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Pastor Carl's Message for July, 2008: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 Change seldom happens rapidly. More often than not change is a slow process, always occurring but seldom noticed. The fact is, whether we realize it or not we are changing and the world around us is changing. How do we deal with change? How do we make change a positive force in our lives? Paul talks about three steps. The first step is realizing the various forces in this life that will try to make us conform, forces that try to fit us in a box. He encourages to be aware and to resist; in other words, not to just go along with the flow. Paul is not telling us to say “no” to life. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He is telling us to be aware and to say “no” to those pressures that sap our life from us. Second, he talks about letting God’s Spirit work in your mind through study and prayer. As Christians we should let scripture renew our minds over and over again. Again, this not just reading a verse here or there—this is an active, lifelong engagement with the word of God through prayer, study, worship and other spiritual disciplines. Wrestling with the Word wins wisdom! Finally, as we say “no” to those destructive forces in our lives and open our lives to God’s word, we will begin to see God working in our lives. Why am I talking about change? Because I think that Hope Lutheran is in for a lot of change in the year ahead. We are welcoming our first intern, Dave Johnson, and that will mean change. Much of that change will be wonderful but some of that change will be uncomfortable. My prayer is that God uses both the wonderful and uncomfortable to transform our church and us as individuals.
In Hope and
Joy,
PASTOR CARL'S SERMON(S) August 10, 2008 “God’s Whisper” Some thoughts are better shared in a whisper: a mother comforting her child, a lover wooing his beloved, a friend sharing a secret. It would not do to shout it from the housetops or yell it across a busy street or scream it at the person you are trying to talk to. It is the same with God’s love. It is best whispered in silence, not shouted through the power of nature, not screamed through the wind nor yelled through earthquakes or even cried through a fire. God communicates his love through a whisper. Yet to often the noise of our live keeps us from hearing God’s whisper. What is noise for you? There are a lot of things that are grabbing at our attention. Things from inside us: fears and terrors, desires and dreams. Things from outside of us: Sales pitches: “buy this” “use that;” demands, even threats. All of this can be so much noise. Noise that obscure God’s whisper. Noise is not just loud sounds. In fact it doesn’t need to be loud or even to be sound at all. You see noise is anything that keeps you from hearing or seeing and understanding what is really important. Oxford’s American dictionary defines noise as “random fluctuations that obscure and do not contain meaningful information.” That means the sound of the Jackhammer on 41 and 101 interchange is noise, but so is the static on your radio, the snow on your TV. So are the tapes that you play in your head. It’s the things in your life that obscure what is really important. Noise is anything that keeps us from hearing God’s whisper. That is what happen to the prophet Elijah. He was engulfed in noise, noise from outside. He was being adored by the crowds, and at the same time he was being threatened by the Queen of Israel that she would kill him. Noise from inside: He had a tape playing over and over again in his head, he repeats it several times in the story, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” That statement was a noise that was obscuring God’s voice. According to the text God is with Elijah the entire time. He talks to him twice. The verses before this story talk about Elijah was taken care of in the wilderness and How God help get Elijah to the Mountain of God. Yet the noise in Elijah’s life kept him from hearing God’s voice. What is the noise in your life? What are the random fluctuations that obscure what is really important? (Play Rob Bell Nooma Noise…webservant note: this was a well presented video on asking the questions of what is the noise in our lives) God is whispering. It is the comforting murmur of a parent. It is the passionate sigh of a lover. It is the whisper of your friend and savior Jesus sharing his life. Some time this week stop, clear the noise out of your life and listen for that whisper. Amen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew 14:13-21 The First Potluck This was the first potluck; this was the first fellowship event for the followers of Jesus. Why? Well not because of the food. There was just bread and fish, there were no Jell-O Salads, there were no buckets of fried chicken, and there were no pies. It was just bread and fish. It wasn’t the setting. The Bible describes it as a deserted place. There is no fellowship hall or multi-purpose room, or sanctuary. No, there were just rocks, sand and weeds (or grass if you prefer.) What made this the first potluck is that Jesus was in the midst of the people working. You see that is what we need to remember when we get together. Whether it is in a small group or a large group, whether it is a fellowship event or a worship service. That Jesus, God, is here, right here and right now working in our lives. This story gives us some clues on how Jesus works, some clues on how God works in our lives, some clues in how Jesus works among us in community. Jesus responds to our needs. Look at the way the story starts. Jesus wants to get away. He wants to be alone. He is sick and tired with grief over his friend John the Baptist being murdered. Yet as he walks off the boat Jesus sees the crowds that have run along the shore and the NRSV says, "He had compassion on them." The Greek word that is translated compassion literally means that his inward parts were eaten up. In other words Jesus was eaten up on the insides. Despite his grief, despite his numbness. He responds to the needs of the people. He could have said to the crowd, "Look, I just lost my friend John. I need some space. I need some time. The reason I got in the boat in the first place was because I wanted to get away and clear my head", but Jesus doesn’t say that. Even when the disciples give him an out by telling him to send the crowds home because it was late, he had done his best and they need to go get some supper, Jesus refuses to take that excuse because he is responding to the crowds needs. Jesus works despite our doubts. Now I don’t want to beat up the disciples. They are doing the same thing that most of us would try to do. They look at that huge crowd. They look at their resources, 5 loaves and two fish and they try to solve the problem in straightforward and practical way. We would have done the same thing. We would have been right there with the disciples when Jesus says "you give them something to eat." We would have argued and said that is impossible. Jesus doesn’t argue with the disciples, though. He doesn’t say, "Fine, get in the boat I’ll take care of it." He just says, "Bring the loaves and fishes here." He blesses it and he feeds the masses. This is something that we need to learn. This is something that the Church throughout the world needs to learn over and over again and it is something that we need to learn as a community and something that each of us, each of you, need to learn again and again. Jesus works despite our doubts, despite our struggles. We sometimes turn faith into a magic talisman. We say If only we have enough faith this or that will happen. As if it is our faith that make things happen. No it is God’s power that makes things happen. It wasn’t the disciple’s faith or the crowd’s trust that made things grow rather it was Jesus, despite the disciple’s doubt and the crowd’s ignorance. It is like a banner that we use to have hanging up in our room. It was a picture of potted plants and the saying was, "Faith makes it grow!" No, it’s not faith that makes it grow. It is God’s power that makes things grow. So what good is our faith. Hopefully our faith will allow us to sense that God is working. That is what happened to disciples. Can you imagine being one of them, "What is Jesus doing giving away our only food." "Those loaves are lasting a lot longer than I expected." Finally "Oh my Lord look at what’s happening." This miracle didn’t depend on the disciples faith. It depended on Jesus power. Jesus answers our prayer according to our needs and God’s Goals and Jesus’ answer is always beyond our wildest expectations. Again back to the beginning of the story, the disciples and Jesus just wanted to get away from the crowd because in the verses just before this story Jesus and the disciples hear that John was beheaded. According to scripture Jesus disciples had also been close to John. At least a couple of them had been John’s disciples before they were Jesus’ disciples. They also understood that what happen to John could happen to Jesus and to them. That is why they ask Jesus to send the crowds away. So they could grieve. But Jesus doesn’t answer their request. Instead he responses to their need. He knows that the disciples need to know that God is in charge despite their fears and doubts. They need to know that ultimately that cowardly king Herod is not in charge, nor is that bureaucratic governor Pilate or even the so called ruler of the world Tiberius Caesar. No, God is in charge. So Jesus takes the loaves and fishes and feeds the crowd. That feeding is as much for the disciples’ faith as it is for the crowd’s bellies. Look at the way the story ends. When everyone is feed and satisfied, and the leftovers have been taken up, he turns to his disciples and says, "Okay you guys can take off. You’ve seen the miracle." This is important point that you need to hear. Jesus doesn’t just answer the way we think he should. He answers our prayer God’s way. God answers us according to our deepest need and God’s desire for us. So this morning as we finish worship and have a Celebration of Johnson’s arrival, remember what makes this meal special, what makes it a potluck is not the jell-O salad or the special deserts but rather that Jesus is in our midst working right here and right now. Amen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 14, 2008 Matthew
13:1-9 God’s Broadcasting, So Listen up Listen up, clear the wax out of your ears, Pay attention. That is what Jesus is saying in this parable. Why? Because there are words of life being spoken by the ruler of the universe. God is showering his love upon us. Like an extravagant farmer who carelessly tosses, spreads and scatters his seed wherever it will land. No matter who you are, God is proclaiming his word of love to you. God is tossing his love upon you like a crazy farmer who just keeps on tossing his seed. So you better pay attention, clear the wax out of your ears, and listen up. We do have a hard time listening. We do have a hard time hearing that word for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes it’s just that we don't see how God is a part of our life. It's not that we are anti-religious. It's not that we claim to be atheist. We just don't see what all of this religion has to do with our life. We don't see how can church help me in a job, or with my family. What does Jesus have to do with getting my friends to like me? What does God have to do with my life? And like seeds scattered on the roadway the word of God's love just bounces off us as if we didn't even hear it. Like seed scattered on a roadway -- food for birds. Yet that doesn't stop God, that extravagant farmer. He keeps tossing, spreading and scattering his love around. Sometimes we do hear the word, and rejoice. We rejoice that God loves us. We rejoice that God is apart of our life. We rejoice that God is intimately involved with us, in our family life, in our work life, in our life in community, even the very most inner parts of your life. Yet after hearing that word we go home and become involved with community, and family, and work, and school, and all the day-to-day minutiae that marches in and out of our lives and by Monday we forget. We forget about God's love in our life. We forget how intimately God is wrapped up in your life. Our faith begins to whither and wilts. Sometimes we have a hard time hearing the word because the worries of life have already grown up around us and are choking us. Money worries and family problems, personal struggles and health problems: problems at work, problems at school, problems at home. They seem to grow up around us and choke us. We begin to worry and fret over the problems and we don't hear of God’s love for us. We don't hear that God is with us even in the most difficult problems. We don't hear that God is walking with us even in the darkest times. We don't hear that God longs to forgive the mistakes that we have made, and wants to help us to forgive others. We don't hear, because of all the worries that surrounds us. Pam and I have become gardeners. I’m impressed with the hardiness of weeds. They seem to grow everywhere, and if you are not careful, if you don't keep pulling them out, pretty soon they have taken over your garden. Worries in life seem to do the same thing, they have grown up around us and seem to be choking our faith like a bunch of noxious weeds. Yet that doesn't stop God the extravagant farmer because God is determined that his seed of faith, his seed of love is going to planted in your life, and God is determined that you will understand that he wants a deep and lasting relationship with you. God is determined to be a part of your whole life and get you through those things that worry and plague you. In short, God is determined that his seed of faith in your life will blossom and grow, to the point that it completely changes and transforms your life. It’s interesting the image that Jesus uses to describes the kingdom of God. He compares the kingdom of heaven to a farmer, not just a farmer but also a particular kind of farming method. There were two ways in the Roman world of seeding a field. The first method was the most efficient, the framer had a sack tied unto the plow right behind the blade. At the bottom of the sack was a small hole and as the farmer plowed the seeds would drop into the furrow. The second way is the way that Jesus describes in this parable. The Farmer plows and then he scatters his seed by hand (like the picture.) He knows most will land in the field but he also knows that much of it will land in the rocks and on the path and areas infested with weeds. That is the image Jesus used to describe God’s love, a farmer who spreads his seed all over the place, a farmer that broadcast his seed. That word ‘broadcast’ gives another image of God’s. Radio Waves are all over the place they are right now dissecting every portion of this building. All we need is a Radio and we can tune them in. It’s the same with God’s love. It is filling your life. At times we need a receiver to hear it. Whether it’s worship or the Supper, or Baptism, or service to the neighbor. Let me tell you about Wes. Wes is a man in his twenties and a Youth Director down in Orange County. He had experience with receiving God’s broadcast. He went down to Mexico on a servant project. The project was to build and repair fence around a Rehab facility. As the project proceed the Pastor on site called Wes over and gave him a tour of the facility. He then said maybe your group would be willing to make a donation to the work we do here. Wes talked it over with the other leaders. The consensus was, “Hey, we already went over budget to build the fence so we don’t have money for the program.” He told the Pastor, “no.” The Pastor encouraged Wes to think about the donation, just the same. Again Wes said, “no.” A little later the Pastor again asked Wes. By this point Wes was angry and he called up the Director of the whole program. And said bluntly that he was being pestered by the on-site Pastor and that he was a little angry. The Director said, “Wes, let me put your mind at ease. You’re group did what it said it would do and you did great work. You can be proud. You don’t have to do anything more. The director then said, but if as you look around if you feel God moving your heart you can trust the Pastor to use the money for the program.” Wes did look around and saw the good work and he also realized that their group did have money, money to buy souvenirs and experiences. The group decided to take an offering. Wes said he was ashamed that he had held out, at worship that afternoon Wes realized that God had worked through this nagging, irritating Pastor to touch Wes heart. That is just the way God’s love work. He is scattering his seeds of Grace he is broadcasting his love. You can count on it.
Amen This one we'll leave up...if you get a chance, look at the slides.
May 6, 2007
What is Stephen Ministry? In Stephen Ministry congregations, lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need. Our Stephen Ministry will be starting another class this fall. If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister, or would like to talk to one, contact Diane Lund, Karen Marino or me. So what will our intern, Dave Johnson, be doing? A: Dave will be an intern pastor for the whole church. He is anxious to work with the youth and families of the church. Several years ago he received training as a youth director through Wartburg Seminary Youth Director’s institute and is now finishing his second year of seminary in youth and family ministry. Youth and family ministry will be an important part of his work at Hope.
Youth and family
ministry will not be Dave’s only involvement in the Church. Internship is time
for a potential pastor to experience the full breadth of pastoral ministry, so
Dave will be involved in every aspect of Hope’s ministry. He will lead worship
on a regular basis and also preach at least 12 times during the year. He will
teach an adult class or two. He will experience council and team meetings.
Finally he will participate in our community partnerships: Salvation Army,
Habitat for Humanity, ECHO and others. It should be an exciting time for Dave
and for Hope. Tell us about our new intern. Who is he? A: His name is Dave Johnson. Dave was a youth worker before going to seminary. He is married to Wendy and has a young son, Christopher, who was born last October. What’s the difference between a Youth Director and an Intern in youth and family ministry? A: The difference is huge. Dave is a student pastor that needs to experience the whole range of pastoral duties. Dave will not only be working with our youth and families but the entire congregation. He will preach on a regular basis, and have weekly responsibilities in leading worship. He will also have administrative duties. He will sit on the council, and the Christian Education and Youth Ministry Teams. In his primary responsibility of youth and family, Dave will not only work with our teens but all of our children and their families. He will be involved in Sunday School, VBS and confirmation as well as adult ministries. Now that we have our intern, what are our next steps? A: Our next step was also our first step…to pray. Pray specifically for Dave and his family as they prepare to move. Pray for me as I prepare to supervise our first intern. Pray for Hope that we will be a supportive and loving place. Pray that this time will be a fruitful and fulfilling time for Dave and for Hope. Pray that all of us will make the most of this opportunity. After prayer come some other important steps. We must finish putting together an internship committee. Paige Rutherford, Lori Bickel and Ken Macro have agreed to be a part of the team but we need a few more people. Our initial needs are to find housing and prepare a space for the intern. Once Dave and his family have arrived, the committee will meet on a monthly basis to help him process his experience. Luther Seminary provides a handbook and a monthly newsletter for team members. If you would like to be a part of this team, please contact the office. Because housing can be difficult to find, does anyone have a lead on a 2-bedroom house, apartment, condo or other suitable housing for a small family? If you do, please contact the office. When will he start? That is up in the air but we are looking at sometime between August 1st and early September.
In the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve had a
great deal of publicity given to many extra-biblical texts. Probably the three
most well-known texts are The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Mary
and The Gospel of Judas. These texts often claim to give new insights
into the life of Jesus. In addition, modern authors have used some of these
ancient ‘gospels’ to write amazingly creative – but not necessarily historically
accurate – biographies of Jesus. How are we to respond to these ancient
texts? In order to respond, we must realize what these texts are. First, all of
these ancient texts were written long after Paul’s letters, between 48 and 95
A.D., and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, written between 65 and 95
A.D. In contrast, every one of these ‘lost gospels’ was written in the second
century, between 120 A.D. and 180 A.D. That’s 90 to 150 years after the
crucifixion of Jesus. Some scholars make the claim that some of the material in
The Gospel of Thomas comes from the first century; however, the portion
that they are talking about echoes portions of Luke and Matthew.
The simplest, and perhaps the most likely, explanation is that Thomas copied
Luke or Matthew or the same source that Luke and Matthew copied. Secondly, the pictures that these stories
paint of Jesus not only contradict the traditional gospel, but they also
contradict each other. In other words, these gospels do not paint a cohesive
alternative view of Jesus of the Bible. Finally, in the organic process that went
into the formation of the canon, none of the texts that have recently been in
the news for the past several years were included in any of the lists that were
composed in the second and third centuries of what books should be considered
part of the New Testament canon. For example, Revelation, 2nd
Peter, and Jude were not included on many of the lists. If you want
to read a book that was on several of the lists but ultimately did not make it
into the canon, you can read either the Shepherd of Hermes, or The
Didache. You can find both on the Internet. So what are we to make of these texts? They are interesting ancient documents that help us to understand more about the diversity of the church in the second century than about Jesus and the early spread of Christianity. You are right in the sense that the story of Jesus' transfiguration prefigures the resurrection. Yet all three Gospel writers place this story right in the middle of Jesus’ earthly ministry. While on the mountain Jesus appears to Peter, James and John as the Cosmic Christ; after the experience he again becomes Jesus of Galilee. You might be tempted to see this story as the original mountain top experience. There are, however, two other such experiences in the Hebrew Scriptures: The making of the Covenant with Moses and the renewal of the Covenant with Elijah. The reason this story is read at the end of the season of Epiphany is that Epiphany is all about Jesus revealing who he truly is to humanity. This text certainly fits that Criteria. Other text associated with Epiphany include: The worship of the Wise men, Jesus’ baptism, and the calling of the first disciples. The season after Epiphany is, in many ways, a bridge between two Holy Days. Notice we start with a story associated with Christmas, the coming of the Wiseman, and end with a story that prefigures Easter, the transfiguration. Good question! You’re a close observer of the political process. Three of the major political candidates have interesting religious backgrounds. Mitt Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. He is not, however, the first Mormon to run for the presidency. His dad ran for president in the 60’s. Mike Huckabee is a former Baptist Minister. Barak Obama is a Christian but was raised by a Muslim stepfather. He went both to an Islamic school and Catholic school when he was a child. It stands to reason that there has been and will be a great deal of discussion about religion and politics. That discussion is a good thing. Religion and faith are not merely private matters but belong in the public square. What about the separation of Church and State? First that phrase appears nowhere in the United States Constitution. The phrase comes from a Supreme Court decision in which the writer for the majority used a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson in his correspondence. What does the first amendment of the constitution actually say? Here it is, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The trick is to find the balance between ‘establishment of religion’ and ‘the free exercise thereof.’ While an established religion is prohibited, religion, and the morals that often spring from faith, are an important part of our public debate and can not be silenced politically simply because they grow out of a religious sensibility whether, Christian, Jewish or Islamic. Some say that Freedom of
Religion means freedom from religion. If they simply mean force conversions or
mandatory attendance at Church they are right. Yet many people have interpreted
freedom of religion to mean freedom from any public display, discussion or
debate of religion. A cursory reading of the First Amendment reveals that idea
as simply silly! What do I like the most? I most enjoy proclaiming God’s word. As a pastor I do that in a number of ways and in a number of different venues. I love to preach and teach. I love the whole process from preparation to execution. But the Sunday morning sermon and the various Bible study classes are not the only places where God’s word is proclaimed. The proclamation of the gospel is a bright red thread that runs through the ordained ministry and touches every area of my pastoral life including: administering the Sacraments, pastoral care and counseling, and public witness and presence in the community. In each one of these situations I try to proclaim God’s grace and love encouraging people to discover that love in deeper and more profound ways. I became a pastor for that very purpose and I am grateful when I catch a glimpse of it happening. What do I like the least? I am not real thrilled about long meetings. (Who is?) Sometimes, though, they are very necessary. I think of all the work that the Youth Vision Team, the Council and others have done over the past two months. While I am not crazy about long meetings I’m grateful for the wisdom and understanding that can be gained from meeting, researching and discussing issues facing the congregation. This great congregational meeting was one of the results of the hard work of the above-mentioned groups! I think what I really like
the least is when misunderstanding arises from miscommunication. No matter how
loving we are as a congregation we are not going to agree all the time. We are,
at times, going to hurt one another’s feelings but when we keep communication
lines open and work at forgiveness and acceptance we can grow as a
congregation. That is why one of our values at Hope is “Oriented toward health
and open to forgiveness.” So we continue to strive for open healthy
communication. I think we are getting better all the time. What is the story behind the clerical collar? It is sometimes called the Roman collar which is surprising since the current clerical collar was popularized not by Roman Catholic Priests but Anglican clergy of the early 19th century. Later in that century Roman Catholic clergy borrowed the idea from the Anglicans and required their priests to wear the clerical collar. However, clergy for many centuries have worn special clothing. Wayne Weissenbuhler wrote an excellent article abut clerical clothing. Here is a portion of his article: “From antiquity, certain styles and forms of clothing have identified people according to rank and station in life as well as vocation. It wasn't until around the sixth century that clergy wore special dress outside the church building, and it has developed and changed through the centuries in plentiful variety. Black has been the dress color of clerics since the 17th century. The Council of Baltimore in 1884 required Roman Catholic clergy to wear the white Roman collar outside the house. These collars, commonly worn by Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran pastors, are a stylized version of the neck cloth worn by gentlemen into the 19th century Pastors wear the clerical
collar for a variety of reasons. It makes it easier to gain access to places
where ministry needs to be done without extraneous questions. It also helps both
the wearer and those ministered to, to realize that what is being done and said
is more than personal. The pastor is acting out of the office of the ministry
conferred by the church and passed down through the ages.” There is no silver
bullet. There isn't one habit or action that will definitely make your faith
life more passionate. I have used different Spiritual disciplines throughout my
own faith journey. There are some basic habits that are important for all
Christians that if not done will hinder spiritual growth. The list includes
prayer, devotional bible reading, worship, fellowship and giving. If you look
at that list and see one that you haven’t been doing on a regular basis I would
figure out a way to start doing it. Along with these basic habits are spiritual
disciplines that can help you deepen and enrich your relationship with Jesus.
Two such habits for me right now are solitude and silence. I try to spend
extended periods alone and silent before God just listening to what God would
want to say to me. These periods range anywhere from ½ hour to 24 hours. I
have gone to different places for that solitude and silence including the prayer
room at church, the beach, and under an oak tree in my back yard. One of my
favorite places is in my car. I turn off the radio and listen. Presto! My
Suburu is transformed into a traveling prayer room. It has been one of the
disciplines that has helped to deepen my faith and spirituality. This is an excellent question. It is a question that encompasses theology, biblical studies and even modern day economics. So I am going to take at least two newsletters and maybe even three to answer this question totally and completely. First, let's tackle the theology. One of the basic truths of Christianity is the doctrine of the incarnation. It asserts that when God chose to make his essence known he did it by becoming human. The whole Bible announces the incarnation but the most succinct statement of this truth is probably John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God’s living Word was made real to humanity by becoming one of us by revealing himself in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. God was willing to bridge all the barriers that would keep humanity from discovering his love. These barriers of course include language and culture. This basic tenet of God coming to humanity was embedded in the mission of the Church at Pentecost. Do you remember what happened when the Holy Spirit lit the disciples up with power? They began to share the story of Jesus in the languages of all the people present. Again God was reaching across the culture barriers. Consequently the Church, from its inception on that day of Pentecost, has always wanted to communicate the love of God in Christ Jesus through the language of the people that it is trying to reach. So when the New Testament was first written it was not written in Hebrew or Aramaic, the language that Jesus and the first disciples spoke, but common Greek, the most used language within the Eastern half of the Roman Empire where much of the New Testament was first written. As the Latin west grew father apart from the east the scriptures were translated into Latin. Latin remained the primary language of the literate class in Europe for over a thousand years. In the sixteenth century Luther desired that, not only the nobility, but also the peasantry should be able to read the Bible and discover the Gospel within its pages. This motivated him to translate the Scriptures into German. It was no easy task. He literally had to invent words to capture certain biblical concepts. No wonder he is thought of as not only the founder of the Reformation but also as the father of modern German. This desire continues today. One of the first things that are done once a missionary has made contact with a new ethnic group is to learn their language. There are two primary reasons for this. The first is obvious, so they can communicate with them. The second is considered equally important, so that the Bible can be translated into their native tongue. The Bible has been translated into hundreds of different languages. This same desire is the reason that the Bible is translated into a style of English that communicates more effectively to a contemporary audience. So we have a plethora of present day translations: ‘Today’s English Version,’ using only very common English language words; ‘The New Revised Standard Version,’ an update of an update of the King James Version; ‘The New International Version,’ a scholarly effort to produce a readable text based on the best evangelical scholarship. All of these efforts have at their heart the desire to reach across the barriers of culture and language to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, ‘The Word made flesh.’
Answer: If you want to look at a quick list of the ministries that we "officially" support you can go to our Web page, www.ourhopechurch.org, click on the members only button, click on the financials, enter our password (call the office if you don't have one) and scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you will find a list of ministries that we financially support through the budget. They are ELCA Hunger Appeal, Lutheran World Relief, Women's Resource Center, Loaves and Fishes, Iglesia Lutherana Santa Cruz, Crossways International, Habitat for Humanity and ECHO. This is only a partial list, however, because it doesn't include any of the ministries that our Congregation does for the community. For example: our parking lot is used every weekday by San Gabriel School. On a monthly basis we pick up a two-mile section of Highway 101. Our prayer quilts have literally gone all over the World, not just to congregation members. Added to this list are ministries that individual members support. The one that comes immediately to mind is compassion International. We had a fantastically successful Compassion Sunday wherein all the children that were sent to Hope found sponsors. Other ministries are: Youth Encounter, Covenant Players, Campus Center at Cal Poly, North County Christian Schools, and I'm sure many others. Do you have a passion for a particular ministry? Let us know, we want to support your passion to serve.
Is it OK to ask questions about the service, liturgy, religion/church in general? Who do we ask? Absolutely, questions are encouraged!
You can ask the Pastor directly, call Connie Frayer (member Education Committee)
and she will forward it, send an email to the
Webservant, or put it in the upcoming Hope's Voice Box.
Questions/answers of a general nature will be posted on this page. My main tool is the Revised Common Lectionary . Many liturgical Churches use the same lectionary. Each Sunday of the year has 4 readings attached to it: an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a reading from one of the letters in the New Testament and a story from the Gospels. Normally, I pick from one of these four readings. The lectionary also has a three-year cycle; each year focusing on a different Gospel. So this year is year 'B', the year of Mark. We primarily hear from the gospel of Mark. Last Year was year 'A' and we focused on the Gospel of Matthew. Next year, actually this year starting in December, will be year 'C' and we will focus on the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is scattered throughout all three years. The Lectionary is designed so at certain times of the year it is very easy to do a series of sermons. For example, earlier this summer we were simply reading through the 4th, 5th and 6th Chapter in the Gospel of Mark. Those three Chapters focus on Jesus' Ministry in Galilee and so I did a series on "What was Jesus Doing." The strength of using the Lectionary is that it provides discipline and pushes us places that we, if left on our own, might not go. I have to preach and you have to hear portions of scripture that we might not normally read. The Spirit works in that wrestling with uncomfortable portions of Scripture. A good example is last week when we talked about eating flesh and drinking blood. In using the Lectionary as the basic tool for choosing the sermon text, I know that we are receiving a deeper and fuller understanding of the Biblical Witness. Pastor Carl
Why do you not "bless" the
communion meal before distribution?
Lutheran's have never outlawed private confession only the idea of penance and
the need to remember and confess every single sin (an impossibility in my
view.) Private confession is fine in fact helpful as long as the pastor who is
hearing the confession speaks the gospel, the unconditional grace of God in the
Cross of Christ, to the person who is confessing. Martin Luther encouraged
using the confessional with this gospel center understanding. Down through the
centuries Lutherans have met their pastors to confess their sins and receive
absolution. Sometimes this has been done in a very formal way. For example, some
Lutheran churches used to require that a member meet with their Pastor before
receiving communion. At other times, private confession has been done in a very
informal way, much like today, through pastoral counseling and private
confession. Personally, sitting down with a brother or sister in Christ and
discussing with them their personal struggles and hurts and having a chance to
share the gospel in a very personal way is one of the greatest joys of my
ministry. Why does Pastor Carl use the Vulcan symbol for 'live long and prosper' from the TV show 'Star Trek?' Actually the hand gesture that was made famous by Spock on Star Trek comes from Christian and Jewish tradition. Tradition holds that when Aaron, Moses' brother and the high priest, blessed the people he held his hands in this way. One of the many times Aaron blesses the people is found in the 9th chapter of Leviticus , "Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the offering of well-being". The words that Aaron used are the same as the ones we quite often use at the end of service. That particular blessing is found in Numbers 6:24-26.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; Leonard Nimoy (Spock) probably borrowed the hand gesture from his Rabbi. Pastor Carl
July 6, 2008 Date: July 13, 2008 Date: July 20, 2008 Date: July 27, 2008 Date: August 3, 2008 Date: August 10, 2008 Date: August 17, 2008 Date: August 24, 2008 Date: August 31, 2008 Date: September 7, 2008 Date: September 14, 2008 Start Sow Hope Series Date: September 21, 2008 Date: September 28, 2008 Date: October 5, 2008 Date: October 12, 2008 Date: October 19, 2008 Date: October 26, 2008 Date: November 2, 2008
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