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

This is a special musical performance of In Christ Alone, performed by Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

The gospels are full of miracle stories, but there is only one miracle story that is told in all four gospels, and two of those gospels actually tell it twice – which means this miracle has real significance.  That miracle is the feeding of the 5000.  It is also interesting to compare this story as told in each of the gospels.  In Matthew, Mark and Luke, when faced with the perplexing problem of feeding so many people and not having nearly enough food to do so, the disciples are the ones to ask Jesus the question, “What will we do?”  But in John’s telling of the story, there is a major twist as we hear Jesus asking Philip, “What will we do?”  

 Jesus has been continually moving through Galilee doing the work of ministry – teaching, speaking words of hope, and healing people.  The crowds begin to follow him around because of the miraculous healings they have seen.  And, in today’s story, 5,000 men plus women and children follow him up a mountain wanting to see more of his astonishing healing power.  In John’s gospel, Jesus surveys the crowd and, already knowing what he is going to do, he asks Philip this test question, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?  They are hungry.  So, what are we going to do?”  In John’s gospel, Jesus is the one who asks the disciples and, by extension, asks the likes of each one of us, “What are we going to do?  How are we going to deal with this problem of hunger?”

Hunger is a universal experience.  From the moment we enter this world we are faced with hunger.  Hunger is something we all know and understand.  We all feel it when our bellies are empty.  We all know what that incessant feeling is like when hunger always returns, when our bodies scream out for nourishment.  And, hunger propels us to that which gives us life, that which we quite literally cannot live without.

Well, when Jesus asks Phillip this question, Philip responds quite logically and rationally.  He begins to calculate how much money they would need to buy supper for all five thousand plus people.  He replies, “Half a year’s paychecks won’t do the trick.  Our budget just isn’t big enough.  Our resources are just too few.”  Quite honestly, that sounds like the responses we tend to frequently hear from church councils and committees.  But, the amazing thing is that God looks at scant resources and situations of nothingness and says, “Now there is something I can work with.”  Jesus knows this, and he knows that conventional, logical answers are not what is needed and called for in this situation.

Then, Andrew looks around, he does a practical survey of the situation to figure out what is available.  He comes to Jesus saying, “Well, there is someone here, a kid with five barley loaves and a couple of fish.”  The very practical Andrew tells Jesus that what is available is the lunch of a boy, someone who is not a power broker, someone who has no social rank or standing, someone who is poor.  We know this because barley flour is the flour that poor folks used to make their loaves of bread.  The rich did not use barley.  In Andrew’s words we get the sense that real needs are not necessarily filled by the folks to whom we often look for help, those who have much.  And, as John continues to tell this story, it becomes very clear that Jesus himself is the only One who can end real hunger – hunger of every kind, not just the sort of hunger that makes for growling stomachs at lunchtime.  John makes this very clear because in his telling of this story, this miracle takes place near the time of Passover and Jesus becomes the host of the meal.  Jesus is the one who distributes the food.  In the other gospels, it is the disciples who take up the work of distributing the food, but in John, something else is going on.  Jesus, himself, is the one who feeds the 5,000+ crowd.  And, in John’s telling of this story, after Jesus feeds this crowd he tells the disciples, “Gather up the fragments so that nothing is lost.”  These are important words.  The Greek word used for lost really means perishing.  Jesus’ real purpose is to keep people from getting lost, from perishing, and to provide nourishment that lasts and keeps us truly alive.  So, they gather up the fragments and then have twelve baskets full of leftovers.  Now, in scripture, the number twelve is important.  It has to do with fullness and completeness.  So, as twelve baskets of food are leftover, we get the message that in this person, Jesus, there is true abundance, and none are going to perish.

John’s placement of this story near the time of Passover where Jesus serves as host is very intentional because it is Jesus himself who will become the real food.  In fact, next week we will hear the verses that follow today’s reading in which Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  Those who come to me will never hunger.”  Jesus is saying, “I am the real food, the most important food.  Don’t spend your lives on food that spoils.  Don’t stock the shelves of your life with perishables.  Put me there instead.  Make me your staple, the food that is going to last.  When you are hungry, reach first for me.” 

So, I ask each of you, what are you really hungry for?  How are you hungry?  And, how are you trying to fill the empty void within?  God really cares about your answers to these questions.  God cares about your hunger and God is calling you to Jesus’ table of life where you can feast on this bread called Jesus, a food that is very strange indeed.  It is strange because we consume this Jesus food and take it into ourselves as ordinary bread.  We digest this Jesus food and it becomes part of us.  But this bread, this life of Jesus, does something that ordinary bread does not do.  You see, when we consume this bread, Jesus begins to consume us.  When we consume the bread at this table, the broken body of Jesus makes us a part of himself.  And, when we consume this bread, we become food for a broken world – we become broken, living loaves of bread as we live, loving and serving all others in this world. 

I have no doubt that you will experience some form of hunger today.  And, I have no doubt that many of us have a gnawing hunger, an emptiness within that food alone will not fill.  We try to fill that void through buying more stuff, through travel, through striving for success, through doing everything possible to see our kids strive for success, through a whole variety of addictions that we think will fill the void within but end up fooling us because they leave us empty and starving again.  But, God is always looking at that emptiness and saying, “Now that is something I can work with.”  Jesus, the one who became broken and went to the cross out of love for this world, is saying to us, “What are you gonna do?  Feed on me, feed on my very life.  I am the real food that truly matters, and I am the one who will truly satisfy your hungry heart.  I am the one who will give you life that truly matters.  I am more than enough and there is abundance as I give you my very life.  Come and feast on my banquet of life!”

The gospels are full of miracle stories, but there is only one miracle story that is told in all four gospels, and two of those gospels actually tell it twice – which means this miracle has real significance.  That miracle is the feeding of the 5000.  It is also interesting to compare this story as told in each of the gospels.  In Matthew, Mark and Luke, when faced with the perplexing problem of feeding so many people and not having nearly enough food to do so, the disciples are the ones to ask Jesus the question, “What will we do?”  But in John’s telling of the story, there is a major twist as we hear Jesus asking Philip, “What will we do?”  

 Jesus has been continually moving through Galilee doing the work of ministry – teaching, speaking words of hope, and healing people.  The crowds begin to follow him around because of the miraculous healings they have seen.  And, in today’s story, 5,000 men plus women and children follow him up a mountain wanting to see more of his astonishing healing power.  In John’s gospel, Jesus surveys the crowd and, already knowing what he is going to do, he asks Philip this test question, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?  They are hungry.  So, what are we going to do?”  In John’s gospel, Jesus is the one who asks the disciples and, by extension, asks the likes of each one of us, “What are we going to do?  How are we going to deal with this problem of hunger?”

Hunger is a universal experience.  From the moment we enter this world we are faced with hunger.  Hunger is something we all know and understand.  We all feel it when our bellies are empty.  We all know what that incessant feeling is like when hunger always returns, when our bodies scream out for nourishment.  And, hunger propels us to that which gives us life, that which we quite literally cannot live without.

Well, when Jesus asks Phillip this question, Philip responds quite logically and rationally.  He begins to calculate how much money they would need to buy supper for all five thousand plus people.  He replies, “Half a year’s paychecks won’t do the trick.  Our budget just isn’t big enough.  Our resources are just too few.”  Quite honestly, that sounds like the responses we tend to frequently hear from church councils and committees.  But, the amazing thing is that God looks at scant resources and situations of nothingness and says, “Now there is something I can work with.”  Jesus knows this, and he knows that conventional, logical answers are not what is needed and called for in this situation.

Then, Andrew looks around, he does a practical survey of the situation to figure out what is available.  He comes to Jesus saying, “Well, there is someone here, a kid with five barley loaves and a couple of fish.”  The very practical Andrew tells Jesus that what is available is the lunch of a boy, someone who is not a power broker, someone who has no social rank or standing, someone who is poor.  We know this because barley flour is the flour that poor folks used to make their loaves of bread.  The rich did not use barley.  In Andrew’s words we get the sense that real needs are not necessarily filled by the folks to whom we often look for help, those who have much.  And, as John continues to tell this story, it becomes very clear that Jesus himself is the only One who can end real hunger – hunger of every kind, not just the sort of hunger that makes for growling stomachs at lunchtime.  John makes this very clear because in his telling of this story, this miracle takes place near the time of Passover and Jesus becomes the host of the meal.  Jesus is the one who distributes the food.  In the other gospels, it is the disciples who take up the work of distributing the food, but in John, something else is going on.  Jesus, himself, is the one who feeds the 5,000+ crowd.  And, in John’s telling of this story, after Jesus feeds this crowd he tells the disciples, “Gather up the fragments so that nothing is lost.”  These are important words.  The Greek word used for lost really means perishing.  Jesus’ real purpose is to keep people from getting lost, from perishing, and to provide nourishment that lasts and keeps us truly alive.  So, they gather up the fragments and then have twelve baskets full of leftovers.  Now, in scripture, the number twelve is important.  It has to do with fullness and completeness.  So, as twelve baskets of food are leftover, we get the message that in this person, Jesus, there is true abundance, and none are going to perish.

John’s placement of this story near the time of Passover where Jesus serves as host is very intentional because it is Jesus himself who will become the real food.  In fact, next week we will hear the verses that follow today’s reading in which Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  Those who come to me will never hunger.”  Jesus is saying, “I am the real food, the most important food.  Don’t spend your lives on food that spoils.  Don’t stock the shelves of your life with perishables.  Put me there instead.  Make me your staple, the food that is going to last.  When you are hungry, reach first for me.” 

So, I ask each of you, what are you really hungry for?  How are you hungry?  And, how are you trying to fill the empty void within?  God really cares about your answers to these questions.  God cares about your hunger and God is calling you to Jesus’ table of life where you can feast on this bread called Jesus, a food that is very strange indeed.  It is strange because we consume this Jesus food and take it into ourselves as ordinary bread.  We digest this Jesus food and it becomes part of us.  But this bread, this life of Jesus, does something that ordinary bread does not do.  You see, when we consume this bread, Jesus begins to consume us.  When we consume the bread at this table, the broken body of Jesus makes us a part of himself.  And, when we consume this bread, we become food for a broken world – we become broken, living loaves of bread as we live, loving and serving all others in this world. 

I have no doubt that you will experience some form of hunger today.  And, I have no doubt that many of us have a gnawing hunger, an emptiness within that food alone will not fill.  We try to fill that void through buying more stuff, through travel, through striving for success, through doing everything possible to see our kids strive for success, through a whole variety of addictions that we think will fill the void within but end up fooling us because they leave us empty and starving again.  But, God is always looking at that emptiness and saying, “Now that is something I can work with.”  Jesus, the one who became broken and went to the cross out of love for this world, is saying to us, “What are you gonna do?  Feed on me, feed on my very life.  I am the real food that truly matters, and I am the one who will truly satisfy your hungry heart.  I am the one who will give you life that truly matters.  I am more than enough and there is abundance as I give you my very life.  Come and feast on my banquet of life!”

This is a special musical performance from the Tenor and Bass Mens choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical performance from the Tenor and Bass Mens choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

In June of 1990, I was fortunate to be in Berlin on a performing tour.  After leaving Denmark, we entered what was then East Germany.  This happened to be just days before borders came down, and we then made our way to Berlin.  While we were in Berlin, the borders that had divided east from west did come down.  And, while we were in Berlin, we were able to chop down our own piece of the wall.  My piece of that memorable, insidious, hostile wall now sits on a bookshelf in my kitchen as a reminder of that trip and that historic event.  It also always reminds me of something else - that walls of hostility, whether concrete or metaphoric, are created because of fear and they ultimately divide families and nations as the Berlin wall did for so many years.   

As we look at today’s reading in Ephesians, we hear about dividing walls, the dividing wall of hostility that had existed between “Jew” and “Gentile.”  The heart of this reading is Paul’s reminder that in Jesus Christ these two distinctive peoples have become “one new humanity.”  The powerful image of the dividing wall of hostility being broken down provides for us the good news that this world desperately needs to hear because we continue to fall into habitual battles that create walls of hostility.

Walls are created by conflict.   While unfortunate, conflict is one of the most ordinary spaces in which we live.  And, conflict creates both physical and metaphorical walls.  Encampments form, and the dividing wall of hostility is constructed and often reconstructed, in spite of our best intentions.  We don’t have to go too far to find walls of hostility that divide people today.  There are plenty of them right here in front of our eyes.  Instead of “Jew” and “Gentile,” it is now orthodox and progressive, mainline and evangelical, right and left, Republicans and Democrats, Israelites and Palestinians.  Walls of hostility are built and the mudslinging we see between these divided groups just seems to increase.  This petty pattern of mudslinging and wall construction often reminds me of when my children were little as they sat in the back seat of our car.  Those sweet, little, innocent boys would draw an imaginary line between them and spit out venomous words like, “Don’t cross that line!  Mom, he is touching me!”

Well, today the writer of Ephesians calls us to dream of and live into another day, a day without dividing walls.  It says that Christ has already “made both groups into one, putting to death that hostility.”  The peace of Christ that is proclaimed in this text is truly a shocking new reality in which former enemies who would not touch one another, let alone eat with one another, now reach out to one another in recognition of their common humanity.  To further comprehend the astonishing proclamation in this reading we must gain a better understanding of what these words meant to the Ephesians.  Living under the iron rule of Rome, these words directly challenged the boastful claims of Rome’s emperors, who saw themselves as the semi-divine forger of a new world peace.  Likewise, these words would have seemed to undermine all systems that secure insider distinction and top-down privilege by setting up barriers that identify some as outsider or inferior.  Theologian, Sally Brown, articulates the power these words had to the Ephesians who heard them.  She writes: 

It is crucial to recognize that any talk of peace within the context of Asia Minor in the late first century under Roman rule would be politically charged talk. Roman emperors, Augustus in particular, were hailed as the semi-divine inaugurators of an unprecedented peace that would settle the turbulent rivalries of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. This Roman brand of "peace," of course, was an enforced peace wrought through military dominance. When necessary, terror would be used -- specifically, the terror of crucifixion for anyone foolhardy enough to challenge peace on the Empire's terms. On state occasions and festival days such as the birthday of the emperor, when the emperor's "lordship' would be celebrated, the emperor as "peace-bringer" would be lauded in public speeches….  Therefore, to say “Christ is our peace” would be a pronouncement bordering on treason. What is being claimed, after all, is that despite all the swaggering claims of Rome's emperors, true peace has been inaugurated by a man the empire crucified. The dissonance between the chilling rhetoric of the state and the thrilling rhetoric of the Gospel would set any listener's blood racing. 

The writer of Ephesians is declaring peace on new terms.  It is a peace forged not by the "lords" of Empire in its manifold forms, but in the blood and bone of the Crucified One. The cross undermined the wall dividing Jew and non-Jew, but that is only the beginning.  The new household of God is not a purely spiritual reality that we visit briefly on Sundays -- a weekly "time out" in which we pretend peace is possible by sitting next to people we scrupulously avoid the rest of the time. The church is the daring practice of a new politics -- a different kind of power, the self-outpoured, boundary-crossing power of Christ's cross.   And we who are named and claimed by this boundary-crossing Christ, trust this power, letting it undermine every wall, until we are "built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God."

The destruction of the “dividing wall” that has been accomplished by Christ is good news for our divided communities, divided households, and divided selves.  And, now, Kim is going to say more about how this really connects to our everyday life, about how this peace becomes incarnate within our very lives.

KIM O’BRIEN - It’s pretty much a joke in my family now that I cry when Pastor Ellen gives me communion.  Just about every week. This past week, despite the bra advertisement that popped up on YouTube I still found myself tearing up at the words “The Body of Christ, given for you”. As I continued to kneel and accept this gift, my daughter finally looked over at me and said, “Are we going to get up or stay here for round two?”

Later in the week as I was driving Zakaria to the Williamston Fitness Center my anger was sparked by the Recall Petition Signing tent in McCormick Park.  That spark ignited a meaningful discussion between Zakaria and I about religion. Zakaria described to me that Islam is like a boat that guides him, first learning to love himself and then spreading that love outward toward neighbors.  As we continued on our separate ways I reflected on his message. I realized that his message was an unexpected gift that I needed to hear and I cannot give these gifts to myself. I need to live in community with other people to receive these gifts, and Zakaria was the gift-giver I needed that day.

I think that the second reading from Ephesians connects these two experiences from my week.   I think another round of communion would be nice sometimes and I think Zakaria is right: love is the answer.  Today we hear of the unity, peace, and membership gifted to us and to all people by God through the blood of Christ Jesus.  Our culture today gives us countless options for dividing ourselves. (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Muslim, Republican, Democrat, Immigrant, Citizen, gay, straight, white, black, young, old. . .the list goes on) Pick a side and take a stand.  So many divisions can often lead to feelings of anger, resentment, alienation and separation.

         When I’m completely honest, I admit that sometimes I don’t limit my feelings of alienation and separation to other people in distant lands or family members who don’t see things the way I do.  Sometimes I feel alienated even within myself, and even alienated from God. When I hear “The body of Christ, given for you” my first reaction is to look over my shoulder to see this amazing “you” that must be standing behind me.  This enormous gift of grace cannot possibly be for me. But it is. Every time. For me. So, I kneel, and cry, and sometimes long for another round, as I accept this gift into the brokenness of my heart and feel its healing power.  I need to accept the Grace of God who is calling something out of me, an ordinary stay-at-home mom in middle class Okemos, MI.  I have to first accept this love into myself before I can share it with my neighbor.  I need to recognize that I, like each one of you, am called to create peace, reconciliation and togetherness.  God calls us to build His holy temple with the combined gifts that each one of us already has inside our hearts.  Join me. Add your brick.

In June of 1990, I was fortunate to be in Berlin on a performing tour.  After leaving Denmark, we entered what was then East Germany.  This happened to be just days before borders came down, and we then made our way to Berlin.  While we were in Berlin, the borders that had divided east from west did come down.  And, while we were in Berlin, we were able to chop down our own piece of the wall.  My piece of that memorable, insidious, hostile wall now sits on a bookshelf in my kitchen as a reminder of that trip and that historic event.  It also always reminds me of something else - that walls of hostility, whether concrete or metaphoric, are created because of fear and they ultimately divide families and nations as the Berlin wall did for so many years.   

As we look at today’s reading in Ephesians, we hear about dividing walls, the dividing wall of hostility that had existed between “Jew” and “Gentile.”  The heart of this reading is Paul’s reminder that in Jesus Christ these two distinctive peoples have become “one new humanity.”  The powerful image of the dividing wall of hostility being broken down provides for us the good news that this world desperately needs to hear because we continue to fall into habitual battles that create walls of hostility.

Walls are created by conflict.   While unfortunate, conflict is one of the most ordinary spaces in which we live.  And, conflict creates both physical and metaphorical walls.  Encampments form, and the dividing wall of hostility is constructed and often reconstructed, in spite of our best intentions.  We don’t have to go too far to find walls of hostility that divide people today.  There are plenty of them right here in front of our eyes.  Instead of “Jew” and “Gentile,” it is now orthodox and progressive, mainline and evangelical, right and left, Republicans and Democrats, Israelites and Palestinians.  Walls of hostility are built and the mudslinging we see between these divided groups just seems to increase.  This petty pattern of mudslinging and wall construction often reminds me of when my children were little as they sat in the back seat of our car.  Those sweet, little, innocent boys would draw an imaginary line between them and spit out venomous words like, “Don’t cross that line!  Mom, he is touching me!”

Well, today the writer of Ephesians calls us to dream of and live into another day, a day without dividing walls.  It says that Christ has already “made both groups into one, putting to death that hostility.”  The peace of Christ that is proclaimed in this text is truly a shocking new reality in which former enemies who would not touch one another, let alone eat with one another, now reach out to one another in recognition of their common humanity.  To further comprehend the astonishing proclamation in this reading we must gain a better understanding of what these words meant to the Ephesians.  Living under the iron rule of Rome, these words directly challenged the boastful claims of Rome’s emperors, who saw themselves as the semi-divine forger of a new world peace.  Likewise, these words would have seemed to undermine all systems that secure insider distinction and top-down privilege by setting up barriers that identify some as outsider or inferior.  Theologian, Sally Brown, articulates the power these words had to the Ephesians who heard them.  She writes: 

It is crucial to recognize that any talk of peace within the context of Asia Minor in the late first century under Roman rule would be politically charged talk. Roman emperors, Augustus in particular, were hailed as the semi-divine inaugurators of an unprecedented peace that would settle the turbulent rivalries of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. This Roman brand of "peace," of course, was an enforced peace wrought through military dominance. When necessary, terror would be used -- specifically, the terror of crucifixion for anyone foolhardy enough to challenge peace on the Empire's terms. On state occasions and festival days such as the birthday of the emperor, when the emperor's "lordship' would be celebrated, the emperor as "peace-bringer" would be lauded in public speeches….  Therefore, to say “Christ is our peace” would be a pronouncement bordering on treason. What is being claimed, after all, is that despite all the swaggering claims of Rome's emperors, true peace has been inaugurated by a man the empire crucified. The dissonance between the chilling rhetoric of the state and the thrilling rhetoric of the Gospel would set any listener's blood racing. 

The writer of Ephesians is declaring peace on new terms.  It is a peace forged not by the "lords" of Empire in its manifold forms, but in the blood and bone of the Crucified One. The cross undermined the wall dividing Jew and non-Jew, but that is only the beginning.  The new household of God is not a purely spiritual reality that we visit briefly on Sundays -- a weekly "time out" in which we pretend peace is possible by sitting next to people we scrupulously avoid the rest of the time. The church is the daring practice of a new politics -- a different kind of power, the self-outpoured, boundary-crossing power of Christ's cross.   And we who are named and claimed by this boundary-crossing Christ, trust this power, letting it undermine every wall, until we are "built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God."

The destruction of the “dividing wall” that has been accomplished by Christ is good news for our divided communities, divided households, and divided selves.  And, now, Kim is going to say more about how this really connects to our everyday life, about how this peace becomes incarnate within our very lives.

KIM O’BRIEN - It’s pretty much a joke in my family now that I cry when Pastor Ellen gives me communion.  Just about every week. This past week, despite the bra advertisement that popped up on YouTube I still found myself tearing up at the words “The Body of Christ, given for you”. As I continued to kneel and accept this gift, my daughter finally looked over at me and said, “Are we going to get up or stay here for round two?”

Later in the week as I was driving Zakaria to the Williamston Fitness Center my anger was sparked by the Recall Petition Signing tent in McCormick Park.  That spark ignited a meaningful discussion between Zakaria and I about religion. Zakaria described to me that Islam is like a boat that guides him, first learning to love himself and then spreading that love outward toward neighbors.  As we continued on our separate ways I reflected on his message. I realized that his message was an unexpected gift that I needed to hear and I cannot give these gifts to myself. I need to live in community with other people to receive these gifts, and Zakaria was the gift-giver I needed that day.

I think that the second reading from Ephesians connects these two experiences from my week.   I think another round of communion would be nice sometimes and I think Zakaria is right: love is the answer.  Today we hear of the unity, peace, and membership gifted to us and to all people by God through the blood of Christ Jesus.  Our culture today gives us countless options for dividing ourselves. (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Muslim, Republican, Democrat, Immigrant, Citizen, gay, straight, white, black, young, old. . .the list goes on) Pick a side and take a stand.  So many divisions can often lead to feelings of anger, resentment, alienation and separation.

         When I’m completely honest, I admit that sometimes I don’t limit my feelings of alienation and separation to other people in distant lands or family members who don’t see things the way I do.  Sometimes I feel alienated even within myself, and even alienated from God. When I hear “The body of Christ, given for you” my first reaction is to look over my shoulder to see this amazing “you” that must be standing behind me.  This enormous gift of grace cannot possibly be for me. But it is. Every time. For me. So, I kneel, and cry, and sometimes long for another round, as I accept this gift into the brokenness of my heart and feel its healing power.  I need to accept the Grace of God who is calling something out of me, an ordinary stay-at-home mom in middle class Okemos, MI.  I have to first accept this love into myself before I can share it with my neighbor.  I need to recognize that I, like each one of you, am called to create peace, reconciliation and togetherness.  God calls us to build His holy temple with the combined gifts that each one of us already has inside our hearts.  Join me. Add your brick.

Today, we shared the experiences that our youth had in attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas in June 2018.

Below is a message from Katie Love, our Director of Christian Education.

Also, to view a copy of the powerpoint that was shared at the end of this message click on the following link to download the file: http://bit.ly/2L2XARJ

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Good Morning,

Thank you for worshiping with us this morning and allowing the teens to share with you their joy and experience from the National Gathering.

All I can say is “WOW”!!! What an absolutely amazing blessing it was to be able to co-lead this group to Houston. I know I can speak for Tara when I say I was blown away by the teenagers who went on this trip. Their compassion, flexibility, kind-heartedness, respect and patience were off the charts. It was awesome to see how God worked through and used each one of them on this trip. I was super excited for this trip because like one of our speakers said “often times our faith can grow so much deeper when we are pulled out of our comfort-zones and put into situations where we have to trust God and the people of God”…and let me tell you this week was full of what I call “God things”…those unexplainable things that happen to us to make us even more confident of God’s presence around us. From the speakers to the worship to the travel to the weather to the finances…God’s presence was truly felt. We as a group thank you for your prayers, financial support and encouragement that you gave us throughout the 3 years of planning and actually attending the Gathering.

Tara and I wanted to give you a brief recap of the experiences we had and the speakers we heard, especially the ones that the teens said had the most profound impact on them. Every night we had a final 15..which was about 15 minutes to recap the day, talk about the logistics of the next day, pray and talk about our highs and lows. At the end of this time we gave each teen an index card to right down the most impactful things they heard or things we did on that day. We did these anonymously and said we would use them in our Sunday worship to share their thoughts.

Let’s start with Wednesday…

Travel to and from Houston couldn’t have gone better. We arrived a little late on Wednesday night to the Gathering and with a full house of 30,000 people already worshiping we had an usher tell us where some open seating was. She said go ahead and try section 100. We walked into the immense space and there were 10 seats in a row open with 2 directly above them for Tara and I. When I say this was a GOD thing…this was a God thing…considering the place was PACKED to the rafters and most areas only had one or 2 spots open. To have our group together was such an answer to prayer for me…we actually ended up sitting in that same area every night which was also a blessing.

Finally, when I settled in my seat I looked up and my breath was literally taken away. 30,000 people mostly teenagers were in this arena. I had pictured it in my mind but until you see it…wow.. The Holy Spirit was truly in that place and hearing this group singing worship songs to their God loudly and unashamedly was one of the highlights of my 36 years.

The ELCA did not shy away from the tough topics that teenagers often face. The speaker’s topics included eating disorders, bullying, self-harm, drug & alcohol abuse, sexual assault, suicide, transgender issues, LGBTQ issues, loneliness and more. As leaders we were given Hotlines and immediate access to a team of chaplains if we needed them. I appreciated that the ELCA took a stand and didn’t sugarcoat what can be a difficult time for many young people. At the end of all of this the resounding theme was “There is Grace for that” and “Jesus changes everything”. The speakers left us with the knowledge of hope that is found in Christ Jesus.

Each day had a theme…Wednesday’s was “God’s Call changes everything”

Unfortunately arriving late we did miss several of the speakers however, we did hear Bryan Stevenson. Bryan shared with us how God called him to work on death row as a civil rights lawyer in Alabama and how his work with the Equal Justice Initiative is a call from God. He encouraged youth to consider how their vocations intersect with our calling as Christians to pursue compassion, justice and reconciliation. 

Stevenson encouraged Lutherans to speak out and name injustice: “When we see injustice, it is necessary that people of faith speak their truth,” he said. “We’re gonna have to say things when it would be easier to be quiet.” 

He spoke of tragic injustice facing young children who get tried as adults and caught up in the prison system, and he implored students to speak out for justice. “I think God is calling us to love and wrap our arms around the kids who are struggling, the kids who are in jail,” he said.  

We ended the day finding our bus along with 30,000 which was interesting to say the least 😊 had our final 15 and got tucked in for the night to get ready for another exciting day ahead.

Tara will take you through Thursday…

Friday’s theme was “God’s Grace Changes Everything”. Friday was Synod Day for our group and because it didn’t start until 1130 we had some downtime in the a.m. to rest and hit the pool. Synod day took place right in the ballroom at our hotel and we meet and worshiped with --- other students and leaders from our synod. The worship music was lead by teens from the Synod and Bishop Sattlerlee was there to preside. We broke down the story of The Ethiopian Eunuch and talked about how we can be like Philip in the story and share our faith with others.

Following Synod day we took an Uber…which let me tell you is an awesome way to get around a city… I especially loved talking to the Uber drivers and getting to hear their stories of their lives in Houston, how the flooding effected them etc… As the week went on these uber drivers became more and more aware of this huge group of teenagers who had infiltrated their city and they were very appreciative of the work we were doing. Anyway, we took the Uber to Chacho’s Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some time to get a way from the big crowds and relax and have a meal together. Our day ended with another amazing Mass Gathering at NRG arena.

Will Starkweather, an ELCA pastor was a speaker who our teens said was one of the most impactful at the entire gathering. He shared his experience with self-harm during his teenage and young adult years. In college, when he revealed his secret to his pastor, his pastor told Starkweather four words “you’re going to hell.” Starkweather left the church, dropped out of school and fell into a deep depression—and he continued to self-harm.

Eventually he began to rebuild his life. He found a new church, then divulged his secret to the pastor. “Pastor Carla listened and then she also said four words: There’s grace for that,” Starkweather said. “Y’all, those words changed my life.”

He learned self-harm is a coping mechanism for stress and began to start sharing his story with others so they’d know they were not alone. Starkweather went on to become an ELCA pastor. Acknowledging the hurt and pain that resides in each of us, Starkweather told all who were gathered, “We are all recovering from something—and there is grace for that.”

After concluding a powerful testimony to a standing ovation, Starkweather said from his talk, he wanted people to take home with them that there is “no such thing as ‘too broken.’ Our broken places are where God brings out beauty.”

Some of the comments from our group about his talk were…

“Will’s entire speech and statements moved me so deeply”

“Will’s story really shows how you can turn pain into strength”

“There’s grace for that” really got me. It was an awesome message that had a ton of feeling behind it. “

“God’s grace is not just about the forgiveness of sin, but the overwhelming love he has for you”

“I appreciated how open the speakers were about their past and their troubles”  

Between speakers we had the opportunity to worship through music. Not just music that we might be familiar with from our normal Sunday services but varieties of music from rap, rock, poetic, instrumental etc.. we also had the opportunity to use dance as an expression of our praise to God. Children of God worship differently. Some may sit, some may stand, some may clap, some may raise their hands, some may dance. The variety and freedom to worship unashamedly to our savior was powerful!!

Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ELCA pastor and best-selling author, gave the final talk of the evening. She told youth that when she was a teen, she struggled with an autoimmune disease that made her eyes bulge out. “My daily reality at your age was name calling and social isolation,” she said. “If I was a kid at the Gathering (today), I would be the kid who refused to stand up when everyone else stands up.”

Bolz-Weber said it was difficult to write in her book about the pain and alienation of her youth, which led her to substance abuse.  She proclaimed to youth: “If your life totally sucks right now, if you struggle with having friends or feeling like and outsider, just know that your current reality is not your ultimate reality.

“There’s a word for when our tears turn to joy. There’s a word for when our pain is a home for those who also hurt,” Bolz-Weber said. “And that, my Lutheran friends, is grace.” She said she wishes someone had told her 15-year-old self what grace was. That’s why Bolz-Weber writes and preaches so honestly about her life experiences, because “the jagged edges of our humanity are what connect us to God and to each other.”

God isn’t waiting for you to be thinner, smarter or more spiritual, she preached. “You are magnificently imperfect. The self God loves is your actual self, not your ideal self. And there’s a word for this: grace.”

One of our students wrote that she always wants to remember the way that Nadia talked about how we need to talk and be open about not just the good things but the bad things as well.

We concluded another night by joining a mass of 30,000 people trying to get to their bus.. we followed the “Hang Luth” foam finger to try and stay together….

On to Saturday…

Sunday’s theme was “Jesus, Changes Everything”

We woke up and headed by bus over to NRG Stadium for the last time and meet with 30,000 students and leaders for our Sunday morning worship.

The Gospel lesson for the last gathering was the fifth chapter of Mark; this lesson was also used in churches around the world that follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Bishop Eaton focused on the hemorrhaging woman and Jarius’ dying daughter, those desperately needing the healing that Jesus could bring. She stated that the powers of this world are good at separating people, the clean from the unclean. Bishop Eaton closed her sermon with that even the midst of the cynical laughter of the world, “Here is the wonderful news: where it looks impossible, remember most of all that Jesus has changed everything.”

How do you commune over 30,000 people? How long will it take?” It took a dedicated team of volunteers 22 minutes and 43 seconds to commune everyone in NRG Stadium.

Following the service, we took another Uber and spent some time at the Galleria Mall (which is absolutely amazing) and then headed back to the hotel for some pool time. We finished is the evening with a nice Italian meal at a restaurant near our hotel and then headed back to plan this Sunday Service. Monday we traveled home.

We want to take just a minute and thank those that used the Gathering sponsorship board to sponsor specific areas of our week. We had fun using our thank you signs around the city and remembering all who donated to make the week possible.

Tara is going to share the giving totals for the week.

In conclusion we would love to share some pictures and videos with you of our adventure.

Thank you!

Today, we shared the experiences that our youth had in attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas in June 2018.

Below is a message from Katie Love, our Director of Christian Education.

Also, to view a copy of the powerpoint that was shared at the end of this message click on the following link to download the file: http://bit.ly/2L2XARJ

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Good Morning,

Thank you for worshiping with us this morning and allowing the teens to share with you their joy and experience from the National Gathering.

All I can say is “WOW”!!! What an absolutely amazing blessing it was to be able to co-lead this group to Houston. I know I can speak for Tara when I say I was blown away by the teenagers who went on this trip. Their compassion, flexibility, kind-heartedness, respect and patience were off the charts. It was awesome to see how God worked through and used each one of them on this trip. I was super excited for this trip because like one of our speakers said “often times our faith can grow so much deeper when we are pulled out of our comfort-zones and put into situations where we have to trust God and the people of God”…and let me tell you this week was full of what I call “God things”…those unexplainable things that happen to us to make us even more confident of God’s presence around us. From the speakers to the worship to the travel to the weather to the finances…God’s presence was truly felt. We as a group thank you for your prayers, financial support and encouragement that you gave us throughout the 3 years of planning and actually attending the Gathering.

Tara and I wanted to give you a brief recap of the experiences we had and the speakers we heard, especially the ones that the teens said had the most profound impact on them. Every night we had a final 15..which was about 15 minutes to recap the day, talk about the logistics of the next day, pray and talk about our highs and lows. At the end of this time we gave each teen an index card to right down the most impactful things they heard or things we did on that day. We did these anonymously and said we would use them in our Sunday worship to share their thoughts.

Let’s start with Wednesday…

Travel to and from Houston couldn’t have gone better. We arrived a little late on Wednesday night to the Gathering and with a full house of 30,000 people already worshiping we had an usher tell us where some open seating was. She said go ahead and try section 100. We walked into the immense space and there were 10 seats in a row open with 2 directly above them for Tara and I. When I say this was a GOD thing…this was a God thing…considering the place was PACKED to the rafters and most areas only had one or 2 spots open. To have our group together was such an answer to prayer for me…we actually ended up sitting in that same area every night which was also a blessing.

Finally, when I settled in my seat I looked up and my breath was literally taken away. 30,000 people mostly teenagers were in this arena. I had pictured it in my mind but until you see it…wow.. The Holy Spirit was truly in that place and hearing this group singing worship songs to their God loudly and unashamedly was one of the highlights of my 36 years.

The ELCA did not shy away from the tough topics that teenagers often face. The speaker’s topics included eating disorders, bullying, self-harm, drug & alcohol abuse, sexual assault, suicide, transgender issues, LGBTQ issues, loneliness and more. As leaders we were given Hotlines and immediate access to a team of chaplains if we needed them. I appreciated that the ELCA took a stand and didn’t sugarcoat what can be a difficult time for many young people. At the end of all of this the resounding theme was “There is Grace for that” and “Jesus changes everything”. The speakers left us with the knowledge of hope that is found in Christ Jesus.

Each day had a theme…Wednesday’s was “God’s Call changes everything”

Unfortunately arriving late we did miss several of the speakers however, we did hear Bryan Stevenson. Bryan shared with us how God called him to work on death row as a civil rights lawyer in Alabama and how his work with the Equal Justice Initiative is a call from God. He encouraged youth to consider how their vocations intersect with our calling as Christians to pursue compassion, justice and reconciliation. 

Stevenson encouraged Lutherans to speak out and name injustice: “When we see injustice, it is necessary that people of faith speak their truth,” he said. “We’re gonna have to say things when it would be easier to be quiet.” 

He spoke of tragic injustice facing young children who get tried as adults and caught up in the prison system, and he implored students to speak out for justice. “I think God is calling us to love and wrap our arms around the kids who are struggling, the kids who are in jail,” he said.  

We ended the day finding our bus along with 30,000 which was interesting to say the least 😊 had our final 15 and got tucked in for the night to get ready for another exciting day ahead.

Tara will take you through Thursday…

Friday’s theme was “God’s Grace Changes Everything”. Friday was Synod Day for our group and because it didn’t start until 1130 we had some downtime in the a.m. to rest and hit the pool. Synod day took place right in the ballroom at our hotel and we meet and worshiped with --- other students and leaders from our synod. The worship music was lead by teens from the Synod and Bishop Sattlerlee was there to preside. We broke down the story of The Ethiopian Eunuch and talked about how we can be like Philip in the story and share our faith with others.

Following Synod day we took an Uber…which let me tell you is an awesome way to get around a city… I especially loved talking to the Uber drivers and getting to hear their stories of their lives in Houston, how the flooding effected them etc… As the week went on these uber drivers became more and more aware of this huge group of teenagers who had infiltrated their city and they were very appreciative of the work we were doing. Anyway, we took the Uber to Chacho’s Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some time to get a way from the big crowds and relax and have a meal together. Our day ended with another amazing Mass Gathering at NRG arena.

Will Starkweather, an ELCA pastor was a speaker who our teens said was one of the most impactful at the entire gathering. He shared his experience with self-harm during his teenage and young adult years. In college, when he revealed his secret to his pastor, his pastor told Starkweather four words “you’re going to hell.” Starkweather left the church, dropped out of school and fell into a deep depression—and he continued to self-harm.

Eventually he began to rebuild his life. He found a new church, then divulged his secret to the pastor. “Pastor Carla listened and then she also said four words: There’s grace for that,” Starkweather said. “Y’all, those words changed my life.”

He learned self-harm is a coping mechanism for stress and began to start sharing his story with others so they’d know they were not alone. Starkweather went on to become an ELCA pastor. Acknowledging the hurt and pain that resides in each of us, Starkweather told all who were gathered, “We are all recovering from something—and there is grace for that.”

After concluding a powerful testimony to a standing ovation, Starkweather said from his talk, he wanted people to take home with them that there is “no such thing as ‘too broken.’ Our broken places are where God brings out beauty.”

Some of the comments from our group about his talk were…

“Will’s entire speech and statements moved me so deeply”

“Will’s story really shows how you can turn pain into strength”

“There’s grace for that” really got me. It was an awesome message that had a ton of feeling behind it. “

“God’s grace is not just about the forgiveness of sin, but the overwhelming love he has for you”

“I appreciated how open the speakers were about their past and their troubles”  

Between speakers we had the opportunity to worship through music. Not just music that we might be familiar with from our normal Sunday services but varieties of music from rap, rock, poetic, instrumental etc.. we also had the opportunity to use dance as an expression of our praise to God. Children of God worship differently. Some may sit, some may stand, some may clap, some may raise their hands, some may dance. The variety and freedom to worship unashamedly to our savior was powerful!!

Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ELCA pastor and best-selling author, gave the final talk of the evening. She told youth that when she was a teen, she struggled with an autoimmune disease that made her eyes bulge out. “My daily reality at your age was name calling and social isolation,” she said. “If I was a kid at the Gathering (today), I would be the kid who refused to stand up when everyone else stands up.”

Bolz-Weber said it was difficult to write in her book about the pain and alienation of her youth, which led her to substance abuse.  She proclaimed to youth: “If your life totally sucks right now, if you struggle with having friends or feeling like and outsider, just know that your current reality is not your ultimate reality.

“There’s a word for when our tears turn to joy. There’s a word for when our pain is a home for those who also hurt,” Bolz-Weber said. “And that, my Lutheran friends, is grace.” She said she wishes someone had told her 15-year-old self what grace was. That’s why Bolz-Weber writes and preaches so honestly about her life experiences, because “the jagged edges of our humanity are what connect us to God and to each other.”

God isn’t waiting for you to be thinner, smarter or more spiritual, she preached. “You are magnificently imperfect. The self God loves is your actual self, not your ideal self. And there’s a word for this: grace.”

One of our students wrote that she always wants to remember the way that Nadia talked about how we need to talk and be open about not just the good things but the bad things as well.

We concluded another night by joining a mass of 30,000 people trying to get to their bus.. we followed the “Hang Luth” foam finger to try and stay together….

On to Saturday…

Sunday’s theme was “Jesus, Changes Everything”

We woke up and headed by bus over to NRG Stadium for the last time and meet with 30,000 students and leaders for our Sunday morning worship.

The Gospel lesson for the last gathering was the fifth chapter of Mark; this lesson was also used in churches around the world that follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Bishop Eaton focused on the hemorrhaging woman and Jarius’ dying daughter, those desperately needing the healing that Jesus could bring. She stated that the powers of this world are good at separating people, the clean from the unclean. Bishop Eaton closed her sermon with that even the midst of the cynical laughter of the world, “Here is the wonderful news: where it looks impossible, remember most of all that Jesus has changed everything.”

How do you commune over 30,000 people? How long will it take?” It took a dedicated team of volunteers 22 minutes and 43 seconds to commune everyone in NRG Stadium.

Following the service, we took another Uber and spent some time at the Galleria Mall (which is absolutely amazing) and then headed back to the hotel for some pool time. We finished is the evening with a nice Italian meal at a restaurant near our hotel and then headed back to plan this Sunday Service. Monday we traveled home.

We want to take just a minute and thank those that used the Gathering sponsorship board to sponsor specific areas of our week. We had fun using our thank you signs around the city and remembering all who donated to make the week possible.

Tara is going to share the giving totals for the week.

In conclusion we would love to share some pictures and videos with you of our adventure.

Thank you!

This is a special musical presentation of Deep River by Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.