Wednesday Witness: Sue H.

Sue is the oldest "kid" at Peace.  She is our oldest member, but has spunk and energy that makes it hard to believe.  A few weeks ago, I had coffee with her at M'n'M's and we talked and talked about life and books and faith.

Sue is a great musician.  She has taught music and played for churches for many years.  In fact, she still drives to the Manor to play for the services there.  She is also a voracious reader.  My husband is an English professor and she had a list of questions to ask him about Shakespeare.

It amazes me how much energy she has and I asked her what her secret is.  "Oh, I don't know.  I guess you're only as old as you feel."  She embraces life with passion and compassion.  She loves her family and friends deeply.  When we met for coffee, she had just been back to her hometown in Iowa.  She spoke of seeing friends and the memories she has with them--talking, playing cards, laughter.  She talked about her love of her family--children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She spoke of looking to faith in hard times, but also that faith was just a part of her life.  Church has been an important as a place to come together with friends and family, connected by faith.

What I admire about Sue is the way she sees life as an adventure.  She loves to travel and still looks at the world with a sense of awe and wonder.  It keeps her young.  It gives her energy.  I think she sees God at work in the world through those wide eyes.  Maybe that is the secret to a life well lived.

Thanks to be to God for Sue and all of the faithful witnesses to God's work in this wonderful world.

Tuesday's Text--Isaiah 40:1-11

The first reading for the Second Sunday of Advent is Isaiah 40:1-11.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 

² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, 

that her penalty is paid, 

that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 

³ A voice cries out: 

   "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, 

     make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

   ⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up, 

     and every mountain and hill be made low; 

   the uneven ground shall become level, 

     and the rough places a plain. 

   ⁵ Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, 

     and all people shall see it together, 

     for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." 

⁶ A voice says, "Cry out!" 

     And I said, "What shall I cry?" 

All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 

⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades, 

   when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; 

   surely the people are grass. 

⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades; 

   but the word of our God will stand forever. 

⁹ Get you up to a high mountain, 

   O Zion, herald of good tidings; 

lift up your voice with strength, 

   O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, 

   lift it up, do not fear; 

say to the cities of Judah, 

   "Here is your God!" 

¹⁰ See, the Lord GOD comes with might, a

   nd his arm rules for him; 

his reward is with him, 

   and his recompense before him. 

¹¹ He will feed his flock like a shepherd; 

   he will gather the lambs in his arms, 

and carry them in his bosom, 

   and gently lead the mother sheep.

What good news do you see in this text?

What don't you understand?

What questions do you have?

What applies to you (or us) today?

Isaiah 64:1-9--"Our Potter"

Potter's hands at Bethel Horizons

Listen to the devotion here.

Two images came immediately to mind when I read this text.  The first: Don Hunt, the potter at Bethel Horizons.  Don was a teacher from the very depth of his being, and when he taught pottery at the studio at Bethel Horizons, he told a story along with it.  He spoke of God breathing life into the clay.  He spoke of centeredness and used the clay to model it.  “When we are centered, we can grow,” he would say as he, with his expert hands, made a pot grow from the lump of clay.  “When we lose our center or try to move too fast,” he said, “we turn in on ourselves and fall down,” making the pot lose its center and fall.  When Don demonstrated, he made it look so easy.  He was practically one with the clay, he knew it and knew how to apply just the right pressure to make beautiful creations.  His big hands were so gentle and his words meaningful.  

The second: Being in the Bethel Horizons studio with our ninth graders.  Though our instructors make it look so easy, it doesn’t usually come so easily to most of us.  The instructors get a little dirty.  We get covered in wet, sticky clay.  Of course, it doesn’t help that most of the time, the students end up sneaking up on each other to cover each other in clay.  Even when clay fights don’t ensue, we struggle to get the water to clay ratio right, usually splattering water over ourselves.  The towels on our laps soak through onto our jeans.  Working with clay is messy business.  Another thing that sticks in my mind, though, from these outings is the fact that our potters stick to it.  Though centering the clay and getting it to grow into a beautiful creation isn’t nearly as easy as the instructors make it look, everyone tries.  The ones for whom it comes a little more easily help those who struggle a bit more.  Covered in muddy clay, they sit at the wheels     trying again and again to create something.  And most of the time, the hard work pays off.  

Though Isaiah writes long before electric pottery wheels made the work slightly easier, he writes to people who know pottery well.  They use it every day for cooking and eating and carrying water.  My guess is that most of the people for whom Isaiah writes had watched a potter at work, carefully sculpting the pots and vessels from lumps of clay.  They knew the care that it took.  And the mess it made.  

Metaphors can only take us so far, but what an amazing one this one is for our God.  We are the clay and you are our potter.  You are the one who takes great care in what you do.  You are the one who knows how to apply just the right pressure to make us grow into something beautiful.  You are the one who is willing to get really messy as you create.  You are the one willing to try over and over again when we get off center.  You are the ones whose gentle hands mold and shape us to be who you desire us to be.  You are the one who sees so much potential in us.  We are the clay and you are our potter.

This little metaphor buried near the end of Isaiah says so much about the God whom we wait for in this season of Advent.  Though we know God-with-us, we still long for him.  We still wonder what God desires for us.  We still question and ponder and wait.  Yet, we rest in the promise that our God-with-us is one who dwells with us in the muck of life and, like a good potter, doesn’t stop just because he gets a little messy.  In fact, what we know about Christ is that he practically runs into the mess.  He goes where the people are--those who are cast away and sick and dirty.  He doesn’t leave them, or us, in the depths of despair, but walks right along with us in the very messiness that is life.

And even in the midst of that messiness, God, our potter, is busy molding and shaping us.  God is working through those around us, and the Word that is on the loose among us, to help us grow.  This, of course, is a life long journey.  The Spirit blows around us, whispering into the depths of our being--follow me.  Find your passions.  Keep growing.  Follow the one who walks with you in muck of life.  

My sinful self wants to control my experiences, to protect myself and not have to challenge myself too much.  But in those rare times when I can let go and listen and watch and learn, I realize that God has more in mind for me, and for us.  God, the potter, takes care to continue working on us, from baptism until the moment we die.  God, the potter, knows us intimately and has promised to keep applying that gentle pressure to help us grow into something even more beautiful than we might be able to imagine.  God, the potter, promises to, and does, walk with us right through the messiness of life--the sorrow and grief and disease and despair so that we can catch glimpses of the hope and grace that God has already showered upon us.

Advent is a season to wait and watch.  The challenge, sometimes, is to see through the muck to see the beauty.  To watch for the glimpses of hope and grace and mercy and forgiveness amidst all of the distractions.  And to rest into the amazing promise of a God who is with us and keeps working on us so that we might live fully into the image in which we are created.  We are the clay and you are our potter.  Amen.

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I didn't wait up for midnight last night.  Even though it was Advent Eve.  The night passed without much hurrah.  We had dinner with my family, including one of my dad's brothers and his family.  But there wasn't any discussion about our new year's resolutions or remembrance of the last year.  I fell asleep on the couch watching a cheesy Christmas movie my mom bought in the bargain bin (which won't be a Christmas classic at our house, but that's another story...).  It was just an average night.

But it is the new year!  Year B of the church!  The year of Mark.  So super exciting!  A couple of things that are cool to know about the church--we use the Revised Common Lectionary, which lots of churches use to determine the readings of the day.  It's set up in such a way that Matthew, Mark, and Luke each have their own year and John is interspersed into all three years.  That way, we hear the Gospel message from each of the four Gospels over the course of three years.  This is Year B, the Year of Mark.  It will be a year of excitement and storytelling.  One of the marks of Mark (sorry!) is the word "immediately."  Mark is so excited about the story of Jesus Christ that he can't wait to keep telling it.  In the Greek, we read "and then..." a lot.

The church calendar begins with Advent, which is the season of waiting and anticipation before Christmas.  During Advent, we look forward to the coming of Christ, both in terms of commemoration of his coming as an infant and the promise that he will come again.  There are four Sundays in Advent, this year starting today, November 27.  The color is blue, a color of hope.

Many churches, including ours, light a candle for each Sunday in Advent on the Advent wreath.  Some people have Advent wreaths at home or have different Advent traditions, including Advent calendars or daily devotions.  I found a great daily devotion for Advent that uses music and time for meditation and prayer called Following the Star.  Some people like to take time for silence or a new spiritual practice in Advent.

May this new year fill you with hope and joy!

Friday Wild Word of the Week: Thanks

of the week:

THANKS

Josh  

Abbie

Joni

Kirsten

Peace Preschool

Barb

Kirsten

Thanks for your contributions.  I'm looking forward to next week!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Next week's

of the week:

HOPE


Email photos to pastorkirsten(at)gmail.com to be posted next Friday.

Giving Thanks

It’s always a good time to be thankful.  But it seems like it is particularly front and center in our lives during this holiday season--between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So here’s my list, or at least a part of it, and in no particular order.

Friends.  Family.  Laughter.  Blue sky.  Sandhill cranes.  Daffodils.  Tulips.  Fresh apples.  Squash.  Pumpkins.  The Farmer’s Market.  Unexpected visits.  Late night conversations.  Sunrises.  Sunsets.  Snow days.  Garrison Keillor.  New friends.  Old friends.  Those moments when time stands still and you know you are standing on holy ground.  Good beer.  Tenney.  Music.  Reflections.  Rocks.  Lake Superior.  Bus trips. The beach.  Weathered hands.  Baby hands.  Awe.  Wonder.  Fireplaces.  Stillness.  The Northwoods.  Ski lodges.  Cracking ice.  Red wine.  Hugs.  Hockey games.  New possibilities.  Mary’s Place.  Roller coasters.  Tuckiana Point.  Kayaks.  Chicken tracks.  This American Life.  Hearing “I love you.”  Books.  Time.  Wisdom.  Courage in the face of death.  Learning.  Rainbows.  Skype.  Easter lillies.  Tutus.  Crocuses.  Bald eagles.  Winter.  Spring.  Summer.  Autumn.  Moving helpers.  Neighbors.  Compost bins.  Geraniums.  Tomatoes.  Basil.  Fresh Mozzarella.  Fresh bread.  Authenticity.  Sand castles.  Body surfing.  Story telling.  Packing groceries.  Stepping back to watch.  Our amazing staff.  Preschool.  Sunday School.  Route 56.  Route 78.  Destination Affirmation.  The Church Council.  The Manor.  Home visits.  Baptism.  Communion.  Lefse making.  Hidden Talent Night.  Poinsettias (even really scraggly ones!).  Surprises.  Questions.  Hard work.  Good books.  Bike helmets.  Chickadees.  Cardinals.  Wood peckers.  The zoo.  Football games.  Hearing God’s Word in new ways.  Fall leaves.  Spring flowers.  Snow flakes.  Ice formations.  The giving tree.  On Being.  The color red.  Hot coffee.  Pumpkin pie.  Christmas baking.  Laughing until my belly hurts and tears run down my face.   A good cry.  Beautiful art.  The Chazen.  The Church year.  The communion of saints.  Being a pastor.  Pulling weeds.  Reel mowers.  Clean water.  Handwritten cards.  Chocolate.  Memorial Union.  Lake Mendota.  The dog park.  Yoga.  Sand boxes.  Vegetable gardens.  Fresh cucumbers.  Passions.  Stars.  Bird songs.  Water striders.  Betty Lou Cruises.  Toddlers.  Teenagers.  Grandparents.  Prayers.  Physical therapists.  Old photographs.  Letters.  Silly jokes.  Honesty.  Open-mindedness.  Creativity.  Gold fish.  Ducks.  Hostas.  Wild flowers.  History.  Baptismal fonts.  Naps.  Laser tag.  Mini golf.  Paddle boats.  Capture the flag.  Lake Michigan.  Butterflies.  My parents.  My sister.  My husband.  My husband’s family.  Excitement.  Volunteers.  Giving back.  Community.  Bethel Horizons.  Seeing the world in new ways.  Parables.  Psalms.  Labyrinths.  Bells.  Silly cards.  Technology.  Thanksgiving stuffing.  Mashed potatoes.  Butter.  Leftovers.  Curry.  Squeaky cheese curds.  New recipes.  Old recipes.  Lady bugs.  Faith.  Hope.  Love.  Long walks.  Puppies.  Candles.  Singing.  Promise.  Grace.  Forgiveness.  The people of Peace.  The Word that has become flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.

For all of these things and so much more, I give thanks.  It is amazing to me just how many ways God is on the loose among us.  How have you seen God working this year?  For what are you thankful?

In Christ,

Pastor Kirsten

Tuesday's Text: Isaiah 64:1-9

The First Reading for the First Sunday in Advent is Isaiah 64:1-9.

 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, 

so that the mountains would quake at your presence-- 

² as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil--

 to make your name known to your adversaries, 

so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

³ When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, 

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 

⁴ From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, 

no eye has seen any God besides you, 

who works for those who wait for him. 

⁵ You meet those who gladly do right, 

those who remember you in your ways. 

But you were angry, and we sinned; 

because you hid yourself we transgressed. 

⁶ We have all become like one who is unclean, 

and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. 

We all fade like a leaf, 

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 

⁷ There is no one who calls on your name, 

or attempts to take hold of you; 

for you have hidden your face from us, 

and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. 

⁸ Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; 

we are the clay, and you are our potter; 

we are all the work of your hand. 

⁹ Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, 

and do not remember iniquity forever. 

Now consider, we are all your people.

What good news do you see in this text?

What don't you understand?

What questions do you have?

What applies to you (or us) today?

Post away!  And check back on Sunday for a reflection on this text!

Friday Wild Word of the Week: Thanks

of the week:

THANKS

My friend Emily has an awesome blog called "Life Breathing".  I love reading her insights on faith and life and the amazingness of the world around us.  She inspires me.  Check out her blog, either by clicking here or on the link on the side of the blog.  

Each week she posts a word of the week and invites people to send in photos that relate to that word.  I love the idea and thought it would be perfect for the Wild Word Project.  So I asked it if I could steal the idea and she, being the gracious lady she is, said "of course."  Check out Life Breathing's Word of the Week, which is Food.

Since one of the goals of the Wild Word Project is to watch for the ways God is at loose in the world around us, why limit it only to physical words?  God speaks to us in many ways and gives us many gifts.  And you all are invited and encouraged to share your gifts and the ways you see God working through the lens of your camera (or, as is often the case for me, the screen of your phone).

This is how it works.  Each Friday, I'll post a word.  This week, it is "THANKS."  You all send your photos to pastorkirsten(at)gmail.com and I'll post them the following Friday.  It's super simple and lots of fun!

I'm looking forward to seeing your photos and sharing them next Friday!

Tuesday's Text: Matthew 25:31-46

The Gospel for Christ the King Sunday is Matthew 25:31-46.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' ⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

What good news do you see in this text?

What don't you understand?

What questions do you have?

What applies to you (or us) today?

A few notes on Tuesday's Text

The stories of Scripture tell ways that God works in the world.  But they're not the only stories of the ways God is working.  The Spirit lives and moves and breathes among us.  Today.  SO how do we make connections to the stories of scripture and the sacred stories of our lives?

There are absolutely no right or wrong answers or questions or comments.  You can comment anonymously or with your name.  And feel free to comment and piggyback off of one another.  Some of the texts will be familiar, others will be just plain weird.  That's the beauty of Scripture.  

We are living in the midst of God's continuing story in this world.  I look forward to sharing stories and comments and questions with you!

Tuesday's Text: Matthew 25:14-30

The Gospel for this Sunday, the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost is Matthew 25:14-30.

¹⁴“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²²And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What good news do you see in this text?

What don't you understand?

What questions do you have?

What applies to you (or us) today?

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day.  We remember the Saints who have died.  We also remember that God names and claims all of us as Saints.  And sinners.  It's one of the things I love best about being Lutheran.

My All Saints Day story:
My grandfather died in April.  His dying was a holy process, during which I learned a lot about his faith and my own.  I learned a lot about trusting in God's promise of abundant life.  I miss him.  A lot.

So this morning, I was sitting drinking my coffee, with the song "For All the Saints" running through my head. (I'm a Lutheran pastor, please forgive me for being a nerd and thinking about hymns while I drink my coffee).  I was thinking about the last year and the people who have died.  I was thinking about my grandpa.  Giving thanks for the many ways he has blessed me.  Thinking about how I miss him.  As I was sitting, pondering, the sun popped up from behind the roof of the house across the street.  It burst into my living room and made me squint as I sat at the table.  It was a beautiful moment--a reminder of new beginnings.  A reminder of the fact that the sun keeps coming up, even in the midst of the darkness of our grief and sadness.  A reminder of God's promises of new life.  Every day.


Who do you remember on this All Saints Day?