Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

This is a special musical presentation of Pray For the People with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion or disagreements on who we welcome. We have people, including Christians who want to define who to welcome. It is one's interpretation, but is the interpretation based on love or fear.

The God that I read about and experience and see modeled through Jesus is about welcoming all out of love. I do not believe that we are called to be gate keepers to God's beloved community. Yet there seem to be some Christians who believe they are. There are documents that are written and set to be introduced with a new president that would delete the terms sexual orientation and gender identity ("SOGI"), diversity, equity, and inclusion ("DEI"), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, and a number of other things, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists. This is the wording from the document.

I don't believe that it speaks as to where we are at Faith. Most of these terms are exactly what we have written in our welcoming statement as in affirmation. We, at Faith Lutheran Church, welcome you as a child of God. As Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, "for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith." (Galatians 3:26) We strive to be a place where everyone is welcomed and affirmed.

No matter your age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, marital status, faith background, political leanings, or mental or physical ability – you are welcome as you are. As children of God, we are all one in Christ Jesus and rely on the unconditional nature of God's love and grace to be our help and guide.

As an RIC congregation, how would we respond if this document was introduced for the United States to adopt? Our welcoming statement turns this around and says that we are called to welcome and recognize all people the way God created them. When we start deciding who is not welcome, I believe we put ourselves above others. Also, it is out of fear and not love.

In our Gospel today, Jesus and his disciples were travelling through Galilee. They did a great deal of ministry in this region. Jesus was teaching only his disciples and telling them about his pending death and resurrection. The disciples did not understand what he was talking about it and were afraid to ask him.

Instead, they were arguing about who was the greatest. Male bravado at work. Even though Jesus knew what they were talking about, he asked them any way. But they were embarrassed and did not want to tell him.

Thus, Jesus did more teaching. He told them that in order to be great, one must be the last and servant of all. Quite a contrast from the male bravado that had gone on with the disciples. To emphasize his point even more he took a little child and put it among them. Jesus picked the child up and said, "whoever welcomes one such child in his name, welcomes me and not only me, but the one who sent me."

I am sure Jesus left the disciples dumbfounded again. Children held the lowest place in society. Thus, how could Jesus say this. They may have thought that God looked for the one who stood above the rest. One way to do this is to put someone down.

God was supposed to be looking for the one who kept all of the commandments. God was supposed to be looking for the one who modeled greatness. Jesus said no. God welcomes the child, the least one in society.

Children didn't have any rights. They were still learning the commandments and needed to be disciplined. Why would God be looking for the least in society?

I believe when we feel insecure, is when we have to raise ourselves up. This normally means putting someone down. Don't we say this about bullies? It's as if they have to prove something. They may think it is to others, but I wonder if it is more to themselves.

In our country today, how much of politics is about putting someone down. You don't want to vote for them as they are doing a terrible job. Look at me and I will prove that I can give you what you are looking for, no matter what political party. How many enjoy listening to political ads? Isn't this what all of them do, put the other candidate down.

How often do I want to say, please tell me what you might be able to do and how. It sometimes makes it difficult to figure out what the truth is. We may want to be asking questions such as, "Do their words match their behavior?" Even more in line with our Gospel lesson today, "Do their words and behavior lift up the ones who are considered the lowest in our society?"

This is the challenging question for our church and ourselves today, Do our words and behavior lift up the least in our society today?. We would say of course through the Parish House and the Micro Food Pantry. Yes that is true. Our welcoming statement says that we welcome all as this is what Jesus is teaching us to do.

There are some in our country including Christians who would like the refugees, the immigrants removed from our country. Thus, we have confusion and disagreements in our country about who to welcome. Some of the non-welcoming language that I hear brings me back to the Old Testament. Almost as if Jesus' message of welcome is not recognized.

In Jesus' time there were two main groups of people, the Jews and Gentiles. Jesus and then Paul were saying that all were welcome. This was not easy for followers of Jesus to understand either. Jesus and Paul both knew that things would have to change.

This is when arguments and disagreements happened. When followers of Jesus had to change in order to welcome, they were not happy and tried to keep things the way they were. The message has not changed. In fact, we have been trying to affirm people as they recognize who God made them to be.

This may be affirming to some, but unfortunately it is making others feel uncomfortable. When we become uncomfortable is when we put the brakes on and put up walls. We want to go back to the way it was when we felt we understood more and were comfortable.

This is what has been going on in our world, our country and our faith communities since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, it is now more polarized than ever before. It is scary as defenses become high and healthy discussions are more difficult.

I believe that we need to listen closely to the messages that we hear and see from the leadership in our country and in our faith communities. Do we hear and see messages of welcome or unwelcome? Do we hear and see messages of building up or tearing down? God's love is shown through welcoming and building up.

Our challenge is to be aware of our uncomfortableness when we are challenged to welcome all. We will have to decide whether it comes from danger or maybe a lack of understanding. I believe Jesus would challenge us to understand others who God made different from us, which in reality is everyone.

Jesus has really defined who is welcome, all people especially those who are looked at as the least in our society. This includes the refugees, the immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community. Welcoming does not mean better than but equal to. God does not call us to be gatekeepers, but actually gate openers out of love and not fear. For Jesus has told us this is where he will be.

Let us pray, welcoming God, thank you for welcoming each one of us into your family. There are times that we become uncomfortable with other people. Give us your wisdom in discovering who they are as you created them. Help us to remember that you do not call us to be gatekeepers, but to be gate openers to those who are viewed as the least in our society. You have told us that this is where you will be.

In Jesus' name, Amen

This is a special musical presentation of Whoever Would be Great Among You with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Revive Us Again with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Many of us have been through exit interviews. They are about how learning about how we were received. I wonder if we would ever consider asking the question, "Who do people say that I am? In other words how would people describe me. We would have to be ready for anything depending on what had occurred during our time of employment. There are a great number of unknowns when we ask the question.

The experiences that people have had in their lives will have an influence on their answer. If we tend to be a person who asks a lot of questions, this can stimulate people's thinking or make people feel uncomfortable. I am a person who asks a fair amount of questions.

It is important for me to understand where people are coming from and to try and understand to the best of my ability what they mean. Depending upon where people are at in life, it may cause someone to be uncomfortable. Thus, we would need to be ready for any kind of answers. There is the key, to be ready.

How many of us are even ready to ask the question, "Who do people say that I am"? Would we be ready to hear the answer? It is one way to check out a person's perception of us as sometimes we do not know. As followers of Jesus, it is important to know as we are called to let Jesus lives and shines through us.

Jesus had been with his disciples for a while. He had been teaching them and demonstrating what it meant to follow him. Thus, to check out what they had been learning about who he was and why he was there, he asked the question, "Who do people say that I am? Some said John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and still others one of the prophets.

But then he asked them, but who do you say I am?, of course Peter had to answer the question. He often experienced nervous energy. Peter said, "You are the Messiah." Jesus sternly told them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus knew Peter, let alone the other disciples, probably had no idea what this title, Messiah, really meant. He began to teach them about it. He said that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and religious scholars, be put to death and rise again three days later. Jesus said this in a very matter of fact way.

This is not what Peter wanted hear. Peter took Jesus aside and basically said, no this is not how this works. This is not what Peter had in mind for who the Messiah was to be. Most likely no one else had this in mind either. Peter may have thought that since he had followed Jesus for a while that he could take Jesus aside and straighten him out on how he was to be the Messiah.

Jesus turned right to Peter and said get out of my sight, you satan! You are judging by human standards and not by God's! Peter touched quite a chord in Jesus and Jesus told him about it. Basically, that Peter was not getting it, and Peter did not really understand who Jesus was and what God's plan was for Jesus.

Now Jesus called the crowd together and said, If you really want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow in my footsteps. If you would save your life, you'll lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you'll save it. This was quite radical.

Jesus was definitely not describing the Messiah that Peter, and the other disciples were looking for. The Messiah was supposed to be a conqueror, a winner of land and people. He was not supposed to be dying and taking up a cross. The cross was the most cruel death there was and would involve much suffering. This was not their idea of a Messiah nor maybe one that they wanted to follow.

Someone who dies and suffers, may not seem like a leader to some. A conqueror and a winner of land, people and ultimately power and control did not seem to be what Jesus was describing. I am seeing this same Messiah being sought after by people in our country today.

This is what people have been seeking for many years. It is what people were asking God for. Jesus tried to reinterpret what God's kingdom was to look like. A kingdom that loved and was about what was best for the community according to God and not by human standards.

So, getting back to Jesus question, to the disciples, which includes us, is "Who do you say that I am?, is even more difficult to answer. Jesus died for the sake of others, you and me, not himself. Of course, we cannot be the Messiah, there is only one, Jesus Christ.

Yet, we are called to follow in his footsteps and allow Jesus to live and shine through us. How far are we willing to go to follow Jesus? Where do you think Jesus might be leading us today, right now? How many would say, right here in this building? What about after that? Jesus would be leading us right back into the world. We need to figure out where and what that looks like.

It would be easy for us to think as Peter did and figure this out according to our standards. As human beings we often take the easiest way possible. Our way of thinking is of course based upon what is going on in our individual lives right now. But I believe Jesus was trying to tell Peter that to get to how we are to follow in Jesus footsteps means that we cannot be thinking in human terms.

Some years ago, there was a program called "The church has left the building". It meant that on a Sunday morning instead of meeting for worship in the building, the church, in reality, the people, went out into the world to serve by doing different projects. In a sense this is what "God's Work, Our Hands" can be. This is an event that the ELCA suggests to do on Rally Day.

What do you think God would say if one Sunday out of the year we would not meet here for worship? We would go out or maybe even some in the building, to do projects for the sake of others. I believe we are called to go out and connect with our neighbor. This is following in the footsteps of Jesus.

We come here to be strengthened so that we can take up our cross for the sake of others and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Some of us might say that the Micro Food Pantry is how we serve our neighbor. That is true, but it does not directly connect us to our neighbor.

The Caring Committee helps us find ways, as do the quilters, and the Parish House to meet the needs of our neighbors. Each one of these are ministries in which we meet our neighbor's needs, but it does not always directly connect us to our neighbor. If the church has left the building, the church being the people, you and me, then we are called to be out with our neighbor.

Even though we are not the Messiah, we are who people see or don't see Jeus in. Following in the footsteps of Jesus is going out into the world and doing the work of Jesus. We carry our crosses for the sake of others. Jesus died for all of us and not himself.

In our country today there are groups of Christians who view the kingdom differently then we do. They see the United States as only a Christian nation where all are not equal. Listen closely to messages coming from candidates. You will need to decide who has the message that will support God's kingdom as we have come to know it. One of love and forgiveness and not fear. One that sees all people equal in God's eyes. One that seems to want to use power and control to support the right for all people.

This is what God's kingdom is to look like. Is this the kind of Jesus, the Messiah that people see in us? I want stress here it is not something that we do on our own. This is good news as our salvation is not based on our performance. It is only by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives and shines through us.

When Jesus asks the question today. "Who do you say that I am?" The answer will be found in how we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and going out into the world in the name of Jesus representing Faith Lutheran Church to our neighbors. This is where we will meet Jesus, the Messiah and people will see Jesus in us and the kingdom of God brought to earth. This is how the question will, Who do you say that I am will be answered.

Questioning God, you challenge us today with the question, Who do we see that you are? Peter thought he understood who Jesus the Messiah was according to his way of thinking. You sent Jesus to try and model and teach what it means to follow you. May your Holy Spirit give us the wisdom to know how to live out your kingdom in the world today modeling for our neighbors who Jesus is. As a result of how we allow you to live and shine through our lives, the question will be answered, Who do we say that you are. In Jesus' name, Amen.

In my husband's psychology practice, many had the diagnosis of Mental Retardation, now known as Intellectual Disability. Most of them were high functioning to the point, that one asked my husband, I hear people saying that I am mentally retarded, "What does that mean?" My husband told him that is was a level of functioning, but in reality, he told him that all of have disabilities.

I believe that this is true. In a sense our weaknesses are disabilities. This is when we really need to ask for help. We will never be able to do everything well, even though sometimes we think we can. The older we get the more we realize that we can't do everything also. God did not create us to do everything well.

It took a lot of strength for this Gentile woman in our Gospel lesson to come before a Jewish man who was known for speaking out and healing to ask for help. The woman knew her daughter needed help, and she couldn't take care of her. She did believe that Jesus could heal her daughter. Our text does not state that her daughter was even present, but the woman bowed down before Jesus and begged him to heal her daughter and cast out the demon that was in her. I would like to define begging as asking from deep in her heart. A better word may be entreating.

I'm not sure that she was expecting Jesus' answer. Jesus basically told her that the Jewish people were first. She reminded him that children held no position of authority. C. Clifton Back says it this way, "Sir, even house-dogs under the table scarf down the kids' bitty scraps. She reminded Jesus of his teaching that there were no distinctions between Jews and Gentiles in God's eyes.

Then Jesus granted her request. The woman went home and found her daughter lying on the bed and the demon was gone. The woman was persistent and as a mother she was willing to do almost anything for her daughter. Whether Jesus was testing the woman or needed to be reminded, we don't know, but his focus changed in the next part of the Gospel lesson for today.

Jesus continued to travel and heal. People brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment. Thus, we have a person with two recognized disabilities. This is a very common pairing. When we can't hear, it is hard to produce sounds until one learns how.

The people entreated Jesus to lay his hands on him and heal him. Jesus chose to take him aside, away from the crowd. Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears, and he spit on his tongue. Jesus looked up to heaven and said "Ephphatha", that is "Be Opened". Immediately his ears were open, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, which was common in the Gospel of Mark.

Now, if anyone did this today, what would we really think? How would we react? Has anyone ever seen this done? Let alone, the person being healed. Don't you think it would be kind of weird? Maybe that is why Jesus took the man away from the crowd.

The crowd was probably looking for some show, to see if Jesus really was this man sent from God. I tend to visualize things, and this is quite different. How many of us want to run out and tell people about this story? We are told the whole story. The crowds may not have seen the actual act, but only the healed man.

Even though Jesus told them not to tell anyone, they did any way. The more he told them to stop the more people they told. Jesus often told his disciples not to tell others also because he did not think they would fully understand until after his death and resurrection. The people were astounded beyond measure and were saying he did it and did it well. He gives hearing to the deaf and speech to the speechless.

The crowds were excited about what Jesus had done. In both healing stories, Jesus was recognized as the healer. The women and the people entreated Jesus to heal. They recognized that they could not take care of these issues. Recognition is always step one.

They realized that it was out of their control. There is that word control. We all desire control over things and others, but in reality we don't have it. People with disabilities realize what they don't have control over in their own lives and make adaptations. Their first step in moving forward is recognizing it and not letting it have control over them.

When we apply this to us and if we believe that each one of us has at least one disability, then our first step is to recognize it. God did not make us capable of doing everything or why would we need each other let alone God.

There is a great deal that we can learn from people with recognizable disabilities, such as blindness, deafness or an issue with mobility. In order for them to function in life, it first takes recognition that their disability does not have control their life. It also takes persistence such as the woman in our gospel lesson today.

As followers of Jesus, when we are struggling with something, do we entreat Jesus to help us? Do we believe that Jesus can help us? But here is the thing, if we entreat and believe, are we willing to receive his answer. How easy is it for us to entreat Jesus to open our hearts and minds to his will?

Whenever we do this, there will be changes. The woman and the people expected changes. The daughter's and the man's life were definitely changed. The woman and the crowds' lives were also changed. Mark tells us the crowds couldn't contain their excitement and they kept sharing with others Jesus' work.

Jesus in Mark challenges us to be persistent in asking Jesus to help us in our weaknesses, in the things that plague our minds. Are we willing to have our hearts and minds opened to see and hear new things? Jesus always stands ready to do this.

There is a great deal of miscommunication in our world today. It is difficult to see and hear what God in Jesus Christ wants us to. Every one of us sitting in this room has weaknesses or disabilities. Do we know what they are?

Are we willing to come and entreat Jesus to help us as the woman and the people did who brought the man for healing. In these cases, they were physically healed. Healing does not always come in this form.

Sometimes healing comes in the form of being able to rest in Jesus and let go of the old in order to see and hear the new that God in Jesus Christ has in store for us as individuals and as a community of faith.

Thus, our challenge is to first recognize what we need Jesus' help with and then entreat Jesus to show us what changes that he is asking us to make. I would define this as a healing.

Let us pray: Healing Jesus, we get so easily caught up in trying to have control of things and other people. We are taught by our culture that we can do everything by ourselves. We know this is not true. We entreat you to open our hearts and minds to be able to see where we need you. May your Spirit humble us to rest in you and receive your help and be healed. In Jesus name, Amen.

This is a special musical presentation of This Little Light of Mine with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Down to the River with the Sinful Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

For Not with Swords Loud Clashing

Lead on, O King eternal! The day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents will be our home. Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal, till sin's fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sweet amen of peace for not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums, but deeds of love and mercy, the heavenly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O king eternal; we follow not with fears, for gladness breaks like morning wher-e'er your face appears. Your cross is lifted o'er us; we journey in its light; the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might! Evangelical Lutheran Worship 805

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11

Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or just befuddled by it all, you know there is great tension in our country right now. Many are anxious and worried about the future. On a much smaller scale, many of us at Faith may have at least moments of anxiety and worry about the future of our congregation. It's easy to go dark, especially in times of transition in pastoral leadership. Rumors can flee and misunderstandings can abound. We may even wonder if we have a future together.

I love the inspired and inspiring words in the readings of scripture for today, words in Psalm 34 like these:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those whose spirits are crushed. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them from every one.

I think about what it means to be righteous: through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are made righteous. Day after day we are forgiven. Day after day we are set free from the bondage to sin, to self-centeredness. We are set to do what is [righteous] right for our sisters and brothers. It is pretty much guaranteed that all of us will have many troubles, many afflictions. A near certainty that our hearts will be broken. But the Lord of steadfast love will never abandon us, will always set us free for deeds of kindness and of love and mercy.

Or I think of these words in Joshua: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed."

And for me right now these words from the letter to the Christians in Ephesus:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

It is so important to remember that our struggle is not against a particular political leader or party, or much closer to home, not against a member of our extended family with whom we may strongly disagree, or against our pastor or any member of the congregation about whom we are troubled. It is not against our own flesh and blood, any members of the human family. Again, I think this is so important. We ought not demonize our sisters and brothers but rather recognize that we are struggling against the wiles of the devil. We are struggling against the "cosmic powers of this present darkness," or as someone has translated, "the organized forces of malevolent spirit beings."

We are struggling against the deceitful schemes of the devil who is always looking for ways to lure us into believing in a false righteousness. The devil, which scripture also calls "the father of lies", is always seeking to worm his way into the ears and hearts and minds of every one of us…every one of us, from the lowliest to those with great power and influence.

Therefore, we read, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. I would paraphrase those words like this: Clothed in the powerful, protective presence of God the Father, listen carefully to your gut and to your heart. Protected by your always honest brother, Jesus, listen to your gut feelings about what is true or false. Listen to your heart, ever made new by the gentle Holy Spirit, to sense what is morally right or wrong, loving or hateful.

As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Be ready to go to be with someone who is lonely or afraid. When I was serving as a bishop, I was blessed to know and deeply respect a retired, widowed, genuinely caring pastor living in South Haven who would frequently, I think weekly, bake a batch of pies and walk them, still warm, to his elderly neighbors. Even without words he with his hands and his feet joyfully proclaimed the gospel of peace to his cherished peers living out the last chapters of their earthly lives.

With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. As I too age, I am more deeply aware of how necessary it is for me to pray every single day for the gift of faith. It was always true that I needed to do that. It's just that now I recognize more clearly how vulnerable I am to the flaming arrows of despondency, of fear and anxiety, of ill-considered words, and of too quick, dismissive judgments of others. The shield of faith, this precious daily gift of faith, this trust in God's ever-present steadfast love for me and for my neighbors really does quench the evil one's arrows that would wound me, yes, wound all of us, with the bondage to despair, with an obsessive fear of others, with a chronic inability to accept and love and engage others as they are, as equally beloved children of God.

And then these words: Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I think of a motorcycle accident just yards down the street from us just a few weeks ago. Though the young man on the bike was seriously injured, most obviously with a broken leg and foot, he was still conscious. We all thought that if he had not been wearing a helmet, he'd likely have died or at least his brain would be irreparably damaged.

With half-truths and outright lies, the wily one can cause us to think wrongly about our world, our country, our neighbors, our congregation, our very selves. In our brains, perhaps especially in the frontal lobe, we may think, we may reason, we may conclude that the world is surely going to hell. Or we may conclude that only some, some who have the correct beliefs, or some who are most cunning, or some who are the wealthiest, or some who have the most power will be spared, they will be saved.

But with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit we think differently. Jesus suffered and died and rose again for the whole world, to save all of creation. In our minds, protected by the helmet of salvation, we know all is not lost. With the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, we know, in the words of the psalmist, that "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit." We know that "The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned." We know in the words of the Old Testament prophet Joel that "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." We know in the words of St. Paul that "God is faithful, and will not let you be tested [tempted] beyond your strength, but with the testing he will provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it."

So, let us put on the whole armor of God, so that together we may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil, not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums but with Spirit-inspired, prayer-filled deeds of love and mercy!

Last week I shared goals that were developed from the input that was received at our gatherings this past year. I need to let you know that they are still in progress and are being reviewed by the call committee. They will then go back to the council for final approval. You will then be able to see them in the Ministry Site Profile.

The Ministry Site Profile was formulated and written by the Transition Team, is now being fine-tuned by the Call Committee and will then be brought back to the council for approval and then shared with you. Mike Nussdorfer is the head of our Call Committee. We will be installing them in September. Next week there will be news in the E-news from the Call Committee.

I know the talk about process gets old, but in reality this is what life is. The transition that we are in is a process and takes many turns, many that we do not expect. We would like to know how it is all going to go, but unfortunately that is not how God works. Everything is in God's time.

During times of transition, anxiety and sometimes frustration, is the best time to work on our relationship with Jesus. This is what our lessons are talking about today. It is when we are not focusing on trying to figure everything out that the way often becomes clearer.

The Jewish leaders in our Gospel lesson are trying to make sense out of what Jesus is talking about. It doesn't make sense that Jesus is saying that they are to eat him. Then Jesus goes on to say that unless they eat of his flesh and drink his blood that they will not have life within them. Those who do eat his flesh and drink his blood will have eternal life .If we think about this literally, our stomachs will probably be turning.

In a sense Jesus tries to clarify to a point what he is talking about in saying that it is about abiding in him and he in us. Jesus is talking about our relationship with him. The Greek word for abide is meno which can mean reside in. Think for a moment about how Jesus resides in you.

Do we recognize Jesus in us? We can be taken back by that to even consider us seeing Jesus in ourself. The closer that we grow to Jesus, the more others will see Jesus in us. It doesn't mean that we are perfect. If anything, it means that we realize that we are not perfect, yet try to love all the people the best that we can.

In our own lives, those whom we have close relationships have an influence on how we live our lives. When we have someone that we trust, we allow them to point out things that may not be working or things that they see that they point out as something positive and healthy. This is our model for being in relationship with Jesus There are all levels of relationship based on trust. We are all wired differently and that means even levels of intimacy are influenced by that with others and Jesus.

When we are in loving intimate relationships with another human being, it is not always something that we understand. It just is and the more we try and understand it, the less sense it makes. We learn to trust and go with it or not. It takes being vulnerable and trusting that another person doesn't take advantage of us.

It is no different with Jesus when it comes to trusting and being vulnerable. I don't believe that anyone of us has seen Jesus, yet we learn about Jesus and are asked to trust him. I want us to be reminded that Jesus desires us. We often think of this in a sexual manner, but this is much deeper, it is intimacy. It is Jesus residing in us.

Jesus desires us to be vulnerable with him. We know that is not easy to do with another human being, let along Jesus. Even though we may admit that Jesus knows everything about us, the question is, are we willing to recognize who we are. Are we willing to stand totally open or as open as we can be before Jesus?

Jesus was saying to the Jews and says to us, I want to be a part of every area of your life. I am going to reside in you. I want you to be at home with me. When Jesus says that he wants us to eat him, it really means that he wants us to continue to learn about him and be in relationship with him. This means recognizing his presence in us and others.

In the beginning of the Gospel of John we hear that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us." From the beginning of this Gospel, we hear that Jesus was God and that God in Jesus wants to be in relationship with us.

God in Jesus Christ comes to us through Word and Sacrament. The word for eat in this passage can also mean gnaw or chew on. For me this means to really taste it, to get the fullest possible experience of it. This is what Jesus desires us to do with him through Word and Sacrament. Jesus wants us to get the fullest possible experience with him that we are able to.

The Word is not only the Bible, but God in Jesus Christ can come to us through people and experiences. They can come to us through reading other things, watching things, but always listening for God in Jesus Christ. God in Jesus Christ comes to us through our two sacraments. Baptism and Communion.

In Baptism, Jesus comes to us and if we are infants at the time, parents, sponsors and the beloved community promise to help us gnaw on and be in relationship with Jesus. At confirmation, we promise to continue being in relationship with Jesus and gnawing on him.

This is what abiding is all about, eating and drinking Jesus. This is where we learn to trust Jesus and recognize his presence in our lives. Sometimes this means just letting go of as many fears and what ifs that we can and stepping out and being vulnerable before Jesus. Remember Jesus walks with us and loves us unconditionally. No matter how many fears and what ifs that we have Jesus is right there with us.

I challenge each of us this week to look at how we relate to Jesus. How do we foster our relationship with Jesus? How do we gnaw or chew on Jesus? How do we recognize Jesus' presence in our lives? It does not only mean reading the Bible or coming to worship and hearing the Word and receiving the sacrament. It's more than all of that but includes Word and Sacrament.

Through times of transition and change is exactly the time that we are called to spend more time seeking Jesus and putting away our wants and desires and asking Jesus what he wants and desires. When we are vulnerable before Jesus, Jesus will show us the way forward. It will not happen on our time, but his time.

Jesus the bread of life resides in us and wants and desires us to recognize him in our lives. When we place our focus on what Jesus wants and desires we will be able to experience the abundant life that Jesus has for us now and in the future.

Dear Jesus, Our fears and what ifs often draw us to our wants and desires. Today, we put ourselves before you vulnerably, asking you what your desires are for our lives and life of our church. We put our days in your hands. We desire to grow closer to you and recognize your presence in our lives. Thank you for walking with us. In Jesus' name, Amen