The Installation Service of the Rev. Amanda Nesvold as Pastor

of Trinity Lutheran Church in Castleton

and St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in East Schodack

Isaiah 42: 5-9

Romans 12: 4-8

John 10: 7-18

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

How many of you have been in a corn maze?  They are pretty popular for orchards in the fall. Maybe you’ve been through one at Goolds Orchards.  I know there is one at Samascott’s in my neck of the woods.  They can be a lot of fun, unless you get to the center and discover that you are completely lost and can’t find your way out.

Allegories can be great tools for illustrating a point, but they can also get you in a lot of trouble when taken to the extreme, beyond their intention, like getting lost in a corn maze.  For this sermon I would like to invite us all to get lost in the allegories of the lessons Pastor Amanda has chosen with the hope (I mean, with the promise) that I will lead you out of their confusion.

 

Allegory #1:  The Suffering Servant

 

The prophet Isaiah speaks the Word of the Lord to one who has been called, chosen and anointed by God to usher in the reign of God upon the earth.  It will be effected by dramatic change, by actual reversals of all that seems commonplace and natural.  It will mean miraculously opening the eyes of the blind and victoriously unlocking the cell bars of prisoners.  It will mean changing the world with new ideas and new ways of doing things.

But you may not win a popularity contest by doing all that.  That’s OK because, as a servant of God, you are called to suffer.

So Pastor Amanda has full permission to change everything you are used to and everything that holds meaning for you because the past is past and the new day with its new ways are upon us.  She can bind the eyes of those who think they can see and open up the eyes of those who had been blind before.

And you, people of Trinity and St. Stephen’s, can place all your personal expectations upon her.  If she just does everything your way, she will single-handedly turn things around and the pews will be filled and the bank accounts full.  And if she doesn’t, then make her suffer.  Here you go; insist that she visit every member on the books during her first two weeks using a car that can only hold 15 miles worth of gas every time she fills it up.  Or surprise her with a basement full of water every time she takes a shower.

Well, I think we’ve gotten lost enough in that maze of an allegory.

 

Allegory #2:  The Gate, I mean the Good Shepherd.

 

It seems like Jesus gets confused in the middle of his own illustration.  First he says, “I am the Gate which lets sheep in for protection and out for green pastures.”  But then he changes it to “I am the Good Shepherd.”  Now I was taught to picture this as a sheepfold out in the wild when a cut out mountain, a wall of rock, may serve as one side of an enclosure and natural trees, rocks and logs serve as another and the sides meet at an opening for entering and exiting where at night the shepherd actually lies down to sleep, exposing himself to the danger of predatory animals.  The Good Shepherd is physically the gate and he lays down his life for the sheep.

So, Pastor Amanda is to give her all to the point of sacrificing her own health and well-being – because that’s what a good shepherd does and what the innocent, but clueless, sheep need.  Oh, but there’s more – she must know every one of her sheep by name and know them so well that she can meet all of their needs.  And if one of them strays from the fold, she is going to forget everything else she has to do, except of course what you still expect her to do, and successfully each time restore that lost lamb to the fold.  There will be no lost sheep in these congregations!  Oh, and not just those who belong to the fold now, but think of how many others from the hosts of unchurched sheep she will bring into the flock.  She will be all things to all sheep.  WHOA!

 

Allegory #3:  The Body of Christ

 

This is a favorite image of St. Paul’s.  The church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head of the body and when all the members of the body fulfill their function then the body moves as one in unity of purpose and mission.  Beautiful!

Each congregation is the body of Christ and the pastor is the head, so when a congregation is without a pastor, it is like a chicken with its head cut off.  No, that’s not right!  Even if it might have seemed like that at times, think of what you accomplished in only a year during the time of transition with the assistance of the Mission in Transition Team: you completed your Ministry Site Profile & self-evaluation, worship was held every Sunday, babies were baptized and the dead commended to God.

Then maybe pastor is the heart and soul of the congregation and without a pastor you’ve had no guts, no energy.  That’s not true.  Every month the Transforming Congregation team at Trinity would ask tough questions.  What more can we be doing?  How can we get more involved in community?  You accepted the risk of the filming of the movie, “Hobo Hesus.”  A person wondered how to become a deacon.  Even a handicapped building project came out from under wraps, not for division, but for action and decision.  And for many who had invested time, energy and support and for many who feared the consequences and questioned the process, it was a gut-wrenching experience.  You never lost your heart and soul.

Then maybe the pastor is the hands and feet and lips of the body.  Really?  Do you really expect Pastor Amanda to do all the work of the church now that she is here?  35 years ago when I began my first call, I was greeted by the resignation of the Sunday School superintendant and the youth group leader because they said they now they had a pastor.  Don’t do that to her!  Pastor Amanda’s arrival does not give you permission to quit, to stop functioning, as a member of the body. 

 

I think you have all followed me into the center of these allegorical mazes.  Now how do we get out?  Let’s cut a straight path out through the corn; and by “corn” I mean all my examples.

Each one of these allegories is not about the relationship of pastor and congregation.  Each one is about Jesus.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the image of Isaiah’s suffering servant.  Jesus is the one who turns the world upside down.  Jesus is the one who makes all things new.  He has turned death upside down in his resurrection, bringing life out of death.  Isaiah said, “… by his stripes we are healed.”  By Jesus’ suffering unto death on a cross we have forgiveness of our sins and freedom to live in faith and joy.  That forgiveness and freedom become the foundations upon which is forged a relationship of pastor of the flock and people of the fold.

Jesus spoke the truth (Amen, Amen) when he declared, “I am the gate.”  He is the one who sends us out with blessings and gifts to live our lives.  He is the one through whom we return for comfort, rest, and protection.  He is the one who holds the key to unlock the gates of heaven to let us pass to our eternal resurrection.  And Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows each one of us by name and knows our every need, who seeks out the lost and finds them and brings them back on his strong shoulders.  And he is the one who by the work of the Holy Spirit, touches the hearts of those rejecting or confused and adds them to the fold.

And he does that by working through you and me; through pastor and people.  We are not just dumb sheep; we are important members of the body of Christ, each with our own skill and talent, job and function; each with our responsibility to perform the task assigned; each different, but one in mission.  So many of our congregations are handicapped by the members who don’t serve, who don’t fulfill their calling, who don’t use their gifts, like a body without legs, like a mouth without lips.  But when all work together for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the church becomes a well-functioning and finely conditioned body, the very body of Christ to the world today.

In the Bible study I lead every Thursday morning, we are working our way through St. Paul’s Letter to Romans.  In the passage Pastor Amanda chose for today, Paul links action of service by the members of the body of Christ with the spiritual gifts that empower them.  In class, first I share my fairly literal translation of the Greek text and then we explore, in our sharing and discussion, the meaning of it for each of us.

 

Romans 12:4-8

For just as in one body we have many members, but all members don’t have the same practice, just so the many are one in the body of Christ, but each a member into the other.  But having charismata according to the grace given to us differing; if prophecy according to the analogue of faith, if service in serving, if a teacher in teaching, if a proclaimer in proclamation, a contributor in liberality, and aid-giver in zeal, a mercy-giver in cheerfulness.

 

Having concluded his brilliant presentation of the theology of justification by God’s grace alone, Paul now details what it means to live faithfully in the grace.  Two expectations are clear from this passage.

1.  God does not call us to perform service without first granting us the spiritual gift to fulfill such a task.  Likewise when God gifts us, we squander that gift if we fail to use it.

2.  When we use our God-given gifts we are fulfilling our particular function as a member of the body and working for the good of the unity of the body of Christ.

 

So, listen to my loose and free translation:

You know how each person has many different parts of the body, each with it’s own function and purpose, so each of us are different parts of the one body of Christ, each contributing what we are meant to be for the good of the whole.  We each have unique and important gifts to share, so let’s use them.  If your faith directs you to discernment, then speak out as a prophet.  Perhaps serving others is your gift, then be a deacon.  Perhaps teaching others is your gift, then be a Sunday School teacher.  Perhaps your gift is preaching (Amanda), then be a pastor.  Perhaps your gift is generosity, then be a  tither.  Perhaps you are passionate about justice, then be an advocate.  Perhaps you are a person of compassion, then be a mercy-giver.

 

This is kind of like a healing service today.  A part of your body has been missing for a year: the part that we call Pastor.  Now that member is restored and called to use the unique gifts and talents with which she has been blessed.  But as true as that is for the function of pastor, so it is true for each member to remain connected to the body of Christ and to use the gifts you have been given.

It’s an allegorical corn maze out there, folks, confusing and scary.  As you work together as the body of Christ, pastor and people acknowledging Christ as your head and source of unity, you will find your way out and arrive at your promised destination.

 

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  AMEN.

 

Rev. James H. Slater

October 20, 2013

Bike Ride - A Metaphor

BIKE RIDE: A METAPHOR

 

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 11, 2013

Genesis 15: 1-6

Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16

Luke 12: 32-40

 

                Well, it has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, my hometown.  Pastor Liz needed some peace and quiet, some rest and rehabilitation yesterday.  Her legs felt like jello and she was afraid that if she stayed on them any longer she would melt into a puddle of goo.  What she really wanted was to hop into a hot tub and turn up the heat and turn on the jets and soak her aching body.  But people in central Minnesota don’t take to hot tubs, and certainly not Lutheran pastors.  She knew of a couple of Norwegian bachelor farmers who had saunas, but that wouldn’t be appropriate for her to ask to use them.  So her own tub, with Epson slats and maybe a lavender bubble bath would have to do.

                She had just biked 16 miles in a 14 mile fund raising event sponsored by Karen Warnecke and Chrissy Soderberg.  They were holding a walk, run or bike event to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to fund research for a cure and assistance for those in need.  Now Pastor Liz enjoyed biking, but she wasn’t a biker, if you know what I mean.  Other participants arrived in tight, spandex short and tops with cycle machines that put her 3-speed to shame.  And Pastor Liz isn’t particularly athletic.  Oh, she likes to keep in shape.  She often walks the stairs when she visits in the hospitals in St. Cloud or Bimidji, but most of the time she spends sitting at her desk.  What she is is a bit more on the dramatic side; isn’t every Lutheran pastor?  And part of the experience of the event was a murder mystery.  Clues to the mystery were posted along the route and when all and returned they would act out their parts, decipher the clues, and attempt to figure out “who done it.”  Karen and Chrissy knew that Pastor Liz could enliven the participation so they urged her to sign up.  There was a 50 mile bike route or a 14 mile one.  Pastor Liz knew that even 14 miles would be a stretch for her.

                Runners, walkers and bikers were given directions for the course and instructions for their roles, and they were ready to go.  Pastor Liz started a little bit before everybody else because she figured she would be the slowest and everyone would be passing her.  So, starting at Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church, the course took her along back roads to the village of Millett, then around the lake and back into Lake Wobegon.  It was a beautiful, crisp Saturday morning.  The scenery was spectacular.  You can see so much more, moving as slow as she was on her bike, than she could by speeding through in her car.  She had traveled all these roads before, but had never really seen what they had to offer.  On her way into Millett, a six-point buck came out of the bushes and stood in the middle of the road, staring at her, until she got too close and then he darted back under the cover.

                She followed the directions precisely and was quite pleased with herself that she was doing so well.  By mile 13 there were still two bikers behind her.  But coming into town, she was surprised that the directions didn’t seem to take her onto the road the church was on.  Instead she turned in the opposite direction, making a big loop around town which she just assumed added the necessary miles to the course.  When she finally arrived at the church, they were all waiting and cheering for her.  She was the last to arrive!  In fact, they had even sent out a rescue vehicle to look for her.  She had made a mistake and turned left when she should have turned right and her 14 mile course became 16 miles!  That was kind of embarrassing, but all had reached their final destination safe and sound.

                And although her role in the murder mystery made her look very suspicious as the villain, she was one of only three who correctly identifying the culprit as the leader of the local Sons of Knute lodge.

                The two and a half hours on the bike gave her a chance to reflect.  Life is like a journey; it’s like a bike ride.  We all know what the goal is and what the final destination is, but we have no clue how to get there or what will happen along the way.  We may have printed directions, like the Bible itself, but that doesn’t mean we completely understand what they mean, or we make mistakes and choose to turn in the wrong direction.  Some people just take a little longer than others to get there.  And we may have instructions for the role we are supposed to play in life, but every other person’s role affects you and changes your perspective.  This bike ride was like a metaphor for life!

                Imagine Abraham, called by God to leave his home and family and travel to a new destination.  All he knew was that he was going to a place promised to him by God.  He didn’t know where it was; he didn’t know how to get there; and he had no clue what would happen along the way.  All he had was faith, trusting in a God of whom he believed would never lead him astray; and if he turned in the wrong direction, would turn him back with forgiveness, with mercy and love, and with a new direction.

                She thought about some of the twists and turns in her own life.  Who would have ever imagined that a young woman from New Jersey would wind up serving a Norwegian Lutheran congregation in central Minnesota!  Sometimes God’s plans seem to unfold with a certain degree of humor.  Or was Lake Wobegon a matter of her turning in the wrong direction?  Following a pastor who had been in the pulpit for 35 years may not have been such a smart idea.  We never really know, do we?  We only trust in faith that God will lead us in the right direction or lead us back to the right direction.

                After a good, long soak, Pastor Liz climbed out of the tub and toweled herself dry when the telephone rang.  It was Judy Engqvist, wife of the former pastor of Lake Wobegon Lutheran, now retired.  The two women had become fast friends, working together in what they called the 4Ls, League of Lutheran Ladies by the Lake, attending daughters of Norway meetings, and lunching together at the Norske Nook.

                Judy was in uncontrollable laughter at the other end of the line.  “Liz, you’ll never guess what happened to us.”  Liz asked, “Who is ‘us’ and where are you?”

                I’m in New York with my sister for a convention in Hudson, that’s Hudson, New York, not Hudson, Wisconsin.  It’s a little city right on the Hudson River.  We flew into Albany and rented a car.  The directions we were given said to take the New York State Thruway south to the Catskill exit and cross over the river on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.  Isn’t that cute?  But anyway, my sister and I were talking and laughing so much, we felt like Thelma and Louise!  The next thing we know, we’re going through some toll booths.  My sister said, “I don’t know where the heck we are!”  Although she didn’t say ‘heck.’  And I suggested that we had better get off at the next exit.  Well do you know what?  The next exit is New Jersey!  We’re in New Jersey, so I thought of you and wanted to give you a call.  I think we’re going to be late for our meeting.  I hope they forgive us, but we have had absolutely the best sister time ever.”

                Pastor Liz hung up the phone and thought, “Yes, even wrong directions can sometimes turn out for the best.”

                Jesus said to his disciples, “Have no fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  What a promise!  That’s our future destination.  That’s our final destination.  And God will see that we get there no matter how many wrong turns we make.  Have no fear; just enjoy the ride.

                Maybe that’s why the first disciples, before they were ever called Christians, were called ‘Followers of the Way,’ because life is a journey and faith is the only road map.  Jesus said, “You know the way where I am going.”  But Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?”  Jesus replied, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but by me.”

                Like Abraham who didn’t know where he was going and trusted in God; like Job who couldn’t understand why all these bad things were happening to him but still trusted in God; like wise men from the East who followed a star and trusted in God for revelation, we trust in Jesus and follow the way that he sets before us in his life, death and resurrection.

                As for Pastor Liz, she wasn’t about to go anywhere else.  Her legs, her bike, her desire had gone about as far as she was going to go for now.  But tomorrow she would continue in the journey of a new day and proclaim the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life to her flock at Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church, helping them to find the way to their final destination.

 

And that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.  AMEN.

A Warm Up Visit

A WARM UP VISIT

 

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 7, 2013

Isaiah 66: 10-14

Galatians 6: 1-16

Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20

 

                Well, it has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, my hometown.  The streets and houses all seem to be deserted.  There’s still traffic on Main Street, but no one ever stops.  It’s summer people, travelling from the twin cities to their headwaters camp in northern Minnesota.  They don’t even blink an eye when they pass through Lake Wobegon.  They think Bud’s prices for gas at the Sinclair station are way too high, but Bud has to pay a hefty price to get the gas delivered.  They’re all in too much of a hurry to stop at Bertha’s Bagel and Brew; where you can get a bagel and coffee for breakfast, a bagel and root beer for lunch, and a bagel and a Wendy’s beer for dinner.  So Bertha has threatened to move her shop to St. Cloud.  That would be just another on the long list of businesses that have either left town for greener pastures or just gone under.

                There aren’t many Lake Wobegonians left in town either.  With the Fourth of July holiday in the middle of the week, folks took the whole week off and headed for their camps along the lake where it’s just a little bit cooler than the pavement and sidewalks in town.  Yes, it does get hot in central Minnesota.  They say we have two seasons: winter, from September to May when it’s not unusual to have consecutive weeks of temperatures below 0 degrees; and road construction season, June through August, when 90 degree temperatures and 90% humidity will melt the winter fat out your pores like Minnehaha Falls.

                Clarence Bunson, out at his camp on the lake, cranked up the radio when he heard “Hot town, summer in the city,” thinking John Sebastian must have visited Lake Wobegon  when he wrote that.  And he pretended that he felt a little bit cooler, even though there was no breeze coming off the lake.

                Those left in town weren’t opening their doors or coming out of their homes, and it wasn’t just because they had their air conditioners pumping away.  Telephones were ringing all around town as the rumor spread that the JWs were canvassing, you know – the Jehovah’s Witnesses, going from house to house, knocking on doors or ringing door bells.  Or maybe it was the Mormons?  They couldn’t tell them apart.  In any case, the German Catholics of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility and the Norwegian Lutherans of Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church were in united cooperation of pretending they weren’t home.

                But the visitors were never fooled.  They could hear the conversations behind closed doors.  Mothers would yell at their children, “Don’t open the door!”  Kids would ask, “Why not?”  Mothers would answer, “Because they are proselytizers.”  Kids would say, “What’s that?”  Mothers would answer, “They are a threat to our religion.”  Kids would say, “But we never even go to church.”  Mothers would say, “If we don’t answer, they’ll eventually leave.”

                And so it went on.  It sure was quiet in Lake Wobegon.

                David Engqvist is now retired three years from his 38 year tenure as the pastor at Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church.  He and his wife, Judy, still live in town, but he tries not to interfere much with the ministry of the new pastor, Pastor Liz, a young (oh, oh) woman (boo) from New Jersey (oh God!).  He’s filled in for her when she’s away on vacation, but mostly he lets her make her own mistakes, learning the way he did from his.

                Pastor Engqvist always wanted someone to coming knocking at his door, but in all that time it never happened.  It was as if the proselytizers knew the field of Lake Wobegon wasn’t ripe for the harvest, even though there was a lot of white on the top of the stalks, doncha know.  But now, that rumored couple was coming up his sidewalk and about to ring his door bell.

                Pastor Engqvist opened his front door and was surprised to see Al and Jean Swanson standing there.  He remembered when Al and Jean joined Lake Wobegon Lutheran about four years ago.  They were both recently retired and moved to Lake Wobegon to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  No one ever told him they had become Jehovah’s Witnesses.

                “Why, Pastor Engqvist!” said Al, “We didn’t know this is where you and Mrs. Engqvist lived.  Well, I guess we don’t need to share much with you.”

                But the pastor was hoping they would stay and talk.  He had prepared for this moment for so long.  His plan was to first invite them to pray together, because Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t allowed to pray with heathens.  Pastor Engqvist remembered his youth in the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church when he had been taught to never recite the Lord’s Prayer in public because even some who called themselves Lutheran weren’t truly-believing Lutherans.  So they would have to explain why they couldn’t pray together and he would be ready for that.  Then, using his limited memory of Biblical Hebrew, he would explain how there really was no such word as ‘Jehovah’; that it was a trans-scripted combination of the consonants of the name of ‘Yahweh’ and the vowel points of the word ‘Adonai,’ reminding faithful Jews not to pronounce the divine name, but read ‘Lord God’ instead.  That would shock them.  Then he would counter their dark, apocalyptic theology of the sinful world and God’s final destruction with the good news of the love and forgiveness of Jesus and the promise of eternal life to all.

                “Please, come inside.  I will pour you a cup of coffee and we’ll talk,” invited Pastor Engqvist.  “Oh, no coffee for us,” said Jean.  “That’s right!” thought David, “They probably don’t do caffeine.”  “It’s too hot for coffee,” Jean continued, “How about some lemonade?”

                While Pastor Engqvist poured three lemonades, Al began his well-rehearsed speech, “As you know, we are going from house to house in Lake Wobegon…”  “Oh, yes,” Pastor Engqvist interrupted, “Word is getting around that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are in town.”

                Al and Jean looked at each other and nervously chuckled, “Jehovah’s Witnesses?  No, we’re from Lake Wobegon Lutheran.  You know that.”

                “Then why this door to door thing?” asked the perplexed pastor.  “Lutherans don’t do that kind of thing!”

                Al then explained, “Pastor Liz shared with our Bible study group the Gospel story of Jesus sending out the seventy in pairs to spread the message of Jesus, and she thought that we could try that right here in Lake Wobegon.  She was hoping that 70 people would come to her training session, but Jean and I were the only ones to show up.  But we still wanted to do it, even if by ourselves, because we’ve always been, well, impressed with folks like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons who are so convicted about their beliefs and who follow the Biblical example that Jesus himself offered.”

                Now Pastor Engqvist was curious, “But why do that in Lake Wobegon where everybody is already either Lutheran or Catholic, or those Sanctified Brethren in the barn outside of town and none of them are going to change?”

                “First,” said Al, “It’s not about proselytizing and conversion.  It’s about invitation and offering help to meet the needs in our community.  We’re really proud of our little church.  You established a long-lasting foundation of faithfulness and now Pastor Liz is challenging us with some new ideas and new ways of doing things.  It’s really quite exciting to be part of Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church.  Pastor Liz described this as more of a survey to find out what people are looking for from our church and how we can meet their needs and concerns.  She calls it ‘Together to Gather.’  Pretty clever, isn’t it?”

                “And second,” added Jean, “More and more people, even in Lake Wobegon, don’t have any church connection at all.  And we want people to know that Jesus and Lake Wobegon Lutheran cares about them too.  But it sure is hard to share the word when no one is home.”

                “Oh, they’re home,” said Pastor Engqvist, “Just give me a chance to make a few phone calls and I think you’’ see more doors being opened unto you.”

                And with that hope, Al and Jean went on to the next house.

                “Maybe Liz is right,” thought the old pastor, “It’s a different world out there today.  We could all learn a lesson, not from the door-knockers and bell-pushers, but from Jesus to be missionaries of invitation and assistance to those who strayed from the path.”

                As David cranked up his air conditioner, he yelled across the room to his wife, Judy, “It seems like things might start to heat up around here!”

 

And that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.  AMEN.

In memory of BARBARA J. CORETTY

 

Colossians 3: 12-17

Romans 8: 18-30

John 14: 1-6, 18-21

 

                Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,  Amen.

 

                Ted left this message for me: “Could you stop by the house and visit with Mom?  She’s finding her way.”  Barbara had taken a visible change from managing-day-to-day to the-end-is-near.  Her body was failing; her breathing short but steady; her eyelids heavy.  But Barbara was still very much in control.  As with all of her life, she would be as much in control as she was able.  As she had done throughout her life, Barbara would be “finding her own way” through death.

                As I listened to Stacey and Ted recall memories from her life, fondly and with great affection; it seemed to me that Barbara lived through various stages or chapters in her life.

                From the pursuit of academic excellence in her own youthful studies to expecting excellence out of the students she taught, balancing the expectations of being the wife of an Episcopalian priest with the demands of motherhood, then completely recreating herself in a new life out on Long Island working with and caring for the elderly, all the while deliberately and methodically and frugally preparing for her retirement years, then completely reinventing herself in life at Castle Hill in Castleton and her volunteer service at The Anchor; each chapter was new and different.  In each episode, Barbara was finding her way.

                But you and I know, as indeed Barbara knew, that you can’t control everything.  Life has its ups and often lot of downs that catch us by surprise.  When determination failed, that’s when hope took over.  And even in her lowest experiences, Barbara never gave up hope, or faith, or love.  So Ted wanted to use a reading from I Corinthians 13 at today’s service: “So faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

                But Barbara gave us other instructions!  The first reading shared from the epistle to the Colossians was printed on a bookmarker buried in her Bible.  It describes love as not just an emotion, but rather as a way of life.  Love defines how you treat others and yourself because it is grounded in the knowledge of the reality of God’s love for us.

                Then a ribbon was firmly fixed at the eighth chapter of Romans.  Beginning with suffering, a suffering that Barbara experienced, St. Paul proceeded to hope in the knowledge that God has a plan and purpose for all of us.  Battling against cancer, Barbara’s suffering could never deter her determination nor defeat her hope.

                Perhaps we all like to think that we’re in control of our lives.  We may even be obsessive/compulsive about it!  But we never really find our way until we let go and trust in the One who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life.”  In Jesus, life and eternal life are a free gift, given and shared unconditionally.  Did you hear that, Barbara?  It’s free!

                This complicated, but wonderful, journey of life that we’re on – FREE!

                Drinks on your vacation to Hawaii?  COMPLIMENTARY!

The final crossing to Paradise? Paid for you by someone else, someone who gave his life for you in love.

Barbara, you probably like to think that you had the last word, that you were in control right to the very end, that you saved your last breath for when Ted and Stacey were not around, that out of love you were “finding a way” to spare them the pain.

But the truth is, the promise is, that when you found Jesus, or better put, when you trusted that Jesus found you, that’s when you found the way through this life to life everlasting.  Amen.

 

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting.  Amen.

 

Rev. James H. Slater

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church – Valatie, NY

Rockefeller Funeral Home – Rensselaer, NY

May 11, 2013

EASTER 2013

EASTER SUNDAY

Isaiah 65: 17-25

I Corinthians 15: 1-11

Luke 24: 1-12

NOT AN IDLE/IDOL TALE

 

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God, or Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

 

                It used to be that if you said, “It is finished,” on Good Friday, almost everybody, certainly all of your friends and companions, would know that you were quoting Scripture about the crucifixion of Jesus.  Today, however, you may post that message on Facebook and receive back the oblivious reply, “What did you finish?”  Really?  While it may be a sad commentary on our otherwise distracted society, it is a perfect opportunity to witness to your faith and share the story of Jesus – and that is precisely how I saw it being addressed.

                Imagine posting on Facebook on Easter morning, “He is risen!” and receiving back the response, “It’s about time that lazy husband of your woke up.”  It’s gotten to the point where many people don’t know what we’re talking about and many people don’t care.  Oh, they’re grateful to have an Easter bunny with eggs and candy, they’re grateful for the renewal of springtime, they even vaguely remember that this used to be a holiday with some religious significance.  But the Biblical message of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb now seems to far too many and idle tale.

                Did you hear that in today’s Gospel reading?  According to St. Luke’s account of Easter, it was the women of Jesus’ company who went to anoint the body of Jesus at early dawn and were greeted, not by a sealed tomb, but by an empty space where his body had been laid and by two angelic messengers who asked the haunting question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” and proclaimed the very first resurrection announcement, “He is not here.  He has risen!”

                The women returned to the gathered disciples and share the first Easter message.  “But,” Luke writes, “these words seemed to them an idle tale and they did not believe them.”

                Maybe today is not all that different from that first Easter morning.  We have this jewel of good news.  God has acted on behalf of human imperfection.  God has broken the cyclical pattern of sin and death.  God has defeated the meaningless finality of death and brought about a new creation.  In raising Jesus from the dead God has fulfilled the completion of divine creation and promises to each one of us the perfection of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ is risen today!  He is risen, indeed!  And to that many may add an “alleluia!” today, but tomorrow return to their typical response of, “so what?”

                Believing it to be a cute story, but nothing more than an idle tale, they run off to pursue their own idol tales.  And now I have switched words from “idle”, meaning lazy, worthless and meaningless, to “idol”, meaning placing other worthless pursuits as gods in your life.  If God is not supreme in your life and the resurrection of Jesus not important enough to give thanks to God on every first day of the week, then you are guilty of listening to one or many idol tales.

                These last few weeks of Lent have been devastating for us.  We have dealt with untimely death, with undeserved disease, with undirected futures.  Without faith in our crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, there would be no promise to live on, no hope for the future, and no purpose for today.

                But for those who are alive in Christ, for those who have smashed their egotistical idols to the ground, for those for whom the good news of Jesus’ resurrection is not an idle tale, but rather the foundation of their faith, they see hope in despair, they see a blessed future in a confusing present, they see life even in the face of death.  We, like Peter, need to run to that empty tomb and enter into the experience of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for ourselves.

                From the small group of women on Easter morning to the less than dozen disciples on that Easter evening, the message had changed from an apparent idle tale to the best news of their lives: good news that would forever change, forever improve, forever fulfill their lives.

                Allow me to share with you several of my Good Friday experiences.  I had wanted it to be an idle day for me, maybe rake the lawn of the winter debris, or start up that car that had been in the garage all winter with a dead battery.  But it was not to be.  I spent the morning at the home of a dying woman in hospice care, surrounded by her family.  The woman had been struggling with the belief that she deserved her pain and suffering and family members were reliving their unresolved life situations in her dying process.  I asked them some basic questions:

                “Do you believe God loves you?”  The dying woman and her family answered with an emphatic “Yes.”

                “Do you believe that Jesus died for you on this day?”  Again, they answered “Yes.”

                “Do you believe God forgives you?”  And they all answered “Yes.” 

                A sudden peace surrounded that woman and her family.  I guess the message of Jesus was far more than some idle tale!

                Then I spent the afternoon at the Northern Dutchess County Hospital in Rhinebeck with Pastor Mark Frickey as the patient.  His kidney/liver disease has flared up overnight.  As acting Dean, it was my responsibility to make sure that Good Friday services for his four congregations were taken care of and arrangements made for their Easter Sunday worship. 

                They would need help for the Easter services at Christ Lutheran Church in Viewmont.  I turned to Duane and Phyllis Keeler who anticipated an unusual Sunday off from all their preaching and worship leading responsibilities.  Their immediate response was, “Yes, of course!  Nothing could be better than to get the opportunity to preach the good news of the Easter resurrection of Jesus.”  They were willing to give up their free Sunday because preaching the Gospel would be no idle tale for them but a life-changing, hope-filling, promise fulfilling message.

                Then came our Good Friday worship here in this place.  With Scripture and hymn, darkness and prayer, we entered into the experience of the death of Jesus on the cross.  But that story and all the events of my Good Friday would be nothing more than an idle tale if not for this morning when the story continues with shouts of “Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!”

                May it not be for you today or tomorrow, in joy or in sorrow, in health or in sickness, in success or in failure, in life or in death just an idle tale.  But may it be for you the reason for all that you do.  May it be for you the basis for all you believe.  May it be for you the support for all your days.  May it be for you the joy of all your life!  AMEN.

 

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  AMEN.

 

Rev. James Slater

Emanuel Lutheran Church – Stuyvesant Falls

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church – Valatie

March 31, 2013

 

In memory of Andrew Ryan Schomaker

(February 1, 1992 – March 15, 2013)

Isaiah 55: 6-13

Revelation 21: 1-7

John 14: 1-7

 

                Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

                Although received as an adult member here at St. Luke’s, Andrew never participated in confirmation class.  So I thought I’d share some of the songs we use when we act out the funeral services for Bert and Ernie to better understand the concepts of death and resurrection in the Third Article of the Apostles Creed.  Plus, I thought Andrew might appreciate something from Eric Clapton, that masterful guitarist, who wrote the song, Tears in Heaven, when his four year old son, Conor, died after falling out of a 53^rd story window.  What strikes me so much about the song’s expression of grief, beyond the fact that it proclaims the promise of the 21^st chapter of the book of Revelation that there will be no more tears in heaven, is that, despite his overwhelming desire to be with his son, he strongly asserts that he does not belong in heaven.   I don’t believe that is based on not feeling worthy of heaven but that, while we believe that heaven is a place of peace and rest in God’s glory for those who die, it does not demean nor diminish the value of the gift of life that God grants us now.  He affirms the worth of each individual’s life now.

                Imagine the strength of conviction in the meaning and value of life to be able to commend your infant son to heaven’s glory, but to know that your place is still here – that there is more for you to do, that God still has a plan and purpose for your life.

                I know that for many people life is not easy, nor always enjoyable, nor ever understandable.  This may be as true for you as it was for Andrew and for so many people of Andrew’s age.  No longer a child, but not yet fully an adult; no longer just living life, but looking for meaning and purpose in life; no longer being led by others, but making your own choices and decisions for your future.

                It’s a natural process of maturation, of growing up.  It’s something we all struggle through.  And it’s best to do that with the support of family, friends, and faith.

                What does not belong in this natural process?  The abuse of drugs and alcohol.  They offer only an escape – not a solution.  They offer only an illusion – not a dealing with reality.  And we are gathered here today because they lead to death and not to life.  Voiced quite deliberately by Andrew’s grandmother and felt, I’m certain, by every family member is that Andrew’s death might have some good purpose to it if it serves as a wake up call to all his friends.  If you’re hooked on drugs – get help now.  If you’re not on drugs – don’t do it, ever.  And if you know someone who is on drugs, get them help even if they don’t ask for it.  There are no answers in drugs, only dead ends.

                Dead ends.  Wait, Clapton sings, “Beyond the door there’s peace I’m sure and I know there’ll be no more tears in heaven.”

                Today is not just a “scared straight” warning.  It’s also a hopeful celebration.  For none of life’s frustrations or temptations, not even disease or death, can destroy the promise of life that comes from a God of love and forgiveness, a God of mercy and grace, a God who gave His own Son to experience and to conquer every human temptation and sin, by whose death on a cross and Easter resurrection wins the victory of everlasting life.

                Looking for answers?  Looking for meaning and purpose in your life?  Jesus said, “I AM the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through me.”  Andrew was baptized into that faith and God’s promise can never be taken away from him by anyone or anything.  Some of you became a family for him at home, some at school, some at Senior High Camp, to help him always remember God’s promise.  At camp Andrew was a Counselor in Training, a CiT, and I thought I could do something with Andrew being a Child of God, a CoG, but I couldn’t get it to work well. 

That banner over the entryway to church indicates the involvement of our parish in a program called “cherish our children.”  Adults are assigned the names of all the baptized children of the parish and all the Sunday School children up to the age of 21 to hold up regularly in prayer.  Andrew was on my prayer list.  He was, and still is, a child I cherish.  I wish I could have done more than my prayers.  Perhaps many of you are thinking “I should have done more.”  I suppose there will always be more that we could have done, but we can only turn that over to God in confession and in the knowledge of our forgiveness.  But I know my prayers for Andrew were heard by God and answered; not in the way I would have preferred, but in the wisdom of Almighty God.  God’s divine purpose will be accomplished in Andrew’s life and in his death.

And today, despite grief and guilt, we celebrate that Andrew is a child of God, that he will leave a lasting impression on our lives, and that he has been carried on angel wings to heavenly peace and rest where there will be no more tears.  AMEN

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord unto life everlasting.  AMEN.

Rev. James H. Slater

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church – Valatie

March 21, 2013