How does a weary world rejoice? We acknowledge our weariness

Luke 1

On Thanksgiving Eve, I went to worship at a neighboring congregation and the pastors reminded us that gratitude is not necessarily a feeling but a practice. Sometimes feelings of thanks well up within us—like those who met around this week’s Gratitude feast hosted by Daily Work and Shobi’s Table. But sometimes, gratitude doesn’t come as easily. In tough times, it’s the discipline of practicing that carries us through. You may have read Kate Bowler—she’s a survivor of stage four cancer—and ever since she made it through that experience, she’s written a lot and hosts a podcast about the authentic experiences of life. This week, she wrote a thanksgiving blessing for when you don’t feel terribly thankful.

 

Kate Bowler wrote—

God, I am struggling to find my way toward gratitude this thanksgiving. 

Help my heart find joy, for you know how much I need it.

Come meet us in our needs that weigh so heavily upon us.

Blessed are we who come to you just as we are, with our loneliness and loss,

Our scarcity and sorrow, and say God, there is just not enough 

Though we’re not even supposed to say [that] today, there is just not enough to go on:

Not enough money to pay bills, not enough jobs, nor safety for those who have them,

Not enough wisdom to find solutions, not enough strength or comfort or connection.

Things are just harder now.

Blessed are we who say, God, could you come meet us here, in this place?

This place of need where our feelings don’t match the day?

Blessed are we who hear You saying: “come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

And we come. And somehow there is rest, and gladness for tiny, tiny graces.

Blessed are we, the truly thankful.

Settle. Place before your mind one gift of God. And say thanks.

 

How does a weary world rejoice? This is an Advent and Christmas question that we’ll be exploring over the month to come. Today’s response is just the first—How does a weary world rejoice? We acknowledge our weariness. 

 

At our Thanksgiving table, the one who shared the prayer got tears in his eyes as he contemplated the pain of the world. Still, there is reason for hope, he said. We know, we know…  but maybe it is good to practice this month first the truth-telling, with Kate Bowler, with the writers of this beautiful devotional from A Sanctified Art, with the biblical characters—that there are very many hard things in life and that we are weary.
Christ was born into a weary world.

So, they invite us to look closely at the details in the opening stories of the Gospel of Luke. They invite us to discover where joy is sprinkled throughout the narrative and identify the moments when joy arrives—despite anxiety, fear or grief. And they invite us to consider how joy can be a companion to you this season, the joy that is rooted in the truth that you belong to God. 

Imagine this—you deserve to feel joy—fully. The world needs your joy, even if you are weary and all the resources of this month are to help you hold space for weariness and joy. All the resources of this month are to help us practice joy in a weary world.

 

This first story—Zechariah—is a good example.

It is completely understandable why Zechariah would be weary from waiting and full of doubt. He’s offered his whole life to serving in God’s presence, but has he been rewarded for that in the ways his culture would understand? No, in fact childlessness in his culture signified God’s contempt. Zechariah and Elizabeth are childless and old—so when Gabriel appears in a vision in the temple, it makes perfect sense that Zechariah would question that incredible message. “How will I know that this is true?” I’m well past my prime. I doubt it.

But with Gabriel’s joy-filled response, we learn that God’s promises are more powerful than our doubt, weariness and despair. “I am Gabriel… “ Zechariah’s ability to speak is taken away for awhile—maybe for both himself and for the community—so that God’s power can do it’s good work and bring into being not only the baby who would become the prophet John the Baptist… but the transformative future that he would proclaim.

 

Rev. Cecelia D. Armstrong writes in our devotions this week--

We can be weary in various ways. We can be weary because of our age. We can be weary because of our waiting. We can be weary because we have faced the same routine for years and seemingly watched nothing change. We can be weary for various reasons, but must we stay weary? Can we exchange our weariness for hope? Is there a way to experience weariness and insist on the blessed hope that is to come?

 

I love that idea of “insisting on the blessed hope that is to come.”

 

And Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman, the artist who made this beautiful image—Annunciation to Zechariah—wrote these reflections:

 

I often try to neglect my weariness by putting on a veneer of unwavering trust in God---while feeling like I may suddenly unravel…

 

Do you bind up your weariness in a neat and tidy bow, put your head down, and project okay-ness like me? What would it look like to acknowledge our weariness, quit powering through, and open ourselves up to what God might have in store for us? Perhaps we’ll meet an angel.

 

Breathe deep as you gaze upon the image on the left.

What do you see? 

One hand is over his mouth in disbelief, the other hand cradles the notion—not yet hope—of the new one being born.

 

We are that same mix—of weary doubt, of the possibility of joy—and God comes among us, a companion to us this season, to help us remember the truth that we belong to God. May that belonging be the first new spark of joy this season as we begin practices together to grow in love, comfort and joy for the sake of a weary world.  

Invitation to Anticipation

Bega Kwa Bega Partnership Sunday              Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus said to the disciples: Then the kingdom of heaven will e like this. Ten bridesmaids… 

And Jesus goes on to tell a story that goes against most everything we’ve ever been told about who God is and who Jesus invites us to be…

We hear that half of the bridesmaids have enough oil and half do not – but do they share? No.

We hear that the five without oil go to get some – but are they let in the door? No. (in spite of other scriptures that reassure that when we knock, the door will be opened to us).

We hear that all these tired bridesmaids have to wait so long that they fall asleep – but what’s the message? Stay awake. Even in spite of everything you know in your body about humans’ need for rest and for all the many invitations God makes to enjoy Sabbath rest.

So what do we make of this parable? It is certainly not an allegory—a story where there’s a one-to-one match with Christ as the bridegroom, the church as the absent bride, and all of us trying how to be wise, have enough oil, stay awake… It is certainly not an allegory but what are we supposed to do with this story anyway? This story meant to invite, confuse, exaggerate, make curious… 

 

In her commentary about this strange, familiar parable, Susan Hylen invites this perspective—that followers of Jesus are shaped by the unknown timing of Jesus’ return.

However, she says, “the point of the parable is not constant readiness. “Keep awake” does not imply that the disciples should never sleep, standing vigil through the ages for Christ’s imminent return. In fact, all of the bridesmaids, wise and foolish, are asleep when the shout announces the groom’s approach.”

 

Then, she notices - 

It is difficult for many of today’s disciples to be anything like the bridesmaids, wise or foolish, because we have stopped waiting. We give little thought to Christ’s return, let alone what we should do to prepare for it. If we were to contemplate ourselves in relation to the end time, it might be easier to imagine ourselves as the slaves who work diligently while the master is away than as the bridesmaids whose primary job is to await the groom’s return

 

I mean who can blame us? Given what seems like such an absence, such a long wait, who can blame us for just moving into a sense that the world will never be right… that the kind of kingdom that Jesus is calling into being, the kingdom of heaven… will never exist.

Nevertheless, there may be something we can gain from the parable’s perspective.

The parable asks us to imagine ourselves as those who wait for the groom’s return. It invites us to imagine—however long the delay—that God’s good reign of justice and peace is just around the corner, that Jesus is about to enter, and to wait for it with eager anticipation. The parable invites us to prepare for the day, not as exhausted slaves, but knowing that because God’s promises are true, we can keep encouraging each other to eager, hopeful waiting.  

 

This is so much what I saw as I traveled with our partners in Masimike—a rural farming community in the Iringa Diocese in Tanzania. As we traveled by bus in the rainy season, there was excessive water and abundant green crops—corn and the wide-leaved false banana—there were abundant chickens and fruits growing on trees. And in each place we stopped, there were people gathered in eager anticipation to welcome us—strangers—who they treated as honored, eagerly anticipated guests. 

Our Tanzanian partners sang and waved branches as we got off the bus. They danced and invited us into the dancing. They helped us learn the steps and the tunes to the songs. They fed us and thanked us for all that we’ve accomplished together. In preaching point after preaching point, they pointed to a roofs that have been put up because of our shared support. Students and their parents came to me and thanked me, a representative of this congregation, for how much our support has meant to their families.

Now, you might be asking, how much do we send?
And the true answer is that there used to be members of this congregation who individually supported students. Also, the children’s jar offerings have been designated to go to support these students. But for many years, the funds kind of mysteriously made their way to the partnership accounts and there was always enough for all. Every specific request that came over time, we could always say, “Yes, the money is there. Please go ahead and use the money as you see fit.” Then in 2023, the money in the partnership accounts simply did not flow in its usual way. It might be that individual supporters have died or changed their designations… but for whatever reason, we find ourselves with an opportunity. The opportunity is to come together to fill those accounts once again so that our modest gifts can go and do such important, life-giving work. And all I can say is that I cannot adequately express to you how very well our modest gifts are used and multiplied by our partners in Masimike and now, by the second congregation that has been created as our Masimike constellation of preaching points grew so big that a new congregation was needed to organize all the gatherings. 

The kingdom of heaven is like this—and we have the opportunity today to contribute to give in a spirit of anticipation not only for all that God is doing and about to do in Tanzania, but for the ways that God is creating a culture of generosity right here.

There are so many things in our lives that make us cry with Amos—“let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

There are so many things in our lives where we are wishing for the presence of wisdom… “who is easily discerned by those who love her, who is found by those who seek her, who makes herself known, who appears, who meets them in every thought.”

Today, we are invited by Jesus to hopeful anticipation—whether our lamps feel full or empty, that we might become ready, hopeful, eagerly waiting for the light we need. Today, we are invited by Jesus to awaken to the needs of others. Today, we are invited to know that even though we do not know the arrival time of Jesus showing up among us, that God’s promises, justice and peace are true… and we are invited to live with hearts, minds, whole selves awake to all that God is still bringing into the world.

Remembering, letting go, healing with the saints

All Saints’ Sunday - Revelation and Matthew           

Blessed are you when you mourn, for you shall be comforted…

Those of you who feel the lowest of the low—Jesus says: I see you, I honor you, you are part of God’s dream, God’s family, God’s circle of love and support

 

Some of you know that I celebrated a milestone birthday recently and with that milestone, I have been cleaning—filling bins and bins of recycling with those things I no longer need from the first 50 years, making open space for what is to come. One of my inspirations in this process has been the little series (inspired by the book with the same name) The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.[1]

In each of the 8 episodes, a team of death cleaners – an organizer, a designer, a psychologist – they go into a person’s home to help them deal with their stuff (something that they want to do and need help to do because someone in their life has died and left them too much stuff to deal with… or because they are facing their own death and want to live more freely and comfortably in the time they have left).

This show is funny, at times gently poking fun at things that Americans keep, and a source of so many heart-expanding moments. At least once every episode, they remind the people that they are helping that their loved ones are present with them. There is a saying goodbye that is involved but getting rid of excess stuff is not getting rid of the beautiful memories and experiences, or their love for their person. 
What I’ve been learning more deeply as I watch it is that Americans apologize constantly for crying… every single person has deep wells of grief but doesn’t feel permission to cry.

When they get permission to cry, you can see the healing that takes place.

 

Good tears—Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals help people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being. It also can help you get support from others.[2]

 

Another thing I’ve learned – “You need to be supported to let go. When we have support, we are able to go so much farther than on our own.”

Kat, the psychologist on the show, is so kind and gentle and when she met with a woman, Shana, who was both keeping her friends at a distance and trying to find a way to talk with her close friends about her cancer, Kat showed her two acro yoga poses – one called the Titanic pose where she leaned far forward with the person holding her so she would not fall. The second looks like an airplane pose—the teacher holding the other on her feet like Shana is flying, a pose she describes as “super scary yet kind of freeing.” They have a conversation about how Shana wants to develop trust, courage… and Kat shares how that’s possible when there is that high level of support. “You need to be supported to let go. When we have support, we are able to go so much farther than on our own.”

 

A third learning—what’s loved has to be released. When we try to hold on to everything, we lose what matters. Family after family featured in this little series learns that their lives are the gift from relatives—not the stuff—and they can love items enough to let them go so that they can have a new use in another way. 

There are so many practices of self-compassion that go right alongside the letting go – here’s one exercise for us to try in community today.

1) Take a deep breath and recognize the pain you are carrying. You really tried your best and it still wasn’t possible to save these loved ones from death.

 

2) Having these painful experiences is part of being human. Let yourself know that you are seen and understood and cared for.

 

3) As scary as it was, put your hand on your heart and remember - 

I am here for you. 

I know what you’ve been through.

I will listen.

I will make space.

Because you are very important to me.

 

In the context of the show—these are words that in self-compassion, you say them to yourself.

In the context of Christian community—these are words that God (within and around us) says to us, that we say to one another and yes, that we can say to ourselves.

I am here for you. I know what you’ve been through.

I will listen. I will make space. Because you are very important to me.

 

For the past five years, since our 150^th Anniversary, our congregation has had many losses. In your own circles of love and connection, you all have had even more losses, and part of the practice of this day is not only to remember and acknowledge out loud that we remember, that we are sad and miss them but to not get stuck here.

 

Jesus looks at those who are grieving, who are outsiders, who are marginalized and suffering, and Jesus reminds them how they are also blessed. It’s not only a future prediction but it’s to bring new life in the present.

If we are stuck beneath a mountain of stuff (literally or emotionally or spiritually) that represent our unprocessed grief—because our life has changed and we just haven’t had the support to deal with it—how can we invite in a circle of friends to help us?

 

For me, it has been an incredibly freeing thing not only to see how they transform spaces together but how they are working on the inner spaces… and how at the end of every episode, there is a celebration. Often, it’s a dinner with candles and loved ones, good food and stories, and together we remember again that this is a vision of the life that God dreams for us. 

 

Today, we too have candles… and we will light more. We remember and cry healing tears. We gather around a table where Jesus is the host, sharing who God is in the bread and cup, making us into a circle of friends who are here to help and support. And today we especially remember that those gathering with us include the whole communion of saints, a cloud of witnesses, with Christ as the center who guides them to springs of the water of life, and who with gentle compassion, when healing is complete, wipes away every tear from their eyes.

---

[1] The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, https://www.peacocktv.com/

[2] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319631#benefits-of-crying

Building a Culture of Generosity: God’s Changing Things for Good

Pastor Joy – I want to invite the children to come up if you’d like... and as you come up we are going to sing together “I Will Call Upon the Lord”

Today is such a special day—Reformation Sunday, Commitment Sunday AND Family Fun Day Sunday! We’re so glad you’re here! 

Ocho - Hi everybody! 

Pastor Joy – Oh wow, here’s Ocho! Ocho, I’m so glad you’ve joined us for this special day. This is a Sunday packed with beautiful images and ideas and stories.

Ocho – I saw all the red so I put on my red t-shirt. But why are we wearing red today Pastor Joy?

Pastor Joy – Red stands for God’s Holy Spirit! Today is a day focused on knowing God and especially how God’s Holy Spirit changes us or “re-forms” us as we move through life. The Holy Spirit helps us learn more deeply who we are as people of faith and children of God in light of God’s unbelievable grace.

Ocho - You mentioned stories - I love stories! Will you tell us one?

Pastor Joy - Well, one of the Reformers who shaped our Lutheran tradition over 500 years ago was Martin Luther. He was a pastor and a teacher. When he saw how certain leaders in the church were abusing and oppressing people, he was so upset that he posted all his ideas for improving the church and that set in motion the events that led to a whole new way of being church. He wanted all people to be able to read the Bible and worship in their own language so everyone would have the opportunity to know who God is!

Ocho - But Pastor Joy, you’re a pastor and so was Martin Luther.  I’m just an octopus and we are all only kids. Do you think we can understand who God is?

Pastor Joy - Yes, I think that people of all ages can understand things about God and when we get together, we can share our ideas and learn from each other. Martin Luther was obsessed with being a perfect Christian until he realized, reading the words that we heard today from Romans 3, that he didn’t need to be perfect because God’s love and grace extend to all of us… way before anyone is perfect. Of course, God extends grace to us and wants us to share that freely to other people too.

Ocho - You know what -  All this time I thought octopus were perfect - cuz I’m the only octopus I know! Ha ha!  But its true - most of us live alone and we like it that way.  I spend my days by myself under my rocks or looking around for food.  But did you know, we’re not perfect -  there are some Octopus that actually use weapons! 

Pastor Joy - Really??

Ocho - Yes! There’s a place in the ocean off the coast of Australia where octopus have had to live closer together and interact with each other more. Sometimes there’s some friction. 

Pastor Joy - Oh my! 

Ocho - I know! I guess they get really territorial. They’ve been observed boxing each other with their tentacles and even throwing rocks and shells at each other! I guess we are good at fending for ourselves but most of us aren’t very good at imagining how others feel, or sharing or helping each other. But you all seem like you get along well! I bet you humans never fight or be shellfish!  Get it shell fish?

Pastor Joy - Ha ha! I get it. But actually, Ocho I’m afraid we humans are often selfish. Raise your hand if you sometimes fight.
Well… we’re not the only ones who sometimes fight. This week, there has been lots of scary news about people fighting and using weapons in many countries and even in our own country. Kids, have you heard any of the scary news?

Ocho - Oh kids, oh Pastor Joy, that’s so sad. How do we learn to be better at getting along? Is there a way to end violence? Do you think we can ever reform the world into how God wants it to be?

Pastor Joy - In Psalm 46, God is bringing an end to all weapons. God actually says to everyone who is fighting to stop it. Our translation says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Today, in Winnipeg, Canada, my niece and goddaughter Siri is celebrating her Confirmation and this is her verse. Psalm 46:10

So, I’m going to invite you all to quiet your bodies for a moment and practice this prayer meditation with me. (elbow, toes, stroke beard if needed)

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that
Be still and know
Be still
Be

Pastor Joy - Wow! Good job practicing that verse.

Also, I think that Pastor and Teacher Martin Luther would have said that it is not our job to reform the world–luckily–because that’s way too big a job for any one person. It’s God’s job to change the world for good. God’s Holy Spirit that is moving and changing the world… but we can help! We can be part of God’s reforming work. Can you think of any ideas of how to help God and get along with other people?

Kids ideas…

 

Ocho - Oh, I love your ideas kids!

Pastor Joy - Me too. We have a very generous God and God has taught us to call on God when we’re afraid. God gives us enough to share so we don’t have to fight for resources. God keeps teaching us that we’re free from sin and death, fear and scarcity so that we can love more and more generously… and we can definitely be a part of that. God's Building a Culture of Generosity--God's Changing Things for Good!

By the way, God sees you as beautiful, Ocho!

Ocho - Really? Me?

Pastor Joy - Yes! And we do too! And every one of you kids, in God’s eyes, you are beautiful! So, as you are going back to your seats, you can pass that message on to someone on your way– In God’s eyes, you are beautiful!

In God’s eyes, you are beautiful… pass it on!

Building a Culture of Generosity – God’s Amazing Generosity

Exodus 33 & 34 

“Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”

Ah… Moses. 

Saved by the midwives Shiprah and Puah, his sister Miram, his mother and the Pharoah’s daughter. Moses – raised by his own enslaved people and the ruling class.

Moses, who fled Egypt for Midian, married Zipporah, was called by God in a burning bush to go back to Egypt—Moses, asked to do something he didn’t at all feel qualified to do—but with the help of his brother Aaron, he did it.

Moses, who was venerated and hated by the people who he led out of Egypt into 40 years of wilderness wandering.

Moses, who kept intervening for that whole people with God… but who would not see the end of their journey with them.

Moses… who found God’s favor, who knew God’s name…

In chapter 33, verse 23, we learn that God shows Moses all God’s goodness safely by passing by Moses while he’s protected in the cleft of the rock… not God’s face but God’s back is something Moses could experience without dying. But by chapter 34, when Moses is remembered after his death at age 120, they remember Moses seeing God face to face.

 

You can see why so many storytellers and filmmakers have tried to bring this epic story to life. You can see why the Israelites wept for 30 days when Moses died. Moses’ cross-cultural life spanned an amazing era full of transformation for the people. And although Moses did not enter the “promised land” with them, he certainly set them up for success, passing the spirit of wisdom on to Joshua who led them into the next part of their story. 

 

So, here the story ends for now with the death of Moses. We began in the summer following the stories of ancestors from Genesis and Exodus who were Anything But Ordinary—following their lives into a new theme—Building a Culture of Generosity—and today, we sit in wonder at God’s Amazing Generosity. Do you remember the song, Dayenu? If God had only brought them out of Egypt, but would not have fed them manna in the wilderness, it would have been enough. If God had only fed them in the wilderness but wouldn’t have brought them the Torah (the Ten Best Ways or 10 Commandments), it would have been enough. If God had only brought them the Torah, but had not brought them to the promised land, it would have been enough. God continued to be generous beyond measure to this little group, insignificant by comparison to the more well-known cultures and peoples around them… 
God taught them how to be strong, how to endure, how to be good neighbors.

 

This fall, we have a wonderful Bible study teacher who has written the Bible studies for Gather magazine – the resource we use for the CLC Women’s Bible Studies. Pastor Meghan Johnston Aelabouni is the ELCA Theologian-in-Residence for the Middle East and North Africa desk. She and her spouse, Gabi, who is also an ELCA pastor, live in Jerusalem. They cannot write too much on social media these days as the conflict in Palestinian territories and Israel is very intense, but months ago, she wrote this beautiful study about Holy Places from the context of serving in that place. It’s a land where thousands of people travel to visit the ancient stones. The hosts ask visitors “Please do not only visit the ancient stones. Please also come to visit the living stones.” In other words, notice how we--the Palestinian Christians living through occupation--take seriously their call to be “living stones built together spirituality into a dwelling place for God.” (1 Peter 2:4 and Ephesians 2:22).

 

Her study reminded us that:

Many people outside of Israael/Palestine know little about the Palestinian church. The global Christian community does not always recognize the importance of these living stones. Mindful of our sinful history of anti-Semitism and of verses in the Hebrew Bible identifying the land of Israel as a “promised land” for the Jewish people, many Christians (sometimes unknowingly) support policies that oppress their fellow Christians in this land, alongside their Muslim neighbors. Palestinian theologian Daniel Bannoura Has pointed out that for Christians, all biblical interpretation is through the lens of the gospel—that word meaning “good news.” If the Bible is interpreted to say that Palestinians do not have the right to exist in their own homeland, Bannoura says,
“This is when the Bible stops being good news for [us], God’s word for [us], and begins to be God’s word against [us]. If the Gospel is not good news to me as a Palestinian, and good news to the Israeli and to the Jew and to the Arab and to the Muslim, and to all people from all backgrounds, it’s not the gospel. It’s not good news.” In other words, if the Holy Land is not sanctuary for all of God’s people, it is not sanctuary.

The call to be the living stones of God’s presence in this and every place is rooted in the fact that we once were “strangers and aliens” ourselves. We embody sanctuary for others because we, too, need and receive sanctuary from God…

As the people of Israel return, they are called to be a “light to the nations,” to build a community of justice that cares for the vulnerable, and to recognize that they are not the only people God has invited home. (Gather, September/October 2023).

 

So how do we respond to Zionists—Christian or Jewish—who believe that the land of Israel is Israel’s alone to occupy, no matter how that impacts others? How do we respond to scriptures, taken out of context, that seem to reinforce that the modern-day state of Israel can do whatever they want—just or unjust—and that our nation is compelled to fund and support them out of fear or out of loyalty?

What do we do with our nostalgic visions of “promised land” and “manifest destiny” that are as problematic in the Holy Land as they have been in the United States?

What do we think as we look with Moses over into the “promised land” and see that it is not empty and free-for-the-taking but inhabited, filled with people who also need their home? 

How do we honor those who were already living here, always living there, whoever the political rulers happened to be? How do we work together for peace and equity and justice for all vs. just for some?

 

These are questions that we need to ask and wrestle with as we consider all the ancestors of Moses, that prophet who knew God’s generosity so well, and remember together that God’s people are always called to be a community of justice who cares for the vulnerable. God’s “welcome home” is for the original people in the land, and Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Christians, Arabs and Muslims, Native Americans and immigrants, and to all people from all backgrounds. That is what makes a land holy, God’s generosity and the action of extending it to one another—recognizing in everyone who lives in the land, you are God’s living stones.

Building a Culture of Generosity: Anxiety, Anger & Changing Your Mind

Exodus 32: 1-14 and Matthew 22: 1-14

What gets in the way of generosity?

Anxiety.

We don’t like it when there are delays. God’s people in the wilderness didn’t like it either. Moses had been gone too long. What if he was dead? What if he was never coming back? What if this God that Moses kept talking about wasn’t real? In Egypt, they had gods that you could see—statues, painted stories—what did they have out here? Just words.

They needed something—tangible. So Aaron meets their stated need. He asks everyone to give their gold—something they value—and he makes a golden calf—and their anxiety eased a bit as they had something to gather around. They brought food and drink and had a party. It eased their anxiety.

 

God gets so angry—after all, it was just last week that God laid out the Ten Best Ways—what in the world? How could they forget so quickly? How could they think a gold statue—however beautiful—could replace the living God. 

God just about gives up on them—they will never be anything but slaves in their minds and their hearts—they can’t trust. They can’t believe in anything they can’t see. They have more faith in gold, in food, in drink than in God. They just don’t get it and they never will. 

Let’s just destroy them all and start all over.

 

But Moses calls on God to remember who God is.

You might be justified in doing that evil thing—in destroying those who don’t value you—but think how that will look to everyone else.

Do you want all the Egyptians to think you just brought all these people out here just to kill them?

Do you remember the promises you’ve made to all the ancestors?

You said - ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of

heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” And God changed God’s mind.

God forgives them.

God changes God’s mind and if God can do that… I wonder if we can, too?

 

When we think about the world’s most un-solvable conflicts… where people are suffering because no one can see the other side, no one can give one bit of ground, no one can change their mind… but instead, we are stuck in deep patterns of anger and fear, leading only to sorrow… I wonder if this story about God changing God’s mind—because of who God really is—might help us find a way forward that is more generous.

 

In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come.

I have had the experience of hosting a party—a party to which no one came.

Maybe you’ve had that experience, too. Maybe like me, you wondered what you did wrong. Was it because I invited the whole class or because we had it at the park, rather than a fancy hotel or theme park? Was it just because people didn’t really know us so didn’t want to take the risk? Was it just a busy day? An hour went by and not one person showed up—and we had a big spread of fruit and cupcakes—so after a bit, we did actually start inviting total strangers at the park. We’re having a party over here and we have more than enough—as you can clearly see—come please and help yourself. 

After that first tricky time, it became our mode for all outdoor parties. We have more than enough—have a cupcake! Hey you, over there—come and share in this feast!

 

But what still doesn’t make sense to me is the person who won’t accept the generosity of another.

When I have invited people to share a meal with me at Shobi’s, I have had multiple people respond, “Oh, I could never accept a free meal.”

What?!

 

The idea that any of us can live like that—as people who never accept a free gift from anyone—is a fundamental misunderstanding about the ways that we are interwoven as people. We are at least interdependent, if not dependent, on so many others… and if we cannot see that, we are not really recognizing the truth. We are completely dependent on farmers, fruit pickers, truck drivers, grocery shelf stockers. Parents, nurses, childcare providers, teachers, garbage collectors, factory workers, emergency personnel. Maybe we say to ourselves that we pay for all that—but really, so very much of all of life rests heavily on others who serve us, depends on us being willing to serve far beyond what we are paid, right? 

We are all receiving free meal after free meal after free meal. 

And so on most Tuesdays, I go outside to the big blue Shobi’s truck and practice living in a world where I can recognize others’ generosity to me.

 

A pastor friend of mine wrote an interesting response to the parable of the wedding feast this week. She wrote that as she was listening to the part where one last-minute invited guest was asked to leave because he wasn’t wearing the right thing, she remembered and realized… she had done it. She had been officiating a wedding during the part of our shared stories where we needed to wear masks. It was the universal rule at the time. One couple in attendance, relatives of those about to be married, refused to wear masks—even when asked nicely, even when masks were provided. The couple chose to leave rather than wear the mask. This pastor felt sick about having to ask and then about the result. It was shocking and sad that they would choose to walk out of the wedding rather than wear a mask for it.

Then she noted-- The images we get throughout Matthew are of the Kingdom of Heaven as a place where the weakest and most vulnerable have an inherent place at the table. 

And I would love for us to think about what it means to refuse to abide by practices that keep the most vulnerable welcome at the banquet, too.

 

What do we wear as we come to the banquet? Do we wear an attitude of deepest welcome? Do we remember how others have been gracious to us—and pass on that same graciousness? Do we come remembering what it was like when we were at our most vulnerable—and how someone in that moment either met us with kindness or decided to judge (or left rather than to have to give even an inch). If we have done well at mercy, well done. If we have not done well, let’s do better. In the example of even God, who can let go of anger and judgement, and resolve to act in deeper grace and mercy.

 

In our worship, every day, God spreads a table before us. Invites us to come freely. Invites us to turn away from all the things that offer us false security. Even in times of anxiety and hardship we can connect with the peace of God which in beyond all understanding. With deeper joy, we are invited to feast at the table of the Lord, and then go forth to share generously with others hungering and thirsting for the abundant life of God.

Building a Culture of Generosity: The Ten Best Ways

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Matthew 21:33-46 

Although I mostly want to stick to Exodus this morning, I can’t help but notice the vineyards. On Christ’s beautiful paraments (the fabrics that beautify the space in the green season) and throughout these parables from Matthew, grapevines. We hear about them again and again. If we were reading the beautiful prayer from Isaiah 5, we would hear about them again and in her weekly email from Cherish All Children, Director Joy McElroy, wrote about this “Love Song of Concern,” where Isaiah 5 makes clear, “the beloved vineyard planted for justice and righteousness has instead brought about bloodshed and cries of distress. God speaks the hard truth to [any] who have abused [their] power. We like to point the finger at others when we talk of speaking truth to power, but here God is speaking truth to us.” Joy writes about being at the first Women of the ELCA triennial gathering in 6 years and how teachers Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy and Vance Blackfox reminded the participants of how our nation treats immigrants, how our nation treats indigenous people. Tomorrow is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. What might we do tomorrow to learn more, to honor the original people of this land?[1] What might we do tomorrow to learn more, to honor the newest people of this land?

Dr. Sherman-Conroy shared: 

“Immigrants are not threats or a burden but our siblings. We need to have open hearts and minds and see the face of God in all. Mitakuye Oyasin – All my relatives.”

These are the kind of loving relationships that God has planted and tends… and God intends to invite all of us, workers in the vineyard, to join in tending these kinds of vines together.

A month ago, Ben and I took a brief day away at a place about an hour-and-a-half away called Good Courage Farm.[2]If you’ve never heard of it, you almost certainly will want to know more. It’s like Shobi’s Table—but in the countryside of Minnesota. How is it like Shobi’s Table? Well, it’s about food sharing, creative ways to live out God’s love, and volunteers. There is a cohort of volunteers—called the Vineyard Stewards—that came throughout this past year to do various things that grapevines need. Here are selections from the communication that lead farmer and pastor, Kerri, sent out to supporters:

 

More than 40 individuals from six faith communities gave their weekends to becoming workers in the vineyard. These folks were here in deep snow, in blazing heat, in travail, and in joy. They learned to prune, to train, to feed and tend vines, and they were here to receive all that love back again in the form of sweet fruit… All the while, we’ve been praying the Psalms and studying the Gospel texts in which Jesus uses vineyard language and images to reveal something about God and God’s reign.

 

[Kerri continues…] The grape juice for Communion has been put up in jars, and the wine is bubbling along in the carboys. From the highest point on the farm, at the southeast corner of the pear orchard, it’s clear to see which rows of the vineyard have benefitted from all your attention and care. We’re grateful for your flexibility this pilot season, and for your commitment. We can’t wait to bring you the elements of the Sacrament that you and the greening power of the Holy Spirit coaxed into being.

 

For all of us who weren’t part of the Vineyard Stewards faith formation cohort this year, and the idea of living the parables of Jesus out under the sky speaks to you, reach out to us at Good Courage Farm. We’ll be forming the 2024 cohort this December and are looking for congregations and individuals interested in this seasons-long way of learning and growing in faith.

 

I can’t help but think that the scary story we hear from Matthew today—about violence in the vineyard—might sound different if we actually had that experience of tending vines, year after year, and feeling overwhelmed and powerless as they are taken over by wild grapes—so invasive and harmful—and how this describes something about the way of God, the dream of God, as opposed to the things that grow invasively in and around us that threaten to tear God’s dream apart.

 

So, how do we discern God’s dream, God’s way… how do we know what kind of life God is inviting us to live for our own health and benefit? Well, my spirit turns back to Exodus. Many of us grew up calling them the 10 Commandments and maybe we picture a white-bearded Moses holding up two stone tablets as lightning flashes from the mountain pass. Our children in Godly Play learn these same things as the 10 Best Ways. They are a beautiful invitation to life in loving, life-giving relationship with God and one another. This time around, reflecting on these ways, I read some new insights from Matthew Schlimm, Professor of Old Testament at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary[3]. 

 

He writes:

·      Don’t settle for anything less God. Don’t worship stuff that doesn’t deserve your worship.

·      Using God’s name in vain? It’s not just about being disrespectful. It’s when people use God’s name for selfish or harmful purposes. When politicians say “God bless America” to garner more votes, they use God’s name wrongfully. When parents use religious guilt to make their children do what they want, they use God’s name wrongfully. When Christians make a show of their religion, they use God’s name wrongfully.

And while we’re on the topic of children, Dr. Schlimm, writes;

·      “The most important thing I’ve ever read about this commandment comes from an anonymous interpreter: From my…work with the Hebrew of Exodus 20, two facts are clear to me: the first is that honor is not a synonym for obedience and the second is that the Decalogue is not addressed to children.¹
To honor someone is to consider them significant, important, and weighty. It does not necessarily entail obedience. Because this commandment is not addressed to children, it should be seen first and foremost as directing people to care for elderly parents

·      And that commandment about Sabbath—that one is pure gift—Unlike Pharaoh, who worked the Israelites to death, God both practices and requires rest. The Hebrew word for “Sabbath” simply means “Stop”. The Sabbath day is an invitation to stop all work. The commandment actually says nothing about worship. It insists that people stop their anxious striving and resist busyness. It’s a deathblow to the assumption that we are only what we accomplish. It’s an invitation to sleep in, take naps, and experience renewal.

 

Oh wow… the 10 Best Ways… not to manipulate or force… these are invitations to ways of life that are complete gift. Naps, renewal, honoring children (& all of us, of every age), loving God rather than using God, generosity and compassion for others and for ourselves. These are the practices of vineyard stewards—these are the practices that we want to develop. We have been given grace upon grace from a God who planted and nurtured the whole vineyard and wants us to receive—the beautiful fruit, the delicious bread, the healing cup—and so God invites us into a culture of generosity so we can taste and see the ways of God and invite others to join in this generous work.

 

Joy McElroy shared a prayer at the end of her weekly reflection which inspired this one--

Loving God, open our hearts to seek the truth and work toward reconciliation for any harms we have participated in whether through our actions, denial, or silence. Help us to see what we have been unable or unwilling to see before. Turn us toward healing justice and love for all our siblings. Build among us a culture of generosity where we join with you in practicing your ways, where we welcome you as the keeper of the vineyard and join in your meaningful work. Amen.

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[1][1] Monday, October 9 is Indigenous People’s Day. Take time to read the ELCA’s Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, the Declaration to American Indian and Alaska Native People and engage in the ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement.

[2] https://www.goodcourage.farm

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-27/commentary-on-exodus-201-4-7-9-12-20-6

Building a Culture of Generosity: Water from a Rock in the Wilderness

Exodus 17: 1-7

We are so lucky that through our Saint Paul Area Synod, we have access to Stewardship resources each year. We have a consultant/trainer and we get to learn with others from congregations throughout the Saint Paul Area Synod. So… in the past few years, as we have learned as part of the Stewardship in all Seasons cohort, we have picked our themes—“Becoming New” was our theme last fall and “Share Life” was the theme that we liked so much that we used it for 2-3 years. This year, all of us in the Stewardship training cohort are using the same theme—Building a Culture of Generosity. We didn’t pick it ourselves, but it’s a good one because even if we have been practicing giving for years, it’s meaningful to take a look occasionally at our practices of giving to remember. Why do we give? Who inspired us to give? Why does this ministry in and out from 105 University Avenue West matter so much right now—in this particular time and place?

 

So in the next few weeks, you are going to get to hear a few short yet meaningful reflections from our members—those who have been here for years and those who are newer to this community of faith and hear who inspires them and why gathering together as church makes a difference. We’ll share these messages in a variety of ways—in worship, in written formats, and on social media, including through our Facebook page—so if you’re on Facebook, be sure to watch for these stories and share them with your circle of friends. In a time and cultural moment where there is such a need for loving community, you never know who among your friends and neighbors may really want to hear what it means to you to have an intergenerational faith community, people who are always working to get to know one another more deeply and meaningfully, people who are listening for God and serving in love.

 

As I’ve been collecting the first stories on behalf of our Stewardship team, I’ve been thinking about my own reasons for investing in this congregation. Why do I give to Christ on Capitol Hill? Well, first let me talk about the generations who inspired me. My grandparents sat next to me in church. My grandma sang the hymns beautifully. My grandpa made a joyful noise. On Wednesdays throughout the year, they stopped by the church to “clean the pews.” In the summers, my brother and I joined them because we loved to use the electric pencil sharpener. It was these practices of going to worship and finding ways to serve that were the grounding patterns for a life of faith. Now, life patterns have really changed for so many of us—still, when we arrive in these doors, we can expect to be welcomed without judgement. If we have complaints, someone will listen and sympathize… or listen and pray for us… or listen and offer encouragement and support, sometimes even a way to meet the need. When we arrive on Sundays, we know that there will be times for reflection, laughter, music, prayer, sharing a meal and a cup of tea or coffee, someone who sees and doesn’t mind our tears. We have a community unlike the usual circles where people join together out of shared interests or a common history—here, we are gathered together as one body in spite of many significant differences—yet we practice love for one another in spite of differences that in other arenas might divide us. Landlords are in conversations with tenants who are having trouble with their landlords. Eighty-year-olds talk face to face with teens. Rich and poor give what they can so that we can support ministries far beyond this place in meaningful, life-changing ways. God brings us together to learn a way of life that is different, that is sustaining, that is transformative.

 

People come and go, commit for a time and then move on—and this is both joyful and painful. This week, I visited Chuck Engleking at his new home in Blaine and as a way to try to connect with him, I was looking through ten years of pictures, finding pictures of him when he was active here. Some of you know the history—many years ago, Chuck was part of the special needs Confirmation class that Arnie Kolstad taught in spite of the fact that some people thought it wasn’t important and Chuck has been a devoted member here ever since. For many, many years, he carried the Ethiopian cross in and out of every worship service, leading a procession that on very special days included pastors, worship leaders, guests and acolytes—sometimes, even festive poles with ribbons on them. But even on ordinary Sundays, Chuck carried the cross (you can see a photo out in the display cabinet) until he was no longer able to safely do it. Chuck “helped the pastor” not only by carrying the cross but by letting me know it was time to pray before every service. He would tell me or the intern or sometimes the worship leader, “You pray.” And we would follow his instructions. Looking over 10 years of photos of all who have come and gone from this place, there are a lot of emotions. Incredible sadness for those who we loved and miss. Incredible gratitude for each one who we have shared a sliver of life doing ministry beside. 

 

This congregation has always been full of all kinds of generosity—all kinds of giving. What “Building a Culture of Generosity” hopes to remind us is that we are always invited to grow in our giving. When we invest as we are able, our hearts expand with love for this gathering and for all the good we are able to do together. There is absolutely no expectation that we give money here when we are barely able to make ends meet. If we are in that situation, we need to use our resources to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. But God has also put people here who have more than enough money, and God invites those who have more to give to invest in all this goodness. This fall, we hope to gather enough in our giving so that we can send youth to the ELCA National Youth Gathering without financial hardship for any family whose teen is willing to go. This fall, we hope to gather enough in our giving so that we can replenish the scholarship funds that go to support high school students we sponsor in Tanzania that are so grateful to us for helping to pay their school fees. This fall, we hope that you will prayerfully consider your intentions for giving and share those with us on Commitment Sunday—when we give deep thanks for everyone’s commitments to love and community lived out within and far beyond these walls.

 

In the part of the story of the Exodus that we hear today, the people are in the wilderness, really fearful about whether they will survive. They are so afraid that they go after their leader, Moses, and he’s praying to God for his life—because their basic needs are not being met and he doesn’t know what to do—the situation’s desperate. And God listens, again. God led them to freedom, protected them from danger, fed them when they were hungry and now, they find water where no one would expect. So, “Is the Lord among us or not?” This is the question that we have the opportunity to answer in this season, as God cares for us, cares for this community… helps us believe in God’s deep generosity and invites us to invest in such a way that we grow deeper in faith, deeper in love, deeper in generosity.