February 7, 2021 - Super Bowl Sunday

First Lutheran Church

February 7, 2021

Super Bowl Sunday

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

The appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Matthew 4:18-22

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

“The Two Minute Sermon”

(Today’s sermon will be presented in the form of a “drama.”  Here’s the script!)

Announcer:  There's two minutes left in this incredible game and the score is tied.   Both teams have been impressive today and with two minutes to go - this could go either way!  The two-minute warning is over and we're ready to resume the action.  Pastor Greg is in the pulpit and we're ready to go.   

Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …

Pastor Greg: There is an urgency in today's readings.  Paul writes, "the appointed time has grown short."  And the disciples respond "immediately" when Jesus calls out to them, "follow me."    (Pause) Time Out!

Referee:  Time Out for the offense.  You have one time out remaining. 

(Clock shows 1:34 remaining in the game)

The Offense huddles up …

Pastor Greg: Let’s huddle up in a breakout room.

Deenna:  What happened?

Pastor Greg:  I didn't recognize the defensive alignment.  They shifted some of their key players, and one was hidden in a three-point stance behind that person that sleeps all the time. 

(Shot of person asleep in the pew)

Pastor Jasmine:  OK that's a good time out.  Let's try a new approach, see if we can catch them off guard.

Deena:  How about a joke?   That'll get them!

Pastor Greg:  Yeah, but I don't think I have a joke for this situation.

Deenna:  I do!

Pastor Jasmine:  I don't know.

Deenna:  No, I got a good one.

Pastor Greg:  I don't know, remember the last time you told a joke.

Deenna:  This time will be different, I got a good one.

(Pause)

Deenna: Come on team, let me give it the old college try.

Pastor Jasmine:  Well, Ok, Let's do it.

Pastor Jasmine: We have a substitution. Deenna will be coming in to the game for Pastor Greg.

Announcer:  That's a surprise, Deenna is coming into the game.  She's a lot smaller than Pastor Greg.  But don't let her size fool you.  She can be extremely tough when she needs to be.  It looks like she's ready to go.  

Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …

Deenna: Once upon a time, there was this really inquisitive kid, and one day he picked up his parent's alarm clock and just through it out the window.  His parents asked him, "Why'd you do that?"  He responded, "I wanted to see time fly."

Referee: Incomplete pass.  Clock stops with 1:05 remaining in the game.

Announcer:  That was awful.  She wasn't even close with that one.

Pastor Greg: Let’s huddle up again.

The Offense huddles up …

Pastor Greg: Well, that didn't work.

Pastor Jasmine:  If we can't make them laugh, - let's scare them.

Deenna: Yeh, that'll work.  They'll never suspect “that” in a Lutheran Church.

Pastor Greg:  OK, go for it!

Announcer:  Someone new is coming up to the pulpit.  I don't recognize her.  She's the newest member of the team, the Intern Pastor.  She just joined the team a few months ago.  We don't know much about her.   Let's see what she's got! 

Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …

Pastor Jasmine:  Repent!  Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.  The time is upon us, the day is almost over, judgment is near.  Are you going to heaven, or are you going to Hell?

(Penalty flag is thrown)

Referee:  We have a penalty against the offense, illegal doctrine - 15 yards.  Clock stops with :52 remaining.

Announcer:  The officials are on top of their game today.  They caught them quickly on that one.   The preacher is called to proclaim the good news of God's loving grace.  And that was clearly an attempt to scare the defense into a relationship with Christ.   I'm glad the official caught that one, there's no room for that kind of stuff here at First Lutheran Church.  It's not a good strategy, even if it would have been allowed, that kind of preaching is never successful in the long run.

The Offense huddles up …

Pastor Greg:  OK let's settle down, we're starting to panic.

Deenna: Let's review the situation.

Pastor Jasmine:  It’s the beginning of a new year.

Deenna:  People are beginning to make plans for the year.

Pastor Greg. They’re starting to think about life after the pandemic.

Pastor Jasmine: They’re hoping for a new beginning.

Deenna: Looking for new ways to use their time and resources.

Pastor Greg: Last year was tough and everybody wants to make the most out of this year.

Deenna: They all want to make the best of it.

Pastor Jasmine: Let’s go with a story on time management.

Pastor Greg:  Great idea, do you have a story?

Pastor Jasmine: I do.

Pastor Greg:  Let’s break this huddle and get back in the game!  On three, 1, 2, 3, …

All: Go Team!

(Jasmine steps up to the pulpit)

Pastor Jasmine:  There's nothing like watching a great quarterback move his team down the field to a winning touchdown in the last two minutes of a game.  Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers have all been known to perform miracles in those last two minutes.  Great quarterbacks are able to manage the last two minutes of a game.  To do this they must know the situation, their talents, and the gifts of their team.  They know where they are on the field, they keep track of the time, they remind others of the situation, they articulate the goal for rest of the team.  They are focused.  But even the greatest quarterback can't move the ball down the field by himself.  It has to be a team effort.  To get the most out of time, to accomplish your objective in life; - you need to know the situation, you need to know your goal, you need to know yourself, and most importantly you need to be a part of a team that is seeking after the same goal.

(Parishioners start pulling out their phone and begin to nervously scroll through their email, messages and calendar apps.)

Referee: We have a personal foul on the defense!

(Flag flies in front of person with phone) 

Clock stops with :37 to go in the game

Announcer:  They knocked the defense back on their heels with that one!  They got caught pulling out their phone, checking their messages and their calendar.  They looked nervous.   And they weren't the only one, I saw quite a few of the defense players anxiously scrolling through their hand-held devices. The defense is getting worried.  The momentum has begun to change.

The Offense huddles up …

Pastor Jasmine:  OK we got them where we want them now.

Deenna: Let's go for a score.

Pastor Greg:  No, not yet, we need to really set them up.

Deenna:  Put me back in the game,  Let’s see if we can wake up that those people who have fallen asleep.

(shot of people asleep in the pew)

Pastor Jasmine: Let's wake them up.

Announcer:  It looks like Deenna’s coming pack into the pulpit.  I don’t know what she’s up to, but you can bet she's not going to tell another joke!  

Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …

Deenna:  Time, do you realize how precious it is?  There are 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, and 8,736 hours in a year, by the time someone is 65 years old they will have lived 567, 840 hours.  And if you sleep eight hours a day, and work 8 hours a day, you will lose two thirds of those hours, leaving only 189, 280 hours to be used freely in your life.   I know it was a bad joke, but sometimes time really does seem to fly.  It makes you wonder.  How do you want to use the precious hours that make up your life?

Parishioner:  Time Out!

Referee: Time out Defense. Clock stops with :05 seconds left.

Announcer:  Ooh, that one hurt.  You could hear the groans all the way up here in the announcers booth.  The defense is in trouble now.

Parishioner:  I'm afraid that they're right.  There's so much more I want to do with my life.  So many opportunities that I'll never have again.  And during this past year, the pandemic stole so many hours from me.  I wanted to use my time more creatively, but I ended up just watching more TV.  I really wanted to do so much more.  Where has all the time gone?  What are we going to do?

The Offense huddles up …

Pastor Greg: OK now we're ready to score.

Pastor Jasmine: Let's run a gospel message right up the middle.

Deenna: They're all awake.

Pastor Jasmine:  They're ready to hear it.

Pastor Greg:  OK, Lets run an I-right, fullback lead, Gospel blast up the middle, on Two!

Ready, 1,2,3

All: Go Team!

Announcer:  There's not too much time left only 5 seconds.  This could be the game.  Pastor Greg is back up in the pulpit, he's ready to go. 

Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …

Pastor Greg:  In the world in which we live "time" can make us anxious, it can distort things, it can put pressure on us, and ultimately it can defeat us.  It's called “Chronos” time, a straight line that moves ever so quickly forward.  Yet there is another kind of time, God's time, “Kairos time,” the fullness of time. 

Today God invites us to live in this time.  For in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we enter into a newness of time.  Time becomes a gift.  "To do lists" turn into opportunities instead of obligations.  We are no longer pitted against the clock but instead are set free to live in the moments. 

So how do we get to Kairos time, and how do we stay in it?

The fullness of time is a gift from God, a gift of faith.  So, when we nurture our faith, we find ourselves in Kairos time.  There are a few ways you can nurture your faith. 

One, faith is nurtured in worship, in the hearing of God's word and the celebration of the sacraments.   In moments of song, mystery, prayer, and silence our life is put back into perspective, we are able to focus, and be free.  Faith takes over.  Kairos time.

Two, our faith is nurtured by the gift of each other.  A person is a person because of other people, the body of Christ, our life together, the powerful presence of God in our life lived out in community - nurtures our faith.  Together we remind each other what is really important, we support each other's faithfulness.   As we share our hopes and dreams, our struggles and pains with each other, faith becomes active, and we find ourselves in the fullness of time, open to the possibilities of God. Kairos time.

And Three, our faith is nurtured in acts of service, in loving our neighbors.  Everything, including time, is put into perspective when we practice love, when we reach out to those in need, when we stretch our life into and beyond the margins.  Life is not measured by Chronos time, but is truly measured by love, Kairos time.

So, may we all be drawn by the Spirit to worship, to community, and to service.  And may these things awaken and strengthen our faith, setting us free to live in the fullness of time, God’s time, Kairos time. Amen!

(Referee signals touchdown)

(Game Clock shows :00)

The End!

January 31st - The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

First Lutheran Church

January 31, 2021 + Epiphany 4B

Mark 1:21-28. 21(Jesus and his disciples) went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

“Amazing”

“They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority!’” 

When was the last time you were “amazed?”  When was the last time you were left speechless, astonished, or astounded?  When was the last time you experienced some serious “awe and wonder?”  Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of a while for me.  Things are not so “amazing” these days.  I don’t know about you, but I have found life under pandemic to be a little boring, wearisome, a bit anxious, and at times very depressing.  I don’t feel like anything “amazing” has happened to me for a long time.

In today’s gospel an “amazing” thing happens in the synagogue.  Jesus shows up and teaches in a way that the scribes never were able to do, and this teaching awakens a demon within one of the congregants, and that leads to a dramatic conflict.  When was the last time you were “amazed” at church?  When was the last time you were “amazed” at church on Zoom or while watching YouTube?

Today I find myself wondering where all the “amazement” in life has gone.  Today I am wondering how I might find my way into this story, and in doing so somehow once again become “astounded” and “amazed!”

Perhaps the easiest way to find our way into the story is through the congregants, the people who have gathered together in the synagogue on the sabbath.  That’s a familiar activity, we’ve all done that!  It’s been a while, but we used to get up on Sunday mornings, drive over to church, and gather together in the sanctuary.  And we still gather, albeit in a different way.  Over the past few months, we have gathered up in front of our computers and our phones. 

But even so, and even back then in the good old days when we used to gather in person, our gathering together didn’t always lead to “amazement.”  Even though some of the sermons, I have to say, were pretty good, “astounding” is a pretty tall order.  And as for dramatic conflict, sometimes the pews get moved around, leading to some tense moments of juggling for seating positions, but I have never seen any conflict that rises to the level of “angels verses demons!” 

No, church is nice, even meaningful, but I’m not sure about “amazing.”  Comparing our experience with the folks who gathered together in the synagogue on the fateful day when Jesus came to town, is probably not going to get us very far into the story.  If we truly want to engage with this story, we need to find another angle, another character with whom we might identify, another shared experience that might open up the word to us.

So it is that we must consider another route into the story.  And unfortunately, that leaves us with only one other real choice, “the person with an unclean spirit.”   At first glance I’m not sure that’s the direction I really want to go, “the person with an unclean spirit.”   I certainly don’t identify with this character.  Yet I don’t think we have another choice.  Jesus maybe, but that doesn’t feel right.  So, I guess it’s the man possessed by a demon. Who knows, perhaps, this might be the character that gets us inside the story and on the way to amazement?   It’s worth a shot!

As I began to look for ways to engage “the person with an unclean spirit,” I soon realized this would be no easy task, being able to find ourselves in “this person” is extremely problematic.   On the surface level, unclean spirits and demons are just not a part of our “modern” understanding of the world.  It’s not a “language” that is familiar to us.  It’s not something to which we can easily relate.  This is the “character” that we more often than not - just skip over, a character that we relegate to another time and place, a character that makes no real claim on our life. 

Yet if we take the time to unpack the context and language, if we move beyond the literal and into the metaphorical, this person just might be more familiar to us than we have ever imagined.  Contemporary theologians invite us to consider “demons” and “unclean spirits” as representations or metaphors for some of the great issues and problems we face in our modern life.  This might include things like mental illness, personalities flaws, medical conditions, or chemical dependencies.  We might also include our communal struggles with the social media malaise and a plethora of societal evils.  Many New Testament scholars argue that spirits and demons in the scriptures are metaphors for anything that might influence, dominate, or destroy us.  Things like anger, fear, lust, greed, hatred, or jealousy.   The mythical language found in today’s gospel might be foreign to us, but the realities that they describe and name, are still all too familiar in the human condition.  

Which brings us to perhaps the main reason why “the person with an unclean spirit” is a problematic character for us to relate to, to find ourselves in.  You see, to enter into this particular “story” through this particular “character” means acknowledging and facing our own unclean spirits and demons.  And that’s not something we all like to do!  But truth be told, whether we like it or not, - we all have them!  So maybe that’s the direction we should go this morning, maybe we should face our shadows, maybe we should do some critical self-examination; Because maybe that’s the way to an encounter with “amazing.”  And I’d like to be “amazed!”

If you think about “the person with an unclean spirit” is probably the person who has the most amazing experience in the story.  The others were surely astounded, but this man must have been “truly amazed.”  If you take a moment to unpack the word “amazement” you can’t help but notice that it contains the word “maze.”  These words are related.  According to Etymologists, to be lost in a “maze” is to experience bewilderment, confusion, misapprehension, misbelief, and to be exhausted in your labors with all these things.  To be “amazed” is to suddenly be overwhelmed or confounded with surprise or wonder, to find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly set free from the malaise of the maze.  And this movement from “maze” to “amazing” is the actual story of “the person with an unclean spirit.”  He encounters Jesus lost in the maze of his own particular human condition and emerges, most likely “bewildered,” on the other side, - suddenly saved, healed, transformed, set free.

Today God invites us all to begin the journey to true “amazement.”  Not to be “amazed” from a far, not to watch an “amazing” show from the balcony seats, but rather to experience “amazement” personally from the inside out!  Today God invites us to place ourselves in the story of “the person with an unclean spirit,” to bravely venture off to church, to risk being uncomfortable, to be vulnerable to Jesus, to listen to the word made flesh, and to be open to a living word sharper than a two-edged sword that speaks the truth.  

In today’s Gospel we are reminded that this word does not come to us as judgment but ultimately as an invitation to healing.  So let us not be afraid to allow the “demons” in our life to be named, to expose them to the light of Christ, and to the powerful love of God.  Of course, this is never easy, such critical self-examination, deep honest confession, can lead to fear and convulsion in the pit of our stomach.  But be of good courage, and make the journey trusting in the unconditional love of God, that you know and have experienced, in Christ Jesus.  And be prepared to be “amazed.”

“Amazing Grace,” those two words go together perfectly.  We all must travel through a variety of mazes in our life, we must all struggle with our lot in the human condition, the line between life and death, good and evil, faith and doubt, runs down the middle of every heart.  In the midst of it all, sometimes we make good decisions and sometimes we make bad decisions, sometimes circumstances leave us with limited choices, we all have personality quirks, we all have genes that are healthy and genes that are not so healthy, blessings and curses, we have moments filled with courage and moments filled with fear.  That’s life.  We must all travel through a variety of “mazes” in our life.  Yet today we are reminded that Christ is present, that God has descended into our life, not to judge us but to save us.  Jesus has come down among us to lead us from the depths of the “maze” to the heights of “amazement.” 

The story of “the person with an unclean spirit” ultimately ends with a person surprised and overwhelmed by love, stunned and bewildered by mercy, and finally and forever - “amazed” by grace!  May this also be “our story” too! Amen.

January 24, 2020

“Heavenly Stars”

January 24, 2021

Pastor Greg Ronning

The Psalmist writes, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?  Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:3-5)

Since ancient times the people of earth have looked up into the night sky with “awe and wonder.”  There’s nothing that compares with stargazing up in the mountains on a crystal-clear night.  Away from the lights of civilization the heavens explode in glory.  Looking up at the brilliant stars we are reminded of the vastness of the universe.  We are reminded that our planet is but a small rock in the midst of it all.  And that we, as individuals, are just a mere speck in the whole cosmos.  Yet at the same time, the stars that shine down upon us also remind us that we are not alone in the universe, the light in the darkness reminds us that we are loved. The stars bear witness to the God of all creation who in the fullness of time became flesh to be among us, full of grace and truth, in Jesus.

The stars not only point us to the heavens, but they have also served humanity in practical ways.  Before GPS and radar, the “North Star” provided a fixed point in the heavens, it was the hub that all the other stars seemed to rotate around, making it extremely useful for navigation, especially for sailors out at sea.  The “North Star” provided orientation and guidance, it told you where you were and where you were headed.  This unique star also took on a symbolic meaning for humanity.  To have a “North Star” is to have a guiding principle.  As a community of faith, the followers of Jesus, our “North Star” has always been the life and teachings of Jesus, the death and resurrection of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven.  We are guided in our life and calling by Christ.  Christ is our “North Star.”

And in the season of Epiphany, we are reminded of another star, the so-called “Epiphany Star.”  This star appeared in the heavens at the time of Jesus birth and led the Magi to the place where they would find the Messiah, the Christ, a babe lying in a manger, wrapped in bands of cloth.  Metaphorical “Epiphany Stars” come and go in the various seasons of our life, as communities and as individuals, guiding us in our unique calling as the followers of Jesus.  They appear on the horizon when we are searching for meaning and purpose.  They appear in the sky when we need direction.  They begin to shine, when we feel lost.  They lead us on the adventure and journey that is our life in Christ.

This Sunday we gather for our annual meeting.  We have the business of the church to do, we must approve our budget and elect church council leaders.  But we also gather to affirm the direction of our ministry and dedicate ourselves to our calling as a community of faith at this time and place. 

As we begin another year, still challenged with the ongoing pandemic, I am thankful that we have a “North Star.”  Our foundation is securely placed in Christ.  The life of Jesus, his teachings and his actions, his call to love and serve, remain our guiding principles.  And his death and resurrection, informs and enlightens, and gives depth and meaning to our core understanding of life. 

And I am thankful for our “Epiphany Star,” our mission statement for this season of our life which has guided us through the struggles and difficulties of this past year and is leading us boldly and confidently into this new year, “Called to be the Heart of Christ, Feeding Our Neighbors Body and Soul, With Grace, Mercy, and Love.”  We are “The Church that Feeds People.” 

Let us pray.  Good and gracious God, we give thanks that when we look up into the heavens, we are not only filled with awe and wonder, but also reminded of your great love for us.  We give thanks for Jesus who is our North Star, our guiding light in this world.  And we give thanks for our mission, our calling at First Lutheran Church, our epiphany star that continues to lead us forward in this difficult and challenging times.  Amen.