postings from prairie hill

Reflections on May 1, 2010

2011-05-02T01:10:00.000-05:00

There is a lot going on right now! Last Wednesday the Southeast US was ravaged by tornadoes and storms. This morning, we kicked off our 90 Day Challenge. I have many things I want to share with you. But all of that was overshadowed tonight by the news that US Special Forces had killed Osama Bin Laden.

I don't know that I can put into words my reaction to this news. It is overwhelming. I know that there are more terrorists out there, and that this not the end of threats to our country. But Bin Laden, the architect of 9/11, is a powerful symbol of how our lives have changed since that September day.

I am relieved that Osama bin Laden is dead. Its my earnest prayer that his death allows some of the scars & pain of 9/11 to heal, and brings some closure to ten years of grief. I believe that is a good thing that his evil can no longer affect the world.

I am also immensely grateful for & proud of our military, who have and who continue to risk their lives for our safety. May God bring you all safely home to your families.

I am also reminded of Jesus' command to pray for enemies. That's not easy for me, especially when I think of someone as evil as Bin Laden and those who continue his work. And so I start by asking God to give me the strength to pray for those I call enemies.

Pastor David

What's Going On

2011-04-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

For the past 5 years, this blog has served multiple functions. It has been a professional blog, used for announcements and news for the congregation of St. John. It has been a personal blog, where I have shared news about my family and life. And, it has lived in the twilight in-between where much of a pastor's life is lived.

As my fifth year as the Pastor of St. John - Prairie Hill draws to a close, my use of this blog has evolved. Postings from Prairie Hill will remain and will become more intentionally the blog of the congregation of St. John. It will be used for news, announcements, and information for our congregation -- sort of an extension of our Facebook page.

I have set up a new blog, Called to Passion, which will be my personal blog. It will be the space for my writings, thoughts, and ideas. Some previous posts from this blog will be migrating over there in the months ahead.

Again, Postings from Prairie Hill will not be going away. It will just be slightly more focused in purpose.

Bach's Coffee Cantada

2011-03-21T17:36:00.002-05:00

In honor of the 326th birthday of the Fifth Evangelist, here is J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantata (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211).

Written for and performed by Bach's Collegium Musicum, at Zimmerman's Coffee House in Leipzig. The libretto (text) was penned by Bach's frequent collaborator, Christian Friedrich Henrici.

Narrator (Recitative): Be quiet, stop chattering, and pay attention to what's taking place: here comes Herr Schlendrian with his daughter Lieschen; he's growling like a honey bear. Hear for yourselves, what she has done to him!

Schlendrian (Aria): Don't one's children cause one endless trials & tribulations! What I say each day to my daughter Lieschen falls on stony ground.

Schlendrian (Aria): You wicked child, you disobedient girl, oh!; When will I get my way? Give up coffee!

Lieschen (Aria): Father, don't be so severe!; If I can't drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat.

Lieschen: Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes,; more delicious than a thousand kisses, mellower than muscatel wine.; Coffee, coffee I must have, and if someone wishes to give me a treat, ah, then pour me out some coffee!

Schlendrian (Recitative): If you don't give up drinking coffee then you shan't go to any wedding feast, nor go out walking.; Oh! when will I get my way? Give up coffee!

Lieschen: Oh well! Just leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian: Now I've got the little minx! I won't get you a whalebone skirt in the latest fashion.

Lieschen: I can easily live with that.

Schlendrian: You're not to stand at the window and watch people pass by!

Lieschen: That as well, only I beg of you, leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian: Furthermore, you shan't be getting any silver or gold ribbon for your bonnet from me!

Lieschen: Yes, yes! only leave me to my pleasure!

Schlendrian: You disobedient Lieschen you, so you go along with it all!

Schlendrian (Aria): Hard-hearted girls are not so easily won over.; Yet if one finds their weak spot, ah! then one comes away successful.

Schlendrian (Recitative): Now take heed what your father says!

Lieschen: In everything but the coffee.

Schlendrian: Well then, you'll have to resign yourself to never taking a husband.

Lieschen: Oh yes! Father, a husband!

Schlendrian: I swear it won't happen.

Lieschen: Until I can forgo coffee?; From now on, coffee, remain forever untouched! Father, listen, I won't drink any.

Schlendrian: Then you shall have a husband at last!

Lieschen (Aria): Today even dear father, see to it! Oh, a husband!; Really, that suits me splendidly!; If it could only happen soon that at last, before I go to bed, instead of coffee I were to get a proper lover!

Narrator (Aria): Old Schlendrian goes off to see if he can find a husband forthwith for his daughter Lieschen;; but Lieschen secretly lets it be known:; no suitor is to come to my house unless he promises me, and it is also written into the marriage contract,; that I will be permitted to make myself coffee whenever I want.

Trio: A cat won't stop from catching mice, and maidens remain faithful to their coffee.; The mother holds her coffee dear.; The grandmother drank it also.; Who can thus rebuke the daughters?

(Translation found on Wikisource, and assumed to be public domain)

A Prayer in time of Tragedy

2011-03-11T12:13:00.002-06:00

A prayer, offered in response to the earthquake off the shores of Japan and the resulting tsunami.

O God, we stand in awe of the power of your creation; deal mercifully with your world, especially this day the people of Japan and all affected by the waves of destruction. Comfort those who have lost loved ones, give courage to those filled with fear, and stir up all your children to respond with the love and justice of your Son, who lives & reigns with you & the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Lent: Repentance

2011-03-10T11:13:00.004-06:00

"The world, as we live in it, is like a shop window into which some mischievous person has got overnight, and shifted all the price-labels so that the cheap things have the the high price-labels on them and the really precious things are priced low. We let ourselves be taken in. Repentance means getting those price labels back in the right place."

-- William Temple

Fear Not!

2011-02-03T12:14:00.004-06:00

Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil comes out his burrow; if he is frightened by his shadow we are in for more winter, if he is not, then spring is coming. This day has me thinking about fear, and how we are like that rodential harbinger of springtime. It seems to me that much of our life is dominated by fear in one way or another. So much so that, as we run from place to place seeking safety and security, we seem to even be scared of our own shadows.

There is everyday worry and anxiety. Will we make enough this month to pay the house note? Will my boss be impressed with my work? Will I be able to get that project done one time? Every day, there a thousand and one little doubts that fill our hearts and minds with worry.

Then there are the big things of life. Fear of abandonment and loneliness. Fear of rejection. Fear of death. Fear of the loss of loved ones. We may not consciously think about these as often - but they loom large in our lives nonetheless.

Between the little worries and the big fears, how much of our lives are devoted to our fears? How much of our time and energy is spent on fear and worry? And how much are we able to really be attentive to the people in our lives and to our faith while the background music of fear is running through our minds?

The question I have is this: What does fear have to do with faith?

Certainly, there is a certain expression of Christianity that I would call a religion of fear. You know the type. "You could die at any moment - are you right with God". Religion that uses fear of hell, fear of damnation as the primary motivating factor. "Or else" religion. Of course, it does not have to be that overt, I think this religion of fear creeps into faith in lots of different ways. Do you rightly understand the sacrament? Do you have enough faith, or strong enough faith? Do you rightly understand the creed? And on and on.

So what has fear to do with faith?

__________________________________________________

When dealing with the fears of life, I conclude that fear and worry are a first commandment issue. Luther says of the first commandment:

A "god" is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need. Therefore, to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in that one with your whole heart ... The intention of this commandment, therefore, is to require true faith and confidence of the heart, which fly straight to the one true God and cling to him alone.

We worry because we look for security from our jobs, from our income, from our retirement accounts. But as people of faith, we are called to turn to God alone for our security. We worry because we gauge our worth on acceptance by others, or on our accomplishments. But as people of faith, our worth comes from being adopted as children of God.

You see? Worry and fear are what result when the things of life supplant the place of God in our hearts and minds. Not that they aren't good things - family, vocation, friendship. But when those good things take the place of God in our lives - when they become the things we cling to and turn to for worth and security and comfort, then they have become our gods. Isn't this what Jesus is getting at?

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you-- you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
(Luke 12:22-32)

So, the worries and fears of life are really what happens when we turn from God and toward our idols. That much seems to be fairly clear to me. But what about fear in the house of faith? What about fear used in the name of God? After all, aren't we taught that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"? Doesn't Jesus preach about those who are cast into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?

If, by fear, we mean respect, reverence, and awe - then yes, I think there is a place for such fear in the life of faith. But that is not how most of us mean fear. I come to rest in the words of 1 John:

God is love ... There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

If God is love, then God must be perfect love. And perfect love casts out fear. And, as children of God, we dwell in God and God dwells in us. Therefore ...

Simply put, I distrust people who peddle fear - whether it is the politics of fear, the marketing of fear, or the religion of fear. We worship the God who created all things, and provides us with all that we need. We worship the God who conquered sin and death by the power of the cross. We worship the God who has called us beloved children. We worship the God who is love, who casts out all fear.

Fear Not!

Saint Nicholas

2010-12-06T12:42:00.002-06:00

I love the feast of Saint Nicholas, for many reasons.

First, this day marks the beginning of Christmas celebrations for me. Yes, we have usually had one or two Sundays of Advent before the Feast of St. Nick, but Advent is not Christmas. No, with the feast of St. Nicholas, we have the coming of the gift-bringer and wonder worker - the beginning of the season of miracles, wonder, and generosity.

Second, Nicholas serves as a reminder that what we see celebrated as "Christmas" all around us is simply nothing more than crass commercialism; Americans worshiping at the Baal of capitalism. No, St. Nick does not fly through the sky, or live at the North Pole, or drop in at the local mall. He was a very real person, who lived a life shaped by the values of the Gospel. He does not endorse your favorite brand, and he does not keep a list of who is naughty or nice. Instead, he strove to love his neighbor as himself.

Finally, Nicholas represents in many ways what I believe the Christian faith should look like. His was a life of compassion: caring for "the least of these." Making sure that those on the edges of the society had what they needed; caring for children, handing out money to keep families off the street. The acts for which Nicholas is known are what might be called social liberalism today. And yet, he was also a firm defender of orthodoxy - best known through his encounter with Arius at Nicea (aka, the Santa smack-down). For me, Nicholas shows us that orthodox faith - i.e., truly following the Gospel - leads to compassionate living.

Questions for God

2010-10-06T17:41:00.002-05:00

Recently, while meeting with a small group in our congregation, I asked the participants what one question they would ask of God if they had the opportunity. I found their questions to be very insightful, and thought I would share some of them with you.

* Why do bad people seem to get good things in life?

* How long do you expect me to turn the other cheek?

* Why do bad things happen to children – and how do you deal with the people who do those things?

* I know we will spend eternity with you – why do we have to spend a lifetime on earth first?

* How can I hear your voice?

* How am I doing?

* How long will I be here?

* How much of the Bible is written the way it actually happened?

* Why my dad?

* How can I know what to do?

* How can you love me so much? And why do you seem to not love others as much?

* You said the first shall be last. I look at the world, and I wonder, when I get to see you, will I be last?

* What is my purpose?

* Why are you like we were taught when we were children?

* Why is there suffering?

* Why is there cruelty?

* Why did you make me so that I love sin so much?

* Why is there disease?

* How can I know what to do in life?

From the mouths of babes

2010-10-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

Hanging out with my 3 year old:

"You have coffee at church - it makes you feel better. You're so happy."

This is most certainly true.

Shack Discussion Guide

2010-09-30T11:57:00.004-05:00

I have started reading Wm Paul Young's The Shack with two groups at Prairie Hill. In anticipation of our time together, I am putting together a little study / discussion guide to give shape to our conversation. While I did look at other guides out there, ultimately I decided to just write my own questions.

Those of you in the Pastor's Book Club will find updates to the guide here, as I write questions for our future discussion sessions (just return to this link - hit reload on your browser if the new questions don't show up at first).

Other pastors and friends who happen upon this discussion guide are free to use or modify this material as suits their situation (for those who pay attention, I release this under a cc-by-sa-nc).

Reading The Shack: A guide for discussion and study

Welcome! This study guide is written to help you get the most out of your reading of The Shack by William P. Young, and to facilitate our discussions together.

Some of you may have read The Shack already, some of you may have read it in anticipation of this study, some of you may be reading as we move through the book together. That’s ok. Those of you reading as we go, please make sure that you keep up with the reading.

Due to time limitations, when we get together to discuss we will usually not have time to discuss all of the questions in this guide. I hope that you will still find them beneficial in thinking about your own faith. Before our group meetings, think about what you might like to spend the most time talking about.

A couple of thoughts before you get started. First, The Shack is a work of fiction. It is not a statement of theological doctrine, nor is it inspired Scripture. I have personally found the book to be helpful and insightful – and I certainly hope that you will, too – just be sure to check that insight with what we know to be true about God as made known to us in the Bible. Or, you may find that you greatly disagree with this book, that’s ok too.

Second, this book deals with tragedy and faith. As we explore our own understandings of tragedy, faith, and how they are related, you will be invited to share your own experiences and thoughts. Please be respectful of the experiences of others as they share them, and know that you will never be asked to share more than you are comfortable with.

Then the man said to Jacob, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have
wrestled with God and with humans and have prevailed.” ~~Genesis 32:28

But Mack had already left the room to wrestle with his dreams; maybe tonight there would be
no nightmares, only visions. ~~ p. 23

A we read the story of Mack’s wrestling match with God I pray that you will find your own shack, a space in your life where you can fully encounter God, experience the reality of what God desires for your life, and wrestle with the God who called you as his own.

Pastor David

Forward

* The author admits that the story that follows is fantastic, unproven, and even difficult to believe. In life, are there important truths that you cannot “prove”?

* How do you decide that some one is reliable or credible?

* The author describes Mack’s early, very bad experiences in the church (and the horrible experiences at the hands of his “church-going” father). Are we (the church) responsible when people experience the church in this way? How can the church share the Gospel with people who have experiences like this?

* Despite the experiences of his early life, Mack is a pretty ordinary guy – living in the world we know, working a job, spending time with friends and family. What do you like or dislike about Mack as he is described here? How can you relate with him?

* Mack and the author seem to be quite good friends. Who are those friends that you talk about everything with? Do you have friends that you talk about your faith with?

Chapter 1: A Confluence of Paths

* “There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine. Snow or freezing rain suddenly releases you from expectations, performance demands, and the tyranny of appointments and schedules.” If we dislike all the demands, expectations, and schedules of life, why do we continue to live busier and busier lives?

* Have you ever wished you could hit the “pause” button on life? What do you do to slow your life down when it gets going too fast?

* When your life gets busy, are you able to hear God’s voice?

* Read the story of the call of Moses. Do you see any similarity between the story of Moses and the story of Mack?

* To get his attention, God sends Mack a letter. How does God get your attention? Is it gentle, or jarring? Obvious or subtle? How do you verify that the message is from God, and not from Tony the mailman?

* “There it was. Papa was Nan’s favorite name for God and it expressed her delight in the intimate friendship she had with him.” How is the similar or different from the way that Jesus addresses God (c.f. Mark 14:36)? Is it acceptable to use our own language/names to talk to God? How do you picture God in your mind when you pray or worship?

* Nan talks about wishing that God would hurry up with the answer to her prayer. When we pray for God’s will to be done, do you think we really mean it? Are we content with God’s schedule, or do we try to put God on the schedule of our busy lives?

* Can you see how – despite her impatience and without her knowledge – God was already answering her prayer? How can we learn to trust in God’s will, instead of our schedules?

Chapter 2: The Gathering Dark

* Mack describes “The Great Sadness.” Have you experienced a “Great Sadness” in your life?

* Mack & his family have many traditions, including telling stories. What traditions does your family have?

* What are the similarities between the story of the Indian Princess and Jesus? Missy asks about the truth of the story of the Indian Princess. Does it matter if the story is true?

* Missy & Mack talk about the similarities between “Papa” and the “Great Spirit.” How do you understand the relationship between our God and other religions?

* So is Jesus dying a legend? How do we share the faith so that our children know the difference between the legends of childhood (Santa, Easter Bunny, etc) and the Gospel?

* Missy has many questions, about the legend and about Jesus. What questions do you have about God and faith? Is it ok to have doubts?

* Will God ask me jump off the cliff to prove my love? How would you answer a child like Missy’s question? What if an adult asked that question?

* He was a rich man, he thought to himself, in all the ways that mattered …He prayed a silent thanks to God. At the end of a hard day, what can you thank God for? Do you?

Chapter 3: The Tipping Point

* Mack, his children, and their new friends all seem to be drawn closer by their shared experiences on this trip. It is often outside of “everyday life” that we are most able to connect with others and God. What are some experiences in your life that have drawn you closer to friends and family?

* As Mack describes Nan to his new friends, she seems like Super Woman, without any flaws. Do you think we most often seem the positive or negative traits in our family and friends? What about coworkers? What about those we have conflict with? How do you think those same people would describe you? Which way would you want to be described?

* In many places, Scripture uses the analogy of family to talk about our relationships with God and one another. Mack points out that this is difficult for those who came from difficult family experiences. Do any of the biblical ways of speaking of God give you difficulty? Should the church change how we talk about God for the sake of those who have trouble with it? Why or why not?

* Overnight, things went from great to rotten for Mack. Life often changes suddenly, and tragic most often comes in an instant. How do you prepare yourself for the sudden changes of life?

* In the canoe, Josh’s panicked struggle to save himself almost prevented Mack from being able to rescue him. How do we try to save ourselves? How does it prevent God from saving us?

* After the incident with the canoe, Emil apologizes repeatedly to Mack. Was he in any way responsible for what had happened?

Chapter 4: The Great Sadness

* This is a difficult chapter to read. Give yourself time to read it, and really absorb it.

* The “if-only” game (p.64) is a common response by the survivors of tragic events. Do Mack’s if-only questions help him in any way? Why do you think we spend so much time asking ourselves “What if …”?

* Mack asks God how this could have happened (p. 53). Implied in that question is how / why did God let this happen? If you were Mack’s friend, how would you answer his questions?

* Missy’s siblings respond very differently to the tragedy, almost becoming the opposite of their normal personalities: Josh becomes more emotional, Kate becomes more in control. How would you have responded? How do you prepare for something like this? Why do you think people respond so differently in crises?

* Life would never be normal again, if any time is ever normal (p. 65). Think about what is “normal” in your life; How has it changed from the “normal” of your life ten years ago?

* God’s voice had been reduced to paper … Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book (p. 65-66) Mack was taught that God no longer speaks directly to us, but only through the Bible. What do you think? Does God write notes? How does God speak to us today?

* Even as he grows further from God, Mack wants more from God – and that more is not what he sees in church – the little religious social clubs that didn’t seem to make any real difference. What do you think of Mack’s opinion of the church? Do you share it? Do you think others do?

* Have you experienced God’s voice in your life? How?

Luther: Preface to 1 Corinthians

2010-08-09T12:17:00.003-05:00

Came across this in my devotions this morning, and it spoke to me.

In this epistle St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be one in faith and love, and to see to it that they learn well the chief thing, namely, that Christ is our salvation, the thing over which all reason and wisdom stumbles.

For it was as in our day, when the gospel has come to light. There are many mad saints (we call them factious spirits, fanatics, and heretics) who have become wise and learned all too quickly and, because of their great knowledge and wisdom, cannot live in harmony with anybody. One wants to go this way, another that way, as though it would be a great shame if each were not to undertake something special and to put forth his own wisdom. No one can make them out to be fools—though at bottom they neither know nor understand anything about that which is really the chief thing, even though they jabber much about it with their mouths.

So it was with St. Paul too. He had taught his Corinthians Christian faith and freedom from the law. But then the mad saints came along, and the immature know-it-alls. They broke up the unity of the doctrine and caused division among the believers. One claimed to belong to Paul, the other to Apollos; one to Peter, the other to Christ. One wanted circumcision, the other not; one wanted marriage, the other not; one wanted to eat food offered to idols, the other not. Some wanted to be outwardly free [leiblich frey]; some of the women wanted to go with uncovered hair, and so on. They went so far that one man abused his liberty and married his father’s wife, some did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and some thought lightly of the sacrament.

In short, things got so wild and disorderly that everyone wanted to be the expert and do the teaching and make what he pleased of the gospel, the sacrament, and faith. Meanwhile they let the main thing drop—namely, that Christ is our salvation, righteousness, and redemption—as if they had long since outgrown it. This truth can never remain intact when people begin to imagine they are wise and know it all.

This is exactly what is now happening to us. Now that we, by God’s grace, have opened the gospel to the Germans, everyone claims that he is the top expert and alone has the Holy Spirit—as if the gospel had been preached in order that in it we should show off our cleverness and reason, and strive for a reputation. Those Corinthians may well be an example or illustration of our people in these days, who also certainly need an epistle of this kind. But this is the way things have to go with the gospel; mad saints and immature know-it-alls have to create disturbances and offenses, so that those who are “tested,” as St. Paul also says here [I Cor. 3:13], may be revealed.

Therefore St. Paul most severely rebukes and condemns this shameful wisdom, and makes these connoisseur saints out to be fools. He says outright that they know nothing of Christ, or of the Spirit and gifts of God given to us in Christ, and that they had better begin to learn. It takes spiritual folk to understand this. The desire to be wise and the pretense of cleverness in the gospel are the very things that really give offense and hinder the knowledge of Christ and God, and create disturbances and contentions. This clever wisdom and reason can well serve to make for nothing but mad saints and wild Christians. Yet such people can never know our Lord Christ, unless they first become fools again and humbly let themselves be taught and led by the simple word of God.

Luther, Martin: Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan (Hrsg.) ; Oswald, Hilton C. (Hrsg.) ; Lehmann, Helmut T. (Hrsg.): Luther's Works, Vol. 35 : Word and Sacrament I. Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1999, c1960 (Luther's Works 35), S. 35:III-382

The Lord's Prayer: re-imagined

2010-07-25T11:40:00.003-05:00

I think we miss it with the Lord's Prayer. It has become the symbol of formalized religion - using language to no one talks in anymore, to pray to a God that no one talks about anymore. As I pondered my sermon for this morning, I wondered what the Lord's Prayer might sound like with the radical intimacy that Jesus calls us to have with God.

"Daddy, you are so special, you are so great;
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could have a daddy like you? I hope that everyone can be that lucky.

Daddy, thanks for all the great meals you've given me day after day. Will you please fix me supper again tonight?

Um ... Daddy? You know that thing you asked me not to do? I did it. But I know that you still love me -- you always love me.

And Daddy, you remember that fight I had with my sister? Well, we're friends again. I always try to be friends with her, even if she is sometimes mean to me.

Daddy, please keep me safe. I get scared sometimes; will you hold me tight and let me know that you are always there for me?

Thanks Daddy! You're the best."

Friends of Hyvenson

2010-05-17T22:38:00.006-05:00

It has been four months since a magnitude 7.5 earthquake rocked Haiti, causing devastating destruction in an already struggling country. It is easy to forget. The world spins on, our lives carry on. It is easy - it is natural - for the country and the people of Haiti to slide toward the back of our minds.

But the people of Haiti are still there. Still struggling. Still hurting. Still suffering.

I received a letter yesterday from one of my seminary roommates from the School of Theology of the University of the South. Hyvenson is an Episcopal priest, born and raised in Haiti. With his mother and some of his siblings, Hyvenson came to America to pursue his education and his vocation. But the rest of his extended family - siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins - are still in Haiti.

Hyvenson's family lost four people in the earthquake. His letter went on to describe 6 family units of his extended family still in Haiti. All 6 lost their homes in the earthquake. 2 are living in tents; 2 are living in temporary communal housing; to are living in the boarded up remnants of their homes. The rainy season is coming to Haiti, bringing with it the threat of disease and epidemic caused by the poor living conditions of all those displaced by the earthquake. These families represent the whole spectrum of life - from seventy year old retirees to an 18 month old infant.

But Hyvenson has not just stood by and watched. Teaming up with a few parishes in the area,
Hyvenson drew up a plan. Using family land, Hyvenson planned a home - a place for 6 households, 39 people to live while they rebuild their lives. The intent is that the family will live there up to two years, and then move into their own homes.

And yet, even amid their hardship, this family is thinking about their obligation to their neighbors. Following the will of the family's patriarch, the long-term plan is for a portion of the family land to be used to build a eye-care facility for the community. At that point, the house built in response to the family's need will be used to house medical personel and others who
come to help staff the center.

The catch - as always - is funding. The need is pressing - can you imagine putting your family to bed each night, every night, in a tent next to hundreds of other tents? Or in a boarded up, ready for the wrecking ball building? Especially as the tropical storms of the rainy season pound around you? The cost of the building - which, remember, will house 39 people - is approximately $36,000. The first ten percent has been pledged by the members of Hyvenson's family who live here in the US. The rest? Well, that's where we come in.

I have information available at the church office for members of St. John or in the Brenham area who would like to help in this effort through our church. You can contact me directly, or you can also check out "Friends of Hyvenson" on facebook.

Praying for Louisiana

2010-04-30T13:52:00.004-05:00

Two short weeks ago, I was in New Orleans for the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod Assembly. I talked with old friends, colleagues, and strangers about the slow recovery that not just New Orleans, but all of Louisiana has faced in the years since Katrina.

Now, there is a massive oil slick heading for the Louisiana coastline. How will the fishing industry - essential to the area's survival - recover from this disaster? Can you imagine getting the oil out of the bayous and backwaters of the state? And the tourism industry -- Anyone want to take a summer vacation on the beaches of Louisiana this year?

My heart breaks for the people of Louisiana - those whose livelihoods will be directly and indirectly affected by this, the families of those who lost their lives in the rig explosion, those who barely got their feet back under them after being knocked down by Katrina.

And I wonder, is this what God had in the mind in the garden when we were commanded to be stewards of God's creation? Often, the line between our careless stewardship and its effects is blurry and unclear - but here it is pretty unmistakeable. It is our unquenchable thirst for oil - cheap, plentiful, convenient oil - that put the rig in the Gulf. In the days to come, we will, undoubtedly, blame the company - the big greedy company who took safety shortcuts in the name of a profit. But it was not the company who continued to purchase gas-guzzling cars and trucks when fuel-efficient alternatives were available; they did not produce the demand, they just responded to it. They were not the ones - on bumper stickers and from political stumps - yelling "Drill here, Drill now."

No, my friends, the blame is ours - yours and mine. In many ways, we have all ignored God's call for us to be stewards and guardians of this world that has been entrusted to us. And this is what our sin looks like - a black, slimy, sludge, creeping across the beauty of creation. Kyrie Eleison.

Satellite images from NASA of the oil slick approaching
the edge of the Mississippi Delta, taken 4/29/10

Synod Assembly

2010-04-21T15:15:00.004-05:00

I am still unpacking from this year's synod assembly - physically, mentally, and spiritually. It was a very good assembly - in fact I have really enjoyed the last three we've had. One of the highlights of this assembly was a "Justice Immersion" - in which the voting members went out into the city, and learned about the concept of justice and about the city.

My group was dealing with recovery as an aspect of justice, and were assigned to work in a cemetery in St. Bernard Parish. In this cemetery, the poverty of the community was readily apparent -- how many headstones in your church cemetery are hand chiseled, perhaps with a screwdriver?? During the hurricane, many of the crypts (mostly cinderblocks on concrete slabs) were washed away by the wall of water. Caskets were found well outside of the cemetery, carried by the flood waters, the debris.

As we wandered through the cemetery, many of the crypts were still open -- sitting askew on their foundations, corners broken off, face-pieces not quite sealed. Among them was this crypt, cinderblocks missing, casket visible, with one of those little angels on the corner of the casket, peering out.

Not sure what to make of it, but I was quite moved. I am still unpacking.

H1N1 (Swine Flu) & Sunday Morning

2009-05-02T17:49:00.002-05:00

The following is the text of an email I sent out today:

Dear family of Saint John,

With the spread of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) last week, many are concerned about what impact the virus might have on church – a gathering where we are in close proximity to one another. Here are a few thoughts.

First, come to church. Fear should not keep us from worshiping our Lord. In fact, we are instructed that “perfect love casts out all fear.” Certainly, if you or someone in your family is sick, it is best to stay home – please do not put others at risk. But otherwise, there is no reason to stay away from worship. We worship every year through cold and flu season, without any great danger to any of our worshippers.

As we do throughout the season of Easter, we will be celebrating the sacrament of Holy Communion at both services tomorrow. It may ease your mind that I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on my bench, which I use numerous times during the service – especially prior to the celebration of Holy Communion. Bishop Mike Rinehart included the following comment in a recent email to clergy: “Everything I have read points to common cup being the safest and most “clean” method of distribution. Why? Because our hands carry more germs than our mouths. In common cup, wine goes from bottle to cup to mouth. No hands. With little cups, hands put the cups in trays and in some congregations hand take them out. Everything I have read supports common cup.” My information is the same as Bishop Mike’s – I know it runs counter to what we would assume, but common cup is the safest method of receiving Holy Communion.

When it is time to share the peace with one another, it is not necessary to shake hands – especially not if that makes you uncomfortable because of what we have been watching on the news. Feel free to great one another with a smile and a nod. (I will say the same thing tomorrow). Of course, the issue is not hand-to-hand contact, it is what you do with your hands after – when you put them to your face, especially to your mouth, nose, and eyes. It will also not hurt my feelings if you don’t shake my hand before or after the service – although I will also have hand sanitizer in the narthex which I will be using.

Finally, remember to pray. For those who are sick now. For those who have dealt with the sickness of a family member. For those who are paralyzed by fears. This may quickly blow over, and nothing may come of it – or it may escalate into a crisis. Either way, we are people who pray. And just as we are taking precautions to not spread the flu, take precautions to not spread fear. Watch for facts, and stay level-headed.

We are the church. We worship God, we share in God’s sacraments of grace, and we pray. Our trust and security is not in what we hear on the evening news, but in the one who promises to be our Good Shepherd. Indeed, it is fitting that tomorrow morning we will hear about the Good Shepherd and read together the 23rd Psalm: “I will fear no evil.”

God’s blessings, and I will see you tomorrow.

Pastor David

(Please feel free to forward this message)

H1N1 (Swine Flu) & Churches

2009-04-30T13:54:00.003-05:00

The H1N1 Virus (known as the Swine Flu) has landed solidly in Texas, with 26 cases currently. An outbreak like this raises peculiar questions for churches. I am reminded of a visit with my daughter's pediatrician when we were fighting an infection. She said: Avoiding an infection for your child is easy - just avoid public places like ... church.

The ELCA has posted some information about dealing with the flu. There are certainly steps we can make to help keep the disease from spreading at worship. But the real question, for me and I suspect for others, is when do you make that call? What point is serious enough to start making first minor, and then major, changes to our worship practices?

Of course, the question of ministry in and to communities affected by the flu is a non-starter for me. As followers of Jesus, our ministry is especially to communities in such need. But the question is all about timing in terms of our life together.

Vacation

2009-04-22T10:13:00.004-05:00

It is vacation week for the Pastor!

Holy Week & Easter were amazing at Prairie Hill. During Holy Week we experienced the mystery of our salvation through liturgy, music, and proclamation. It is part of the power of Holy Week that we do not just hear the story, we truly re-live it. The highlight for me, personally, is Good Friday worship. The contemplation of the cross, the solemn reproaches, and the beauty of the music helps me to experience the true gift that was given to us on the cross.

Easter also was astounding. We had close to 400 people in worship on Easter Sunday, and the Youth hosted us for a great breakfast. We added two new services this year: an evening service on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Both services were smaller, and had a very nice intimate feel to them.

Now this week is a chance for my family to rest. Very often, we overlook the importance of Sabbath rest. Yet all of us, no matter our vocation, need time to re-charge and just rest.

Hope you all have a great week - and thanks for a great Easter!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

2009-04-12T03:21:00.002-05:00

A blessed Easter morning to you all. As you head out to celebrate the power of the resurrection, let me share with you two older posts from Easter. The greatest Easter sermon ever preached, the Paschal Homily of Saint John Chrysostom, and NFS Grundvig's Easter hymn (Peace to Soothe our Bitter Woes).

Enjoy.

"Christian Seder"

2009-04-11T09:51:00.005-05:00

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"Christian Seder"

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Good Friday

2009-04-10T10:28:00.004-05:00

Sing, My Tongue the Glorious Battle (Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis) remains, after nearly 1500 years, one of the most beautiful and moving tellings of the Good Friday message. Penned by Venantius Honorius Fortunatus in honor of a piece of the true cross being brought to his monastary, and translated by the gifted John Mason Neale. (The text is public domain, I believe).

Sing my tongue, the glorious battle;
tell the triumph far and wide,
tell aloud the wondrous story
of the cross, the Crucified;
tell how Christ, the world's redeemer,
vanquished death the day he died.

God in mercy saw us fallen,
sunk in shame and misery,
felled to death in Eden's garden,
where in pride we claimed the tree;
then another tree was chosen,
which the world from death would free.

Tell how, when at length the fullness
of the appointed time was come,
Christ, the Word, was born of woman,
left for us his heav'nly home,
blazed the path of true obedience,
shone as light amidst the gloom.

Thirty years among us dwelling,
Jesus went from Nazareth,
destined, dedicated, willing,
did his work and met his death;
like a lamb he humbly yielded
on the cross his dying breath.

(People complain about "long hymns" in the church today - the Latin original included ten stanzas).

A treat for you

2009-04-01T14:10:00.004-05:00

In preparation for Holy Week (And April Fool's Day):

Lutheran Study Bible: Apocrypha?

2009-03-24T13:01:00.004-05:00

In reading the introductory essays in the new Lutheran Study Bible from Augsburg Fortress, there is a fair amount of ink spent on the apocryphal/deuterocanonical books. Questions like how we came to have differing Old Testament canons within Christianity, how the different canons are read and viewed by various traditions, etc - including the place that Luther retained for the Apocrypha in his translation (placed between the OT and NT).

And then you go to look, and ... no Apocrypha is included in this Bible. The obvious question: Why not? So I set off to find out, and received a prompt and thorough reply from Scott Tunseth, the editor in charge of this project at Augsburg (say what you want about Augsburg, they are very accessible to their constituency - a big plus in my book).

I know that for many people the inclusion of the Apocrypha is a non-issue. For me, not having it makes the LSB slightly less useful for my personal use (but I don't know how many of my congregants would miss it). I'll have more comments about the book in general in a forthcoming post. For now, here is Scott's reply to my question:

Pastor Hansen:
We’ve had this question more than once, and it’s a good one. Here are couple of reasons why it was not included:

1. In our market research, we asked about the inclusion of Apocrypha. Because it had not been included in the student version we have been carrying, it did not rise high on the wish list for responders.
2. We determined that we wanted to provide an open “feel” to the Bible by using one column for the Bible text with notes along the side. This layout option is invited and easy to read and follow. But it also added a few hundred extra pages. Adding the apocrypha with notes would have made the book at least another 400 pages long. It’s already pretty thick. And we wanted the price to be very competitive (as it is), so churches and individuals in churches could afford it.
3. Since the Apocrypha is not used in the church’s lectionary (with the exception of a few alternate readings), we felt we could leave it out for now. This does not mean that we couldn’t consider adding it in the future. With any new venture like this, we can evaluate and modify as we hear from customers.
4. I also think adding the writing of the notes for the Apocrypha presents a unique challenge. We have good Bible scholars who know about these books, but few actually teach them on a regular basis. I think we would have had to lengthen our development time to produce these notes for inclusion. Some of the people who wrote notes for the study Bible may have been the best candidates to tackle the notes for Apocrypha as well, and we couldn’t really double up their assignments based on the schedule we were working under.

We appreciate this question, and we know we will hear it again. We did include the Apocrypha in our recent publication called The Peoples’ Bible. The introductions and articles that accompany this project were written by scholars from several cultural perspectives—African American, Hispanic, Native American, East Asian, and more. This project did not contain as many sidebar notes and was set in two columns, so we were able to fit the Apocrypha in more comfortably. This Bible is being used in more academic settings, while we really designed LSB for use in the church.

Grace and peace,
Scott

Lutheran Study Bible: First Impressions

2009-03-20T21:49:00.004-05:00

I am always looking for new resources, for myself & for members of my congregation. In terms of Bible translations, I tend to rely on the NRSV, mainly because it is the translation used in worship in most ELCA churches and it is academically pretty solid - although it is also quite dry. In college, I used the Oxford Annotated Study Bible, NRSV, and have gotten quite a few miles out of it. A couple of years ago, I picked up the New Interpreter's Study Bible (NRSV), found it pretty darn helpful, but the material is too heavy for me to feel good about recommending it to most people.

On March 1, Augsburg Fortress released its new Lutheran Study Bible. The LSB uses the NRSV text, and is integrated in the ELCA's on-going Book of Faith initiative. I received my copy yesterday, ordered along with some adult Sunday School materials for this Sunday. I have not yet had a chance to really wade through all that is in this new study Bible, but I am already forming some impressions.

First, it's big. I ordered a hardcover ($35.00), because I just find paperback Bibles hard to handle (LSB is available in paperback for $25 - both editions have quantity discounts). Perhaps the paperback feels smaller, but I doubt it is much smaller. There is just a lot of material here. The inter-textual notes are not as extensive as the Oxford Annotated or the New Interpreters', but there are essays, introductions, and articles galore. To the positive, there is lots of good, easily accesible info. To the negative, the LSB is too bulky to be considered portable, and if you are on the road it will take up lots of suitcase space.

Second, it's easy to navigate. With all of the material in LSB, it would be easy to get bogged down, but it is all laid out very well. The print is large and readable (which also adds to the bulk). There is a logic to the layout and articles that is easy to follow.

Third, the graphics are great. There are some great maps, images, and graphics throughout the LSB. In addition, the inter-textual note have a sort of graphic key or guide, to distinguish types of notes.

In all, I am pleased so far. There are so many Bibles out there, but the vast majority have theological biases that do not mesh with the Lutheran tradition. Many of our members are unaware of the theological tilt of various study Bibles. But here we have a study Bible explicitly out of the Lutheran tradition, and usable not only for academic study but also for devotional reading.

I will write more on this when I have unpacked more of the resources, and spent some time with the LSB. So far, so good.

A Journey of Faith

2009-03-16T15:18:00.002-05:00

Prairie Hill News

2009-03-11T09:35:00.002-05:00

The staff of St John - Prairie Hill are now sending out updates via our new email list. To subscribe to the list, and receive updates, devotions, and news from Prairie Hill, simply fill out this form.

The economics of church

2008-12-04T10:56:00.004-06:00

Conventional wisdom is that when the economy turns south, churches are among the first to feel the impact. To some extent, this is true. Less "disposable income" does equate to less giving as a part of one's stewardship. However ...

Christianity Today has an interesting article in this month's issue about the realities of Christian giving (not yet online). They point to the fact that, yes, the coffers are getting bare, but no, it doesn't have anything to do with the current recession. Instead, it reflects poor attitudes and understandings of stewardship. The vast majority of church budgets are carried by a very small percentage of the membership - and often not the one's you would expect. It is often those with the least income who give the most. Those in the comfortable middle to upper middle class do no give near as much as those with low income. And the "rich," they do a little better. In all, if active just Christians (those who regularly attend church, etc) gave a tithe (10%), the giving would amount to somewhere in the neighborhood of an additional $85 billion (I don't have the article in front of me with the exact numbers, but yes, that is a B). That is more than the gross national product of most countries around the world.

So where does the fault lie? What has happened to Christian stewardship?

I think the biggest problem is that church leaders are not teaching stewardship. One of my colleagues pointed out that in the 80's (when things were great), many started talking about stewardship as "charitable giving." Indeed, this language still dominates how church giving is talked about outside of the church. The problem? "Charitable giving" is what you do with your leftover funds to feel better about yourself or make your company look better. Stewardship is a lifestyle that we are called to in order to glorify God.

One of the key ways we teach this is by example, especially in mainline churches. Each of us has a line item in our budget entitled "Benevolence" or something similar. It is the money that we give to the synod every year to support our shared mission and ministry as a denomination. I have been watching the annual budgets that occasionally come across my desk: one cut their benevolence by 75% for 2009, one by 50% - and neither congregation was giving a huge percentage to begin with. The lesson taught in those budgets? Money is tight, let's cut our "charitable giving." And yes, that lesson is learned by the congregants, and passed on to their congregational giving.

Here at St John, facing the economic realities of 2009, we increased our benevolence, from 7.5% of our income to 8%. We felt that it was important to continue - even to strive to improve - our stewardship, in times of possible economic hardship. Not because we have excess cash we want to get rid of, not because the synod or the ELCA budgets need it, and not because we like this program or that service offered by the synod, but because that is who God call us to be as people of faith.

From our life together as denominations and synods, to our life as congregations and as individuals, it is time to re-assert the importance of stewardship in the life of discipleship. We can no longer frame it as a question of economics - it is a question of discipleship.

Advent litany

2008-12-01T14:38:00.002-06:00

If you ahven't figured out, I am not one for liturgical innovation. I tend to be of the mind that if it worked for centuries of faithful Christians, it will probably work for us too. That said, from time to time I like to do something a little different - not to rework the entire liturgy, but to deepen the already present gifts of the liturgy and underline the season of the year. For this Advent, I put together a very simple Advent Litany, which we are using at St John.

The sections for the presider are spoken, sections 1-3 from the rear of the church, section 4 fromt he chancel. The response are sung, the first response by an acappella soloist, the rest by the congregation.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Since the time of the fall of our first parents in the garden, humanity has wandered through deep darkness. And in this deep darkness, we have held out hope for a sign of light, hope for deliverance from the shadows that cover us. In the darkness we cry out,

(Soloist): O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Since the time of King David, we have been lost and leaderless. We look for the coming of one who will call us to himself, the one who will leads us in the ways of the One, Holy, Lord God. We look for a King unlike any other, a Good Shepherd sent to us from on high. In the wilderness we cry out,

O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav'nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Since the time of Christ’s incarnation, we have been the people who wait. We have heard and we believe in his promise to return in power and glory, and so we wait. And yet, all around us we see suffering and pain, tragedy and despair. Death, sin, greed, and selfishness seem to have won the day; but we know the Truth and so we wait. In our pain and suffering we cry out,

O come, O Wisdom from on high,
embracing all things far and nigh:
in strength and beauty come and stay;
teach us your will and guide our way.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Now is the time we have waited for. Now is the time for light in the midst of darkness. Now is the time for our King and Lord. Now is the time for the end of suffering and despair, the end of death and grief. Now is the time of promise. Now is the coming of our Lord Emmanuel—the God who is with us. Now is the time of our salvation. In faith, hope, and love we rejoice,

O come, O King of nations, come,
O Cornerstone that binds in one:
refresh the hearts that long for you;
restore the broken, make us new.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Bishop Hanson: Christmas Message

2008-11-26T13:33:00.002-06:00

Here is Bishop Mark Hanson's 2008 Christmas message:

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ~ Luke 2:15

Let’s go! Now! When angels came to some shepherds with a brilliant message one night long ago, the shepherds had a brilliant idea. Let’s go! Let’s see what God is doing!

The unknown dangers of the night did not hold them back. Perhaps they knew that some of God’s best work is done under the cover of darkness — the creation of all things, wrestling with Jacob, Israel’s escape from slavery.

Or maybe they didn’t. Maybe all they needed was the announcement of what God was up to this time. This time God would be conducting a rescue like none before — saving the whole world, bringing peace and goodwill. Once again it’s an undercover operation — God hidden deep in the flesh and working “under the sign of opposites” (as Martin Luther called it). Arriving as a baby in diapers, God’s Son recruited tax collectors and fishermen, social misfits and despised sinners in a rescue mission that culminated in the hidden power of the cross.

What if the shepherds had yawned, “That’s interesting, some other time,” and remained sitting in the night, in the dirt, in the comfort of predictable hardships and familiar enemies? Would promised joy have found them anyway?

Let’s not test that speculation with our lives. Let’s go! Let’s see what God is doing!

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Paths to Ordination & Lay Presidency

2008-11-26T10:11:00.003-06:00

Recent discussions about the recent seminary news and the latest ELCA Council meeting have brought up some very interesting topics: (a) the path that one takes to ordination, and (b) the option of having laity preside at the table.

As a historical note, the current process (or path) for ordination is relatively recent. In the various churches that came together to for the ELCA, the processes for acknowledging an individual's interal call and issuing an external call have taken a variety of forms. In addition, there are parts of the ELCA where the tradition of lay preachers has a rich and long history(preachers more often than presiders at the sacrament).

First, in terms of process. I have tended to not really support "alternative" paths to ordination, for a couple of reasons (Such as the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program).
(A) In terms education, we as a church have decided that these are the things that are a common foundation for ministry: an MDiv, an internship, CPE. If we believe they are the foundation, why would we ordain those who are without them? It is a question of preparation and integrity: as a church we have said that if we send you a pastor, he or she will have these basic skills and base of knowledge.
(B) My other complaint is much more practical. If we require candidate X to put life on hold for 4 years, move his or her family around, and take out $30,000 plus dollars in debt; how then can we turn around and say to candidate Y, "Attend seminary for 1 year, and test out of the rest." It just doesn't add up.

Full disclosure, part of the second complaint is rooted in my own personal experience. Having a strong cultural Lutheran background, having received a preliminary theological education at a Lutheran institution, I attended a non-Lutheran seminary. I knew this would add a year to my studies. But come time for my endorsement panel, my faculty members (both Lutheran clergy teaching at this non-Lutheran school) argued that I should not have to do a Lutheran year - an argument that fell on deaf ears, at the same Candidacy Committee meeting that approved a TEEM minister through a theological exam. So I've got a chip on my shoulder ... but I know it's there.

Second, lay presidency. While respecting the long traditions of lay preachers, I have felt that the good order of the church (and AC XIV) call for us to only have ordained individuals as the one to administer the sacraments and preach. It is not a question of who has the "magic hands", it is a question of who has been called by the church to perform these tasks. The earlier traditions of lay preachers did not bring up these concerns in quite the same way because (1) there was less frequent administration of holy communion, and (2) there was a "lower" eucharistic piety - influenced by scandanavian pietism on the one hand and reformed neighbors on the other.

All that said, LP has a nice, thoughtful post on this subject. He talks about the possiblity of, through 2 tracks, ordaining SAMs/TEEM ministers for the "local church," i.e., for service only in the synod in which they are ordained, and ordaining MDivs for the church at large. Not a bad idea. I would rather see a process that "calls a thing what it is." In our theology, a person who is "asked" (called) by the church to administer the sacrament and preach the word is, in fact, set apart for a ministry of word and sacrament. Let's call it what it is. And LPs suggestion provides a way to do that with some integrity. I could certainly lean in that direction.

Of course, part of what this all points to is the muddy theology of ordained ministry in the American Lutheran tradition. The topic was put on the back burner in 1988, and it has not gotten any clearer in the last 20 years. Perhaps it is time to face it head on.

I'll have a blue, blue advent (or was it purple?)

2008-11-25T18:14:00.002-06:00

From the archives, my 2006 reflections on the advent color wars.

News from the ELCA

2008-11-23T08:09:00.003-06:00

I occasionally head over and browse the news releases out of the Chicago office of the ELCA. I am not enough of a junky to get them in my email everyday, but every few weeks I sit down and do some reading. Here are some things that caught my eye:

The ELCA Church Council met last week, and I find these releases particularly interesting because there is all sorts of information to be found down in the details. For example, the Council amended the policies for maintaining the roster of clergy, allowing first call pastors to serve in the role of mission developers (previously, 3 years in a traditional call were required first). (Not sure if that is for the good or bad - I can see good arguments on both sides). The same rules were also amended to encourage the authorization of lay persons to serve in a ministry of Word and Sacrament were there is a shortage of clergy, and to go through the candidacy process if that vacancy becomes long-term. (I would assume through the TEEM process, mentioned in the post below. About this one I definitely have some opinions, but I'll save them for later.) There is much more in the release, worth a read.

A new multi-cultural task force/workgroup has been formed in the ELCA. Hold on to your hats for this one: the ELCA European American Lutheran Association. That's right - apparently "European-American" (i.e., white) Lutherans need their own association within the ELCA. Of course, it will include around 92% of the ELCA. I could comment on this, but what else is there to say?

The Lutheran World Federation, in the persons of LWF President Bishop Mark Hanson and Secretary-General Ishmael Noko, offered their congratulations to the new President-elect of the US. The well-worded letter may be found here.

I'm sure I have missed at least a few things, but there is a little news roundup.

Continuing Seminary News

2008-11-22T16:30:00.003-06:00

Here is the official news release from the ELCA, covering the recent decisions at Wartburg Seminary discussed on this blog earlier this week.

The ELCA, as an institution, has not been unaware of the growing financial burden born by seminarians. One response has been the establishment of the Fund for Leaders, a denominational scholarship program. It is a good start, but only a start. I recall when I was first looking at seminary, I think they awarded like 8 or 10 full-tuition scholarships - which left all the other seminarians paying the exact same cost for their education. In 2008 they awarded 33 "full or partial scholarships" -- reading further down in the release finds 17 full-tuition, meaning that the rest were partial. This year, according to the release, the fund will provide just over $750,000 in seminarian support. Like I said, it is a good start.

But it also raises the question, are those funds best used to provide a lot of help to a small number of students (full tuition scholarships for 17 out of somewhere around 250 of first year seminarians, or 6.8%); or would the support be better used by providing support across the entire seminary system, and lowering the overall cost?

Another response has been to pursue and emphasize paths to ministry that do not require a full theological education. In the ELCA, this is known as the "Theological Education for Emerging Ministries" program. Those eligible for TEEM ministry are persons over the age of 40, "who are perceived by the ELCA to possess those leadership abilities that are needed in specific communities such as African American, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab Middle Eastern, deaf, remote rural and inner city communities." There are some theological education requirements: a year in residence at an ELCA seminary, a CPE, and an internship - but the guidelines specifically allow that any of these may be waived. Is this the way out of the dilemma? Take care of the overwhelming cost of theological education by requiring less? This does seem to be at least part of the message coming from Chicago.

I have my own thoughts, but what say you? Is this the way forward?

High Praise

2008-11-20T13:38:00.004-06:00

I was gifted with some of the best praise a pastor can receive. A conversation between an aunt and child in our congregation was shared with me:
"I used to be afraid of thunder, but I'm not anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because in his sermon, Pastor said Jesus will watch over us, so we don't have to be afraid."

(In a children's sermon a few weeks ago, I had used thunderstorms as an example of things that scare us, and talked about Jesus as our comforter and protector).

That's enough to fill the tank.

Anticipation

2008-11-19T14:36:00.003-06:00

A thoughtful member of St John, aware of the amount of money that clergy spend on vestments and things of the like, gave me a birthday gift of some funds to help toward something new. With a little bit of other birthday money, I ordered the stole at the left for myself.

It is, technically, a Christmas stole. However, given the use of royal blue in addition to white, I thought I might use it for Advent as well. It comes from Slabbinck, one of my favorite suppliers of vestments.

I just checked today, and it should arrive here sometime around December 4.

A look at priorities?

2008-11-18T15:37:00.003-06:00

The discussion about the current financial crisis in our seminaries raised some very good points. Some suggested that part of the issue is the inflated cost of seminary, others pointed to the (compared to equally schooled careers) low income of clergy, and others pointed out the reluctance for many local congregations to give to the wider church. All very good points, and certainly part of how we landed where we are. James J wondered if perhaps we simply have too many struggling (financially and missionally) congregations spreading our limited resources too thin.

In the midst of our discussion, I came across this Daily Telegraph article about a Roman Catholic bishop's statement on the inherent problems with having a well educated laity (i.e., mass education has produced an abundance of skepticism, challenge to authority, etc, etc). It irked me just enough to start to peruse the bishop's actual words - what I found certainly had some value. The bishop is setting forward a process to evaluate the parishes of the diocese, seeking to determine which are sacramentally, missionally, and financially sustainable enough to be served by the diocese's increasingly diminishing supply of clergy. (The entire report, pdf, is here. Thanks to Fran for the story).

I wonder if this is, among many options, one way forward for us. Is it time to consolidate our resources, focusing on congregations that are (or feasably could become) strong centers of mission and vibrant growth in discipleship?

The Cross and Worship

2008-11-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

Recently, I was asked to serve on a synod committee focused on enhancing the quality of worship in our congregations. We have met once, just enough time to get the conversation started (the Hurricanes really threw everyone's schedules for a loop this fall). The meeting got me thinking about some of my earlier ponderings about Lutheran worship, and I thought I might post some of my "heavy lifting" on Lutheran worship here and see if we can get a dialogue started.

The first of these is a paper that I wrote in 2005, entitled The Cross & Worship.

I. Introduction
The last forty years have seen an increase of Lutheran scholarship on two important topics: the liturgy and Luther’s “theology of the cross.” This paper is an attempt to find where those two loci find their meeting place. That is, I have attempted to provide an answer to the question of how a theologian of the cross can best speak about our worship of the crucified God. Ultimately, I believe that a theology of the cross can and must speak about worship, and when it does so it speaks eucharistically and doxologically.
Douglas John Hall, one of the foremost non-Lutheran proponents of the theology of the cross, has observed that any such theology is always contextual. My own context is that of a white, middle-class North American graduate student. I also write as a Lutheran Christian; i.e., a child of that tradition which followed Luther’s interpretation of Scripture, the Creeds, and the broader Christian tradition. I invite the reader to enter into the following project with this context in mind, and to think creatively about how theologia crucis and leitourgia intersect in his or her life.
There are many topics related to the focus of this paper which – although they are of great interest and import – lay beyond the scope of the subject at hand. Thus, the reader will not find here a historical analysis of the development of either Lutheran worship or Luther’s theology of the cross. Further, this paper deals with worship in the broadest sense, and does not delve deeply into the theology of either the eucharist or baptism. Certainly all of these topics and many others will be hinted at and touched upon, but only insofar as they bring us toward the meeting place of the theology of the cross and worship.

II. What is a theologian of the cross?
The idea of a theology of the cross and Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation received very little attention in the English-speaking world for many years.[1] Then, in 1976, Augsburg Publishing House released a translation of Walther von Loewenich’s 1954 work, Luther’s Theology of the Cross. In 1985, Alister McGrath wrote his in-depth study, Luther’s Theology of the Cross. Since then, “Theology of the Cross” has become part of the idiom of not only Lutheran, but also ecumenical theology. In recent years, Confessional Lutherans, liberation theologians, feminist theologians, and a host of others have all espoused “Theologies of the Cross.”[2] But what exactly is a theology of the cross?
In 1518, Martin Luther was invited to a debate to discuss his increasingly controversial ideas in front of the Augustinian General Chapter meeting. One year prior, the young monk from the little-known Wittenberg University had caught the attention of theologians and churchmen with the posting of his 95 Theses. Here was the opportunity for Luther to present to members of his own order what was at stake in the developing conflict. Thus, in May of 1518 Luther presented the 28 theological theses and the 12 philosophical theses that have become known as the Heidelberg Disputation.[3] It is in these theological theses that Luther explicitly names and defines the theologia crucis, the theology of the cross.
As already stated, it is not my intention to draw out all of the theological implications of the Heidelberg Disputation – I have no desire to attempt to improve on the work of those more capable than I who have already undertaken this task. However, to gain some insight into the implications of the theology of the cross for liturgy and worship, it is necessary to revisit the basic principles of the Heidelberg Disputation.
The first twelve theses deal with the utter powerlessness of human works and the law to help humanity move toward salvation. Relying heavily on Saint Paul and Augustine, Luther shows in Thesis 1 how the law actually keeps a person from attaining righteousness. It thus becomes clear that if the law – which is given by God – cannot help a person become righteous, then human works are even less useful (Thesis 2). In addition, there is an even more dangerous trap: when we trust in human works (those that appear good and righteous), they fill us with sinful spiritual pride. Thus, the more “attractive” our works appear (i.e., good and righteous), the more likely they are to be occasion for the increase of sinfulness (Theses 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10).
The corollary to this treatment of human works is Luther’s understanding of God’s work – more specifically, of God’s “alien” work. God’s alien work is how God uses the law (Luther will turn to God’s proper work later in the disputation). “[God’s alien work] is understood to mean that the Lord humbles and frightens us by means of the law and the sight of our sin” (Thesis 4). In contrast to our “attractive” works of righteousness, God uses the law in this “unattractive” way to convince us of our sinfulness and defeat all spiritual pride (Theses 4, 6). Once that pride is broken and we are aware of our sinfulness, we begin to fear condemnation for those works in which we used to take pride (Theses 9, 11, 12).
Luther’s treatment of God’s alien work is continued in Theses 13-18 as he deals with why human works are so ineffectual in attaining righteousness. This reason is laid out quite clearly in Thesis 13: “Free will, after the fall, exists in name only … for the will is captive and subject to sin.” Thus, if a person were to trust in his or her natural abilities and “do that which is in him,” he or she would be relying on a will bound to sin.[4] The purpose of this is to make humanity despair of our own abilities and powers to save ourselves, and seek only the power and grace of Christ (Theses 17-18).
Having described how humans are unable to save themselves through their will, their works, or the law, Luther turns to the real topic at hand. In Theses 19-23, Luther contrasts the way of glory (theologia gloriae) with the way of the cross (theologia crucis). The difference between the two lies in the starting place of their theology: the theologian of glory begins with human reason and contemplates God as God exists in eternity; the theologian of the cross begins with God’s self-revelation, and contemplates the God who is most fully known in the cross (Theses 19-20).
These ways of approaching theology have direct effect on how we think about righteousness. The theologian of glory will speak of work, strength, and earning – in short, he or she will call on Christians to rely on their own abilities to gain righteousness. The theologian of the cross will speak of weakness, service, and the cross – in short, he or she will call on Christians to rely only on Christ and the cross to gain righteousness (Theses 21-23).
It is only then – when we have come to see only the God revealed in the cross, when we have despaired in our ability to earn righteousness, and when we have learned to rely wholly on Christ – that a new life can begin. This new life is Luther’s topic for Theses 24-28. It is then that we can realize that all has already been done for us by Christ (Thesis 26). It is then that we can see that our deeds do not produce righteousness, but rather the righteousness that we have been given produces good deeds in us (Thesis 25). Most importantly, we can then see that we do not have to be “good” in order for God to love us, but that God’s love creates in us goodness, righteousness, and holiness where there was none before. This is what it means to be a theologian of the cross, to follow the way of the cross.

III. What is Lutheran Worship?
Having defined – at least in a preliminary way – the theology of the cross, the next task is to give some shape to what is meant by “Lutheran worship.” As with the theology of the cross, there are many resources available that are more in-depth than this overview. My intent is not to provide a comprehensive study of the development of Lutheran liturgy or of current Lutheran worship. Rather, I seek to provide a common basic understanding of Lutheran worship.
Lutherans have long understood worship to be a beneficium rather than an officium.[5] That is to say, in worship Christians receive a benefit from God; they do not do a work. This follows directly from Luther’s understanding of justification. In justification, humanity does not offer its works (which are all sinful and imperfect) to God, instead God offers to humanity the benefits and grace of Christ. This principle was then applied to our worship; e.g., humanity does not offer any work to God in worship, instead the worshippers receive from God the benefits and grace of Christ.
This can be seen most clearly in the liturgies that Luther developed. In 1523, Luther developed an “evangelical form of saying the mass and administering communion,” known as the Formula Missae.[6] Luther’s goal was to develop an order of service that was in no way “polluted” with the language of being a work. Luther kept large portions of the medieval Mass, but removed the canon of the mass, the offertory, and anything that spoke of the sacrifice or work of the people or priest. Thus, Luther’s Formula Missae is best known not for anything new he developed in it, but for what he removed.
A similar emphasis – on the beneficium rather than the officium – can be seen in modern Lutheran worship. The centerpiece of North American Lutheran worship has become the weekly celebration of Holy Communion.[7] When most Lutherans attend worship, they do so knowing that they will receive communion. It is in that central sacrament that Lutheran worshippers receive the body and blood, receive the grace of Christ, and receive the gifts of God.[8]
Yet, Lutheran worship is more than the sacrament alone. If the sacrament is the centerpiece of worship, it is never present without the ministry of the Word. Indeed, “the two principal parts of the liturgy of Holy Communion, the proclamation of the Word of God and the celebration of the sacramental meal, are so intimately connected as to form one act of worship.”[9] In a sense, all worshippers share a responsibility for the work of proclaiming the Word.[10] However, most worshippers primarily experience the ministry of the Word in passively listening to the sermon and readings, hearing the absolution, and experiencing any special music or art.
Thus, Lutheran worship can be characterized as the reception of God’s grace and benefits through Word and Sacrament. Certainly there is more to Lutheran worship than this, but this sketch provides us with the primary focus and emphasis of Lutheran liturgical life. With this understanding of Lutheran worship and the above definition of the theology of the cross, the tools are now in hand to look at where the two intersect.

IV. What is the liturgy of the theologia crucis?
a) Worship, the Cross, and God Pro Nobis
Lutheran Worship, as described above, centers on the God who is pro nobis, for us. It is God who is for us in the giving of the Son, it is the Son who is for us in the meal, and it is the Spirit who is for us in bringing us the benefits of the Word and Sacraments. The God who is pro nobis is precisely the God proclaimed in the Heidelberg Disputation. God is for us most fully in the cross of Christ.
Theses 1-18 of the Heidelberg Disputation lay out humanity’s inability to earn anything in regard to righteousness. Therefore, we need a God who is for us, because we cannot do anything pro nobis. What we cannot do, God did for us on the cross and continues to do for us in worship.
Furthermore, if we cannot do anything for ourselves, how can we possibly do anything for God? Thus Luther argues that the Mass “does not take benefit from us, but gives benefit to us … Just as in baptism, in which there is also a divine testament and sacrament, no one Gives God anything or does him a service, but instead takes something, so it is in all other sacraments and in the sermon as well.”[11] Insofar as our wills are held in bondage by sin, the sacraments in particular and worship in general (1) cannot earn us righteousness, and (2) cannot offer any benefit to God.
This was the principle that Luther was following in excising any language about our work from the Formula Missae. Luther’s words about the rejection of indulgences could just as easily be applied to his rejection of our work in worship: “it establishes and bases satisfaction for sins upon the works of men and the merits of saints, whereas only Christ can make and has made satisfaction for us.”[12]
Hence, Lutheran worship expresses the same understanding of human abilities and power expressed by the theology of the cross: “Much less can human works which are done over and over again with the aid of natural precepts, so to speak, lea to [righteousness” (Thesis 2). If in our worship we must rely on ourselves, we are lost – we need the God who is pro nobis. Further, of our own powers we have nothing to offer God, but we humbly receive God’s gifts.
However, that is not all there is in the theology of the cross. Luther also sets forth his thoughts about what we become after we have been given the grace and love of God. There is in fact more to the Christian life than despairing of our own abilities and turning to God. This second half of the Christian life is what Luther treats in Theses 24-28. Unless this part of the Heidelberg Disputation also influences our worship, we only have a half-formed theology of the cross.

b) Worshipping as a New Creation
The Christian life does not consist of, but rather begins with, our justification. We are not meant to live forever in the despair caused by our inability to earn our own righteousness. Instead, we are to accept Christ’s righteousness through faith, and live out that righteousness. If Theses 1-23 deal with our inability to earn righteousness, then Theses 24-28 deal with our new righteousness in Christ.
This is a topic Luther wrote about at some length the year following the Heidelberg Disputation. On Palm Sunday in 1519, Luther preached a sermon entitled Two Kinds of Righteousness. The first half deals with the righteousness that is instilled in us from without. This is the righteousness of the first half of the Heidelberg Disputation, the righteousness which we cannot earn or achieve in any way. Because we cannot earn this righteousness, it is “through faith in Christ, therefore, [that] Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness and all that he has becomes ours; rather, he himself becomes ours.”[13] This righteousness cannot be earned, but can only be given as grace.
There is a second righteousness, which comes from the first kind. This righteousness, our “proper righteousness” comes after our justification. The second righteousness is this: “We work with that first and alien righteousness” by loving our neighbor, fearing God, and learning to suppress our sinful selves.[14] The righteousness of Christ – a righteousness which is completely extra nos and sine nos – gives birth to the new righteousness of the Christian. But what does this second righteousness have to do with the theology of the cross? In short, everything.
Thesis 28 of the Heidelberg Disputation reads: “The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it.” We do not need to try harder, to earn more, to obey more, generally to be better. Instead, we need to be re-created. Thus Saint Paul says: “If anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). The love of God and the righteousness of Christ, given to us in the power of the Spirit, make us a re-created people with a re-created righteousness. We possess the righteousness given to us by Christ, and we also possess a righteousness of our re-created selves, which cooperates with Christ.
This second righteousness, the righteousness of the new creation, does not in any way effect salvation. Instead, the opposite is true: our salvation and re-creation cause a new righteousness to be born in us. That a person receives Christ’s righteousness does not mean “that the righteous person does nothing, but that his works do not make him righteous, rather his righteousness creates works” (Thesis 25). Let me repeat: this righteousness is not salvation, which can only come through faith and the passive reception of Christ’s righteousness. It is, instead, how a Christian lives after receiving the justifying grace of God.
As long as Lutheran liturgy focuses only on the beneficium of worship, it negates this second, integral part of the Christian life. The question then becomes can Lutheran worship express the officium of our proper righteousness while still emphasizing the beneficium of Christ’s saving righteousness? Can a people in bondage to sin worship the God who is pro nobis, while also worshipping God as God’s own new creation? Can any of this happen within the context of the theologia crucis?

c) Eucharist, Doxology, and the Cross
Thesis 28: “The love of God does not find, but create, that which is pleasing to it.”
What does it mean, in terms of our worship life, to say that we have been re-created as that which is pleasing to God? How do we worship as God’s new creation, created to fulfill God’s pleasure and enabled to so by the Spirit?
As prolegomena, it must be said that this form of worship – worship as the new creation – is secondary to our redemption by the grace of Christ. Insofar as we remain estranged from Christ’s righteousness and attempt to earn God’s love, this kind of worship is not possible. Any sort of worship as the new creation can and must only happen after we have come to trust and rely only on God for our salvation.
Lutherans have traditionally defined sin as giving others credit for what God has done (idolatry) and the failure to trust God (unbelief).[15] If this is true, then it would seem that our new creation would be the inverse; i.e., we would be re-created to recognize God for all God has done, and we would be properly able to trust and believe in God. How would this change the language and action of our worship?
First, we would speak eucharistically; i.e., we would be re-created as a people who give thanks to God. This is our gift to God once we recognize what God has done for us. There are those who might argue that this upsets the balance between beneficium and officium in our worship. My response would be that even when we offer something to God (officium), it must be properly understood as God’s gift to us (beneficium).
The love of God does not find, but creates that which is pleasing to it. If we are able to speak eucharistically, it is only because God has created that ability in us. God is ultimately the giver and the recipient of the gift of eucharist – we are only the means by which God gives and receives the gift. If we speak of our giving eucharist to God, it is in a secondary way – dependent on this understanding of God as both benefactor and beneficiary.
Thus, the theology of the cross teaches us to despair of our own abilities and see that it is God on whom we must wholly rely. When we have done this, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by the magnitude of all that God has done and be filled with thanksgiving for it. Yet, that we are even able to give thanks is a result of God’s re-creating of us. To be God’s new creation means, first and foremost, to be made into a eucharistic people.
There is a second facet to God’s new creation that also addresses our primary sin of idolatry. As has been noted above, when we no longer claim for ourselves the work of God as our own achievement we are given a certain clarity about the magnitude of God’s work for us. “A theologian of the cross calls the thing what it actually is” (Thesis 21). The work is, above all else, the work of the cross. It is through the cross that God has done what our noblest abilities could not, which is to save us from our sins. It is in the weakness of that execution that God shows the divine strength. It is in the folly of the cross that God shows the divine wisdom. Moreover, it is in the shame and suffering of the cross that God shows the true divine glory.
What is our response to this love that dies on the cross and re-creates us to be pleasing to God? How ought we worship such a love? “Doxology, which is the living language of faith in which praise is offered in gratitude for the abundance of God’s generous love, is the proper response to the revelation of God’s ineffable existence as self-imparting love and communion.”[16] Doxology is the partner of eucharist in the language of the church’s worship. Just as God’s love creates us to be eucharistic – giving thanks for all God has done – it also creates us to be doxological – giving praise for the glory of God’s mighty works.
One might think that this language, the language of doxology, is antithetical to a true theology of the cross. After all, if we speak of God’s glory, is that not a theology of glory? However, I would argue that we can speak a true doxology only while standing in the shadow of the cross. That is, Christian theology and worship can only truly be about the glory of God if it is about the glory of the crucified God. Modern attempts to construct a theologia crucis have focused on the suffering and weakness of the cross. Yet what are that weakness and suffering but expressions of God’s true glory and strength. The cross is the telos of doxology: that one event enacted what all doxologies have said imperfectly. Thus, through the love of the cross, we are re-created to give God the doxology of the cross.

V. Conclusion
The issue in finding the liturgy of the theology of the cross is whether we worship as unredeemed fallen humanity or as God’s redeemed new creation. Or, to put it another way, is the moment of worship before or after the moment of justification?
Perhaps the best answer can be found in Luther’s doctrine of simul iustus et peccator. Here Luther taught that we are “simultaneously justified and sinners;” we are at once God’s saints and the world’s sinners. Every moment in the life of a Christian is both the moment before and the moment after justification. As Luther said, “For [the righteousness of justification] is not instilled all at once, but it begins, makes progress, and is finally perfected at the end through death.”[17]
Thus, our worship must also be simul iustus et peccator. We worship the God who will be pro nobis as people who can do nothing for themselves and can offer nothing to God, and we respond to the God who has already given us the righteousness of the Son. The liturgy of the theology of the cross requires both. Thesis 1 of the Heidelberg Disputation is incomplete without its complement in Thesis 28.
Lutherans understand how to worship as sinful humanity, unable to offer anything to God. This is worship that focuses on the beneficium offered by God to the assembly. This type of worship will avoid language about what we can for God, and instead focuses on what God has done and is doing for us. This is the worship of our confession, and the worship that recognizes the great gifts of the sacraments.
Lutherans are have been less exposed to worship as God’s redeemed new creation. This is our worship of officium in which we give to God that which God has created in us: i.e., our eucharist and doxology. This is a gift unlike any other; in this gift God is the source, content, and recipient of the gift. Here we offer our thanksgiving and praise to God – to the God who saves through the cross – with our words and actions.
This is the crossroad of liturgy and the theology of the cross. When the assembly of those who are both sinners and saints gathers, the God of the cross is truly present. In this worship the gifts of the God who will always be for us are received, and words of doxology and eucharist are spoken in the shadow of Christ’s cross. This is the worship of a people who have nothing to offer God, but in whom God’s love has created gifts that yearn to be returned to God.

VI. Bibliography

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Use of the Means of Grace: A Statement on the Practice of Word and Sacrament. 1997.
Luther, Martin. Heidelberg Disputation in Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings, Timothy Lull, ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.
-----------. An Order of Mass and Communion (Formula Missae) in Luther’s Works, vol. 53, Jaroslav Pelikan et. al. eds. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965.
-----------. Confession Concerning Christ’s Supper in Luther’s Works, vol. 37, Jaroslav Pelikan et. al. eds. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965.
-----------. Treatise on the New Testament, that is the Mass in Luther’s Works, vol. 35, Jaroslav Pelikan et. al. eds. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965.
Lacugna, Catherine Mowry. God For Us: The Trinity & the Christian Life. San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1991.
McGrath, Alister E. Luther’s Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther’s Theological Breakthrough. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1990.
Thompson, Deanna. Crossing the Divide: Luther, Feminism, and the Cross. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004.

_____________
Notes

[1] As an example, the American Edition of Luther’s works (1957) gives 5 pages of introduction to the 95 Theses, and only 1 to the Heidelberg Disputation. Or, to cite another example, Kurt Aland’s History of Christianity (1985) lists 45 of Luther’s works in the index, but not HD.
[2] A Google search on “Theology of the Cross” brings up more than 43,000 sites.
[3] The most in depth treatment of the historical and theological development of the Heidelberg Disputation is found in Alister McGrath, Luther’s Theology of the Cross (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1995).
[4] Quod in se est was the medieval way of speaking of humanities participation in God’s grace. The understanding was that a person did “that which is within him” in order to prepare for God’s grace.
[5] This is the foundation of Luther’s rejection of the Mass as a propitiatory sacrifice (see below on the Formula Missae). Luther’s rejection of this late medieval understanding of the Mass was a rejection of any sort of atoning work in worship.
[6] Luther, An Order of Mass and Communion (LW 53).
[7] C.f., The Use of the Means of Grace (UMG), Principle 35.
[8] UMG, Principle 31.
[9] UMG, Principle 34.
[10] UMG, Principle 8.
[11] Luther, Treatise on the New Testament, (LW vol. 35) 19.
[12] Luther, Confession Concerning Christ’s Supper, (LW vol. 37), p. 368.
[13] Luther, Two Kinds of Righteousness, (LW vol. 31) p. 298.
[14] Luther, Two Kinds of Righteousness, p.299.
[15] C.f., CA 2, Large Catechism on First Commandment, Heidelberg Disputation Theses 8 & 16.
[16] Catherine Mowry Lacugna, God For Us, p. 324.
[17] Luther, Two Kinds of Righteousness, p. 299.

Seminary Emergency

2008-11-17T10:03:00.004-06:00

For quite some time, many have been saying that the nine seminaries of the ELCA are underfunded. For the last twenty years, the percentage of seminary expenses that have been covered by benevolence funds has been steadily on the decline. I just received word this morning that the current financial crisis is starting to push our educational institutions over the edge.

The Wartburg Seminary has declared exigency (thus revoking tenure) and are letting go of 3 faculty and 5 staff. Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago is up against a $1 million shortfall. In addition, the Lutheran Seminary Program of the Southwest, which is a joint extension of both schools, will be discontinuing the MDiv program there and focusing on the "Theological Education for Emerging Ministries" program.

I have a feeling that we will be hearing similar stories from the other seminaries of the ELCA in the weeks to come, this news just happened to reach me first. And I wonder, how did we get into this situation? And now that we are here, how do we get out?

There was a time - not that long ago - that seminary education was 100% funded at denominational institutions. The belief was that the persons being trained at the schools were trained for the sake of the church - and thus, the church carried the cost. Today, the average seminarian comes out of school with at least $30,000 in debt (higher if you are a first career pastor, straight out of college). The question becomes, who can afford to be a pastor? If you already have college debt, no significant savings (because you have not yet had a career), and you are looking down the barrel of another at least $30,000 in debt, how can seminary be an option?

The problem is compounded by the impending clergy shortage. Last year at the ~~draft~~ assignment process, the synods of the ELCA request 500 first call pastors for immediate placement - but there were only 265 graduates from ELCA seminaries. Our bishops are projecting that somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 pastors will retire every year for the next ten years.

So where do we go from here?

Some further thoughts and conversation posted here.

Christmas is Coming

2008-11-12T14:23:00.002-06:00

Last year, as a part of our Candlelight liturgy for Christmas Eve, I used a reading that combined John 1 and Genesis 1, rather than just the appointed reading from John. I stood at the front and read from John, while a layreader stood at the back of the sanctuary with a lapel mike and read from Genesis. It worked really well, and was an excellent way to pull together the imagery of the nativity and creation. I figure that many are beginning to plan their Christmas liturgies, so it would be a good time to share this. Here it is:

In the beginning was the Word,
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep while a spirit from God* swept over the face of the waters.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
And God saw that the light was good.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.
From the fullness of the Word made flesh we have all received grace upon grace.

The Essentials

2008-11-11T11:46:00.002-06:00

Popular Mechanics recently published their list of 25 essential skills that every man should master (BeFrisky responded with their list of 30 skills every woman should have before turning 30). And it got me thinking - what are the essential skills for a pastor?

It is tough to limit the list. So much of what we do is "essential" - or at least our congregations tell us that it is (and we tell ourselves that it is), which is part of why so many clergy burn out and are prone to overworking. So what is, truly, essential? Here are my thoughts on 8 Essential Skills for any pastor. Undoubtedly, I have left something off of this list, but here it is:

1) Make sense of the monthly and yearly financial statements of the congregation. I don't think that the pastor should have to be an accountant, but we have an obligation to know where the congregation is financially. I recently heard of a congregation where the Treasurer was producing phony bank statements to cover her "borrowing" from the congregation. As pastors, good stewardship requires that we know what is going on.

2) Write a sermon in under an hour. We should all be spending plenty of time preparing for our weekly sermons - preaching the Word is one of our foremost responsibilities. However, there are weeks and occassions when the time just won't be there. A computer crash on Saturday, a week with a funeral and a wedding, finding out on Wednesday afternoon that the guest preacher for the Lenten program won't be there. In preparation for such times, learn to write a sermon "on the fly".

3) Be present for a grieving family. The time spent with a family at the time of death can make or break a ministry. Families who feel that they have been loved and cared for in this time of need are likely to be among a pastor's best supporters - and it can restore faith to persons who have become disenchanted with the church for a variety of reasons. On the flip side, families who do not feel like they have bee cared for at this time are likely to harbor resentment, anger, and hurt for a very long time.

4) Lead a meeting. It is a balancing act - share the mission and ministry without being pushy. Provide direction to the group while also following their lead. Good meetings inspire passionate ministry and unite a congregation around a mission. Poor meetings leave everyone tired and looking for fault and problems.

5) Produce publications. In many churches (including Prairie Hill), there is a wonderful secretary or administrator who is responsible for the weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters. However, many pastors have to carry out this task largely, or even entirely, on their own. And even for those who do not have the full responsibility for these tasks, knowing your way around Publisher or PageMaker can help you to provide input and assistance.

6) Preach & Lead Worship in a Windstorm. The baby crying at the top of her lungs. The toddler playing with his toys. The coughing chorus. The distractions abound for a preacher - the question is how we will react. Will you be able to deliver that closing line of the sermon with the same passion over the tumult? Will people be able to hear you say the words of institution? The more distracted the pastor is by the various noises and interruptions, the more the congregation will be, and the less they will be able to worship.

7) Take a day off. A whole day. It is easy to just make a couple of phone calls, spend a minute at the office, etc. etc. If the pastor does not respect his or her day off, the congregation will not either. Our families and our own well being deserve that day, and God commands it.

8) Identify & recruit leaders. Good congregational ministry depends on lay leadership. A ministry in which everything depends on the pastor will fall apart when the pastor is gone. Further, there are only so many hours in a day. Good leadership is identify people with the skills and passion for ministry, and empowering them to carry out that ministry.

What are your essential skills?

Facing the Future

2008-11-04T10:17:00.002-06:00

Regardless of what happens at the polls today (and into tonight), tomorrow we will face a new reality as a nation. There will be a new person headed into the White House, new members of congress and the senate, and in places new faces in local public offices. Yet all that is not what has been occupying my mind as I think about the realities of November 5.

No, my question is what will become of a house divided? For two long years, we have been a country of competing, mutually exclusive ideologies. We have bought into the demonization of those with whom we disagree. Whether it has been the right-wingers in the pockets of big business, or the left-wingers in cahoots with socialists and terrorist, we have accepted the worst generalizations and caricatures of "those people."

So what will we do on November 5? Will we continue on the same path?

I believe that, no matter who takes the polls today, tomorrow we need to come together. Tomorrow, we need to remember that the people with whom we have disagreed are also our brothers and sisters. A country that remains as divide as we have been is in for real trouble.

November 4th may be the day that decides the leadership of our country. But November 5th will be the day that decides the real future of our nation.

Puppy Power

2008-10-16T15:46:00.002-05:00

It occurs to me that I have not introduced the newest resident at the Parsonage. Lucy is a Beagle-Corgie, who was given to us by a parishioner whose dog had a litter earlier this summer. She arrived at the parsonage in August, and has made herself quite comfortable. Naturally, the parsonage cats are not happy about this latest development in our little family, but our daughter loves her. In fact, it did not take long before Layla figured out how to open Lucy's kennel - and that is how Layla became the "Great Liberator."

I must have blinked

2008-10-14T10:19:00.004-05:00

Because somehow this:

has turned into this:

Reflections on Galveston Workday

2008-10-13T10:12:00.002-05:00

Last week, I and members of St John joined in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod "10-4" workday on Galveston Island. It was a difficult, rewarding, and humbling experience.

Let me begin by saying that never before have I been so proud to be a Lutheran, to be a part of the ELCA, or to be a part of a congregation. The response to this great need was awe-inspiring. In just 1 week, almost 400 Lutherans from more than 40 congregations responded to Bishop Mike's call, and congregated on Galveston Island to help out. In our own congregation, I was joined by five other members. Our rural congregation raised over $2,000 for Hurricane relief in just one week. This is most certainly what it means to be the church, and what Bishop Mark Hanson means when he talks about "God's work - our hands."

We were assigned to work at a private residence on 53rd Street. The water had risen to about 6 feet in the garage, about 4 feet in the house itself. In addition, the sewer system in the neighborhood had backed up into all the homes. On the street - and especially inside the homes - the smell of rot, mildew, mold, and raw sewage was simply overwhelming. Our task for the day: to clear the home. There was no sorting involved. The owner simply did not have the mental and emotional strength to sort through all the water-logged possessions to find the 5% or so that might be salvageable. He had been working at it for about 10 days already, and had gotten out (with help from other volunteers) the large furniture and the appliances.

And so began the steady stream of wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of water-logged possessions carted out to the curb. Some of it was ordinary - old newspapers, pots, and pans. Some of it was expensive - multiple computers, stereo equipment, and antiques. And, most heartbreaking of all, much of it was irreplaceable - photoalbums, artwork, mementos passed from one generation to another. Yet, piled up the length of the lot, about five feet high and five feet wide by the end of the day, it was all equal - all of it was taken away by the bobcat and the dozer that loaded it into one of the industrial size dumpsters on the street.

Another team, from another organization, worked alongside us much of the day. As we cleared out possessions, they began gutting the house. By the time we left at 4:00, most of the house was stripped down to the studs. And even then, with all the drywall, carpet, and ceiling tile gone, you could still see the damage. Even on the studs, you could find the water line that marked the high-water mark of the flooding. The sub-flooring was warped and molded. The kitchen linoleum continued to be covered in post-storm brown muck.

That was our day. What we did was so greatly appreciated by the homeowner, and we really did accomplish a lot. And yet, in the face of it all, it feels like we did very little - like we should be doing more - like there is more to do than anyone could accomplish. But we made a start.

Just around the corner

2008-10-02T10:23:00.002-05:00

The week seems much quieter than normal. Today, at 4:00, I officially begin my vacation. Yes, I am going to Galveston on Saturday, and there has been some prep work for that. Yes, we have had to do two weeks of bulletins, and that's been a little crazy. But there is no sermon to preach this Sunday. It is amazing the difference that makes.

Interestingly, out of habit or discipline, I still met with my lectionary study group on Tuesday. So, I have some pretty good ideas for a Sunday sermon - as well as for next week. Oh well.

Even as I sit at my desk wrapping up the week's busy work, I can feel my blood pressure lowering.

It's not about politics - it's about prayer

2008-09-30T09:25:00.003-05:00

We have a few on-going concerns that remain in our congregational prayers from week to week. Every week, we pray for wedding anniversaries and baptismal anniversaries. Every week, we pray for those with special needs in our congregation. Recently, we have consistantly been praying for those affected by Ike and Gustav.

This Sunday, you will notice a new petition in our prayers. We will be praying for both presidential candidates by name, as well as asking for discernment for the American voters. Some of you may be uncomfortable praying by name for a candidate whom you oppose. However, prayer is not a political decision. Whomever we support, both men are candidates for the highest office in our land, and both of them need our prayers.

I would ask you to put aside your political affiliations, and recall the admonitions to prayers throughout the New Testament; from Jesus, Paul, and John. In the end, our prayers and who we pray for are not about who we may or may not vote for - it is rather about God's call to pray for the whole world, especially those in leadership.

Living our Faith

2008-09-29T10:03:00.004-05:00

Dear Family of St John,

On Saturday, October 4, we commemorate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis, whose life of radical poverty and service is an example to Christians of every generation, is the source of one of my all time favorite quotes:
"Proclaim the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."

It is fitting then, that on the day of the commemoration of Francis, we seek to serve our neighbor and to proclaim the Gospel through our actions - in short, that we take a day to stop talking about our faith, and instead live it.

I invite the members of the family of St John to join me in responding to our Bishop's call for a work day in Galveston. I have not yet heard from other area congregations, but I know that at least a few others in Brenham are also sending teams. I know that it is important for folks to have details in order to begin making plans, so I have gone ahead and made some.

We will be gathering in the parking lot of St John between 6:30 and 7:00 am. We will be pulling out at 7:00, to head to Zion Lutheran Church (6910 Yucca Dr, Galveston), where we will meet up with the rest of the volunteers around the synod. We won't know until we get there whether we will be working in congregations or in homes. By Wednesday I will have a list of supplies that we should bring, and perhaps we will divide the list up among those who are going. The day will end at 4:00 pm, and we will head back to Brenham then.

It would be helpful if you could contact the church office, or email me, to let us know that you are coming – that way we know who to look for on Saturday morning, and we don’t leave anyone behind. However, it is not absolutely necessary – if it is a choice between not coming because you didn’t let us know ahead of time, or just showing up on Saturday, of course we would rather have you join us!

I know that many of you are unable to help this Saturday. Many of our members are on a trip this weekend, and others are physically unable to do the sort of work that this entails. Please remember that recovery takes not only volunteers, but also money. Checks with the memo line "Hurricane Ike" (made out to St John), will be sent directly to our synod's hurricane relief efforts.

Of course, the most important element in this recovery effort is prayer. As the level of news coverage drops off, it is easy to also let those who suffered during this Hurricane Season slip out of our awareness. We were spared here in Brenham, and this hurricane was not as bad as predicated. But others were not spared. And will continue to need our prayers in the weeks, months, and years to come. Pray without ceasing.

God's Blessings,
Pastor David Hansen

From Bishop Rinehart

2008-09-28T05:32:00.002-05:00

The latest update from the Galveston area, from the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod Bishop, Mike Rinehart. Definitely worth reading.

Beloved Gulf Coast Leaders,

Today Don, Herb, Peggy, Pastor Doug Guthier, Pastor Sharon Burns, Carol Flores (LSS) and I got on the Island for the first time. It was an emotionally exhausting day. I need your help in responding so please read through this. If you are swamped for time skip to I’m calling for a Houston Lutheran Workday at the bottom. When you’re done, just say “10/4 to 10/4.”

Zion Lutheran sustained 3’ water. Pews everywhere. Organ on its face. Baptismal font floated out the door, down the hall to the other side of the building. Hymnals ruined. No work has been done. Same damage in the whole neighborhood. We walked around visiting with people going through their houses, trying to figure out where to start. Very emotional. People could be helping them right now.

St. Paul’s Lutheran had 1’ of water. Pews damaged and molding at the base, but could be salvaged if work done soon. Small congregation, many still evacuated. A little work done, not much.

First Lutheran had 5’ water in the Parish Hall. Steinway was on it’s back. 6” in the new (1958) sanctuary. Water in the basement of the old sanctuary (1880’s, but raised after the 1900 storm). It’s a bit higher than the new sanctuary. 4’ water in the offices. All electronics and furniture ruined. The building had been mucked out and dried out. Repair crews on site, and work well underway superheating and drying out the space and beginning repairs.

Carlos Peña’s business had 7’ of water. Total loss. We were deeply touched watching him with his wife Diane and his staff haul off and muck out an insurmountable trash heap that was his inventory warehouse. Unbelievably overwhelming. Carlos is the VP of the ELCA and a member of First Galveston. His business is one block from First. He’s been doing this eleven days and only seems half done.

Doug – After all this we went to Doug’s house and debriefed it all. He has power. He and his wife Marylee (and dachshund Marlana Diettrich) showed us great hospitality, even in the midst of their own crisis.

WORKDAY – What became obvious as we processed things is that these folks need help. First is well ahead of the curve, but Zion and St. Paul have hardly been touched. Stuff needs to be hauled out of these churches and thrown away. Cleaning needs to start. The neighborhood around Zion had 4-6’ flooding. Today we felt guilty not helping. Today we could have shown up at houses and helped out without any advanced notice. After the flood of ’93 in Iowa we would just show up at people’s homes and businesses and say, “Can we help?” and people would just cry. After they would say, “I didn’t know how I would get through all of this this week, and you just showed up and got through it in a day.”

So we need to get out there. It’s time to show the strength and spirit of the Gulf Coast Lutheran community.

I’m calling for a Houston Lutheran Workday on Saturday, October 4, 10am-4pm. Gather a group of any size from your congregation, suit up with rubber gloves and paint masks, pack a lunch and prepare to make a huge difference in someone’s life. We’ll meet at Zion for devotions then be sent out like the seventy. Or the seventy times seven. Some will work at the churches, others in homes. A couple of congregations have already committed to this, so we will have a crowd.

Would you be willing to put the word out to your congregation this Sunday, and to tap the right volunteers to do organize a team or two to come?

I understand that not every congregation has the capacity to mobilize volunteers for a job like this. It’s okay. If your folks are aged or unable to participate for any reason, there are other ways to help. Take an offering. Recovery takes money. If your folks can’t work but have deep pockets, they are needed. Mark your checks “10/4.” Can’t muck? Give a buck!

Those of you on the Eastern side of the synod want to help I know. You already have. We have felt your prayers, concerns and the financial gifts borne out of your own suffering three years ago. You are of course welcome to come. But we are not ready to house volunteers overnight yet. We’re working on it for the long term recovery stage, but right now we are just beginning the short term recovery stage. Come if you feel led, make your arrangements, but also remember the folks in Baton Rouge, Cameron Parish and Bridge City, Texas (where people suffered a similar fate).

So, recruit your team. More information to follow.

Just say 10/4 to 10/4 from 10 to 4!

שלמ

Mike Rinehart

Michael Rinehart, bishop
The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
12707 I-45 North Frwy, Suite 580
Houston, TX 77060-1239

Abandoning the "New"

2008-09-18T12:39:00.002-05:00

There is a lot of talk out there about new ways of being the church, new ways of pastoring in the church, and new models for the Christian life. There are all sorts of new ways of doing church work out there - the options abound. But they share something in common: they all start from the premise that the way we have been pastoring for the last 20 (or 30 or 40) years will not work in today's world. It does not speak to the younger generations (35 and under), it does not speak to the reality of today's world (intensified communications, shifting values, etc), and it does not meet the real needs of the world.

I am interested. I follow the latest papers, articles, and books. I agree that some things need to change. But I am also very, very cautious. I am not concerned about the theology - the work that I have read from this side of the church has been theologically articulate and sound. I am not concerned about the motivations - I believe that those working for change in the church and the pastorate really do have the best interests of the Body of Christ in mind.

I am concerned that there is a sort of infatuation with the "new," a tendency to re-invent the wheel just for the sake of being "fresh." And, while this works in some settings and contexts, I am not convinced that it is the universal "fix" that it is often presented as.

A story.
During my internship, I had a supervisor who is about my Dad's age. The two of them came out of the same seminary, about five years apart. They had many things in common - stories about professors and classmates, experiences in rural Minnesota.

But I had some questions about methodology (the details don't really matter). My supervisor carried out his ministry in a few areas in ways that seemed counter-intuitive to me, ways that did not match what I had learned from my father (with whom I did my field education). More to the point, my supervisor's methods did not seem to work effectively.

And so I asked Dad, "Why the difference? You both attended the same seminary, around the same time. Why is your approach so different?"
"Oh," he replied, "I didn't learn that in seminary, I learned it from watching my Dad."

Perhaps the question is not what is wrong with the "traditional" way of being a pastor, as it is "what have we changed that is not working - what is the model that we need to return to?"

For me, much of the particulars about the way I minister have been "handed on" from Grandpa, to Dad, to me - not learned in seminary. Perhaps later I might post about some of the values that shape me in this methodology, but for now I am considering that maybe it is time to abandon the "new."

Putting together the Pieces

2008-09-16T12:30:00.003-05:00

The major networks continue to carry 24-7 coverage of the Ike clean-up efforts (they are all out of Houston). Of course, the focus is on the biggest piles of rubble and the longest gas lines (it makes the best news), but there have also been stories of compassion and generosity coming out of the Gulf Coast. One that stands out: a home healthcare company in Houston whose caregivers all left their own families and went to their clients homes on Friday - they have yet to leave.

Word is slowly coming in about ELCA congregations and how the storm has affected them. All ELCA pastors on Galveston Island evacuated, and are not able to get back to their homes yet. A few churches have severe damage - Faith in Dickinson has a tree in the sanctuary, Grace in Conroe had a number of windows blow out, St Mark in Bridge City had 4 feet of water in the building. I'm sure there are more. Groups of volunteers are already organizing in Brenham and New Orleans to go and help in whatever ways that they can in Southeast Texas. Word from the Synod Office is that ELCA Vice President Carlos Pena, a resident of Galveston, expects their family home to be ok, but his business is probably a loss.

Of course, much of the focus remains on the Houston - Galveston area (at least in the coverage I am seeing). Very little is said about Southeast Texas or Western Louisiana. These regions were hit hard by Ike, by Gustav, and by Eduard, and of course by Katrina and by Rita, yet they do not seem to get the sort of "air-time" as places like Houston and New Orleans. Some of the word coming from there: one small town entirely lost their sewage plant - and has no wind insurance, power could be out until as late as October 6 in some communities, at least 20,000 head of cattle are wandering out of pasture, and thousands have probably died since the storm at an untold cost to the farming and ranching industry.

Ike: The Aftermath

2008-09-15T11:58:00.006-05:00

Here in Brenham, recovering from Ike means cleaning up our front lawns. There are still a few homes (from what I have heard) without power - some who lost power a second time in the thunderstorms that blew through early Sunday morning. Otherwise, things are mostly back to normal.

Other places have not been so lucky. The images and stories coming out of the Galveston / south Houston area have been overwhelming. (Those of you tracking events from elsewhere, the website for the Houston Chronicle has pretty good coverage of the Galveston/Houston area, coverage of southeast Texas can be found here and here.). Recovery will be long, slow, and expensive.

The synod offices of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod (normally off of I-45 on the north side of Houston) are relocating temporarily to Brenham, where volunteers at St Paul's Lutheran Church have offered to answer the phones - although I expect that most of the staff is on the road; either caring for their own families, or for the congregations of the Synod.

Family in southeast Texas remains without power for the forseeable future. Of course, once in recovery mode, it is easy to find yourself with a different set of priorities. Checking in with one person in hard-hit area, they told me that they were just glad that water was back: "Well, the power's still out and we don't have air conditioning - but at least the toilet works!"

On the good news front - among the traffic heading back east yesterday, a saw a couple of caravans of bucket-trucks and other electrical equipment.

Blogging Ike: an enforced sabbath

2008-09-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

The winds are letting up some here - reported now to be sustained at 20 mph and gusting to 28 from the WSW. Rain continues: our raine gauge shows 2.5 inches, but I am guessing that the amount of sideways rain has made it a little inaccurate.

We are enjoying a quiet day without power. Instead of a party, we are just relaxing today. It has remained pretty cool out, so the lack of AC is not really a problem.

Initial reports from the Gulf - especially Galveston - are overwhelming. Continue to pray as the light of day reveals just how much damage was done.

blogging ike: morning in Brenham

2008-09-13T07:32:00.001-05:00

We kept power through the night, although there continued to be a brown-out. Power went out for real about 6:00 am. Last night there was a message on the power company's line that they are not sending out teams for any outages until the storm is past.

The wind continue to gust around 35 or 40 mph - a pretty stiff wind, but nowhere near as bad as other folks have been getting from this storm. It appears that we got about an inch, maybe a bit more, of rain last night. There are some sizeable branches down around the church and parsonage, but our trees all made it through the night, and there is no damage (from what I can see).

Thanks for the prayers!

***update to the update: the rain just picked up here, and it is raining pretty hard now

relief

2008-09-13T01:41:00.000-05:00

AC is back, although power doesn't seem to be at 100%. Still dry here, although the radar shows rain in town (in Brenham). The wind out here has turned cool though, usually a good sign that rain is near.

Blogging Ike: update 3

2008-09-13T00:39:00.000-05:00

As of 12:30, we have a brown-out. We still have power, but not enough to get floresent lights or the AC working.

Blogging Ike: Update 2

2008-09-12T21:02:00.002-05:00

9:00 pm, Friday.

The wind has really started to pick up here at Prairie Hill. Winds are sustained just over 20 mph, and are gusting around 35. Those in the area say that if there is a breexe in Washington County, we will get it at Prairie Hill - I think it is also happening that our winds tonight are just a touch heavier than those reported for Brenham. We don't have any rain yet, and don't expect any until after 1:00 am.

Right now I feel pretty good about how we will weather the storm. I am, however, more worried about our friends, neighbors, and family along the Gulf Coast. Although the winds have been a little less than anticipated, the storm surge has been worse than was expected. Certainly my prayers tonight are with those suffering from the flooding.

Blogging Ike: Update 1

2008-09-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

I have always been one who flew by the seat of my pants - but having a family, a home, and a congregation to care for has certainly changed that. I am now a firm believer that it is better to be over-prepared.

I have just finished the last preparations around the parsonage: everything moved out of the back yard, extra water on hands, flashlights and lights at hand. Justa few things left to do at the church this afternoon.

Around 11:00, pretty heavy low-level clouds rolled into Brenham, and they have been in place ever since. The winds are continuing out of the NE at only about 10 mph, but have become a more constant. Relatives in East Texas currenty have about 20 mph winds, with gusts to 40 mph. It appears that Galveston has significant flooding already - some 10 hoursbefore landfall - and I have already heard of at least one person rescued from a rooftop by a coast guard helicopter.

12 hr to Landfall

2008-09-12T10:38:00.002-05:00

It is just over 12 hours yet until the Landfall of Ike. Here in Brenham, it a beautiful day: 84 degrees, with a nice 10 mph breeze from the northeast to keep you cool. The latest projections moved just a touch to the west, but not much - it is still gunning right at Galveston. They have slowed down the projections of the wind strength a little, but have increased projections for the storm surge that will hit Galveston and the Gulf Areas. Here in Washington County, we are now under a flood watch until Sunday morning.

Later today (weather permitting) I will post some updates.

Blogging Ike

2008-09-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day in Brenham today, weather-wise. I was out early this morning, and there were already lines at every gas station in town. Grocery stores were already looking picked over by noon. By this afternoon, there was more traffic in Brenham than I have seen in the last 2 years.
The projected path has moved a little more east, looking like it might come in at Galveston Bay.

Blogging the storm

2008-09-11T13:44:00.003-05:00

Well, the storm has moved just a little east - but we are still right on the western edge of it. Last supplies picked up from town, this afternoon it's time to clean out the rain gutters on the parsonage.
Party - cancelled.
Family - plans cancelled.

Next step - planning for church the day after the storm.

Overheard at the funeral home

2008-03-27T09:46:00.002-05:00

From a five year old talking about death:

"It's ok. God has toys in heaven."

A Grundtvig Hymn

2008-03-26T20:03:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned in the past my great admiration for the hymnody of the Danish theologian and poet NFS Grundtvig. While it is a shame that we do not have a better collection of his hymns in English, it is a greater shame that we don't sing the ones that we do have more often. Here is the text of Peace to Soothe Our Bitter Woes (I believe this 1904 translation is now in public domain, as is the tune). The tune, Fred Til Bod, was composed specifically for this hymn. It is often also associated with the hymn Hallelujah! Jesus Lives! (C.B. Garve). The LBW categorized this in the "Christian Hope" secton of the hymnal (LBW #338), ELW places it in the Easter section, where it properly belongs (ELW #381). As a way to introduce a congregation to the hymn, it may also be sung to the tune Dix (Usually associated with As with Gladness Men of Old) or Toplady (Rock of Ages) - or I suppose Gethsemane (Go to Dark Gethsemane), although that tune clashes with the text some. Personally, I find it to be a beautiful hymn, and think it would make a perfect funeral hymn.

Peace, to soothe our bitter woes,
God in Christ on us bestows;
Jesus bought our peace with God
with his holy, precious blood;
peace in him for sinners found
is the gospel's joyful sound.

Peace within the church still dwells
in our welcomes and farewells;
and through God's baptismal pow'r
peace surrounds our dying hour.
Peace be with you, full and free,
now and through eternity.

A Clerical Holy Week

2008-03-26T09:42:00.002-05:00

It has been my experience that few lay people (although I have encountered some wonderful exceptions to the rule) have a good sense for what is entailed in the preparation and execution of Holy Week for clergy. So here it is.

My Holy week really began on the last Wednesday of Lent, with a visit from the synodical bishop. It was a wonderful visit, but required coordinating our lay leadership to be able to come and meet with the bishop prior to our early Lenten service, and still preparing a sermon for the late Lenten service (the bish was only there for one service). That last week of Lent continued with a funeral on Friday.

Sunday was Palm Sunday, which we made a big deal of this year. A procession, especially involving the children, a multi-part reading of the passion narrative, and different liturgies (orders of service) for each service that morning.

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are two of the most important services of the church year - they are also two of the hardest to put together liturgically. There is a balancing act between the importance of the services in the life of the church, and the reality of the low attendance on those days, and the length of the services. They are also two of the harder services to preach every year.

The rest of Friday and Saturday are usually spent at the church - fine tuning the services, helping with the arrangement of the sanctuary, etc, etc.

Sunday begins before the sun rises. We used a liturgy that I crafted which combines elements of the festival Easter Sunday service with the Easter Vigil. Again, it is a balancing act. At St John, the early Easter service is essentially thought of as a festival service, but the Vigil is too important to entirely neglect. At the late service, we pulled out all the stops, with some wonderfully uplifting music.

Again, Easter Sunday is notoriously difficult to preach. You have at least three audiences: (1) Your regular attendanders, who are looking for a conclusion to Thursday and Friday, (2) The irregulars, who come every few Sundays and are looking for somethign set in the broader context of our congregational life, and (3) the Christmas and Easter crowd and visitors, who have no context in the rest of Holy Week, or even Lent.

In total, for those ten days:
* 6 Sermons preached
* 8 different liturgies and bulletins to plan
* Helping to arrange the church
* Helping to coordinate the music with the liturgy
* The prayerful preparation to get into the right mindset for each service
* Holy Week visits to shut-ins
* Sending out my pastor's easter letter
* Planning advertising and promotion

Holy Week is, in the life of the church, the foundation of what it means for us to be the church. It is for your clergy a spiritual, emotional, and physical marathon.

At the Banquet of the Lamb

2008-03-24T21:56:00.003-05:00

As we enter into the celebration of the Great 50 Days following the resurrection of our Lord, the family of Saint John Lutheran Church lost one of our saints today. While we trust always that we will be reunited at the great wedding feast of the Lamb, and we celebrate her life and the power of the resurrection, we also mourn the empty space she occupied in our mortal lives.

Please pray for the family of Easther Schroeder - and for our family of faith - as we say our earthly good-byes.

**Services will be here at St John, Thursday at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be Wednesday, 6:00-8:00 pm at Memorial Oaks.**

The Paschal Homily

2008-03-22T11:08:00.004-05:00

What follow's is the Easter sermon of John Chrysostom. It has been called the best sermon ever preached by Christianity's greatest preacher (ca. 400 ad). For centuries it has been read as the the meditation for the Easter vigil, and indeed it continues to be preached in many Orthodox churches to this day.

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor. The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it. He destroyed Hell when He descended into it. He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he said,"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with. It was in an uproar because it is mocked. It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed. It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated. It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?O Hell, where is thy victory? Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice
!Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

The best Easter Card

2008-03-20T13:13:00.004-05:00

In Wal-Mart last night, I found the best Easter card I have ever seen.
Exterior:
(Picture of a robed preacher in the pulpit). "Today's Easter message is ..."
Interior:
"Where the hell have you been since Christmas?"

Perhaps its only funny to clergy, but it made me laugh out loud in the store.

Maundatum

2008-03-18T15:47:00.001-05:00

We all know the story of Maundy Thursday - of how Jesus washed his disciples feet as an example of service. And then there's the bit where Peter tries to refuse.

Maybe Peter just had ugly feet, and didn't want to take off his sandals.

A Palm Sunday Homily

2008-03-17T10:29:00.002-05:00

... No one can make us look on the cross. No one can force us to make the trip up Golgotha.
But there’s just one problem. If we want to stay at the party, we do so alone – Jesus has left. Jesus has left the party ...

Read the rest of my Palm Sunday reflection: "The Party & The Passion"

Sunday Trivia Answer

2008-03-17T10:02:00.005-05:00

With yesterday's celebration of Palm/Passion Sunday, the church has entered into the time known as Holy Week. It is undoubtedly the most important week in the life of the church, and has been for centuries. Yet where and when does it come from?

The celebration of Easter, the Christian pasch, is probably as old as the church itself. We have records that talk about the church's celebration of the resurrection of our Lord at least back to the 2nd century, and the controversies around the dating of Easter are some of the first controversies in the church. Yet, Easter alone does not make a Holy Week. It was the addition of Good Friday and Maundy Thursday which began what we would call Holy Week - and once they were added, they remained a central part of the Christian year ever since.

We cannot say exactly when the celebration of Holy Week began. But the first record of the celebration come from the late fourth/early fifth century. It was the Spanish nun Egeria who made a pilgrimage to around the holy place of the Mediterranean - from Mt. Sinai and Egypt, through Jerusalem, on to Galilee. And it was from Jerusalem that Egeria brought the first account of Holy Week.

With the end of persecution, Christians from all of the world began to seek out the places of their Holy Scriptures. Naturally, this meant a draw of pilgrims to the city of Jerusalem, the place where much of the Bible - both Old Testament and New - took place. Rites developed around these holy places, commemorating the events that took place there. And so it was a natural development that the church in Jerusalem began to commemorate and re-enact the last events of Jesus' life in the the places where they happened, in the week leading up to Easter.

With the Protestant Reformation, the celebrations of Holy Week became less emphasized. In many reformation churches - especially those of the Calvinist/Reformed family - the days of Holy Week were only mentioned within a normal service of Matins or Holy Communion. With the liturgical movement of the middle to late 20th century, there was a recovery in many Protestant churches of the centrality of Holy Week (especially the Vigil) and a return to the timeless liturgies that began in Jerusalem in the fourth century. You can see this shift reflected, for example, in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the 2006 Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Sunday Trivia: Holy Week Edition

2008-03-16T06:34:00.001-05:00

We enter this week into Holy Week - the most important week in the life of the church. When and where does the first record of the church's celebration of Holy Week come from? And who recorded it?

Tax Time II

2008-03-14T08:19:00.002-05:00

The entire economic stimulus plan is paying out somewhere around $150 billion. With roughly 80% (as I recall) of Americans describing themselves as Christian, that means that if every Christian would tithe their rebate, there would be around $12 billion of unexpected funds for ministry. Can you imagine?

Draft Sexuality Statement

2008-03-14T07:41:00.005-05:00

The ELCA has released the draft of a new statement on sexuality (it can be downloaded here). From what I understand, no decisions are made in this statement about the ordaination of openly gay and lesbian persons in committed relationships - rather the document tries to establish a firm foundation of common ground in our language about sexuality and love. (you can also always check and see what the secular press is saying online about the ELCA)

But that's all I know about it. I haven't read it yet. I've downloaded it, so I have it for when I am ready to read it. But right now, I have the much more important work of Holy Week to attend to. Once I am through Easter, I will give a once over - until then, I am just too focused on other things; like the death and resurrection of our Lord.

Tax Time

2008-03-12T12:28:00.004-05:00

As a part of President Bush's economic stimulus plan, most Americans will be receiving a rebate come May. The estimate that I received puts the total rebate given to the members of the ELCA at $1 Billion. That's right, $1,000,000,000.

Imagine ...

What would happen if the members of the ELCA all tithed from their tax rebate checks? $100 Million dollars, committed to ministry and mission. Many of the ELCA's bishops, including our own Synodical Bishop, have pledged to do just that - to give 10% of their rebate checks to "Blessed to be a Blessing", which is the ELCA's "ministry among poor people" (MAPP).

If my math is right (and it may not be), and if the estimate I received is correct, then that means that members of this congregation - St. John Lutheran Church - will be receiving just under $100,000 from the tax rebate; which puts a tithe for our congregation at $10,000 - which is no small change for a congregation our size.

What about you?
What are your plans for the rebate check?
Maybe a down payment on a new car ... Maybe some new electronics ... maybe paying down debt ...
Do your plans include setting aside a portion of this unexpected windfall, and offering it back to God?
Do your plans include using this money to help provide for our neighbors?

Let's be honest, when it comes to stewardship, we modern Christians are not the best. On average, we give something like 3% of our income - that is, a third of what Scripture tells us God asks for us to offer in thanksgiving. And, most of the time, we do it grudgingly and half-heartedly - rather than joyfully and with hearts filled with thanks for all that God has given us.

This is our opportunity. Prior to January, none of us was planning on having this money. We were not counting on it to make ends meet this year. Before we have a chance to earmark this money for some extravagent expense that we would usually forego, let's pledge to at least offer a tithe of this money back to God.

What wonders could God work through our offering of $100,000,000?

Coming Up

2008-03-11T15:02:00.004-05:00

It's here. Holy Week. The marathon of ordained life. I'm not quite sure how we got through it before we hired a Director of Music and Worship - she has made this all go much more smoothly. On the Pastor's plate:

A congregational visit from the Bishop on Wednesday
6 sermons to prepare - including a funeral
A short visit from the in-laws over Palm Sunday weekend, and my parents arriving for an extended stay at the same time
8 separate liturgies (we are using slightly different orders of service for the two worship services on both Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday)
Finishing the remodeling of the front entrance to the church
Working around an almost finished front entrance for a funeral and Palm Sunday
Praying that the entrance is finished for Easter

It will be hectic and a little crazy. But it will also include that wonderful journey through the darkness of the tomb - which really recharges me for the rest of the year. For all of the stress and busy-ness of it all, Holy Week is an amazing time to work in the church.

At the Banquet of the Lamb

2008-03-11T14:59:00.002-05:00

As we quickly approach Holy Week, the family of Saint John Lutheran Church lost one of our saints last night. While we trust always that we will be reunited at the great wedding feast of the Lamb, and we celebrate her life and the power of the resurrection, we also mourn the empty space she occupied in our mortal lives.

Please pray for the family of Emma Steinfeld - and for our family of faith - as we say our earthly good-byes. Services for Mrs. Steinfeld are being planned for here at Saint John, on Friday, March 14, at 10:00 am. Visitation will be Thursday from 6:00-8:00 at Brenham Memorial Funeral Home.

Easter Message

2008-03-11T14:28:00.003-05:00

The following is the Easter Message from the ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. (You can read all of the Bishop's messages here).

"For you have died, your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4)

"You have died." The words resonate because this world's violence and suffering--so pervasive, so needless, so relentless--haunt every human community and life. Where death rules, hope lies entombed in endless grief.

Another death--the crucifixion of Jesus--changed everything. God is not hidden, but present through suffering, sorrow, and death. Jesus is God's resounding "yes!" to the steadfastness of God's forgiving love, embodied on a cross.

The death of Jesus shows no partiality. It was for all nations and all people--for them, for you, for me. Your life is now with Christ. In baptism you have died. Hidden with Christ, no longer entombed in grief, your life carries the promise of glory.

From that first day of resurrection onward, God has been raising up messengers of salvation, heralds of peace, and testifiers of the promised glory. You are a witness of the hope to come. Quite simply, Christ is your life, my life, our life. You have no other than this One who lives resurrected in you.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Of PKs

2008-03-10T18:19:00.003-05:00

When I tell folks that I am a PK of a PK of a PK, they usually go on to comment that it is natural that I chose this line of work. And yet, the story of those who grow up in the families of clergy is no where near that simple. Many a pastor's kid has left the church, never to return. Others stay on the outskirts of congregational life, refusing to engage in the community of church life in order to also avoid the politics of church life.

I stumbled upon a very insightful reflection on the life of a PK at philosophy over coffee - it is worth checking out.

A Eucharistic Parable

2008-03-10T13:10:00.003-05:00

Ben - who hosts one of the most theologically insightful blogs around - posted the following little parable entitled "Eucharistic tears". I think his instinct to post it without comment was right on - so here it is:

At my local parish, young children are allowed to receive the bread at
Communion. But this morning our rector was away, and the visiting priest
followed the usual Anglican procedure of giving the children a blessing instead
of bread. I didn’t really notice this until my family had returned to our pew –
when we had sat down, my three-year-old daughter burst into tears and exclaimed
loudly: “But where’s my body of Christ?”

Gonna make these dry bones walk

2008-03-10T09:23:00.003-05:00

My inspiration for the sermon for the 5th Sunday in Lent came from the song "Dry Bones" by Lost and Found - a Lutheran group who were huge when I was involved in youth ministry (maybe they still are). The central part of the refrain to that song was (as I recall it) "Gonna make these dry bones walk", a phrase that has stuck with me as Lost and Found applied it not to the bones in the valley - but to the life of every Christian.

...Then God commanded Ezekiel to preach to the bones.
Now, I know that I have said that there are Sundays when ya’ll seem dead – when you haven’t quite woken up before arriving here. But can you imagine preaching to an open-air grave? But Ezekiel did it.
And as he preached …
Bones began to clack
and click …
Sinews and muscle and veins began to connect bone to bone …
Skin covered the muscle and bone …
Yet they remained lifeless, without breath. Now, I don’t know about you, but this sounds to me more like the night of the living dead than it does the Bible – it certainly wasn’t in the children’s Bible that my parents read to me from at bedtime; if it had been, I might never have gotten to sleep.
But then it happened, God breathed on them, air entered into their lungs, and the dry bones walked. It is haunting, disturbing image. It is the stuff of horror movies and Halloween ...

Read the rest of the sermon of the St John website.

Sunday Trivia: Answer

2008-03-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well, you all assumed, that Art hit this one on the head in the first response to the question - and he was remarkably close, but just a little off. March 23rd is the second earliest calendar date possible for Easter. Easter is, as many of you know, based on the Lunar calendar (rather than the solar calendar, which is the basis for our calendar) and falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox.

Easter last fell on March 23 in 1913. The last time it fell on March 22 was 1818.

Art had correct that Easter will fall on March 23rd in 2228 - however, it will be on the 23rd one other time before then, in 2160. It will not be not fall on March 22 until 2285. (This site lists all the dates of Easter from 1700-2299).

Tip of the hat to Hal for sending me this info.

Sunday Trivia

2008-03-09T06:24:00.003-05:00

The source for today's trivia question is our congregational webmaster, Hal:

When will Easter again be as early as it is this year?

And for extra credit - when was Easter last earlier than March 23?

The worker's wages

2008-03-08T09:48:00.004-06:00

For some reason the question of clergy compensation - especially the motivation behind such compensation - has been floating in my head for the last few days (and let me say at the outset that I am quite happy with the compensation provided by my current congregation, this is just an intellectual wandering, not a complaint).

With most church budgets being occupied 50-70% by pastoral compensation, it is no shocker that the pastor's pay (and attending costs) are subject to more discussion every year than any other single element of the budget. Indeed, I would argue that the pastor's compensation is the most consistently contentious issue in church life.

Part of the reason, I think, is that we have different understandings of what should be the determinative factor when setting pastoral compensation. In fact, there is a whole list of issues that could be, are, or should be factors in determining such compensation (to name a few):

Amount of education
Amount of ordained experience
Quality of ministry
Quantity of ministry
Measurable results of ministry
Amount of experience prior to ordination
Number of additional staff supervised
Size of the congregational budget (i.e., what can we afford)
Amount paid other professionals in the area
Regional cost of living

The readers of this blog are, as I count it, pretty well split between clergy and laity. So what say you? What should be the determining factor(s)? And what, in our churches, usually is the deteremining factor(s) when it comes to pastoral salary?

Recommendation

2008-03-08T09:31:00.003-06:00

When I was in grad school and college, I did a fair amount of IT work to help pay the bills. In fact, I have done some sort of IT work or another ever since high school. That has meant that I have always ahd access to the latest software, and I sort of got spoiled by that. In particular, I always loved photoshop and prefered to use it to work with graphics on my computer. However, once I was out of the IT world, I was not about to shell out $650 dollars to put photoshop onto my personal computer.

What I have found, however, is a wonderful solution. GIMPshop is a free, open source photo editing software, developed to mimic photoshop. If you do a fair amount of photo or graphic manipulation, GIMPshop (or its predecessor, GIMP) are worth looking into. They are certainly more affordable.

Easter comes early

2008-03-07T15:33:00.003-06:00

Normally I am a bit of a liturgical stick in the mud. You should avoid celebrating Christmas during Advent and you should avoid celebrating Easter during Lent. However, when the liturgical faux pas is this cute, who can object?

Clerical troubles

2008-03-07T15:21:00.004-06:00

Laity often have a different set of expectations for clergy than they do for anyone else. Now, usually, I would make the argument that this ought not be the case - that clergy are just ordinary people with a specific job. And I do believe that to be true. However ...

Our specific job is in a position of trust, and I am indeed more disappointed when I hear about the very public and especially egregious shortcomings of a particular member of the clergy (like yesterday's story about the Lutheran pastor in North Carolina). I am not trying to say that we should be able to avoid such temptations because we are of a better moral character than the average public (which anyone who has followed the news releases about clergy in recent years knows to be untrue). I would, however, argue that the public nature of our position makes such public failings doubly hurtful.

I have no doubt that Pastor Graff was a decent pastor, and I do feel sympathy for his family. However, my prayers today go out to the community he served and those whose faith will falter because of this betrayal of trust.

And I wonder - where was any sort of accountability? It is imperative for clergy to be able to turn to a spiritual director, a counselor, or have some sort of accountable relationship to help prevent such incidents. A pastor who does not take care of his or her own spiritual health is simply unable to take care of the spiritual health of others.

Of Leo, Luther, & Benedict

2008-03-06T19:48:00.002-06:00

It seems that Pope Benedict may be reconsidering Pope Leo's condemnation of Martin Luther as a heretic. If so, it is quite a step forward from Cardinal Ratzinger's 1998 reaction to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification ... but I will believe it when it moves beyond media speculation and the words actually come with a Vatican seal attached. Read the entire story in the Times online.

(Tip of the Hat to the Reformed Catholicism blog for posting this story).

Building Work

2008-03-06T15:49:00.008-06:00

Undoubtedly, it is time to replace the photo at the header of this blog. It no longer quite reflects the state of the exterior of St John Lutheran Church. Below is the photo that the steeple shot at the header is taken from, next to it is an (almost) current picture of the church for comparison (notice the lack of dirt and grime on the right):

We have had workers at the church, in one capacity or another, almost non-stop since last summer. The most noticible improvements have been a new paint job for the entire facility, a new roof on the parish house, and replacing the ash trees out front with live oaks. Less noticible (from the front of the church) has been a renovation of the interior of the parish hall, renovation of the office bathrooms, residing the office annex portion of the building, and numerous other more minor updates.

I like to think of this building as a gift. We who worship here today received a gift from the generations before us - a beatiful place to worship the Lord and gather for fellowship. I am extremely pleased that we are caring for this gift, and thinking about what sort of worship space we want to leave for the generations that come after us.

Suffice it to say, we have been busy here at Prairie Hill. Up next: the front entrance is currently closed, as we build in new steps and a handicap ramp to to the front door.

(The church building - as rebuilt after the fire of 1912)

A Litany for Lent

2008-03-06T09:53:00.003-06:00

For our Lenten services, we are doing a series entitled "In the Footsteps of Jesus." I tend (or at least so far) to not use the prepackaged Lenten programs, in favor of creating my own. Which means that I wind up writing my own service elements that are specific to the topic forthe season. The following is a litany and an offering prayer that I wrote for this series.

OFFERTORY PRAYER
Let us pray.
Gracious God and Father,
source of all that is good. You have blessed us in this pilgrimage here on earth with more than we deserve and more than we need. Too often we cling to what you have given to us; but tonight we gather our gifts and we offer them back to you. Use our lives, our talents, our money, and our possessions to bring about the Kingdom of your Son, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LITANY OF THE FOLOWERS
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord Jesus, you were one with the all-powerful God, yet chose to be born humbly in a stable among the livestock,
We will follow you.
Throughout your ministry, you loved and served the poor and the outcasts, those who were rejected by the rest of the world.
We will follow you.
When those around you were hungry, you gave them food; when they were ill, you healed them; when they were broken and hurt, you loved them.
We will follow you.
Lord, you could have had the rich, the educated, and the powerful, but called your disciples and apostles from among ordinary people — men who labored hard, women who raised their children, disciples who knew the troubles of this life.
We will follow you.
In the end, your path led you alone friendless up a hill outside of Jerusalem, where in great love you offered your life for the sake of others.
We will follow you.
Our lives are often selfish and sinful, yet you continue to call us. You call us to live as you lived, to follow your way, to give as you gave, and to love as you loved.
We will follow.
Dear friends, the way is not easy. It will challenge us and it will try us. It will be uncomfortable and at times unpleasant. Yet it is the task to which all who bear the name “Christian” are called; it is the task to which you were called in the waters of baptism.
Are you prepared to follow the way of Christ?
AMEN!

Website updates

2008-03-05T12:07:00.003-06:00

In the time I have been away from regular blogging, our congregational webmaster has been busy. You can read some of my latest sermons (scroll down to the bottom for the latest ones), see the latest news from our new Director of Music & Worship, see what you missed by glancing at last Sunday's bulletins, and much more. Thanks to Hal for his continued hard work, which has provided us with a comprehensive and up to date web presence.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T14:43:00.000-06:00

This really is one of my favorite holidays. The fundamental goals of Thanksgiving Day are simply to enjoy with gratitude the gifts of God's creation, the gift of family, and the gift of community. What a wonderful opportunity for all of us.

This evening, the family of Saint John Lutheran will gather for our annual Thanksgiving service. Together, we will make the thanks we offer to God the first fruits of our holiday celebration. I hope that you and your family, wherever you are, will do the same.

Enjoy the holiday. Sit back with your family, feast on the bounty provided by our gracious God, and enjoy the conversation. Turn off your cell phones, don't answer your email, and just relax.

And I'll see you on Sunday morning.

Response to a Review

2007-11-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

Last week, I posted a review of the book, Jim & Casper Go to Church. Jim Henderson, one of the co-authors and the creative force behind Off the Map, was good enough to stop by and respond to the review. Here is is his response:

David,
Thanks for the thoughtful review. Barbara Tuchman, noted historian, said "in
history,contradictions are always ocurring"

No doubt, our book is a one sided subjective look at much of what outsiders view as contemporary Christianity and as such it certainly dos not represent all that is going on inside of church. Church is about a number of things (one of the reasons I resigned from pastoring btw) but the view we bring is resonating with people for a reason. It isnt so much a rant as it is a cry to those with power to reconsider the "other" and the "outsider".

Since we talk so much about this in church we thought we had a right to raise the issue. You were very fair in your review and restrained to be sure which was very kind of you.

Thank you
Jim Henderson

Sunday Trivia Answer

2007-11-20T10:08:00.000-06:00

Well, what an overwhelming response to this week's Sunday Trivia. First of all, thanks to everyone at the RevGalBlogPals for the warm welcome. In amongst the answers were greetings from old friends and people with roots just next door. Thanks to everyone for their words of welcome.

A number of people were correct that the Thanksgiving Classic usually refers to the NFL game hosted by either the Dallas Cowboys or the Detroit Lions. Dave rightly pointed out that the Lions game is much older than the Cowboys game. St. John's webmaster, Hal, was the only one to get right that the Lions game began in 1934.

When the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans moved to Detroit, new owner G. A. Richards was looking for a way to increase interest in the new team (which was overshadowed in Detroit by the Tigers). Thus, he invited the Chicago Bears (who were the World Champions in 1933) to play in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, 1934. Prior to the game, Detroit was at 10-1, and the Bears were at 11-0. Chicago squeaked out a 3-point win that day, 19-16, and a Thanksgiving day tradition was born. (picture at left is of the '34 game, copyright by the NFL archives)

It was pointed out that this year is a re-match of an old Thanksgiving rivalry, as the Lions are playing the Green Bay Packers this year. In the 1950's-1960's this was the Thanksgiving match-up, but the Turkey day line-up has varied in every other period.

We were at home watching a History channel special on Thanksgiving day, and they started talking about Turkey Day football. My wife (a native southeast Texan) was in shock. She didn't realize that the NFL played on Thanksgiving. Like many respondents to this week's trivia, she assumed that the only Thanksgiving football that mattered was college ball, in particular the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry game.

Sunday Trivia (On Monday)

2007-11-19T09:52:00.000-06:00

Well, after almost a week of an unreliable internet connection (gremlins seem to have had a hold of it), I am back for this Thanksgiving week Sunday Trivia. As we begin Thanksgiving week, we are giving thanks here for a much needed Saturday night rain (the official Prairie Hill rain gauge says we got 2.5 inches).

What is the traditional NFL game for Thanksgiving, and when did it start?

Jim & Casper Go to Church

2007-11-12T12:44:00.000-06:00

I am always interested in new and creative ways to think about how we do church. As such, the website churchrater.com appealed to me: they went to churches, and then reviewed various aspects of the service. The critiques are often not about theology or liturgy, but about how the church seemed to the unintiated. I frequented the site for a while and participated in the dialogue there.

And so, when I saw the book Jim & Casper Go to Church, I snatched it up. Jim Henderson is the driving force behind Off the Map, an organization rethinking the ideas of behind evangelism and being welcoming churches. Matt Casper is the atheist hired by Henderson to give his "outsider's view" of worship at some of the most influential churches in America.

The concept, I think is a good one. Clergy, evangelism committees, worship committees, and property committees are often all people born and raised in the church. Very rarely are we able to set aside our personal histories and look at what we do on Sunday morning with new eyes. Jim & Casper Go to Church gives us just such an opportunity. Each chapter tells of a church visit - usually in the form of the dialogue between Jim and Casper. The churches they focused on are mostly mega-churches - only one of their visits was to a mainline congregation.

I enjoyed much of the book. It was refreshing to see church in a new way. The visit to Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston in particular elicited some quite enjoyable feelings of schadenfreude for me, as Casper cut to the heart of the matter when asked by Jim how he could object to Osteen's message:

"Right you are," [said Casper], "It'd be like disliking the taste of water. It's so bland, how can it offend? By the same token, how can it inspire? ... And what does this have to do with God or Jesus, he hasn't even said Jesus' name once! ...I could have gotten the same feel-good, keep-your-chin-up message from Anne Landers."

I mean, it is something to say that an atheist thinks you don't talk about Jesus, or even Scripture.

And yet, something rubbed on me. At each church, Casper objected that there was not a strong enough call to action. The preachers did not do enough to encourage and challenge the congregations to turn their faith into action. And anything that was not explicitly pointed outward - whether the words of the preacher or the style of worship - was seen as a departure from the message of Jesus.

Ok. I get it. It's true: the Church is often too inwardly focused. We often have not done enough to care for our neighbor. Jim and Casper will get no argument from me on that point. Where I will take issue is the idea that the outward focus and the call to action is the only point of Sunday morning. Many people in this world are broken and hurting, and I will not say that it is a mistake to focusing our preaching and worship on bringing them toward wholeness and healing. More importantly, much of what is done on Sunday morning is about bringing us into deeper communion with the Triune God, filling us with the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we might be able to be more outwardly focused. But we cannot turn toward our neighbor if we have nothing to offer - we must fill ourselves up before we can turn and pour ourselves out for others. This emphasis on the call to action over against feeding the congregation is a constant in the book, and one that made it a less enjoyable read than it would otherwise have been.

One of my other favorite moments is the one visit to a mainline congregation. It seemed to be one of the favorites of Casper, and inspired some of the most interesting dialogue in the book. I only wish they would have spent more time in mainline churches, as that is where the majority of Christians find themselves on Sunday morning.

I had some problems with the book. However, overall it is a good read and worth the purchase. I particularly appreciated the ideas that were sparked by the book, and the dialogue that the book encourages. It is not a handbook or a how-to book, but it is the start of a conversation about how to make our congregations more welcoming to those outside of the flock. And in that sense, despite my disagreements, I would have to say that Jim & Casper Go to Church is a success.

Sunday Trivia Answer

2007-11-12T10:57:00.000-06:00

(The Journey of the Magi, James Tissot. Public Domain.)

There's just no fooling some people. Hal got this one right off the bat: Scripture does not tell us how many Wise Men (or Magi) came to visit the newborn Christ-child, only that they brought three gifts with them: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Lore quickly developed around these mysterious figures, one of the most persistent being that because their gifts numbered three, so too did the Magi themselves. The other persistent tradition is that the Magi arrived in Bethlehem 12 days after the birth (or two years and 12 days), thus setting the length for the litugical season of Christmas and the date of Epiphany.

The Wikipedia article on the Wise Men is really pretty exhaustive, and is worth a look. The other wonderful sources for reflections on the visitors from the east are the Christmas sermons of Martin Luther. For example:

These Magi, or Wise Men, were not kings, but learned men in the art of nature. Without doubt they dabbled also in superstition, for they allowed themselves to be guided entirely by the course of the star. They were like philosophers in Greece, or priests in Egypt, or the professors in our universities. Hidden away in their lore is something of Christ and the way of life.

Or again:

We can present our gifts in much the same way [as the Magi did]. He who gives of his goods to help the poor, to send children to school, to educate them in God's Word and other arts that we may have good ministers - he is giving to the baby Jesus.

Dealing with questions

2007-11-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

Many of the readers of this blog have either been to graduate school or are currently in graduate school. Many others have encountered this same problem in colleges. The problem: the person in class who monopolizes all of the time with their questions, usually to prove to the prof and/or classmates how very smart they are (or who makes comments because they are sure that the prof was unaware of their very important factoid).

Of course, this doesn't apply to adult education in our churches, where often I wish people would ask more questions and make more comments in order to get discussion going. But it is a welcome relief for those grad school/college settings. (Found at gospel resurgence). I proudly present the "Question & Comment Evaluation Chart" (click for larger image). Feel free to print out and discreetly place on the desk of your classmate who needs it most.

Sunday Trivia

2007-11-11T04:46:00.000-06:00

In most churches, plans are being laid for the Advent and the Christmas season. To get us all in the right state of mind for such events, I give you this week's Sunday Trivia:

According to the biblical story, how many wise men visited Jesus and what were their gifts?

Keep that brain working on this day of rest!

Do not let your hearts be troubled

2007-11-10T15:28:00.000-06:00

I do not often post my funeral sermons online, for a variety of reasons. However, the homily I preached today is a nice follow-up to some of the ideas that came up in the recent Alzheimer's series. Lillie did not have Alheimer's, but did have a physically degenerative disease for years before she died.

Do not let your hearts be troubled

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

We learn lots of things in school – how to read and write, all about world history and math. But one of the things they never teach you in school is that there is no one right way to react to news such as the Neutzler family received on Thursday.

Most people will tell you that the normal reaction to the death of a loved one is sadness, as you grieve the loss of Lillie. And, for many people, that is the right reaction. When a loved one dies suddenly, unexpectedly, we are often overcome by sadness and grief. But, let’s be honest with one another today: You have been grieving the loss of Lillie for years now.

For years you have been saddened at the loss of your mother, who could chase after you kids making sure you all stayed out of trouble. For years you have been saddened by the loss of your wife, the one who did all of that hard work in your gardens so that they would be productive and beautiful.

Parkinson’s took the mother, wife, and friend we all knew and loved away from us. She was stuck in that wheelchair for two years. She was in Bluebonnet Hills for the last 8 months.

It has been a long, hard couple of years – filled with sadness and grief. Quite frankly, I think that is more than enough sadness for one family to have to deal with without piling on more today.

Certainly there are tears today, but as I was gathered last night with Lillie’s friends and family, I couldn’t help but smile. As I sat there, I heard a room that was filled with conversation, filled with a sense of relief that Lillie’s struggle is over, filled even with laughter.

Now, there are people that will tell you that laughter is inappropriate when I loved one has died. That we should all have long faces and everyone should be able to tell by looking at as that we are grieving. But, nothing could be farther from the truth.

I remember well the first time I met Lillie. With some of our Lay visitors, I went to the Neutzler’s house over on Park street to bring Lillie communion. We talked for a while, we prayed together, and we shared in the sacrament. And, throughout it all, Lillie had a smile on her face. A big, joy-filled smile.

For years, the Neutzlers have watched while Parkinson’s took away the woman that they knew and loved. You have struggled alongside her, filled with sadness as her condition grew worse and worse.

Today, Lillie needs no chair.
Today, Lillie is smiling and laughing as she runs and dances.
For the first time in years, Lillie is her old self – happy, energetic, and whole.

That is the promise we are given in Scripture. That is the promise that was spoken to Lillie when she was baptized here in this font. That is the promise that she trusted in her whole life, and the promise that sustained her through these last years. That is what it means to talk about the resurrection to eternal life.

Today is about an end. An end of Lillie’s earthly life, standing beside us and talking to us. And that is a sad thing. But it is also the end of wheelchairs and doctors, the end of pills and medicine.
And, most importantly, today is a beginning. The beginning of a new life for Lillie, a life of joy and happiness, a life without the pain and suffering of Parkinson’s.

And I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to smile a little.

Jesus tells us that in his father’s house there are many rooms. I can’t help but think that there are also many gardens, and Lillie is – once again – enjoying being able to care for those flowers, making everything beautiful for the day that we are reunited.

Friends, I pray that today, even as we mourn, we might share in a bit of that joy that Lillie now has. That we, as she did, might live our lives trusting the promise of the Gospel, filled with the happiness and joy of the knowledge of all that Christ has done for us.

And Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” Do not let your hearts be troubled. To live with such joy would be, I think, a fitting memorial to our dear sister Lillie.

Congratulations

2007-11-10T15:13:00.001-06:00

My friend David has reached a milestone on his path toward becoming and ordained Lutheran pastor. David, who completed his approval essay early in the Fall, just completed his Approval Panel - getting through the ordeal with flying colors. (To read about how the process works, and how close to the end David is, see my description of the process). David still has to get through the grueling assignment process, which hopefully he isn't stressing about yet. So stop by and offer him your words congratulation for this step and encouragement for the rest of his journey.

At the Banquet of the Lamb

2007-11-09T11:34:00.000-06:00

The family of Saint John Lutheran Church lost one of our faithful saints yesterday. Lillie Neutzler passed into glory early Thursday morning.

We will be gathering to celebrate Lilly's life and to affirm the power of the resurrection tomorrow, Saturday November 10, at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be tonight from 6-8 at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home.

Please pray for the family of Lillie Neutzler - and for our family of faith - as we say our earthly good-byes.