Reflections on WORSHIP and DISCIPLESHIP
by Margo Geesing
May 2023


“Promises, Promises, Promises, and Fulfillment”

        It seems odd that during the Easter Season, when we are in celebration mode, we would return in the Gospel lessons to the night of Jesus’s arrest and the night before his crucifixion. In the three Gospel lessons leading up to the final Sunday of May when we celebrate Pentecost [the birthday of the Church], we reflect on the promises that Jesus gave his followers just before his death.

        The first Sunday of May Jesus speaks with his disciples before his arrest. He tells them he is going to the Father to prepare a place for them. As usual, there is confusion and doubt. Jesus re-iterates that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. He also reminds them of the requirement of discipleship: to continue the work he has begun to glorify the Father. He ends with the promise that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it.

        The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day. In the Gospel we are reminded that God’s love is unconditional. With that said, for many, love for God tends to be conditional. If God does whatever, then I will love him and believe in him. Jesus calls his followers to a greater love. To love unconditionally. How do we show that we love him: we keep his commandments. Simply put, Jesus’s commandment is: to love God, love ourselves, and love our neighbor. The Gospels are full of the “how to” live that commandment. We fulfill the Ten Commandments and we live the Beatitudes. Through our faith in Jesus, we are called to feed the hungry, we give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to the travelers, we visit the sick and imprisoned, and we bury the dead. We are given the example of prayer and alms giving. We find in Jesus many examples of forgiving, healing, and being merciful. But Jesus also promises that he will never leave us unsupported in these actions. He promises to send the Advocate. There is a huge circular gift of love that is presented in this Gospel: 
Jesus Loves the Father and Humanity 




We Love Jesus, the Father,                                              the Father Loves Jesus 
               and Our Neighbor                                              and Creation



And we are graced to be in this circle. We show our gratitude by continuing the circle.

        Thursday, May 18 is the Ascension of Our Lord. For this day, I’d like to look at the first lesson from Acts. It begins with an explanation of what has occurred. Jesus gives them a final commission: go be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Let us reflect on the word choice of “witness”. We go beyond the idea of someone who just saw and are not affected by what happened: a bystander. Rather a witness is someone who saw, experienced, and is now stating the truth. This is what we are called to do: to continue that witnessing. As Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples cannot help but stare upward in awe of what they are seeing. Suddenly two men, appear and push them out of their lethargy. They are kindly telling them, “There's nothing more to see here; get to work.” The issue is similar to people who say, I love Jesus and I go to church and leave it at that point. Our primary witnessing does not come in gathering together. Why do you come? Habit or duty? To receive Communion? To sing the hymns? To hear Scriptures? To listen to the sermon? To see friends? Do you come to worship because it satisfies your needs? Sorry to break it to you, you’re like the disciples who are staring up at the sky. We need community to strengthen us for the journey, but we are sent at the end of our celebration. We come together to praise and worship God. We come to satisfy Jesus’s desire to be with us on the journey. So, go and WITNESS to what Jesus has done in your life. Go and share Jesus.

        On the third Sunday of May we have Jesus praying for his disciples the night before his crucifixion. This is not a prayer of “never let anything bad happen to them” but rather a prayer of remembrance. Father, remember these people who love me and love you. Jesus KNOWS that following him will be a life of suffering, hardship, disasters, pain, and tragedy. Most of his early followers ended up in jail or suffering painful deaths. Jesus doesn’t ask that they are spared these things. He asks for the gift of strength to preserver during these trials for his followers. Jesus knows that their belief in him makes them one with him and through him, one with the Father. This unity will always triumph.

        The final Sunday in May is Pentecost Sunday. The birthday of the Church. The day the Holy Spirit came to the disciples. There are various views of how the Spirit was given to them. In the Gospel of John, the Spirit is given before the Ascension. Jesus appears to them in a locked room where they were hiding in fear that they would be next on the hit list. The first thing Jesus says is, “Peace be with you.” Jesus then commissions them, breathes on them to give them the Holy Spirit and tells them to GO. In the alternate Gospel for Pentecost Sunday, also from John, Jesus only gives a foreshadowing of the Spirit. Here Jesus refers to the Spirit as a river of living water that will flow from the hearts of believers. In Acts there is wind and fire. The disciples are accused of being drunk. In 1 Corinthians the gifts of the Spirit are named. We don’t really hear a lot about the Spirit except on Pentecost. That’s really a reflection on the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit can be violent wind and fire, usually the Spirit is peace and breath. The Spirit manifests to do good. The Spirit is guidance. The Spirit is strength. The Spirit is inspiration. The Spirit is what let the disciples come out from behind the locked door, let their fears go, and allowed them to witness to who Jesus is. The Spirit is what renews the face of the earth. The Spirit is what moves US out of our fears and encourages us to witness to our own faith.


June 2023

“Ready, Set, GO”

        Faith in fullness is an action word. You can have faith, but to truly live your faith you are really called to DO. In James 2:26 we read, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In the Gospels for the month of June Jesus in fact directs us into action.
On the first Sunday of June [Holy Trinity Sunday], we have Jesus commissioning the eleven: “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:16-20. This is the continuing action of the church. Jesus’s followers, just as we, are sent to make disciples. The way we do that is through our actions and our words. I can tell you all about Jesus, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit but that will not convince you that faith in the Trinity is a good thing. My actions, how I treat others; my words, how I speak about and to others; shows how my faith in the Trinity changes me. Having faith is hard. Living faith is harder. All those warning and such that Jesus constantly speaks of to his followers – they still happen. Living your faith can be dangerous – just look at who we follow and where he ended his human life. Faith, living faith, is not for the faint of heart [but the final reward is great!].

         The second Sunday of June we have the calling of Matthew, and Jesus challenging the status quo. Jesus was willing to talk with and eat with those who society saw as less than. Jesus came for all of us. We all need his salvation and redemption. The issue is with those who don’t realize they need him. Jesus humbled himself to become human. He wishes us to do the same. “13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’ Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. When we acknowledge our own need for mercy, we can learn to be merciful. Jesus calls us all to live out his mercy with others. This Gospel lesson has Jesus showing mercy to those who were less than in society: a child and a woman with hemorrhages. The faith of both the synagogue leader and the woman is what Jesus looked for. The faith and trust in him.

        The third Sunday of June [Father’s Day] Jesus sends his followers out to preach. “10:7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 9:35—10:8 [9-23]. The issue with his sending: he sent them with nothing. No money, no extra clothes, no reservations on where to stay. The only thing they had to take was his words and actions. The absolute trust they had in him to go. Leaving everything behind: family, friends, and livelihood to trust in the kindness of strangers. Now days, you would hardly walk out of the house without your wallet, keys, jacket, perhaps a snack, and a map [or cell phone] if you were going somewhere you didn’t know. And you would definitely make a few hotel reservations so you knew where you would be sleeping at night! And does he tell them that all will be well? Of course not! He tells them that they may run into trouble, they may get hurt and betrayed. And then he says, don’t worry about it: trust me! And now, thousands of years later, we too are being sent to go and preach the good news. We are sent into the world not knowing what is going to happen when we speak the truth of God. Jesus’s followers are still being hurt and betrayed. And again, we are only equipped with Jesus’s words and actions to share; and our trust and faith in him. As we go through our life, we are indeed bringing the kingdom of heaven nearer.

        Jesus continues to challenge his followers in the Gospel lesson for the fourth Sunday of June. He again warns them that following him will not lead to a easy carefree life. In fact, just the opposite! Jesus came to show the way back to the Father. He did not come to say, believe and everything will be easy. He showed through his own life, following the will of the Father is hard. We each have our own cross to carry. At times that burden seems too heavy to bear, but bear it we must to reach the reward at the end. “38…and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:24-39. Jesus carried his cross even though he did not deserve it. But just as Jesus had Simon to help with his cross, we also have one another to help when our own cross gets too heavy. This leads us back to the concept of mercy. We are here not only to carry our own cross but also to help others. When we get caught up in our own lives and burdens, we fail to see what others are enduring. Sharing the weight helps both. Sometimes we need to reach out and ask for help and sometimes we are the ones being asked. The “go” order for this Sunday is a bit more subtle: go, carry your burden; share with others when you need to, help others to carry their burden, walk the journey in support of one another.

July and August 2023


Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!; (Dr. Seuss)
Oh, the Places You Will Go!; (Dr. Seuss)
Oh, the Stories You Will Hear!; (Jesus)


        Yeah, Theodore Geisel! Or maybe you know him as Theo LeSieg; or most likely, Dr. Seuss. I remember my mom reading Dr. Seuss to me and my brothers; and I read his stories to my kids and I anticipate reading them to my grandchildren. Traditions and stories are the way we all have grown up. It’s the way we learn about family, life, and what it means to be a “grown up”. Jesus told stories. As we continue the long church season of Sundays after Pentecost, we have a collection of stories (parables) from the Gospel of Matthew. But these are not just stories to entertain but lessons on how we are to live our lives.

        The first Sunday of July we have all of three verses for the Gospel lesson. Even though it is very short, it continues shortly after last week’s Gospel full of warning of hatred, persecution, and betrayal. If you preserve through all of this “stuff” you will receive your reward! But even this is not the whole of it. You get a reward even if you just help out! You will probably go through the same stuff but maybe to a lesser degree and you will still win a prize. Jesus is calling us to hospitality. He is calling for help. He is calling for support.  How are you going to answer his call and what will be your reward?

        The second Sunday of July we hear the comparison between Jesus and John the Baptist. One lived a stoic life eating little and dressing funny the other would eat and drink with anybody. The powers complained about both. There is no pleasing them! So, as we go about our own lives, what we, as followers of Jesus, need to remember is that we are responsible for building that kingdom! It’s not enough to have faith; we need to live that faith. We need to take the yoke that Jesus offers us (he never demands that we take it) and surrender ourselves to him. Most of us instinctively resist yokes and laws ~ no one can limit us! But Jesus wants us to look at his yoke as a way of rest and lightness. When we share that yoke with him, it does become lighter; we work in tandem with him and share the load.

        The third Sunday we hear about the parable of the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately and what becomes of each type of seed. Jesus goes on to explain what each of the seeds represent –how people take his message and live it in their lives. On my personal faith journey, I think I have gone through all these stages! There have been times when I can hear Jesus’s words and had no idea what they meant to my life. Then there were times when I heard and sort of understood but when it was difficult to do the right thing it was easy to lose the momentum of faith. Then life gets busy and Jesus is for later, when I have more time. Time to listen, time to pray, time to worship, time to give but the funny thing is, there is never the right time. It wasn’t until I took my faith seriously (actually when I had kids of my own) that I took the time to learn, pray, study, read, and really build a foundation for my beliefs and faith that I could truthfully say that I believe. I took ownership and responsibility for my faith and my faith journey.

        Then we get to explore why there is evil in the world. It is always human choice that brings evil into the world. Most of us are not out there doing evil purposefully, usually our evil is omission. Things we could or should have done to help build God’s Kingdom but we choose not to do. We need to remember that God did not create evil; evil exists where God is not. It is our choice what we do or don’t do. God gave us free will, to make the choice to follow Jesus or not. But there are also consequences of our choices which Jesus also outlines! I remember when my children were growing up and there would be a point where one of them would not want to do homework or go to school or do chores and I would tell them that was their choice but they would have to also be willing to face the consequences of those choices. I was very lucky that they pretty much always chose to do what they were supposed to do!

        The last Sunday in July Jesus tells five quick comparisons of what the Kingdom of God is like. He touches on the most common references for the people: plants, baking, a farmer, a merchant, and a fisherman. Jesus uses what people know and understand to teach. In our own lives, we teach from what we know and understand. It is how we live our lives and our words and actions that help build that Kingdom of God.



August: Prayer and Faith in Action

        In August we begin with of the feeding of the multitude. Where else but through Jesus can we actually find something that is free! All Jesus wanted was a little alone time to mourn his cousin’s death. Instead, he ends up with a great following of people. And in his compassion, he heals them and probably spent some time teaching also. At the end of the day, he is tired and still sorrowful in his loss. He tells the apostles to feed the people and they only have excuses on why they can’t. So, he does it himself, through prayer and trusting in the Father to answer that prayer. Jesus continued to teach through his example. We are called to pray and trust in the Father.

        You have got to love Peter! He is so enthusiastic, brash, and headstrong. And, like us, sometimes falls short. And we wonder at Jesus’ patience with him and why he never just threw his hands up in the air and said I am done with you! And we are thankful that he never did (with Peter, or with us). The second Sunday of August starts with the disciples in a boat, in a storm, and Jesus not with them. Jesus starts across the water to them. Peter, always impetuous, tells Jesus to command him to come. Jesus does. Then Peter starts out fine but then starts looking around, realizes what he is doing, doubts, panics, and begins sinking. Then Peter, wisely, call out to Jesus again, to save him. When Peter was focused on Jesus he was doing an amazing thing, walking on water! It wasn’t until his focus turned away that he began having trouble.

        The third Sunday we again have Jesus teaching and traveling. He begins with the difference between outward show and inward conviction. He compares eating with unclean hands with speaking with an unclean mouth. Then in the second part, He is passing through the district of Tyre and Sidon and is approached by a Canaanite woman. She displays her faith even when Jesus tries to dismiss her [because he was sent to work with the Israelites, who would be sent to the rest of the world]. And it is this faith that calls him to action. So, when we go in prayer we need to remember that it is not necessarily that we deserve Jesus’s answer but the example of our faith in his ability to answer that we place before him.

        The last week in August we have Peter at the forefront again. Peter states that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”. Can’t get faith much stronger than that! Jesus heaps great praises on Peter and his faith. Then Jesus builds his church on Peter! Jesus understands human weakness and doubt but he still builds his church with human beings. Jesus looks to the heart and faith of his people and he looks with the eyes of love, compassion, and mercy.

        We all walk with Peter when we are frustrated with our own failings and inadequacies to be worthwhile hands and feet of Jesus in the world today. But we can take heart, Peter had Jesus physically with him and still messed up. We need to pray, read, share, support one another, and most of all realign our vision on the goal ahead, the Lord, and quit looking around. Jesus never gave up on him and will never give up on us!

September 2023

God’s Ways are NOT Our Ways


        All the Gospel lessons for the month of September have at least one continuous theme: we and God do NOT think the same way! We all know this in our heads but the Gospels bring this point home in realistic ways. God asks more, God listens more, God forgives more, and God is more generous than we ever are. That’s one of the ways God is different from humans. God is a God of abundance!

        The first Sunday’s Gospel immediately follows the last Sunday in August’s Gospel, literally, it starts at the next verse. In August, Peter proclaims Jesus is the Messiah. In September, Peter wants Jesus to turn away from the path he is on. Jesus recognizes that Peter is voicing his dismay over what the Father is calling Jesus to do, Peter is thinking in human ways. Jesus, after a pretty strong rebuke of Peter, goes on to explain that God’s way is not always easy or simple but it is for a greater reward. Jesus talks about denying one’s self, taking up and carrying a cross, of losing one’s life as a pathway that his followers are called to. But I understand Peter. We are humans. We think like humans. We really don’t like pain or hardship or troubles. We would rather a life of ease with happy family and friends around, where people like us, where we have enough and are willing to share our extras. We would like to be comfortable. Alas, God really, really doesn’t do that. We don’t hear of believers that got an easy life where they were well liked, had no troubles, and got to do what they wanted. Makes you wonder sometimes, why?!? Why do we CHOOSE this life? Oh, yeah, that reward later!

        Second Sunday in September Jesus is giving relationship advice! It makes sense. If you are having a problem with someone, go talk to them! Don’t go complaining to twenty other people first. Don’t call them out in public. Go, speak to them in private. Show them respect, and they will probably be more respectful to you. If that doesn’t work, then you try again with a couple of neutral people. This way you both have witnesses and, the third parties may be able to help negotiate a workable response. Only after this, do you bring it before the community. And even this, is done with respect for both parties involved. And the community determines the appropriate response. The parties accept the community’s decision or not. And the community deals with it. After this, it is done. Jesus doesn’t say you need to bring it up every time you meet or continue to complain about it with others!  
The ending of this Gospel for the second Sunday in September has to do with prayer. Prayer is powerful. God answers prayers. Jesus is aways with us when we gather in prayer. This is one of the reasons that attending and participating in Sunday Worship is so important. There are a few issues that Jesus does not address about prayer. Sometimes God says no [remember, God’s way is not always our way]. Sometimes God does not answer our prayers the way we want. Sometimes we need to continue to ask, persistence does count. Sometimes God works through others to answer prayers. Sometimes you are the answer to another’s prayer.


        Third Sunday in September [Pastor Gil’s Ordination Anniversary and birthday]  Jesus talks about forgiveness and mercy. 539. That’s the number of times we need to forgive someone. Jesus does not go into detail about how to count that number. He does not say: per person per offense per times you think about it but really, that’s what it is. So, someone offends you. You are supposed to forgive them for that offense, 539 times right now! You think about it later, you are supposed to forgive them another 539 times. Think about it a second time, another 539 times. Same person offends you a different way or a different time, the count begins again. See where this is going. Because we follow Jesus, we are called to forgive like Jesus. Actually, Jesus does not keep count. You sin [offend him] and he forgives you. He does not think about it later. For him, it is done. Jesus gives a number because we are supposed to “forgive your brother or sister from your heart”. This is our sticking point. We do not let it go. We think about it. We hold grudges. We take it out and polish it and put it on a shelf so we can see it. That’s on us. Please note, Jesus does not say: after they apologize or after they make up for it or after they ask for it or only if they forgive you for something first. He just says forgive. And this is why following Jesus: walking in Jesus’s footsteps, being the hands, feet and heart of Jesus to others is sooooo hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it! By the way, it is also healthier for you!

        The fourth Sunday in September we have the parable of the generous landowner. I am always of two minds with this Gospel. Part of me thinks, well, that just teaches the earlier workers not to try to get hired early with this landowner, just wait until the end and still get paid the same! But then again, what if next time, the landowner only goes out the one time in the early part of the day. Then you are out a whole day’s wages just waiting around. And he did pay them what was agreed upon. God’s generosity is nothing like ours. God does not quantify his generosity. He is a God of abundance: abundant love, abundant grace, abundant faith, abundant forgiveness, abundant patience, abundant mercy, and abundant justice. God gave his gift of his Son, Jesus, to all the world throughout all time for all people. There is not a limit on how much God can give. There is not a limit on how big heaven can be. This parable is for all of us. It is a reminder that we who have been blessed with faith at an earlier time in our life, are still going to get our reward. But we do not have the power to limit who gets the reward. We don’t get to decide who gets to heaven and who doesn’t. Not our job! Our job is not to stand in the way of others coming to faith. Our job is to work in God’s Kingdom the best we can so others can join in the work. It’s like the people who come to faith later in life. The reward promised you at baptism through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ is not diminished by the sharing with others. In fact, it is strengthened and made more perfect because there are more people who share the journey with us. And a final thought, who says which set of workers we are? We always assume that we are the first group; but what if we are the last? Makes you think a little different about it, huh?

October 2023


“Storytelling Jesus”

        This month we get parables from Jesus. Jesus seems to be a storyteller at heart. The first Sunday in October we have Jesus being questions by the chief priests and elders. He answers with a question and then tells the parable of the two sons: the first says no but does what was asked; the second says yes to his father and doesn’t do what was asked. Jesus ends by asking which had done the will of the father. Everyone answered the first one did the will of the father. There is a connection between these two things and a few points to ponder. First, our presumption: we presume that what we do/did was God’s will. Not saying it wasn’t, in this case it really is something God wants us to do. We are called to care for God’s creation and to feed the hungry. But … (you all knew that was coming!) how often do we use that phrase, “God’s Will” (usually when something bad happens, by the way)? As with the parable that Jesus told, we all assume that the father’s will was that the sons went to the vineyard but was that truly the father’s will? Maybe the father’s will was that his sons told him the truth of what would happen. In that case, neither of them did the father’s will. Or maybe they both did the father’s will because they answered honestly what their intention was at the time. How can we know the mind of the father or God at any point? We don’t. We need to remember that God doesn’t need us. In fact, God seems to work quite well all by himself and more often, in spite of us helping. What we need to remember is that God ALLOWS us to be instruments in his will.

        This also seems to be the month of tweak the religious leaders! The second Sunday we again have the chief priests and the Pharisees realizing that Jesus is talking about them. And, again we have a have a vineyard but this one erupts in violence and, as Christians, we recognize the relationship of the parable to what happened to Jesus and thereafter, the world. It can also be a call to us to look honestly at ourselves. How do we react when we hear something that doesn’t sit right with our views? Or is difficult to hear? Or requires us to change? Even today God prods us out of our set ways and challenges us to change.

        The third week we have not a vineyard but a wedding banquet. A few years ago, weddings abounding in my life [now it’s little ones]. My children were of an age where my eldest and a bunch of their friends are getting married. In a 3-year period there is were 10 weddings! And the RSVP issues are insane! You send out invitations. You give a date for a response. You call to remind people to respond. Then they don’t show up! Or they say no / don’t answer and still show up expecting to be welcomed. So, I feel for the groom’s father. God is like that. He gives us all invitations. He’s excited and how do we react: Egh. I’ll show up or not. If I’m not busy. If I have nothing else to do. If I don’t get a better offer. If it’s not too hard. If I’m not required to do anything. So, God goes out and finds others, but even these are required to make the effort, to meet minimum standards. We really need to find the JOY and the URGENCY in God’s invitation to be a part of the celebration.

        Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. We have all heard it but we generally don’t do it. We fudge on our taxes, we don’t vote, we don’t take an interest or active role in what’s going on unless we are personally affected. We miss worship, we don’t volunteer, we don’t support financially as well as we could, we skip prayer, we don’t do things to build us spiritually. And we wonder why things aren’t going well. So, what do we owe to Caesar compared to what we owe to God? In this case I am going to cheat and steal a little of what would be the 22ndt Sunday of Pentecost Gospel (we will be doing Reformation Sunday instead) to answer and just do what we owe to God. I believe that if we give to God what is God’s, then Caesar will be just fine! The steal part is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:37-40. If we truly act from a generous love of God all else will fall in place. You will love yourself [Which is a downfall of many. We either love ourselves too much or not enough] and will love your neighbor. And the answer part: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is what it means to love generously: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” If this is what we act on, we would do well.

        The last Sunday of October we will celebrate Reformation Sunday and we get a Gospel from John. Jesus speaks of the connection between truth and freedom. He is referring to God’s truth. The more we align ourselves and our will to what God wants the more freedom we have. We hear this theme throughout the Gospels. Jesus calls us to share his yoke for his burden is light [Matthew 11:28-30]. He calls us to trust in him, and out answers to our accusers will be given to us [Mark 13:11]. He calls us to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for justice, to be merciful, to be pure of heart, to be peacemakers, and to be righteous [Matthew 5:3-10]. When we are living in the truth, we do not have to fear. We do not have to be afraid. There is great freedom in living a life without fear. When we live this kind of life: not steeped in sin, not being afraid, and walking with and towards Jesus we are free. We are called to walk in the light and to be light to others. We journey in faith together, in trust and freedom.

November 2023


“Endings”


        November begins and ends with great celebrations. We begin with All Saints Sunday when we remember those who have entered into the Church Triumphant during this previous year Violet Schwabenland, Lynda Elmer and George Koehm. We pray for the families and friends of these new saints in heaven. They are among the communion of saints we profess our belief in at every service in the Creed. They are the saints in heaven and we are saints in the making. We end the month in our final celebration of this Church year with Christ the King Sunday. This is when we recognize Jesus’s triumph over death and coming into his reign in heaven. He has finished his earthly visit and has returned to his Father. He has fulfilled his mission from the Father to become our paschal lamb; our sin offering through his life, death, and resurrection. When we see him again it will be when we are with him in heaven or when he comes again, not as a babe but in his power and might. The Gospel lessons for this month are focused on how we as Christians should be living our lives.

        On All Saints Sunday we hear Matthew 5:1-12, the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are the road map to living The Ten Commandments and fulfilling the Golden Rule which we read in Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” and is expanded on in Matthew 22:37-40: 37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”. These guidelines should be the center of our lives. The Beatitudes are a covenant between us and God. It lists the qualities that we are called to have as Christians.

        The second Sunday of November we have Jesus the Storyteller come back. He is trying to prepare the people but most especially his disciples [of which we are] for living their call to join him in heaven. This week Jesus reminds us we do not know when he will return nor when we will be called home so we need to be prepared at all times. We can not wait idle and figuring we have more time to prepare: pray, care, give, forgive, love, or whatever. We don’t know when this will happen.

        The third Sunday is a continuation of the Gospel from last week. Jesus gives another comparison. Last week was about preparing. This week it is about using our gifts for God’s greater glory. We are all called to use our time, talents, and treasure for God. This is called Stewardship. We talk a lot about stewardship in society in reference to taking care of the world but Jesus calls us to something more; something better. We are called to be good stewards of the things God gives us but we are also supposed to give back to God through the world and the church from those gifts. This is not an either / or thing either. It’s an AND thing. You are supposed to be sharing time, talents, AND treasure. Just because you give in one area, it doesn’t let you off in the others! You may have more time than treasure so, maybe you spend more time on giving back to God, but you do need to part with some of that treasure, too. “I have no talents so I will not try to do anything but I’ll pay for whatever.” No one has no talents: it’s still an AND proposition [you probably have a talent for planning ahead or organizing!] “I’m just so busy all the time I have no time to help!” I really understand this one! Still, I will say, if you are too busy to spend a bit of time for God, you really are too busy and probably NEED some time with God. There is a balancing point with all of this and you need to decide what that is in your own life. But: you do need to do all three.


        The last Sunday in November is the last Sunday in this Church year and we celebrate Christ the King. We hear the Gospel of the sheep and the goats. This is one of those points where Catholics and Lutherans sort of differ on things. For Catholics this is Gospel passage is referred to as the Corporal Works of Mercy [we also have the Spiritual Works of Mercy] or Final Judgement. I KNOW: Lutherans believe in the 5 Solas of the Reformation: Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, in Christ alone, and for God’s Glory alone. Yes, and / but … Yes, through Scripture we come to know God the Father through his Son Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Grace and Faith are gifts given by God alone. Salvation comes from Christ alone. What we do is for the glory of God. BUT true faith calls us to action. These actions are reflected in this Gospel passage. These actions are a continuation of Jesus’s works while he was here. He fed and cared for people all the time. He tells us to do as he did. It's like when you are so happy you can’t help but smile. When we are so full of God’s grace and have so much faith that we can’t help but to help others; especially when we do these things without a thought of our own reward or honor but for God’s praise and glory.

December 2023 – January 2024


        A quick note at the beginning of this article. The Rev. Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus of the Pacifica Synod, is actually going to go off book and do a six-week series looking at the early years of Jesus and the influence of Joseph starting the 1st Sunday of Advent and going through the January 7th Service. This will be a special opportunity to look into the life of Jesus’s silent parent, Joseph. We do not hear a lot about him in the Gospels nor do we talk a lot about him but as the male parent in Jesus’s life on earth, he would have had a great influence on him. Since at this writing, I do not know what Gospel references he will be using, I am just going to look at the set Gospels during this time. You can look on previous page[s] to find the Gospel lessons for each week.

“Advent to Christmas”

        December is here and we begin a new Church Year with the lessons coming from Cycle B: the Gospel of Mark. Mark is probably the first Gospel that was written. It is the shortest and to the point. There’s no set up, no background material Mark just jumps in at the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. It ends with the women being told that Jesus has been raised. Nothing else. There is a longer ending which includes, briefly, a couple of Jesus’s appearances, the commissioning of the eleven, and the ascension – a mere 12 verses. During Mark’s Gospel Jesus is doing, all the time. Jesus is healing, telling stories, and feeding people. It’s like a highlight reel at the end of the year. The overall focus of Mark is that the Kingdom of God is coming and we need to be building for that. Jesus also could be seen as being combative with the Jewish power structure.

        The first Sunday in December’s Gospel from Mark is full of dire portents but, we as Californians understand the power of Mother Nature as we face floods, earthquakes, wildfires, and drought. But just as we face natural disasters, we also prepare and watch for signs of them. This is what we are also called to do as we prepare for Christmas: watch for signs of God in our own lives and be ready.

        The second Sunday of Advent we hear from John the Baptist in the Gospel of Mark. He is the herald of Jesus. He called the faithful to repentance and warns them of the one to come. It used to be that you would see signs that said, “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” I never really liked it but it had a point. But I saw a new one: “One does not simply look busy for Jesus.” which I like much better. We don’t need to look busy preparing for Jesus but we need to BE busy preparing for Jesus.

        The third Sunday of Advent we hear a similar story of John the Baptist but from the Gospel of John. It shows a confrontation between the priests, Levites, and the Pharisees and John. I really think that smart answers to authorities that are being stupid just runs in that family [Jesus and John the Baptist are cousins]. Because when asked who he was, John didn’t give a direct answer but rather quoted from Isaiah. He also basically told them that they were unaware since, “Among you stands one whom you do not know…” [John 1:26]. We frequently have sassy Jesus but we also have sassy John.

        The fourth Sunday of Advent we would normally get a Gospel from Luke about the annunciation. This is an important moment in our faith story: a young girl said yes to God’s plan. Because we all have free will, including Mary, she could have said no. And her response is so calm, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” After the angel explains what will happen, she again responds with devotion to God, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” I don’t think I would have been very calm about this. But, because of that “yes” we have our own faith journey where we also get to say yes to God’s plan for our lives. I just hope we can all answer as calmly and devotedly as Mary.

        Instead, we are going to celebrate Christmas on the fourth Sunday of December. We will be hearing the Gospel of Luke and the birth of Jesus and the announcement to the shepherds. I don’t know about you, but I always hear this, no matter who is reading it, in Linus Van Pelt’s voice from A Charlie Brown’s Christmas. It is the first announcement of Jesus’s birth and it wasn’t to great and powerful people. It was to humble shepherds. Jesus’s whole ministry was to the poor, downtrodden, powerless, and outcast people; why not announce his birth to those same people. Jesus was born in a stable. He was born to humble parents. When we chase after power and wealth, rather than using our power and wealth to help others we are doing the opposite of what Jesus stood for.

        The fifth and final Sunday in December we have the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. There was the custom that the first-born male child was presented to God. There were two very old people, Simeon and Anna, at the Temple. These were people who had waited their whole lives to see this miracle. They had obviously been told by the Holy Spirit that they would be witnesses to this. Simeon was so contented by this gift that he praised God by staying that the fulfillment of his life was done. This Gospel reminds us all that Jesus and his parents were Jewish and devout in their own faith, following the rites and rituals. It is also a reminder to us that our own faith is rooted in the Jewish faith. Our forefather was also Abraham. Our faith journey began thousands of years ago and continues today and through us, onward into the future.


“They Grow Up So Fast”

        The first Sunday in January is officially the Baptism of Our Lord but we are also celebrating the Epiphany of Our Lord. At Christmas we had Jesus presented to the lowly in the presence of the shepherds. Last Sunday we had Jesus presented to the Jewish people in the Temple and through Simeon and Anna. This week we have Jesus presented to the world and the powerful in the Magi and the knowledge of King Herod. Each group reacted differently. Much of their reaction was based on who they were. The shepherds reacted with fear and then with excitement. Simeon and Anna reacted with joy, completion, and need to proclaim it to others. The Magi reacted with joy and humbleness. King Herod reacted with jealousy and fear. I think it depends on how you relate to Jesus how his birth affects you. Also, our reactions can change over time.

        The Baptism of Our Lord is the public demonstration that he is starting a new phase of his life, his public ministry. He did not need John’s baptism. He did not need to repent. In fact, John was heralding Jesus’s coming with a new baptism. Rather, Jesus did this because he chose to be human. He lived as a human being and experienced life as we do. At Jesus’s baptism we hear that the voice of the Father says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Because of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection we, too, at our own baptism, were welcomed into that same family with Jesus.

        The second week of January we hear from the Gospel of John and the calling of the first disciples. The interesting thing is that Jesus does no persuading or explaining, although he does answer Nathanael’s question. He just says, follow me. How may of us would follow some random guy who says, follow me; even if someone we trusted said he was a good person? We would have questions. Why? Where are we going? What are we doing? Who are you? But that isn’t what happens here. Nathanael comes out with a declaration of faith instead. This is why Jesus is different. Those who follow him see that difference. We see beyond the human and see the divine. We may not know exactly where we are going or what we will be doing or everything about Jesus; but we are willing to find out. To follow. To come and see. It will not be easy but always interesting!

        The third Sunday after Epiphany we have our first declaration of the Kingdom of God, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.” and another version of the calling of the disciples from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus’s message is the same as John the Baptist’s: repent and believe. Again, people are just dropping their lives and following Jesus. It’s crazy. There’s no detail in the thought process for any of these people. Maybe it was time for a change for them. Maybe they were tired of fishing. Maybe they were ready for a new adventure. The thing is, Jesus calls each of us in a unique way, at different points in our lives, and for different reasons. Each of us answers that call in our own way. Some are called to change their lives completely. Some are called to live their lives more completely. Some are called to simply live lives of faithful devotion where they are and as they are. The thing is, each of us are called and each of us answer in a unique way. We cannot and should not judge which are better or worse; that’s God’s job. What we can and should do is live our lives answering that call every day and helping others to do the same.

        The last Sunday in January we have two moments of Jesus’s authority. The first is within the synagogue. He taught with authority. He used words. He obviously said something new or unusual; we are not told what it was, but it was something that people had to comment on and be amazed. The second was still in the synagogue but was an action. He commanded the unclean spirit that was torturing a man to come out and it did. Jesus was not just a man of words but also a man of actions. He taught much; usually in parables; but he also did things. He healed, fed, and touched people. His words and actions are in sync. His word and actions are the transforming message. We can say we are people of faith. We can say we are Christians. What we do tells about our faith and what it means to be a Christian. It is through hope and grace that our words and actions are in sync and send a transforming message to others.

February 2024

“Rest, Transformation and the Lenten Journey”

The first Sunday in February Jesus just wants a little down / alone time but was hard pressed to get it. He has spent the day first preaching in the synagogue (with authority), then goes to Simon’s house for a little food. But first, he cures Simon’s mother-in-law so she can deal with the guests in the house. But it doesn’t end there, people keep bringing others that Jesus needs to heal and cure and drive out demons from. It’s been a full day. Rather than sleeping in, he gets up early so he can have a few minutes to himself and pray. But, of course, his disciple’s go hunting for him. I am sure we can all relate to the level of exasperation Jesus felt. If you ever had to deal with a small child – you know how he felt! Even if you haven’t, there are those times when you have given your all to every one else and you need to rest and recharge; but there’s just – one – more – thing/person – that – needs – your – attention. And you take that deep breath, and continue on. We do need to be sure to take time to care for ourselves: pray, sleep, relax, do something fun; but, like Jesus, we also need to take that deep breath and continue the faith journey.

Second Sunday of February is Transfiguration of Our Lord. We began the time after Epiphany with the Baptism of Jesus and end it with the Transfiguration of Jesus. The presence of the Trinity on both occasions includes the Father claiming Jesus as His own and giving us directions: to listen this time! How did Peter, James, and John react? Fear but wanting to stay on the mountain. To dwell here. Instead, Jesus brings them down the mountain and tells them not to speak of what happened – until after the resurrection. This is one of the issues when you decide to become a follower of Jesus – what we want to do verses what Jesus want you to do. The “yes” to follow the call comes with a price: usually involving pain and sacrifice but definitely fear and confusion. We don’t get to hang out on the mountain top with God; we have to go down and deal with the nitty-gritty of reality and people.

February 14 is Ash Wednesday. Jesus gives us the guidelines for what we will be working on during this Lent (and hopefully beyond). It is our annual call to alms giving, prayer, and fasting. This year, as we dedicate ourselves to those Lenten practices again, instead of giving up something maybe we should look at DOING something MORE. Perhaps you are able to go for a walk in your neighborhood and you can take the time to smile and say hello to people you haven’t seen in a while. Maybe you can make that phone call or send an email or letter to someone else who might be lonely and needs a friendly voice. Maybe you can choose to listen to someone who needs an ear. Or share a meal with another. Alms giving isn’t just about sharing your wealth but also sharing yourself. Sharing your time and talents, too. Take time to pray. Connect with God. But unlike those January resolutions that may have gone by the wayside already, let’s start small. Add 5 minutes to your prayer time. You don’t have a “prayer time”, Lent is a great time to start; pray before all your meals; say a Lord’s Prayer at bedtime; re-read the Gospel from the previous Sunday and see how you can apply it to your life; just take a moment before falling asleep and thank God for the gift of today (yes, even with all it’s aches and pains and frustrations); attend the Lenten Devotions at Redeemer. The opportunities to pray are there – you just have to see and use them. Fasting is not just about not getting that coffee at a shop or not eating candy. Those are choices you may make BUT what are your doing with the money you are saving from not doing these habits? This could be added to your “alms giving” practice. Donate your “savings” to the church or another worthy cause. There is always the choice to fast from harmful things: gossip, complaining, listening to others speak ill of someone else, or doing it yourself. They say exercise is good for the body so this Lenten season lets stretch ourselves and share ourselves with someone who needs it.

Third Sunday of February is the First Sunday of Lent. The Gospel is a condensed version of Jesus’s baptism, 40 days in the desert being tempted, and the beginning of his ministry. The first part of the Gospel is a reminder that Jesus is claimed by the Father. It is also one of the manifestations of the Trinity. The second part of the Gospel is a statement of Jesus’s temptation by Satan. These are presented in other Gospel passages as: turn stones into bread, throw himself from a temple, and submit to Satan in exchange for power. Each of these are temptations we face: the temptation to have more; the temptation to challenge God; and the temptation to worship things other than God for worldly power. In the final part of the Gospel lesson, Jesus begins with the statement: the kingdom of God has come near and then calls us to repentance and belief. The kingdom of God is what we are working towards throughout our lives and during our faith journey. It is a gift that is given to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We became adopted sons and daughters. We can’t earn it or buy it. As with any gift we have to accept or reject it. The call to repentance is simply: deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like or regret for any past action. In our case, if we are truly sorry it is shown in our actions – changing our ways. Lent is a time for us to re-examine our lives and how we are living. What do we need to change. What do we need to strengthen. The final part is belief. We are called to believe in the good news. What is the good news?!? It is simply that we were created by a loving God to love Him and one another. The good news is the Gospels. The good news is that Jesus loves us enough to come and show us the way the Father through his living example. God made man by choice, came and dwelt among us SHOWING us the way back to the Father. The good news is the Jesus died for us all: each and every individual who has lived, is living, or will live to open Heaven for us. The good news is that through his resurrection he conquered death.

The fourth Sunday in February we continue on our Lenten journey. We hear Jesus refer to Peter as Satan! This occurs just after Peter names Jesus as the Messiah. Got to love Peter. He has such passion! Peter goes all in, all the time. Sadly, for us, Jesus also calls us a) deny ourselves, b) to pick up our cross and c) follow him. None of these are easy things to do. We like our comforts. We would like things easy. Following Jesus is hard. This is where grace and faith come in. Grace, faith, and belief is what makes us able to do these things. Our belief and love in someone greater than ourselves give us the strength needed to deny ourselves. It gives us the perseverance to pick up our cross and carry on. It gives us the power to follow. Jesus never said it would be easy; in fact, he frequently warns us just the opposite! But that reward at the end; that promise; that gift that Jesus purchased for us: eternal life with him, is worth the pain and suffering we go through in this life. And, we know Jesus understands – he went through it, too. This Lent, embrace your cross and follow him; he will not abandon you.

March 2024

“Covenants”
        Now that we have entered the time of Lent, I’m going back just two weeks to cover the entire Lenten saga. This Lent, pay particular attention to the first lessons. We will be going through the covenants that God has made with his people. God always initiates these covenants, man responds, then man breaks his part of the agreement, God retries in a different way, and it goes on. During this Lent we will be looking at these various covenants and their connection to the Gospel.

        The first Sunday of Lent the first lesson is from the end of the flood story. In this story God saves a small portion of people and agrees to be their God if they will follow him. God allows it to rain for 40 days and nights. At the end he places his bow in the sky as a promise to never destroy the earth again in water. This is the first of many covenants God will make with man. That theme of 40 days and nights is reflected in the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is sent into the desert for that same amount of time. 40 as a time period reoccurs often in the Bible. It usually signifies a time period of cleansing as it did in both these stories. And so also is Lent 40 days and is our time of cleansing.

        The second Sunday of Lent’s first lesson is the story of Abraham’s encounter with God and God’s promise that he would have children even in his old age. This was a life changing encounter for Abraham and Sarah. In the Gospel lesson Jesus tells his followers that he was going to have to go to Jerusalem to die. This was a life changing moment for his followers also. Take a moment in your own life and look at your own encounters with God. How have they changed your life?

        The third Sunday of Lent begins with the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. This is the third major covenant that God has given man and the first to the whole of the Jewish people. It is so important that we still follow it. It was a sign of God’s power and promise. It is the basic of how to treat God and one another in the simplest form. Jesus came and also gave us the Beatitudes which is the how to put the Law into action. In the Gospel we have Jesus consumed with zeal and causing a ruckus in the Temple! Jesus was fighting against the “laws” put on the people. “They” had turned the worship of God into a money making, follow the rules, marketed, manipulative farce. Jesus was trying to get back to the basics! Jesus knows that HE is the way to the Father, not following all the rules and regulations. Rules and regulations are supposed to be there to guide people not keep them from knowing God’s love and mercy. In what ways do we still create barriers to God in our own lives and for others? What presently enables you to follow Jesus: the laws, his signs, his words? Why? How? What makes it difficult for you to follow Jesus: the laws, his signs, his words? Why? How?

        Fourth Sunday of Lent we have direct references in the Gospel lesson to the first lesson (see, it’s not just me making this stuff up!). We start with God healing the Israelites. It is again one of those moment that we hear about, especially in the Old Testament, where the people of God (and that includes us, also BTW) started grumbling and complaining. They “forgot” about the fact that God had brought them out of slavery and was feeding them on their long journey (made longer by their own actions). It was a case of “yes, but what have you done for me lately” so they turned away from Moses and God. God gets a little ticked off and punishes them (what any good parent would do!). The Israelites change their ways and repent. God accepts them back and gives Moses a way to heal them. Moses is told to make a snake and raise it up on a staff and all who looks on it will be healed. So, it is also with Jesus. Those who look believe in the Christ on the cross will also be healed, but more than that, they will have eternal life. God does not take away the snakes that were biting the Israelites, nor did he take away the cross that Jesus was to die on, nor does he take away our own trials and pain. Instead, God gave them a way to live with these issues as he does for us also. What are some of the issues you are dealing with in your own life that needs God’s healing? How do you see, or can you see, Jesus walking with you during these times? Is this the time to deepen your prayer life or is it a time that prayer is hard?

        On the fifth Sunday of Lent, we hear from the prophet Jeremiah and the promise of a new covenant from God. The people of Israel are in exile, again, because they turned away from God, again. God is promising to take his people back and to write the covenant on their hearts. A promise to forgive. A promise to forget. God has made the covenant simpler. I will be your God; you will be my people. This covenant is fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus gives us the requirements for eternal life: hate your life, follow him, serve him, and glorify the Father’s name. He also says we need to be like grains of wheat. We must die to ourselves to produce much fruit. We use wheat in our communion bread. This is actual grain that has died and is used to produce much fruit when we receive it. Jesus in communion comes to strengthen us and through that communion, we are to go and produce much fruit. Is the covenant of God written in your heart? If so, how is this directing your life? Is God your God or is something else taking His place? Are you producing much fruit from your communion with Jesus or is he lying dormant in you? How are you doing with those requirements for eternal life (some of it seems quite hard to me!)? Is now the time you need to take to redirect parts of your life?

        Then we have the pageantry of Palm/Passion Sunday. We get two Gospel stories today. We begin with the Gospel of Mark or John and that triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Crowds cheering and waving palm branches. Jesus comes and is cheered as King. In the first and second lessons we hear of Jesus as the Servant. He empties himself of his power and protection. Jesus trusts in the Father and His plan. He doesn’t fight back. He isn’t looking for status or glory. He is here to do the Father’s will. And the Passion follows from the Gospel of Mark. In this Gospel account we see Jesus as a helpless Victim. In this telling of his death Jesus only speaks four times from the time they came to get him in the garden until his death. He is done in. So, which is the true Jesus? Is he a King, a Servant, or a Victim? Or is he all three? How do you see Jesus during these moments? How do you see yourself in relation to Jesus? How do you present Jesus to others in the way you live your life?

        The last Sunday of March is Easter Sunday! This is THE day of our faith life. Everybody is born, everybody dies, NOBODY else has risen from the dead by their own power, only Jesus! Terror and amazement, these are the two words that come to the forefront in this Gospel from Mark. This Gospel passage ends with: “…they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” [Mark 16:8]. For how many of us, is this our own response to Jesus? How often do we, after everything we know and have experienced with Jesus, are too afraid to say anything? We do, as good Christians and, by definition, followers of Christ, need to speak out about our faith. In word. In song. In actions. In care. In love. In story. The same things that Jesus did!

        We have the Passion of Jesus from Mark on Palm Sunday (and John on Good Friday – you can find the Scripture reference in the list of Lessons for the month); the institution of the Eucharist (2nd Lesson) and the washing of the disciples’ feet (from John) for Maundy Thursday. Take time to see the path that Jesus and we went on to get to Easter Sunday.


April 2024

“We are an Easter People”

        We have made it through Lent and we are now in the time of Easter! We are an Easter People. Our faith tells us that Jesus, risen from the dead by his own power, is the reason for our faith. We celebrated the Lord’s birth at Christmas, we celebrated the Lord’s presentation to the world at the Epiphany, we celebrated the Lord’s baptism by John and the beginning of his ministry with the calling of the disciples, we celebrated the Lord’s temptation in the desert, we celebrated the Lord’s transfiguration, we celebrated the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we celebrated the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday, we celebrated the Lord’s death on Good Friday. All of these, although special times, are not why we have faith in Jesus Christ. We are all born, we all celebrate milestones in our lives, we all are tempted, and, one day, we too, will die. So did Jesus. The thing that Jesus did that made him different was that he rose from the dead by his own power. None of us can do that. No one in history has done that; except Jesus. Easter. The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is what is the absolute core of our faith. When we were baptized, we were baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, it’s time to celebrate! It’s time to sing “Alleluia!”

        First Sunday in April we hear the story of Doubting Thomas from the Gospel of John. I can identify with Thomas. He thinks: I know that Jesus died, how can you have seen him? This is a hoax, and one in very poor taste. So, yes, I would want to see it myself. I would want to touch him. We have an advantage over his followers of the time, we have their witness to the resurrection. What does that mean to us today? If we believe in the resurrection, if we embrace faith in the Risen Lord, if we call Him Lord and Savior, if we call His Father, “Father”, if we have the Gifts of the Holy Spirit within us, if we have the gift of faith, if we have the Breath of Life within us, if we allow Him to have a claim on us then there needs to be a response from us. The one thing we cannot say; we should not say is, “Yes, I believe” and then walk through our lives as if we did not. The other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” The difficulty of trying to go it alone in faith is that we only see ourselves – our own thoughts, reflection, wants, and needs. For Church to happen, we need a community. There are times in our own lives where we do not see the Lord working and we need the community to say, “We have seen the Lord.” And sometimes we need to be the one to say it to others.

        The second Sunday in April we have a similar story from the Gospel of Luke. Jesus appears to the disciples and they are all in turmoil. He bids them peace and goes on to prove he is not a ghost by eating. He calls them to touch him. Touching Jesus. How can we dare? Even when He says we should. We need to. We need to so we can come to an understanding, flawed as it may be, of the Risen Lord. We need to be Word and Sacrament to one another in the world. YOU may be the only way someone else has of touching Jesus. Jesus bids us all peace in our lives. Not necessarily the peace of the world, but the peace that comes from being loved absolutely. The peace that can only come from Jesus.

        Shepherd vs Hired Hand. The third Sunday of April we are again are in the Gospel of John. Jesus is doing a discourse on what a good shepherd would do. These are a people who understand what a shepherd is and does. Jesus goes as far as to tell them that a good shepherd is willing to die for his sheep. Other than my children and grandchildren; and my husband [maybe] am I really conscience of being willing to die for anyone. Not really what one tends to think about. But, having someone who is willing to do that; that’s is an amazing sign of love. And Jesus did not just say he would but actually died for each and every one of us, individually. So, the question then is: who do we look to be our shepherd? What do we look for? We need a shepherd who is just; protective; understanding; brave; looking out for the weak, poor, outcast, and lost; the one willing to lay down his life for the smallest sheep. There are a lot of people in leadership positions that give minimal effort, pursue their own agenda, ignore the common good, to whom the poor, weak, infirmed are invisible, get out when the getting is good for them – these are hired hands. We are looking for and need a good shepherd! We have found one in Jesus. Now is the time for us to go and introduce others to THE Good Shepherd!

        The last Sunday of April we are still hearing from John. This is Jesus’ story of the vine and the branches. Jesus again tells us the requirement for discipleship: remain in him and allow him to remain in us. He directs us to ask for what we need, and it will be done. This is done repeatedly in the Gospels. Jesus wants us to depend on him. To pray. To trust that that the Father will give us what is good for us. I have a grape vine in my yard. Actually, it’s my husband’s. I do nothing with it except water it occasionally when it’s been a while between rains and he forgets to. It goes crazy occasionally when it hasn’t been pruned. When it doesn’t get watered enough, the leaves fall off, the fruit is small and bitter. If it gets too much sun, the branches get brittle and break if you look at them funny. But the stock, that vine, just keeps going year after year in spite of neglect, not enough attention, and just plain old forgetfulness. Jesus is that vine. We are the branches and need a lot of attention and most of all, we need to stay close to the vine. And what of the fruit we bear? Are we sweet or bitter? Are we tiny and shriveled or plump and juicy? Are we straggly little stick branches or are we strong and robust and able to weather storms and winds? Are we connected closely with the vine or are we just hanging on at the edges?