Shaping Our Expectations

I want to share some readings, both ancient and new, which can help to arouse our imagination of our awareness of what Advent’s time brings: a mature expectation and sensitivity toward the lord’s coming. Advent summons us to the beginning. The lavishness of God’s compassion and mercy frame yet another year of the church for us. In my blog each week I will share some reflections to help us shape our expectation of the coming of Jesus. I hope and pray that these readings will speak to your hunger for deeper relationship to God through the advent of Jesus Christ into our world and our hearts.

I Love You Soooo Much

I am remembering a note I received from one of my children many years ago. It was boisterously colorful, scribbled with a rainbow of many crayons in a random way. In the middle of a page full of wiggly color. Written in big red thick crayon was this: Dear Daddy, I love you soooooooo much!!!!!” It was a masterpiece, a stunning work of art because it reflected true thanksgiving. There was no particular occasion. I hadn’t done anything recently that I could think of think of to earn such a lavish offering from one of my children. It was simply an act of love for me, a human being who shared a life and a home with another human being and remembered him.

“Shema” “Mezuzah” “Giving From the heart” 

In a Jewish home you will notice a kind of bump on the door post. It is a small container affixed to the lintel of the door and is called a Mezuzah. Inside, written in Hebrew on a tiny piece of paper are some words from Deuteronomy which is called the Shema. As a person leaves the house and enters the house they touch the Mezuzah. These are the words: “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord. You Shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your might and all your soul, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the chief law of God in Hebrew Scriptures. Every time a devout believer touches the Shema it is a reminder of the place of God in the person’s life. On leaving the house, upon return, love the Lord. Love your neighbor. Stay in touch with your faith.

How Do You Make a Saint?

Have you tried to row a boat across a lake? The rowing takes work, to be sure. But I think rowing is the easiest part. The hard part is staying on course so that the boat does not drift this way and that, all over the lake. To row hard, and in the right direction, so that the destination is reached, that is what rowing is all about. And the interesting thing is this: In order to find your future direction, you must look back. Rowing is accomplished by facing backward and keeping your eyes on a fixed point of the receding shoreline as you steadily pull forward. That is the spirit of All Saints Day.

The Reformation

The Reformation was a pastoral movement within the one Body of Christ to restore the faith and the Gospel to the common lay believer. Luther translated the Bible into German, did away with the Latin mass and introduced worship in German so people could worship and sing in their heart language. It is important to remember that the possibility of mass communication through Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press was critical in spreading the ideas of the Reformation. It has been true since the beginning of the Christian Church following the resurrection of Jesus, that new platforms of communication have aided the spread of the Gospel.

“A Pray for Peace”

Like people across the globe, I am troubled and haunted by the violence, suffering and death in Israel and Gaza. This hits me hard because I have been to Israel and Palestine five times, have listened as Palestinian and Israeli leaders and everyday people have shared their hopes, despair, experiences, anger, compassion, loss, and humanity amid ongoing conflict and tension. I kept a journal on the visit I made in 2003 as part of a delegation with ELCA’s presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, and Lutheran bishop in Palestine Mounib Younan. We were there as the “Roadmap For Peace” was being considered by Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Civic Leaders of Faith

This coming Sunday will be our last session on the connection of our faith and our civil society. the conversations have been wide-ranging and fascinating. Last Sunday we were sharing examples of elected leaders whose lives and leadership were informed by their faith.

The Prophet Ezekiel

We are in the midst of a series of Old Testament lessons from the book of Ezekiel. Here are some notes on the prophet Ezekiel.:

Civic Life & Faith

Last Sunday we started a four week series on Civic Life and Faith, sponsored by the Global links Team. I hope that many of you will be part of this series. We are seeking different points of view on difficult issues. We want to listen to what is on your mind as we consider issues which are tearing apart the fabric of our civic life. The church should be a place for serious, faith filled conversation, listening to various points of view, finding grace in disagreement and living more deeply into the faith we share.

The Mission Table

This coming Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. we begin our intergeneration opportunity for growth in our faith and fellowship. We gather at 6:00 for pizza. Then the children go with Gayle Larson to the library to read together some books which will enrich their spiritual lives.
The adults will join me for a study of my book, the Mission Table, which, God willing, will increase our scriptural, theological, and practical understanding of the mission we share at St Luke’s. We plan to have hard copies of the book on Wednesday for all participants.