We are Changed for Good

We’re in the midst of a three-week series, Generously Living as Disciples. Yes, that would be the fall stewardship emphasis; but I have to say that this is anything but a typical “stewardship emphasis.” This week, the sermon took the form of a chancel drama, written by my colleague, Pastor Steve Cook. “The Day Love Came Home” is a delightful, powerful, and humorous telling of the story of Zacchaeus. Ed & Solveig Krafnik portrayed Zac Zacchaeus and his wife, Betty, and gave us a glimpse into what the conversation might have been like the night Zacchaeus repented, gave away half of their possessions, settled fourfold with anyone with whom he had a issue, and welcomed to their house Jesus and the disciples! Following the drama, Roger Fink, Dave Kvaas, and Brenda Handel-Johnson offered the following song by Ken Medema:

Changed for Good
1. No more watching from the top of a tree; no more watching from a distance to see;
love is here and love is calling to me; I’m being changed for good.

2. Light the lamps and let the party begin; open doors and let the people come in.
I am miles away from where I have been. I’m being changed for good.

Refrain:
Here’s my promise, here’s my vow: things are changing, starting now;
I was lost, now I’m found, go and tell everybody in town.

3. Time to break the chains that bound me so long.
There’s no way that I can right all my wrongs.
Here I start and if it takes my life long, I’m being changed for good.

The song’s been going through my mind all week., also reminding me of what Luther says about the significance of Baptism for daily life: “It signifies that the old person in us with all its sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” ELW, p. 1165.

Welcome to a new day, friends!


Changed for Good, Words & Music by Ken Medema. Copyright ã2007, Ken Medema Music/ASCAP/Brier Patch Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Member CCLI. This song is included in a CD called “Stories to Tell & Gifts to Share.”

All Saints Day Connects Saints Across Time & Place

All Saints Day is one of my favorite days of the church year, and this year was no exception. Bethlehem All Ages Orchestra played at 9:00, and the Choir sang Brahm’s How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place from the “Requiem.” At 11:00 the Ensemble and Band had me so caught up in praise that I lost where we were at the end of worship! At all of the worship services on this weekend, we celebrate the baptized people of God, past and present, who make up the body of Christ. On the bulletin cover, in the shape of a cross, are listed the names of all who have been welcomed into the body of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism this year. And surrounding them are printed the names of all who have joined what we call “the Church Triumphant” this past year. How moving and emotional it is to name each of these dear brothers and sisters in the Prayer of the Church as we all, with their families, give thanks for their lives! It is a powerful reminder of how we are connected to the saints of all times!
At the same time, this is a day to remember that we are connected to the saints of all places. Saturday night brought home that experience as 40 people gathered with our friends from Bethlehem in the Holy Land, who had prepared a fabulous Middle East dinner. Following the meal, they told about the hardships they endure as Palestinian Christians, how because of where they were born, their family now has to live separately (in Jerusalem and in Bethlehem). They told about how the economy of Bethlehem is being devastated by the wall, and they expressed their concerns for the way that this impossible living situation is driving so many Palestinian Christians to leave the city of Bethlehem, the place of Christ’s birth. But above all, what we heard from these courageous Christians was their hope in Jesus Christ and their determination to work for the good of the people and the city that is central to the faith of Christians around the world. They said that it’s not the stones of the city that are important – the place of Christ’s birth will not change; but it is the “living stones,” the people there, about whom they are concerned.
I am proud of the work that the ELCA is doing in partnership with Christians in the Holy Land; there is a wealth of information on the ELCA web site - ELCA.org

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside very weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his sear at the right hand of the throne of God..” Hebrews 12:1-2a

27 Affirm the Promises of their Baptism

This afternoon we celebrated Affirmation of Baptism with 27 10th grade students. It was an amazing experience as nearly 400 people came here to be with these very special young adults. Like their parents and family members, I always come to this day, part of me wishing that we could seal each one in a bubble so that nothing bad could happen to them, but…..
#1 – We can’t. And so their parents and the church do the very best thing that we can do - we surround them with prayer. Parents, grandparents, baptismal sponsors, and family & friends come forward, place a hand on his/her head, and placing our hands on their head, we pray: Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in Sara the gift of your Holy Spirit: confirm her faith, guide her life, empower her in her serving, give her patience in suffering, and bring her to everlasting life. And the student says, Amen!
#2 – The world needs these amazing young people to “shine” the Light of Christ that God has given them. God has given them great gifts. We pray that God will send them to use those gifts in God’s mission. God’s world is constantly changing, and I cannot pretend to imagine the world into which God will send these young people three years from now. In the meantime, they are here with us. They’ve heard me say many times, “Confirmation is not graduation.” And they need you to continue to welcome them into fellowship and leadership.

This was one of the verses this class chose to be read today, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14.

Please join in praying for them:
Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in Grace, Brittany, Kristina, Kandace, Joseph, Courtney, Blake, Chelsey, Emily, Bennett, Jordon, Sara, Amanda, Sara, Kairsten, Michael, Ben, Aryn, Katie, Chelsi, Derek, Claire, Nicole, Evan, Brett, Alyssa, and Danielle the gift of your Holy Spirit: confirm their faith, guide their life, empower them in their serving, give them patience in suffering, and bring them to everlasting life. Amen!

What does it mean for Bethlehem to be a "Missional Church?"

My pastor colleagues and I have just returned from the Southwestern Minnesota Synod Fall Theological Conference, an event in which I’ve participated for 26 years. I have to say that this event always seem to come at a time when it’s hard to pull away: I’m busy reading Faith Statements from Confirmands, preparing for the Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation) Service on Reformation Sunday, the week before is usually MEA (a week during which it’s difficult to connect with people), and it’s time to be heavily engaged in work for the November Stewardship emphasis. Instead, there I was, driving to Mankato, hoping my computer connection would be successful (it was!), and finally, looking forward to time apart. And in fact, through all of these years, I have always found that God uses this time to renew and strengthen me.
One of the speakers this year was Dr. Pat Keifert, of Luther Seminary. Years ago Dr. Keifert was helping people think about what it means for the church to live out the hospitality of Jesus Christ to welcome strangers; his teaching then helped us plan for Bethlehem’s relocation and our ministry of welcoming people in this place.
Now, Dr. Keifert is talking about what it means to be the church in mission in the 21st century. He presented a session that reflected on the question, “What Does it Mean to be Missional?” and identified four quadrants in which churches might find themselves in relation to that question:

• Quadrant I – a religious club or spiritual filling station that exists to “Meet my needs.”
• Quadrant II – a church with a mission: focused on evangelism and/or social action
• Quadrant III – a closed door community: focused on being a “good” church, but only for “us.”
• Quadrant IV – a missional church: both congregational life & outreach are focused on GOD’s mission.

The missional question with which churches need to grapple is: What is GOD’S preferred and promised future for this congregation? What is God up to in this community and how does God want us to be a part of it? These were the kinds of questions we were talking about at Bethlehem during our strategic planning process 3 years ago. Much has changed since that time, and yet there is much in our strategic plan that we have yet to address.
So what do you think? Where do you think we are? How shall we follow in the way God is leading us?

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (ELW p. 317)

Giving Thanks in a NO WHINING Zone

The view from my office window allows me to monitor every step in the County Road #137 construction project. From where I sit, I can see the heavy equipment coming and going - or standing still as they have been recently due to the rain! I’ve learned that it now takes twice as long to travel from home to church, and 20 minutes to travel from church to the grocery store. I get frustrated with the traffic, frustrated at how my daily routines and habits have been rearranged. And I must confess that through this, I’ve learned once again how spoiled I am.
It hit home this weekend while I was working on the sermon for Sunday. The Gospel reading was the story of the 10 men who were healed of their leprosy, only one of whom returned to praise God and fall at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. Not only was this man healed physically, he also experienced a healing of vision and received eyes of faith to see clearly the Giver of the gift he’d received.
But there was another kind of healing needed in this story, and that was the healing of hearts so that the barriers that exist between people might come down, and people see each other as God does, as children of God. The man who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, someone whom others kept on the margins of society. Even though he was healed of his leprosy, he would always be an outsider to others, unless they were able to see him as the person of faith that he was.
In communities across this country, some of the greatest barriers exist for people who are new Americans, new immigrants, and our new neighbors. Time and again I have heard the faith stories that these new friends share, stories of praying while fleeing for life and leaving home for the last time, of praying the 23rd Psalm while walking across an entire nation.
I was ashamed as I thought about my whining over the insignificant inconvenience I know because of the road construction. And my heart has been healed by the testimony of our new neighbors, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are in the habit of praising God not just on the good days, but in all circumstances. They are missionaries in our midst, living and teaching me what it means to walk by faith.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.” Psalm 103:1-2

Gracious God, we confess that we are so quick to complain and so slow to give thanks. Grant us eyes of faith to see the abundant gifts you shower upon us. Grant us warm hearts to welcome new neighbors and receive their testimony of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Just head toward the tiki torches”

Not something you’d expect to hear at Bethlehem Lutheran . . . in St. Cloud, Minnesota . . . in October! But when people arrived at Bethlehem on Friday night for a concert by The Rose Ensemble, that was exactly the greeting they received. Directions were needed, because there were many things happening around here:

• People were bringing items to be sold at the Fall Festival the next morning;
  Support group members were warmly welcoming participants as they always do on Friday nights;
• There were hosts ready to direct people to have their beautiful smiles captured by the photographer for our pictorial directory;
• Willing hands were happy to take orders for the Centennial Cookbook that is being prepared and assembled for next fall;
• And the Concert Ushers, decked out in black & white and adorned with Hawaiian lei, were directing concert-goers in through the Preschool entrance, down the long hallway, past the nursery and through exit doors that are never used, under a canopy, on a path lit by tikki torches, into the sanctuary, past the flowing water of the baptismal font, and finally – to their places.

The Rose Ensemble was fabulous in its musicality and in telling the story of the history, spirit, music, and survival of the Hawaiian people. Songs of the sea were accompanied by the sounds of flowing water. Beautiful sounds. Warm welcome. The light of Christ’s presence, shining like a torch in the night.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” --John 8:12

Our loving God, thank you for sending your Son to shine the light of his presence in the nighttime of our lives. Use us to reflect Christ’s light to the world. Amen.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

It was one of those Spirit-filled moments in worship. At the Sending of the 9:00 worship service, the choir walked from the choir area to fan out and surround the congregation, singing the Benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Powerful, live “Surround Sound.”
It reminded me of the sanctuary of Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar, where there is a circular sanctuary with the names of famous saints throughout history carved on the wall above our heads. At the end of the list, there is one open plaque, there so that you can fill in your name. The names remind the worshipers of the verse from Hebrews 11, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.”
It was fabulous music and a moving sight that, as one of my friends would say, “made my fur stand on end.” It has been one of those weeks when the saints of Bethlehem today have been at their best, surrounding with their care two of our families who are grieving deeply the deaths of loved ones: Bud Zieman and Jason Schumacher. Now these brothers in Christ are part of the heavenly chorus that is cheering us on.
To lead the choir, Director Keith stood in front, on the steps of the chancel, directing the singers. As I was looking around taking in the sight - there in the front row, I saw him: a little boy held in his Dad’s arms, watching Keith, and waving HIS arms, copying what he saw the Choir Director doing. The “therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” suddenly took on another dimension, spanning generations and time, and providing a living illustration of how the saints pass on the faith by modeling it for the next generation right now. It reminded me that there is always a younger saint watching those of us who are farther along on our faith journey. As they watch us, what do they see? What would they copy?

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.” --1 Timothy 6:18-19

Almighty God, thank you for surrounding with the saints, past and present, who cheer us on in our faith journey. Use our words and our actions, that they might be an example and encouragement to others. In the name of Jesus. Amen.