This Hubble photo is but a small portion of one of the largest seen star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula.
Luther observed, “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” God is, was, and always will be part of the creation that surrounds us.
Yet in a fallen world, that wasn’t good enough. The works of sin, death, and the Devil enslave our lives, separating us from God and one another.
Instead, God longs for relationship and intimacy; to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. Through the prophets, God promised to make his home with us, not in some new stone temple, but in those same hearts so prone to wander and fail.
Into the world, God sent his only Son to fulfill this promise. Jesus would take on flesh for our sake. He would live for us, work for us, suffer for us, and die for us. From his resurrection, our own eternal life springs forth.
Through the mysteries of our shared faith and baptism, we now become a new creation, freed from our flesh and the limits of this world to be the children of God. We are saved to be his body which proclaims the Good News: Jesus has come into the world to offer new life to all.
Discussion questions: As part of God’s creation, the promise of resurrection is written in each of us, as we are now. How does your life signify or serve as a promise of the resurrection? How could you “shine more brightly” to better give God glory and point others toward Christ?
The above reflection was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s worship bulletin for the First Sunday of Advent, 2013. It is meant to complement Creative Communications‘ Bright Star of Bethlehem series for Advent and Christmas.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Thanks to all those who helped Messiah Lutheran Church and School celebrate our 45th anniversary. I created the above video to present during our worship service to help us reflect on our past, present and future together. It includes many (but not all) of our partners in ministry. For a small church, you’ll see once again that we have a long and loving reach! It is not by accident a Thrivent loan representative remarked that we do more than many congregations ten times our size.
At Messiah Lutheran, we live out many signs of discipleship: feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and those at risk, meeting the marginalized and loving them as they are. Our financial stewardship has increased each year (faster than our growing membership), and our volunteering and lay leadership at our congregation and in the community has increased even more so. We have many new partners and now friends in ministry that help us reach beyond Hanover County to the world. Firmly Lutheran, we open our hearts to work with other Christians as part of one universal church, the family of God.
Yet we aren’t just busy bodies. Our activities, programs, wealth, size or location don’t make us who we are. In fact, we sometimes “lack” in those areas by standards of the world. No, we seek to act in response to our greatest gifts from God – hope, faith and love – and that makes all the difference. It defines us, shapes us and is the source of our ultimate significance. It is what makes so many notice our small little church in Mechanicsville as something “different.”
Over six years ago, the love I saw you have for one another attracted me to say yes to the offer of a call as your pastor. It is your love, a reflection of Christ’s own, that inspires me still. It is what amazes so many I meet, and I see it changing the world a relationship at a time. God’s doing something here. Christ is being made known.
Sure we aren’t perfect, and we can always do better. A small church that seriously struggles at times, we have Jesus and we have each other. That’s more than enough, and so we keep on discipling…together…no matter what.
As my friend from the Congo wrote, “Glory be to God for his faithfulness, happy celebration to everyone at the Messiah Lutheran Church and School.” Indeed, it is God’s faithfulness that invited us to be church together and made our celebration possible. Thanks for letting me walk with you. It is my honor, privilege and joy.
Pastor Lou Christ the King Sunday November 24, 2013
(I hope you enjoy the video. Please feel free to share this video with your family and friends.)
As Thanksgiving approaches, I find a favorite movie has begun playing on television over and over again, Miracle on 34th Street. This year, I have been reminded that miracles can happen over and over again in real life as well – whenever people choose to love one another as Jesus asked.
This past All Saints Sunday, I was given permission to share a sacred story. It was a tale of a suffering saint, not from long ago, but of one in our midst. Our sister in Christ, Rachel[i], a long-time member of our congregation, a baptized and believing child of God, was in desperate need. She was alone, fighting mental illness, and at risk of becoming homeless.
Rachel is well known to many if not all in our congregation. She has been a congregational member since the 1990s, although she has attended on and off since that time. Of late, she has especially stood out. Visibly, she has grown weaker and distant. Flowing conversations have become more and more difficult. Recently, one might only be answered with a short phrase or a single word. Due to medical issues, she is often seen getting up and down during our worship – going outside the sanctuary to the rest room or for water – and then returning. To be frank, her demeanor, appearance and behaviors could easily put one off or prove annoying.
This situation is sadly not unusual. She shares a story with many who are without family and suffering from mental illness. It is a story that began perhaps before birth, as her mother is said to have suffered from both mental illness and addiction. (Such issues are believed by some to often be partly genetic.) Yet, Rachel also reportedly suffered severe abuse in her original home from others who should have loved her. It is quite a testimony to her tenacity and gifts that she escaped that environment to become a valued employee where she worked and love a family of her own.
Still like many with similar histories, married life proved a challenge. When her husband allegedly became abusive, she decided to divorce him and start again. Unfortunately, he was able to use her mental condition and lack of financial means against her. She lost her children to his custody, and the now adult children – seemingly not understanding mental illness nor family systems – continue to blame her for the dissolution of their family. There is no meaningful contact or support.
Although she had tried hard to provide for herself and for her children, life seemed to work against her as new problems and challenges arouse time and time again. With this, her mental illness seemingly began to take control of her life. She had lost family, and she now lost friends. She eventually lost her job. Initially, a neighboring family tried to help her, but they, too, ran into problems of their own in the difficult economy. They couldn’t help her any longer.
All along, members of our congregation were walking beside Rachel. Certainly, I offered pastoral care and counseling. On top of that (if not more importantly), she received help with food, shelter, and rides. People tried to be patient with her and relate to her; always welcoming her into our assembly. Several sought to be like family to her inviting her to share in holidays and celebrations in their home. Despite our congregation’s current financial challenges[ii] and being a relatively small congregation[iii] for our area, our council managed to quietly pay for her room for several months while she was staying with her neighbors. We also provided assistance with necessities. Our president captured the council’s collective feeling when he said, “She’s been our sister in Christ when it was easy and times were good. We can’t pretend she isn’t our sister now when it is hard. We need to help her.”
Indeed, Rachel is not her mental illness. She is the person who always volunteers to help others, especially children. She heard of a need for children’s sandals and shoes overseas from a veteran she knew, so she initiated a collection through our church. Hundreds of youth in Afghanistan benefited. She is always ready to help us with property needs, vacation bible school, or mission work despite her current limitations. She is one who walks miles to join us for worship or events if she cannot get a ride. She insists on donating money for our shared ministry even when she has little and is told to use it for her own needs. As another person who knew her well said, “Some people love this church, but Rachel LOVES this church. It is her family.” Rachel is our sister, Christ’s sheep, and remains a beloved part of our family of faith.
As with family, Rachel had given the local social services permission to cooperate with me in meeting her needs, but we were confounded as to what could be done when Rachel finally became homeless. The local county only had funds for short-term housing (2 weeks), and our congregation struggled to find the money to pay the discounted rent with her neighbors never mind at a hotel or apartment. It appeared Rachel would be moved into the sometimes rough Richmond homeless shelter system. This put her at further risk of being far removed from her church family, being set back and delayed in her disability claim, and starting anew with a different social worker in an overtaxed, urban environment.
As I pondered this situation, I recognized the great challenge before us to get the money we would initially need to care for Rachel – $2500 for the first few months of housing using the county’s vendor. It was the safest place, easiest transition, and best rate we could hope for, and yet we don’t have that kind of money lying around. As I prayed about it, it struck me that perhaps I was looking at this problem the wrong way. Yes, it is an enormous problem in many respects, but what if we just tried to address the need bit by bit, step by step, and day by day? We could have a special appeal in our church and ask friends in the greater community to help Rachel. If we just looked for fifty people to offer fifty dollars (about the cost of a family eating out in many cases or to attend a family outing), that could cover the initial need. For those who couldn’t give, they would be asked to pray, help Rachel in concrete ways when possible, and welcome her in our assembly.
Symbolically, fifty is a number of freedom and new life, and that is what we want for Rachel. Leviticus 25 describes a Year of Jubilee when debts were to be forgiven, forced servitude was ended, and people began fresh. We now had a chance to help free one of our own sisters in faith – just 50 people and $50 at a time. We would call it our 50 X 50 Campaign, multiplying the love we ourselves had received as individuals from Christ and assuring Rachel that she is not alone.
Announcing this at worship on All Saints Sunday, I was nervous as to how the congregation would respond. I was heavy in my heart because I knew well what was at stake. In past police, hospice care, and mission work with at risk youth in South Dakota, I carried too many memories of those who didn’t make it through such times. Yet our hope is in a God of steadfast love. It is a love of miraculous, healing power that often works through the lives of ordinary people in unexpected ways.
So, I took the risk and made the appeal trusting that “all things work for the good of those that love God,” and God answered through his Holy People. Despite our attendance being lower than average that morning[iv], over $4000 was raised to help Rachel. We have never collected that much money in any appeal that fast before, and I dare say, never for anything as important. Since then, money is still coming in. In a world where too many people wonder if anyone could love them as they are, Jesus spoke love to Rachel that morning. Through us, he is still speaking.
Over the past few weeks in worship, we heard once again about the Beatitudes and how we should love one another. We were urged that we should be patient with and support the weak. We were reminded – both Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians alike – that saints are needed for earth and not just for heaven. I can’t say how this particular sacred story about Rachel will end in the immediate future, but I know Jesus and his people are in it for the duration. We have to be, because that’s exactly the way Jesus asks it to be.
As church, we should never focus on how weak we are or the size of any challenge ahead of us. We just need to seek to love, and Jesus will do the rest. Thus, we are told that we can rejoice and do all things through Christ who strengthens us – even miracles – one relationship at a time…even from a small, old building on Atlee Road.
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As Rachel’s needs are long-term and many others’ suffer as she does, donations are still being accepted for our benevolence and charitable work. If you would like to help, please send your tax deductible donation (noting “50 X 50” on the memo line) to:
Messiah Lutheran Church and School 8154 Atlee Rd. Mechanicsville, VA 23111
In hindsight, the above story is reminiscent of this song. Originally written at the time of the recent “Great Recession”, it reminds us all to love one another and boldly be ambassadors for Christ. We are never truly alone (Matt. 28:20)! Enjoy…
[i] For the sake of this public message, the woman’s name has been changed to provide for some privacy. It is a story shared with permission.
[ii] Although our financial situation has improved these past few years, it is still not unusual for us to struggle just to pay bills some months.
[iii] Messiah’s average attendance is about 95 with a bit over 200 members.
[iv] Attendance was in the mid-80s on November 3, 2013.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
How can we properly give thanks to God? According to Paul’s letter to the community of faith in Thessalonica (Thessaloníki), it isn’t just by our words alone. As his letter comes to a close, Paul reminds the local congregation that Jesus is coming. We don’t know when, but we are asked to be prepared to welcome him. We are to remain sober, “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet,” and all the while trusting that he will remain true to all his promises.
In other words, yes, we will share in Christ’s ultimate victory through faith, but we aren’t to be lazy while we wait for it. Our salvation isn’t just about our needs and our feelings. We are part of a much bigger, cosmic battle and purpose where we are to live – and yes, in some ways die – for one another: “encourage one another and build each other up”; “acknowledge those who work hard among you,” loving them and respecting their call to leadership; “warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” It might require putting our needs behind the needs of others. We might need to forgive someone who hurt us or be gentle in our reproach. Ultimately, we are to humbly love and serve one another and all those entrusted to our care. That can be hard!
Yet actively discerning our call from Christ, we are empowered to go forward in confidence. Victory is assured. We respond in thanksgiving by seeking to follow his Holy Spirit wherever it leads, no matter the risk or cost. Our Christian lives prove to be a great and noble effort based solely upon the love of our God and never our own legacy. We give thanks by being more than “country club” church members. We are to live actively as Christ’s disciples and saints, for by grace through faith that is exactly who we are.
So, yes I give thanks in prayer for all that we have shared and accomplished these past five years together at Messiah. I give thanks for our wonderful shared legacy of forty-five years serving Mechanicsville, Hanover County, and beyond. I remain thankful for all the saints in my own time and before who continue to inspire me. Yet most of all, I rejoice with you in our call to shared life and ministry; one that might prove hard at times but always consists of a future full of hope. It is together as church where we find the abundant life that Jesus promised us, and I am grateful for living as church with you.
This life of discipleship is Christ’s way, leading us and all the saints to the eternal feast of thanksgiving yet to come. To help celebrate, I invite all of us to reflect upon how we can live out Messiah’s mission more fully, “To share the good news of Jesus Christ and to invite all to join us in faith, worship, and service,” for there always remains room at Christ’s table.
Christ’s peace be with you always. I send you my prayers for a blessed Thanksgiving. Please pray for Kristine and me as well.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Lou
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Messiah Lutheran Church Members & Friends, 8 September 2013
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. (2 Cor. 8:1-2)
Reading the above passage, I began to reflect upon our life together at Messiah Lutheran. Seeking assistance for a mission, Paul was encouraging the larger, more affluent congregation in Corinth to look toward the example of the struggling Christian community in Macedonia. I began to see a parallel. How has our little church faced with so many historic and current problems been used to encourage others?
Once a person mentioned to me in passing that it seemed our community is made of a “disproportionate number of people in need” and perhaps we would always remain small. This indeed might be true (only God knows the plans in store for us), yet I embrace that description. After all, Jesus came for the “least of these”: the hungry, the naked, the homeless and marginalized, even prisoners. Therefore at Messiah, we have intentionally forged strong relationships with those having intellectual, physical and mental disabilities. We have actively sought to support members of our community with food, clothing, and housing. Hospitality and authentic welcome are recognized marks of our ministry regardless of social, economic, political or other differences. Some of our members and neighbors have been helped to lift themselves out of domestic abuse, addiction, and even jail. We are truly trying to live as Christ’s disciples in mission, no longer Gentile or Jew, male or female, but all one in Christ. If two or three gather in his name, Christ is there, so our size doesn’t really matter either. Our congregation is exactly the kind of beloved community spoken about in scripture!
Despite our needs (or perhaps because of them), we have come together to rebuild and strengthen this congregation’s ministry, not perfectly but as best we can, and this has made a difference worth celebrating. Although we are still small and at times people might leave, worship attendance has increased over 35% since 2006. Giving has gone up about 10% per year no matter the ebb and flow of our national economy. We still struggle financially (sometimes wondering how we will pay our bills), but we have closed a $35,000 deficit while supporting others – fully funding our tithe to the greater church, ranking several years in the top 20 for donations to the Virginia Synod’s United Lutheran Appeal, starting new ministries in support of Lutheran Family Services, serving as a covenant congregation with Hanover Habitat, reinvigorating the shared, ecumenical food, clothing and benevolence ministry which is MCEF, and much, much more. Our outreach has dramatically increased and a number of long-time members have suggested our community is more spiritually oriented than ever before.
Thanks to the grace of God working through our lives together, we have all contributed to our “success.” A Thrivent loan officer remarked, “We have seen congregations ten times your size not do as much.” It is often why when I am at area events that people remark, “I hear things are going great at Messiah,” or “Your that church that is so active in the community.” In our welcoming of All Souls Episcopal to share our worship space, I have had three different Evangelical pastors comment at the great and unusual witness to Christian love being made manifest here. When we attended the Virginia Synod Assembly, other congregations have asked for appointments to discuss why and how things are “going so well” at Messiah for two years running. We are further affirmed as a community by the reality that 46% of our membership comes from outside of Mechanicsville. These people are willing to make drives of 30 minutes to an hour because they recognize that this community is indeed “different.”
Are we challenged as an institution in property and programs? Do we dine with people who are marginalized, hurting, sinful and alone? Do we struggle as individuals? You bet! We are real people with real problems, but we are a saved people all the more. Thanks be to Christ, we are the church! We seek to live as disciples more than as “members”; striving to concretely love God and neighbor. We are invited to walk on in a living hope of what is promised us in Christ’s victory, not based upon what we get or experience here and now.
In the end, we are ultimately a family of faith not defined by geography, finances, numbers or programs, and especially not our aging building. Instead, love, abundant joy and generosity – a response to what God has already offered us – describes us well. We are being recognized locally and beyond because as Jesus has promised, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As we continue to celebrate our 45 years in ministry, I want to say that I am always proud and grateful to serve you as well as alongside you in mission. If you are a visitor or have been away, I invite you to come join our celebration; not an event but our shared life in Christ Jesus.
Peace,
Pastor Lou
Everyone makes a difference at Messiah Lutheran!
To see pictures from our God’s Work – Our Hands Day, click here.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Effective June 2nd following our unified worship and picnic, Vicar Nathan Huffman[i] will have completed his first year seminary field work at Messiah. During his year, he spent 7-10 hours per week assisting at worship, visiting members, and receiving required vocational counseling. He also preached three Sundays and completed requirements to be accepted into the Navy’s chaplaincy program. (He was sworn into the Navy Individual Ready Reserves in May as an Ensign, and he will begin his military training this summer.) This is only the beginning of his journey toward ordained ministry. He has three more years of seminary training which will include a year assignment as a full-time intern, along with military chaplaincy training throughout.
It will be sad to say goodbye to Vicar Nate, but it is also a joy to know we have helped him on his way. He has learned more about himself, his call, and Christ’s church by sharing in our ministry and our lives, and we, too, have been blessed. Wherever he goes, we will be part of the blessing he brings, and he will remain part of the love our community shares. He’ll travel the world, but we will remain in communion through the love of Jesus Christ and our on-going shared mission.
As we move forward, council, the mutual ministry team and I intend to explore options for another field education or full-time intern placement. It has been a great experience for us, for Nate and the church. Why not let the good times roll?
Bon voyage, Nate. We hope our paths will cross again many times in the future. Until then, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19), Christ is with us always and loves us. Our journey together will never end.
Peace,
Pastor Lou
[i] In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the title “vicar” indicates a pastoral intern. Vicar Huffman is a first year student at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA.
The above pastoral letter was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (June 2013 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6: 9-10)
I am tired: tired of wars and rumors of war; tired of terrorism; tired of illness and trials; tired of death.[i] I know I am not alone. Our nation and world has experienced much too much suffering these last few weeks. Just watching the news was emotionally draining, and many still feel alone and isolated. Others grieve or remain afraid.
Yet if we overly focus on this very real suffering and evil, is it any wonder we grow tired? It seems too much for us, because it is! We are not God, able to work healing, life-giving miracles at our whim. As frail, fallible humans, we are not able to stand alone. So what can we do?
At such difficult times, I don’t give up. I find comfort, strength and motivation in a promise – something not yet a reality, but definitely coming. We are told there will be a day with no more death, mourning, crying or pain. All will be made new.[ii]
Oh, that day’s not here yet, but Christ’s ascension into heaven[iii] foreshadows his certain return.[iv] Although Jesus isn’t with us in body, it is Jesus himself who promises us, “I am with you always.”[v] Granted much stands against us, yet our God is for us and standing with us. We are already conquerors sharing in Christ’s victory over sin, death and the Devil no matter how we might feel about it.[vi]
This promise is our inheritance and claims us as Christ’s people – a people of living faith, hope and love.[vii] It turns our eyes to look beyond our own suffering and fears toward how we are called to help answer such pain and injustice in the world.[viii] Indeed, in Jesus’ physical absence, we serve as his body.[ix] Our feet are those which bring his good news to dark places.[x] Our hands are those that bring his healing.[xi] Our shared ministries are used to create miracles and give life in his name.[xii]
This is no time to run and hide. It isn’t time to be caught asleep or medicating ourselves with escapist, self-indulgence. Instead, Jesus invites us to truly live saying, “Don’t be afraid. Follow me.” Jesus is coming, and we have much left to do in preparation.
No, we still aren’t God, but we are God’s people. At home or away, at work, school or vacation, even in places of emergency, we remain his church – together with Jesus and never alone. When people look to the hills for help[xiii], it might just be us whom Jesus has sent to be his living answer to their cries for help.
So, let us rest when needed, mourn if we must, support one another, pray and wait with patience, but never give up. There will be a day when there will be no more broken hearts. Until then, Jesus asks us as his body to surrender our hearts to his own – trusting in his promises; fulfilling his Father’s will; freed to love God and our neighbor as his Spirit leads us with all that we are, wherever we might be, whatever might happen. In the face of death, it is time to live.
Just as Jesus came when the time was right[xiv], he sends us now to a world in need of his love – a world where we will meet the Risen Christ on our way already waiting to sustain us with his joy and peace.
At a time of terror or indeed any time, it proves a blessing to take up our cross and seek to do what is right. All will be well, for we always belong to Christ.[xv] Jesus never grows tired, and he will never give up on us.
As I posted this pastoral letter, I recalled this song by Stephen Curtis Chapman. Inspired by the Book of Acts, it often comforted me as a police officer and since. I believe it echoes the above message shared with my community:
[i] Read Jesus’ teaching on such signs in Matthew 24.
[iii] Read about Jesus’ physical ascension into heaven here.
[iv] Read for example Matthew 24:30-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Although some biblical scholars argue these passages are metaphorical or symbolic of his return, orthodox Christians maintain Jesus will somehow return to earth for the final resurrection and judgment – whether we understand the details of how or not.
[xv] “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Julian of Norwich
The above pastoral letter is adapted from one originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (May 2013 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the Today’s New International Version translation.
Spring at Messiah. “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” (see Matt. 6: 25-34)
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:3-11)
On several levels, I have had a challenging year due to my health. First, I was adapting to life with newly diagnosed asthma. Second as the year came to a close, I faced an undiagnosed health issue causing me to be less available and to cut down on my hours working. The health issue is still under evaluation, but hopefully, it will prove a distant memory soon.
What I won’t ever forget is the patience, care, and kindness so many of you shared with me and Kristine as we began to deal with this new “imprisonment.” I am inspired at how your council leadership and ministry team leaders arose to the challenge too, as they adapted to my limitations and strove to provide you the highest level of spiritual care, Christian education and worship. Messiah is a great example of what it means to be part of the priesthood of all believers and cooperative ministry.
I am proud to serve Christ with you, and our many successes this year make me prone to boast in the great work Christ is doing in you and through you. As mentioned during worship, our congregation is held up these days by the Bishop’s staff and others as a model of ministry within our synod. Those that handled our consolidation loans marveled at how we do more than most congregations ten times our size. It brings me joy to have people identify us as “that congregation that does so much.”
Yes, it is not an over exaggeration or nicety when I say I love you all. It makes me excited to look forward to what God’s grace will do in our lives next!
Peace,
Pastor Lou
The above pastoral letter was originally published as part of Messiah Lutheran’s 2013 Annual Pastor’s Report. It has also been republished here and in Messiah’s newsletter, the Messenger. To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
The following are the three meditations I shared during our Family Christmas Eve Service at Messiah Lutheran Church and School in 2012. Our theme was “Sent into the World.” We remembered both how Jesus was sent into our world to save us as a newborn babe and how we are sent as his church out into the world. Thus, the service included many hymns and carols from all over the world. The three below were part of the meditation portion of the program, but it was a night filled with music and fun.
The Gift of Jesus
Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7
Prop: small Christmas tree ornament of the globe
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
Consider the world [holding up ornament]….Ok, it’s a bit larger than this ornament, but it’s a relatively small place in the vast, extensive darkness of space. Proportionally, this ornament in comparison to your own size is much, much larger – infinitesimally so – than what we would find with a God’s eye view of our planet. Our world is only a small rock in a vast galaxy that itself is only one of millions of galaxies. Our universe was created from a black void – both the Bible and science think so – and this poor little sphere spends much of its time suspended amidst that darkness; hidden by larger heavenly bodies, and threatened by them as well. Yes, our fallen world is filled with threats and horrors and many terrible unknowns, and it always has been. Yet, light breaks in to give warmth, nurture life, and bring joy. Amidst a cosmic battle, God doesn’t leave us unloved or alone in the dark. Instead, he chose to dwell among us…even became one of us on this tiny, out of the way planet we call home.
Long ago, the great prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th Century BC. It was a time of much darkness. Certainly, they didn’t have our modern conveniences or scientific knowledge, but they shared in our troubled humanity. Throughout Isaiah’s life, the nation of Israel faced wars and rumors of war. At least three times, the existence of Israel was at risk of obliteration and exile. It was a time of early death due to violence, famine and disease. There was seemingly too little joy and never enough peace. Yet, a son was born to a young maiden, wife of the king, and the prophet saw in this somewhat ordinary experience the promise that lay within. God would be faithful no matter how dark the days got. God’s plan to rescue his Holy people would never go unfulfilled. Later Christians would understand this same passage to testify to the coming of Jesus Christ.
Over the last few weeks, we have seen too much darkness. Many are still homeless in the northeast after Hurricane Sandy. Diplomats in Benghazi were horrifically killed. In Connecticut, we hear the cries of modern “Rachels” weeping as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. (See Jeremiah 31:15-17 and Matthew 2) They cry over too many innocents and our own innocence lost in the safety of their small town school. Closer to home and only in these past few weeks, members of our community have suffered new joblessness, accidents and serious illness, and our beloved Assistant to the Bishop, Pastor Chip Gunsten, died unexpectedly. More tears. More death. Darkness. We might be tempted to echo the writer of Lamentations wondering, “Why God would allow such things? Why would he punish us so?” as we groan anew:
5 [God] has besieged and enveloped me
with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me sit in darkness
like the dead of long ago. (See Lamentations 3)
Yet in these times of trouble, hear the promises that come to us through Isaiah. Much like that time long ago, there is a sign to remember and hope to be found amidst our darkness. When the time was right, a virgin did conceive, and a very different child was born…one like no one before or since…perhaps beyond Isaiah’s own understanding. He would be a miracle of light, giving hope, joy and love to all the nations. This king would not be a king in our political sense. Instead, he would suffer under the political forces of our world as we might. He would live amongst the ill and dying. His life would be continually threatened from the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem until his own death on a cross. God had come, not to punish us, but to share our lot and change it; to end suffering and bring everlasting peace. All authority rested on Jesus’ shoulders, and yet out of love, he took upon those same shoulders the weight of sin, death and the Devil to defeat them all and save us.
Like that original Christmas night long ago, Jesus comes to our tiny planet to touch our tiny lives and hearts today. He wishes to be God with Us, Emmanuel, and so none of the political chaos, evil or darkness is powerful enough to stop him. Although it might be hard for us to recognize him with our human senses at times, our faith hears his voice and trusts he is near. Together as church, we gather as one, holding on in the darkness and never alone. God does not will such suffering. God is only love. Jesus remains our proof, and the fullness of God’s Kingdom will banish our darkness forever when the time is right.
Until then, we testify to the light and hold on to one another – teaching, serving, worshipping, loving God and neighbor. For, “What has come into being in [that baby] was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (See John 1).”
Although we remain in this land of darkness, the light shines on us and through us still, and our Lord Jesus promises that it always will. No matter what worries us or threatens us…no matter the darkness we sense around us or in us, rejoice! Rejoice with the choirs of angels and all God’s saints for the promise of Christmas has come to us, and we will never again be separated from his love. Amen.
Carol, “Angels We have Heard on High,” Red, 289
The Gift of Grace
Reading: Titus 2:11-14
Prop: Wrapped package or gift bag – empty inside
One of my favorite traditions each Christmas Eve is to gather with my extended family and friends, share a special meal and open gifts. It is such a great joy to see the look of expectation through the eyes of my young nieces and nephews gathered together. Unfortunately sometimes…and I’m afraid it was the same when I was young too…the package comes all wrapped and beautifully bowed…it gets opened frantically, quickly…only to have the child move on just as rapidly to the next gift. The gift delights for a moment, but then the child moves on perhaps as if that beautiful gift box or bag was filled with nothing. [Emptying and examining package]
We, the children of God, spend much of our lives in a similar fashion. We chase after the next bobble or possession, seek positions of power that don’t last, and spend too much time in activities that can’t love us – costly time away from our family and friends. I often hear when someone has a near death experience or approaches the end of their life, “I wish things were different. I have wasted my life.” Yes, as children, we can easily lose our way.
Yet through Christ, a different gift lies before us; one that is eternal and can fill all our life’s empty places. We sense that something is missing, and that perhaps, we could do better. We somehow in our hearts expect more from this life. And so, Jesus calls us buy name, offering us the ultimate gift of his love and friendship.
The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer compared us to miners trapped underground. We might feel that we are without hope – waiting for death – until suddenly a voice is heard, calling from seemingly nowhere, yet calling in our darkness. “Where are you? Help is coming!” The helpless miner stands up, mustering strength to cry out in return, “Here I am! Come through to me and rescue me!” Faced with the inability to save himself, the miner admits his neediness, “I cannot come through. I cannot help myself. But I wait. I wait and will hold on until you come. Only come quickly.” The miner sees nothing, nothing at all to give him hope. He only hears the promise of the savior, “I am coming for you!” Blow after blow, the sound comes nearer. There is a last crashing, seemingly thunderous blow of the hammer…light breaks in…at first just a hope or glimmer of light…but yes, more…certainly more! One strike and he will be free. New life will be his.[i]
This story is a metaphor for the giftedness of our present life. Jesus has come to save us, he is with us, and he will come again. That saving work began in a small stable. It continued on a cross. It proceeded from a tomb. Yet this is only the first breaking in of his light and love. His saving work continues to dawn in our daily lives today. He calls us to wait…listen for his voice, hold on for his help, and live in his hope. Look up, raise your heads, and expect salvation…a salvation that not even the power of death can keep from us.
In return, we are only asked in the present age to seek lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,* Jesus Christ (see Titus 2:11-14). He will do all the heavy work, so that through faith, we receive a gift beyond price – a saving grace, a living grace…a grace that must be shared with others, so that we may one day taste our freedom fully together. With such a life reborn of faith, we’ll sense the light of Christ is near us even amidst our darkness. Amen.
Carol, “I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve,” Red, 271
The Gift of Church
Reading: Luke 2:1-20
“Props”: the people of God!
In these modern times, skeptics demand proof. “Prove that the reason for the season is Jesus! Prove to me that God is love!” What signs can we give them?
Long ago, some less modern skeptics gathered in a field. They were of lowly status, shepherds of sheep. They were known for dirty bodies and dirty lives filled with drinking, lies, and even theft. They were a hard people shaped by the hardness of life, and they expected little.
“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (see Luke 2)
The long expected sign for the King of Kings, the Messiah, our Savior…the one who would change all the world…was a baby! It was a poor infant from a poor family in poor circumstances. A child swaddled in simple, torn strips of cloth. That was the great sign of God’s love. God had come to share in the hardness of life and free us from it.
That child would grow to be a boy wise beyond his years. Then, he would become a man who preached and taught not as the scribes and priests did but as one with the authority of God. This great rabbi would travel the land by foot. He would walk far and wide reaching out not only to the expected Chosen Ones of God, but all people: the lepers, the wounded, and the greatest of sinners. Even on his cross, that man would share comforting words of God from scripture, pray for his persecutors, offer forgiveness to someone crucified beside him, care for his mother, and give up his own life so that others might live. Jesus’ life and being was and remains that greatest of signs of God’s love for us.
And so here we are, gathered as millions and millions of Christians have done over the millennia and do so tonight. We would not be here if Jesus hadn’t been born as one of us and risen from the dead…if people like us hadn’t been touched by the light of his life and past that light on to us through the ages (as we will symbolically do with candlelight later this evening). The incarnate Christ is who we worship…the ever so real and yet divine Jesus…and he is present in our world through the incarnate church, the embodiment of his teachings, life and love.
We can be a hard people with a hard life, and yet the angels speak to us…call us to become Christ’s messengers. “Do not be afraid! To you is born a Savior”…for you a Savior. He is a gift come to you, so that you with others might share one communal, eternal, joyful life with him. Through faith, we are to be his body, a sign of good news and great joy for all people.
As his body, we are asked to share in his life, suffering, death, and resurrection out of love. It is his Spirit that washes over us in our baptism, and his flesh and blood that touches our own in our sacred meal. Just as Jesus’ life is the final answer to sin, death and the Devil, he has spoken us into being for this time and this place with all its unique challenges. Look to your right and left…see yourself in a mirror. We are the church! We are to be Christ in the world!
We are called to be Christ’s church together, a gift to the world as Jesus was God’s loving gift to us. As the Spirit was a gift to the first disciples that same Holy Spirit seeks to empower us now. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:16-20)…be zealous in good deeds (Titus 2:14)…walk in his light (Isaiah 9:2)…For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son into our world to rescue us and dwell in our hearts (John 3:16-17). Out of that same love, God sends us back out into that hard, dark world – strengthened and never alone – to share his light not just on this holy night, but always.
May we like those shepherds, praise God and share with one and all what we have seen and heard. Amen.
Carol, “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly,” Red, 276
[i] Paraphrase of a portion of a sermon by Dietrich Bonhoeffer as translated in Robertson, E. (trans. And ed.) (2005) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons. “How a prisoner awaits for his release.” December 3, 1933. pp. 88-90.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Click on the picture to learn more about the Henrico County Police SALT Program – Used under fair use for teaching – (C) 1996- 2012 Henrico County
On December 4th, I was invited to speak to the members of Henrico County Police Department’s Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) program. The SALT program seeks to empower seniors to be aware of and address crime problems they commonly face, as well as invites them to volunteer for the agency. This following is my prepared text:
When asked to speak this morning about my transition from law enforcement to being a pastor, I was hesitant. I am not too excited about talking about myself, and I am not sure how much it would interest you. So rather than just speaking on that issue, I wish to consider my journey in light of our shared call to community service. How do our own sacred life stories – and they are all sacred whether you realize it or not in my view – intersect with passions, interests, gifts, and ultimately our call or vocation?
The word vocation – at its root – indicates a mingling with the sacred…our purpose in life. It comes from the Latin root vocātiō, meaning a call or summons and inferring a higher power’s involvement. Now, vocations can and do indeed change during periods of our life just as mine did. We are much more than what we do, but I believe we all share a purpose to love God and our neighbor as ourselves in whatever we do. At every moment of our lives, even facing death, God can use those moments to bless us and others.
So using my own story to begin this reflection, we begin in my younger years. I was part of a family with some serious problems – as many families have problems – and amidst those problems rooted in generational bouts of alcoholism and mental illness, there indeed was love; at least as well as people could love at the time with their own woundedness. Now my parents provided and cared for me very well in many respects, but the systemic problems we faced often distracted them and sometimes caused people in my family to make even more poor choices. As is often the case as a teen in such situations, I found myself dabbling in things that I had no business in. Most people had no idea, including my parents. Indeed at one point, I did find myself in juvenile court over a serious auto accident. Looking back, I realize I could have spiraled much lower. Yet when some parents had written me off as a trouble maker, others did not.
In one instance, I was being driven with a friend to an event by his mother. She began to talk about how good we were and unlike that boy who got into trouble. The only problem remained that unknown to her I was that boy. Yet, others did see past my problems to possibilities. Another friend’s father, a volunteer with a youth ministry, reached out to me, and he got me involved. At my workplace (a local 8,000 seat arena), a police officer always found time to talk to me, ask about my grades and my future plans. At school, one English teacher treated me with respect and helped me learn to begin to respect myself more. He challenged me to look at the world and myself through new eyes and with imagination.
Such interactions made a difference. I am sure these folks might not have known it at the time. They might not even remember me, but one never knows what kind word or ethical action observed might plant a seed. And seeds were planted. In time, I came to want to serve others, and attended the Virginia Military Institute, and after a short time on active duty for training as an Army Reserve officer, I transitioned into my own police career at the City of Alexandria Police.
Now at the time, crack was hitting cities hard. The metro-DC area news had body counts each day, and as I graduated from the academy, one of our officers, Corporal Charles Hill, was murdered in a drug related hostage situation. It was a wild time, and I grew up a lot. A sense of idealism was difficult to maintain with some of the things I saw and experienced. Yet again, thanks to friends, I was invited to participate in a loving church family and volunteer in some outside service activities: shop with a cop, bicycle helmet drives, other things of that nature, but also as an adult volunteer with a campus ministry at what is now the University of Mary Washington. Already, I had noticed a gift for working with youth from the housing projects during my midnight shift, but this volunteering really helped broaden and mature my view of the world, myself, and even God.
You probably already recognize that law enforcement officers face a disproportionate amount of evil on a daily basis. They see and experience what John Calvin would describe as humanity’s depraved nature or what Martin Luther would consider examples of the human tendency to be bent inward upon oneself (in other words selfish, and therefore not loving of God and neighbor as we should be). For some, this turns the officer into a fountain of cynicism. For others, they see humanity for what they are – not always the best they can be – but they recognize more is going on in the world. Goodness is still at work, and so in the face of evil and tragedy, they dedicate their hearts to make a difference. I witnessed this as fellow officers raised funds during the shift from other officers for a homeless couple who needed diapers for their baby. I saw it as people I knew volunteered with service projects in the community unrelated to policing; one even volunteering with a jail ministry.
This wasn’t naïve idealism. There were victory and losses to be sure, but the call to make a difference kept them trying. Hope kept them oriented on what could be rather than just settling. Like many of them, I found in volunteering that I got more than I gave. Working with the college students I rediscovered a more positive, hopeful way to look at the world and others even as I mentored them. I also found my faith in God grow stronger.
Eventually, I began to wonder if God was calling me to something else…something else not better mind you….just different. Through connections, I was eventually invited to spend some time volunteering and discerning with an international, ecumenical group that works with young adults in France called Taizé. So, I took my leave of law enforcement to test the waters of full time ministry. Although I didn’t stay with this ministry, I found my law enforcement and personal background and experience fit well with what they did. It helped me relate to young adults, many with troubled pasts or coming from violent areas throughout the world. As one brother told me, “We have similar hearts.” Yet, I felt a strong pull to come back to the United States to use the gifts I had been identifying perhaps more fully.
My first weekend home, I attended my parent’s Roman Catholic Church, and coincidentally a bishop from South Dakota was thee seeking funds and/or volunteers. I had mentioned to my parents of my possibly seeking a mission stint in Eastern Europe, South America or Native Americans (areas of interest and places I had met friends from in France), so I went and spoke to the bishop, now Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia. This “chance” meeting resulted in an invitation to have my resume past around state of South Dakota, and I found a new home and call at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
St. Joseph’s Indian School is a residential school serving at risk Native Youth from elementary age through high school, and recently into college aged young adults. I was to live as a house parent among the high school students, serving as the father figure, mentoring counseling, helping with homework and driving kids to places – most anything any parent would do. Yet once again, my past experiences helped me in the present.
Most of these kids were from among the poorest and most addicted places in America, where violence and sex crimes against children are much too common, and gangs have a strong foothold. We had kids that lived in home without heat in a place where -35 degrees could be the high for the day, or perhaps they had no toilet, or maybe they had no home at all and bounced from house to house as people became willing to take them in. At least one I worked with had all his possession including clothes fitting in a small brown paper grocery bag. It was a tough place, isolated and with extreme weather.
Many new employees quite, but I found that the kids responded well to me. My police work helped me meet them as they were, without shock or pity. I could understand what they would share with me without needing to ask what they would think of as stupid questions, and I respected them as my own mentors respected me. I understood that as messed up as their families might be, it was still there family, and that amidst all the violence and trouble, their culture and they themselves had much to offer me. In fact, the logo of the school reflects a truth I already mentioned. We often get more than we receive when we volunteer and serve others. The tag line for the logo was “We give and teach. We receive and learn.” Students and staff mutually benefited and grew from this relationship with one another.
After three and one half years, I had completed my initial commitment. I returned to Virginia to attend seminary. I entered a special dual program where I earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary and an MS from Virginia Commonwealth University. My thesis focus was upon how faith and mentoring can help mitigate delinquency, but this experience again brought home to me the reality that law enforcement for me was and remained a real ministry. It has continued to help me as I served in hospice chaplaincy and now in the parish. I am realistic about the challenges we face, but I am hopefully about the God we share. I maintain my foothold in the policing community as a chaplain for law enforcement, and I find my law enforcement experiences always helpful in the midst of the ordinary lives of people I serve – lives that often face significant troubles.
In law enforcement, we face sin and death head on. We seek to shine light in the darkness, restore family relationships, and bring justice to the community. We can find ourselves counseling or comforting a wayward teen, grieving family member or victim of violence at any time. In doing so, we have an opportunity to live out what Jesus said was the summary of all the law and the prophets, loving God with all we are and our neighbor as ourselves – even sometimes unto death.
As volunteers, you might not recognize the good you do, nor the eternal Good that works through you. Paperwork, small unrecognized tasks, or even a friendly, sincere hello might not seem like much, but one never knows what God might use to make the world and our community a better place and encourage others. Seeds can be planted through relationship. These small acts of love can free up others to love in some pretty difficult circumstances, so I argue your volunteering with the Henrico County Police Department has significant and eternal value. It is part of your vocational, sacred call in the present. Through this call, you have the opportunity to be a blessing to others and the community.
My experiences over the years has affirmed for me that we need to be united – faith communities, secular organizations, police agencies, and individuals – in bearing hope and love into our communities. It is a hope and love that I personally believe first came to us in a small town called Bethlehem long ago. A hope no one expected, an act of love that seemed so small, and yet it is a hope and love that remains with us and can work through us even on the darkest day.
In closing, I thank you again for your invitation and for your willingness to love. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Husband, Pastor, Law Enforcement Chaplain, and member of the Clerical Errors (aka "The Three Priests"), I'm sharing my two cents with anyone who cares...
You can also find me on social media as Loudluthrn (Lou-d-Luthrn or Lou the Lutheran). It is a moniker given me while attending a Presbyterian Seminary, but I'm a loud and proud Lutheran too (just not too loud and proud, mind you).
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