July 31st, the 7th week of Pentecost, All were fed

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 31st, the 7th week of Pentecost, All were fed. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"  

You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list  on your cell phone by texting 10W to 22828.

7th Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 14:13-21

I was filled with hunger
longing for something to fill
the ache in my stomach
and longing hear every word
from the mouth of my Savior
I longed to be filled
and healed
to know the truth
and feel it in my should
and in my stomach
Take this bread and eat
as the loaves were passed
This is my body
as the people gathered
and shared Christ’s love through a loaf of bread
This is my body
Shared
Enough for the whole world
and the more shared
the more abundant was the love
and life
help me Lord to turn to my neighbor
Give
and say
The Body of Christ
Given for You

Opening Litany based on Psalm 145:8-21

Pastor: The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
 

Congregation: The LORD is good to all and has compassion on all creation and creatures. 

Pastor: All of creation Praises You O Lord and the people of faith extol you and tell of your glory day in and day out in what they say and in what they do so that all will know the wonders of the Lord.

Congregation: Your love and your kingdom is forever and ever, your loving rule for all generations. 

Pastor: Who can you trust but the Lord who upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down?

Congregation: The eyes of all look to the Lord and the Lord supplies enough and desires for all to have enough food at the proper time, for the Lord’s open hand desires that every living thing have enough to live and flourish. 

Pastor: The Lord is righteous and faithful, near to all who truthfully call upon the name of the Lord

Congregation: The Lord works to fulfill the desires of all who worship the Lord. The Lord hears the cries of the despised and saves them from all who would destroy them. 

Pastor: My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
 

Congregation: Let every creature praise the holy name of the Lord forever and ever. Amen!

What if!!?!!!

Sunday July 31st, Isaiah 55: 1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. This is the invitation to the Land of the Lord. What if!!?!!! What if that was the way the world worked? What if the children of God, all who claim that, no matter what name they use for God, worked toward this vision? What if the children of the world had at least the minimum for life? Reality Check!!!! 1 in 10 children dies before age 5 in developing nations - hunger being a primary cause. (1 in 165/ U.S.) That reality is not God's reality nor is it God's calling, however; it is the result of the world as we have made it. But, What if we were to put as much energy, ambition, imagination and money into following God's plan as we do into the antithesis of God's plan, war. The US spends as much on military as does the rest of the world. What if?!?!? What if a quarter of what is spent on military was spend seeing to it that all had enough to eat and live, would we not have more than enough military to fit our needs?

After all we say and do, this is what we think of you.”

Monday August 1st, Isaiah 55: 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. How much of your income, your time, and your labor, goes to what does not satisfy? How much of your time, labor and income goes to that which does satisfy? Seek ye first the kingdom of God, we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Well reality check!!!! There are many things we do that we might not enjoy, but that contribute to the quality of life. I am washing clothes as I write this. But it would not take a rocket scientist to do a time and income flow chart for our lives to determine what we value most by what we spend the most time and money on. Sadly, it is not kingdom life. A seminary professor challenged us to use this offertory prayer: After all we say and do, this is what we think of you.” I have only used it once, there was a little nervous laughter. How does your time management and cash flow stack up against your priorities, God’s priorities for you? After all you say and do, what do your actions say about God?

opening the hearts and multiplying the love

Tuesday August 2nd, Isaiah 55: 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." These were the people of God, chosen by God to be a light to the world. Well, they didn’t do a great job. But before we get all righteous, let us recall that through Christ that mantle has been given also to us, and we haven’t done such a great job either. God’s vision is a land of peace where there is enough for all, equity for all, justice for all, food for all, no one having too much and no one having too little. We still have half the nation angry because we try to assist with health care. How can we move our communities, our churches, our nations to be closer to God’s vision? Impossible you say? Remember what happened with the feeding of the multitudes in Matthew 14? If we see the miracle as Jesus multiplying the food, then we live in a world of scarcity. If we see the miracle as Jesus opening the hearts and multiplying the love so that people share, then we live in a world of plenty.

when ideals become more important than people

Wednesday August 3rd, Matthew 14: 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. What had happened was Herod’s banquet, where many were fed, all were entertained with dancing, and the dessert was John’s head served up on a platter. Power politics at its finest, all the insiders fed and entertained and all the outsiders and dissidents silenced. It was a feast fit for a king. In a takeoff on Buechners definition of anger from his book “wishful thinking” however, what Herod was wolfing down was himself, the skeleton at the feast was him. Sometimes the ways of the world, the ways of power and politics and might and money get to be too much, even for Jesus. Sometimes we all need to take time to withdraw to a solitary place before we can once again tackle the hate and victim filled drive toward power in this world. As in Norway last weekend, when ideals become more important than people, those pushing the ideals become nothing more than damned terrorists. How many victims of terrorists, and victims of ill conceived responses to terrorism will it take before the people cry with Christ, enough? And then act with Christ and do something about it!!

Herod or hillside

Thursday August 4th, Matthew 14: Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Who were the ones responding to presence of Jesus in this way? We can be quite sure it was not the guests from Herod’s banquet who enjoyed the head of John the Baptists for dessert. I believe rather it was the uninvited, unwelcomed and the unworthy in the kingdom of power politics. These were the victims of power, the masses. These are the ones we are asked to reach out to. These are the ones who invited, welcomed and worthy in the Kingdom. These are the ones who make up the kingdom of God here and now. And what did Jesus do? Was it a self absorbed response, “People, Come on, I just need a little space right now”? Was it empathetic, “I feel your pain, you must all feel so bad right now”? Was it self-help, “follow these ten easy steps and you too can be an up and coming person of power in this world”? No!! It was rather a call to the kingdom life, Blessed are you when you are down and out, blessed are you when you help the down and out, blessed are you when you get in trouble for helping the down and out. Hear the words of God, be there for one another, treat others justly, share what you have. The new reality of the kingdom in a world long locked in an old reality power and what’s in it for me. Which kingdom, Herod or hillside, is the church called to be? Which kingdom, Herod or hillside is the church? Which kingdom, Herod or hillside are you and the ones you support in Washington?

How does Jesus reality fit into the current debt ceiling discussion?

Friday August 5th, Matthew 14: 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Great seminar Jesus!!! The people learned a lot that they can apply to parts of their lives. Now before things get ugly because they think you have gone on too long let’s send them back into the imperial kingdom. That is where Herod’s system and Herod’s economics will feed them. That is where they may be able to get a minimal job someday with minimal pay and feed themselves. We on the other hand will go on and listen to you some more, biding our time until you establish the Kingdom and we become leaders your cabinet of power. Jesus, instead calls us to a different reality. A reality where it is the least, lost and lonely who are called. It is a reality where all are part of the Kingdom of God and where all are welcome. It is a reality where Isaiah’s call, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” becomes our call as the children of God in this world. Jesus’ reality for the world is not just different from the imperial reality, it is counter to it. How does Jesus reality fit into the current debt ceiling discussion? Continued tax cuts for the rich or help for the poor? What would Jesus call you to do? What are you doing?

You give them something to eat!!!!

Saturday August 6th, Matthew 14: 16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The Kingdom is near. You give them something to eat!! Don’t look at what appears to be scarcity; You give them something to eat. Don’t look at recidivism rates; You give them something to eat. Don’t worry about getting your hands dirty, You give them something to eat. Don’t look at how this will affect your TEA party base, You give them something to eat. It is not busting unions while giving tax money and breaks to big business, it is You give them something to eat. Don’t worry about taxing your wealthy friends who fund your campaigns so you can get reelected and screw the little people all over again, You give them something to eat. This is not come to church on Sunday and be done with it stuff, this is get down in there and get your hands dirty, Kingdom living. It is not pie in the sky by and by in white robes righteousness living, it is blue jeans and roll up your sleeves day to day that is the righteousness of God living. Welcome to the Kingdom, now get out of the pews and get to work and You give them something to eat!!!!

Foodstock Concert, Wednesday July 20th, at 7pm

Christ Our Savior Lutheran will host a Foodstock Concert on Wednesday July 20th from 7 to 8:30pm. The concert will feature Lisa O'Brien on native flute, Michael Lane, finger style guitar and mandolin, Just Old Hims, vocal quartet, gospel, and Tony Elder, guitar and vocals. If the spirit moves and the music inspires, there may be a couple others who will jump up and join in.

This is a cash and cans concert as a fundraiser for LSSA Foodbank. We encourage people to bring cans for the foodbank and there will be a free will offering which will go to LSSA Foodbank. The concert will be carried live on Grace Notes Web Radio through the church web site www.coslc.ws

Poster for the event

July 25th, the festival of James, Apostle

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 25th, the festival of James, Apostle. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"

July 24th, the 6th week of Pentecost, Yeast and Planting

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 17th, the 5th week of Pentecost, Weeds all. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"

July 22nd, the festival of Mary Magdalene, Apostle

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 22nd, the festival of Mary Magdalene, Apostle. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"

July 25th, St. James, Apostle

Mark 10:35-45

With each crashing wave along the shore
    The water swirls
Around the outcropping of rock
Slowly eating away at its structure
          Until
It consist only of the sand
      Moving
And reshaping itself again
With the help of the waves
Along the beach
Smooth and gentle to walk on
Each grain
Once a part of a great structure
Now toppled by time
So too with the great structures
Of this world
Once powerful protectors of separation
Supported on the fears
Of those it is intended to serve
Only to end up
In time
                  A pinnacle
     Surrounded by the sands
Until it too topples by its own weight.
In Christ there are no pinnacles
No outcroppings that stand above all others
Only the sands
Washing upon the shore
Supporting one another.

July 22, St. Mary Madgalene, Apostle John 20:1-2, 11-18

St. Mary Magdalene

Why are you crying?
The morning air seemed crisp and sharp
but all was a blur
  the hope
     the love
buried and taken
Why are your crying?
at the empty tomb
fresh in the morning light
with the stench of death
        gone
           go tell
                   Mary
    beloved of Jesus
tell the others
what you do not see
and what is there
the tomb empty
and the Son of God
free from the bounds that held him
Go and tell
as the first to announce to the world
       life
death conquered
and the gift
      life
           given

Opening Litany based on Psalm 119:129-136

Worship Leader: Your laws and principles make sense to me, when I think of how my life would be if I were to follow them, I feel the awakening of Joy in my heart

Congregation: As I look into your words, each layer unfolds to bring more light into my life. When I read them my life seems to come into focus and I long for a deeper understanding.

Worship Leader: Let your face shine upon us O Lord, and continue to bath us in the light of your mercy.

Congregation: Lead me down the path you would have me go in life and do not let my sins draw me to one side or the other. 

Worship Leader: For you O Lord have brought salvation to all humankind, that all may be free from oppression, political, spiritual, cultural and economic and may live in the glory of your ways.

Congregation: May the light of your ways continually shine upon us O Lord as we learn your ways, 

Worship Leader: and may we never depart from the path you have set us upon.

Congregation: Let us feel the consequences should we ever stray from your path so that our lives may be an example of grace to all who know us.

Matthew 13:44-52

I confess that I am by nature sinful and unclean
Give us this day our daily bread
In God we trust
Our Father who art in heaven
I believe in God the Father Almighty
Words, words, words, words!
Right under our eyes, ears, noses
Shining so bright we sometimes fail to see God’s Glory
In our
---- but it’s bright and sunny
---- I’m too tired
---- I’ve too much to do
---- ho-hum Sunday mornings
right there all the time
the very thing we spend a life searching for
only to find
it’s given
freely given
and then sometimes for a brief moment
when we hear a new born baby cry
or the final breath of a life long friend
we hear also the words we speak to comfort them
and the love and hope they carry for us also
and see the shinning treasure
of the kingdom is like..
           yeast
            pearls
                treasures
                    weeds
                           mold
                              and all kinds of things
in Christ’s outstretched hands
and called good.

Kids say the darndest things

Sunday July 24th, Romans 8: 26 in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Ever notice how whenever the pastor is around for some occasion, he or she is the one asked to pray. I believe that is because others think we have all the fancy words that will impress God and therefore God will listen and the job will get done. It is true that pastors have more practice than most at the whole praying in public thing, but then again, that may be a problem. Pastors who are used to praying in public are therefore, knowingly or unknowingly, tend to slip into a pattern. The early TV host, Art Linkletter created a whole genre of interviewing kids, which was accompanied with articles and books titled, “Kids say the darndest things." Most of the darned things they came up with were simple truths stripped of their public veneer. Most adults found it cute and quant, perhaps because that is what they would say without their public veneer, and perhaps it was always about someone else’s parents and not themselves. The next time there is a gathering where a pastor is present, don't ask him or her to pray, do yourself and them a favor and ask them instead to listen. Then ask the kid among you, or someone new to the faith, or anyone other than the pastor to pray, and then listen as truth reaches into the world. What you will most likely hear is the spirit speaking.

boring anyone within earshot to tears before too long

Monday July 25th, Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Predestination is not a subject for most cocktail conversation, or even church conversation for that matter. Martin Luther and Calvin went round and round on it no doubt boring anyone within earshot to tears before too long. Most theologians today tiptoe quietly past the subject lest they run the risk of boring anyone within earshot to tears. Not that it is not an interesting subject, but it is one to which there is no answer, only more questions. My wife, after having spent too much time in a Bible study that broached the subject, throws up her hands and mutters something like, “Oh, No, No, No, No, I don’t want to go there again should the subject be brought up. So let us take a look at what Paul says. God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called, they may be the same people, but then again, they may not. When you throw in all those who are called however, that pretty much includes us all. Those God foreknew are predestined to be like his son, Jesus. God created all that is, proclaimed it good and created humanity in the image of God, and so like Jesus, and called good. Those who are predestined, are called, justified and glorified, and since God foreknew all that was and called it good, then we can only conclude that all are called, justified and glorified. Some of us don’t respond very well to that call most of the time, and all of us don’t respond very well to that call some of the time. That is our baggage on our side of the equation. On God’s side of the equation, all are called, justified and glorified and our task is to learn to live with that, in ourselves, and in others.

The Kingdom is like Kudzu

Tuesday July 26th, Matthew 13: 31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." From my experience with mustard, my first thought is that I don’t have the foggiest idea what Jesus is talking about here. I used to pull lots of mustard (see last week’s parable of the weeds) out of the oats when I was growing up on the farm. It had a green stem and leaves and yellow flowers and it wasn’t much bigger than the grain among which it grew. But hearing the parable contextually, perhaps we could substitute a Redwood seed for a mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven is like a small little thing that finds root and grows and grows and lives and lives. Or, the Kingdom of heaven is like an apple seed that grows into a full beautiful tree providing shelter and nourishment for all in the kingdom. Or to take on the obnoxious nature of the mustard pant we could say the kingdom is like chickweed that takes over your garden. The Kingdom is like Kudzu that you planted in your garden, that took over and covered over all the things you planted. The kingdom of heaven is like, and Jesus offends his hearers by suggesting the Kingdom of God is like a garden in which an unclean weed is planted, violating the diverse kinds rule from Leviticus 19:19 and making your garden unfit to produce anything to be used for holy purposes. My take??? The kingdom of God is like an invasive weed you plant in your garden and takes over, covering all the things we think are important until all you see is Kingdom stuff.

Kingdom of Heaven like a batch of beer

Wednesday July 27th, Matthew 13: 33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." I am brewing a batch of beer while I write this. In the kitchen I am cooking up the grains, boiling the wort, adding some hops to counter the sweet with some bitterness and then cooling it down before I add the yeast. The yeast comes in a foil pouch with nutriment and some yeast in a small packet inside. I broke open the inside packet last night so the yeast and the nutriment could mix. Right now the packet looks like it is ready to explode. The yeast has come in contact with the nutriment and is working. After mixing it in the cooled wort, it will start working even more using the beer wort as nutriment. By tomorrow, the water in the airlock will just be bubbling away and if you look in the glass jug, it will almost seem to be alive with movement. The Kingdom of heaven is like the yeast in a batch of beer, a little bit is added, and before you know it the whole batch comes alive and is transformed into something new. After a little clarifying and maturing, this something new is also very refreshing. Sometimes we humans like to try to skip the clarifying and maturing part. Yeast in wort is just not the same as beer. The clarifying and maturing is where the faith community comes in.

If you could buy the kingdom of heaven

Thursday July 28th, Matthew 13: 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. If you could buy the kingdom of heaven, what would it cost? Could you get it for some lose change in your pocket? Could you buy it with your savings? Would you have to take out a loan, and mortgage the wife, kids, car, boat, house, soul? I had a friend of mine ask me while he was dying, What is heaven like? I had to tell him that I didn't know, but that every attempt to describe it only scratched the surface, but even then described a place of beauty, joy, peace and love. I asked him to let me know if he could. He passed away a couple of hours later, at peace and surrounded by his loving family. It has been 20 years and I haven't heard from him yet. I think it has more to do with him being busy enjoying himself than anything else. He found out he couldn’t buy it, it was a gift.

insider/outsider

Friday July 29th, Matthew 13: 47 "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. Oh how we want to interpret this as an insider/outsider tale. We of course are the good fish in that scenario. But let us break it down. First the kingdom is like a net that catches all kinds of ….. the English translation is fish. In fact, the word "fish" does not occur in the text, but "all kinds of things" and "good things and rotten things". "Rotten" things would not be a proper term to use for freshly caught fish. Elsewhere in Matthew it is used of bad or rotten fruit (7:17, 18; 12:33). Do you get that, All Kinds of things. Next, it is the kingdom that does the catching, not fancy programs or lures or bait. The image is one of a net dragged along that just picks up everything whether it wants to get picked up or not. If churches are not doing kingdom work then it is just entertainment. Entertainment is not bad, but it is still only entertainment, it is only showing the insiders the lure you might use if you ever get around to going fishing. Next, in all these separation texts, wheat from tares, sheep from goats, good fish from bad fish, we need to ask ourselves if they are about individuals or groups. Is what is being separated the chaff within the community or the chaff within ourselves?

ancient/modern

Saturday July 30th, Matthew 13: Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." The Church should always be ancient/modern. Ancient, in that it tells of God's interplay with humanity through the ages. Modern in that the old old story is told in a new new way every day. There are the timeless stories like creation that tell us deep truths about God, and the time bound stories of Israel’s passage through the centuries. Worship should always be contextual, meaning that it relates to what is going on in people’s lives today. Attempts to bring the church back to the heydays of yesteryear, while it may bring comfort to those from yesteryear, it also brings irrelevance for mission today. The Ancient/Modern context of scripture is always attempting to frame the beautiful story of yesteryear in the language of today. If you are bothered that the church doesn't do things the way it used to, that discomfort is most likely the kingdom calling you to get involved in mission. The best cure for the usetobe blues is outreach fever.

July 20th, Foodstock Concert

We will have a Foodstock Concert at Christ Our Savior Lutheran on July 20th at 7pm.  Bring cans, Bring cash, Bring friends, Be ready to have fun

Download Poster

10W for July 17th, the 5th week of Pentecost, Weeds all

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 17th, the 5th week of Pentecost, Weeds all. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"   

You can find the rest of July 10W worship downloads at www.10worship.blogspot.com   August will be posted in about a week. 

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

We live in the world
Full of grace
And full of fear
Among those who have not heard
---- are longing to hear
---- struggling
---- and could care less
to just hear
the Word
Give me grace Lord
Give me Peace
Give me the strength to see the weeds
As God’s children
---- who have not heard
---- are longing to hear
---- struggling
---- or could care less
to feed them the Word you have given me
the Word that can transform
and does transform
children like me
into the children of God

Stop coveting what is not yours!!!

Sunday July 17th, Isaiah 44: 6 "This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Does that mean no other gods up in heaven or no other gods here on earth? All the words for god in all the languages and in all the religions speak of an idea of god or gods. Today I see little issue with the idol worship of other gods, up there so much as our dedication to power & money, the little gods down here. There is no other God but God, means all the power & money is only that, power and stuff down here. Someday the plug will be pulled and the stuff will be of no further us. But even after the plug is pulled, either on your own life or on all life, God will still be God. It was easier to identify the little gods when little wooden figurines were carried around and placed on altars. Now the other gods make up the possessions in our pockets, homes and garages, bank accounts and dreams, and computer screens. And what makes it confusing is that everyone has stuff, and not all stuff, all our things are gods. What makes it even harder is that the stuff that is a little god for me might not be for you. The little godness is not in the stuff, but in our hearts. Therefore it is not a matter of worrying about someone else’s stuff, to them it may just be stuff, what we need to deal with is the godness of our own stuff as well as the godness we see in other peoples stuff we are trying to control. All too often the do-gooders in our churches trying to control other peoples stuff are less controlled by less driven by altruism than by envy. I refer you to the last two commandments and Luther’s explanation of them. Stop coveting what is not yours!!! What does this mean? We are to fear and love God so that we do not desire to get our neighbor's possessions by scheming, or by pretending to have a right to them, but always help them keep what is theirs. We are to fear and love God so that we do not tempt or coax our neighbor's spouse or workers, but encourage them to remain loyal. Perhaps that last one should read, we will not be tempted to shut down our corporations or ship the jobs overseas but remain loyal to the children of God who work for us.

witnesses, not my Rottweiler’s

Monday July 18th, Isaiah 44: 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." You are my witnesses, not my Rottweiler’s. A recent poll shows that there are large numbers of people who believe in God who do not belong to faith communities. I run into them often at weddings. After officiating at a wedding I usually go to the reception. Standing alone having a beer I will see a small group gathering off to the side talking and looking at me. Then one from that group come toward me as the group inches within earshot. The conversation goes something like this. Nice service yada yada yada….. I liked what you had to say yada yada…………. You know I believe in God and all that but…….. It is then that the conversation goes on to describe all sorts of God stuff I don’t believe in either. In American civil religion, grace has taken a back seat to law and that 60 some percent who believe in God but are not connected to any worshiping community represent the casualties of our complacency on the one hand and our witch hunts on the other. In the book “Jesus means Freedom” by Ernst Kassemann, his basic argument is looking at what he calls the new enthusiast (the book is written in 72) and applauds them for their enthusiasm, but wonders why they have abandoned all the good theology about Jesus and have to reinvent the wheel. He then turns to the confessional church in Germany (it could just as well be the denominational church in the US) and applauds them for their great understanding of scripture, but wonders why they are sitting on their butts in the pews instead of jumping for joy and shouting out loud. We have in the U.S. this odd situation. Those who have the theological maturity of a Pharisee and are very excited and energized by it and those who possess the beauty and purity of the Gospel, the Good news of Christ and act as if they could give a shit. Perhaps there is room, as Kassemann called for in Germany in the 70’s for a little integration of the two.

Papa

Tuesday July 19th, Romans 8: 12 My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13 If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. 14 Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. 15 God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. Angel encounters in the scripture are met with the words from these heavenly messengers, “Fear Not!” From there the church has all too often gone on to instill fear. The twisted gutting of the gospel in the popular “left behind” series is a prime example of how easily the demonic deception of fear based religion can be swallowed by a public the church of Christ has left largely alone as we hold our meetings and potlucks and feed only ourselves. Most of the statements about God alluded to on Monday’s thoughts around the water cooler, relate to a god who must be feared. Those who grasp at least part of the Gospel seem afraid to speak up. And our politicos know that fear combined with the promise of a solution (you don’t really think the republicans want to solve the abortion issue do you? It is the best ballot bait they have) can be a very useful tool in an attempt to fulfill the desire for power and control exerted over others. Too often the church has succumbed to this same fear based model. As the children of God, we are called to introduce to a world in fear, the God that children can call Abba, or Pappa. When I visit my granddaughter she would often sit in my lap and say, “Tell me a story about………. And the blank would be filled in with various subjects. That is Abba. That is the God we need to introduce into a world left behind in fear. The God who welcomes little children and you and I to sit in the lap of, feel safe and protected and loved, and hear the story of God’s love over and over again until we can repeat it to our grandchildren.

All Creation

Wednesday July 20th, Romans 8: 16 God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. 17 His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him. 18 I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. 19 In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. All creation eagerly awaits, and in the meantime, even with what happened in the gulf not that long ago, we will approve more offshore drilling. All the texts this week are wrapped up in the weed ‘n seed theme. Rose teaches music at church during the summer. Last week, her eyes were bothering her, as were mine. Conversation turned to the effect of Cottonwoods this time of year. Sometimes it looks like it is snowing, but it is hard to tell because our eyes are half shut due to the irritation. Rose informed me that she could put up with the cottonwoods for a few weeks each year since she learned how to make a very effective mosquito repellant from the cottonwood tree. I have to get that recipe from her. In the meantime, I learned that not everything we consider weeds is a weed. Perhaps in rambling through the meadows and forests we have entertained many a cure unaware. God has graced us with so many miracles in this world. All of nature is a gift from God just waiting for us to unpack something new from it. We all too often go to the same pharmaceutical tree of profit for a pill to cure most of what is already just life. All creation groans for the Lord. All creation. The next time we hear of some moneymaking inspired catastrophe that will effect nature for decades or centuries, the next time we hear of climate change deniers pointing to the one or two scientists out of a thousand who aren’t quite sure it is happening, remember all of creation is a gift of God that only we can screw up. Note: my niece worked for the EPA writing press releases. After combing through reams of paper of scientific research and working on distilling it down to a simple press release the public could understand. The Bush appointed head would take the press release and rewrite it, often times to say the exact opposite of what the scientific research said, and it would be released to the public. Most of these press releases for the backbone of the fake science support for the idea that there is no human effect on climate change.

every civilization that has ever failed

Thursday July 21st, Matthew 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. In the beginning God created all that is and called it good. The seeds were planted. Human desire crept in and planted the thought that if you had your fill of enough knowledge to fuel your desire to be like God, but not enough knowledge to know that it is a really stupid idea, and we fell for it, you would be screwed. Well, we fell for it and we were screwed. If we deal with “what” the weeds in the field are, it is a very different conversation from dealing with “who” the weeds are. If we deal with what the weeds are, then we are left looking at ourselves. We look at our desire to be like God. We look at the human quest for power. We support tax cuts for the rich in spite of the fact that every civilization that has ever failed in the history of the world went that same route. If we look at “who” the weeds are, we are duped once again into thinking we can be some sort of god, and even with a small “g” we convince ourselves that is good enough. We have once again eaten from the tree. If we look at “what” the weeds are… we stand a chance to move one space forward in the game of life.

Nuff Said

Friday July 22nd Matthew 13: 27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28 " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' O so eager. Let us at them, we will take care of them. I wonder what the motivation is of those who wish to separate the children of God from the children of God? I think as my friend Bill Warren would say, “it’s all first commandment stuff” Nuff said!! It is the desire to go back in the garden, eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and this time we won’t screw it up. Pinky Promise. There are two indications of evil in this story. One is the diabolical one who planted the weeds among the wheat. The other is the servants who want to go out there and pull up all the weeds and if some wheat gets trampled and pulled up in the process, so be it. In this world we have more to fear from the servants than from the diabolical one. Our job in this world is not to weed out the bad seed out there in the world. It is the more difficult task of removing the weeds in our own hearts.

Chickweed

Saturday July 23rd, Matthew 13: 29 “‘No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' “In our part of the world, chickweed is the bane of gardening. It grows faster than any plant you ever thought of growing, but at least it is easy to pull, as long as you do it once a day. Growing up in Wisconsin, my dad would send my sister and I out to pull up the mustard from the oats, we were small at the time, but the collateral damage was great nonetheless. When you use mechanical means of harvest, you can afford to have some collateral damage. The kingdom of heaven is not mechanical however, it is very personal and very relational and collateral damage is unacceptable. Thank God, or else both you and I would have been yanked a long time ago. Often it is not the non-believers that are the problem for the Kingdom of God, it is the enthusiasts who somehow feel they are doing the will of God. You often see them running for office in the party of No.

Opening Litany based on Psalm 119:105-112

Pastor: Your word O Lord is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. You guide me in all my ways.

Congregation: I give my word, I will follow your righteous laws. For  I have suffered much in my life and I call upon you now O Lord to walk with me and help me according to your word. 

Pastor: Accept my praise O Lord, for it is given from deep within my heart.  Teach me the ways you would have me go. 

Congregation: Even though I always seem to take control of my life, to run things in my way and on my terms, yet when pushed I will not forget your law. 

Pastor: Both the wicked in this world, and the wickedness within me seem to set snares for me at every turn.  Though I have fallen often, in my heart I have not strayed from your teachings.  

Congregation: Your ways are the foundation of my life and the joy of my heart.  Despite all my actions to the contrary, I have set my heart on keeping your ways to the end of the days.  

July 10th, the 4th Sunday after Pentecost, Deep Roots

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 10th, the 4th Sunday after Pentecost, Deep Roots. You can either listen on the flash player below or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY or download to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player or download directly to your smartphone by following this link and clicking on "DOWNLOAD"

Matthew 13:1- 9,18-23 The Parable of the Sower

A small kernel

Lifeless

Except for what is inside

Slowly comes to life

Sending down roots

And up tender shoots

Seeking only nurturing and light

And the community

The children of God

Gather around

We receive you as a fellow member of the body of Christ

A worker with us

In the kingdom of God

Is how it is suppose to be

How busy

How stuck in our ways

How important our programs

And yet

Some grow

Help us dear Lord to till the soil

That allows

Them all

Go grow

don't die on the vine

Sunday July 10th, Isaiah 55: 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. As the rain provides nourishment for those plants who consume it, and helps them grow, so too, the word of God provides nourishment for those who consume it and it helps them grow. We have several plants that have survived despite our tendency to forget to water them. They have a certain tenacity about them. Many humans also have that certain tenacity. In spite of ignoring the word of God, the spirit continues to work within us. There comes a point when some of my plants are just too far gone. I wonder if it is the same with us and God’s word. My understanding of grace is that there is never an end to it, but looking at my plants sometimes, I wonder just how far the soul can be gone and still revive? God’s grace is beyond my understanding, but I still would rather not test the hypothesis. It is a much better idea to live in the light and love of grace your whole life long.

dancing chairs

Monday July 11th, Isaiah 55: 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. What a vision, the trees and all of creation singing and dancing and clapping their hands. My wife bought a new chair and ottoman. I love it. Somehow to me it looks like something from a Disney movie that should start singing and dancing any moment. We hear that the whole world groans for the time of reconciliation with God, somehow I think that may even include my chair. If all that is comes from God, and God called all creation good, we have little choice but to celebrate the love of God in this world. We might be able to stint it for a while, but we can never stop it, so we might as well sing and dance along with it. Life in Christ, isn’t it grand?!?! Join the dance.

No condemnation, do you get it!!!

Tuesday July 12th, Romans 8: 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. No condemnation, do you get it!!! No, I repeat, No condemnation. O Lord how we have messed that one up. We have no condemnation except for gays, democrats, illegal immigrants, people on welfare, those who have lost their jobs but not those who have same jobs away in the name of higher profits . We have no condemnation except those who favor a woman’s right to choose. We have no condemnation except those who lose at whatever they have tried in life. We have no condemnation for those with guns and the death penalty for those who kill nuns. Every man for himself, I repeat every man for himself is the way we live but damned be the one who tries to forgive. The gospel is shamed by our death giving laws and we go on and on and grace seems to crawl. But the Lord will prevail, the gospel will win, and with it will come the demise of our sin. There is no condemnation, do you get it none, what the law has demanded has already been done. Amen….!!