Keep awake for Christ is in our midst!
“Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep Awake!” – Mark 13: 35-37
“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.†– John 1: 14Â
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
           Did you know that the season of Advent really started before Halloween this year? I was kind of embarrassed that I missed the memo as I walked into our local mega store to see the Christmas decorations already up next to the discounted Halloween candy and costumes, as well as the posters of cheerful Pilgrims and a smiling turkey.  It was even more confusing when I went to look for any sign of the baby Jesus, the Christ child, and found only cute angels and stars, evidently advertising the coming of Santa Claus complete with laser blasters and heavy metal tattoo Barbie. Â
It is easy to get all sanctimonious and self-righteous; pointing fingers and complaining, isn’t it? But then I remember – it isn’t the responsibility of retail stores to do what we Christians are supposed to do, which is to join the angels in proclaiming the Good News, the surprising gift of the birth of the Savior, who is the Messiah, Christ the Lord. The Real Gift and Promise of Christmas is that “the Word became flesh and lived among us,†and that is not something you can buy in a store, it is a free gift given in Word, Sacrament, and the lived-out faith of Christian people. God became Incarnate; meaning, that in Christ Jesus we see the glorious union of God and humanity, full of grace and truth. The Real Gift and Surprise of Christmas has been entrusted to us, Christ Jesus, not to keep for ourselves, but for us to freely receive and then give to everyone!
And so Jesus admonishes us to “Keep Awake!” The Risen Christ is in our midst, to heal and save us, to forgive and cleanse us, to love and care for us…but are we awake and paying attention?Â
About 100 people from Casa de Oracion, Lily of the Valley, Christus Victor, as well as family, friends, and neighbors, gathered a week ago to work side by side putting 250 Thanksgiving Baskets together for families in our community. Christ was in our midst! Then individuals and families began to arrive to pick up their baskets, some with broken spirits and wounded pride, yet leaving with a smile and hope and love in the form of a card board box of food. Christ was in our midst! Two young boys hefted the heaving boxes out to a vehicle, as a grandmother cried with relief and joy, because now she would be able to feed the grandchildren she was raising all by herself. Christ was in our midst!
Yes, Christ has come, Christ is present with us, Christ will come again. So, keep awake this Thanksgiving/Advent/Christmas season, for Christ is in our midst!
Building Faith and Building Relationships – Confirmation & Peer Ministry
Lessons from Confirmation: Talking about our faith with one another
What an incredible blessing it has been to sit down with our ninth graders as they prepare for their Confirmation/Affirmation of Faith, and talk about their journey faith. We discuss what they believe about God and why they believe in Jesus Christ.  They share what some of their faith/spiritual experiences have been. They reveal some of the people who have been their faith mentors/role models from childhood to today. We also discuss how they are involved in the church, where they are using their gifts and serving the Lord, and where they hear God leading and guiding them next.
I wonder what a difference it would make if the parents and adults of our church would sit down with our youth and just listen to them talk about their faith and life?   What a difference that would make to how we understand and value our Children, Youth, and Family Ministries!Â
Peer Ministry Leadership – Faith is about relationships
(Excerpts from a letter about the new Wednesday Night Youth Group at CV) Well it has been a whirlwind fall so far, with planning and gearing up for the future of youth ministry at Christus Victor. To help and guide us through this year of transition the church council and Pastor Kent have hired a Youth Ministry consultant by the name of Lyle Griner, who comes to us with 30 years of Youth Ministry experience, and is the national trainer of Peer Ministry Leadership. The plan is to train a core group of youth and adults in Peer Ministry Leadership to equip and empower the youth to continue the Wednesday night Youth Program which will become a Peer Ministry led by the Youth (with support and guidance from adults)! Â
The new and improved Wednesday Youth Program will begin on November 2nd. The youth group runs from 8:00-9:00pm every Wednesday evening and is open to all high school students grades 9-12.
The training has been occurring on Wednesday evenings and one Saturday morning in September and October, with the youth program beginning again on Wednesday evening, November 2nd . We will be continuing our relationship with Lyle Griner as our coach and consultant to assist in teaching the youth how to be in charge of their youth group, guided by some adult volunteers, parents and other caring individuals.
We want to encourage all of our high school youth to attend and become a part of this fabulous opportunity to grow in their faith while bonding with their friends. We are also encouraging the youth to bring their friends, from school or other areas of their life. We want to make it a place where youth feel at home and  welcomed.
Faith Based Loving Relationships Take Time and Commitment
This post had been a bit of a hodge-podge, but here is the final point/take away. In all of my conversations about faith-spiritual experiences and faith role models and mentors, almost 99% of the time the kids point to their family as the place and people who have had the biggest influence in their faith (duh!)! Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, and yes, even their brothers and sisters are people of faith who have made a huge impact on their life and faith in Jesus Christ. Oh, yes, there are friends, camp counselors, Sunday school teachers, and even pastors (sort of), along the way. But it is in the family that our children and youth are shaped and impacted by the love of God in Jesus Christ.Â
So, all you parents, grandparents, aunt and uncles, and yes, brothers and sisters, my word of encouragement and challenge to you is to keep growing in your own faith in Christ Jesus! Keep living out your faith, even when you think it isn’t making a difference or an impact, your family is watching and paying attention. Stay involved or get involved in your church; serve, worship, sing, teach, count, make new friends over a cup of coffee, take a class, just get involved, stay involved and help! God is already, and will continue, to work in your life, and through you touch the lives and faith of your family and friends around you.
What I’m Learning from my son’s football coach…
I never played football as a kid. Â Two hand touch in the backyard doesn’t count, and neither does snow football during college. Â But my son wanted to try it out, and he is having to learn a lot, and fast. Â He’s learning things like : “no one is going to necessarily help you up when you get knocked down, most of the time you’ve got to pick yourself up and get back into the game.” Â During practice he gets knocked down by a kid a year older than he his. Â Not a big slam, just knocked down. Â So, he sticks his hand up for help, waiting on his back with his hand sticking up, and no one reaches down to help. Â They’re already getting ready for the next play. Â Sometimes you’ve just got to pick yourself up and get back into the game. Â He’s also learning to hate the word, “HUSTLE!” Â But, he’s learning that you’ve got to HUSTLE if you want to play the game.
I really like the coach and the assistant coaches. Â I admire them. Â Not only do they volunteer a ton of time to coach these kids and teach them football, they are teaching them so much more. Â What’s not to admire? Â This coach played in the NFL! Â He is tough, he is smart, he knows football and he can teach football! Â This is serious stuff. Â And for a non-football playing kind of guy, I respect that. Â But here’s what I respect more.
Last Saturday, I finally was able to go watch my son and cheer the team on (had to leave early, but that’s another story). Â The coach and assistant coaches are running them through some drills and plays, and then it’s time for the pre-game pep talk. Â Here’s what I heard as I listened from the sidelines:
“OK, listen up! Â What’s my job as your coach?”
“LOVE US!”
“What’s your job?”
“LOVE EACH OTHER!”
“Reject…”
“PASSIVITY!”
“Accept…”
“RESPONSIBILITY!”
“Lead…”
“COURAGEOUSLY!”
“Serve…”
“HUMBLY!”
“Seek…”
“THE HIGHER REWARD!”
I thought, my gosh, he’s teaching my son life and faith lessons! Â How awesome is that?!
They went on to play the game, only to be beaten by a team with larger, older, and more experienced players. Â The boys were dejected. Â But later that day, after I got back from the emergencies I had to attend to, my son asked me, “dad, what does it mean that you learn more from your failures than you do from winning? Â That doesn’t make any sense. Â Isn’t it all about winning?”
I’ve been thinking about these lessons from my son’s football coach, especially when it feels like I am flat on my back and I’ve got to pick myself up and get back in the game. Â I’ve been thinking about what kind of father, husband, friend, pastor and leader I have been, compared to what I want and know I should be. Â I’m realizing it is absolutely true that I’ve learned more from my failures than I have from my successes, but those are hard and painful lessons to learn about myself. Â I’m realizing I’m learning a lot from my son’s football coach, though not much about football. Â Thanks coach! Â Keep up the good work!
The Vacation Bible School Team – a glimpse of the Body of Christ at Work!
“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one Body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” (Romans 12: 4-5)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Vacation Bible School Team…
Do you know what it takes to put on a week of Vacation Bible School for 50+ kids? It takes a leader and organizer who spends months putting curriculum together, recruiting volunteers, gathering materials, planning advertising, and making sure every little detail is covered (THANK YOU STACEY)! It takes musicians and actors, and a director to keep them together. It takes cooks, servers, and people to set-up and clean-up. It takes sound and computer tech people.  It takes people with an artsy-craftsy flair. It takes people with energy and enthusiasm for games. It takes teachers and assistants working together, preparing Bible lessons, games, and activities. It takes shepherds to lead children from one activity to another, and keep them from running down the hall and out into the parking lot. It takes a group of parents, grandparents, adults, neighbors, college students, high school and middle school kids, everyone working together, doing their part to make it all work.  It takes a community of people wh0 love Jesus and love kids, to use their gifts and talents, give their time and energy, to help everyone young and old to learn and grow in their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
I encourage everyone to come and check out vacation bible school this week, even if you don’t have kids. Come to worship on Sunday, July 31 at 9:30am to get a glimpse and a taste of what God is doing in the lives of our children and adults. But most of all, I encourage you to learn the lessons of VBS, and listen to where God might be calling you to get involved, use your gifts, and be a part of what God is doing in our midst.
Church Camp = Faith Immersion
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28: 19&20
“So those who welcomed his [Peter's] message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2: 41&42
If you were to come to a Baptism at our church, you would notice that we only use a bowl to hold the water that we pour over the infant, child, youth, or adults head. We do not have a pool for full immersion, though if full immersion is an option that the individual or parents would like, we just find a pool or a lake (at Camp Wapogasset for an example). For Lutherans, it is not the amount of water that is important, but the water with God’s Word received by faith, that is most important. Baptism is a means of God’s grace, trusting in Christ’s command and promise, “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved,” (Mark 16:16). And while Baptism is only needed once, it is a life-long journey of faith, a daily dying to our old sinful self and rising to our new self, our True self in Christ, that begins in the waters of Baptism.
I had the wonderful opportunity to spend almost a whole week at Camp WAPO with our kids. For a weekend (Seeds Camp) or a whole week, children and youth, not to mention the young adult counselors and somewhat older church staff (no snickering!), are fully immersed in Christian community. They are totally surrounded by people of faith and the practices of faith, as they are learning by doing and becoming a community of faith. Then it struck me, church camp is a Faith Immersion!Â
If you’ve ever been to a church camp you know that every day there is Bible study, devotions, prayer, praise and worship, serving others, building of Christian friendships and fellowship through faith and life discussions and by simply having a lot of fun together. To riff off my friend, Rich Melheim’s ministry of the family and church being Faith Inkubators, church camp is like a faith particle accelerator! And that is an incredible gift and blessing from God! BUT…
What about we parents and adults who maybe haven’t had our own Faith Immersion for a long time, if ever?  Kids need families and church homes to continue the Baptismal faith incubation and nurture that was accelerated at camp! Once they have had their Faith Immersion, they need adult and peer Faith Inkubators at home, in the neighborhood, at school, and at church. Case in point…
Our friends invited us over for a BBQ dinner Sunday night, and it quickly became a neighborhood event as our friends neighbors wanted to know if they could come join the party and share a “little something I’m whipping up.” (The little something was marinated, grilled chicken and a herb/veggie puree to slather on good bread!). The food was laid out and the kids went first. Mind you, my kids had only just met these neighborhood friends, and soon they were singing grace together, without parental coaching! “Oh, the Lord is good to me…” These new friends had been to WAPO too! The Faith Immersion continued at a back yard BBQ with neighbors!
So, last year, I wanted to increase the number of kids going to camp, and with the financial support of folks from church we doubled the number of kids! This coming year, the goal is a family camp weekend at WAPO!  Wouldn’t it be great if our parents and adults from church get their own Faith Immersion so they can be better equipped, empowered, and inpsired (in-Spirited) to continue the Faith Inkubation at home and at church that was kick-started at camp. My challenge and hope is to have a family camp at WAPO in mid-July after the kids have their weekend or week at camp. This will be for families and adults of all ages! I would love to have our SWAT Teamers attend the week of TIM Team Training at WAPO, so they would be prepared to lead the family camp in July. The SWAT Team would be the CV Family Camp Counselors, leading Bible Studies, games, free-time activities, and the worship services (s-k-i-t, whoop whoop, s-k-i-t, whoop whoop!). I don’t know if anyone would be interested, but I think it is an idea worth working on if we are truly committed to growing up as disciples and raising up disciples of Jesus Christ. Who wants to join me on a Faith Immersion next summer?
Sent to Forgive… or not.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’â€Â  (John 20: 21-23)
When it was announced that a NAVY SEAL team had found and killed Osama bin Laden, I felt more than a bit of relief and satisfaction. There was a feeling that justice had been done on the behalf of all those innocent people he had helped kill, not just on 9/11, but in many other terrorist attacks around the world. At the same time, I was taken aback by the gleeful celebration and pronouncements of some Americans that reflected more a thirst for revenge and a need for blood, than justice. Justice or revenge, too often the difference gets blurred.
At the same time that this event was being repeated over and over again by the media, I saw a part of a documentary about the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda, and the continued difficult work of reconciliation and forgiveness there.  In 1994, in the short space of 100 days, 800,000 Rwandans were killed, mostly Tutsis, by the Hutus. Rwanda is a country that is over 90% Christian! Yet neighbor killed neighbor, and churches, instead of being sanctuaries, became sites of massacres.   Â
Before becoming too sanctimonious, we forget at our peril that our own Civil War, with over 618,000 dead, was more than all who have died in all of the other wars fought by our country from the Revolutionary War to today!Â
How hard it is to receive the peace of Christ into our own lives, let alone work for God’s Peace in the world. You and I, sisters and brothers in Christ, have been called, sent, and equipped with the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ to continue God’s ministry of reconciliation and forgiveness in the world! How hard it is to continue the work, the ministry that Jesus has sent us to do, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to forgive sins.  It is an awesome responsibility and privilege, to forgive people their sins in Jesus’ name.  What a blessing to proclaim to people seeking forgiveness, “In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven!†Â
But Jesus shows that there is another option – to not forgive sins, but to retain them, which literally means “to hold.â€Â By not forgiving, it is not only the person who committed the sins, or who is stuck in sin, that holds onto sin, it is the person who will not forgive that also holds onto the sin. This does not mean we should not expect repentance, confession, or remorse; it does however require us to look at our hidden intentions and attitudes behind our own “holding onto†sin, even if it is the sins of another. It seems that when forgiveness is withheld, and sins are held onto, there is no forgiveness for anyone.
Go, as Jesus said, forgive the sins of anyone and everyone who is held by the power of sin, or who are holding onto sin, and in the process don’t you hold onto sin either, their sin or your own. Instead, hold onto Jesus Christ and the power of forgiveness!
God Picked You for a Reason!
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.†– 1 Peter 2: 9
Dear Friends in Christ,
           The echoes of Easter still ring in our ears, “Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!â€Â This refrain, this proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection is not just for Easter, not just for those of us inside the four walls of the church; it is the Good News that through Christ, God has chosen us to tell the world!
           Perhaps you remember the dread while sitting in school, trying to hide behind the person in front of you as the teacher scanned the room for someone to pick to come up front to answer a problem on the board? Not many want to get up in front of the class alone, especially when you aren’t sure of the answer.
           The problem that is on the board in front of us all is one simple word: Sin. Its manifestations are as many and varied as there are people and situations in the world. By ourselves we could not and cannot come up with an answer or a solution. On our own, as hard as we would try, we could not and cannot fix it or explain it away.
           So God gives us the answer, the solution, the fix, and explanation: Jesus Christ the crucified and risen one! And God picks you to share the answer!
           But God does not just choose one to proclaim the answer, through Christ God chose everyone who hears and believes in the Good News, “in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.â€Â Together we proclaim and share the Good News of Easter with the people of the world, perhaps starting with our own family, friends, and neighbors.
           We can all begin with the answer that is in the Book. The Mighty Acts of God are written down for us to learn and to share with others. There is also our own story of faith, our personal experiences of the mighty acts of God. We each have our own, still unfolding, story of coming out of darkness into the light of Christ, which is part of the larger story of God’s love for the world.Â
           Let us join together to share the Good News with those who have not heard or do not yet believe and trust that Jesus is the answer!
Easter is coming
A video link (it was too big to download directly) from Luther Seminary’s “Working Preacher,” to help you think about the meaning of Easter and prepare for coming days before Easter:  Maundy Thursday, Good Friday.
Of Grief and Hope – from Lent to Easter
Sickness, dying, and death seem to be all around these past days and weeks. You can probably fill in the names and faces of those you know and love in your various circles of family and friends who suffer, who wait anxiously, and who grieve, or are preparing to grieve. These things seem to come and go in waves, but perhaps it is not coincidental that this is happening during the season of Lent, with patches of snow still clinging to the earth in contrast to bare trees and brown, lifeless, grass and plants. The cold of winter has sapped our inner reserves; we are empty, and we yearn for spring, for new life, for Resurrection.Â
C. S. Lewis wrote these words at the beginning of his book, “A Grief Observed”:
No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning…. At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in.
We are not the first, and we are not alone when we cry out to God. “My soul is cast down within me…my tears have been my food day and night. How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (from Psalm 42, 13, & 22) “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent in sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away” (Psalm 31: 9&10).
Yet in the midst of grief, of numbness and shock, of sadness and weariness, there arise many and various signs of hope and love. Signs of spring, life, and yes, the hope of the Resurrection!  To one, a profound peace is given, and anxiety is taken away. Where people thought they were alone and unloved, there are family, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers offering comfort, help, and a loving presence. To another there is release from long suffering and pain; death can be a gift. “I am at peace with God. I am ready to go home,” said with a smile of knowing and expectation derived from years of living in faith and hope.
Grieving and healing both take time. There are no short-cuts, no quick fixes. Yet as surely as the snow melts, shoots appear through the dead ground and buds on a lifeless branch, so too will our hearts be healed and our hope restored. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, the continuing mystery of His presence with us through grace, we will be able to proclaim with confidence out of our lived experience of faith, “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30: 11&12)Â
This is our life-long journey from Lent to Easter.
Confession = Telling the Truth
Why did you sing that song? What does “Little Lion Man” have to do with church or the Christian faith?
Our music group for Wednesday night Recharge sang a song from Mumford and Sons called, “Little Lion Man.” For those of you who know it, we did the “clean” version. Afterward a couple kids came up and asked about the song. They liked it, but wanted to know why we sang it. Good questions! I love our kids when they are thinking deeply, critically, and (while they may be surprised they are doing this) THEOLOGICALLY.
To give you a hint, here are the words from the chorus:Â But it was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line, I really MESSED it up this time, didn’t I my dear?
Figure it out? It’s about confession: telling the truth that we are at fault, we messed up, we are responsible for our mess!
Have you noticed any messes in your life, in our community, state, country, and world? Have you noticed that no one is taking responsibility for the messes? “Not my fault!“ And have you noticed that our leaders at every level and from every side are experts at blaming everyone else but themselves? The “boogie men” we blame for all of the messes, and the so-called solutions we heap on the backs of others, really reveals our own blind spots and our own faults.Â
So, as we enter into the season of Lent, when Christians have traditionally thought of giving things up as part of their discipline of faith and focusing on our need for Christ, I want to suggest that we try giving up blaming others for all of the messes and look at how we contribute to the mess. Then maybe, once we have told the truth about ourselves, that we are to blame, we are at fault, we have contributed to the mess, maybe then we will realize and do our part to clean up the mess; to fix, to sacrifice, to heal, to build up instead of tear down.
“If we say we have no sin, we decieve ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 8&9