May 4, 2022
Wednesdays are always special days. Busy, but special.
Yet, today was even more special for our Godson - his first band concert.
Way to go Simon! You're looking very dapper for your big day!
Blessings. And prayers.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Day #3045
May 3, 2022
Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. (NRSV)
Once while speaking to the Jews, they asked Jesus to tell them plainly who he is - no guessing, no parables, no “signs,” just plain talk. Jesus said they did not believe what they witnessed of who Jesus was because they were not his sheep, meaning they could not recognize his voice. Harsh words? Perhaps. But I wonder just how we are to “know” Jesus’ voice.
It made me think about a friend’s dog, Sandy, who escaped her yard one day long ago and was picked up by Animal Control. My friend had to work, so I went to the pound to see if Sandy was there. As I walked by the various cages, I came to one where there were several dogs, all of them barking and jumping, trying to get my attention. All except for the one who sat in the back, head down and trembling. It was her. I spoke one word - Sandy - and she immediately came running toward me. She knew my voice, that I was safe and would take care of her.
But how did she know my voice so well? I had spent lots of time with her, playing and correcting and getting to know her and her me. There was no doubt I was a friend.
Perhaps our spending time with Jesus in scripture, prayer, worship, and among others helps us know him as a friend and savior, also.
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3044
May 2, 2022
Now here is a smile for the week:
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3043
May 1, 2022
The calendar has once again turned and today we celebrate May Day.
I am grateful for the number of saints who gathered for worship on this special day. And for the kind May Day note I received! Thank you!
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3042
April 30, 2022
On this date in 1987, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America began. During the opening session of the Constituting Convention in Columbus, OH, the new ELCA constitution was adopted.
The picture below includes Bishops David Preus (left), James Crumley, Jr. (right), and Will Herzfeld (hidden) as they fill a communion vessel to symbolize the three merging church bodies (the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America) forming one church. Herbert W. Chilstrom (who was elected the first bishop of the new body) looks on from behind the altar.
This photo and information is courtesy of the Lutheran Standard, ELCA Archives.
In these thirty-five years there has been richness, joy, turmoil, and schism. Certainly there is much the church needs (and can) do to be faithful in sharing God’s message with the world. Yet, today, we celebrate and say, Happy Anniversary.
So on this Satisfied Saturday, I am thankful for the wisdom and God's guidance that led to forming this church body. It is a privilege to serve as a pastor in the ELCA alongside many wonderful people/saints.
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3041
April 29, 2022
It has been a very long time since I was invited to a bachelorette dinner. A VERY long time! Yet, today I had the opportunity to do this very thing to celebrate with a colleague and friend. The wedding is a few weeks away, but the celebrations have begun.
I look forward to continuing to walk this path with my friend. She certainly deserves to be happy.
Blessings. And prayers.
PS Guess the answer to the riddle on Monday (see Day #3037) was that it would snow. And so it did. Ahhh...springtime in MT!
Day #3040
April 28, 2022
All I can say is that as these next weeks progress, the saying goodbye is bound to only get more difficult. Today included colleagues who have also become good friends over the years, along with members who have been very supportive.
The process is necessary, for all of us, yet I pray: Lord, give me graciousness and strength.
Blessings. And prayers.
Saturday, May 7, 2022
Day #3039
April 27, 2022
On her next to last Wednesday with the “guys” at Men’s Square breakfast and Bible Study, there was laughter when our Intern was teased by me with a silly answer to her question about the Gospel reading for Sunday. The text tells us that when the disciples put down the nets at Jesus’ urging, they caught 153 fish, but the nets did not tear.
Admittedly this is a strange detail and we are not certain what it means. However, my “quip” answer to her question, “What about this detail,” was that the net had a tag on it that said, capacity is 150 fish. That made it easy to count how many there were.
She took the teasing well. Me? I am sorry, I just could not help myself.
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3038
April 26, 2022
Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from John 21:3: Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (NRSV)
Jesus appeared to his disciples in Jerusalem, but was not finished. He soon met them by the Sea of Tiberias. The disciples, meanwhile, had returned to something familiar. Peter led the pack - “I am going fishing” and try to make sense of this whole new thing. The rest followed him, but their all-night effort yielded nothing.
Jesus was still not finished, however. He gave them work to do, beginning with a focus on Peter - feed my lambs and tend my sheep. This activity, with the help of Jesus who would always lead them, would yield an unbelievable “catch.”
Which begs the question, what about us? Do we stick with the familiar, even though it yields nothing? Or do we step into the future bravely following Jesus, doing what he has called us to do, and let down our nets of fear, feelings of scarcity and feelings of dread, trusting we are not ever alone?
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3037
April 25, 2022
This smile for the week seems really appropriate for springtime here in Montana:
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3036
April 24, 2022
As the time nears for our intern to complete her time with the congregation, I asked if she would preach on this first Sunday after Easter. The text is always the same, poor Thomas who was not with the disciples when they saw the resurrected Jesus (see Day #3031). Yet, today our intern made an interesting connection in the verses that follow today's reading - that the smell of the charcoal fire that Jesus sat beside on the shore in his next appearance to the disciples is what helped them recognize him.
It occurred to me how many sights, smells, and sounds we have explored over Lent and Easter this year - ashes and Holy Communion on Ash Wednesday, the sounds of Holy Week like anointing oil, nails being hammered into Jesus’ flesh on the cross and the shutting of the tomb, to name a few. Could another smell really have been what brought the disciples to recognition and realization?
What about us? What about those who have never seen the physical Jesus - how might we recognize his presence? Could it be the smell of bread and wine, or the feel of water, the aroma of anointing oil, or a bit of them all? Hmmm...
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3035
April 23, 2022
On this Satisfied Saturday, I give thanks for books, especially on the anniversary of World Book Day. Begun on April 23, 1995, World Book Day was created as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. According to the website (see World Book Day), "...World Book Day founder, Baroness Gail Rebuck, recalls, ‘We wanted to do something to reposition reading and our message is the same today as it was then - that reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting, and has the power to transform lives.’”
What a wonderful day to celebrate! How grateful I am to be able to read and to also be married to someone who loves to read!
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3034
April 22, 2022
Spending a few days at the foot of gorgeous mountains, enjoying watching wildlife in their natural habitat, and driving home in the nourishing rain, seems the best way to celebrate Earth Day.
Yet, Earth Day is really about maintaining the earth, caring for it to the best of our ability, and passing the greatest possible earth on to the next generation and the next.
Oh Lord, teach us to be good stewards of your creation, for you and for all your creatures’ sake.
Blessings. And prayers.
Day #3033
April 21, 2022
As we wind down another Chico Pastor’s Conference, there is still time for good conversation and good food. This dish, for example, was not only pretty to look at, but delicious to eat - shrimp and grits.
Blessings. And prayers.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Day #3032
April 20, 2022
This written by Allison Wehrung from the “think” portion of the devotion d365 had me pondering:
Put yourself in Mary’s sandals, and imagine being the first one to share, “I’ve seen the Lord!” How would you feel? Confident? Nervous? Excited? Uncomfortable? A little bit of all of it? Our particular shoes might vary these days, but we can still follow in Mary’s footsteps. Where have you seen God lately? Spend some time today thinking about how you might share about it in your own words.
Good thoughts and questions, huh!?!?
Also, at our annual (back in person after two years of COVID cancellations) pastor’s conference at Chico following Easter, we had some free-time to venture into Yellowstone National Park. We were not disappointed. We saw lots of deer and elk, a wolf, and this...
Wow! What an amazing day!
Blessings. And prayers.
PS This picture was taken safely from the car window! No way was I getting out with this grizzly that close!
Day #3031
April 19, 2022
Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from John 20:24: But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. (NRSV)
I have often puzzled over why Thomas was not with the rest of the disciples in the locked room as the day of Jesus’ resurrection ended. Where was he? Had he run away in fear? Did he need some time alone to process all that happened? Did he return to his family for comfort and solace? Wherever he was, he missed Jesus appearing to the disciples and granting them peace.
Yet, Thomas’ time would come for an opportunity to see - and touch - the resurrected Jesus, just as his buddies had done. Jesus would not leave him without the reassurance that a new thing had begun, that Jesus had not left them forever.
How do you imagine that assurance changed Thomas? How would it change you to KNOW, without doubt, that Jesus loves you and your loved ones enough to make certain you know it?
I invite you, therefore, to receive this assurance - you are a beloved child of God! How might you now go and share that love with others?
Blessings. And prayers.
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