Sermon on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

This is one of Jesus’ most famous parables, but we sometimes forget what goes on around it.

It starts with people wanting to listen to Jesus. That’s good, right?

Well, there are some folks who don’t think so. You see, these people who are coming to listen to Jesus just aren’t the right kind of folks. These are tax collectors and (gasp!) sinners. If Jesus were a respectable rabbi, he would not be attracting this kind of rabble.

What they don’t realize is that they belong in this crowd, too. They are just as lost as the tax collectors and sinners.

When Jesus hears what they’re saying, he responds with three parables. We only read the last one this morning, but there are two more before it.

In the first one, there’s a shepherd taking care of100 sheep. One gets lost. The shepherd goes and finds it and invites all the neighbors to celebrate that the sheep has been found.

Then, the second parable tells of a woman who has 10 coins, and one goes missing (and these were really valuable—like 10% of her life’s savings is lost. It’s a big deal.). So, she searches the house until she finds it, and then she invites all the neighbors to celebrate with her that the coin has been found.

Finally, Jesus tells the parable commonly known as the Prodigal Son. But, when you take a look at the two parables before it, it might be better titled “The Lost Son,” or even “The Two Lost Sons.”

There are some common elements between these three parables: something has been lost, that something is found, and then there’s a celebration because what was lost has been found.

But in this third parable, the story keeps going. The elder brother begrudges the lavish way his father is celebrating the younger son, when the elder brother has been faithfully toiling all these years unacknowledged. He refuses to take part in the celebration—that third common element in the pattern of these parables.

And the story is left open-ended. We hear the father’s impassioned speech about celebrating his younger son’s return and appreciation for the elder son, but we don’t know how the elder son responds.

It’s like Jesus is saying, “The end of the story is up to you.”

The Pharisees and the scribes—the religious elite—are just as lost as the tax collectors and sinners. They are missing out on the celebration. They’re refusing to join the party, because they resent the treatment of those they deem below them.

But Jesus’s parables show us that God searches out and celebrates the lost. The lost tax collectors and sinners are flocking to listen to Jesus. The lost Pharisees and scribes are refusing to join the celebration.

But just as the parable remains open-ended, the invitation to the party is still open to all who are lost: tax collector and Pharisee, scribe and sinner.

And we are all lost, too, one way or another.

We might be lost in a way that society would agree makes us lost, or we might look successful in the eyes of society and yet be lost deep down.

One way or another, we are all lost.

And that’s why we need God.

And fortunately for us, we have a God who searches for those who are lost—all of us.

We have a God who wanders the wilderness until our poor little lost sheep selves are found.

We have a God who turns all the lights on and sweeps the house until we are found.

We have a God who doesn’t wait until we change our ragged, pigsty-stained clothes or even apologize before God runs to meet us and wraps us in God’s arms.

And we have a God who celebrates those who are lost—again, all of us.

God calls all the friends and neighbors, orders a stack of big pizzas with lots of toppings, hires a DJ, and even hangs a pinata.

We have a God who loves parties.

And God’s favorite type of party is for the lost—celebrating that they (we) are part of God’s family.

If you’re looking for a role model, there are worse places to look than, well, God.

So, if you’re interested in imitating our celebration-loving God, you’ll have to get ready to party.

There’s a lot to celebrate right here in this place. I know there are so many things that go on here that don’t get acknowledged. There are people who don’t get thanked enough. There are things that get done without seeking recognition.

I want to give you the opportunity to notice, appreciate, and celebrate each other. You’re each going to get a few post-it notes. On each post-it note, I want you to write down someone’s name and something you want to acknowledge them for.

This could be someone who does the same thing every week and you think they should receive extra thanks for it.

Or it could be a one-time event you noticed recently when someone did something kind or welcoming or thoughtful.

If you don’t know the person’s name, just write “to the person who…[did whatever you want to thank them for].”

Then, we have this poster to put them on (thanks to Terri Robertson and the stewardship team). It’ll be right back there as you exit. Stick your post-it notes inside the heart. Maybe grab a few more post-its to take home as you’re inspired to celebrate more people and post the celebrations next week.

For those of you joining us on the live-stream, you can join in the fun, too. Email your celebratory notes to me at pastorjennifergarcia@gmail.com and I’ll make sure to add them to the board.

I’m going to give you a couple minutes to get started on your celebrations.

Thank you! Thank you to every one of you lost, found, and loved children of God. Let’s continue to celebrate each other as God celebrates us.

First Lutheran Church

March 20, 2022

Sermon on the Occasion of Jim Tyler’s Retirement

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 22: 34-40

Sermon

Music: The Language of the Heart

Pastor Greg Ronning

The Greek Philosopher Plato wrote, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”  Beethoven wrote, “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” And Martin Luther wrote, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”  Luther explains further, “Music makes people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable.  I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art that can be placed on a level with music; for besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart…the devil flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God.”

Today we gather to give thanks for the gift of music, and we gather to give thanks for the music ministry of James P. Tyler Jr., who shared his gift of music with this congregation from 1978 to 2020, 42. Years!

Barbara Else, senior advisor of policy and research at the American Music Therapy Association, writes, “We have a such a deep connection to music because it is ‘hardwired’ in our brains and bodies. The elements of music – rhythm, melody, etc. – are echoed in our physiology, functioning and being.”

We all know this to be true, we’ve all experienced the power of music, that song that can take us back in time, that song that inspires us to love, that song that makes us dance, that song that makes us cry, that song that releases the pain we hold in our bodies, that song that sets us free, and most important of all - that song that makes the Word of God come alive in our heart.

Study after study demonstrates the health benefits of group singing.  Singing together reduces stress, releases the endorphins that produce joy, and brings us closer together.  Studies have shown that singers who sing together tend to sync heartbeats.

Music has been a part of the Christian life since the beginning. St. Paul writes to the early church in his letter to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts - sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” And in his letter to the Ephesians, “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts.”

Truly music is a gift from God, a gift that gives us joy, gives us peace, heals us, inspires us, unites us, and empowers us.  But perhaps most importantly, it is the theological power of music, it’s ability to bring the living Word of God, Christ, into the depths of our hearts – giving birth to the gift of faith.

I chose our first reading today because it comes with a great story, one that I have already shared with you, but just in case you forgot it, it goes like this ….

A young student of the sacred scriptures was confused about a certain word in the text of the prophet Jeremiah.  The student read, "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."  The student wondered why God would write the law on the people's hearts instead of placing the word inside their hearts.

So, the student asked the Rabbi, "Why does God write the law on our hearts?  Human hearts can become as hard as stone.  Why does God not just place the law inside of our hearts?  Surely the law has no chance of finding its way inside through our hardened hearts.

The Rabbi nodded in agreement, "Yes the human heart is as hard as stone.  Yet, that is precisely why God writes the law upon the heart.  You see hardened hearts do not last, they end up breaking, and they eventually crack open.  And it is in those moments that the law comes to life and seeps deep into the heart, filling up the cracks and healing the wounds of humanity."

It has been my experience, that my hardened heart, my broken heart; has always been opened up by the gift of music.  Music has a way of getting in there, seeping in, getting to just the right place, that spot that opens up to the very depths of my soul.  That’s, more often than not, the way God’s Word, gets inside of me, healing me, strengthening me, inspiring me, and empowering me.  It’s a song, a song accompanied by The Word, a song and a melody that I always remember, a song and a melody that always remembers me, that sweet, sweet, song of salvation.

Music speaks the language of the heart, the place where God has written the New Covenant, a word of grace and love.  It is also the place from which the great commandment flows, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The greatest love song ever written.  And when we sing of the promises of God, when we experience the promises of God together in song, I am inspired to live out the second greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The gift of music, conveying the word of God, giving birth to faith, inspiring the mission of the church.

A favorite saying of Martin Luther was, “Those who sing, pray twice.” Why?  Because music “goes to” and “comes forth” from the heart, it speaks the language of the Gospel in a powerful way that cannot be forgotten, in a way that is always there when we need it, in a way that stays with us forever.  Jim, thank you for sharing your gift of music with the many people of this church for the past forty-two years.  Thanks for teaching us how to “pray twice,” thanks for leading us in the songs that spoke to our hearts, and the songs that our hearts sang out proclaiming the good news of the Gospel.

“I love to tell the story, for those who know it best

seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.

And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,

I’ll sing the old, old story that I have loved so long.”

Amen. Let us sing the old, old story!

Under Her Wings

Pr. Jasmine Waring

2nd Sunday of Lent March 13, 2022

There has been a recent trend in parenting and child development circles called, “Gentle parenting”. This parenting style is composed of four main elements: empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries. Gentle parenting focuses on fostering the qualities you want in your child by being compassionate and enforcing consistent boundaries. Discipline methods focus on teaching valuable life lessons appropriate for the child’s age, rather than focusing on punishments. I didn’t really believe it could be done until I saw it in action on a video. There was a parent sitting on the floor with their toddler, who was in a full-on meltdown. Screaming, crying, writhing on the floor with just their diaper on and absolutely loosing it. For those of you who have helped raise young children, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Instead of trying to reason with the child (because we know reasoning with a toddler in the midst of a tantrum is a futile battle), or isolating them in a crib to let them “cry it out”, the parent just sat there, listening. The parent gently deflected the slaps that came their way, and they spoke kindly to their child saying, “I’m right here…I love you…I’m not going anywhere”. Eventually, the child started to embrace their parent while they were still crying (salty tears, snot and all), and they hugged until the tears subsided and were ready to continue on with their day. It’s not an easy way to raise children. It requires the caregivers to learn how to regulate their own emotions so that they can be present and compassionate with the little ones in their life. The goal is connection, instead of control. Ultimately this teaches children how to regulate their emotions instead of suppressing them or exploding them. They can become more emotionally intelligent as they get older, and respectful of others. This reminds me of Jesus’ words in our Gospel reading today. As Jesus was looking out from the city of Jerusalem, the holy city beloved by God, and yet the city had a long history of lashing out against God and killing God’s prophets…and Jesus was going to be no exception. He says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”. I can almost hear my own mother’s voice when she would express her frustration when my brothers and I were fighting. Christ, like a mother, desires for her children to return to her, to be united, to live in peace, and to find shelter under her wings. And yet, we fight and rage against God and each other. War is nothing new, especially in Europe. There have been news commentators and even Prince William have said how alien it feels to see and land war in Europe in 2022. The truth is, the reason why it seems all the more tragic to us is because the victims of the war in Ukraine are white middle-class folks like us. It’s interesting how we have become so accustomed to war and violence in non-white countries, that we forget that war and violence in any place, especially those who have been under the boot of empire, is evil and deserves our attention and compassion. But that is a sermon for a different day. Vladimir Putin is nothing new. There have always been men in power who use violence to satisfy their lust for power. Saint Paul puts it quite simply in our epistle reading today, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, their glory is their shame, their minds are set on earthly things.” Putin’s recent land grab should come at no surprise, because he’s been harboring resentment against the West since the dismantling of the USSR. In 2005, during his annual state of the nation address he said, “The demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” We can analyze all of this with political science all day, but what it really comes down to is resentment. Putin believes that something was wrongly taken away from him and his country. Instead of processing his grief and moving on to the new world that is being created, he is clinging to the past, lashing out, and harming millions along the way. Vladimir Putin is an easy villain we can pin all of the world’s evil to, and it’s easy for us to look around and wait for a hero to come save the day. The truth is, we may want a villain, but what we need to do is look at ourselves. As my professor said in a sermon this week, “We want a hero, but what we need is Christ.” The word resentment, comes from the French word “Re satir” which means “to feel again”. That means when we experience a trauma, or any other kind of emotional pain, sometimes we are able to let the feelings take its course through us, and we eventually make peace with the pain and let it go. Resentment however, cannot let go of the pain, and it is constantly coming back up as if we are feeling it again for the first time. Father Richard Rohr has said, “Pain needs to be transformed, or else it will be transmitted”. Perhaps we hold on to pain because we were wronged by someone, and use this pain to show them how they have hurt us and punish them. That may work for a little while, but ultimately we are transmitting harm to ourselves, and we inevitably begin to harm innocent bystanders. We do awful and stupid things when we’re resentful. For some it’s saying something mean and cutting when you’re fighting with your spouse. For some it’s bombing a neighboring country. Our end is destruction. Our god is our belly. Our glory is our shame. Our minds our set on earthly things. Lord, have mercy. And yet, in the midst of our lashing out and snotty tantrums, God’s desire is for us to return to God, to gather us up, and find shelter under her wings. She is present with us, saying, “I’m right here….I love you…I’m not going anywhere”. It is the love of God that transforms us, not through control or manipulation, but through a loving connection. When Christ was facing violence, he did not return it with more violence. Instead he took on our violence and let is die with him on the cross at Calvary. So when we are experiencing the pain of resentment, we can nail it to the cross with Christ so that we may see new life on the other side. We don’t have to feel this pain over and over again. We can be free from it. God’s desire is for all of God’s children to be gathered in unity, in peace, and find shelter from harm. I know these times are scary, and I can’t imagine the terror Eastern Europe is facing. I want to leave you with the assigned Psalm from the lectionary today, because I believe it is quite fitting for the world we’re in. Let this be our prayer for the people of Ukraine, for the working class Russians who have nothing to do with this and yet are experiencing the effects of the sanctions. Let this be a prayer for all refugees of war or face violence, and let this be your prayer today. Psalm 27 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me, to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Amen