Archive for October, 2008

All Saints Sunday (11/2/2008)

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Now

Lessons:
     Revelation 7:9-17
     Psalm 34:1-10, 22
     1 John 3:1-3
     Saint Matthew 5:1-12

Prayer of the Day:
     Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Stewardship Text: 2nd Corinthians 8:1-15

8:1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints- 5 and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6 so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you -so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
     8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something- 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has-not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,
“The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.”

2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 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 month, at Saint Peter, we are conducting our Fall Stewardship Campaign. The theme is ASPEN, and the focus for this five-week series is:
  10/5    Anxiety
            St. Matthew 6:25-34
  10/12   Sacrifice
            St. Mark 12:41-44
  10/19   Peace
            St. John 14:25-31
  10/26   Enthusiasm
            St. Matthew 13:44-50
  11/2    Now
            2nd Corinthians 8:1-16
On November 9th, I’ll return my attention to the Revised Common Lectionary, with a message based on St. Matthew 25:1-13.

 Let me see if I get the Apostle Paul’s argument correctly:

abundant
joy

+

extreme
poverty

=

wealth of
generosity

In this portion of his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is dealing with one of his pet projects: receiving a financial offering from the churches he started, to support the Saints who were suffering in Jerusalem. He had recently received a generous gift to that project from the church at Macedonia – a church that was suffering great difficulty, and living in severe poverty. But despite their difficult situation, “their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity.”

(more…)

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Reformation Sunday (10/26/2008)

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Enthusiasm

Lessons:
     Jeremiah 31:31-34
     Psalm 46
     Romans 3:19-28
     Saint John 8:31-36

Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Stewardship Text: St. Matthew 13:44-50

13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

St. John 14:25-31, 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 month, at Saint Peter, we are conducting our Fall Stewardship Campaign. The theme is ASPEN, and the focus for this five-week series is:
  10/5    Anxiety
            St. Matthew 6:25-34
  10/12   Sacrifice
            St. Mark 12:41-44
  10/19   Peace
            St. John 14:25-31
  10/26   Enthusiasm
            St. Matthew 13:44-50
  11/2    Now
            2nd Corinthians 8:1-16
On November 9th, I’ll return my attention to the Revised Common Lectionary, with a message based on St. Matthew 25:1-13.

This weekend our church celebrates “Reformation Sunday.” We do it every year on the last Sunday in October. It is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the heritage that Martin Luther and his associates left us: the heritage of a Christ-centered and a faith-centered life, and a church that is dedicated to stay focused on the good news of what our Lord has done.

Martin Luther was a man of deep faith, but for the first portion of his life, he was a man of troubled faith. He was constantly worried about what God thought of him. He, like most people in his day, thought of God as an angry, vengeful judge, who would condemn him to an eternity of punishment if his faith wasn’t sufficient. But as a young college student, Luther had a series of moving experiences which led him to understand God (and the Christian faith) in a completely different way. His study of the Bible revealed to him that God wasn’t an angry, vengeful being – but, instead, a loving and gracious one. That revelation turned his life around. It made all the difference in the word. From that point on, for Luther, life would never be the same.

Luther became one of the most enthusiastic proponents of Christian faith the church has ever known. He shared these re-discovered insights about grace at every opportunity. He didn’t do it out of a sense of obligation or duty. His life was so dramatically changed, and his heart was so filled with joy, that he desperately wanted others to have the same experience. For the rest of his life, he would stop at nothing to share it with them.

It reminds me of a conversation one of our young members reported to me this week. She told me about a friend who had rejected religion – who had decided that the church was “too controlling.” I thought, how sad! And how wrong! The church of Luther’s day may have lost its way, and may have become terribly controlling. But the church of Luther’s legacy understands that God has no interest in controlling us. God wants, instead, to love us. And when our hearts and souls are touched by God’s love, we too become incredibly enthusiastic about God and about God’s plans for us.

It is our enthusiasm about God’s grace that compels us to share the good news with others. It is our enthusiasm about God’s grace that compels us to serve our neighbor. It is our enthusiasm about God’s grace that compels us to provide strong financial support for the ministries of our church. It is our enthusiasm about God’s grace that compels us to give of our time and our energy, so the church can be strong. Like the man who finds treasure in a field, or the merchant who catches a glimpse of a valuable pearl, we enthusiastically become involved with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind.

When the life of faith becomes an enthusiastic response to the grace of God, then we are offering the most appropriate tribute to Martin Luther and the other 16th Century reformers. That is how he came to experience (and enjoy) the presence of God in his life. And that is what he would want most for each of us today.

Amen.

David J. Risendal

Exploring This Week’s Text:

  1. Why was Martin Luther afraid of God during the first part of his life?
  2. What caused him to be so enthusiastic about the Christian faith in the second part of his life?
  3. How is Luther like the two individuals in today’s Gospel lesson?

 Connecting with This Week’s Text:

  1. When has faith or religion felt like a somber duty to me?
  2. What makes me most enthusiastic about what God has done?
  3. How can I share that enthusiasm with the people I know and love?

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The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 24A (10/19/2008)

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Peace

Lessons:
    Isaiah 45:1-7
     Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13]
     1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
     Saint Matthew 22:15-22
     Semicontinuous Reading and Psalm:
          Exodus 33:12-23
          Psalm 99

Prayer of the Day:
Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by your, let us live in your image; created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Stewardship Text: St. John 14:25-31

14:25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

St. John 14:25-31, 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 month, at Saint Peter, we are conducting our Fall Stewardship Campaign. The theme is ASPEN, and the focus for this five-week series is:
  10/5    Anxiety
            St. Matthew 6:25-34
  10/12   Sacrifice
            St. Mark 12:41-44
  10/19   Peace
            St. John 14:25-31
  10/26   Enthusiasm
            St. Matthew 13:44-50
  11/2    Now
            2nd Corinthians 8:1-16
On November 9th, I’ll return my attention to the Revised Common Lectionary, with a message based on St. Matthew 25:1-13.

This week’s text is set during the last week of Jesus’ life. He is at the table with those closest to him, and they eat a last meal together. Judas leaves to make arrangements with the authorities. Jesus commands them to love one another. Peter promises to stay true to Jesus, even if it costs him his life. Jesus tells them all that he is the way to the Father, and promises to send them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then he begins to speak of the peace of God.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (St. John 14:27)

It is a strange setting for words of peace. The religious leaders are hell bent to do away with him. The crowds are turning against him. One of his closest supporters has just betrayed him to the authorities, and another is about to deny him three times. It is a perfect recipe for fear and anxiety and discouragement.

But not only is Jesus at peace with the situation; he promises that no matter what his followers might go through in years to come (and they will go through some horrific times together), they too will experience that same sense of peace.

It makes no earthly sense, but that is precisely the point. The peace Jesus offers is not the peace that comes from feeling good about one’s situation in life. His is the peace that comes from knowing that no matter how difficult life may become, we are right with God, who promises to be our strength and hope in all times, and that is the only thing that matters.

We are reminded these days of how critical that sense of peace is, and of how illusive it is when we seek it from any other source. Those of us who have felt secure about our future because of resources we’ve tucked away in stock portfolios are finding that there isn’t as much security there as we had imagined. Those of us who have felt secure about our future because of our jobs, and the benefits that come with them, are finding that employment isn’t as certain as it once was.

But to the degree that we are able to trust in God for our future, we receive a sense of peace that all the trouble of the world can’t diminish. As Jesus says elsewhere: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (St. Matthew 6:19-20)

As we learn to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven – as we learn to trust in God (and not ourselves, or our accumulations) – we come to experience that peace which the world cannot give; that peace which the world cannot overcome.

Some people, in these difficult economic times, will become very anxious, and be tempted to decrease their support of Christian ministry. But others, who allow themselves to trust in God, will be filled with God’s peace, empowered by a sense of hope, and find the willingness to grow in their support for and their enthusiasm about what we are doing together in Christ’s name.

I pray that you, the readers of this devotional message, will be more the latter than the former. I pray that you will find strength in God during these trying times. I pray that your fear and anxiety will be overcome by the peace that comes only from faith.

Amen.

David J. Risendal

Exploring This Week’s Text:

  1. What was frightening about the last week of Jesus’ life?
  2. How did his promise of peace help the disciples during that time?
  3. How did it become a resource for them, years after the death and resurrection of Jesus?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

  1. What causes me to be afraid today?
  2. How might I learn to trust God with more and more of my life?
  3. How is my support of Christian ministry an indication of my desire to trust God with my future?

Posted in Devotional Messages, Year A; 6. Pentecost | No Comments »

The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 23A (10/12/2008)

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

Sacrifice

Lessons:
    Isaiah 5:1-7
     Psalm 80:7-15
     Philippians 3:4b-14
     Saint Matthew 21:33-46
     Semicontinuous Reading and Psalm:
          Exodus 20:1-4
          Psalm 19

Prayer of the Day:
Beloved God, from you come all things that are good. Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit to know those things that are right, and by your merciful guidance, help us to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Stewardship Text: St. Mark 12:38-44

12.38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

St. Mark 12:38-44, 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 month, at Saint Peter, we are conducting our Fall Stewardship Campaign. The theme is ASPEN, and the focus for this five-week series is:
  10/5    Anxiety
            St. Matthew 6:25-34
  10/12   Sacrifice
            St. Mark 12:41-44
  10/19   Peace
            St. John 14:25-31
  10/26   Enthusiasm
            St. Matthew 13:44-50
  11/2    Now
            2nd Corinthians 8:1-16
On November 9th, I’ll return my attention to the Revised Common Lectionary, with a message based on St. Matthew 25:1-13.

 Who is this widow Jesus observes in the Temple? She is poor – St. Mark tells us that. And we might have guessed it anyway. Widows were vulnerable in those days. They didn’t have insurance plans or death benefits or family savings. When the principle wage earner in the family died, those who were left behind were fortunate if they survived. They lived life on a “day-to-day” basis. There were precious few reserves, and little reason to expect that tomorrow would be any easier than today. So resources were carefully protected: a bag of onions here, a half dozen potatoes there, a coin or two – these treasurers were the only morsels of hope that a widow’s family might have.

Who is this widow that Jesus observes in the Temple? She is poor – yet sacrificial in her generosity. Living amidst terrific uncertainty, she takes the only two coins she has (the only hope for tomorrow’s sustenance?) and drops them in the treasury – the collection box to support the ministry of the Temple. There is no common sense explanation for this. A prudent manager of financial resources would never support her actions. Why, a compassionate leader in the church today would be hard pressed to encourage that kind of giving. (“Think of your future. Those two coins might be the only hope you have of tomorrow’s dinner. Save them. See them as a gift from God. A gift for you…”) Yet her gift is an expression of her faith – and of her trust. She gives everything she has, trusting that her God will provide. Trusting that tomorrow’s dinner will, in fact, come. Trusting that she will survive in the months ahead, as she had in the previous months, by God’s grace. If ever there was an image of sacrificial giving, this woman is it.

Who is this widow that Jesus observes in the Temple? She is poor – and in her poverty she has learned how to trust that God will care for her. Perhaps that’s why Jesus draws such a sharp contrast between her and the others (wealthy others!) who contributed that day. Our Lord comments: “She, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Her poverty, and her inability to do much of anything about it, forced her (or gave her the opportunity) to learn to trust in God: something that those who “contributed out of their abundance” that day had yet to learn. In that she becomes a model for us all, and a challenge for us to learn what it means to trust in God.

You have no doubt heard that Jesus once said it is harder for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a wealthy person to get into the kingdom of God. Might that be true because (we) wealthy people are rarely forced to learn how to trust in God? This poor widow gave her very best – a sacrificial gift – and trusted that God would provide for tomorrow. Does our support of Christian ministry reflect that same trusting, sacrificial attitude? Or does our wealth prevent us from even considering the possibility?

Who is this widow that Jesus observes in the Temple? She is poor – and amidst her poverty she witnesses to the wealth of faith and trust that she possesses. May our faith and trust run as deeply as hers. May our generosity be as sacrificial as hers. And may our witness be as potent as hers continues to be today, some two thousand years later.

Amen.

David J. Risendal

Exploring This Week’s Text:

  1. What do the scribes (and their lust for public honor) have in common with those making large contributions in the Temple?
  2. How does Jesus contrast their actions with that of the poor widow?
  3. How do wealth and poverty affect one’s ability to trust God?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

  1. Am I more like the scribes, the wealthy contributors, or the poor widow?
  2. Are my generosity and my support of Christian ministry sacrificial in nature, or more cautious and measured responses?
  3. How can I plan to grow in my ability to trust God, and to contribute sacrificially to the ministry of the Gospel?

Posted in Devotional Messages, Year A; 6. Pentecost | No Comments »

Semper Reformanda

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

October 2008 Pastor’s Newsletter Article

At the end of this month, as the children of our land don strange costumes and parade from house to house, extorting sweets from us, we Christians (many of whom will also be found in similar costumes) will also turn our attention to two ancient festivals of the Christian Church. The older of the two is November 1st: All Saints Day. This festival has been celebrated, in some form or another, since the middle of the third century. It began as a day to remember the martyrs of the faith – those who died because of their public witness to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. By the ninth century, much of the church had settled on November 1st as a day to remember all those saints (famous, infamous or unknown) whose faith in Christ continues to inspire us today.

The day before All Saints Day is known in liturgical circles as All Hallowed’s Eve – the  evening before the day when we remember those whose lives were hallowed by the gift of faith. We Lutherans celebrate that day as Reformation Day – a day to remember the 16th Century reformers whose insights into the faith sent the church in a new direction. With Martin Luther at the center of the storm in those days, we Lutherans are especially fond of this festival, and the themes it evokes: saved by faith through grace, simul justis et peccator (simultaneously sinner and saint), sola scriptura (word alone), the priesthood of all believers… These are rally cries that lead us back to a true faith in Christ. And gathering these themes under one umbrella is the concept of Semper Reformanda (forever reforming). As human beings, we don’t pretend that we will ever get it completely right. And so we turn to God’s word, daily, and measure even our most cherished traditions and customs against what God’s word has to say. If our life together begins, in any way, to cloud the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are committed to reform our customs and traditions, and align them with our best understanding of God’s word.

Martin Luther was summoned to Worms, Germany by the emperor, Prince Frederick III, Elector of Saxony. There he was commanded to recant certain books and treatises he had written. On April 18, 1521 he refused, and uttered these now famous words:

Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convinced of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convinced by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me.

 Martin Luther, Luther at the Diet of Worms; In the Name of Jesus, 1521; The Account and Actions of Doctor Martin Luther the Augustinian at the Diet of Worms, Luther’s Works, Volume 32: “Career of the Reformer” (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, , 1958) page 112.

With these words, Luther called the church of his day, and all who would follow, to continue the work of the reformation: the work of continually reforming all that we say and do and believe, so that it is consistent with God’s word. On October 31, we’ll celebrate our hopes of taking his advice. May the word of God continue to shape us as a faithful people. God help us.

God’s peace to you all,

David J. Risendal, Pastor

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