What’s the last big transition you went through in life? A job change? Divorce? Birth of your child? Consolidating and moving to a smaller house? Your child’s wedding? Death of a loved one? At Trinity, we’re currently going through a pretty big transition time – Pastor Shelley has retired, and Pastor Alex has yet to start. We are living patiently and a little anxiously through a liminal space, continuing to journey on, wondering what is on the other side.
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 & Luke 17:11-19.
Jesus encounters the lepers in Luke in a liminal space – the border of Samaria and Galilee. Jesus was on His way to somewhere else, until the lepers made themselves known. After their encounter with Jesus, the lepers then also start a journey to somewhere else, and, while on their way, they are healed of their isolating disease. The healing is freely given and freely received, and the lepers can be restored to their community.
The healing story in Luke clearly mirrors our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The ten lepers did not earn their healing in any way. Out of His goodness and compassion and love for the lepers, Jesus makes them whole once more. Out of His sacrificial love and desire for reconciliation, Jesus went to the cross and was resurrected three days later, making us whole again and again.
The healing and the saving power of Jesus Christ are freely given blessings from God, blessings in abundance. The question that both Luke and Paul present to the reader is how will you respond to these blessings? Are you the one leper, who comes back to praise Jesus, who turns his blessing of healing into praise? Are you cheerfully sharing your abundant blessings for every good work through Trinity? Or are you hedging your bets, waiting to see what’s on the other side, waiting to see if you really want to share your blessings, waiting for this liminal space to end?
Jesus is with us at Trinity through this liminal space, on the border between pastors. Jesus continues to pour out blessings in abundance at Trinity, regardless of our hopes and fears during this time of transition. And God continues to challenge us to share all our blessings in abundance so we may share in every good work. How can you share your time, your gifts, and your money with Trinity so that we may glorify God, share Christ’s love, and make new disciples? Through our commitment and our giving, we may show the world the gratitude we feel for the blessings we have freely received. Through our commitment and our giving, we may continue our ministry to the least of these, even in the liminal spaces.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Mind the Gap
Someone actually won the $400 million Powerball. What would you do if you suddenly had that much money? How would your life change if all of a sudden you were very, very rich? Would you keep working? Would you be able to provide for aging parents, or have a college fund for your children? Would you buy a house, a car, a sailboat? Would you invest it into very safe stocks, leaving it to build and build, creating an inheritance for your family? Would you somehow share with strangers?
Read Paul’s words about rich people in 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and Jesus’ parable about a rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.
It is hard for most of us to read this Scripture and not feel a little guilty, to not feel a little condemned or convicted. If you’re reading this at a computer, chances are you are more like the rich man and a little less like Lazarus. How many times do we choose not to meet the eyes of someone suffering on the street or in the hospital bed? How many times do we choose to simply keep to ourselves instead of reaching out to someone on our doorstep? How many times do we choose inaction instead of faithful, transformative action?
This is a story of gaps, a gap between rich and poor, between comfort and agony, between visible and invisible, between full and hungry, between burial and being carried away by angels, between privileged and marginalized; gaps in this world, and gaps in the next world. Where are the gaps in your lives? What are you doing to overcome the gaps in this life, not the next? Are you able to see the invisible suffering going on right here in Topeka, right here at Trinity?
As Abraham alludes to in the Luke story, Jesus’ resurrection did not convince everyone then or now of the truth of God’s words. Yet because of the resurrection, we are empowered, we are bound together, we are called to work to mind that gap – to cross that chasm between east Topeka and southwest Topeka, to work on closing the gulf with ministries like Topeka JUMP.
Maybe in the end we are most like the rich man’s brothers, hearing these words of warning from Moses, the prophets, and the witness of Jesus Christ. How will you respond? Will you open up your feast? Will you see the poor through the eyes of Jesus and Abraham? As Paul writes to Timothy: “Tell the rich people to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.” May we all work to mind the gap and to gain life that is truly life.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Read Paul’s words about rich people in 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and Jesus’ parable about a rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.
It is hard for most of us to read this Scripture and not feel a little guilty, to not feel a little condemned or convicted. If you’re reading this at a computer, chances are you are more like the rich man and a little less like Lazarus. How many times do we choose not to meet the eyes of someone suffering on the street or in the hospital bed? How many times do we choose to simply keep to ourselves instead of reaching out to someone on our doorstep? How many times do we choose inaction instead of faithful, transformative action?
This is a story of gaps, a gap between rich and poor, between comfort and agony, between visible and invisible, between full and hungry, between burial and being carried away by angels, between privileged and marginalized; gaps in this world, and gaps in the next world. Where are the gaps in your lives? What are you doing to overcome the gaps in this life, not the next? Are you able to see the invisible suffering going on right here in Topeka, right here at Trinity?
As Abraham alludes to in the Luke story, Jesus’ resurrection did not convince everyone then or now of the truth of God’s words. Yet because of the resurrection, we are empowered, we are bound together, we are called to work to mind that gap – to cross that chasm between east Topeka and southwest Topeka, to work on closing the gulf with ministries like Topeka JUMP.
Maybe in the end we are most like the rich man’s brothers, hearing these words of warning from Moses, the prophets, and the witness of Jesus Christ. How will you respond? Will you open up your feast? Will you see the poor through the eyes of Jesus and Abraham? As Paul writes to Timothy: “Tell the rich people to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.” May we all work to mind the gap and to gain life that is truly life.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Friday, August 23, 2013
Be Set Free
It’s now an
all-too familiar scene: people walking down the sidewalks, sitting in their
cars or even pews - bent over. Sitting at the dinner table, in Bible study, at
work – bent over. Crippled by the hunger to be connected 24/7, the need to be needed, and the desire for
information, these modern day bent over people are in bondage to their smart
phones, their iPads/Kindles, handheld video games. When was the last time you
were set free from these technology devices – when were you set free to stand
up straight and get a new perspective?
If we’re honest, we’re all a little bent – maybe physically over our computers, or emotionally crippled from a hard relationship. We could all use a perspective shift – to see people more as God sees them, to look out beyond our own two feet. Maybe one reason we come to church on Sunday mornings is to hear God speak to us. Maybe we need this compassionate God to set us free once more from the ailment of internet addiction or crippling fear and doubt. Maybe we need to witness one more time someone else’s healing. Maybe we need to hear that God values life over rules, that God doesn’t care about cultural expectations.
 |
| by Barrie Maguire |
Read Jeremiah 1:4-10 & Luke 13:10-17.
A young boy and
a bent over woman – not usually the people we would think of as chosen by God.
Yet young Jeremiah was claimed by God to be his messenger, and Jesus called the
bent over woman close to him that she might be set free. As seems to be the
biblical case, God works outside of the rules, outside of the expectations of
society to do God’s work.
Imagine spending
18 years bent over. Add to that, you’re a woman in a time where you really are
treated like an animal, like a piece of property. Who talks to you? Who would
marry you, much less give you children? Who takes care of you? Who runs into in
the street like they never even saw you? Who gets frustrated because you’re
moving too slow? Being bent over, the scenery rarely changes on those dusty
roads. And yet one morning, bent over, you hobble to church to hear this guy
Jesus say something profound.
No one really
wants to be near you at church – you’re too different, too unclean. You can’t
see what’s going on, but you’re guessing it’s something special – there’s an
unusual hush. Suddenly your name is called out by this Jesus! And before you
know it, you have been set free and are standing up straight, getting a new perspective,
taking in hundreds of shocked faces – shocked by your healing, shocked by the
work on the Sabbath, shocked by the humiliated look on the synagogue leader’s
face. All you can do is start praising the Lord.
If we’re honest, we’re all a little bent – maybe physically over our computers, or emotionally crippled from a hard relationship. We could all use a perspective shift – to see people more as God sees them, to look out beyond our own two feet. Maybe one reason we come to church on Sunday mornings is to hear God speak to us. Maybe we need this compassionate God to set us free once more from the ailment of internet addiction or crippling fear and doubt. Maybe we need to witness one more time someone else’s healing. Maybe we need to hear that God values life over rules, that God doesn’t care about cultural expectations.
God is calling
your name, calling you for a purpose beyond being bent over. So come, be set
free that you might rejoice in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and get a
new perspective.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Friday, July 5, 2013
God Holds the High Bar: Harvest Time
It’s harvest time in Kansas again. Even with all the technological advances, harvest time is still hard work for farmers. They pour their sweat, their backs into 14+ hour long days in the warm summer weather to gather the harvest. Have you ever seen a harvest? Have you ever had to work really hard to get everything just right?
Read Galatians 6:1-6 & Luke 10:1-11,16-20.
In addition to sending out the Twelve, Jesus is now sending out seventy more disciples, to gather in the harvest. The way of life that he describes for them is not an easy road; the harvest they need to bring in requires hard work. It requires shaking off the dust, being peaceable in the face of struggles and hardship. It requires teamwork to prepare people for their encounter with Jesus, to reach the high bar of relationship that God holds.
It is important to note that those sent out are not the creators of the harvest – that’s God’s job. It is important to see that those sent out aren’t bringing Jesus to the people – that’s God’s time. Instead, they are called and equipped to prepare the way – to spread the Good News, to speak peace in the face of trouble, to be vulnerable, to trust that their eternal relationship with God will sustain them. Jesus calls the seventy and calls us to the high bar of relationship – to resting in our relationship with God and working on relationship with those in our community.
We are called to trust in God’s promise that the harvest is abundant – that people still care about God, even as churches close and the surveys say that people don’t care. We are called to trust that there is still work for us to do, to build relationships with people at school and at work and at workout classes and even in our families. We are called to rely on our relationship with God – that our faith and our peace will prepare the way for the encounter with Jesus. We don’t have to be great speakers or deep thinkers or seminary-educated in order to tell our story, in order to tell about our lives.
So reach for the high bar of relationship that God holds – the relationship with God and with people that requires not incredible strength, but incredible vulnerability. And thanks be to God for allowing us to be partners in the abundant harvest
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Read Galatians 6:1-6 & Luke 10:1-11,16-20.
In addition to sending out the Twelve, Jesus is now sending out seventy more disciples, to gather in the harvest. The way of life that he describes for them is not an easy road; the harvest they need to bring in requires hard work. It requires shaking off the dust, being peaceable in the face of struggles and hardship. It requires teamwork to prepare people for their encounter with Jesus, to reach the high bar of relationship that God holds.
It is important to note that those sent out are not the creators of the harvest – that’s God’s job. It is important to see that those sent out aren’t bringing Jesus to the people – that’s God’s time. Instead, they are called and equipped to prepare the way – to spread the Good News, to speak peace in the face of trouble, to be vulnerable, to trust that their eternal relationship with God will sustain them. Jesus calls the seventy and calls us to the high bar of relationship – to resting in our relationship with God and working on relationship with those in our community.
We are called to trust in God’s promise that the harvest is abundant – that people still care about God, even as churches close and the surveys say that people don’t care. We are called to trust that there is still work for us to do, to build relationships with people at school and at work and at workout classes and even in our families. We are called to rely on our relationship with God – that our faith and our peace will prepare the way for the encounter with Jesus. We don’t have to be great speakers or deep thinkers or seminary-educated in order to tell our story, in order to tell about our lives.
So reach for the high bar of relationship that God holds – the relationship with God and with people that requires not incredible strength, but incredible vulnerability. And thanks be to God for allowing us to be partners in the abundant harvest
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
God Holds a High Bar: Claiming Jesus' Power for Our Communities
Have you heard of the North American Grip Sport
Championships? Men (and one woman) with
freakishly strong hands gather to squeeze, lift and bend various contraptions
as they compete to become grip champion of the continent. (WSJ, 6/19/13) The Gerasene Demoniac as he’s called in Luke 8: 26-39 could become a fierce competitor in such a contest. Possessed by demons according to the story, this
man was bound and shackled by townsfolk who feared for their lives. This man could break the chains with
beyond-this-world strength.
But when Jesus frees this man of his bonds, liberating him
back into his community, the folk move from fearing the man to fearing Jesus. They respond to their fears by running Jesus
out of town. Why would Jesus’ healing
power terrorize the community? In this
tragi-comedy story, Jesus as “Demon-Buster” represents the fear of change – the
fear of upheaval – the fear of what we do not understand – the fear of the
unknown versus the ways we adapt to dysfunction and learn to live with it.
Moving beyond literal questions about demon possession and
beyond Jesus’ power to heal, a primary challenge of this story is how we can
move from working hard to
maintain stability even in the face of injustice to the challenge of seeing evil and oppression and working
as a community to dismantle systems and change institutions that oppress and chain people. It is overwhelming and often scary to
consider the changes needed in an unjust criminal justice system or inequality
in education or the extent of homelessness and poverty and mental health
challenges. We’re squarely in the middle
of a time of huge distrust in our institutions (including the church) as
exemplified in the current furor over NSA issues of privacy versus security.
How do we respond?
How do we gather together as a community to claim Jesus’ power to confront
and liberate people from the chains of injustice and oppression? I have some ideas which I’ll offer this
Sunday in my sermon at Trinity Presbyterian Church (trinitypresbyterian.net).
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
Friday, June 7, 2013
God Holds a High Bar: Pole Vaulting with Jesus
Have you ever seen a pole vault athlete leap with great speed over an
incredibly high bar? They get a good running start, plant their pole and trust
that it will stay, and then they fly through the air, reaching heights of over
19 feet! It takes a lot of practice, a lot of skill, and a lot of trust in
their pole. When all their practice and all their talents come together, a miracle
occurs as pole vault athletes can fly!
Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 & Luke 7:11-17.
Here we have two healing and resurrection stories of two widow’s sons, separated by thousands of years but both testify to the divine power of God. Elijah had met the widow at the city gate, similar to where Jesus meets the widow at Nain. Neither widow is given a name; instead they are identified by their relationship (or lack thereof) to a man – a widow. A widow in these cultures was vulnerable, as they could not own property themselves. They were dependent either on their sons or charity to provide for them. They were left on the margins of society, put in the same class as orphans.
And yet Jesus and Elijah see these widows. Jesus is moved with compassion for this widow who had not only lost her husband but also her son – moved with compassion for her lack of security. There is no great declaration of faith, there is no teaching – Jesus is simply moved with compassion for the widow, and with a touch restores not only her son but the widow as well.
Do you believe in miracles? All too often in our lives, we pray for big miracles, for people to be physically, emotionally, mentally restored to life – and we don’t get it. We bargain in our prayers, promising to be the best Christian ever if only God just healed our father/mother/children/spouse/friend. While miraculous events occur, they seem to be too rare for our preference.
But what about the smaller miracles that DO happen? Do we see them? This August, hundreds of kids will get backpacks filled with school supplies and a pancake breakfast. Those kids will really have no idea where the pencils, the glue, the dry erase markers came from. They won’t know about our VBS Mission Project or you tossing a few folders in your grocery cart. It will simply be a miracle to them, a miracle for their family.
For when Christians put our grief-broken hearts together, that is a miracle. And what we can do together with the help of Jesus are miracles. When we as a church take off running as pole vault athletes, aiming for the high bar that God holds, Jesus is our sturdy and reliable pole, the one we can rely on, the one who will help us reach that high bar. Jesus is our Lord who sees us, who knows our brokenness and loves us through it. Jesus is our Lord who empowers us together to reach the high bar that God holds – a high bar of reaching out and seeing widows, the least, the lost, those in need right here in our own city. With Jesus as our sturdy pole, imagine what miraculous height we might reach together, and how we might be transformed in that process – miracle after miracle!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 & Luke 7:11-17.
Here we have two healing and resurrection stories of two widow’s sons, separated by thousands of years but both testify to the divine power of God. Elijah had met the widow at the city gate, similar to where Jesus meets the widow at Nain. Neither widow is given a name; instead they are identified by their relationship (or lack thereof) to a man – a widow. A widow in these cultures was vulnerable, as they could not own property themselves. They were dependent either on their sons or charity to provide for them. They were left on the margins of society, put in the same class as orphans.
And yet Jesus and Elijah see these widows. Jesus is moved with compassion for this widow who had not only lost her husband but also her son – moved with compassion for her lack of security. There is no great declaration of faith, there is no teaching – Jesus is simply moved with compassion for the widow, and with a touch restores not only her son but the widow as well.
Do you believe in miracles? All too often in our lives, we pray for big miracles, for people to be physically, emotionally, mentally restored to life – and we don’t get it. We bargain in our prayers, promising to be the best Christian ever if only God just healed our father/mother/children/spouse/friend. While miraculous events occur, they seem to be too rare for our preference.
But what about the smaller miracles that DO happen? Do we see them? This August, hundreds of kids will get backpacks filled with school supplies and a pancake breakfast. Those kids will really have no idea where the pencils, the glue, the dry erase markers came from. They won’t know about our VBS Mission Project or you tossing a few folders in your grocery cart. It will simply be a miracle to them, a miracle for their family.
For when Christians put our grief-broken hearts together, that is a miracle. And what we can do together with the help of Jesus are miracles. When we as a church take off running as pole vault athletes, aiming for the high bar that God holds, Jesus is our sturdy and reliable pole, the one we can rely on, the one who will help us reach that high bar. Jesus is our Lord who sees us, who knows our brokenness and loves us through it. Jesus is our Lord who empowers us together to reach the high bar that God holds – a high bar of reaching out and seeing widows, the least, the lost, those in need right here in our own city. With Jesus as our sturdy pole, imagine what miraculous height we might reach together, and how we might be transformed in that process – miracle after miracle!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Friday, March 8, 2013
Temptations in the Desert: Entitled Children
The word “entitlement” got politicized in this last
presidential election, thanks to a covert recording of a Mitt Romney speech
about the 47%. According to Merriam-Webster, entitlement is “the belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges.”
What are you entitled to? What privileges are your right, what do you deserve?
Read Psalm 32 and Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32.
With whom do you identify? The lost son, who wanders away?
The older son, who faithfully serves and builds up resentment? The father, who
unconditionally loves the children over and over again? Many of us in the
church can all too easily identify with the older son. We faithfully show up to
worship, to Sunday School, to mission activities. We bake cookies and deliver
bread and pray. And yet God gives the same grace to everyone? Even though we
have worked so hard? It seems so…unfair.
Both the older and the younger sons share a temptation – the
temptation of entitlement. The younger son believes that he deserves his
inheritance – that he has done something in his life to earn it. Asking for his
inheritance early is the same as spitting in his Father’s face: “I wish you
were dead!” But the fact is, as the younger son, he did not deserve any
inheritance. He was entitled to nothing.
The older son also suffers from the temptation of entitlement,
believing that he deserves special celebrations for the work that he is called
to do as a son. The older son believes that he deserves the same things that
his younger brother gets – the older son falls into the temptation of
entitlement, believing that he deserves more of his Father’s love because of
his faithful work over many years.
We too fall into the temptation of entitlement, believing
that we deserve a special place in heaven, or our special pew in church,
because of our constant and faithful attendance. We too believe that we deserve
our Father’s grace and love, that we should get a gold star – unlike those people outside of our church,
unlike those people who don’t know about
Jesus’ love yet.
And yet, the Father refuses to fall into these temptation
games – He gives a constant love and a surprising love, a grace equally offered
to all who will run back into his arms. As we have talked about repentance –
turning back to God – during this season of Lent, look at this parable and see
how our Father responds to repentance. In the words of Psalm 32, "God holds nothing against you." See that God will run to you with open
arms, ready to throw a party and share all that God has with you, because you
are a beloved child of God.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Friday, March 1, 2013
Temptations in the Desert: Barren Trees
What would you do with your life if you only a year left to live? Many of us know someone these days who has had to face such a decision. What would you do - go on a long-dreamed-for vacation? Spend more time with your grandkids? Learn that foreign language, apologize to your lostlong relative, make up for time lost or wrongs done?
Read Psalm 63:1-8 and Luke 13:1-9.
The conversation with Jesus begins by talking about two different incidents that involved tragic and sudden deaths. Already the fragility of life is front and center, as well as Jesus’ firm denial that God brings punishment upon ‘worse’ sinners. Jesus issues an urgent call to repentance in the midst of the conversation – that since we never know how long we have, we need to turn back to God now.
And then comes the barren fig tree – a parable of divine grace following the call to repentance. During Jesus’ time (and today), good land was a precious commodity, not to be wasted on trees and crops that were not producing. The natural instinct is to get rid of those plants – what are they possibly good for? And yet the gardener – the one who knows the tree intimately – argues for one more year, a stay of execution for the fig tree. He covers the tree in manure, fertilizing and tending and caring for it.
How often when life throws manure on us do we feel buried and barren? How often are we tempted to just give up, that whatever we do doesn’t make a difference anyway, that we can’t ever be good enough or faithful enough or smart enough? How often do we doubt God’s ability to tend to us when we are going through barren times in the desert? How often are we tempted to see life’s fragility and instead of urgently turning around, we throw our hands in the air and say 'it doesn’t matter?'
During the desert times, we feel a pendulum swing between last week’s temptation – the temptation to control everything – and this week’s temptation – the temptation to give up when we feel powerless. But the oasis in the desert is the divine mercy that our Gardener offers us – that while the call to repentance is urgent, Jesus is not ready to give up on us barren trees just yet. Jesus knows that with continued care and second chances, we are capable of bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the vine, because He is the one in control.
Our God of second and third and fourth chances desperately wants us to bear fruit – to feed the world, for our lives to be a witness to the loving kindness of our Gardener. After this winter is over, will you bear fruit? Will you be a drink for those thirsting for knowledge of our Savior? Our God, who is our help and upholds us, is waiting patiently.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Read Psalm 63:1-8 and Luke 13:1-9.
The conversation with Jesus begins by talking about two different incidents that involved tragic and sudden deaths. Already the fragility of life is front and center, as well as Jesus’ firm denial that God brings punishment upon ‘worse’ sinners. Jesus issues an urgent call to repentance in the midst of the conversation – that since we never know how long we have, we need to turn back to God now.
And then comes the barren fig tree – a parable of divine grace following the call to repentance. During Jesus’ time (and today), good land was a precious commodity, not to be wasted on trees and crops that were not producing. The natural instinct is to get rid of those plants – what are they possibly good for? And yet the gardener – the one who knows the tree intimately – argues for one more year, a stay of execution for the fig tree. He covers the tree in manure, fertilizing and tending and caring for it.
How often when life throws manure on us do we feel buried and barren? How often are we tempted to just give up, that whatever we do doesn’t make a difference anyway, that we can’t ever be good enough or faithful enough or smart enough? How often do we doubt God’s ability to tend to us when we are going through barren times in the desert? How often are we tempted to see life’s fragility and instead of urgently turning around, we throw our hands in the air and say 'it doesn’t matter?'
 |
| A barren tree in the snow 'desert' at Heartland this week |
During the desert times, we feel a pendulum swing between last week’s temptation – the temptation to control everything – and this week’s temptation – the temptation to give up when we feel powerless. But the oasis in the desert is the divine mercy that our Gardener offers us – that while the call to repentance is urgent, Jesus is not ready to give up on us barren trees just yet. Jesus knows that with continued care and second chances, we are capable of bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the vine, because He is the one in control.
Our God of second and third and fourth chances desperately wants us to bear fruit – to feed the world, for our lives to be a witness to the loving kindness of our Gardener. After this winter is over, will you bear fruit? Will you be a drink for those thirsting for knowledge of our Savior? Our God, who is our help and upholds us, is waiting patiently.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Temptations in the Desert: Are We There Yet?
One of our fun Presbyterian energizers* includes the refrain: “Are we there yet? I gotta go! He’s touching me – she touched me first!” Anyone who has been on a long car ride with children (and some adults) are all too familiar with those phrases. “Are we there yet?” is a cry of frustration, a cry of being dependent on someone else to get us where we are going, a cry of being not in control of the situation.
Read Psalm 27 and Luke 13:31-35.
We don’t often read about the Pharisees being on Jesus’ side, yet here they are, purportedly trying to ‘help’ him by suggesting that he remove himself from Herod’s reach, to leave his work behind and to save his life. The Pharisees, probably in conversation with Herod, are trying to regain control of the people, of the situation, by removing this troublemaker Jesus – this troublemaker who lifts up the poor and the outcast, who heals the sick and talks about another kingdom.
The Pharisees fall into the temptation of the illusion of control. Instead of being strong, being courageous, and waiting on the Lord, they try to manipulate Jesus, believing they can control his actions. How often do we act as the Pharisees, desperately clawing at the illusion of control? How often are we tempted to bargain with Jesus, believing we can control or limit His presence and His actions?
Jesus, however, does not fear the Pharisees because He knows the Lord is His light and His salvation. Jesus is not swayed from the path to Jerusalem, the path to the cross, his divinely appointed mission. Jesus says ‘no’ to the temptation of the easy way out, escaping with his life intact.
Over and over again, we fall prey to the temptation that we are in control, that we can fix things on our own, that we can face our enemies without God’s help. Over and over again, we cry out “Are we there yet?”, a cry of frustration that God’s time is not our time, that waiting in the Lord requires…waiting.
But our mother hen wants to gather us all together again – Jesus does not see Jerusalem or us as past salvation. Rather than a call for judgment, Jesus calls out to Jerusalem and to us to repent, to return to the LORD our God. The Gospel of Luke over and over again shows who is welcome in the mother hen’s house – shepherds, prodigal sons, Good Samaritans, peasant girls who sing songs of salvation, you, and me. So let us run to our mother hen – let us be embraced by the wings of salvation, for the Lord is our light – whom shall we fear?
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Read Psalm 27 and Luke 13:31-35.
We don’t often read about the Pharisees being on Jesus’ side, yet here they are, purportedly trying to ‘help’ him by suggesting that he remove himself from Herod’s reach, to leave his work behind and to save his life. The Pharisees, probably in conversation with Herod, are trying to regain control of the people, of the situation, by removing this troublemaker Jesus – this troublemaker who lifts up the poor and the outcast, who heals the sick and talks about another kingdom.
The Pharisees fall into the temptation of the illusion of control. Instead of being strong, being courageous, and waiting on the Lord, they try to manipulate Jesus, believing they can control his actions. How often do we act as the Pharisees, desperately clawing at the illusion of control? How often are we tempted to bargain with Jesus, believing we can control or limit His presence and His actions?
Jesus, however, does not fear the Pharisees because He knows the Lord is His light and His salvation. Jesus is not swayed from the path to Jerusalem, the path to the cross, his divinely appointed mission. Jesus says ‘no’ to the temptation of the easy way out, escaping with his life intact.
Over and over again, we fall prey to the temptation that we are in control, that we can fix things on our own, that we can face our enemies without God’s help. Over and over again, we cry out “Are we there yet?”, a cry of frustration that God’s time is not our time, that waiting in the Lord requires…waiting.
But our mother hen wants to gather us all together again – Jesus does not see Jerusalem or us as past salvation. Rather than a call for judgment, Jesus calls out to Jerusalem and to us to repent, to return to the LORD our God. The Gospel of Luke over and over again shows who is welcome in the mother hen’s house – shepherds, prodigal sons, Good Samaritans, peasant girls who sing songs of salvation, you, and me. So let us run to our mother hen – let us be embraced by the wings of salvation, for the Lord is our light – whom shall we fear?
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
*Energizers are fun coordinated
dances set to popular music, often used to help ‘energize’ teenagers in the
mornings at camps or conferences.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Lights - Camera - Action: God as Director
"Yes, we'll gather at the river, the beautiful, the beautiful river; Gather with the saints at the river; That flows by the throne of God." (Robert Lowry, 1864) Baptisms - a sacrament in the Presbyterian church - are times when the invisible grace of God is made visible through the holy symbols of water, laying on of hands, marking foreheads with the sign of the cross, and God's Word spoken in blessing those precious ones whom God names and claims for God's own.
So Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan by his cousin, John the Baptist, should be extra special, shouldn't it? As portrayed in Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22, Jesus appears on the banks of the river among the stream of people waiting for John's words of forgiveness: "I baptize you with water." Jesus' baptism seems unremarkable - no special ritual - in Luke's gospel account: "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized..." (v 21a). It's not until AFTER the baptism, when Jesus is praying that people's attention is drawn to Jesus. For the heavens are split open and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. As if this weren't startling enough, there comes from the heavens a voice (think Charlton Heston): "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (v 22b)
Jesus is affirmed, named, and claimed by God - and he hasn't even begun his public ministry yet! The transition from John the Baptist's ministry of repentance is coming to an end (a horrific end) and Jesus is preparing to launch his ministry. His leadership as preacher/teacher/healer/rabbi/Savior/Lord begins with God's affirmation of a special relationship with God's Son.
Is God well pleased with us because we love and serve and do pleasing things - or - does God love and affirm us who are baptized into God's family? With such affirmation, how do we respond to God? On this week prior to President Obama's inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, Trinity also prepares to ordain and install new leadership. While doves may or may not descend from the heavens, the words "With you I am well pleased" should ring in our Elders and Deacons ears. May the Holy Spirit rest on their shoulders as they too prepare for the more public nature of their call to leadership and a ministry of presence.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
So Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan by his cousin, John the Baptist, should be extra special, shouldn't it? As portrayed in Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22, Jesus appears on the banks of the river among the stream of people waiting for John's words of forgiveness: "I baptize you with water." Jesus' baptism seems unremarkable - no special ritual - in Luke's gospel account: "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized..." (v 21a). It's not until AFTER the baptism, when Jesus is praying that people's attention is drawn to Jesus. For the heavens are split open and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. As if this weren't startling enough, there comes from the heavens a voice (think Charlton Heston): "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (v 22b)
Jesus is affirmed, named, and claimed by God - and he hasn't even begun his public ministry yet! The transition from John the Baptist's ministry of repentance is coming to an end (a horrific end) and Jesus is preparing to launch his ministry. His leadership as preacher/teacher/healer/rabbi/Savior/Lord begins with God's affirmation of a special relationship with God's Son.
Is God well pleased with us because we love and serve and do pleasing things - or - does God love and affirm us who are baptized into God's family? With such affirmation, how do we respond to God? On this week prior to President Obama's inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, Trinity also prepares to ordain and install new leadership. While doves may or may not descend from the heavens, the words "With you I am well pleased" should ring in our Elders and Deacons ears. May the Holy Spirit rest on their shoulders as they too prepare for the more public nature of their call to leadership and a ministry of presence.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Prepare Your Spirit
When you hear ‘spirit’ during the Advent season, what do you immediately think of? The spirits of Christmas past, present, and future? The Christmas spirit? Making spirits bright? What kind of spirits you put in your eggnog? Or maybe even the Holy Spirit and how it is moving, breathing, pushing, pulling in your life and the life of Trinity right now?
Many Christians think of Advent as a time to slow down – to catch our breath - that as the world gets busier and busier, we intentionally take time to still our hearts and prepare the way for the Lord once more. But as we prepare our spirits for the coming of the Christ child, it’s less of a “find your centering place” and more of a “Buckle your seatbelts – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Mary’s encounter with her cousin Elizabeth takes center stage in our Scripture this week. Read Micah 5:2-5a and Luke 1:39-55.
The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth, and the preacher’s wife became the prophet. The marginalized young unwed mother-to-be sang a revolutionary song, about God turning the world upside down, about a God of grace and mercy, about a good God who keeps promises. As Mary and Elizabeth’s spirits went on a rollercoaster ride between joy and worry and exultation and anxiety and fear that no one would believe them, they found solace and assurance in their relationship. They found that the Spirit came when they were together, those two women who carried the messenger and the Message. They found that it was easier to prepare their spirits for the coming uncertain days if they had community and connection.
So too is my wish for all of us at Trinity – that we can truly prepare the way of the Lord through community and connection, that our spirits are complete only when we are together, that we find joy and assurance in how the Holy Spirit moves in our own spirits. The Christ child comes again at Christmas to fully be in relationship with all of humanity – so prepare your Spirit as we start to live His story again. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Many Christians think of Advent as a time to slow down – to catch our breath - that as the world gets busier and busier, we intentionally take time to still our hearts and prepare the way for the Lord once more. But as we prepare our spirits for the coming of the Christ child, it’s less of a “find your centering place” and more of a “Buckle your seatbelts – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Mary’s encounter with her cousin Elizabeth takes center stage in our Scripture this week. Read Micah 5:2-5a and Luke 1:39-55.
The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth, and the preacher’s wife became the prophet. The marginalized young unwed mother-to-be sang a revolutionary song, about God turning the world upside down, about a God of grace and mercy, about a good God who keeps promises. As Mary and Elizabeth’s spirits went on a rollercoaster ride between joy and worry and exultation and anxiety and fear that no one would believe them, they found solace and assurance in their relationship. They found that the Spirit came when they were together, those two women who carried the messenger and the Message. They found that it was easier to prepare their spirits for the coming uncertain days if they had community and connection.
So too is my wish for all of us at Trinity – that we can truly prepare the way of the Lord through community and connection, that our spirits are complete only when we are together, that we find joy and assurance in how the Holy Spirit moves in our own spirits. The Christ child comes again at Christmas to fully be in relationship with all of humanity – so prepare your Spirit as we start to live His story again. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Why Do We Worship?
If you were to answer the question, "Why do you worship?" what would you say? If you read Isaiah 61: 10 - 62: 3, you hear prophet Isaiah, answer the question with his description of his joy in God, his appreciation for God's creation, and his gratitude for God's saving grace and God's delight in him. Isaiah says, "I sing for joy in God...[and] I can't keep my mouth shut." (61:10; 62: 1)
Psalm 148 is one long ALLELUIA! for God. For the psalmist, worship is praising God.
Luke 2: 22-40 is the story of senior citizens Simeon and Anna who have worshiped their whole lives while waiting for the birth of the babe. As each takes Jesus into his/her arms, they praise God for allowing them to live long enough to realize he is their salvation and the light of the world, who will bring God's glory to God's people.
It's all about worship. A life of faith begins and ends with worship. Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr writes, "Every day we must make a deep choice for gratitude, abundance ("there is enough"), and appreciation, which always de-centers the self and its cravings. It is the core meaning of worship. Your life is pure gift, and it must be based in an attitude of gratitude" (R. Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation daily meditation, 2011).
In our January sermon series on Worship, we begin with the question about why we worship and then explore what it means to gather together as a family to worship and why one of the earliest elements of worship is to confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and celebrate with alleluias God's grace and mercy.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
Psalm 148 is one long ALLELUIA! for God. For the psalmist, worship is praising God.
Luke 2: 22-40 is the story of senior citizens Simeon and Anna who have worshiped their whole lives while waiting for the birth of the babe. As each takes Jesus into his/her arms, they praise God for allowing them to live long enough to realize he is their salvation and the light of the world, who will bring God's glory to God's people.
It's all about worship. A life of faith begins and ends with worship. Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr writes, "Every day we must make a deep choice for gratitude, abundance ("there is enough"), and appreciation, which always de-centers the self and its cravings. It is the core meaning of worship. Your life is pure gift, and it must be based in an attitude of gratitude" (R. Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation daily meditation, 2011).
In our January sermon series on Worship, we begin with the question about why we worship and then explore what it means to gather together as a family to worship and why one of the earliest elements of worship is to confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and celebrate with alleluias God's grace and mercy.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
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