The Cross

          

            The cross stands at the very center of our faith and its meaning has been explored down through the centuries.  The truth is that our explanations, while interesting and helpful, always seem to fall short.  C. S. Lewis put it well when he wrote in Do Souls Go To Heaven:

            “We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed out our sins, and that           by dying He disabled death itself.  That is the formula.  That is Christianity.  That is what      has to be believed.  And theories we build up as to how Christ’s death did all this are, in           my view, quite secondary: mere plans or diagrams to be left alone if they do not help us,       and, even if they do help us, not to be confused with the thing itself.  All the same, some       of these theories are worth looking at.”

            For myself, the cross overwhelms me.  The image is so powerful that I do not preach on Good Friday, but simply retell the story.  What can I add?  The cross is the ultimate statement of our denial of God.  We literally “cross” God out.  We say “No” in the most brutal and direct means possible.  We nail God’s son to a cross, raise him from the ground, and let him die amidst ridicule and threats.  We say “No”, but God in the most extraordinary and gracious way says “Yes” to us.  Jesus offers words of forgiveness from the cross itself.  “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”  Easter and the Resurrection are God’s confirmation of that grace poured out upon us.  The cross is the sign of God’s suffering love that will not let us go even though holding on to us costs Jesus his life.

            In the living of my life, the image stands before me.  No matter what I do that rejects and or turns away from God, the cross is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness and love of me.  God will not turn away from me no matter how I say “No”, no matter what the cost.  I am overwhelmed and humbled by such love.  My life has been shaped and changed by that love and continues to be impacted.  I have been marked with the cross of Christ forever.

        

Joseph's Song

Joseph’s Song by Pastor Summer

1.  What can I tell you son

Your life’s begun

A miracle come true

How can I keep you safe

In this world of hate?

Everything’s brand new

The angels greet your coming

But the king sounds the alarm

What can I tell you son

You’re the promised one

But tonight you’re safely in my arms

2.  What can I tell you son

Of what’s to come

The angel didn’t say

I’m to be your guide

Stand by your side

A father I every way

While the angels sing your praises

The king will seek you harm

What can I tell you son

You’re the promised one

But tonight you’re safely in my arms 

3.  What can I tell you son

This world’s undone

By sin and misery

How can we be saved?

God will show the way

And somehow you’re the key

We wait for the coming kingdom

But the world has deadly charm

What can I tell you son

You’re the promised one

But tonight you’re safely in my arms

4.  What can I tell you son

My heart’s been won

As I look into your eyes

What the future holds

We’ve not been told

So we trust the one on high

To keep us in His graces

And to hold us in His arms

What can I tell you son

You’re the promised one

But tonight you’re safely in my arm

Easter Song

1.  Peter came in anguish on that Easter morning

Remembering that bitter night and the way he had run.

He could hear the accusations, hear himself denying,

He could hear the rooster crowing with the coming of the sun.

But on that Easter morning, a new day had begun

His anguish would be taken with the rising of God’s Son.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

2.      Mary came in sorrow on that Easter morning

Remembering that brutal hill and the way he had cried.

She couldn’t hide the tears, or the empty feeling

Or the haunting question of why he had to die.

But on that Easter morning, a new day had begun

Her sorrow would be taken with the rising of God’s Son.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

3.      Andrew came in anger on that Easter morning

Remembering the cruel way they had him crucified.

He couldn’t see their reasons or understand their fears

And he vowed that he’d never forgive their lies.

But on that Easter morning, a new day had begun

His anger would be taken with the rising of God’s Son.

 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

4.      Thomas came with questions on that Easter morning

Remembering the dreams they shared as they walked through Galilee.

Was he the Messiah, the one for whom they waited,

The one who would truly set them free?

But on that Easter morning, a new day had begun

His questions would be taken with the rising of God’s Son.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Repent! - Good News?

Repent!  When we here the word, we usually envision the person on the street corner with a placard or the fire and brimstone preacher pounding on the pulpit.  For us, there’s an ominous quality to the word.  We rarely think of it as good news.   And yet, “Repent” is how Jesus began his ministry and the scripture tells us that it was good news.  How can that be?  Repentance begins with the painful truth that something is fundamentally broken and off in our world and in our lives and needs to change.  Change is at the heart of repentance.  As difficult as it is to hear that word, it’s true.  The shooting in Parkland is just the most recent reminder that the world is broken and change is needed.  As we look at our own lives, we can own that brokenness.  There’s a cause to our sleepless nights and anxious days that needs to be addressed.  With the call to repentance, Jesus is simply speaking the truth.  The good news is that he came not only acknowledge the need for change but to make that change possible.  Grace, the love of God, is the door to new life and new beginnings.  With grace, change happens.  We sees that in the lives of the people Jesus impacted.  Peter was changed.  Mary Magdalene was changed.  Paul was changed.  That power of change was poured out through Christ into whole world.  That’s why Jesus’ call to repent is good news.  The change we need in our lives, the change we need in the world, is made possible through Christ.

We've got work to do

"We've got work to do."  Those were the final words Officer Steve Perez said to his family as he headed out into the storm, Hurricane Harvey in Houston.  His family didn't want him to go, but Officer Perez had been serving the city of Houston for over 30 years, and there were people in need.  He went out into the storm and tragically lost his life, but he wouldn't have had it any other way.  As I've prayed for Officer Perez's family, I've thought about his words and actions.  In a very real way, they reflect what Jesus said about discipleship.  You go out into the storm because there are people in need.  Jesus' words, "Deny yourself."  You go out into the storm even though it is dangerous.  Jesus words, "Take up your cross."  You go out into the storm because we have work to do.  Jesus' words, "Follow me."  Jesus always made it clear that discipleship was costly.  That cost can get lost in a world that wants things to be easy and risk free.  Even in the church, the cost can be lost because we don't want to lose the idea of grace.  Grace says we don't have to earn God's love.  There is nothing we have to do.  Grace is a gift.  All of this is true, but grace does not need to come at the expense of discipleship.  We need to hear the distinction.  We are disciples not in order to be loved, but because we are loved.  Jesus says to us "I love you, I have forgiven you, and you are mine, now and always.  That's a given.  Now take a look.  There's a storm out there, people are in need, and we've got work to do."  May we hear the call.  May we be disciples of Jesus.  We've got work to do.

Pentecost

Acts 2:11 – “In our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

          Pentecost is the day Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire on those first disciples and sent them out into the streets of Jerusalem.  They told the good news of the Gospel to people from all corners of the known world.  As I look at that story, the miracle of Pentecost is not so much that those first disciples were able to speak in so many different languages to the people gathered in the city.  The miracle is that everyone who listened to those disciples running out into the streets of Jerusalem heard the disciples’ message as good news.  The Gospel of God’s love is universal.  The message speaks to everyone and speaks with power.  And we, as Jesus’ disciples today ,have the opportunity, like those disciples of old, to share that good news.  The question is what stops us?

          We know how to share good news.  We do it all time.  A new child is born into our family, and we will tell everyone we meet.  We‘re compelled to do so.  When I became a Grandpa, I let the world know.  Nothing was going to stop me.  Strangers in the grocery store heard about Anna and Evelyn. 

          However, with the good news of the Gospel, we tend to hold back.  Why?  For some of us, our experience of the Gospel is a private matter.  For some of us, we are still waiting for that transformative experience of the Gospel.  We listen to the stories of others, but do not feel we have our own.  For some of us, we don’t want to be branded a religious fanatic.

          Whatever the reason, we need to listen again to the story of Pentecost.  Everyone who heard the Gospel that day heard it as good news.  People are longing for good news in their lives and we have good news to share.  People need to hear that a God of grace watches over them and walks beside them.  People need to hear that they are forgiven and can be set free.  People need to hear that God is real and at work in the world.  We are the ones who can give voice to God’s promise. 

          My prayer, in this season of Pentecost, is that we open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit that can fill us with grace, send us out into the world, and have us tell the story.  The world needs to hear the Gospel.  And we, who have known the Gospel in our lives, are the ones to be a witness.  May we go and tell.

                                                          Peace,

                                                          Pastor Summer

I Was A Stranger

Matthew 25:35 - And Jesus said,  "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

These words of Jesus haunt me, particularly in light of what is happening in the world.  Immigration is a hot topic.  Because of the violence in the Middle East, there are more refugees than at any other time since World War II.  The images are heart breaking.  The numbers are unbelievable.  What is to be our response?  Social media is filled with comments on both sides of the issue.  I have intentionally not joined the fray.  People seem to be shouting at each other rather than listening.  There seems to be a great deal of finger pointing without resolution.  People seem to be hardening their positions and becoming increasingly sure they are right.  All of this brings me back to the words of Jesus.  They will not leave me alone.  They challenge me to see in the stranger, the hungry, and the thirsty, the face of Jesus.  His words do not let me turn away.  They challenge me to find a way to open the door and welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry, and to provide drink for the thirsty.  I know it will not be easy.  I know it will not be risk free.  At times, I am overwhelmed with the challenge, but Jesus' words will not let me go and so I pray.  I pray for guidance, and courage, and grace.  I pray to find a way, in my own life, to open the door.

Christ the King

The King

The King came unexpected on a dark and holy night

With shepherds in the fields, and all were filled with fright

When the angels came in glory, proclaimed the newborn King

Peace to all the world, the angels they would sing

The world speaks of hatred

But the King tells us to love

In the world it’s signs of warfare

With the King, signs of the dove

In the world children suffer

In the kingdom children sing

So in this broken world

I’m listening to the King

The King he had no army yet people followed him

Healing bodies broken, forgiving people’s sin

He had no time for the rulers, with the poor he’d take his stand

To gather in the hurt and lost became his gracious plan

The King would be rejected by those who feared the truth

How could he be God’s son, they demanded proof

They brought him before Pilate, to sentence him to death

They thought his rule was over with his final breath

The King would wear a crown, though it was made of thorns

And on the cross he died amidst the cries of scorn

But the King would rise on Easter and he will come again

For his kingdom is eternal and his grace will never end

You know what to do

This past Sunday, we had the story of the dishonest steward.  It is confusing at best.  However, if I step back and look at it as whole something comes into focus.  If I begin with the premise that Jesus is talking about me when he is talking about the dishonest steward, what is he saying.  He's saying we know what to do to make things happen in this world. We know our gifts.  We swing into action. However, it seems different in our life of faith.  We sit in church and worry about our declining numbers.  What if it was our business instead of the church.  Would we sit still and fret?  No, we would take action.  If someone in our family was in need, would we form a committee to form a plan to do something.  No, we would act.  We would find the time.  We would find the resources.  We would make the sacrifices.  In looking at this parable, maybe Jesus is saying, people of God you know what to do, do it.

Dallas

Once again, violence has struck.  There is sniper fire in Dallas and 5 police officers are killed.  They were watching over what had been a peaceful demonstration of people gathered to speak out against violence.  I am at once shocked, heartbroken, and appalled.  I am reminded of what I wrote after the Paris attack.  I wrote that two impulses come to me.  One is the desire to make sense of what has happened and the other is to take some action.  The first impulse is an illusive goal.  There is no way you can make sense of a senseless act.  In the coming days, my feeling is that all the explanations will fall short.  As a person of faith, I believe the scriptures offer the best guidance.  The scriptures simply acknowledge that we live in a dark, broken, and sinful world where, tragically, terrible things can happen to good people.  My faith also allows me to face that truth and not be undone which brings me to my second impulse.

My second impulse is to take some meaningful action is response to what has happened.  Again, as a person of faith, I will pray, but I know that my prayers can feel as though they are just so many words spoken in the darkness.  What do my prayers do?  Certainly, they do not inform God of what is happening.  God is already grieving the loss and sorrow that has taken place and is standing by the families and friends of those officers and all who have lost loved ones to violence.  My prayer is not to alert God.  My prayer gives voice to my own sorrow, hurt, and outrage.  But more than a cry to the Holy One who listens and understands, my prayer is a declaration that the darkness will not win for I am a child of the light.  My prayer is an invitation to God to work through me in this broken world that the light might shine.  My prayer is an affirmation of my faith that "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."  On this day of sorrow, may the light shine!

Pentecost

On May 15, we once again celebrated Pentecost.  Once again, we heard the story.  Once again, we confirmed our young people.  Once again, we adorned the sanctuary in red.  Pentecost is a day of celebration.  It is seen as the birthday of the church when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the people of God gathered in that upper room.  The Holy Spirit came in wind and fire, and sent those gathered out into the streets of Jerusalem to proclaim the Gospel.  Everyone who heard those early disciples understood and responded to that good news of God's love, which, in many ways, is more of a miracle than speaking in other languages.  Pentecost declares that the Gospel is for everyone.

Yes, on May 15, we celebrated Pentecost, but it was more than a day when we looked back at the working of the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost is also present tense.  The Holy Spirit is still poured out on the people of God.  It was poured out on those young people who were confirmed, but it is also poured out on the people of Zion.  It is poured out on God’s people wherever they are gathered.  And like Pentecost of old, the Holy Spirit sends us out into the streets of the city to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed.  It is a Gospel that still needs to be heard.  It is a Gospel that still has the power to change the world.  It is Gospel that is still for everyone.  Let us keep Pentecost alive in our hearts and in our lives.

                                                                   Peace,

                                                                   Pastor Summer

Making Christ Known

As Christians, we celebrate the good news of Easter.  We sometimes proclaim the resurrection as though Jesus being raised from the dead is a simple observational fact, when it's not.  The early disciples were confronted with an empty tomb.  Only faith would lead them to see something more.  And faith would only happen with an encounter with the risen Lord. It wasn't only Thomas who had doubts.  It was true for Mary.  It was true for Peter.  Each had to encounter Jesus.  Thomas had to put his fingers in the marks of the nails for him to believe.  He is not alone.  His story is our story.  The question becomes how do we encounter the risen Lord?  How do we place our fingers in the marks of the nails?  This is where the gospel becomes even more amazing.  The risen Lord is made known through us, the people of God.  As we bear the marks of the nails, as we are disciples, we make Christ known.  God uses our witness to make faith happen in the lives of others.  I am grateful for every opportunity we have to serve others in the world,  Each opportunity is an occasion for grace.  Each opportunity is an occasion for faith to happen.

Lenten Invitation

“Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,

 slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

Joel 2:13

Do you recognize these words from the prophet Joel?  We hear them every year at our Ash Wednesday service as we begin our Lenten journey.  We also sing them every Sunday throughout Lent, prior to hearing the reading of the Gospel.  Return to the Lord your God.  The emphasis of Lent is to turn, or re-turn, to God.  Day in and day out, the world has our attention.  Lent calls us to turn our attention to God.  The demands of our lives are constantly turning our focus outward.  Lent invites us to turn our focus inward, that we might focus on Jesus and our relationship with him.

Throughout the forty days of Lent, we invite you to pause for reflection.  Use the gifts of the church to help you re-turn to God.  There are opportunities for prayer, worship, and bible study.  This Lent, return to the Lord your God, and discover the One who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Peace, 

Pastor Summer

Pray for Paris

I'm still reeling from the events of yesterday.  Darkness has struck again.  Bombs exploding.  Guns firing.  127 people left dead in the city of Paris.  I am at once shocked, heartbroken, and appalled.  As I write this morning, I am seized by two impulses.  One is the desire to make sense of what has happened and the other is to take some action.  The first impulse is an illusive goal.  There is no way you can make sense of a senseless act.  In the coming days, my feeling is that all the explanations will fall short.  As a person of faith, I believe the scriptures offer the best guidance.  The scriptures simply acknowledge that we live in a dark, broken, and sinful world where, tragically, terrible things can happen to innocent people.  My faith also allows me to face that truth and not be undone which brings me to my second impulse.

My second impulse is to take some meaningful action is response to what has happened.  Again, as a person of faith, I will pray, but I know that my prayers can feel as though they are just so many words spoken in the darkness.  What do my prayers do?  Certainly, they do not inform God of what is happening.  God is already grieving the loss and sorrow that has taken place and is standing by the families and friends who have lost loved ones.  My prayer is not to alert God.  My prayer gives voice to my own sorrow, hurt, and outrage.  But more than a cry to the Holy One who listens and understands, my prayer is a declaration that the darkness will not win for I am a child of the light.  My prayer is an invitation to God to work through me in this broken world that the light might shine.  My prayer is an affirmation of my faith that "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."  On this day of sorrow, may the light shine!

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Sabbath Time

In our crazy lives, time is one of our most precious commodities.  We complain that we do not have enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done.  We find that the demands of our schedule dictate our lives.  We spend our time juggling all of our commitments.  Time is the one thing everyone wants and time is the one thing we feel we can't afford to give. We find ourselves saying we would do many things if only we had the time.

As with everything else in our lives, God understands our dilemma.  The struggle with time is universal and has been with us from the beginning.  One of God's most gracious gift is the gift of Sabbath, a holy time set apart from the craziness of life.  A time for God.  A time for family.  A time to be still.  Back in the day, Sunday used to be that time.  Sunday is not sacred as it once was, but Sabbath should be.  God invites us to create Sabbath in our lives.  It doesn't have to be Sunday, but it needs to be for our emotional, mental, and physical health.  Sabbath is also needed for our spiritual health.  Mother Theresa was once asked how often she prayed.  She said she prayed for an hour every morning.  She was then asked how often she prayed when she was busy.  She answered that when live got crazy, she prayed two hours.  Her surprising answer comes with some much needed truth.  God calls us to set aside a time for Sabbath.  Sabbath was created for us.  May we restore that holy time to our lives.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Youth Gathering - Review

There's nothing like having your ipad die while you are away.  My hope was to continue blogging during the gathering, but technology ended that dream.  I'm back in pocket and still living in the afterglow of Detroit.  The Youth Gatherings tend to be mountain top experiences, and this one was no exception.  Detroit is an amazing city.  Unlike our experience in New Orleans, the challenge has not been a natural disaster, but an economic one.  The city felt almost deserted.  The architectural beauty was still there, but faded.  There were fewer people than you might imagine in a major metropolitan area.  As with all gathering, the evening community events were filled with wonderful speakers, great music, and lots of energy.  I would recommend going the ELCA Youth Gathering website and catching some of the videos.

The greatest take away for me was the encounter with the people of Detroit.  We had the opportunity to go out into the community to do some much needed work.  In particular, we were sent to spruce up 100 blocks north of the city.  Many of the homes are abandoned and look that way.  With shovels, saws, clippers, and plastic bags, we cleared and cleaned yard after yard.  We removed trash, weeds, overgrown vines, and unsafe porches and structures.  The people in the neighborhoods were amazed.  An older woman on a porch  told me she never saw so many white people and, since we were wearing orange, were we carrying out some sentence.  When I told her we were not convicts but Lutherans and that we were doing it for free as a witness to Christ, she was overwhlemed and clearly grateful.  No one had done anything like this for them.  One woman stopped her car in the middle of the road, got out while the car was running, and blessed all of us.  She then had everyone gather around the car while she prayed.  A little boy, with his mother's permission, shared his Pringles with us.  These are just a few of the stories.  There are many more.  While we were in Detroit, we had the possibility of bringing hope to a community that has known very little.  We got the chance to live out and experience the gospel.  Those are memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

If you get the chace, talk with someone who went to Detroit.  They will have stories to tell.  It will be a week that I will always remember.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Youth Gathering - Day 2

Today was the first official day of the Gathering.  We explored the city on the People Mover and ate lunch in Thomas Edison Park.  We discovered a great restaraunt called Bucherest Grille.  The rest of the day was spent getting autographs for our T-shirts.  Detroit is an interesting city.  It seems almost deserted.  The people are so glad to have us.  The weather was perfect and the Riverwalk was beautiful.  We went to Ford Field was the opening program.  We were fortunate enough to be on the floor.  With 30,000 young people, the energy was amazing.  The music was I spiring.  It was a great way to start the Gathering.  The trip back to the hotel took some time and we didn't return to almost 11:30.  The bus heads back to the city tomorrow morning at 7:15.  It will be a full day.  I keep you informed tomorrow.

Peace
Pastor

Youth Gathering 2015

The adventure has begun.  We are safely in Detroit.  The Gathering officially begins tomorrow.  The theme is "Rise Up".  We have been traveling two days on bus with 190 other people from the New Jersey Synod.  You can feel the excitement building.  Tomorrow we will "rise up" early and take in the city.  We'll also go to the Cobo Center and get our first taste of the Gathering.  We will be wearing our autograph shirts and New Jersey ties.  You will be able to catch pictures of us on Facebook and Twitter.  Kathryn Schaefer is handling the social media outlets.  We won't be returning to the hotel until late tomorrow night.  I'm not sure when I will be able to blog, but I'm going to make the effort.  Keep the Gathering and our young people in your prayers.  We off to a great start.

Peace,
Pastor

Book of Faith - The Fourth and Fifth Commandments

The conversations around the Ten Commandments continues with Luther's Large Catechism as our guide.  We have been studying the Fourth and Fifth Commandments.  What became very clear with Luther's interpretation of the Fourth Commandment, You shall honor your father and mother, is how important the family was for him in faith formation.  Mothers and fathers have a key role in the faith life of their children.  In Luther's words, "For if we wish to have excellent and apt persons both for civil and ecclesiastical government, we must spare no diligence, time, or cost in teaching and educating our children, that they may serve God and the world."  These words still have the ring of truth.

In the Fifth Commandment, You shall not kill, Luther takes the commandment and pushes the meaning even farther than Jesus.  Jesus spoke of breaking the commandment when we grow angry with another person.  We did not need to "kill" a person to do them injury.  Injury can take many forms.  Luther pushes the boundaries farther.  Luther argued that if we are in a position to help another person in need and do not do so, we have broken this commandment.  This understanding echoes the prophets of old and still speaks to our lives and time.  

Keep the conversation going!  We meet every Wednesday at noon at the Christian Education Building.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - The Apostles' Creed

With the return of fall, we are back in conversation.  The group decided to take a little detour by discussing the Apostles' Creed.  Unlike the other great creeds, the Apostles' Creed does not have an exact date though it begins to appear around 104 A.D.   The creed was a fuller explanation of the faith than "Jesus is Lord".  The early church began to encounter interpretations of the faith that stood outside of what was understood as the gospel.  There were those who proclaimed that the God of the Old Testament was not the God of the New Testament.  There were those who proclaimed that Jesus only appeared to be human.  There were those who proclaimed that Christians had secret knowledge. Against these claims, the Apostles' Creed arose as a response.  In many ways, all of the creeds were battle documents equiping the faithful to meet the spiritual challenges they were facing in the world.  By seeing the Apostles' Creed as a battle document helps it to come alive in a very different way.  To see the creed is such a way invites us to ask what our the spiritual  challenges of our day and age that need to be address by our faith.  This served as the starting point for our exploration and conversation.

The group named a number of spiritual challenges.  First, we live in an increasing secular world.  It's more than soccer on Sundays.  Talk of God in not a part of the conversation for most people.  The need for the language of faith in ways that speak to people in our time becomes even more important.  Second, we live in a world where loneliness is a significant issue.  We are interconnected in a thousand different ways through technology and still feel alone.  The creed speaks of God connecting us and forming us into a community, a family.  Sin is what pulls us apart.  God and the work of the Holy Spirit is what brings us together.  In one way or another, we have all experienced that work of the Spirit, whether we call it the Holy Spirit or not, when we are brought together or are reconciled with another.  Third, we live in a world where the faith is either polarizing or vague.  The creed helps us to articulate who we are without being judgmental.  For me, the faith has been the answere for my life.  I share it because of what it has meant to me.  I make no demands of another.  The clearer my understanding and experience of my faith, the more patient and gracious I become.  I do not need to prove myself or my faith, I simply witness to it.  

Peace,
Pastor Summer