Semicontinuous Series:
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
Psalm 14 (2)

Prayer of the Day:
O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion, you lead back to yourself all those who go astray.  Preserve your people in your loving care, that we may reject whatever is contrary to you and may follow all things that sustain our life in your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text

^15.1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  ³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. ⁸ “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ ¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

St. Luke 15:1-10. New Revised Version Bible ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

A devotional message based on this text will be posted on Tuesday evening.

Lessons:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 1 (3)
Philemon 1:1-21
St. Luke 14:25-33

Semicontinuous Series:
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Prayer of the Day:
Direct us, O Lord God, in all our doings with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name; and finally, by your mercy, bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text

^14.25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

 St. Luke 14:25-33. New Revised Version Bible ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Some time ago the leaders of our congregation considered developing a membership pledge. We thought that if we could put into words what it means to be an active member of this congregation, and by providing a time each year to pledge our support, we would be given the opportunity to renew our membership on an annual basis. The effort stalled out, however, because we found it especially difficult to come up with words that we could all embrace – words that could inspire and enthuse each one of us.

What if we based such a pledge on the words of Jesus (a novel approach…)? In this week’s Gospel lesson he speaks of what it means to be one of his followers. Certainly, membership in a Christian congregation involves becoming a follower of Jesus. So to paraphrase his words a bit, let me propose the following membership pledge for our congregation (those of you who belong to other congregations will have to insert your own church name before proposing it to your leadership group…):

As an active and supportive member of Saint Peter Lutheran Church, I understand that my allegiance to Christ must come before all else. Therefore I promise to: hate my father and my mother, hate my wife and my children, hate my brothers and my sisters, hate my own life, give up all my possessions, pick up my cross, and follow my Lord with all my heart, so help me God.

Now before you all rush my office, clamoring for a chance to be first in line to make this pledge, let me say that you won’t find my name signed on to it. To be perfectly honest, my family means the world to me, I enjoy life, and I’ve got a few possessions that I hope to own until the day I die (not to mention the possessions that are essential to doing a good job of being a father and a husband (like a house, a car, clothing, food…).

With that said, what do these words of Jesus mean to me? Am I ducking their intensity? Am I making excuses for myself, and watering down Christ’s command? Is my commitment to family and life and home a higher allegiance than it ought to be? That, of course, is the tension we live in as followers of Jesus.

Christians know that family, life and possessions are gifts to us from a loving and gracious God. They are gifts for which we are deeply grateful. They are compelling gifts – gifts that have touched us very deeply. But they are gifts that can cause us to confuse the ultimate with the penultimate. Jesus calls us to be his disciples, and teaches us this week that if we love parent or spouse or child or sibling more than him, we cannot be his disciples. He teaches us that if we would rather preserve and protect our possessions than respond faithfully to him, we cannot be his disciples. He would rather have us hate our families and lives and possessions, than love them more than we love him.

Family, life and possessions can be rich blessings, and God can work through them to strengthen our faith and empower our discipleship. But if they become the ends, rather than the means, they can function as great distractions for us. If they become the focus of our lives, instead of gifts that draw us nearer to the God who gave them to us, it would be better to hate these things than to let them draw us from faithfulness.

This week’s Gospel lesson is a challenging one – calling us to place discipleship at the very top of our priority list. May God grant us the wisdom to understand what crowds discipleship out of our lives. May God grant us the courage to reject all that prevents us from following Christ. May God grant us the strength to do all that we can to see that God’s creative and redeeming word is proclaimed to the entire world. This is our central calling, as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. What priorities and commitments might first century people have had, that kept them from giving their whole lives to God?
2. Why did St. Luke remember Jesus as giving such a strong challenge to family ties (as opposed to how it was remembered in St. Matthew 10:37)?
3. How must Jesus’ listeners have responded to these words? (Does St. John 6:66-69 give us a hint?)

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. What are the five highest priorities in my life, and where does my commitment to Christian discipleship fit into that list?
2. How might I allow my faith to be a stronger influence in my life, without being irresponsible in the many roles God has called me to play?
3. How might my support of local congregational ministry affirm the central role of faith in my life?

Lessons:
Proverbs 25:6-7 or Sirach 10:12-18
Psalm 112 (4)
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
St. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Semicontinuous Series:
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
St. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Prayer of the Day:
O God, you resist those who are proud and give grace to those who are humble,  Give us the humility of your Son, that we may embody the generosity of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^14:1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; ⁹ and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

St. Luke 14:1, 7-14. New Revised Version Bible ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

The story is told of a congregation that was determined to find the most humble member of its fellowship. After a thorough search, the congregation’s leaders became satisfied that they had located such a person. The Worship Committee prepared a brief ceremony. A suitable medal was struck for recognition. Testimonials were gathered from members whose lives had been touched by that person. The Pastor prepared a moving address about how that member’s humility had been an asset and an inspiration to the congregation. A congregation meeting was called. The ceremony went off without a hitch. The member’s spouse and family were there, in their Sunday best. The medal was awarded to the person. It was a wonderful day.

The very next Sunday the award winner showed up for worship wearing the medal, so they had to take it back.

This story and this weekend’s text raise an interesting question: “Why would a Christian live in a humble manner?” Why would we diminish our stature in the presence of others – or spend time with those who are less powerful, less important than we are?

Many people form relationships or engage in behaviors that are designed to benefit themselves. We evaluate situations and individuals, seeking to discern what we have to gain. What can I get from knowing this person, from joining this organization, from supporting this cause? How can it benefit me?

Ironically, the same dynamic Jesus recognized at this dinner party can infect our faithfulness. Why would I “lower myself” and spend time with someone who is “less than me?” Do I do so in order to be noticed? Do I take a seat at the foot of the table, anxiously awaiting the moment when the host will notice me and dramatically usher me to a better place (all the time lamenting the fact that I’ve got to spend time with those people)? Do I help out at a food shelter, secretly hoping that God will reward me one day? There is a temptation for Christians to hear these words of Jesus, and pretend humility in order to be noticed (by God, or by others).

Such is not the intent of Jesus in this week’s Gospel lesson, though. He is not providing, here, a strategy for successful living. He is not offering us hints as to how to obtain the very best seats in heaven. He is inviting us into an entirely different manner of living. A manner of living that is shaped by the image of his cross.

Jesus (as Philippians 2:4-8 reminds us) was content to spend time with anyone who was in need of God’s grace. One imagines that he was as content – as at peace – with paupers and sinners as he was with the wealthy, and with the religious insiders of his day. He invites us to live in the same way, abandoning our desperate quest for status and honor, and becoming content to be a blessing to whomever happens to be near us. We do so not to earn God’s grace, but because we are recipients of God’s grace. We do so not to gain a better seat in life (or in heaven), but because we are content with the seat in which we find ourselves now. To live in such a way is to experience the peace and joy that Jesus wants us to know.

May God grant us the grace to know this kind of a life. Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. What did Jesus notice about the behavior of those who were guests at the dinner party he attended?
2. What advice did he have to share with them?
3. How do you suppose they responded to his words that day?

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. What examples have I seen of people who are scheming and positioning themselves for power or prestige?
2. In what settings have I been content to be with people, just for the sake of being together?
3. How might my example of humble contentment witness to the role my faith plays in my life?

Lessons:
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm 103:1-8 (4)
Hebrews 12:18-29
St. Luke 13:10-17

Semicontinuous Series:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6 (6)

Prayer of the Day:
O God, mighty and immortal, you know that as fragile creatures surrounded by great dangers, we cannot by ourselves stand upright.  Give us strength of mind and body, so that even when we suffer because of human sin, we may rise victorious through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^13:10 Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

St. Luke 13:10-17. New Revised Version Bible ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

“Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” These words have been familiar to God’s people for centuries. They have their roots in the very first Biblical story. At the end of six days of creating, God took a day to contemplate what had been created. During the Exodus, in words shared with Moses, God commanded that faithful people would do the same. In the sixteenth century, when Martin Luther attempted to provide a definition for what it meant to be church, he said it was the gathering of faithful people who come together to hear the word and celebrate the sacraments – in other words: God’s people together at worship on the Sabbath day.

Honoring the Sabbath has long and deep roots in our tradition. Not many would argue that fact. But this week’s lessons cause us to ask whether or not we truly understand what it means to honor the Sabbath. The stereotypical understanding is that Sabbath is a time of rest. A few generations ago, it was not uncommon for an entire family of Christians to spend Sunday gathered in the family parlor, dressed in their Sunday best, careful not to do anything that might be interpreted as work. Stores were closed. Community activities slowed down. It was a time of rest. A time to take care of self and renew.

The Prophet Isaiah had a different sense about Sabbath. In the fifty-eighth chapter, he describes Sabbath-breakers as those who: “pursue your own interests… go your own ways… serve your own interests… pursue your own affairs.” What is the essence of faithfulness? According to Isaiah, it is: “offering your food to the hungry… satisfying the needs of the afflicted… “

Similarly, in this week’s Gospel lesson Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman arrives who had been sick for 18 years (imagine that!). Jesus “sets her free” from her illness and heals her. The local leaders of the synagogue are offended, and accuse him of breaking Jewish law. Jesus would have none of that. The Sabbath is a time for releasing people from bondage and healing them.

The words of Isaiah and the practice of Jesus teach us that the Sabbath is not simply a time to rest our bodies. It is a time to restore our souls. It is a time to be working with God to promote justice, mercy and healing in this world. It is not a time for “no work” – but instead, it is a time for “proper work.”

So with Isaiah, let us turn away from our self-indulgent ways. With Jesus, let us take up an active interest in those things that are most important to God. Let us practice Sabbath in a way that restores our souls, and blesses the world. Let us practice Sabbath in ways that set us free from what binds us (and others!). Perhaps that is the best way to honor God’s presence among us.

Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. Why does the leader in the synagogue feel compelled to oppose Jesus?
2. How do Jesus’ actions on the Sabbath reflect a different understanding of Sabbath?
3. What does Jesus’ healing of the woman say to those who witness it?

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. In what ways am I bound by my old understandings of Sabbath?
2. Who might commit with me to make better use of a weekly day of Sabbath?
3. What specific acts of justice, mercy and healing might become part of my Sabbath practice?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/opinion/08macdonald.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Pastor Jeffrey MacDonald makes the case that spiritual growth isn’t necessarily an easy fit with the desire to be soothed and entertained. He writes:

The pastoral vocation is to help people grow spiritually, resist their lowest impulses and adopt higher, more compassionate ways. But churchgoers increasingly want pastors to soothe and entertain them. It’s apparent in the theater-style seating and giant projection screens in churches and in mission trips that involve more sightseeing than listening to the local people.

As a result, pastors are constantly forced to choose, as they work through congregants’ daily wish lists in their e-mail and voice mail, between paths of personal integrity and those that portend greater job security. As religion becomes a consumer experience, the clergy become more unhappy and unhealthy.

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus echoes a similar theme:

[Jesus said,] “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” [St. Luke 12:49-53]

I’m not sharing this to suggest that I’m “unhappy and unhealthy” (at least not any more so than usual…). But I would like to hear from any of you who plan to preach or listen to sermons this Sunday. Why will you be doing that? What do you hope to accomplish? Do you expect your involvement in a faith community to sooth and entertain you — or perhaps, to be more charitable, to inspire and encourage you? Or do you expect it to challenge you and draw you into a deeper relationship with God?

If the latter (Aren’t we all assuming that, even though we might resist it?), how does a relationship with our God challenge us? How does it cause division between people? How does it contrast with our personal daily wish lists? How might we take the scriptures seriously, and allow them to shape us (as opposed to allowing our personal perspectives to shape our reading of Scripture)?

Thanks for any input you might have. God bless your reading of Scripture this week!

Pastor Dave

Congregations Gone Wild

By G. JEFFREY MacDONALD

Published: August 7, 2010

Swampscott, Mass.

THE American clergy is suffering from burnout, several new studies show. And part of the problem, as researchers have observed, is that pastors work too much. Many of them need vacations, it’s true. But there’s a more fundamental problem that no amount of rest and relaxation can help solve: congregational pressure to forsake one’s highest calling.

The pastoral vocation is to help people grow spiritually, resist their lowest impulses and adopt higher, more compassionate ways. But churchgoers increasingly want pastors to soothe and entertain them. It’s apparent in the theater-style seating and giant projection screens in churches and in mission trips that involve more sightseeing than listening to the local people.

As a result, pastors are constantly forced to choose, as they work through congregants’ daily wish lists in their e-mail and voice mail, between paths of personal integrity and those that portend greater job security. As religion becomes a consumer experience, the clergy become more unhappy and unhealthy.

The trend toward consumer-driven religion has been gaining momentum for half a century. Consider that in 1955 only 15 percent of Americans said they no longer adhered to the faith of their childhood, according to a Gallup poll. By 2008, 44 percent had switched their religious affiliation at least once, or dropped it altogether, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found. Americans now sample, dabble and move on when a religious leader fails to satisfy for any reason.

In this transformation, clergy have seen their job descriptions rewritten. They’re no longer expected to offer moral counsel in pastoral care sessions or to deliver sermons that make the comfortable uneasy. Church leaders who continue such ministerial traditions pay dearly. A few years ago, thousands of parishioners quit Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., and Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Ariz., when their respective preachers refused to bless the congregations’ preferred political agendas and consumerist lifestyles.

I have faced similar pressures myself. In the early 2000s, the advisory committee of my small congregation in Massachusetts told me to keep my sermons to 10 minutes, tell funny stories and leave people feeling great about themselves. The unspoken message in such instructions is clear: give us the comforting, amusing fare we want or we’ll get our spiritual leadership from someone else.

Congregations that make such demands seem not to realize that most clergy don’t sign up to be soothsayers or entertainers. Pastors believe they’re called to shape lives for the better, and that involves helping people learn to do what’s right in life, even when what’s right is also difficult. When they’re being true to their calling, pastors urge Christians to do the hard work of reconciliation with one another before receiving communion. They lead people to share in the suffering of others, including people they would rather ignore, by experiencing tough circumstances — say, in a shelter, a prison or a nursing home — and seeking relief together with those in need. At their courageous best, clergy lead where people aren’t asking to go, because that’s how the range of issues that concern them expands, and how a holy community gets formed.

Ministry is a profession in which the greatest rewards include meaningfulness and integrity. When those fade under pressure from churchgoers who don’t want to be challenged or edified, pastors become candidates for stress and depression.

Clergy need parishioners who understand that the church exists, as it always has, to save souls by elevating people’s values and desires. They need churchgoers to ask for personal challenges, in areas like daily devotions and outreach ministries.

When such an ethic takes root, as it has in generations past, then pastors will cease to feel like the spiritual equivalents of concierges. They’ll again know joy in ministering among people who share their sense of purpose. They might even be on fire again for their calling, rather than on a path to premature burnout.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald, a minister in the United Church of Christ, is the author of “Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul.”

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on August 8, 2010, on page WK9 of the New York edition.

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Lessons:
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm 82 (8)
Hebrews 11:29–12:2
St. Luke 12:49-56

Semicontinuous Series:
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18 (14, 15)
Hebrews 11:29–12:2
St. Luke 12:49-56

Prayer of the Day:
O God, judge eternal, you love justice and hate oppression, and you call us to share your zeal for truth.  Give us courage to take our stand with all victims of bloodshed and greed, and, following your servants and prophets, to look to the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^12:49 [Jesus said,] “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! ⁵² From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³ they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

St. Luke 12:49-56. New Revised Version Bible ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

It is said that seminary professor Stanley Hauerwas liked to open one of his classes by reading a letter from a concerned parent to a governmental official. In the letter, the parent complains that this child (who had received the best education, gone to all the right schools, and was headed for a good job as a lawyer) had become mixed up with a strange religious sect. This sect controlled his every move. It told him where to live. It told him what to believe. It told him how to behave. It told him what family members to reject. It told him whom to and whom not to date. It took all his money. In the letter, the parent pleads with the governmental official to do something. “Who,” Professor Hauerwas would ask, “is this letter describing?” Some think it is describing the Moonies or some other modern-day sect. The answer: it is a letter dating back to the third century, written by Roman parents, complaining about a group known as “Christians.”

There was a time when a child’s embrace of Christian faith almost automatically caused great difficulty in family relationships. As children gave their ultimate allegiance to this new movement, parents felt marginalized and threatened – and tensions grew. That still happens, from time to time, in our day. A young person grows up among those who are less expressive about their faith. He or she goes off to college, or moves to a neighboring town, and encounters a group of people who are passionate about their faith. In time that passion rubs off, and a new and deeper experience of faith takes hold. But often, when a young person comes home born again, that new faith commitment is often accompanied by a disdain for those whose faith is expressed with less exuberance. Tension grows. Parents are divided against child. Siblings are divided against one another.

We tend to think of that kind of person as a “fanatic” – someone who has lost perspective, and who would be a lot healthier if they had more balance in their lives. But I wonder if Jesus would agree with that assessment. In this week’s Gospel lesson, he says:

Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

In this latter section of St. Luke’s Gospel lesson, when Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem, we encounter many strong sayings like this one. Increasingly, he teaches his followers that being true to him, and to his message, is more important than anything else: even more important than something as central to life as family relationships. In a world where “traditional family values” and “commitment to putting family first” receive so much attention, we would do well to remember these words of Jesus. They remind us that as important as our families are to us, even more important is our relationship to God, and our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only when our faith comes first, that we can be everything God wants us to be for our families. May God grant that this be true of us. Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. How did Jesus speak of family relationships in Luke’s Gospel? (see, for example, Luke 8:19-21, 9:57-62, 14:25-26)
2. Why do you suppose Jesus tended to de-emphasize the centrality of the family?
3. What did Jesus command his followers to place at the center of their lives?

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. As I look at my priorities, where do family and faith fall in place?
2. Are there times when my commitment to my family precludes me from a full commitment to my faith?
3. How can a deeper commitment to my faith give me more to offer to my family? 

Lessons:
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33:12-22 (22)
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
St. Luke 12:32-40

Semicontinuous Series:
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 (23)

Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God, you sent your holy Spirit to be the life and light of your church.  Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may be ready to receive you wherever you appear, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^12:32 [Jesus said,] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
³⁵ “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; ³⁶ be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
³⁹ “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

St. Luke 12:32-40. New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

What is it that makes us afraid? Some of us are afraid of falling, and an amusement park is just about the last place we’d ever want to be. Some of us are afraid of health troubles, and regularly spend time with our physicians, seeking to head trouble off before it arrives. Some of us are afraid of financial insecurity, and amass significant fortunes in our “rainy day funds.” Some of us are afraid of people we don’t know or understand or trust, and avoid them whenever we can.

There is a great deal of fear in our world. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the message angels most often share with humans in the Bible is this: “Be not afraid.”

That message can be found in this week’s Gospel lesson, and this time it is not on the lips of angels: it is spoken by Jesus himself. Addressing those who believe in him, he says: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” [St. Luke 12:32] Jesus understands how fear can take hold of a person’s heart, and he does not want his followers to live in fear. So he admonishes them to remember that God is pleased to give them the kingdom, and with this in mind they need not be afraid of anything.

Many believers have discovered that faith is able to displace our fear. That happens, in part, when we take the long view of life. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we know that we have been put right with God; we know that our ultimate well-being is assured by God’s grace. We have an eternal home with God, and knowing that all things will eventually be well, frees us up to live unafraid of anything this world has to offer.

On the other hand, there is a more immediate benefit to the attitude of faith: when we learn to trust God, we learn to believe that it is not all dependent on us. No matter how weak or strong we are, it is God who works through us to make all things possible. Trusting in this promise, we become unafraid to take risks for the sake of the Gospel. We are able to “try and trust” – and know that it all depends on God’s strength and God’s power.

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ we have been given a remarkable gift: we have been put right with God. We have been freed from the need to earn our salvation. We have been assured that God is with us, and for us, and will accompany us through all of our life’s journey. That does indeed free us from the preoccupation of fear… frees us up to serve our God with joy and delight.

Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. What caused the disciples to be afraid?
2. Why did Jesus command them to “not be afraid?”
3. What examples are there that the disciples did indeed find that faith replaced fear for them?

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. What makes me afraid in this world?
2. How does believing that God is with me (now and always) displace my fears?
3. Freed from fear, what am I feeling called to do?

Just 13 months ago, nine of us returned from Tanzania, and a visit with our friends at Selian Lutheran Hospital in the village of Ngaramtoni, 45 kilometers from Arusha (www.selianlh.habari.co.tz). It was an eye-opening trip, as we met with missionaries and health care workers, and learned about the remarkable work they are doing to improve the quality of life for so many people in and around Arusha.

This past June 5^th, Saint Peter conducted its second annual 5K Walk / Run to raise funds for Selian Hospital and the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. We are thrilled to announce that we have recently sent a check in the amount of $12,500 to support the ministries of Dr. Mark Jacobson and our friends there.

Our support for Selian and ALMC is an important aspect of our ministry at Saint Peter. As we live into our mission statement (“Welcomed into God’s love; Sent into God’s world”), it is critical for us to discover those specific, concrete ways that God is sending us into the world, and to be faithful in pursuing them. We believe that God has called us to offer our support to this hospital in Tanzania, and our hope is to do the very best we can in following that call.

The next step in developing our relationship with Dr. Jacobson and Selian is to send a second group to visit these hospitals, and have a first-hand look at the remarkable ministries that are taking place there. We hope that visit can take place in 2011 or 2012. Are you interested to be part of that group? If so, contact me at the church office. I’d love to visit with you about this.

I’d like to share with you a brief letter we recently received from Dr. Jacobson. On June 18, he wrote the following to us:

Dear Friends at Saint Peter Lutheran,

What is possible to say in gratitude for your support of our projects and work here in Arusha? Your recent gifts have made a wonderful difference in our ministries. It is such a joy to join together around great projects. We are especially excited about our work with “Sexual Abuse Care” and the “Rehabilitative Surgery” providing Orthopedic care for disabled and crippled children and for the Plastic Surgery. It was so wonderful and your contribution to these ministries is just so very, very deeply appreciated.

As I love to share, these gifts of support translate immediately and powerfully into improving the lives of women and children who otherwise would suffer lifetimes of misery and dejection. Together we have made a huge difference. Together, we can unbelievably “change the world” for a child or a woman in and around Arusha.

Words are so very insufficient and yet they are the vehicle which carries the cries of despair transformed into shouts of hope which you have made happen. What a blessing to those in need and even more, what a blessing to those of us fortunate to help them.

Blessings,

Mark and Linda Jacobson

Please join us in keeping Dr. Jacobson and these two hospitals in your daily prayers. It is an honor to be associated with them – and we pray that God will continue to bless and strengthen their work.

God’s peace to you all,
David J. Risendal, Pastor

Lessons:
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Psalm 49:1-12 (3)
Colossians 3:1-11
St. Luke 12:13-21

Semicontinuous Series:
Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 107:1-9, 43 (8)
Colossians 3:1-11
St. Luke 12:13-21

Prayer of the Day:
Benevolent God, you are the source, the guide, and the goal of our lives.  Teach us to love what is worth loving, to reject what is offensive to you, and to treasure what is precious in your sight, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

St. Luke 12:13-21. New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

This week we recall one of the better-known parables of Jesus. The story depicts a wealthy landowner whose fields bring forth more goods than can be stored. And so this landowner decides to tear all the barns down and build even larger ones. That way, the family will have nothing to worry about for years. They can eat, drink, and be merry for a long time to come. But the method this farmer uses to seek out security is ill founded, because even before the construction of the new barns begins, God announces that death is going to visit that very night. And so Jesus winds up the story with these words: This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves, but are not rich in God’s sight. The rich landowner is caught in a trap of greed. Security has been sought in riches, but ultimately, it can’t help him.

This is a hard Gospel to read. After all, we live in some of the nicest neighborhoods in Denver. From a local standpoint, we are very comfortable. From a global standpoint, we are wealthy – every single one of us. If we can agree on that, then the question is: do our riches push God away from the center of our lives? Do we spend more time and energy gathering and maintaining our belongings than we do striving to be faithful to our God? Is God our master, and we the masters of what we own? Or have we become enslaved to our possessions: so fond of them that we spend inordinate amounts of energy collecting, preserving and improving them?

According to an old fable, a fly discovered a tantalizing strip of flypaper. It looked so appetizing that the fly decided to make it his own. So after chasing away all the other insects, he landed on the very edge and proudly proclaimed, “This is my paper.” Then he proceeded to partake of the feast. However, in his desire to satisfy his appetite, he tried to walk around and get all he could. Before long, his feet became firmly attached to the sticky surface. Realizing he couldn’t move his legs, he began flapping his wings until they too were stuck to the paper. Finally, completely exhausted, he gave up. It was then that the paper proudly exclaimed, “This is my fly!”

As we come to own more and more, we find that we’re drawn to seek more and more, so that one’s life can become consumed with making more, having more, and doing more. John D. Rockefeller was once asked how much money would enough. He answered, “Oh, just a little more.” Wealth can be a wonderful gift from God, but it is a complicated gift: one that can become a burden. We are thankful to God for what we have received; and we are called to discipline ourselves to keep it in proper perspective.

Ours is not a faith that teaches us that wealth or possessions are bad. Everything we possess has been created by our loving God. It is given to us to have and to enjoy. The issue lies in what priority we give to it. It is only when our relationship with God comes first in our lives that we are freed from the bondage to what is perishable. May God be gracious enough to give us no more wealth than we can handle. May each of us keep our priorities straight, and never let financial concerns become more important than spiritual concerns. And as we struggle with this difficult and complicated issue, may God bless us more and more with a vibrant, active, living faith, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. How was the rich man in Jesus’ parable trying to provide for his (and his family’s) security?
2. Why did he ultimately fail in providing that security?
3. What did Jesus want the person in the crowd (the one who asked for help with his inheritance) to learn?

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. Do I consider myself rich (fortunate), poor (unfortunate), or somewhere in between?
2. How many hours in an average week do I dedicate to earning money and maintaining my possessions?
3. How many hours in an average week do I dedicate to strengthening my relationship with God?
4. Is the balance between these two endeavors in my life (wealth and faith) pleasing to God?

Lessons:
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138 (8)
Colossians 2:6-15 [16-19]
St. Luke 11:1-13

Semicontinuous Series:
Hosea 1:2-10
Psalm 85 (13)
Colossians 2:6-15 [16-19]
St. Luke 11:1-13

Prayer of the Day:
Almighty and ever-living God, you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and you gladly give more than we either desire or deserve.  Pour upon us your abundant mercy.  Forgive us those things that weigh on our conscience, and give us those good things that come only through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^11:1 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ² He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

⁹ “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹ Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

St. Luke 11:1-13. New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

As the story goes, there was an old Jewish man who, on the day of Atonement, over-slept and missed the service. That meant that the prayers offered did not include him, and another year would pass before he could be included in this important annual rite. Not knowing how to pray by himself, he devised this plan: he went to a quiet place in his home where he would not be disturbed, and for the better part of what was left of that morning, he repeated the letters of the alphabet over and over. When he was done, he asked God to arrange those letters into the words of an appropriate prayer. According to the storyteller, the prayer was acceptable to God because of the faith that gave it birth.

Prayer is at the heart of our readings from Genesis and St. Luke this week. Whenever the topic of prayer comes up, so do many questions. “Why do we pray?” “How do we most appropriately pray?” “What sort of language should we use for prayer?” “How do we address God in our praying?” “For what should we pray?” “How do our prayers affect God?” Like that old Jewish man, when push comes to shove, we sometimes wonder if we even know how to pray.

There are many “how to” books on the market, and a Christian could spend the rest of life reading what others have said about prayer.  I suppose if we had the interest, we could study these books, and their suggestions for our prayer life. Perhaps we could even develop a checklist (or a rule book) that could help us offer “appropriate” prayers to God.

But I am drawn to believe that Jesus had a different goal in mind here in this section of St. Luke. In verse one, a disciple says to Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Note that he didn’t say: “Teach us how to pray.” The request wasn’t for a checklist or a rule book. The request, based on days of watching Jesus gain strength and purpose and peace from his prayers, was for him to teach the disciples how to make prayer a part of their lives in the same manner. “Lord, teach us to pray.” Teach us to be people who pray our entire lives to God. Teach us to be people who surround every word and deed with prayer. Teach us to be people who, like you, find our prayer time to be a source of strength and purpose and peace.

So how do we answer the questions above – questions related to the mechanics of prayer? Perhaps we answer those questions by giving them to God, realizing that the hows and whens and whys are not all that important. What is important is that we become people who pray. In our own way. From the heart. With passion and persistence. Eagerly and hopefully trusting that God, who hears our prayers, will grace us with those gifts that allow us to continue along the paths of faithfulness.

At Saint Peter, we believe that everything we do as a community must be grounded in prayer. We send our prayer lists in the middle of every week. We pray together on Sundays at worship. We surround all of our ministries with faithful prayers. We commend that to you as individuals as well. May our rootedness in prayer keep us connected with God’s grace and God’s will.

Amen.

David J. Risendal, Pastor

Exploring This Week’s Gospel:

1. When did Jesus pray?
2. How do you suppose his disciples were affected by seeing him in prayer?
3. Why did Jesus teach them the prayer we now call “The Lord’s Prayer?”

Connecting with This Week’s Gospel:

1. How would I describe my prayer life to someone else?
2. When has prayer been most helpful to me?
3. How can I discipline my life to include more time spent in prayer?