Harvest Blessings!

Bean Fields Awaiting The Harvest In Klossner, Minnesota

“Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God will bless us.”

Psalm 67:6

It is the beginning of October and the harvest is in full swing.  In the communities that surround Fields of Grace Lutheran Parish, the parish which I serve, farmers are combining beans and corn, and the rich fertile farm land is yielding its harvest.  This is indeed a season of blessing, and God has blessed the farmers in our community with beautiful weather for the harvest.

As planting season is a time of promise, harvest season is a time of promises received.  In the springtime, farmers tucked seeds into soil, with a hope that God would provide the right amounts of moisture, nutrients, warmth and sunshine so that the seed that were sown would sprout and grow and produce full pods and ears.  Now it is autumn, and farmers make their way into the fields to glean the harvest, hoping that the promise of that which was planted months ago might result in an abundant harvest blessing.

In the springtime and in the autumn, we witness the movement of faith.  In the spring as crops are being planted, faith is seen in what God can and is able to do.  A miracle occurs under the soil, as the seed dies and becomes a sprout.  A miracle occurs as sprouts push though the earth and become stalks.  A miracle occurs when the stalks produce an ear, or a pod, or a head and the grain begins to fill out and grow.  As autumn arrives, faith is seen in promises fulfilled.  Faith is lived out as the harvest is gathered, as gratitude is expressed, and as gifts of harvest are shared.  A miracle happens in the autumn as well, it is the miracle of death, as the stalk yields to the combine, as grain is shaken loose from ear, or pod, or head.  A miracle occurs as the earth is given the gift of a Sabbath, as it will soon sleep under winter’s blanket of white.

In this harvest time, we see God at work.  God is at work blessing the harvest with a promise kept, that seed moves from sprout to stalk to grain.  God is at work blessing the harvest with abundance, one seed becomes many in the harvest.  God is at work as the harvested crop makes another transformation into bread, which feeds the world.  God is at work, as harvest blessings abound!

Just another Passing Thought!

The Uncharacteristic Cross

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”  Matthew 7:24-25

The Uncharacteristic Cross at Swan Lake Lutheran Church

On top of the steeple of Swan Lake Lutheran Church, one of the congregations I serve as pastor of Fields of Grace Lutheran Parish, is a weather vane and a lightening rod.  This combination weathervane and lightning rod form a cross at the top of the steeple.  This uncharacteristic cross caught my attention the first Sunday I pulled into the Swan Lake Lutheran driveway, for my first service as their new pastor.  For a little over a month now, I have been thinking about this uncharacteristic cross.

The weathervane shifts with the prevailing breezes to display the direction of the wind.  Yet, no matter the direction, or the ferocity of the wind, the form of the cross is always present, it is always there on the steeple of Swan Lake Lutheran Church.  This uncharacteristic cross, stands as a reminder that in the midst of change, which seems so prevalent today, the cross stands as a sign of a God whose love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace which is poured out upon his people does not change.  The Psalms give witness to this fact when we are reminded, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, 
slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8)

When the winds of change blow, we often fear that the foundations of our faith may be blown off course.  It is in such times that we need to cast our eyes upon the cross, to see that the wind  and rain, tempest and trial, does not change the God’s steadfast love for the world, which Christ bore on the cross.  In the second stanza of the hymn, Abide With Me   hymn writer Henry F. Lyte, capture this sense of God’s steadfastness as he writes, “…change and decay in all around I see, O thou who changest not abide with me.” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship #629)

When we experience change, we are invited to set our  foundation upon the one who does not change, whose love for us and the world is steadfast and everlasting, and that one is Jesus.  In our study and understanding of God’s Word, our foundation is set.  In our living a servant life, we build spiritual house upon that foundation.  In worship and prayer, these spiritual houses are strengthened.  And in the shadow of the uncharacteristic Cross, our lives are lived and we find our direction in Christ.

Just Another Passing Thought!

Classrooms and Labs!

“Classrooms and Labs, Loud Boiling Test Tubes…Sing To the Lord a New Song!”

In the hymn, “Earth and All Stars,” Lutheran Hymn writer Herbert Brokering expands our understanding of Psalm 148 in which the Psalmist see’s praise of God in all aspects of our lives.    In the hymn, Brokering fancifully plays with the gift of learning and our schools as a vehicle for singing our praise to God.  In the fifth stanza of the hymn Brokering writes:

“Classrooms and labs!  Loud boiling test tubes!  Sing to the Lord a new song!

Athlete and band!  Loud cheering people!  Sing to the Lord a new song!

God has done marvelous things.  I too sing praise with a new song!”

 

School began this week and children of our community have returned to school, and the halls and classrooms of our local schools are now filled with the sounds of children laughing, chatting, questioning, and learning.  Have you ever stopped to think that the noises in our schools are simply another form of praise to God?  Just think for a moment about what happens in our schools, wisdom and knowledge are shared between teachers and students, children learn the importance of working together to accomplish a goal, lessons of sharing, respect, and compassion are learned in the classroom, lunchroom and the playground.  All of that interaction gives praise to the one who is the source of all wisdom.

In the second chapter of the Old Testament Book of Proverbs we are told, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”  In our schools, teaches, principals, guidance counselors, coaches, paraprofessionals, parent volunteers, and so many more are God’s instruments for sharing the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  As the school year begins, it is fitting for us to lift up in prayer those whom God has called into the vocation of education.  It is also important to pray for young people who are preparing for a new year of schooling, whether they are entering elementary school, high school or college.  And finally, let us never forget the role we play as citizens to promote and support our educational systems, so that knowledge and truth might flourish in our schools as together we sing to the Lord a new song!

Prayer:  God grant wisdom and understanding to those who are beginning another year of school.  Be with students and teachers as new songs of praises are sung to you in the learning that will take place in the upcoming school year.  Amen

 

Just Another Passing Thought

Give Me Wisdom

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 
 James 1:5

It has been a while since my last post to PT’s Passing Thoughts.  Some of you may be wondering if there have been any thoughts passing through my head lately, and you could quite possibly be correct.  However, in reality, a lot of thoughts and wondering have been passing through, often like unexpected visitors, and the challenge has been for me to welcome them and then find a place for them to stay.

Bernadotte Lutheran Church

Change is once again happening in my journey, and with change come excitement, challenge, anxiousness, and even a bit of mourning.  This new adventure that God has called me to is to serve a three-congregation parish, Fields of Grace Parish in Nicollet County, Minnesota.  The three congregation of the parish are Bernadotte Lutheran Church, First Lutheran Church of Lafayette, and Swan Lake Lutheran Church.   These congregations are not too far from our home in New Ulm, Minnesota.  I am excited to be serving with and alongside God’s people at Fields of Grace and am eager to get to know my fellow disciples at each congregation and their dreams for serving and living in God’s kingdom.

First Lutheran Church

The challenges which lie before the parish and me are a bit unknown at this time, so I believe that there will be a lot of questions that need to be asked by me and of me.  I am excited to hear about what people are passionate about as they serve in God’s kingdom.  I am hoping that they are equally as excite about hearing of my joy in serving God and others.  In our mutual discernment and discussions, I am confident that God will provide a vision that will shape the ministry we will share.  In 1^st Kings 3, King David’s son, Solomon, is considering his ascendancy to the throne of David, and in the midst of his pondering the LORD appears to him a dream and invites Solomon to ask for whatever he wishes.  Solomon responds, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’” (1 Kings 3:9)  So as I begin my ministry with the Saints at Fields of Grace, I pray that God will grant us the gift of discernment, so we might serve God and one another in joy and faith.

Swan Lake Lutheran Church

There is a bit of anxiousness surrounding me as well.  All sorts of questions are popping up in my mind.  Will they like me?What are their expectations and will I live up to them?  How are things done?  And the list goes on and on.  But one thing I have learned over the past year of some incredible transitions is that God’s purpose is fulfilled because God is present, and we feel God’s gracious presence in the midst of change.  Last year at this time as I was feeling stirred to leave Our Savior’s in New Ulm, and begin my ministry at Abiding Presence in San Antonio, I felt God’s gracious presence as I said goodbye to friends and colleagues in one place, and hello to new friends and colleagues in a new place.  In January and February of this year, as transition issues for me and my family seemed overburdening and painful, I could feel the presence of God surround me in the midst of my sadness and loss.  At this time, I need to say thank you to my wife Pat, my sisters and brothers-in-law, my friends Christian, Bill, and David who from a distance filled me with hope for a new beginning.  I am also grateful to the many understanding people at Abiding Presence in San Antonio, who helped me in the midst of such a difficult situation.  Thank you Jeff and Mary Ann, Michael and Jenny, Gaye and Dennis, and many others; your grace in the midst of my grief was a gift.  God was gracefully present as I was invited to serve American Lutheran in Windom, MN as an interim pastor.  His presence was greatly felt in the gentle pastoral leadership of a new friend and mentor Pastor Terry Frovik.  And as I saw and felt God present in each of these transitions, I know that God will be present with me and with the parish to calm any anxieties, as we walk together in faith.

American Lutheran Church

And I know there is grief in the midst of change.  Fields of Grace continues to mourn the death of a beloved pastor, Pastor Grunske, a servant of the Gospel I deeply admire and respect.  I know that I will not be able to replace him, and only hope that I may build upon the strong foundation he had laid for the parish.  I am saddened that my time at American Lutheran was all too short.  They are a wonderful loving congregation, who I am sure will experience a new breath of life as Pastor Jay Grave begins his leadership of their shared ministry.  To anyone from ALC who is reading these Passing Thoughts, thank you for providing me a safe and soft place to land.  Thanks for helping me brush myself off and get back on my feet.  You are all awesome.  And even though it has only been a week, I miss you.

So now, once again, and God willing, not for a long time, I stand at the beginning of a new opportunity.  I will hold on dearly to the promise that our generous God will give wisdom, and grace as this new adventure begins.  My dear readers, my God bless your new beginnings with his presence and peace.

Just Another Passing Thought!

All Nature Sings!

“The heavens are telling the glory of God” Psalm 19:1

Thunderstorm on the Southwestern Minnesota Prairie

As I sit before my computer this afternoon, the clouds are releasing their gift of rain upon the farms and fields of Southwestern Minnesota.  Lightning flashes, followed by claps of thunder announce that there is something, no, someone bigger than myself who brings the gift of moisture to give a drink to the sprouted seeds of corn and beans planted only a few weeks ago.  Indeed, “the heavens are telling the glory of God” and Psalm 19 reminds me that in God’s continuing creation, God is in control.

Lately on my journeys from New Ulm, MN to Windom, MN I have noticed  nature has been singing a chorus that proclaims the Glory of God!  In sight, sound, and scent, God’s glory can not help but be noticed.  On these warm June mornings, the smell of Lilacs and freshly tilled soil offer hints that the creation is beginning something brand new.  Geese and goslings honk and peep, in competition with the trilling to the Redwing Blackbird.  They sing out songs of praise which are joined by the cackle of pheasants and the croaking of frogs.  And in the fields, rows upon rows of corn and beans sprout and grow and stretch heavenward, as if lifting themselves in postures of prayer and praise.

Now if the heavens and earth, can proclaim the glory of God, what about us?  If we are, made “a little lower than God” and “crowned with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5)  shouldn’t we too add our voices to the song?  At times, in the summer months, we have the tendency to draw away from worship.  It seems odd, that when creation, which has lain quiet and dormant under the cold winters cover, rediscovers it voice in the spring, we Christians lay low and fail to add a full voice to creations chorus of Glory to God in the highest.

Dear readers of these Passing Thoughts, do not let your songs be silenced.  Join your sisters and brothers in worship.  Join all creation in telling the glory of God!  Worship and be part of all nature that sings and tells of God’s great glory!

Just another Passing Thought!

Hip-hip-hip-hip-o-pot-a-mus!!

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14a

It is Day Camp and Vacation Bible School time at American Lutheran Church, the congregation I am serving.  It is a wonderful time when kids can be kids, and know that the Kingdom is “for such as these” as Jesus promises.  I enjoy Vacation Bible School and Day Camp because it is the one time I do not need to apologize for wearing shorts and flip-flops to work.  But mostly, I enjoy this time because I am reminded that a child like faith is a faith that is hungry to hear the Good News of Jesus. 

Yesterday, it was my privilege to teach the kids at American Lutheran Church in Windom, the Hippo Song. It is one of my favorites because it includes great actions and has a great message about how we are all created.  The words of this song are as follows:

In the beginning God made the seas, and the forest filled with trees.
God stacked the mountains up so high; above it all he placed the skies.
God’s finger prints are every where, just to show how much he cares.
And in the middle God had lots of fun, he made a Hippo that weighs a ton.
Hip-hip-hip-hip-o-pot-a-mus, hip-hip-hooray, God made all of us!
Hip-hip-hip-hip-o-pot-a-mus, hip-hip-hooray, God made all of us!

 

Hip-hip-hooray, God made all of us!

As we sang and danced together, I thought about this passage from Psalm 139:14a, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Each of us as children of God is fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are unique, in all sorts of ways, and yet gifted to give praise to our loving God.  Now the Hippo is not the most beautiful animal in all of creation, but it is still the product of an incredibly imaginative and creative God.  Sometimes we are not the most attractive beings (inside and out), and yet God has wonderfully shaped us in ways which his grace and beauty show and shine through our lives.

In the story of creation as told in the book of Genesis, God desired to create a creature that would be a reflection of God’s beauty, creativity, compassion, and care.  He shaped and molded a lump of clay, and breathed life into this work of his hands and created humans.  God’s breath, his very essence and spirit is breathed into us, and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in God’s imagination.

So today, and all our days may we sing…” Hip-hip-hip-hip-o-pot-a-mus, hip-hip-hooray, God made all of us!  Hip-hip-hip-hip-o-pot-a-mus, hip-hip-hooray, God made all of us! “

Just Another Passing Thought!

Memorial Day 2011

This passing thought is the Memorial Day Speach which I have the honor of delivering today at the Windom American Legion  Memorial Day Program.    Please use this day as a day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. 

Just Another Passing Thought!

Remember!

On the bookshelf of my study, sits shadow box, containing a black and white picture of a young man, of a mere 19 or 20 years old, dressed in a sailors suit, with an expression of eagerness and quite possibly apprehension on his face.  Also in that shadow box is a metal identification bracelet with a name etched on the outside and beneath the name, “Deep Purple”.  It was the name of his sweetheart’s favorite song. The picture is of my grandfather, Beryl f. Gabbert, as is the name on the I.D. bracelet, and his sweetheart is my grandmother, Wilma, but grandpa called her Mini and she referred to him as Pinky.

I received that shadow box from grandpa many years ago now, and over the years I have wondered why I was selected to receive such a gift. 

Grandpa Gabbert, served on a Navy Minesweeper in the South Pacific during world war II.    As I was growing up he didn’t tell me much about the specifics of the time of his service in the Navy, with the exception of stories that would appeal to a young boy. These were stories woven in an almost romantic prose, stories of shipmates for exotic and far off places like New York,California,Nebraska and other states which seemed so far from Minnesota.  He told stories of rolling seas, of not being able to get his sea legs at first, and how food tasted better going down that coming up, those first days on board ship.  Grandpa told shares stories of love letters sent back and forth between Grandma, who was expecting her first child, my mother.  And he share memories of characters and comrades with whom he served, and for whom he held a great fondness.  But in all those years of my growing up, he never spoke of the dangers he faced, the brutality of the battles, or comrades who fell.  I believe that his reasons were to protect me from the horror and heartache he experienced in his service.

So I am left with a shadow box, with a picture of a young man, eager to serve, and a bracelet with a name and the song of a sweetheart.  But I believe there is a lesson in that gift, a lesson worth sharing as we gather together on the Memorial Day to remember and recall the ultimate sacrifice and call to duty so many men and women in this country have experienced. The lesson of the shadow box on my bookshelf is threefold. The first is for us to remember the willingness of young men and women who have stepped forward and continue to step forward when called to protect the fundamental principles of liberty, freedom, and justice. The second is to remember for every service person, there are those on the home front who love them and are called upon to make sacrifices of their own. The final lesson, is that the service and sacrifice of one generation is made on the behalf of future generations, so the horror and heartache of war may never have to be experienced again.

Since 1775 when colonial soldiers took up arms, more than one million service members have perished in the wars and military conflicts in which our nation has been involved. These men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, did so in defense of liberty, to be bearers of justice, and to secure the freedom of others.  As a result of their willingness to serve, we are secure to seek the unalienable rights, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-which the signers of the Declaration of Independence asserted for this great nation two hundred and thirty five years ago. These service members, laid down their life for God, country, and family, and so we are called upon to remain true to these principles, to be diligent in exercising the liberties their lives have secured, to seek justice for those who know no justice, and to never take our freedoms for granted.

Alfred Joyce Kilmer, poet, lecturer, and soldier during the first World War, captured this understanding of the ultimate sacrifice in the poem Rouge Bouquet. This poem was written to commemorate the loss of 21 fellow soldiers of  The Fighting Sixty Ninth,  in March of 1918, five months later it would be read over his own  grave.

In a wood they call the Rouge Bouquet

There is a new-made grave to-day,

Built by never a spade nor pick

Yet covered with earth ten metres thick.

There lie many fighting men,

Dead in their youthful prime,

Never to laugh nor love again

Nor taste the Summertime.

For Death came flying through the air

And stopped his flight at the dugout stair,

Touched his prey and left them there,

Clay to clay.

He hid their bodies stealthily

In the soil of the land they fought to free

And fled away.

Now over the grave abrupt and clear

Three volleys ring;

And perhaps their brave young spirits hear

The bugle sing:

“Go to sleep!

Go to sleep!

Slumber well where the shell screamed and fell.

Let your rifles rest on the muddy floor,

You will not need them any more.

Danger’s past;

Now at last,

Go to sleep!”

There is on earth no worthier grave

To hold the bodies of the brave

Than this place of pain and pride

Where they nobly fought and nobly died.

Never fear but in the skies

Saints and angels stand

Smiling with their holy eyes

On this new-come band.

St. Michael’s sword darts through the air

And touches the aureole on his hair

As he sees them stand saluting there,

His stalwart sons;

And Patrick, Brigid, Columkill

Rejoice that in veins of warriors still

The Gael’s blood runs.

And up to Heaven’s doorway floats,

From the wood called Rouge Bouquet,

A delicate cloud of buglenotes

That softly say:

“Farewell!

Farewell!

Comrades true, born anew, peace to you!

Your souls shall be where the heroes are

And your memory shine like the morning-star.

Brave and dear,

Shield us here.

Farewell!”

So today we pause and remember, we remember those who served and sacrificed, we remember those who boarded ships, landed on foreign soils, never to return again.  We remember, and we are grateful for the sacrifices they have made. 

The second lesson of my shadow box, is that behind every service member, has stood or stands family and friends. These wife and husbands, sons and daughter, mothers and fathers, sacrifice in a different way. Their sacrifices are seen on faces worn with worry of a loved one’s safety.  It is the sacrifice of parenting children without the aid of a spouse. Theirs is the sacrifice of not having mom or dad hear your solo at the choir concert or see your first home run.  And the sacrifice on the home front is most deeply felt, as flag draped coffins arrive at home.

On this Memorial Day, I invite you to seek out those on the home front who experience the sacrifice in a different way. Thank family members, for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make.  Reach out, offer your love, your support, your comfort, your hands and your heart.  And as you encounter those who mourn the loss of life, let your presence, your listening ear, and your embrace be known in the midst of their pain and grief.  Never let those on the home front forget the gratitude you have for the sacrifices that they have made.

The final lesson of my shadow box, is that every service member hopes that their conflict, their war, their battle might be the last.  I believe that was the case for my grandfather.  His hope, like the hope of many in his generation was that World War II was the war to end all wars, and yet that was not the case.  And yet there remains hope, a long seated hope that there is no more war. The prophet Isaiah speaks of such hope in speaking of God’s reign when he proclaims, “He shall judge between the nations,and shall arbitrate for many peoples;  they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”(Isaiah 2:4) 

Now I know why I was selected to receive the gift of the shadow box with the picture of an eager yet anxious sailor, and his I.D. bracelet with the reminder of his sweetheart.  So that I would remember, be grateful, and celebrate the gifts of justice, freedom and liberty that others have secured for me. 

May God bless your memories, your gratitude and your celebration .  May God bless America.

Around The Table…Life Together!

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”  Acts 2:46-47a

How come it always seems that when company comes for a visit, most of the time is spent in the kitchen or around the kitchen table?  I know that to be true  of our home, and in the home in which I grew up.  Even when we went to grandparents homes, or the homes of aunts, uncles, and cousins, we seemed to gather around the kitchen table, and then linger there for hours on end.  Dear reader of these Passing Thoughts, does this sound familiar?

Together around the table, thoughts are shared, wisdom is dispensed, concerns are expressed, and laughter is served as if it were the main dish.  Important news is often shared at the kitchen table.  At the  kitchen table of our home, the highs and lows, joys and sorrows of the day are told and talked about.  Our kitchen tables are  not only a place to  nourish our bodies with food, but also satisfy our souls with sharing and support.

In the early Christian Church, we are told that those who believed in Jesus spent much time together in the temple, and then returned to their homes to break bread together.  Early Christian fellowship was occurring around the table.  I really don’t feel I know a person until I have the opportunity to share a meal with them.  I wonder if the same was true for the early Christians of whom Luke writes in the book of Acts.  Maybe these believers who were worshiping with each other, as they were leaving worship said to each other, “Hey, we’ve really got a great deal on fish, olives, and bread this week at the market, why don’t you come over and we can get to know each other better.”  Luke does tell us that these first Christians broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and generous hearts.

At the end of the Emmaus road journey, the two disciples with whom Jesus traveled, invited him in for the night to have a bite to eat.  I think they wanted to get to know him  a bit better.  And as he broke and blessed the bread, they knew in that instant that they indeed were with Jesus.  As he was revealed to them in a simple evening meal, he is revealed to us as we gather around the communion table and share life…his life…together.

I am so grateful that we worship a God who dines with us.  One who will sit around the kitchen table to teach us, to share life, love and laughter with us.  So this week pull up a chair and join your family, friends, neighbors and strangers, around the table.

Just Another Passing Thought!

PT

Plowing and Preparing The Soil of Our Souls

“For as the earth brings forth shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.”  Isaiah 61:11

There is a change going on in the landscape through which I daily travel the rural roads from my home in New Ulm, Minnesota to the congregation I am serving in Windom, Minnesota.  Many of the fields are drying up after winter’s heavy blanket has receded and left its gift of moisture. This morning I watched as farmer and tractor broke up densely compacted soil, making it ready to receive the precious gift of the seed.  It has been a long winter, a wet spring, and now the planting season is upon us, as the soil is tilled and turned and seeds are placed into the ground.

Plowing In Southern Minnesota

Now, I am not a farmer.  I am a city kid.  But I do have great admiration and respect for the labor of those who till, plant, cultivate, and harvest.  In many ways their lives and labors of farmers serves as a living parable of how the good news of God is to be lived out and shared in our lives.

On the farms in Southwestern Minnesota, it is now the season of preparation and planting. The compacted soil is now being loosened, under the blades of plows.  In this work, the soil is being made ready to receive the seed.  We too, need to be made ready to receive the seed of the good news of God.  For some of us our hearts are hard, and are not quite ready yet to receive the message of the goodness of God’s grace.  Circumstances an situations in our lives may have compacted the soil of our souls to the point that the seeds of grace simply bounce off of us, getting little chance to sprout and grow.  But God is a persistent farmer and God goes to work tilling up the soil of hard hearts, making us ready to receive goodness and grace.

I think of how God places truth tellers in my life, who help me to see my faults and failings, and that I can not correct them on my own. These are the people who hold me accountable for my actions, not out of spite, anger or scorn, but rather in love. Their counsel breaks open the hard clay of my heart which too often is compacted by my stubbornness and striving for self-reliance.  Once the hard crust is turned over, then I am ready to receive the seed of God’s grace.

Soon plows will be replaced by planters. The grain will be sown into the ground, with the hope and promise of bringing forth shoots.  For the farmer this requires trust and faith.  Once the seed is settled securely in the soil, then only God can provide the growth. The farmer trusts that sunshine, warmth, and just the right amount of moisture will cause the seed to die and new life to spring forth and break through the ground. 

In much the same way, so it is with our lives. The seed of God’s Word is planted in us, and then God gets to work again.  God plants within us seeds of faith, just at the right depth so sprouts can grow.  God warms the humus of our hearts to receive love, forgiveness and grace, and then such seeds sprout and grow.

 At their earliest appearance above the soil, the sprouts are the most vulnerable, and the farmer must tend and care for them, protecting them from weed and weather.  So too must the young sprouts of faith be cared for and protected. These young sprouts of faith can be easily damaged by self-righteousness, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, and apathy.  In the church, we are invited to tend to these vulnerable sprouts by nurturing, encouraging, equipping and supporting those whose faith has just begun to sprout.

In all of this, there is the farmer, a good and gracious God, whose love for the beauty of the garden is immeasurable. To care for and tend to all the shoots, God sends his Son, to shine upon the garden, and cause the shoots to grow, as they stretch towards his light.  And God also invites us, to tend to one another, as we are God’s pleasant planting, so that  righteousness and praise will spring up before all the nations.

Just Another Passing Thought!

The Stone

The Stone Has Been Rolled Away!

This post is for all my friends who missed hearing my Easter Rhyming Sermon

“The Stone”

By Rev. Todd A. Nelsen

Easter Sunday 2011

 

The stone, rolled to close the mouth of the grave,

The stone, could not imprison the one who would save.

The stone, meant to seal the burial room,

Was rolled far away from the mouth of the tomb.

 

Rocks and stones have long been part of sacred history,

But on this first day of the week, a stone revealed the mystery.

A mystery and a miracle now some two-thousand years old,

A mystery and a miracle which just has to be told.

 

Actually the mystery began with Jesus’ birth,

As God came to dwell with the people of earth.

In Jesus, God put on flesh and became one of us,

But he didn’t come as a royal who’d required much fuss.

 

No he came to this world in a most humble way,

So humble in fact, he was born in the hay.

Born to  regular parents who trusted a promise from above,

That the gift of their child was the proof of God’s love.

 

God’s love for a world, which lived in darkness and fright,

Now Jesus had come to be the true light.

The true light that would shine in every dark place,

And through God’s only Son Jesus the world would know grace.

 

The world would know grace and a truth that’s unmeasured,

Truth of God’s kingdom, a place to be treasured.

So God gave the world Jesus, his only Son,

But from the very beginning, it wasn’t clear that he was the one.

 

The one called Messiah, the Anointed, the Christ,Israel’s King,

Since he had no scepter, held no court, nor wore a royal ring.

 His scepter was God’s Word and his court was a rag tagged band,

Of common folk and fisherman and those who would stand,

 

Stand out in a crowd of the religious and pure,

Fishermen and tax collectors were sinners for sure.

Now his message was not about power and might,

Nor did he preach a message of fright.

 

 

 

Rather he spoke of serving and loving the least,

He preached about gathering all at the feast,

The feast at God’s table, in God’s grand banquet hall,

Where all God’s children were welcomed, the great and the small.

 

Indeed Jesus was not the type of king the people thought they would get,

He didn’t follow the rules that were set,

Set by the Pharisees and Scribes, the religious elite,

Who interpreted the laws about how and with whom one should eat. 

 

Jesus didn’t fit the mold of Messiah, that they had conceived,

The company he kept made them believe,

That this Jesus of Nazareth, was not the one God had chosen to send,

So they plotted and planed to bring about an end.

 

An end to his preaching, his ministry and fame,

For the word of him spread, and many knew of his name.

Wherever he went a crowd would appear right out of the blue,

And they would listen intently, since his message was new.

 

Instead of God’s wrath, he spoke of God’s mercy, of justice and peace.

Jesus told all the crowds that God’s love never would cease.

And those folks in the crowds, they cherished his words,

But those in authority though him absurd.

 

For those teachers of the law believed they knew much better,

That to get right with God, meant to follow each letter,

Each letter of the law, even the tiniest stroke,

For the law was the answer, and that was no joke.

 

But Jesus spoke of blessings upon the weak and the poor,

Life is about giving, he said, and not storing up more.

For the last would be first, and the first would be last,

To love God and you neighbor was what the law asked.

 

Now the words that he spoke were not far off platitudes,

His actions spoke volumes of a servant like attitude.

He would care for the sick, the blind and the lame,

Healing them all, by using God’s name.

 

His love was for all people, and not just the winners.

For the company he kept was mostly poor sinners.

And when the Pharisees would condemn, grumble and groan,

Jesus said, “Let the one with out sin, cast the first stone.”

 

 

For you see Jesus knew that sin kept all people apart,

And it had always been like that, right from the start.

And no matter what people did to be put right with the master

They always fell short, their plans were a disaster.

 

Because to be put right with God took more than just prayers,

It took more than a tithe or self-righteous stares.

It took more than keeping laws written in days gone by,

To be put right with God would require Jesus to die.

 

And that’s just what had happened, Jesus died on a cross.

Sinless he died, a such terrible loss.

His death came about because the Pharisees were jealous,

They said, “He thinks he’s is God, that attitude’s rebellious.”

 

So they plotted and schemed, to bring Jesus down.

They would have him arrested, tied up and bound.

But how could they do it, could they take him by stealth?

The task would be hard, he’d made a name for himself.

 

They would have to arrest him when the crowds were not near,

Because he was loved by the crowds, and they should be feared.

For earlier in the week the Pharisees could see for themselves,  that he was adored,

As the crowds cried, “Hosanna! Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

 

He died as the result of the Pharisees scheming,

They had stirred up the crowds and started them screaming,

“Crucify, crucify, we all want him dead!”

So they mocked him and beat him and put thorns on his head.

 

Then they led him out to the hill at cruelCalvary,

And they nailed him to a cross so all who passed by would see,

That there on the cross he held no royal state,

And the Pharisees came to scorn him and murmured their hate,

 

“He saved others,” they said under their breath,

“If he is really is God’s son, let God save him from death.”

But in his obedience, Jesus suffered there on the cross,

And as he drew his last breath, it appeared that he had lost.

 

So they took down his body and placed it in a rock hewn tomb,

And that Friday ended with a deep sense of gloom.

At the mouth of the tomb they placed a great stone,

Then all of the on lookers returned to their homes.

 

 

Then the night had passed, and so had the Sabbath day,

Then on the following mornings some of the women went on their way,

To do for Jesus their master and friend,

And anoint him with spices because that is what’s done at the end,

 

So carrying their spices, they returned to the tomb,

Only to find the stone rolled away, and the grave an empty room.

For Jesus’ body was missing, much to their surprise,

Just then a man dressed in white told them that Jesus did rise.

 

Sitting a top that rolled away stone, in clothes of dazzling white,

He spoke to the women and told them there was no reason for fright.

He is risen from the dead, see where he did lay?”

“He is risen from the dead, this is resurrection day!”

 

For Jesus was not there, he was risen just as the man had said,

A stone covered tomb could not hold him, he had risen from the dead.

No longer in grief, the women ran from the tomb,

To find the other disciples who hid themselves in the dark upper room.

 

And as they were running to tell of this story,

They ran into Jesus still in his glory.

They bowed had his feet and worshipped him there,

Then he sent them on their way with this good news to share.

 

That he was alive, he is risen from the tomb.

There is no reason for sorrow, no reason for gloom

He is alive the stone is rolled away,

And now is the time to shout all the day,

 

Alleluia, Christ is risen!  He is risen from the dead!

Alleluia, Christ is risen!The ever living head!

Alleluia, he is living! He lives and reigns with God on high!

Alleluia, he is living!  We will never truly die!

 

So on this day of resurrection, let Jesus roll your stone away,

Let your voices ring out, let all God’s people say.

Alleluia to God and the Son he has raised!

Alleluia for new life, and may God ever be praised. 
Amen