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