Lent Photo Day #22 "shadow"

These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:17



La Merced Church in Antigua, Guatemala. Photo taken by Oscar Palencia

Lent Photo Day #21 "night"

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:1-5

Lent Photo Day #20 "Bless"

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Lent Photo Day #19 "Thirst"

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38 NRSV

Sermon on Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’

Luke 13:1-9 NRSV


Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Grace and peace to you. Amen


I am currently working as a long term substitute teacher. I am teaching 7th & 8th Grade Language Arts and 11th Grade English. This last week I started reading a story with my 8th graders called Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Michealson. The main character Cole is 15 years old and has been living on last chances for many years. His rap sheet is “a mile long” and he has parents who so far have always bailed him out. Cole says it is only because they want to protect their reputation, but nonetheless, Cole goes on to see another “last chance”. As the story unfolds Cole seems to have finally reached his last last chance.

When I think about my high school students, my own children, even some adults, me, maybe you, we seem to operate on this notion that no matter what, there will always be one more chance. One more try, one more opportunity to change, one more, one more one more. This goes along with the society in which we live that has us operating as though their will always be more of ______ You can fill in the blank…

When we travel back to Jesus’ time as he is on his way to Jerusalem teaching in parables along the way, this morning’s text places us with Jesus, the disciples and in Chapter 12 we learn a large crowd, in the thousands had gathered.

Jesus has been warning against hypocrisy, tells the parable of the rich fool, reminds his disciples not to worry and as we heard on Ash Wednesday where our treasure is there our hearts will be also, these are just some of the teachings that have so far taken place since that large crowd has gathered.

Here we are in our text for today – people that were among the large crowd bring up to Jesus what Pilate had done to the Galileans and he asks,

“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?”

Jesus’ answer is no, … you better keep an eye on your own self. Repent or you too will perish.

“or those 18 who were killed when the tower or Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?

Jesus’ answer is the same No, … Repent or you too will perish.

Do you hear what these questions and what the crowd is trying to get Jesus to tell them? They are asking Jesus if such tragedy – Pilate’s ruthless attack on the Galileans and accidents (the construction of the tower of Siloam) have come upon the victims because of their sins, because they are somehow worse sinners than the survivors.

I will never forget the earthquake that devastated Haiti – not only because loss was felt close to home as seminary students from both Wartburg and Luther were there at the time, but because I remember the well known Pat Robertson blaming the Haitians for this earthquake, saying it was their sin that brought it on themselves.

Really? I can’t wrap my head around that mentality, yet here in our gospel reading we have people in the crowd insinuating ( or at least wondering) just that.

Accidents, tragedy, death, loss, illness is all around us today. It seems as though every time we turn around someone we know is being diagnosed with cancer, someone we know has just lost a loved one in a terrible accident or illness, our family members are hurt on the job, our kids are suffering from depression, abuse, neglect our neighbors are hungry, homeless and alone, and though we might wonder about the end to all this suffering we all too often ask why and wonder if it was our own sinfulness that was the cause.

We look for someone or something to blame. We maybe blame ourselves, or someone else, we blame God, we insist that there must be an answer there must be a reason. We think thoughts of “if only I would have prayed harder” or “I should have done this or if only I wouldn’t have made choices like that when I was younger. I must be being punished. Or even God must be punishing them.

Jesus doesn’t give us a clear answer here. There is no concrete answer to why bad things happen. Suffering and tragedy are universal and certainly sinful action is not the cause to every bad thing. The question of why bad things happen to good people has been around a long time. Jesus healing the blind man – was asked if it was the sins of the blind mans parents – No.

We get no satisfactory answer here or in any of the other billion ways and times this question has been asked, Jesus instead offers us the opportunity in this text to look into our own lives and reflect on who we are, who we are becoming and then he tells us to repent so we too won’t perish not physically perish but spiritually.

It’s as if Jesus is holding a mirror and his response is for us to stop worrying about other’s in this manner and take a good long look in the mirror at our selves.

Jesus moves right into a parable of the fig tree. The fig tree that has not bore fruit for three years. The landowner is tired of the non-fruit baring tree taking up space in the garden so he tells the gardener to cut it down, get rid of it.

The gardener pleads with the man to just give it one more chance. The gardener had a plan to work with the soil that is around it and add some manure. He asked for one last chance for the fig tree to grow fruit and then and only then could the tree be cut down.

We have gone from tragedy in the world that looks for answers to the question why and points fingers of blame to this poor fig tree stuck, taking up space and not producing any fruit.

There are a lot of people who see the landowner in the parable as a God figure and the gardener as Jesus or the Holy Spirit. When the landowner represents God, we end up with a God that is judgmental and harsh.

What if the landowner represented the world? The world has come in and with its desires and needs to produce stuff, more and more stuff the tree must go. It is worthless and taking up space in which a more productive plant could grow. The world has taken away all nutrients, energy, sun and water so the tree has struggled to grow and produce. The tree has found itself in a worldly place where it has nothing left to give.

Then the gardener comes in and offers to the tree a second chance. A chance in which the ground upon which it is planted will be replaced with nourishment, new life, and water. Suddenly the tree has a reason to live. A reason to produce.

The last chance given to the tree is the same opportunity that we wake up to each and every day. The Kingdom of God offers us something different than what’s of the world. The kingdom of God is here to cultivate, to restore, and to give us new life. New life in Christ.

This morning we are to hear that yes life is hard. Bad things happen, tragedy strikes and when we find ourselves pointing fingers and placing blame and thinking that God has done this or not done that, we put ourselves up against a wall.

A wall that leads to death. We need to take a long look into the mirror and see that if we just turn around. If we can choose for ourselves to repent to see God and move towards Him, we will not perish but have eternal life.

Barbara Brown Taylor says,
“Terrible things happen and you are not always to blame. But, don’t let that stop you from doing what you are doing. That torn place your fear has opened up inside you is a holy place. Look around while you are there. Pay attention to what you feel. It may hurt you to stay there and it may hurt you to see, but it is not the kind of hurt that leads to death. It is the kind that leads to life.”

These dark places when we experience suffering, pain and loss, they are inevitable and will be, if they aren’t already, a part of our lives. We can’t get away from suffering, pain, and death, but we can let God in. We can be in this holy place with God, looking around, seeing, paying attention and know and trust that God’s love endures forever.

These tough moments in our lives help remind us of the urgency to repent and follow God. The urgency to take the time to clean and unpack. The urgency to check in on ourself to make sure the world hasn’t sucked us dry and is about to cut us off.

As much as this might seem like another last chance it is really an urgent plea. Yes we will go through dry spells, get off track from time to time, here we are talking about the real deal – just like the character Cole has finally run into his last last chance – how about you?

God calls for our repentance not because he wants us to perish, but ONLY because he wants us to have eternal life with Him.

Tragedy, illness, accidents can and do happen at any moment.

Turn to the Kingdom of God for now is the time. Your last chance may be too late, but in this moment in time it is not too late. God desires our hearts and minds to be turned to him to repent and follow Him not because you might die, but because you wouldn’t want to miss out on the joy that comes with living with Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Amen

Lent Photo Day #18 "Leave"

I missed yesterdays photo. Day #17 was "prophet". It was a full day! 13 hours at the school. We did a lot, but it was a LONG day... Taught 5 classes, participated in the school's first ever Empty Bowl event, wrote a sermon for Sunday, planned the prayers section of this weeks GMM class, and watched the last boys basketball game of the regular season. I didn't know so much could be packed into 13 short (or long) hours of a day! So here is day #18

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV



I LOVE summer and when it is time for summer to leave it is always hard for me. This photo I took on what we knew would be our last trip to the beach with the pontoon. It was a hot September day and fall was colliding with summer that day and I captured it above.

Social Media and our communities of Faith...

WOW what a week. I wished this week that there was a way for my mind to tweet and respond for me, as this week has been FULL and here it is Friday and I am just sitting down to try and put forward the thoughts that have been coming and going all week. Know that even though this post comes late, each day I read your posts. I could actually read your blogs all day long...

The question for this week has been social media and how it has changed or is changing the ecology of our faith communities. There are two pieces I wish to say more about here in regard to some of the conversations that have taken place on the ic2346 site and other blogs.

In our setting the table conversation a lot was said about not having the choice to do church or faith, but we do have a choice in how well we do it. Comments about how we refer to people who don't make church a part of something they "do" in their lives (the "nones", "unchurched")as well as what it means to be relevant. What does it mean to be relevant anyway? ksvennungsen001 says this

"I also agree that being relevant is a misguided way of trying to be engaged with the rest of the world. Rather, the church is called to be real, and when they can be that, then they are able to be honest and talk about the tough stuff like poverty, addiction, depression, sexual orientation."

I would add that when a church moves out of this effort of relevancy and becomes real they can no longer just talk about the tough stuff, they are set apart of go out into the tough stuff. They are moved to be in the tough stuff with their neighbors, with their members and with one another. If we are real in what we do, how we worship, and who we proclaim that we are than it seems to me that naturally what God is up to is revealed and we are then free to faithfully respond.

The second thought from me this week is the hesitancy that is expressed in using social media. The fears and anxieties that go along with it. I wonder exactly what is behind these hesitancies. Is it really that some are just technologically challenged? Are people really afraid? Do some find nothing real about social media simply because it isn't physically relational? I wonder what the excuses are hiding or masking? I approach my social media life in a way that I think reflects my values in life. Just because some people use Facebook for instance as an open diary and we read of details of their lives we really didn't need to know, does not mean that we also have to participate in Facebook or other social media in that way. Just as in any other form of communication, presence, or conduct that we as leaders find ourselves, the same holds true for social media.

Why are we afraid that social media is going to take over our churches? Instead of being afraid, why not appreciate the opportunities that social media brings to the table. There was a conversation about women's circles becoming a thing of the past and who might be the new funeral ladies? I wonder if it is time for women's circles to take a new turn? Sometimes the old ways need to die so new life can be created. Are there other ways in which churches can be served besides through a women's circle? How about family circles? Neighborhood circles? Intergenerational multi-aged circles?

The church is in a unique time right now. This blog post describes a growing church as a dying church. Check it out. What do you think?