December 29, 2019. What is it like to be a refugee? God told Joseph in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to escape from Herod. What if they had found the border closed when they arrived? In his sermon today, Jon Heerboth tells us that the Herods of this world haven't changed over the millennia. And like Joseph, we must act to respond to God's plan. *** Transcript *** In my whole life, I never had a dream in which I woke up with the idea that I was told to take my family and flee in the middle of the night. But I do remember a night, in November of 1954 in Tokyo, when my father and mother snatched all three of us out of our beds and ran out into the night. The earth shook for a long time, and it shook hard. It was a terrible disaster for a lot of people there, but our parents kept us safely away from anything that might fall on us. To this day, I carry that fear with me in my head -- that the earthquake is the natural disaster that I most fear. When I look back on that it feels like a dream, but it wasn't. It really happened. Just to be sure, I checked before I related this event, because it was so powerful. A lot of people did die that night. But if I had some kind of warning in a dream, I wonder if I would heed it. If I was warned, would I have stayed home on the snowy morning a car slid into me on the way to work? I don't know. In 2005 I awoke in the middle of the night, zapped awake by a dream I couldn't remember, with the sure knowledge that I had to get up and decide to take a different job. And I saw that as some kind of direction and I took it. Most of us can think of times when a warning would be a great help. We'd love a warning that our slight pain isn't really indigestion, but something needing immediate action. It may be trivial, but I would like a warning as simple as some foreknowledge of a failing car battery. I would certainly pay attention to that. Unfortunately, that's just not how things usually work. As we go through life we make our choices, we pay attention to our instincts and our experiences, we profess our faith of course, and place our trust and hope in God. But most of the time, we are very much on our own. In today's lesson Joseph received a very strong, very direct warning, and specific instructions about what he should do to keep his family safe. Joseph's dreams seemed much more intense than my own dreams are. An angel came to him in his dream and told him to flee, to clear out, to get away as quickly as the family could go. The angel also told him why: that Herod was looking for him and would kill him. Joseph got specific directions about where he should go, and that he should stay in Egypt until the angel told him otherwise. Now, if I had a dream that vivid, would I heed it? Would I take my family in the middle of night and head for the border? I would like to think so. But Joseph was tuned in and receptive to the angels' words, and he acted quickly to save his wife and her son Jesus. But safe arrival in Egypt didn't stop the violence back in Bethlehem. When Herod could not find Jesus he ordered his people to kill all the boys, two and younger, in and around Bethlehem. Many scholars believe Herod suffered from depression and paranoia. According to the historian Josephus, Herod killed his favorite wife, his brother-in-law, three of his sons, 300 of his top military officers, and many others. Herod was so brutal and killed so many people that the murder of the children around Bethlehem seemed trivial, and is not even recorded in history. Herod was a violent man and would not ignore the baby the Magi came to honor as a king. He would have been enraged when he discovered that the Magi dismissed his order to come back and report to him. So, he took action himself to protect his power and his throne. Matthews' story of the flight to Egypt reminds us of when Pharaoh ordered the death of male Hebrew infants in Exodus 1. Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill boy babies, and when that didn't

December 24, 2019. The prophet Isaiah says a little child shall lead them. The way that children interpret nativity scenes can demonstrate that. Pastor Stephanie's message this Christmas Eve is about beholding Jesus, full of grace and truth, in and around the world. *** Transcript *** Grace and peace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate together this evening. A year ago I was invited back to the prior church that my husband Phil and I served, to speak at the installation of a pastor who succeeded us. My job was to give the "charge" to the congregation, a part of the service that acknowledges the partnership between pastor and congregation, urging the congregation to play its role well. Of course, I read the formulary that is part of the official installation rite. But I also had the freedom to speak personally, and so I did. Because it was early in Advent, and I had been reading the same John 1 portion that we often read this time of year, my head and heart were full of this phrase: we beheld his glory -- glory, as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. So I exhorted the church receiving their new pastor to continue to emulate the grace and truth they saw in Jesus. Come to think of it, that would be the same thing I'd encourage Christ Lutheran Church, as soon you will be welcoming your new pastor, following the lead of the one who is full of grace and truth. It doesn't get any better than that. Tonight we are beholding Jesus. Our plan for this hour is just that simple. We came to see and experience something of his grace and truth. Now, we don't use the verb "behold" very often anymore. I'm not much of a fan of using antiquated language to communicate to 21st century people, but there are some words that I just hang onto because we don't have any one word in the English language to replace them. "Behold" is one such word. Whenever it is used in the biblical text, it is a commanding word. That means we should pay very close attention. The Gospel of John, chapter 1 says the "Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us . . . we beheld his glory, full of grace and truth." In that context, the word "beheld" means we have contemplated the full impact of his glory. That was the testimony of the early disciples. Well we have not merely noticed it, they're saying. We have wondered about it. We have marveled over it. His glory, his essence is full of grace and truth, the likes of which we see nowhere else. Beholding his glory, contemplating its meaning and marveling at it, requires our full attention. A few weeks ago, I saw a photo on Instagram from a young pastor in Michigan who is my friend Monica. She and her husband Steve have three young children. She wrote that they had setup a nativity set on their coffee table that had all the traditional characters, made of unbreakable materials. It was a set designed for young children to handle, to reenact the story of the shepherds and the sheep coming near to baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, with an angel nearby -- all of the main characters. You get the picture. But the photo Monica shared was of a scene that she and Steve were surprised and delighted to see a few days after the nativity had been brought out and setup. The children had added some of their own toy figures to this diorama. Spider-Man was there. So was Elsa from Frozen. There was a pirate, Marshall from Paw Patrol, and some dinosaurs. That photo prompted some good comments from friends, as you might well imagine. One reported that his son had added a pig to his own little nativity set. Now the dad's comment was that he hoped his son knew that even though a good Jewish Family wouldn't eat it, the pig was welcomed as one of God's creatures, to come and see, to behold this newborn king -- a baby like no other. Apparently the children saw that everyone needed to be there. Something special was going on in the birth of Jesus. In their own little minds and spirits, they beheld something of h

August 11, 2019. Pastor Stephanie preaches on Luke 12. "Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Our faith is the only unfailing treasure that we ultimately have, and needs to come first in our lives. *** Transcript *** Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. I thought about calling this message and the theme of the day "What's in Your Wallet?" But then I realized I might lose all of you right off the bat as you visualize commercials you've seen with that theme. Is it too late already? Or, you might start thinking about whether you should change credit card companies, or any number of things that can come to mind that could distract us from where I hope we will actually go together during this time. So, now that I have given in to the urge to actually start with that, I hope you'll come back with me and explore with me some of the teaching of today's gospel. Jesus uses a curious phrase in the midst of talking to his disciples about God's provision. Before we get to that, let's be reminded of the context though. It all starts with how abundantly God has provided for us. Backing up into Luke 12 -- which was not part of our reading today, but just before this -- we can be reminded of the context. It all starts with how abundantly God provides for us. We can read this: therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Then Jesus illustrates this by calling attention to the ravens, who don't sow, reap, or store up for themselves. Yet God feeds them. And he reminds them and us of the lilies of the field, who stand stately and proud, healthy and vigorous and beautiful, without constant striving for more. Again, God clothes them and cares for us. And then Jesus states how much more does God care for us? So here is the curious phrase that Jesus uses to give punch to the takeaway he wants us to have: make purses. Now, some translators interpret this word in the Greek as "bags" or "wallets," any item that you carry around with you with your goods in it. But our reading today says make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, so I'll use that one. But it continues saying that they carry an unfailing treasure in heaven where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. Now, whether you carry a wallet or a purse or a bag or a backpack is irrelevant. But the image of carrying our valuables with us is far from irrelevant. Jesus is getting at what we carry with us that does not take on physical form, but it certainly has a lot to do with what we treasure. I once kept in my pocket a shiny little gold coin purse that was given to me by my maternal grandmother. It came with a shiny silver dollar, and I used it throughout childhood for the little bits of change that I had for buying treats. I took pretty good care of it, and I treasured it because it came from my dear grandma. Funny how, after all these years, I think I finally realized now why I never pitched that little coin purse. It seems to represent for me the real treasure that was given to me by my grandma. My relationship with my grandmother has always been a treasure to me, because she was the key person whose faith I admired and wanted to experience in the same way that she did as I was growing up. So when I read of Jesus' words about purses that do not wear out, I remember the gift of faith that was transmitted to me by the Holy Spirit through the person of my grandma. I think that is the real kind of purse, bag, wallet, backpack that Jesus refers to that is worth making and cultivating, because faith never wears out. The gift of faith that we receive from God and consider our greatest treasure will never fail us, nor can it be stolen, nor will it disintegrate over time. It's a sturdy gift, quite unlike nearly e

June 9, 2019. Pentecost is the start of a new church year. Jim Bennett's sermon today reminds us that we don't need to build ivory towers or to elevate ourselves, so that we stand out in the presence of God. Instead, God comes to us in our everyday lives. *** Transcript *** So as they say the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. Today we celebrate Pentecost. It is the birthday of the church. In the liturgical church year, it is the start of a new church year. And Pentecost is the third most important festival in the church year, behind Easter and Christmas. I suppose many of you may know that already, if you are active in the congregation. But if you were not here last Sunday to hear pastor Stephanie's sermon, you missed an important prologue for today's message. She preached about the ascension of Jesus on the last Sunday of the Easter season, where Jesus told his disciples that he must go away so that God could send his followers the Holy Spirit. He said to them, "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with the power from on high." And Pentecost, then, was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise. Today's lesson in the book of Acts tells how that promise was fulfilled. It says when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, and suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared on them tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Yet many of us do not realize that when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, not only was it to fulfill what Jesus promised prior to his ascension, but Pentecost the event closed an important loop -- a loop that's depicted between our first and second lesson today: the story of the Tower of Babel depicted in the Book of Genesis, and what Paul recounts occurred at Pentecost, our second lesson today. In our first lesson we're introduced to the Rabble of Babel. And they were trying to make a name for themselves to build a tower to the top of the heavens. And as our reading points out, God's response to them was, "Let us confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." And God scattered them abroad over the face of the Earth. And then at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit gave Jesus' followers utterance to speak in other tongues, it says the visitors -- the Medes, the Parthians, Elamites, residents of Pamphylia, and Egypt, and Cyrene, and Rome, and Libya, and Cretan, on and on -- all heard the disciples speak in their own language. So the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought full circle God's promise to reverse the Babel Rabble and give God's people a counselor to lead them in faith. And the Holy Spirit has counseled God's church for over 2000 years. Now unfortunately, it has not necessarily made the Babel Rabble an extinct species. The temptation to build ivory towers and make a name for ourselves is ever-present. I recently read a story of a chance encounter between two men having coffee at a roadside diner somewhere here in the Midwest. Sitting at the counter, a traveler turned to the man next to him, who appeared to be a farmer, and asked, "You live around here?" "Sure do," the farmer responded. "Right down the road apiece." Looking to do some Texas bragging, the traveller asked, "How big's your place?" The farmer responded, "About a hundred acres." So the traveler said, "Let me tell you about my place out in Texas. I get in my truck early in the morning every morning, and it takes me all day to get to the other side of my spread. What do you think about that?" Well, the farmer shook his head understandably and said, "I know just what you mean. I had a truck like that once." We are all susceptible to the temptation to build our ivory towers, if not out of brick and mortar, then out of our professions, recognition, or accumulatio

December 11, 2019. Pastor Stephanie's sermon in this Advent evening service is about the shoot of Jesse from Isaiah 11, and how God is bringing new possibilities all around us. *** Transcript *** Advent is a time of taking stock of reality, and it's a time of promise. That's quite a profound combination. Usually when we take stock of reality, we realize that we have a lot of work ahead of us. It might be that our cholesterol or triglyceride numbers need to improve, or our financial picture needs to be turned around, or maybe a reality check reveals a relational difficulty which will require much more time and attention than previously. We hold promise for ourselves in believing that with enough effort, we can turn things around. But sometimes even with extraordinary effort, or with loss or brokenness, there is no fixing of a broken heart or a discouraged spirit on the horizon. Now in the chapters prior to the reading that I read tonight, the prophet Isaiah has been telling the people that difficult circumstances will be their reality. The tallest trees, Isaiah says, will be cut down, and the lofty will be made low. There will be no human effort that will be mighty enough to turn that situation around. So why then does Isaiah get to speak into Advent? Where's the hope? Where's the waiting for God to do something big to turn things around? Well, Isaiah does go on to say a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse. From what looked hopeless and lifeless, God says, new life will emerge. In God's timing, and by the mercy of God, the people will see life arise from destruction. Now, Phil and I have a hiking and photography trip planned in March, going to some of the most spectacular national parks in Arizona and Utah. If you've ever been anywhere where there are sheer walls of granite such as those present in Zion National Park, you've noticed with wonder how seedlings appear in the most unlikely places. You will find them in places where the environment seems most inhospitable. It's quite amazing that a seed that lodges in a narrow crevice could ever have enough soil in which to develop roots and to draw nourishment for growth. But it happens. In the same way, Isaiah tells us, out of the stumps seemingly given up as a lost cause, God brings forth life -- sometimes in very small, barely noticeable ways -- but life nonetheless. A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, like a seedling pushing through rock toward the sunlight. When I was growing up there was a sweet, elderly couple who lived around the corner from our home. Mrs. Bumgartz always had fresh cookies that she shared with the many, many kids in our neighborhood. And Mr. Bumgartz always had a smile as he walked past our house to join his friends for a cup of coffee and some lively conversation downtown. Then one day we learned that Mrs. Bumgartz had died. When Mr. Bumgartz ventured out of the house again after several weeks had passed, he would walk his familiar route past our house. But now his head was hanging down, the weight of his sorrow causing his shoulders to sag. His smile was gone. He did not even seem to notice us playing nearby anymore. He was like a barren stump, cut off from the life that he had known and had loved. Then, much later on, we started to notice that he would say a few words to us as he walked by while we were playing in our front yard. It seemed like an overnight change. But for him, it must have been painfully slow. Like a seedling pushing through rock toward sunlight, a shoot coming out from the stump of Jesse. We often decide too soon when things can't grow. "Surely not there," we say about some things. "The rock is too hard, the stump too dead." There are times when we assume whole groups of people cannot grow or thrive. Or the years of seeing cultural trends heading one direction can keep us from noticing when the tide begins to turn, bit by bit. But hope is nothing if not stubborn. All kinds of obstacles can be present, and yet somet

May 5, 2019. After Jesus' disciples witnessed his ministry, arrest, trial, execution, and resurrection, they went home and went fishing. What were they supposed to do next? Jon Heerboth preaches from the Acts of the Apostles on how Jesus got the disciples' attention and ours, and tells us what he needs us to do next. *** Transcript *** On Easter Sunday here, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ with many hallelujahs, we sang our favorite Easter hymns, and we felt that our world was full of new life -- new life in Christ as well as the new life of springtime. But today is the third Sunday after Easter. It's still Easter, but this Sunday feels a lot different than the week before last, doesn't it? There may not be a "Hallelujah Chorus" today. And I think that's the only singing you're going to get from a choir. But we will still be talking about the resurrected Christ and finding God's will for us, as we wait in the meantime between the First Coming and the Second Coming of Jesus. Last Sunday we heard how Jesus appeared to the disciples, and Thomas was there the second time. And he saw the holes, he felt his palm, he saw the wound in the side and said, "My Lord and my God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are those who," like you and me, like all of us, "have not seen and yet have come to believe." And then after that, John wrote that book so that its readers would come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing would have life in his name. And then that was the end of the book of John in chapter 20. Well, it would have ended anyway, except that there's an epilogue -- one more thing added to the book. And that is today's gospel lesson. Now, the purpose of an epilogue is to treat unfinished business. And most of it, according to the Gospel of John, revolved around Peter. There was unresolved tension with Peter and Jesus, and the other disciples, and there was a lot of confusion among them about what they were supposed to do next. They had witnessed the risen Lord. And they, like us, were experts in the teachings of Jesus. And they, like us, had received the great commandment to love one another. And yet, the disciples seem like they were all dressed up with no place to go. Moreover, Peter was still agonizing over his treacherous denial, while his master was being interrogated and humiliated by the high priest of the Jewish Supreme Court. So it looks like, after hiding out in Jerusalem for a while, Peter and some of the others went home to Galilee. Maybe they thought they would be safer there. Maybe they were out of money, or were tired of waiting for something to happen. But at any rate, they went home. So the disciples witnessed the ministry, arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus. They found out about the resurrection. They met the risen Christ twice before in this gospel. The disciples had all the evidence they need to confirm that Jesus had died and risen from the dead. And how did they respond to these monumental events? They went fishing. They went fishing. Now, this wasn't some weekend camping trip or a little vacation after a rough patch at work. They went fishing because that's who they were: fishermen. They went home to Galilee, and picked up where they left off when they left to follow Jesus. Galilee was home at least to four of them: James, John, Peter, and Andrew. Jesus called them from their lives in the boats and called them to go fish for people. They followed Jesus, from Galilee to Jerusalem. They listened to Jesus teach, and watched him heal the sick and work miracles. They were with Jesus at the Last Supper. They were around when he was arrested and crucified, and witnessed the resurrection. After all that, they returned home. They picked up their lives where they left them off months or years before, and then they went back to work. There was no one to tell them what else they should be doing. In a way, we were like that after Easter Sunday. We celebrated, worship

April 21, 2019. We celebrate this Easter Sunday with a simple, six-word phrase: Jesus is risen from the dead. Pastor Stephanie preaches on what these words meant to Mary Magdalene and the disciples, and what they continue to mean for us today. *** Transcript *** Happy Easter once again to all of you. It's such a glorious day to see each other, to sing, and to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord together. Now, as I was preparing for this message I was remembering how, a few years back, I learned about an interesting website, an online magazine called SMITH. (Just like the name sounds: S-M-I-T-H.) It's a collection of six word memoirs. I imagine there are some of you out here who are familiar with that, because it's been taken up by business, education, and other entities, to employ the tactics that they use. It was started as a challenging way to depict the lives of people and their wisdom about life, in only six words. Six words -- think about that. With such a tight economy of words, one really has to think about what one wants to communicate in that short space. Challenging though it was, the concept really caught on. The online magazine site eventually had so much material from contributors that it distilled what it considered the most thought-provoking into a few books. The names of them, of course titled with the requisite six words, are: Not Quite What I Was Planning, and the later edition is titled It All Changed In An Instant. Both phrases intended to pique our interests, to find out more. So I decided to bite. I searched through several examples of these memoirs captured in the six brief words. Here are a few examples. I will start with a very poignant one, but that's only because it is believed that this six word challenge was given to the famed writer Ernest Hemingway, and his is a very sad, pithy little one. He was challenged to write a short story in six words, and here's what he came up with: "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn." One person recovering from a breakup wrote: "I still make coffee for two." On the same theme comes this, from a person with a gift for expressing double meanings: "Our perfect match burned out quickly." Then there are other six-word memoirs that make you wonder what kind of response the writer wanted to elicit from us. "I am turning into my mother." Anybody relate? "Named me Joy, but it didn't work out." How about this one: "Never really finished anything besides cake." Here's a light-hearted version from screenwriter Nora Ephron: "Secret of life: marry an Italian." Lots of other good ethnicities too. This was on the website yesterday, for those who appreciate a good brew (and I know there are many of you present): "Easter Bunny Lager: contains more hops." And this one made me laugh: "Even I can't keep my secrets." The reviewers of the site also got in on the game by trying their hand at this as well. Because why not? I thought the brilliance of the New York Times one expressed the six-word memoir idea the best for me: "The brilliance is in the brevity." Brevity, having a succinct message, getting to the core truth. There's something to be said about that, in this world filled with ideas and words barraging us continually. When it comes to the mystery and beauty of the reason why we are celebrating today, it cannot be said any better than within these six words: Jesus is risen from the dead. These are the words that the breathless women carried from the empty tomb back to the other disciples. These are the words that have been passed on ever since, from person to person, from community to community, spreading to every continent in the last two millennia. It is these six words that have spoken to countless individuals whose lives were near death, broken by pain and suffering, by sin and darkness, and given them new life, hope, and purpose. Because death did not have the final word with Jesus, it does not have the final word with us either. So this is the message behind the comfort that i

December 8, 2019. The hope of something better is the heart of what repentance truly means. Pastor Stephanie's message is on repentance, introductions, and John the Baptist introducing Jesus. *** Transcript *** Grace and peace to each one of you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Would you pretend with me, for just a few moments, that you are planning a special event? I mean beyond your Christmas dinner, as special as that is. I'm thinking of something in which you might be passionate about, and decide that you want to have a uniquely qualified speaker come, to enlighten people that you will invite, on a specific topic. So, you would reserve the Mead Center and develop a list of things to be done for the preparation of the success of your event. There is one key aspect that can be easily overlooked in such a situation. But it shouldn't be. You can have all the big logistical matters covered and checked off your list. But if you neglect one important element, the stage for your event has not been properly set for maximum effectiveness. Its importance can elude us, because it can seem like just a polite nicety that's added only to provide a little transition to the main event. What is this of which I speak? You probably already guessed it. It's the way that you frame what you want in advance for your audience to be prepared for, so that they will be ready to get the most they possibly can out of what the speaker has to say. It's a proper introduction to the main event. A thoughtfully prepared introduction heightens the hopes and expectations of what is to come. It provides a context for understanding what will follow. Those who come for the talk, then, need to feel that they have made a good decision in coming, and need to be made ready for what is about to unfold. Come to think of it, I heard a very good introduction made yesterday by Jadee at the women's brunch. As she introduced Katie as the speaker, even though I knew generally what Katie intended to speak on, I found myself leaning in to listen more closely to what Jadee said about how Katie would deal with the topic that already interested me, and clearly the others around me. Having said all of that, would you laugh out loud if I told you that John the Baptist actually made a very, very good introduction? Or would you just smile inwardly and think I must have him confused with someone else? Because I know after reading the gospel lesson today, there are certain phrases that can just stick in our head that don't sound like they would be part of a good introduction. "You brood of vipers!" Not so much. But there was much more going on in John's message than that. It helps a lot, I think, to view what he said as an introduction, a setup, rather than to view it as the whole message. He was clearly pointing to someone else, the One who would be coming after him. John saw it as his job to prepare listeners to really hear what would be coming next. His role was to create a thirst for what could only be quenched when the Holy One of God would arrive on the scene. Now we may question his choice of words. But the power, the urgency, and the raw honesty within them was very, very effective. People responded. It says they came in droves, from all parts of other regions, to hear him set this stage, if you will, for the one whom he promised was coming to bring the full message. John's message of making the way prepared for the coming of the Lord was personal, and it transcends time. It is just as relevant for us today as it was for the original audience. Now here, we've had plenty of messages, especially since All Saints' Day, about how the coming of the Lord will make all things new, how all the corrupt will be wiped away, every tear will be dried, peace and justice will reign. It's so easy to rejoice in the news that God is going to address the inequitable systems and the big picture items. But this message from John, chosen for our attention early in Advent, is to focus on each

March 31, 2019. Pastor Stephanie preaches on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and how the story fits into our Lenten journey. *** Transcript *** Well, as we've been saying all along in Lent, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. So begins roughly the last half of the Gospel of Luke -- that little statement. So, you've been hearing that phrase regularly since we began our Lenten journey about 25 days ago. And every week since this journey has begun we've been saying that the journey continues, with some special emphasis or another. Any journey, though, that begins with ashes on your forehead and has an altar that looks like a stricken wasteland (when we usually have color and liveliness and vibrancy and beauty) sounds like something that's not going to make a travel folder that Joan O'Brien's going to promote. Like, who wants to come on this journey with me? Really, who wants to go on a journey that looks and sounds so dreary? And to top it all off, we can't even sing the word "hallelujah," because we're not supposed to be too happy or celebratory until we get to Easter. So really it's understandable that Lent can have a rather grim reputation. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the reason for that and I affirm it, and I think all the themes that we've spent time on together in these past few weeks have been important for our spiritual well-being. Discovering who and whose we are, lamenting our sorrows, encountering God in the wilderness, turning to repentance -- those are all things worth dealing with, because we are people who need to be sobered up enough to deal with the reality of our desperate need for God. So those are valuable signposts on the journey, without a doubt. But in the midst of our serious encounter with God on this journey we are given a story in Lent that starts out seriously enough, yet it ends in a no-holds-barred rejoicing and celebrating, with plenty of hallelujah-like pronouncements filling the air, at a party to end all parties. How exactly, then, does this story fit into Lent, we may wonder? It's a story that's got to be in the top 20, for sure, of Bible stories that might be recognized -- even in a culture that recognizes fewer and fewer of the classics in biblical literature. A son who dishonors his father by asking for an inheritance, that essentially says, "Dad, I can't wait any longer for you to die. So please give me my inheritance now" -- and then continues to break his heart by going off without even a backwards glance or an occasional letter now and then, letting him know where he is and how he's doing. Then there is the other son. This one stays at home and carries out his responsibilities there, but there isn't much of a relationship with Dad here either that would make a good Hallmark movie. He might be polite enough at the dinner table, but there's obviously some serious resentment simmering underneath the surface about how he isn't really treated well enough. The narrative that runs through his head is that he is doing far more for Dad than he is ever getting in return. Good thing he's so responsible and hardworking or this place would fall apart, if you would hear him tell the story. Everything, though, comes to a head when the runaway makes his way back, now broke and broken, hoping to quietly slip in the back door and stay under the radar where he knows he at least has a chance for survival, but knowing he deserves nothing more than that. That doesn't happen, because the father will have none of that. But in the meantime, we also get to see the character of the responsible son showing his true colors. He sulks, he rants, he complains bitterly about how unfair life is, and refuses to welcome his brother home. Well, we can see that these sons are polar opposites. They are each on one end of the spectrum of behaviors and attitudes, styles and personality types -- if the spectrum includes ungrateful and unresponsive people to God. I suppose each of us can find ourselves leaning toward o

March 10, 2019. Our guest preacher for this first Sunday in Lent is Rev. Susan Candea, who preaches on temptation and identity, how we are defined, and who defines us. *** Transcript *** Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Not to offend anyone, but I just don't get the whole attraction of reality shows on television. In the first place, why are they called "reality shows," because I'm betting that many of those, if not most of those scenes, are actually scripted. And why would anyone want to have a camera follow them around their house, or whatever they're doing, capturing what I would consider to be private conversations, to then be broadcast to who knows who? And why would I care to watch? Why do I want to watch somebody else's reality? I have enough reality in my own life, thank you very much. One of the latest reality shows out there is called "Temptation Island." I've never watched it, just seen it advertised. Apparently "Temptation Island" follows four unmarried couples at a crossroads of their relationship. Each must decide whether to commit to one another, or ultimately to give in to temptation. Together, the couples travel to a romantic paradise, where they join 24 sexy single men and women, all in search of love. Really? Brace yourselves for hot and heavy nights as the couples embark on an adventure full of temptations. Since its January 15th debut, "Temptation Island" has grown its audience by double digits. Obviously, there are some people out there who think watching others respond to temptations is actually entertaining. I don't think of temptations as being particularly entertaining. I doubt Jesus would have described his experience in the wilderness, the temptations he faced, as being entertaining. He wasn't on some paradise island surrounded by sexy singles, but out in the wilderness for 40 days fasting -- which meant he was hungry and vulnerable -- being tempted by the devil. The story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness is always the gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent. I think the purpose of this story is not to warn us about giving in to temptations for whatever it is we've given up in Lent -- as if people actually do that anymore, give up things for Lent. But I think the purpose of this story at the beginning of this Lenten Journey these 40 days is to remind Jesus, and to remind us, whose and who we are. It is about our identity, and knowing our identity makes all the difference in how we journey through these 40 days. And so the theme of my sermon is this: the journey begins, discovering who and whose we are. The story of Jesus' temptation immediately follows, in the gospel, the story of his baptism -- where the Spirit descended (remember that story) from the heavens and declared Jesus beloved Son of God, declared his identity, whose and who he was. Now that same spirit that filled him at his baptism leads him into the wilderness, where he is tempted. For the Gospel of Luke, the issue is not about personal temptations around one's faith, but about Jesus' unique identity and vocation as a Spirit-anointed Son of God. The temptations were all about how Jesus understands and therefore will live out this identity as a Son of God. Is it about his own power and glory and his own needs? Or is it about trusting God? Does Jesus belong to this world, and therefore the values of this world define him? Or does he belong to God? And therefore it is God, God's word, God's way that will direct his actions, his responses, his journey toward the cross. You may not be aware, unless you attended the Adult Forum a little earlier, that I am what they call the "stewardship person" of the synod. I shared about all the things in which your mission support, which is that portion of the regular offering that you give to the church that is shared with the larger church (which by the way, you are very faithful and generous givers, so thank you very much) ab