Weekly beauty: "Thine Is the Glory"

There are so many wonderful Easter hymns it's hard to choose a favorite! Fortunately, YouTube narrowed down my choices significantly, so here is "Thine Is the Glory." Lyrics below and in the video.





1. Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry
Thou o'er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay.

2. Lo! Jesus meets us,
Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let his church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth;
Death hath lost its sting.

3. No more we doubt thee,
Glorious Prince of Life!
Life is naught without thee;
Aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conqu'rors,
Through thy deathless love;
Bring us safe through Jordan
To thy home above.

Chorus:
Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry
Thou o'er death hast won.

Sacramental retreat

Since Grace is currently pastorless (interim starting this coming Sunday), I had the privilege of leading a sacramental retreat for the young man who made his first communion this year. He was sharp and thoughtful and kind, so it was a pleasure to work with him!

My "supervisor emeritus," Pastor Judy, gave me her materials and walked me through her process, so that was a great starting point. Here's her box of goodies...sacraments are a gift!





We made personalized magnets to remind us that God has called and claimed us as his own (Isaiah 43:1).





And we used the unbeatable Small Catechism of Martin Luther, along with the visual aids that Pastor Judy calls her Luddite Power Point. (Since there were only two of us, I didn't use her usual method of display, which is a felt board with Velcro.)





After the instruction session and our pizza supper, we went to St. John's United Church of Christ for their Last Supper drama. It's a sort-of reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, with each disciple sharing a few words about his ministry and experience with Jesus.





What better way to kick off Holy Week than immersed in the sacraments?

Holy Week highlights

The holy chaos of Holy Week is over, and it was a wonderful experience. I spent Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday at Grace and had a great time doing first communion instruction with them...more on that soon.

On Good Friday, we did a Stations of the Cross service at First in the morning. It was quiet and contemplative, a good way to start the day.





Then we had community Good Friday worship in the evening, involving almost all the internship congregations. It's been hosted by different churches in recent years, and this year it was at First. It was a wonderful experience to serve with almost all my pastors together, and to enjoy the gifts of so many different soloists and choirs.

To celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, I started with sunrise worship with the Trinity folks, this year at the cemetery...more on that soon. Then I worshiped with the people of Gol, and hit both of their Easter breakfasts in between, of course.

After worship I stopped at First again to meet my supervisor for a nursing home visit, and here's the transformation from Good Friday to Easter. I love the spring flowers!





Meanwhile, I have plenty of less-than-holy chaos to clean up at home. After the craziness of the last couple weeks, my sorely neglected sanctuary is in danger of becoming a biohazard. The kitchen table is just the tip of the iceberg, so thank goodness for a low-key post-Easter week!

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!




The Easter lily cross that is a beautiful tradition at my home church, Bethlehem Lutheran.


Happy and blessed Easter to you!

Holy Week: Vigil of Easter

The Easter vigil is one of the church's central festivals. It has fallen out of practice in many areas, but a revival seems to be underway. It is a powerful liturgy that recalls the history of salvation and marks Christ's passage from death to life. More information here, here, and here.




Women Arriving at the Tomb by He Qi


Old Testament readings and responses:
(The * marks readings which are to be included even if others are omitted.)

• Creation* from Genesis 1-2 (response: from Psalm 136)
  
• Flood from Genesis 7, 8, and 9 (response: Psalm 46)
  
• Testing of Abraham from Genesis 22 (response: Psalm 16)
  
• Deliverance at the Red Sea* from Exodus 14 and 15 (response: from Exodus 15)
  
• Salvation freely offered to all* from Isaiah 55 (response: from Isaiah 12)
  
• The wisdom of God from Proverbs 8 and 9 (response: Psalm 19)
  
• A new heart and a new spirit from Ezekiel 36 (response: Psalms 42-43)
  
• Valley of dry bones from Ezekiel 37 (response: Psalm 143)
  
• The gathering of God's people from Zephaniah 3 (response: Psalm 98)
  
• The deliverance of Jonah from Jonah 1-2 (response: from Jonah 2)
  
• Clothed in garments of salvation from Isaiah 61 (response: from Deuteronomy 32)
  
• Deliverance from the fiery furnace* from Daniel 3 (response: from an apocryphal piece called the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three)
  

New Testament reading: Romans 6:3-11

Gospel reading: John 20:1-18




The Empty Tomb by He Qi


Eternal giver of life and light, this holy night shines with the radiance of the risen Christ. Renew your church with the Spirit given us in baptism, that we may worship you in sincerity and truth and may shine as a light in the world, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Good Friday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16–25
Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9 (Alternate)
John 18:1—19:42

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. (Good Friday liturgy)




Icon of the crucifixion of Christ.
Check out this site for fascinating info on how to read the details.


Almighty God, we ask you to look with mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and to be given over to the hands of sinners and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

Lectionary texts:
Exodus 12:1–4[5–10] 11–14
Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
John 13:1–17, 31b–35


"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)




Le lavement des pieds (Washing of the feet) by Corinne Vonaesch


Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: To love one another as he had loved them. By your Holy Spirit write this commandment in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Wednesday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 50:4–9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1–3
John 13:21–32


"Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."
"Lord, who is it?"
(John 13:21, 25)





Almighty God, your Son our Savior suffered at human hands and endured the shame of the cross. Grant that we may walk in the way of his cross and find it the way of life and peace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Week: Tuesday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 49:1–7
Psalm 71:1–14
1 Corinthians 1:18–31
John 12:20–36

"Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also." (John 12:26)





Lord Jesus, you have called us to follow you. Grant that our love may not grow cold in your service, and that we may not fail or deny you in the hour of trial. Amen.

Holy Week: Monday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 42:1–9
Psalm 36:5–11
Hebrews 9:11–15
John 12:1–11

"Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'" (John 12:7-8)





O God, your Son chose the path which led to pain before joy and the cross before glory. Plant his cross in our hearts, so that in its power and love we may come at last to joy and glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Week: Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion

It's Sunday of the Split Identity. We shout "Hosanna!" at the beginning of worship, and "Crucify him!" shortly thereafter. Not totally unlike our ever-imperfect discipleship, is it?



Entree a Jerusalem by Macha Chmakoff


Lectionary texts:
Matthew 21:1-11 (processional gospel with palm branches)
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14 - 27:66


"Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord....Who is this?" (Matthew 21:9-10)

Weekly beauty: Signs of spring

It's been chilly again this week, but thanks be to God for growing green things and longer days. Lots of funerals around here lately; we need signs of life.

I took this picture after worship at Dale a couple weeks ago. It was probably 8:30 p.m. and it wasn't dark yet. Glorious.




And this one isn't quite as pretty as the sunset, but those hints of green are signs of hope! It's been so long since I saw these plants next to my driveway that I can't even remember what they are, but I'll soon find out.

A Lenten tradition

Just had to take a minute to celebrate the glorious Lenten tradition of...the soup supper.

Soup suppers before mid-week Lenten worship have been very common among congregations with which I've been involved, both here and elsewhere. It's a great way for people to connect for fellowship outside of Sunday morning, when they might be busy with adult classes or Sunday school or altar guild duties or any number of other things.

I was at Hegre for half of Lent this year, and they host a delightful soup supper: a couple kinds of soup, a couple kinds of bread, and a dessert. Simple, effective, delicious.

Big birthday back home

My dad turned 60 on Saturday, so I made a quick trip home for part of the weekend (back for Sunday, of course). I took my grandma with me, and my brother, sister-in-law, and niece were there as well. It was magnificent to hang out all together since we don't get to do that often.

This is the sight that greeted me upon my arrival. That is one happy grandpa!




We went to a lovely dinner at The Class Act, which baby Dayla didn't enjoy quite as much as the rest of us. But her grandma seemed to find the odd position that satisfied the princess for a while.




We were the picture of contentment after our wonderful meal, except Dayla.




It's so fun to see how much she's changed already since I saw her in February.




My dad certainly deserves to be celebrated on such a momentous occasion! So, despite appearances, it wasn't all about Dayla, and I think he was pleased with the festivities. It was a wonderful trip.

April 10 sermon

Text: John 11:1-45
Preached April 10 at First Lutheran


Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Lazarus of Bethany was ill. I bet you know what it’s like to be ill.
Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha, were distraught and grieving. I bet you know what it’s like to be distraught and to grieve.
Lazarus died. He was bound in cloths and laid in his grave. Perhaps you don’t know what it’s like to die and to lay in your grave.

But I bet you can imagine it. I think there are plenty of graves to be found in our lives.

When you feel the weight of your many sins and your inability to correct them, doesn’t it feel like you’re bound in your own weakness and lying in your grave?

When you’re very sick, or intensely lonely, doesn’t it feel like you’re bound in sorrow and lying in your grave?

When your family is collapsing or you’re watching helplessly as someone you love suffers, doesn’t it feel like you’re bound in despair and lying in your grave?

I think we do know what it’s like to lie in our graves, just like Lazarus.

It’s a good thing, then, that God is not afraid of graveyards. “Come and see,” say the mourners when Jesus asks where Lazarus is laid. So Jesus goes. Jesus is not one to deny the reality of death and grief. He doesn’t hesitate to face even the stench of death, which lingers in the grave with Lazarus.

Of course, death is not what Jesus is really about, is it? Jesus is about resurrection and life—Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus tells Martha exactly this, but neither she nor her sister knew what this meant for Lazarus yet, did they?

At this point, Jesus doesn’t seem much like resurrection or life. After all, they sent word to him when Lazarus was ill, but he waited two days before going to Bethany! By the time he got there, Lazarus had been dead four days. Mary and Martha certainly wouldn’t have expected that from this Jesus who loved them and their brother.

When have you felt like God was tarrying? Like God was absent? Like, just when you needed him most, God was refusing to show up and do something? I know I’ve had this experience, and perhaps you have too. Turns out resurrection and life doesn’t always come on our schedule, nor does it always look like what we expect.

But we are not alone in our grief. God is present, whether it feels that way or not. Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us—and he suffers with us in our sorrow.

As Jesus approaches Lazarus’s grave, three times we hear that he is greatly disturbed and even moved to tears at the sorrow that surrounds him. Jesus knows exactly what he’s about to do. Jesus knows he will call Lazarus forth from death and back into life. And still he weeps. God suffers when his people suffer.

And God does something about that suffering, although it isn’t always what we expect. In fact, sometimes it looks more like death than like resurrection and life. But even when God’s action looks a lot like death, we know that death does not have the last word.

As the mourners gathered around Lazarus’s tomb, they heard Jesus’ command: “Lazarus, come out.” And they saw Lazarus emerge from his grave, bound in the linen cloths in which they had wrapped him!

Jesus said Lazarus’s illness did not lead to death, even though Lazarus died. Jesus knows the difference between illness or pain or grief that leads to death and illness or pain or grief that leads through death. After all, there can be no resurrection unless there is death.

And, in Christ, there is resurrection. There is new life. In our baptism, God called us out of our graves, raising us from sin and death to new life in Christ. And someday all who have died in Christ will hear his call to come out of their graves to enjoy the final resurrection and eternal life with God, the perfection of God’s good creation where there will be no more sin, no more death, no more sorrow.

So how do we respond to this Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life? How do we faithfully await the fulfillment of this great promise?

We take a cue from the psalmist, who pours out both sorrow and hope. “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” This psalmist knows the despair of death that precedes resurrection.

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” This psalmist also knows the hope that comes from trusting in God, trusting that God is both willing and able to act, knowing that God can and does bring life from death.

Mary and Martha echo the psalmist as they approach Jesus in their grief. Each sister says the same thing to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Is there anger in their voices? Is there accusation of Jesus’ absence and doubt about his love? Are they crying out to Jesus in their pain as the psalmist does? Perhaps they are.

They are also expressing deep faith in Jesus even in the midst of despair. Martha says, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus didn’t show up when Martha needed him, and her brother died. Now there seems to be no reason for hope, but still Martha hopes. Even when the miracle hadn’t yet happened, and Martha didn’t know that it would happen, she confesses faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life.

How else do we await God’s promise of resurrection and life? We hear that promise over and over, lest we forget it. And we embrace the resurrection and life that God brings us here and now.

For, even as we await the future fullness of God’s kingdom, God is calling us out of our graves. Sometimes God brings healing when all hope seemed lost. Sometimes God sends just the person we needed to support us in our suffering. Sometimes God renews struggling families and it is nothing short of miraculous. The new life that God brings through Jesus Christ can and does break into our lives even now.

God forgives the sin that binds us in our grave. God soothes the sorrow that covers our tomb like a stone. God wipes away the tears of despair that blind us. God is a God of resurrection and life, revealed and given to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Soon after he returns to life, Lazarus finds himself at the table sharing a meal with Jesus and other loved ones. Each week when we gather, we find ourselves at the table, sharing a meal with Jesus and other loved ones. We are the beloved of God in this place, and the beloved of God of all times and all places, united at one table. At this meal our faith is reborn as we receive Christ himself with the bread and wine and the words, “given and shed for you.” This is resurrection and life here and now.

So we embrace it and, at God’s invitation, we share it. At the grave of Lazarus, Jesus commanded the mourners to take away the stone. When Lazarus emerged, raised to new life, Jesus commanded them to unbind him and let him go. God raised Lazarus, but Lazarus certainly couldn’t unbind himself. Jesus invited the community into the miraculous work of God.

How do we participate in this work of God as the body of Christ? How do we affirm life in the face of death? How do we share the hope we have in Christ, who is the resurrection and the life? How do we help unbind those whom God has called from their graves so that they may enjoy the abundance of their new life?

We can start by forgiving others as we have been forgiven. We can say “thank you” and “I’m sorry” and “how can I help?” We can give of our time and money to support the work of God’s kingdom. We can work for justice for all of God’s people. And we can proclaim to those around us the love and mercy of the living God made known in Christ, who calls us from our graves and into new life.

Our God is not afraid of graveyards, and he meets us there again and again. Through our baptism, through the word, through the meal, God calls us to rise up, come out of our graves, and live anew in Christ. God calls us not merely to survival but to joyful and abundant life, full of hope in God’s presence, because where God is present, death does not have the final word. In Christ, we have life, to the glory of God. Amen.

Weekly beauty: Eagles

This video has really been getting publicity, so you may have seen it by now. It's a live webcam in the nest of a pair of bald eagles in Decorah, Iowa.

Three eaglets have hatched in the last week, and they are adorable little fuzzballs! There are links on the Ustream site to YouTube videos of the hatches (the third hatch is especially fascinating).

I love watching the mama feed the babies and I love the way she moves around and nestles in almost like a cat. Enjoy!



Webcam chat at Ustream

Family history and awesome board games

Last weekend I hung out with some of my family who live in this area. We had a great time, and one of the coolest details of the evening was that we ate ice cream sundaes out of sundae dishes from the restaurant my great-grandparents used to own. It was like experiencing a little taste of my family history that I've only heard about in stories.





I knew my great-grandma, but not my great-grandpa, and they no longer had the restaurant by the time I came along. Incidentally, in yet another small-world twist, a woman from one of my congregations (the one with the hat collection and awesome garage door) used to cut this great-grandma's hair.

Meanwhile, I know you're noticing the sweet-looking board game behind the sundae. It's called Bermuda Triangle and the tag on it said it was from 1976. You try to move your ships around the board, collecting money at each port, while avoiding the storm could, which also moves around. If you get too close, the storm sucks up your ship with a magnet so it's history. Coolest thing ever!

Trip to synagogue

As I mentioned, last Friday I organized a trip to sabbath worship the people of my congregations. We had a group of 23 people, including several kids, which was a terrific response! We went to B'nai Israel Synagogue, a community associated with Reform Judaism that has a beautiful new building in Rochester.

Rabbi Michelle Werner was very gracious in familiarizing us with their space and worship service. She encouraged questions, and our folks asked some great ones. Then we joined them in worship, and I was so impressed with our kids!

Between the rabbi's discussion and the worship service, those kids stayed engaged and respectful for over two hours. They followed the English translation in their books (back to front) and they even sang in Hebrew.

Check out the beautiful worship space.


Front of the worship space. The eternal flame pendant fixture is a reminder of the constant presence of God. The beautiful cabinet-type fixture in the center is the ark, which contains the congregation's Torah (scripture) scrolls.

B'nai Israel has a Torah scroll from a village in Eastern Europe (I think the former Czechoslovakia but I can't remember with certainty) that was destroyed during World War II. It is over 350 years old, and is being restored by an expert. The hope is that someday it can be returned to its village if the Jewish population is re-established there.




Candles that were part of the blessing I referenced on Friday.




On the wall: the Shema, one of the central prayers of Judaism. It comes from Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one."




I think everyone enjoyed the experience and found it educational and interesting, and we're so grateful for the hospitality of B'nai Israel!

Speech and silence

My April newsletter column for the churches...


We have four different accounts of Jesus’ life from four different authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each story is just a little different from the others, which doesn’t mean that they aren’t true. It just means that the authors write from different perspectives, focus on different themes, and notice different details of the same events.

On Easter Sunday, we usually hear John’s account of the resurrection of Jesus. And it’s a great story. Matthew and Luke each tell the Easter story beautifully as well, but I’ve developed a fondness for Mark’s version.

The way Mark tells the story of Jesus, his disciples are often confused. They fail to understand what Jesus is trying to teach them, and when he tells them to keep quiet about his work, they just can’t seem to do it. After he cured a deaf man, “Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it” (Mark 7:36).

Then, when the women find the empty tomb, the angel tells them to go and tell the disciples what they have seen. So what do they do? According to the shorter version of Mark’s ending, “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (Mark 16:7-8).

So, in Mark’s gospel, the followers of Jesus can’t seem to keep quiet when told to do so, but neither can they manage to speak when they’re supposed to do that! (Of course, the women at the tomb eventually managed to tell the others what they had seen; otherwise the story wouldn’t have gotten to us.)

But isn’t it encouraging to know that God can work through such imperfect people? People who so often can’t get it right? People who speak when they should keep silence and keep silence when they should speak?

It’s a reminder that God can and does work through each of us, in spite of our failures and flaws. None of us gets it right all the time, but still God does his work, and we are each a part of it. I pray that the Spirit inspires you in telling the story of Jesus, and I wish you the joy of knowing that your imperfect efforts are never in vain.

Weekly beauty: Sabbath blessing

I'm off to sabbath worship tonight at B'Nai Israel Synagogue in Rochester, and taking almost 20 others with me. More on that later.

For now, here's a beautiful sabbath blessing. If my understanding is correct, this brief blessing of the candles would be used in a Jewish home or synagogue to begin observance of the sabbath.