Trip to Kansas City

As I mentioned, I visited my brother and sister-in-law in Kansas City recently, and met my new niece, Dayla. She is now almost three months old (but would only be about a month old if she hadn't been born so early).





We had a wonderful, restful, super-low-key long weekend largely spent lounging around snuggling with Dayla, watching Dayla's ever-changing facial expressions, and talking to and about Dayla.

Here's the happy family (minus the cranky cat, shown below in a rare moment of sociability).








That, plus getting out of the frozen tundra and enjoying weather in the 50s to 70s, made the trip successful enough for me!








But, as a bonus, we also managed to visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (my primary agenda item on any trip to KC), stroll around the Plaza a bit, and worship with minimal baby-related disruption.








We also ate quite well. Here's my brother's masterpiece: salmon on fettuccine and spinach tossed in beurre blanc, and topped it with a salsa of corn, feta, and walnuts. It was worth the lingering salmon odor we had to deal with for the next two days.





So it was a wonderful trip and my niece is beautiful and magnificent. She's a keeper for sure, and I am one smitten auntie.

Weekly beauty: Dayla Elizabeth

I was in Kansas City last weekend to meet my new niece, Dayla Elizabeth Jertson. She's been home from NICU for three or four weeks now, and she is remarkable. Certainly beautiful enough to hold the title "weekly beauty"! More pics from the trip coming soon.


The little princess even outshines the ever-so-attractive burp cloth, and my brother's hand in the way.

Thoughts on welcoming

Here's a post by Pastor Keith Anderson on welcoming newcomers to church. I first saw it on Living Lutheran, a collection of stories, blogs, and other connections for ELCA types and others.

I don't necessarily agree with every detail, but I think these "Top 10 Things We've Learned About Welcoming Newcomers to Our Church" are largely quite helpful. I found myself nodding most vigorously at these:

Enable People to Participate Right Away

Our congregation used to have an unspoken waiting period for participation. People would regularly be members for months or years before being asked to take a leadership role. Now, we encourage people to get involved before they are members. We believe that you don’t need to be a “member” before you can start living out God’s calling in your life.

Understand People’s Passions

Listen for the way God is calling people to live our their faith - at work, home, and/or in the church. Set people free to follow God’s call.

Whatcha think?

Hegre, 1943

I recently noticed this calendar and advertisement from 1943 hanging on a bulletin board at Hegre. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.





It says the church is located in Skyberg, Minnesota. There's still a sign for Skyberg, but it really isn't a town anymore. (There are many such signs around here. Some just say the town name and some say "former site of..." whatever town.) The pastor must have come from Wanamingo.





This one is blurry, but you may be able to tell that Sunday school was held every week, but worship only every other week. The pastor must have had several churches to cover.





Such an interesting piece of history!

(By the way, you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them, which is true in all the posts.)

United Redeemer Lutheran Church

Our recent Cannon River Conference assembly was held at United Redeemer Lutheran Church in Zumbrota. In the fellowship hall, we did some business and got an update from the Southeastern Minnesota Synod.

I had a perfect view of this fascinating contraption. The arc across the top swings up and down a little, and the gears click around in circles, and the pendulums swing back and forth. It's made entirely of wood and is totally mesmerizing.





In the sanctuary, we enjoyed a presentation about one pastor's adventures in Columbia. Here are the shots I managed to get of the chancel, working around the portable screen that was set up for the presentation.








And one of the beautiful windows.

Weekly beauty: Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons is a British folk rock band. Their debut album, Sigh No More, was released in the US about a year ago. I have a couple of friends to thank for bringing them to my attention.

One of my favorite songs is "The Cave," which includes the line, "I know my call despite my faults and despite my growing fears." You can find it on YouTube here, and lyrics here.

And here is another of my favorites, "Awake My Soul." Lyrics here. Enjoy.

More big changes

My wonderful supervisor resigned her call at Grace last week. Her last Sunday will be the Transfiguration of Our Lord, March 6. She's going to work on some personal projects for a while and then see where God leads her from there.

Fortunately, given the unique structure of my site, it might not be quite as disruptive for me as if I were working only with her congregation. Naturally, I will help with the transition as much as possible, and I'm sure Grace will get a capable interim pastor.

I will miss Judy and our random adventures, like the run-in with the Serious Farm Pickup. We had a rather emotional Sunday at Grace this week. But she's planning to continue attending our monthly roundtable discussions, and I have designated her my supervisor emeritus.

Meanwhile, another of my dear pastors has kindly stepped up to the plate to be my supervisor for the last half of my year here, and I'm sure more adventures await!

Valentines from Gol

My two ladies' groups from Gol met together last week and did their Bible studies jointly at Gunderson Gardens, the assisted living facility in Kenyon. It was great to have a few ladies who live there join us for study and fellowship.





The ladies had ordered Valentine flowers for the members of Gol who can no longer make it to worship or other church activities. So when we finished our study, I got to help deliver flowers and cookies to the folks who live at Gunderson Gardens and the adjacent long-term care facility.





There were wedding pictures hanging on the walls all over, depicting both the residents' weddings and their children's weddings, from what I could tell. I got to speak with a man who will celebrate his 60th anniversary with his wife this year.





It's a good time of year to do something like this. January and February can be long and dreary. The folks of Dale and Holden recently mentioned that they're thinking of shifting their Advent Festival to this time of year, when folks don't have as much going on and may be lonely after the holidays. Anyway, it was a delight to spread some cheer and good will!

Contemplating youth ministry

Some compelling thoughts on youth ministry in this blog post by Brian Kirk. He contrasts the "attractional model" of youth ministry with the practice of Jesus to withdraw in order to listen for God in quiet times of rest. He points out that the monastic community of Taize is a wildly popular destination for young people, and sees this as evidence that they are looking for opportunities to meet God in just such times of quiet contemplation.

Here are a couple of excerpts. It's certainly worth thinking about.

...the attractional model of youth ministry (or as I have dubbed it "the DIS-strational model") suggests that mimicking the practices of our consumerist entertainment-based culture may be the most effective way to draw young people to Christianity, showing teens that church can be just as fun and exciting as going to a rock concert or the local amusement park.

Given this, I wonder: What would happen if, for a season in our ministries, we gave ourselves permission to let go of using flash and noise to attract youth to God and instead trusted that what they might really desire is silence, contemplation, solitude, and prayer? What would happen if we let go for a time of the idea of trying to attract youth into our buildings and instead focused on helping them to experience God's presence in every aspect of their lives, particularly beyond the walls of the church? What if we decided to see what our youth programs might look like if we locked the doors of our youth rooms and sought to do ministry together out in the world?

Trip to St. Olaf College

One of my pastors recently took me to St. Olaf College ("the shining beacon on the hill"), where our primary destination was Boe Memorial Chapel. It's a stunning space that has some of the most fascinating stained-glass windows I've ever seen, particularly for the uniqueness of their subjects.

Here's a broad view of the chapel. I heard a tour guide say the flags represent every country from which a St. Olaf student comes, or where a St. Olaf student currently is (big study-abroad program there).

The chancel window depicts the resurrection of Christ and includes a portrayal of the institution of the Lord's Supper that flows off the window and into the chapel itself.





Closer view of the chancel. The organ console controls the organ in the chancel as well as the one in the balcony.





View from the chancel looking toward the back of the chapel. The rear window depicts the transfiguration and the New Jerusalem.





Along one side of the chapel the biblical story is told in the windows, from creation to crucifixion, with the resurrection depicted in the chancel window. On the other side is the history of the church, from Pentecost to the Reformation to Lutheranism in North America.

This window is "Promise," showing several Old Testament stories, including the flood, the promise to Abraham, and the giving of the law.





This window depicts Jesus' miracles.





Pre-Reformation Christian history, including St. Olaf himself, symbolizing the spread of Christianity into Northern Europe.





The Reformation era, including Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door and standing at the Diet of Worms.





Perhaps I've found an supplement to the Cathedral of St. Paul as a good place for prayer and contemplation. I certainly wouldn't mind studying those windows further.

Weekly beauty: Jan Laurie stoles

Jan Laurie is a fabric artist who makes clergy stoles that I think are stunning. I love this type of fabric art that involves a variety of materials: she uses stitching, stamps, tulle, ribbon, metallic thread, and all sorts of loveliness.








These stoles have, however, made an appearance on the Bad Vestments blog, so there's no accounting for taste. (I did notice that no one could muster anything too insulting in the comments there, compared to some of the enthusiastic trash-talk elsewhere on that site.)

Anyway, you can decide for yourself. Images are from Jan Laurie's website, where there are more close-up shots available.

Latest randomness

It's been a while...here's an overdue batch of random observations.

• My dad found two typos in my January newsletter. (They were corrected online, of course, so you won't find them, but I don't think anyone else caught them before they were printed.) I never do that, so it's a memorable event.
• In another small-world moment, a woman from Gol, who is one of my WELCA ladies, has a daughter who lives in the Kansas City area and attends the same church as my brother and sister-in-law. When she was there for a visit at Christmas, she figured out that the Dayla Jertson listed in the prayer concerns in the bulletin must be my niece.
• I did it again, and it's always at Holden! Wine on the alb, but much less disastrous than last time. Somehow I managed this without even touching the chalice. You'd think a tray of pre-filled glasses would be safe, but there were a few drops lurking on the edge of the tray. Fortunately they didn't even really sink in so they were easy to remove.
  
• December mileage: 1,724 total (943 for work). A lot of it was my trip home. January mileage: 1,444 total (974 for work). The monthly totals are creeping upward.
• Super-excited about the noticeably lengthening days. There may be a light at the end of the snow tunnel.

Mid-Winter Convocation

Last week I made a trek to the Luther Seminary campus for the annual Mid-Winter Convocation, a gathering of alumni, pastors, teachers, and all sorts of other folks for study, worship, and fellowship. A few of my pastors went, and I rode along with one of them just for the day on Thursday, rather than for the whole three-day event.





It's a delight to worship in the Chapel of the Incarnation when it's full. And my two workshops were well done. I heard from Terry Fretheim about the evolving nature of the law even within the biblical witness, and Walter Sundberg about biblical inerrancy. The juxtaposition of the two sessions made for a great tension in which to dwell.

(Terry Fretheim used to live in Dennison, by the way. He told me about starting school at the old school house on my street, which is now apartments. So the path to becoming a legend of Old Testament scholarship began right here.)





Of course, it's always great to get back on campus to hit the bookstore and catch up with friends and classmates, and it was fun to run into other pastors from around the Southeast Minnesota Synod, which made me realize how many people I've met during my internship thus far. So the whole experience was well worth the drive!





Pictures (taken by my dad) are from my pre-enrollment campus visit to Luther in April 2008, hence the visible grass. There's no visible grass right now, I assure you. The first building is Olson Campus Center and the second is Gullixson Hall.

February 6 sermon

Text: Matthew 5:13-20
Preached February 6 at Holden and Dale and February 9 at First


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

I just talked with the kids about salted and unsalted snacks. Which do you prefer? Do you have bags of salty, flavored, full-of-fat chips and dip ready to go for tonight’s big game? Or will you be munching on unsalted pretzels or rice cakes? I know which party I’d rather attend!

As much as I enjoy the chips and dip, when I dig into a bag, I sometimes wonder what others think of me. Do they think I should be choosing differently? Do they think my eating habits are always less-than-stellar? Sometimes it makes me want to choose the rice cakes just to avoid making a bad impression.

Maybe you’ve had similar thoughts. There are countless ways we put on a façade, trying to present ourselves to others in the most flattering light, trying to meet some standard we think they’ve set for us, which may or may not be true. Trying, most of all, to escape their judgment.

There are much deeper ways in which we do this, and sometimes we even try to deceive God, and ourselves. If we don’t want to face the judgment of our friends and family, how much less do we want to face God’s judgment or our own?

This is the reality of our sinfulness. This is what happens when we get caught up in the wisdom of the world of which Paul speaks in our second reading. The world’s wisdom encourages us to do whatever we need to do to appear acceptable to others. It tells us this is how we advance our position and achieve whatever we’re seeking—a better job, more friends, influence in our communities.

The Israelites found themselves in a similar situation. They wanted to impress God, so they followed all the rules of religious practice. Isaiah tells us they observed days of fasting, and humbled themselves on those days. They bowed down their heads like a bulrush, and lay in sackcloth and ashes.

The Israelites said to the Lord, “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” They remind me of a phase my brother went through when he was young. For a while, whenever he was upset with our parents, his response was to run away from home.

Not to worry—he wasn’t allowed to cross the street at this point, so he never got further than the corner of our block. But every time he’d pack his little bag and take off, he’d turn around every few steps to see if anyone was watching. The desired effect, of course, was to inspire remorse in our parents for whatever they had done to upset him, so he had to make sure his actions were having an impact.

Similarly, the Israelites were disappointed that God wasn’t watching their impressive tactics. God didn’t seem to be responding to their fasting and displays of humility. But the prophet tells us the people’s religious practices were having no impact on the rest of their lives, or their interaction with other people.

“You serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers,” says God through Isaiah. “You fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.” Yet you act as if you “were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance” of your God.

“As if,” God says. The Israelites acted as if they were following God’s ways. They were putting on a façade, trying to fool God into seeing them as more faithful than they truly were. It sounds like they may have managed to fool themselves a little, but I’m sure they weren’t fooling the workers whom they were oppressing, and they certainly weren’t fooling God. He saw right through them, as God tends to do.

Here we see the wisdom of the world again, which is about manipulation and domination, competition and judgment. It’s about putting on a façade to please the people who might be useful to us.

But the façade didn’t work for the Israelites, and it doesn’t work for us. We cannot be at peace with ourselves when we’re hiding behind a veneer of false virtue. We cannot be in real relationship with others if we aren’t interacting with them honestly. We cannot be in real relationship with God if our faith has no impact on the way we live and our dealings with other people.

In contrast, Paul reminds us that the wisdom of God is about vulnerability, relationship, and service. God’s wisdom is revealed to us in the cross of Christ, where God forgives our sin and reconciles us to himself, despite our unworthiness.

This kind of wisdom makes no sense in a world focused on climbing a ladder of merit and conforming to others’ expectations. We can only speak of God’s wisdom “in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit,” Paul says.

This wisdom of God, the cross of Christ, frees us from the need to put on a mask and hide ourselves. The cross of Christ frees us to be genuine, because we recognize that God has made us who we are. The cross of Christ frees us to acknowledge our sin, because we know it no longer defines us when God forgives us.

The cross of Christ frees us to be what Christ makes us: the salt of the earth and the light of the world, as we hear in our gospel reading. This is not just a different mask to put on—we don’t have to work to appear salty enough and bright enough so people think we’re Christian enough. This is simply who we are, by virtue of our relationship with God through Christ. We are those blessed and sent by Jesus, whose light shines through us into a dark world.

Being salt and light is not about glorifying ourselves. Salt isn’t all that useful by itself—its value lies in its application to other things. The point of salt as seasoning isn’t for a dish to taste salty, but for the salt to enhance the other flavors. The point of salt as a preservative isn’t to end up with a collection of salt, but for the salt to keep other food safe to eat. The point of salt on our roads isn’t to enjoy the crunchy sound under our tires, but to improve our safety by melting ice and providing traction.

The same is true of light—the point of turning on a lamp isn’t to stare at the light bulb, but to illuminate whatever else is in the room. The call to be salt and light is a call to draw attention to God as the source of all goodness, justice, and love.

Being salt and light is not about benefiting ourselves. Jesus calls us the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” not the salt and light of our own individual lives.

God blesses those whom God calls, but God’s blessing doesn’t stop there. It extends to all people, just as it did long, long ago when God called Abraham. “I will make of you a great nation,” God said, “and I will bless you…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12). The call to be salt and light is not for our gain, but for the sake of the world.

The Israelites discovered why God wasn’t paying attention to their fasting and public displays of humility. God said that wasn’t the kind of fast he wanted. Instead, God asks,

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”

God redefines fasting from a periodic, individual practice to an ongoing, social practice. Being salt and light is about caring for others so that the light of God “breaks forth like the dawn” and all people can know the blessing of God’s healing and abundance and love.

Being salt and light is not just a solitary calling. It is a communal calling for the body of Christ, empowered and enlivened by God for the benefit of the world. It is a call we receive here in worship, and a call that flows back into worship. Love of God and love of God’s people are intertwined. Acts of love and service lead us to worship, and worship leads us out into the world to continue to love and serve. The two facets of God’s kingdom cannot be separated.

Jesus warns us that salt may lose its taste. In fact, salt is a very stable compound that really only loses its taste when it’s diluted with water. This is why we return here to worship again and again, where we meet Christ in the word and at the table. Here God reminds us who we are and whose we are. Here God renews us in our call and strengthens us for our work. And here God sets us apart to be faithful to the wisdom of God rather than the wisdom of the world. This is how we avoid becoming too diluted.

And it works. God is at work here, making you into salt and light. I know of some magnificent care packages assembled at the Dale Advent Festival and delivered to folks who can’t make it to worship anymore. I know of a family in need who were adopted by the Holden WELCA at Christmas. I know the visitation for [name] on Friday was full of people from around here who drove all the way to [location] to support a grieving family. I see plenty of evidence that you are salt and light, and I know there’s much more happening that I’m not aware of!

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. This is what Christ has made you, and continues to make you, and you are living your calling. I invite you to be on the lookout for God at work in your midst, sending people to be salt and light for you. And I invite you to continue to let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Amen.

Weekly beauty: Stargazer lilies

The stargazer lilies I've seen in the past have always looked like this:





But these were also labeled stargazers, and they were just as beautiful. Too bad I can't transmit aroma online, because they made my apartment smell absolutely heavenly.

Women and children

I was up in St. Paul Saturday for an official girls' day. But we did allow one male to crash the party...





...Willem Edward, 6 months old.
And he had company: Skye Advent, 4 months old.





Willem and Skye kept us entertained while we chatted and watched a movie. Then they got to hang with their daddies while we ladies went to our favorite coffee shop, Cupcake on University.

I'm so grateful to be close enough to easily get to gatherings like these! The company of good friends is priceless.

P.S. We missed you, Rachel and Kristina!

The light of the world

My latest newsletter article...


During the season of Epiphany, we celebrate light, beginning with the bright star that reveals Jesus to the nations, guiding the magi to worship this new king.

You may notice darkness and light as a recurring theme throughout the season’s lectionary texts. We have heard from Isaiah (9:2), “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Darkness and light are presented in contrast—despair and anguish vs. hope and joy.

As we know, Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), the light no darkness can overcome (John 1:5). He is the source of hope and joy that breaks through the darkness of despair and anguish.

We will also hear Jesus tell his followers, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). How can this be—that both Jesus and his followers are the light of the world?

When we follow Jesus, we no longer walk in darkness, as Isaiah says, for we have seen a great light. Our lives are in Christ, the true light of the world. So the light of Christ shines within us, and we become the light of the world by reflecting that light to all those around us.

This season, may the light of Christ break into the dark corners of your lives, filling you with hope and joy!