound familiar? I’m sure the Jews were saying the law is what leads to salvation and the Gentiles may have been saying, no there is nothing that we can do, thus we don’t have to keep the law. Paul is trying to say please be quiet and listen because he is saying that they are both wrong. There is a place for law and Gospel. Through the law comes the knowledge of sin, thus law is important but does not save us. We are justified by grace as a gift. This does not leave us off the hook as we are called to believe this, and God in Jesus Christ asks us for a response which we can model through the way that we live out our lives. In the end, Paul is trying to say that, all our welcome, as all are justified by grace through faith. This all does not exclude anyone. The exclusions we see today are decided by human beings. How does this help their polarization, let alone our own? I believe Paul is saying that just by pointing fingers and saying someone is wrong does not change the fact that all are welcome in God’s kingdom. We are all in the same boat, but not all will ever realize that. The only thing that we can do is live out our faith as justified by grace children of God. It seems throughout history we have been trying to learn how to love our neighbor, to welcome our neighbor. It becomes such a fearful thing that instead of welcoming we try to gain control over them. Jesus continually calls us to stick with him as he is the truth revealed. He is the one who justifies us before God because no human being can. We continually repeat history, and I wonder if it is happening faster with media and technology. We pray that our vote will continue democracy and continue to welcome all people. The freedoms we have as citizens of the United States of America are gifts from God are supposed to be for the betterment of the community and not any one group of people. Our vote is the only control that we have over these freedoms. The freedom we have through Jesus work on the cross is an absolute free gift. As justified children of God we are not called to change people’s minds, but we are called to stick with Jesus and continue responding to his call to love God and neighbor. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds it. This is where are focus needs to be. Let us pray: God of freedom, we thank you for the freedoms in our country, but above all for the freedom paid for by your Son, Jesus Christ. May your Holy Spirit help us to focus on you and living as justified by grace as your children. No matter what happens in the election, you continue to call us to connect with Jesus, the truth and thus to continue to love you and our neighbor. In Jesus’ name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33633062

Special Music – I Know The Lord Laid His Hands on Me 10/20/2024

Sermon - 10-20-24 10/20/2024

Sermon - 10-20-24 How many of us have said that we really don’t understand some people’s way of thinking? Our culture today has many conflicts and/or paradoxes. It hasn’t changed since the time of our Gospel lesson today. Only today it seems to be more polarized. History continues to repeat itself and only we can be responsible for ourselves. The last verse of our Gospel lesson last week was “but many who are first will be last, and the last first”. Then in between last week and this week’s Gospel lesson Jesus forewarns of his pending death again. So, when James and John ask Jesus to do for them what they want, you just want to say , “where did that come from?” Did they hear anything that Jesus had said? Following Jesus was about giving all that you had to help others. It wasn’t that long ago that that we heard Jesus say to follow means that disciples need to deny themselves. James and John were attempting to put themselves above others, let alone their friends. Jesus challenged them, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said, yes we can do that. Jesus has just once again predicted his death, were they really willing to say that they would be willing to die also? Thus far, it didn’t seem that they liked all of the negative attention from the church leaders. Here they were saying that they were willing to be leaders of the other disciples. Didn’t they realize that leadership puts you in the hot seat more than you usually want to be? Jesus thought, well I don’t think they really understand what this means, but so be it. In the end, as God’s Son, he doesn’t make those decisions. Of course, once the other disciples had heard about their request, they were angry. Maybe because they hadn’t thought of it or why do they think that they are better than us? Jesus reminded them that the people who were not Jewish recognize as their rulers, men who lorded it over them. The greatest being those who were tyrants. We have those rulers in our world today where there is no democracy. Jesus once again defines what God is looking for, which is that the greatest rulers are servants. Jesus says if you want to be on the top, then you must be a slave to all. He gave the ultimate model for this in dying on the cross. This ransom that we hear about in our Gospel lesson is not about any transaction as Jesus does the work for us. It is a liberating action for us. It frees us to be the servant that Jesus has modeled for us and calls us to be. I like how the inclusive Bible states what God is not looking for, someone who is domineering and arrogant, those great ones know how to make themselves important. Often these leaders have low self-esteem. When one feels that they have to dominate someone, it is often because they feel less than others. It’s very tricky because if you have to make yourself important, then you may not realize that you are already important in God’s eyes. Jesus continually brings us back to what God wants leadership to look like. First of all, it is important to realize that we are already important in God’s eyes and that is the most important thing to recognize and accept. When we can recognize that God loves us is when we can begin to love ourselves in a healthy manner. Jesus is describing leaders as a person who can listen and realize that they don’t have all the answers. He is also looking for a leader who can be honest in a respectful way. It is not about telling people what they want to hear. At times in our life, we can be domineering or feel dominated. We are all called to be leaders as we are all called to model what it means to follow Jesus, thus we are called to keep ourselves in check. In the end it is about power and control. Do we feel the need to have authority and exert power and control over others? One of the red flags for us is whenever we feel defensive. If we feel that we have to justify ourselves, then we can easily become domineering. If we feel insecure enough we can also become arrogant. Unfortunately, we have gotten to a place in our country where too many think it has to be one way. There are leaders who will say or do, or justify whatever they have to have it their way. Similar to James and John who felt that if they were in control they may be able to keep things more in their way of thinking. Now of course we can’t really relate to James and John, can we? At some time in our lives, each one of us has felt the need to control people and to have their approval. It is really part of being human, our brokenness. As Christians, Jesus is reminding us today we need to check ourselves in how we relate to people. I believe that we are all leaders in faith and are reminded that in reality we don’t have control over other people. When we try is when we are really telling Jesus that we know better. This is what James and John were doing. Whether everything makes sense to us or not, Jesus tells us that God is in control. We are loved and valued by God and not all others will love and value us, but we do not need their approval. Through Jesus death and resurrection, we have seen modeled how to serve and that new life comes from it. Let us pray: Gracious and loving God, thank you for loving and valuing us as your children. There are times that we do not recognize this and then try to go it on our own. This is when we may put ourselves over others. We are sorry for this. May your Holy Spirit help us to rest in you and give us the ability to see and hear how we relate to people that we may model that all of us are equal in your eyes. Also, to be able to discern future leaders in our country, according to what you are looking for in leaders. In Jesus Name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33536507

Special Music - Heart of the Nations 10/13/2024

Sermon - 10-13-24 10/13/2024

Sermon - 10-13-24 Jesus has been and continues to be very pointed in what he is trying to teach. He is trying to prepare his disciples for his pending death and resurrection. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like. Jesus says it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. He told them it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Most of us know what it is like to put a piece of thread through the eye of a needle. The disciples were greatly astounded and said to one another then how do we get in, how can we be saved? Jesus basically said that they can’t that only God can and will do this. For God, all things are possible. The Gospel lesson began with a man running up to Jesus and kneeling before him and asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ The man then said, Teacher I have kept all of these since I was a child. Jesus looked at him with love and said. You lack one thing, go and sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me. The man was shocked by this response and went away very sad, for he had many possessions. Human beings in the time of the Bible, had been continually getting off track of what God’s kingdom was meant to be. The man’s possessions were standing in the way of focusing on following Jesus. Jesus was on earth to once again define the kingdom of God. Yes God had given the ten commandments, but they were meant as guidelines. As I have said before, the commandments were not given for people to have power and control over people. This man was rich in possessions and Jesus was telling him that they were obstacles for him in following Jesus. Above all, Jesus was working on creating a new community. Anytime the word new comes into play, it does mean change. Something that is old will need to be let go of in order for new to occur. In systems, such as the church, it normally means that something in the system needs to change in order for newness or growth to happen. This will create uncomfortableness because it is not how we have always done it. The first step is allowing ourselves to be open in honestly looking at things, in other words making an assessment. This is what the transition team did last year. They then made recommendations to the congregation council of things that need to be reorganized or addressed. This will mean change. Some things will remain the same, other things will stop or look different. Room needs to be made for growth to happen. As soon as we say something needs to be a certain way, God often has a way of saying, we’ll see. What happens is we allow our fears and uncomfortableness take over and this is when it is difficult to see what God wants. Eventually there will be a new pastor here. I pray that you will be ready to listen and support their leadership. Remember if you catch yourself saying, “We’ve never done it that way before”, it probably needs to change. I know some of our leadership does think this way. God’s kingdom, this new community that Jesus is trying to describe is one that is not about power and control, but mutuality. Last week and again in today’s Gospel lesson we hear that we are to empower the vulnerable. It is what is best for the community of faith, not for individuals. I want to tell you about how I see this new community being modeled here at Faith. Our Micro Food Pantry is a very important ministry. We had been filling the food boxes twice a day for some time, maybe even close to its inception. A crisis that has been building for a while become evident. We didn’t have money to sustain it the way it had been running. Thus, an assessment was done of the food and its cost. A group met and examined the assessment and 1) it was determined that there was still a real need for it in our community, 2) In order to keep it up and running, changes needed to be made. For a week or two we had stopped buying food until we could have this meeting and develop a plan for right now, in order to keep filling the boxes. It was decided that the boxes would be filled once a day instead of twice. Before we met again, people were brainstorming and developing plans to fund this ministry. We met again and we are working on different avenues of funding. In the next couple of months, you will be presented with different ways that you can help support this ministry. I do want to thank you all of you for already supporting this ministry, because in some way everyone here has supported this ministry. It is this kind of work that models the new community that Jesus is talking about. One other sign of this new community that Jesus is talking about is when Raymond joined our Worship and Music committee meeting and presented the idea of Visitors Sunday. The committee listened to this excitement to invite others to worship with us and introduce them to our family. Raymond had ideas for worship that the committee heard, and we are working at implementing them. This is building this new community that Jesus is talking about. Every community of faith needs new life as this is when people want to join and be part of it. This new community that Jesus is talking about is seen here at Faith. The building of this new community will continue to take stepping back and being willing to be honest with what is working and what is not working. This is called assessment. From here it will take openness to new ideas and letting go of some things. Without this openness, this new community that Jesus is asking you to build will not grow. What we have heard today in our Gospel lesson is that we are called to let go of those things that we are holding on to too tightly. Those are things that are holding us back from following Jesus. Jesus wants our attention now! Sometime in the near future, there will be more changes here. Eventually I will move on, and you will have a new pastor. Jesus challenges you and I to stay focused on him and keep our eyes and ears open. Be ready to let go of things in order to follow him. The good news in all of this letting go and struggling with it, is that Jesus loves us through all of it. We are not alone. Jesus walks beside us. Let us pray, Gracious God, we struggle with change. We struggle with being honest about what is working and what is not working. May your Spirit help us to have open hearts and minds. We desire to do your work and grow your community. Help us to identify and let go of those things that are getting in the way of doing your will. Thank you for your grace as we strive to do your will. We humbly acknowledge that this is your kingdom and not ours. In Jesus, name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33437917

Sermon - 10/6/24 10/06/2024

Sermon - 10/6/24 In my study groups this past week, it was a challenge to discuss what some call as the big “D” word, divorce. Jesus chooses to take on the difficult issues that people face. Some of you may have experienced divorce personally or most likely it has been in your family. My grandfather divorced my grandmother in 1952 after finding work out of town and another woman. My grandmother was left to raise 5 kids on her own and that is not easy, let alone in that day. My mother then went to live with a family for her senior high in high school and be their nanny. She did not speak to her father for a number of years. When she got married, she felt it was time to welcome him back into her life. All of us make mistakes. I have said that relationships are the most difficult thing in life. We are dealing with ourselves and then how we interact with another human being and some on an intimate level. Since we are broken people, when you put two broken people together, no matter the level of relationship, there will be unhealthy choices made. In the end it is about navigating changes in our lives and then how that affects our relationships with others. Communication and trust are key in any relationship. We will never be perfect at these, but the more we practice them, the healthier our relationships will be. When these are not working is when we often see divorce occurring. Relationships can be broken as I have already stated as we are already broken people. The minute we say it could never happen to me, is when we need to be concerned. I believe we would all say that divorce should not be the first choice, but there are times that it can be the healthiest choice. Forced relationships do not work. Above all they are not healthy for the couple, let alone the people around them. Unhealthy relationships are not healthy models for children. So, this is what we have learned. But what does Jesus have to say about. First of all, he was not teaching on it at first in our Gospel lesson for today, but was actually being tested by some Pharisees. They were always trying to test Jesus about the law. They had been finding out that Jesus felt the law was important, but it was not to be used as power and control over people. The law was given to help people live together in community. When the law was given, it was in the time of the Old Testament. The law was quite patriarchal. Women and children were seen more as property. Basically, the men were in charge and could do almost anything they wanted. The Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus turned it back on them and asked them what did Moses command you? They said a man could write a certificate of dismissal and divorce her. Jesus told them that Moses wrote this because of their hardness of heart. Jesus reminded them that God made males and females and two of them could become one flesh. And that no one should separate them. Jesus went on quite bluntly and said that whoever divorces their wife and marries another has committed adultery. The same for whoever divorces a man and marries another has committed adultery. Jesus was radical again in saying a woman could divorce her husband. This was not the law the Pharisees knew. Then Jesus uses a child again as an example for his teaching. Children and women were looked at as the least in society and were vulnerable. People were bringing children to Jesus in order that he might touch them. The disciples sternly told them that Jesus did not have time for this and to leave. Jesus said no, bring them here to me. He said the kingdom of God belongs to the children. If you don’t receive the weak and vulnerable then you will not enter the kingdom of God. Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them. His disciples were corrected, and I wonder if the Pharisees were still around to hear this proclamation. Jesus is saying that all are welcome in the kingdom of God. For people contemplating, going through or have been through a divorce, I can only imagine that it is not easy. It is a vulnerable position to be in. Any broken relationship is emotionally difficult and often takes a physical toll as well. One broken relationship can affect all of your other relationships in some way. Over the years churches have pointed fingers and maybe even shunned people who have experienced divorce. This is not where Jesus is. I do not believe that Jesus likes to see broken relationships, but he knows that they are going to happen. God has given us guidelines to help us be in relationship with human beings and Jesus has tried to say over and over again that even though we don’t always follow them, that we are still welcome in the kingdom of God. This is the message that I believe needs to come from churches. We are called to support those who are experiencing brokenness in relationships and in a vulnerable situation. It is not our place to judge. The rhetoric that I am often hearing today is not supporting the vulnerable. It often only supports those that have more power. As a church and followers of Jesus, we are called to listen to what people are saying and this includes those who are claiming to follow Jesus. This also means that we are called to listen to ourselves and observe what we do and who we hang out with. Jesus is challenging his followers even today to lift up the vulnerable, those who are experiencing brokenness in their relationships. We can use words of love and concern and not judgement. We can model what it means to be people of support by listening and not taking sides. Jesus is asking us today to continue sharing his message of love and grace. I believe that we have some in our country who want to go back to what the Pharisees were looking for. Which is a patriarchal household, where the man is the one in charge. I believe Jesus was trying to teach his disciples as well as us that all people are welcome, especially the vulnerable. Males and female are equal in God’s eyes. In any relationship, it is about working together. In Jesus day it was the women and children. But even the fact that Jesus said a woman could divorce her husband was probably not what the Pharisees or his disciples were expecting to hear. Because of the insecurity of some white men, many in leadership in Christian churches, want to go back to this Old Testament model of the family. This is what is being held up as what God wants. I believe that Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson is saying no that all are welcomed equally into the kingdom of God. He is even saying that men and women are equal. Jesus is calling us to left up the vulnerable. I believe when insecure white men want to have the power, it makes others such as women, children, and today many others vulnerable. We are called to lift them up and go against the old patriarchal system. The D doesn’t have to be big. It happens in our brokenness. The church is called to be a place that will welcome in love all who are broken, you and me. This is how Jesus defines the kingdom of God as welcoming all people equally and especially the vulnerable. What are we going to do and say to lift up the vulnerable? Let us pray, Gracious and loving God, you sent Jesus to clarify what it means to live in your kingdom. Our humanness always seems to get in the way. Jesus reminds us again today that all are welcome in your kingdom and especially the vulnerable. May your Holy Spirit help us to model this welcome through word and deed. Help us to live forward into your kingdom and not go back to the Old testament ways which Jesus has redefined. In Jesus’ name, Amen — 451 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project Goal #3: Promoting Stable and Flourishing Married Families. Families comprised of a married mother, father, and their children are the foundation of a well-ordered nation and healthy society. Unfortunately, family policies and programs under President Biden’s HHS are fraught with agenda items focusing on “LGBTQ+ equity,” subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage. These policies should be repealed and replaced by policies that support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families. Working fathers are essential to the well-being and development of their children, but the United States is experiencing a crisis of fatherlessness that is ruining our children’s futures. In the overwhelming number of cases, fathers insulate children from physical and sexual abuse, financial difficulty or poverty, incarceration, teen pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, high school failure, and a host of behavioral and psychological problems. By contrast, homes with non-related “boyfriends” present are among the most dangerous place for a child to be. HHS should prioritize married father engagement in its messaging, health, and welfare policies. In the context of current and emerging reproductive technologies, HHS policies should never place the desires of adults over the right of children to be raised by the biological fathers and mothers who conceive them. In cases involving biolog- ical parents who are found by a court to be unfit because of abuse or neglect, the process of adoption should be speedy, certain, and supported generously by HHS. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33347342

Special Music - Send Down The Rain 10/06/2024

Sermon - 9-29-24 09/29/2024

Sermon - 9-29-24 Today we are celebrating Michael and all Angels Sunday. This is a festival dedicated to the archangel Michael that started in the fifth Sunday in Rome. Michael is not a saint, but in Jewish angelology, he is one of the four arch angels who carry out the will of God. The stories about Michael center around war scenes which are battles between good and evil. The second lesson from Revelation today finds Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon, which relates to the serpent in Genesis. The serpent and dragon are seen as the devil or satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth along with his angels. The book of Revelation was written by John from the island of Patmos to Christians who were being persecuted by the Roman Empire. John received visions from an angel to comfort and challenge Christians. Revelation is an apocalypse or unveiling of what soon must take place. Although this is not a book to predict the future. It’s a message of hope for all Christians, for all ages. We find a great deal of symbolism based on the Old Testament. As I have stated earlier, in our text from Revelation today we have a connection to the Old Testament the serpent and the dragon. In Genesis chapter 3 we have the serpent in the Garden of Eden enticing Adam and Eve, that if they eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, they will be like God. This is after God said do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, for if you do, you will die. The serpent appealed to them and twisted God’s words and said God would not kill them as God knows that when one eats fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that their eyes would be opened, and they will then know the difference between good and evil. The woman ate one of the fruit and offered it to the man and he ate also. Their eyes were opened, and they did not die. They did realize that they were naked. This was the first time that human being on earth had contact with evil, the serpent. The sin here was wanting to be like God and listening to the wrong person. This same issue continues to plague us as human beings. We want power and control. According to our text from Revelation, the dragon, representing the serpent, the devil, satan, wanted to be in control and Michael and his angels said no and kicked him down to earth. Human beings have been dealing with evil, the devil, satan from the beginning of time, Adam and Eve. What is going on here is that evil was defeated in heaven. Now, something we discussed in bible study on Tuesday was the fact that we thought heaven was devoid of evil. I believe the message here is that if evil was defeated in heaven, it has been defeated here on earth in the person of Jesus. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, sin, death and the power of the devil have been defeated. We may ask, then why are we still dealing with evil in the world? Because we continue to try and do everything on our own and we have not defeated evil. Jesus has. Thus, we need God, Jesus and Holy Spirit to help us deal with evil in the world. So often it seems to be so easy just to point a finger at a person and say they are evil. The person themselves are not evil, but evil may have more control over them. Evil can be in a person’s actions and words. In reality, as human beings, we can allow evil to influence our thoughts, words and actions. When we are tired, frustrated and/or scared, we are vulnerable and often rely more on ourselves. This is when evil can influence us. Our other option is to stay connected to Jesus and this is not easy as it takes work. Staying connected to Jesus, means that we are called to examine what we hear and observe as well as what we think say or do and measure it against what we have learned and understand God’s Word to say. When we are tired, frustrated and/or scared, we often just go with the flow. I would like to define evil at this point as going against God’s will in thoughts words and actions. We can hear and see it in others. But it is not our job to judge them, but we are called to challenge them, if we feel that we can have a healthy discussion. Some things for us to listen to as followers of Jesus in our own and others words and actions: Do we hear and observe love or hate? Do we hear and observe that our world is full of enemies or neighbors to be loved? Do we hear and observe the ability to listen even though we may not agree? Do we hear and observe people taking responsibility for their words and actions and admitting if they are wrong?. When we try and manage our lives on our own, it tells Jesus that we have chosen not to follow him. It means that we are trying to have power and control over our thoughts, words and actions and as a result we try and do the same thing over others. This is when we are vulnerable and will find it easier to listen to the serpent or dragon. The serpent or dragon is alive and active here on earth. They are always trying to tell us that we don’t need God’s help, that we have the power and control within ourselves to know and understand everything. This does not mean that God hasn’t given us abilities to understand many things and to be able to determine the truth. The serpent or dragon continues to spread evil with messages that are not in accordance with God’s will. When we are vulnerable and don’t search for the truth, we are allowing evil to come into our lives. In our country today, many of us would like to point fingers at specific people and say that they are evil. I would challenge us not to do that. Their words and actions may be evil. The truth is becoming more difficult to determine in words and actions. Today we are reminded that first of all our salvation is paid for by Jesus and we can rejoice. Also, that Jesus has defeated sin, death and the power of the devil. Unfortunately, this does not mean that we don’t have any work to do in this arena. It does mean that we are not alone in this battle of good and evil in our own lives and the life of our country. Evil lies in the shadows of our lives and our country. What is in the shadows needs to be revealed. This is where our work comes in, but not without asking the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in trying to figure out truth from untruth. We have people and countries trying to keep the truth in the shadows. This is evil at work. Michael and the angels defeated the dragon in heaven. We have been given the power through Jesus to do it here. It takes more work to love than hate, it takes more work to look at people as neighbors and not enemies, it takes more work to listen to people that we may not agree with, and it takes more work to take responsibility for our words and actions. When we don’t do the work is when the serpent or dragon spreads evil and we can be colluding with them. With the power of Jesus, we can do the work to love our neighbors and discover the truth as we take responsibility for our words and actions and defeat evil as Michael and angels did. Let us pray, Hi God, when it comes to determining good and evil, we need your help. We know that truth is good, but it becomes more and more difficult to discern it. During this time in our country, we continue to come back to you and admit that we cannot do this on our own. You have given us the tools, your Word and your Son, Jesus has defeated evil. Today we bring our vulnerability to you and seek to hear your voice over the serpent/dragon’s voice that we may do your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33252692

Special Music – Pray For the People 09/29/2024

Sermon - 9-22-24 09/23/2024

Sermon - 9-22-24 There seems to be a great deal of confusion or disagreements on who we welcome. We have people, including Christians who want to define who to welcome. It is one’s interpretation, but is the interpretation based on love or fear. The God that I read about and experience and see modeled through Jesus is about welcoming all out of love. I do not believe that we are called to be gate keepers to God’s beloved community. Yet there seem to be some Christians who believe they are. There are documents that are written and set to be introduced with a new president that would delete the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, and a number of other things, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists. This is the wording from the document. I don’t believe that it speaks as to where we are at Faith. Most of these terms are exactly what we have written in our welcoming statement as in affirmation. We, at Faith Lutheran Church, welcome you as a child of God. As Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:26) We strive to be a place where everyone is welcomed and affirmed. No matter your age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, marital status, faith background, political leanings, or mental or physical ability – you are welcome as you are. As children of God, we are all one in Christ Jesus and rely on the unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide. As an RIC congregation, how would we respond if this document was introduced for the United States to adopt? Our welcoming statement turns this around and says that we are called to welcome and recognize all people the way God created them. When we start deciding who is not welcome, I believe we put ourselves above others. Also, it is out of fear and not love. In our Gospel today, Jesus and his disciples were travelling through Galilee. They did a great deal of ministry in this region. Jesus was teaching only his disciples and telling them about his pending death and resurrection. The disciples did not understand what he was talking about it and were afraid to ask him. Instead, they were arguing about who was the greatest. Male bravado at work. Even though Jesus knew what they were talking about, he asked them any way. But they were embarrassed and did not want to tell him. Thus, Jesus did more teaching. He told them that in order to be great, one must be the last and servant of all. Quite a contrast from the male bravado that had gone on with the disciples. To emphasize his point even more he took a little child and put it among them. Jesus picked the child up and said, “whoever welcomes one such child in his name, welcomes me and not only me, but the one who sent me.” I am sure Jesus left the disciples dumbfounded again. Children held the lowest place in society. Thus, how could Jesus say this. They may have thought that God looked for the one who stood above the rest. One way to do this is to put someone down. God was supposed to be looking for the one who kept all of the commandments. God was supposed to be looking for the one who modeled greatness. Jesus said no. God welcomes the child, the least one in society. Children didn’t have any rights. They were still learning the commandments and needed to be disciplined. Why would God be looking for the least in society? I believe when we feel insecure, is when we have to raise ourselves up. This normally means putting someone down. Don’t we say this about bullies? It’s as if they have to prove something. They may think it is to others, but I wonder if it is more to themselves. In our country today, how much of politics is about putting someone down. You don’t want to vote for them as they are doing a terrible job. Look at me and I will prove that I can give you what you are looking for, no matter what political party. How many enjoy listening to political ads? Isn’t this what all of them do, put the other candidate down. How often do I want to say, please tell me what you might be able to do and how. It sometimes makes it difficult to figure out what the truth is. We may want to be asking questions such as, “Do their words match their behavior?” Even more in line with our Gospel lesson today, “Do their words and behavior lift up the ones who are considered the lowest in our society?” This is the challenging question for our church and ourselves today, Do our words and behavior lift up the least in our society today?. We would say of course through the Parish House and the Micro Food Pantry. Yes that is true. Our welcoming statement says that we welcome all as this is what Jesus is teaching us to do. There are some in our country including Christians who would like the refugees, the immigrants removed from our country. Thus, we have confusion and disagreements in our country about who to welcome. Some of the non-welcoming language that I hear brings me back to the Old Testament. Almost as if Jesus’ message of welcome is not recognized. In Jesus’ time there were two main groups of people, the Jews and Gentiles. Jesus and then Paul were saying that all were welcome. This was not easy for followers of Jesus to understand either. Jesus and Paul both knew that things would have to change. This is when arguments and disagreements happened. When followers of Jesus had to change in order to welcome, they were not happy and tried to keep things the way they were. The message has not changed. In fact, we have been trying to affirm people as they recognize who God made them to be. This may be affirming to some, but unfortunately it is making others feel uncomfortable. When we become uncomfortable is when we put the brakes on and put up walls. We want to go back to the way it was when we felt we understood more and were comfortable. This is what has been going on in our world, our country and our faith communities since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, it is now more polarized than ever before. It is scary as defenses become high and healthy discussions are more difficult. I believe that we need to listen closely to the messages that we hear and see from the leadership in our country and in our faith communities. Do we hear and see messages of welcome or unwelcome? Do we hear and see messages of building up or tearing down? God’s love is shown through welcoming and building up. Our challenge is to be aware of our uncomfortableness when we are challenged to welcome all. We will have to decide whether it comes from danger or maybe a lack of understanding. I believe Jesus would challenge us to understand others who God made different from us, which in reality is everyone. Jesus has really defined who is welcome, all people especially those who are looked at as the least in our society. This includes the refugees, the immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community. Welcoming does not mean better than but equal to. God does not call us to be gatekeepers, but actually gate openers out of love and not fear. For Jesus has told us this is where he will be. Let us pray, welcoming God, thank you for welcoming each one of us into your family. There are times that we become uncomfortable with other people. Give us your wisdom in discovering who they are as you created them. Help us to remember that you do not call us to be gatekeepers, but to be gate openers to those who are viewed as the least in our society. You have told us that this is where you will be. In Jesus’ name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33164317

Special Music - Whoever Would be Great Among You 09/22/2024

Special Music - Revive Us Again 09/15/2024

Sermon - 9-15-24 09/15/2024

Sermon - 9-15-24 Many of us have been through exit interviews. They are about how learning about how we were received. I wonder if we would ever consider asking the question, “Who do people say that I am? In other words how would people describe me. We would have to be ready for anything depending on what had occurred during our time of employment. There are a great number of unknowns when we ask the question. The experiences that people have had in their lives will have an influence on their answer. If we tend to be a person who asks a lot of questions, this can stimulate people’s thinking or make people feel uncomfortable. I am a person who asks a fair amount of questions. It is important for me to understand where people are coming from and to try and understand to the best of my ability what they mean. Depending upon where people are at in life, it may cause someone to be uncomfortable. Thus, we would need to be ready for any kind of answers. There is the key, to be ready. How many of us are even ready to ask the question, “Who do people say that I am”? Would we be ready to hear the answer? It is one way to check out a person’s perception of us as sometimes we do not know. As followers of Jesus, it is important to know as we are called to let Jesus lives and shines through us. Jesus had been with his disciples for a while. He had been teaching them and demonstrating what it meant to follow him. Thus, to check out what they had been learning about who he was and why he was there, he asked the question, “Who do people say that I am? Some said John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and still others one of the prophets. But then he asked them, but who do you say I am?, of course Peter had to answer the question. He often experienced nervous energy. Peter said, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus sternly told them not to tell anyone about him. Jesus knew Peter, let alone the other disciples, probably had no idea what this title, Messiah, really meant. He began to teach them about it. He said that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and religious scholars, be put to death and rise again three days later. Jesus said this in a very matter of fact way. This is not what Peter wanted hear. Peter took Jesus aside and basically said, no this is not how this works. This is not what Peter had in mind for who the Messiah was to be. Most likely no one else had this in mind either. Peter may have thought that since he had followed Jesus for a while that he could take Jesus aside and straighten him out on how he was to be the Messiah. Jesus turned right to Peter and said get out of my sight, you satan! You are judging by human standards and not by God’s! Peter touched quite a chord in Jesus and Jesus told him about it. Basically, that Peter was not getting it, and Peter did not really understand who Jesus was and what God’s plan was for Jesus. Now Jesus called the crowd together and said, If you really want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow in my footsteps. If you would save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you’ll save it. This was quite radical. Jesus was definitely not describing the Messiah that Peter, and the other disciples were looking for. The Messiah was supposed to be a conqueror, a winner of land and people. He was not supposed to be dying and taking up a cross. The cross was the most cruel death there was and would involve much suffering. This was not their idea of a Messiah nor maybe one that they wanted to follow. Someone who dies and suffers, may not seem like a leader to some. A conqueror and a winner of land, people and ultimately power and control did not seem to be what Jesus was describing. I am seeing this same Messiah being sought after by people in our country today. This is what people have been seeking for many years. It is what people were asking God for. Jesus tried to reinterpret what God’s kingdom was to look like. A kingdom that loved and was about what was best for the community according to God and not by human standards. So, getting back to Jesus question, to the disciples, which includes us, is “Who do you say that I am?, is even more difficult to answer. Jesus died for the sake of others, you and me, not himself. Of course, we cannot be the Messiah, there is only one, Jesus Christ. Yet, we are called to follow in his footsteps and allow Jesus to live and shine through us. How far are we willing to go to follow Jesus? Where do you think Jesus might be leading us today, right now? How many would say, right here in this building? What about after that? Jesus would be leading us right back into the world. We need to figure out where and what that looks like. It would be easy for us to think as Peter did and figure this out according to our standards. As human beings we often take the easiest way possible. Our way of thinking is of course based upon what is going on in our individual lives right now. But I believe Jesus was trying to tell Peter that to get to how we are to follow in Jesus footsteps means that we cannot be thinking in human terms. Some years ago, there was a program called “The church has left the building”. It meant that on a Sunday morning instead of meeting for worship in the building, the church, in reality, the people, went out into the world to serve by doing different projects. In a sense this is what “God’s Work, Our Hands” can be. This is an event that the ELCA suggests to do on Rally Day. What do you think God would say if one Sunday out of the year we would not meet here for worship? We would go out or maybe even some in the building, to do projects for the sake of others. I believe we are called to go out and connect with our neighbor. This is following in the footsteps of Jesus. We come here to be strengthened so that we can take up our cross for the sake of others and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Some of us might say that the Micro Food Pantry is how we serve our neighbor. That is true, but it does not directly connect us to our neighbor. The Caring Committee helps us find ways, as do the quilters, and the Parish House to meet the needs of our neighbors. Each one of these are ministries in which we meet our neighbor’s needs, but it does not always directly connect us to our neighbor. If the church has left the building, the church being the people, you and me, then we are called to be out with our neighbor. Even though we are not the Messiah, we are who people see or don’t see Jeus in. Following in the footsteps of Jesus is going out into the world and doing the work of Jesus. We carry our crosses for the sake of others. Jesus died for all of us and not himself. In our country today there are groups of Christians who view the kingdom differently then we do. They see the United States as only a Christian nation where all are not equal. Listen closely to messages coming from candidates. You will need to decide who has the message that will support God’s kingdom as we have come to know it. One of love and forgiveness and not fear. One that sees all people equal in God’s eyes. One that seems to want to use power and control to support the right for all people. This is what God’s kingdom is to look like. Is this the kind of Jesus, the Messiah that people see in us? I want stress here it is not something that we do on our own. This is good news as our salvation is not based on our performance. It is only by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives and shines through us. When Jesus asks the question today. “Who do you say that I am?” The answer will be found in how we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and going out into the world in the name of Jesus representing Faith Lutheran Church to our neighbors. This is where we will meet Jesus, the Messiah and people will see Jesus in us and the kingdom of God brought to earth. This is how the question will, Who do you say that I am will be answered. Questioning God, you challenge us today with the question, Who do we see that you are? Peter thought he understood who Jesus the Messiah was according to his way of thinking. You sent Jesus to try and model and teach what it means to follow you. May your Holy Spirit give us the wisdom to know how to live out your kingdom in the world today modeling for our neighbors who Jesus is. As a result of how we allow you to live and shine through our lives, the question will be answered, Who do we say that you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33059922

Sermon - 9-8-24 09/08/2024

Sermon - 9-8-24 In my husband’s psychology practice, many had the diagnosis of Mental Retardation, now known as Intellectual Disability. Most of them were high functioning to the point, that one asked my husband, I hear people saying that I am mentally retarded, “What does that mean?” My husband told him that is was a level of functioning, but in reality, he told him that all of have disabilities. I believe that this is true. In a sense our weaknesses are disabilities. This is when we really need to ask for help. We will never be able to do everything well, even though sometimes we think we can. The older we get the more we realize that we can’t do everything also. God did not create us to do everything well. It took a lot of strength for this Gentile woman in our Gospel lesson to come before a Jewish man who was known for speaking out and healing to ask for help. The woman knew her daughter needed help, and she couldn’t take care of her. She did believe that Jesus could heal her daughter. Our text does not state that her daughter was even present, but the woman bowed down before Jesus and begged him to heal her daughter and cast out the demon that was in her. I would like to define begging as asking from deep in her heart. A better word may be entreating. I’m not sure that she was expecting Jesus’ answer. Jesus basically told her that the Jewish people were first. She reminded him that children held no position of authority. C. Clifton Back says it this way, “Sir, even house-dogs under the table scarf down the kids’ bitty scraps. She reminded Jesus of his teaching that there were no distinctions between Jews and Gentiles in God’s eyes. Then Jesus granted her request. The woman went home and found her daughter lying on the bed and the demon was gone. The woman was persistent and as a mother she was willing to do almost anything for her daughter. Whether Jesus was testing the woman or needed to be reminded, we don’t know, but his focus changed in the next part of the Gospel lesson for today. Jesus continued to travel and heal. People brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment. Thus, we have a person with two recognized disabilities. This is a very common pairing. When we can’t hear, it is hard to produce sounds until one learns how. The people entreated Jesus to lay his hands on him and heal him. Jesus chose to take him aside, away from the crowd. Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears, and he spit on his tongue. Jesus looked up to heaven and said “Ephphatha”, that is “Be Opened”. Immediately his ears were open, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, which was common in the Gospel of Mark. Now, if anyone did this today, what would we really think? How would we react? Has anyone ever seen this done? Let alone, the person being healed. Don’t you think it would be kind of weird? Maybe that is why Jesus took the man away from the crowd. The crowd was probably looking for some show, to see if Jesus really was this man sent from God. I tend to visualize things, and this is quite different. How many of us want to run out and tell people about this story? We are told the whole story. The crowds may not have seen the actual act, but only the healed man. Even though Jesus told them not to tell anyone, they did any way. The more he told them to stop the more people they told. Jesus often told his disciples not to tell others also because he did not think they would fully understand until after his death and resurrection. The people were astounded beyond measure and were saying he did it and did it well. He gives hearing to the deaf and speech to the speechless. The crowds were excited about what Jesus had done. In both healing stories, Jesus was recognized as the healer. The women and the people entreated Jesus to heal. They recognized that they could not take care of these issues. Recognition is always step one. They realized that it was out of their control. There is that word control. We all desire control over things and others, but in reality we don’t have it. People with disabilities realize what they don’t have control over in their own lives and make adaptations. Their first step in moving forward is recognizing it and not letting it have control over them. When we apply this to us and if we believe that each one of us has at least one disability, then our first step is to recognize it. God did not make us capable of doing everything or why would we need each other let alone God. There is a great deal that we can learn from people with recognizable disabilities, such as blindness, deafness or an issue with mobility. In order for them to function in life, it first takes recognition that their disability does not have control their life. It also takes persistence such as the woman in our gospel lesson today. As followers of Jesus, when we are struggling with something, do we entreat Jesus to help us? Do we believe that Jesus can help us? But here is the thing, if we entreat and believe, are we willing to receive his answer. How easy is it for us to entreat Jesus to open our hearts and minds to his will? Whenever we do this, there will be changes. The woman and the people expected changes. The daughter’s and the man’s life were definitely changed. The woman and the crowds’ lives were also changed. Mark tells us the crowds couldn’t contain their excitement and they kept sharing with others Jesus’ work. Jesus in Mark challenges us to be persistent in asking Jesus to help us in our weaknesses, in the things that plague our minds. Are we willing to have our hearts and minds opened to see and hear new things? Jesus always stands ready to do this. There is a great deal of miscommunication in our world today. It is difficult to see and hear what God in Jesus Christ wants us to. Every one of us sitting in this room has weaknesses or disabilities. Do we know what they are? Are we willing to come and entreat Jesus to help us as the woman and the people did who brought the man for healing. In these cases, they were physically healed. Healing does not always come in this form. Sometimes healing comes in the form of being able to rest in Jesus and let go of the old in order to see and hear the new that God in Jesus Christ has in store for us as individuals and as a community of faith. Thus, our challenge is to first recognize what we need Jesus’ help with and then entreat Jesus to show us what changes that he is asking us to make. I would define this as a healing. Let us pray: Healing Jesus, we get so easily caught up in trying to have control of things and other people. We are taught by our culture that we can do everything by ourselves. We know this is not true. We entreat you to open our hearts and minds to be able to see where we need you. May your Spirit humble us to rest in you and receive your help and be healed. In Jesus name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/32961312

Special Music - This Little Light of Mine 09/08/2024

Special Music - Down to the River 08/26/2024

Sermon - 8/25/24 08/25/2024

Sermon - 8/25/24 For Not with Swords Loud Clashing Lead on, O King eternal! The day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents will be our home. Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song. Lead on, O King eternal, till sin’s fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sweet amen of peace for not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums, but deeds of love and mercy, the heavenly kingdom comes. Lead on, O king eternal; we follow not with fears, for gladness breaks like morning wher-e’er your face appears. Your cross is lifted o’er us; we journey in its light; the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might! Evangelical Lutheran Worship 805 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or just befuddled by it all, you know there is great tension in our country right now. Many are anxious and worried about the future. On a much smaller scale, many of us at Faith may have at least moments of anxiety and worry about the future of our congregation. It’s easy to go dark, especially in times of transition in pastoral leadership. Rumors can flee and misunderstandings can abound. We may even wonder if we have a future together. I love the inspired and inspiring words in the readings of scripture for today, words in Psalm 34 like these: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those whose spirits are crushed. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them from every one. I think about what it means to be righteous: through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are made righteous. Day after day we are forgiven. Day after day we are set free from the bondage to sin, to self-centeredness. We are set to do what is [righteous] right for our sisters and brothers. It is pretty much guaranteed that all of us will have many troubles, many afflictions. A near certainty that our hearts will be broken. But the Lord of steadfast love will never abandon us, will always set us free for deeds of kindness and of love and mercy. Or I think of these words in Joshua: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed.” And for me right now these words from the letter to the Christians in Ephesus: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. It is so important to remember that our struggle is not against a particular political leader or party, or much closer to home, not against a member of our extended family with whom we may strongly disagree, or against our pastor or any member of the congregation about whom we are troubled. It is not against our own flesh and blood, any members of the human family. Again, I think this is so important. We ought not demonize our sisters and brothers but rather recognize that we are struggling against the wiles of the devil. We are struggling against the “cosmic powers of this present darkness,” or as someone has translated, “the organized forces of malevolent spirit beings.” We are struggling against the deceitful schemes of the devil who is always looking for ways to lure us into believing in a false righteousness. The devil, which scripture also calls “the father of lies”, is always seeking to worm his way into the ears and hearts and minds of every one of us…every one of us, from the lowliest to those with great power and influence. Therefore, we read, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. I would paraphrase those words like this: Clothed in the powerful, protective presence of God the Father, listen carefully to your gut and to your heart. Protected by your always honest brother, Jesus, listen to your gut feelings about what is true or false. Listen to your heart, ever made new by the gentle Holy Spirit, to sense what is morally right or wrong, loving or hateful. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Be ready to go to be with someone who is lonely or afraid. When I was serving as a bishop, I was blessed to know and deeply respect a retired, widowed, genuinely caring pastor living in South Haven who would frequently, I think weekly, bake a batch of pies and walk them, still warm, to his elderly neighbors. Even without words he with his hands and his feet joyfully proclaimed the gospel of peace to his cherished peers living out the last chapters of their earthly lives. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. As I too age, I am more deeply aware of how necessary it is for me to pray every single day for the gift of faith. It was always true that I needed to do that. It’s just that now I recognize more clearly how vulnerable I am to the flaming arrows of despondency, of fear and anxiety, of ill-considered words, and of too quick, dismissive judgments of others. The shield of faith, this precious daily gift of faith, this trust in God’s ever-present steadfast love for me and for my neighbors really does quench the evil one’s arrows that would wound me, yes, wound all of us, with the bondage to despair, with an obsessive fear of others, with a chronic inability to accept and love and engage others as they are, as equally beloved children of God. And then these words: Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I think of a motorcycle accident just yards down the street from us just a few weeks ago. Though the young man on the bike was seriously injured, most obviously with a broken leg and foot, he was still conscious. We all thought that if he had not been wearing a helmet, he’d likely have died or at least his brain would be irreparably damaged. With half-truths and outright lies, the wily one can cause us to think wrongly about our world, our country, our neighbors, our congregation, our very selves. In our brains, perhaps especially in the frontal lobe, we may think, we may reason, we may conclude that the world is surely going to hell. Or we may conclude that only some, some who have the correct beliefs, or some who are most cunning, or some who are the wealthiest, or some who have the most power will be spared, they will be saved. But with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit we think differently. Jesus suffered and died and rose again for the whole world, to save all of creation. In our minds, protected by the helmet of salvation, we know all is not lost. With the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, we know, in the words of the psalmist, that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” We know that “The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” We know in the words of the Old Testament prophet Joel that “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We know in the words of St. Paul that “God is faithful, and will not let you be tested [tempted] beyond your strength, but with the testing he will provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.” So, let us put on the whole armor of God, so that together we may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil, not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums but with Spirit-inspired, prayer-filled deeds of love and mercy! /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/32730497

Sermon - 8-18-24 08/18/2024

Sermon - 8-18-24 Last week I shared goals that were developed from the input that was received at our gatherings this past year. I need to let you know that they are still in progress and are being reviewed by the call committee. They will then go back to the council for final approval. You will then be able to see them in the Ministry Site Profile. The Ministry Site Profile was formulated and written by the Transition Team, is now being fine-tuned by the Call Committee and will then be brought back to the council for approval and then shared with you. Mike Nussdorfer is the head of our Call Committee. We will be installing them in September. Next week there will be news in the E-news from the Call Committee. I know the talk about process gets old, but in reality this is what life is. The transition that we are in is a process and takes many turns, many that we do not expect. We would like to know how it is all going to go, but unfortunately that is not how God works. Everything is in God’s time. During times of transition, anxiety and sometimes frustration, is the best time to work on our relationship with Jesus. This is what our lessons are talking about today. It is when we are not focusing on trying to figure everything out that the way often becomes clearer. The Jewish leaders in our Gospel lesson are trying to make sense out of what Jesus is talking about. It doesn’t make sense that Jesus is saying that they are to eat him. Then Jesus goes on to say that unless they eat of his flesh and drink his blood that they will not have life within them. Those who do eat his flesh and drink his blood will have eternal life .If we think about this literally, our stomachs will probably be turning. In a sense Jesus tries to clarify to a point what he is talking about in saying that it is about abiding in him and he in us. Jesus is talking about our relationship with him. The Greek word for abide is meno which can mean reside in. Think for a moment about how Jesus resides in you. Do we recognize Jesus in us? We can be taken back by that to even consider us seeing Jesus in ourself. The closer that we grow to Jesus, the more others will see Jesus in us. It doesn’t mean that we are perfect. If anything, it means that we realize that we are not perfect, yet try to love all the people the best that we can. In our own lives, those whom we have close relationships have an influence on how we live our lives. When we have someone that we trust, we allow them to point out things that may not be working or things that they see that they point out as something positive and healthy. This is our model for being in relationship with Jesus There are all levels of relationship based on trust. We are all wired differently and that means even levels of intimacy are influenced by that with others and Jesus. When we are in loving intimate relationships with another human being, it is not always something that we understand. It just is and the more we try and understand it, the less sense it makes. We learn to trust and go with it or not. It takes being vulnerable and trusting that another person doesn’t take advantage of us. It is no different with Jesus when it comes to trusting and being vulnerable. I don’t believe that anyone of us has seen Jesus, yet we learn about Jesus and are asked to trust him. I want us to be reminded that Jesus desires us. We often think of this in a sexual manner, but this is much deeper, it is intimacy. It is Jesus residing in us. Jesus desires us to be vulnerable with him. We know that is not easy to do with another human being, let along Jesus. Even though we may admit that Jesus knows everything about us, the question is, are we willing to recognize who we are. Are we willing to stand totally open or as open as we can be before Jesus? Jesus was saying to the Jews and says to us, I want to be a part of every area of your life. I am going to reside in you. I want you to be at home with me. When Jesus says that he wants us to eat him, it really means that he wants us to continue to learn about him and be in relationship with him. This means recognizing his presence in us and others. In the beginning of the Gospel of John we hear that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” From the beginning of this Gospel, we hear that Jesus was God and that God in Jesus wants to be in relationship with us. God in Jesus Christ comes to us through Word and Sacrament. The word for eat in this passage can also mean gnaw or chew on. For me this means to really taste it, to get the fullest possible experience of it. This is what Jesus desires us to do with him through Word and Sacrament. Jesus wants us to get the fullest possible experience with him that we are able to. The Word is not only the Bible, but God in Jesus Christ can come to us through people and experiences. They can come to us through reading other things, watching things, but always listening for God in Jesus Christ. God in Jesus Christ comes to us through our two sacraments. Baptism and Communion. In Baptism, Jesus comes to us and if we are infants at the time, parents, sponsors and the beloved community promise to help us gnaw on and be in relationship with Jesus. At confirmation, we promise to continue being in relationship with Jesus and gnawing on him. This is what abiding is all about, eating and drinking Jesus. This is where we learn to trust Jesus and recognize his presence in our lives. Sometimes this means just letting go of as many fears and what ifs that we can and stepping out and being vulnerable before Jesus. Remember Jesus walks with us and loves us unconditionally. No matter how many fears and what ifs that we have Jesus is right there with us. I challenge each of us this week to look at how we relate to Jesus. How do we foster our relationship with Jesus? How do we gnaw or chew on Jesus? How do we recognize Jesus’ presence in our lives? It does not only mean reading the Bible or coming to worship and hearing the Word and receiving the sacrament. It’s more than all of that but includes Word and Sacrament. Through times of transition and change is exactly the time that we are called to spend more time seeking Jesus and putting away our wants and desires and asking Jesus what he wants and desires. When we are vulnerable before Jesus, Jesus will show us the way forward. It will not happen on our time, but his time. Jesus the bread of life resides in us and wants and desires us to recognize him in our lives. When we place our focus on what Jesus wants and desires we will be able to experience the abundant life that Jesus has for us now and in the future. Dear Jesus, Our fears and what ifs often draw us to our wants and desires. Today, we put ourselves before you vulnerably, asking you what your desires are for our lives and life of our church. We put our days in your hands. We desire to grow closer to you and recognize your presence in our lives. Thank you for walking with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/32626562

Special Music - The Lord's Prayer 08/18/2024

Sermon - 8-11-24 08/11/2024

Sermon - 8-11-24 The crowds are following Jesus, but Jesus is throwing them for a loop again. Jesus is saying he is the bread of life that has come down from heaven. This can’t be as he is the son of Joseph, and they know his father and mother. Now he is claiming to be God? The Judeans say that they know the truth. They seem to be so closed minded. This idea that this Jesus who they knew as a child and knew his family could not be God. This was contrary to scripture. It was blowing their mind. They had been following him to eat physical and spiritual food, but this was too much. Jesus doesn’t argue with them, he tells them that God drew them to him. I would think that really confounded them. When their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness they died. God had sent the manna day by day to meet their needs, and still they complained. Now Jesus is saying that he himself is the bread from heaven and connecting with him will give them eternal life. Jesus says that he will give his life for the world and his flesh is the work he did on the cross. For John feasting on the bread of life is about being in relationship with Jesus. This looks different for everyone. The closer that we get in any relationship means that there will be changes, it means that we will be called to pivot in grace. The only thing that stays the same with Jesus is Jesus’ love for us. Without the willingness to pivot in grace, relationships do not grow and may end. Jesus will not give up on us, but there are times that we may give up on Jesus. To be church today means pivoting in grace. Churches that are not willing to pivot in grace will likely die. I would like us to think about what pivoting in grace means. It means not doing things the way that they have been done before. That can be a hard pill to swallow, but it is the truth. The church as we knew it even a few years ago is not the same because our world is not the same. When we hear ourselves saying, we’ve always done it that way, it is time to examine that way. If the world has changed and people have changed, the approach to many things needs to change. Hiring a new staff person may not grow a program. It takes looking at different approaches and being willing to pivot in grace and look at different options. What things looked like in the past will never look that way again. That is a hard truth. It is much easier to try and recreate what we used to have, but since the world has changed, that does not work. People are at different places, thus the approach must be different. Jesus was pivoting in grace all of the time. His message stayed the same, but people were always presenting him with different ideas, challenging him with their fears and anxieties. As I have said, Jesus did not argue with the crowd, the Judeans. He was challenging them to change their way of thinking, their way of viewing and identifying him. In our individual lives, there are many times that we are called to pivot in grace. Some of them are not easy and some we would rather not have to, but in order to move forward they are necessary. Yesterday, I heard dripping in the basement. Of course I was getting ready to go to our ecumenical pride service. I didn’t fully know what was wrong, but I called Bob and asked him, who do I call. The plumbers were able to get to my place later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, after trying to unplug the pipes, it did not work They are coming back Monday to put in a cleanout in to run the unclogger out to the street and back in the house from outside. No useable plumbing, thus I cannot stay at my house until they fix it. Thus, I had to find a place to stay. I just happened to have enough Wyndam points to stay 2 nights at the Ramada Inn with a free breakfast. I was still able to go to the Pride event. I’m not able to go to Saugatuck as planned after church, but that is okay. It is not always easy, but I believe God works things out for us. Thankfully, we believe as Christians, we are not left alone to do these pivots in grace. We are promised that God will never leave us nor forsake us. God does amazing things, and we are called to trust and believe. This is where feasting on the bread of life, Jesus, comes in. Often, the difficulty in pivoting in grace comes from our unwillingness to do it. It can be scary, and it often brings out fears and anxieties. Jesus, the bread of life, comes to us and says, open yourself up to me and I will give you what you need when you need it. For me this is what it means to not be hungry and thirsty. To look at what and who I have and realize that they are all gifts from God and be thankful This is what helps me to make pivot in grace. If I try and make pivots by myself or not at all, it will be more of a struggle. This is where I am challenged to trust God in Jesus Christ, to have faith that God knows what God is doing. This is not easy as it means letting go of old ways of thinking and of doing things. Those things that brought security, we are often challenged to let go of in order for a pivot in grace to happen. This is what John says, faith is believing and trusting in Jesus and what is required to be in relationship with Jesus. This is what the Judeans struggled with and so do we. As we move forward here at Faith, be prepared to pivot in grace, to look at things in a broader spectrum. I do not believe that Jesus says keep doing things the way that you have been. We are called to look at what we have learned about who we are and who are neighbors are. How can we connect with them directly is the challenge? This does not mean that we wait until the next pastor comes. Jesus the bread of life calls us to do this work now. We have developed 3 goals: Increase participation in Youth and Education programs. Restructure system (time, money and resources) to support the goals for ministry. Continue to develop strategies to connect with our community to better understand and celebrate our diversity and inclusion in the community. These goals have come from our times together this past year. We are strengthened through the bread of life to carry out these goals. Throughout the fall the council will be figuring out how to carry out these goals. I believe Faith Lutheran Church has what is needed, from what God has already blessed us with. The question becomes are we ready to do new and exciting things? We will be called to pivot in grace, to find new ways of doing things. This is when we are called to trust and believe in God in Jesus Christ. Jesus the bread of life first of all strengthens us to do the work we are called to do, but then we become bearers of the bread of life as we carry out this ministry. This is when we also carry out Paul’s challenge: 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Come feast on Jesus the bread of life, be strengthened to pivot in grace and carry out the goals set before us. May we be imitators of God’s love and share the bread of life with others. Let us pray: Gracious God, you give us all that we need and more to do the ministry that you have called us to do. May your Holy Spirit help us further define how to carry out the goals that you set before us. AS we feed on Jesus the bread of life, give us the strength and wisdom to pivot in grace as share your love, share Jesus, the bread of life. Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/32531997

Your Faith Journey

TOPICS