2013 Lenten Devotion for the Members and Friends of ...2013 Lenten Devotion for the Members and Friends of Emmanuel Lutheran Church Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The following

2013 Lenten Devotion

for the Members and Friends of Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The following devotions are my ‘labor of love’ for you this Lenten

season. I hope they can become companions on your journey from

Ash Wednesday all the way to Easter Saturday. Of course, you may

read them when and how you wish. However, I have intended them

to be read on a daily basis. While they are not inter-connected, I

hope they will give you various scriptural passages and reflections

helpful for this most penitential season of the Church Year.

I am sending them to you with my fond wishes and prayers.

Pastor Solveig A. H. Zamzow

Lenten Devotions Page 2

Ash Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

“…be reconciled to God…”return to me with all your heart…” These are words we hear in worship today as we gather around the Imposition of Ashes

and the table to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. We are beginning our Lenten journey. Today is the “Alpha moment” of our Lenten time with the celebration of Easter the “Omega moment”; the beginning and end.

The quality of our “Omega moment” might well depend on what happens on this journey. How will we respond to the imperatives of “returning to the Lord” and “seeking reconciliation” and to “prayer, fasting and alms giving” as our Lenten discipline?

Looking at Lent through the lens of church history, we learn that Lent is more deeply connected to our Baptism than any other portion of the church year. New converts within the first few centuries of Christianity had this time to prepare for their public Baptism when they would denounce the devil, the failings of our human flesh and spirit and the allures of the world. Lent was a ‘buckle up and buckle down’ period for those who truly wanted to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit by saying “yes” to God’s “yes” in the baptismal waters. Of course, they learned, like we, that only God’s gifts of faith, mercy and grace would eventually accomplish all this in their lives – and yet, Lent always had and still has a quality of “participation”.

During Lent we actually get to do something, personally and communally. Think of it: in prayer we listen to God. We hear God’s response of comfort for our troubles, admonition when we are missing the mark, encouragement in certainty, and guidance in times of doubt. Letting go and letting God work in our lives is most certainly our way toward repentance and reconciliation. Yet, while prayer may be very personal, we hopefully will pray for more than our own needs but bring intercessions for those around us and the world.

Fasting clears our minds, hearts and bodies not only for our own benefit but also lets us live more clearly within the community…the more ‘complete’ we are, the better we are partners with others and vessels toward the workings of God. And alms giving, well that indeed is a communal exercise! Loving our neighbor in all of their obvious and hidden needs and responding to those in sacrificial ways again and again does not only answer the imperatives of Jesus himself but also makes us that beloved community of sinners for which Christ came to die. All of these, prayer, fasting and alms giving are signs of living ‘wet’ with the waters of the font still dripping off of us.

Surely, we must never diminish that it is God who seeks reconciliation with us before we are even aware of that desperate need. God’s desire for us to ‘return home’ is much stronger than our efforts to be sought. With that in mind and heart, we walk this journey of Lent faithfully in hope and assurance that God actually invites us ‘to do’ something.

May it be a blessed journey then – from beginning to end.


Thursday after Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2013

For years I have seen a specialist for a skin issue. Of course, true to form, the procedure needed is not covered by my insurance. When the doctor increased his fees by 100% a few years ago (he is not the shy kind ), I was thrilled being told that my bill would remain the same as a ‘professional courtesy’. Whew! Other than paying it, I never gave that bill another thought – until last year at the beginning of Lent when I walked into the doctor’s office and was greeted by the physician’s assistant with a joyful, “Just so you know, you are paying for nothing today! This one is on me. I realized it is Lent and isn’t that the time when you are to be grateful and do things for others? Well, I am doing something for you. And after the procedure I am going to put you into the make-up chair and make you look pretty. So there!”

With that exclamation all my subsequent protests were in vain – off I went to the procedure room and afterwards sweet Denise went ahead and forced all the surgical nurses to watch her apply make-up to my wrinkled face with the explanation that I ‘deserved’ being treated nicely, and oh, by the way, did they all know that it is Lent and what a better time than this one to be nice to someone?! I finally gave in and agreed to be Denise’s ‘Lenten project”.

While I inwardly giggled and confirmed for myself that Denise indeed is a bit on the eccentric side, I also felt a pinch of good Lutheran guilt: here was a young woman who by her own admission is not ‘a church-going Catholic but a Catholic nevertheless’ and who at least remembered that there was something special about this 40-day journey we call Lent. Pray, fast, give alms, repent…and here I was, a Lutheran pastor who was rushing around like a chicken with her head cut off and I had to say to myself: well, who is my Lenten project this year? When and where did I stop and decide to make someone glad through an ‘undeserved’ act of mercy and kindness?

“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?” Matthew 25:37-38

Yes, Lord, when did I not only ignore the ‘big issues’ around me but even those small, little, seemingly unimportant ones that I could have tended to immediately and without difficulty?

For sure: I certainly was not ‘in need’ of the kindness shown to me by Denise. I could have paid my bill as I always did and still do. But it felt like I had just won the lottery (and I do not even play it!). What a truly random act of kindness – but from the awareness that there is ‘something’ (or someone!?) that calls us to watch out for our neighbor…after all, it is Lent and what better time than this to shake ourselves up?! Just think what Jesus did for us! And we did not deserve it either, that’s for sure!!! It took a ‘non-church-going’ young lady to make me stop and think: yup, after all, it is Lent.


Friday after Ash Wednesday, February 15th, 2013

The old joke among pastors is that a good sermon consists of three points and a poem. Perhaps a Lenten devotion can be satisfied with a poem, then. The author of the following words is known to me only as “M.D.” but I like his/her words and hope you will, too.

What shall I do this Lent? Shall I forgo dainty foods? Or will it be the television set? No, says the Lord, neither of these is enough! What then shall I do this Lent? Shall I attend an extra worship service or may it be a

Bible study class? No, says the Lord, these too are not enough! Oh Lord, what shall I do this Lent? Shall I endeavor to pray more? Or visit the

sick or poor? No, says the Lord, these are still not enough! Lord, I surrender! Ah, child that is the word I have been longing to hear. Longing to hear from your heart! Surrender your will, dear child. Immerse yourself in my love. Learn of that love, that complete love that took me to Calvary. Linger awhile, dear child. Lovingly gaze and gaze on me. Till you know of my love that embraces all of humanity to give them eternal love. Then go and keep your Lent. For good company you have. Whatever you do this season, will be done for me. That is indeed enough.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday, February 16th, 2013

I have always been partial to water – you all know that I am a swimmer. So, other than quenching my thirst, water for me conjures up images of moving more or less gracefully through a large pool of water. I likewise immediately think of frolicking with my grandchildren who all share my love of swimming.

The basic use we have for water is, of course, cleansing. Watery cleansing also marks our faith lives. Because we sin before God, we need deep cleansing. Most congregations of the West begin Ash Wednesday with Psalm 51, the most profound Psalm of repentance in Scripture. The Psalmist prays that God may show mercy on us in three imperative ways. We pray that God may ‘blot out’ or erase our transgressions; then we beg ‘wash me’ so thoroughly that all my sins are gone; and finally we say ‘purify me, oh God’, make it a rich and effective ceremonial cleansing.

God is the subject of all of these verbs. Psalm 51 teaches us that even our repentance is God’s work. And as our prayer for cleansing continues, we ask God to move deeper still. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me”. Water marks God’s cleansing in our lives, a washing of repentance so our days and hearts might be


made new by the work of the Spirit. The baptismal waters push away the barrier in our relationship with our Creator God. Through Christ’s death and resurrection into which we are baptized, in place of the barrier is put the promise that our God calls us by name, loves and forgives us and offers us eternal redemption. The water of the font washes, cleanses, renews, and refreshes – our bodies, spirits, souls and lives.

First Sunday in Lent, February 17th, 2013

Perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18 I have never been a fan of carnival rides. As a matter of fact, I do not even want to look

at roller coasters! When our sons were small, they either had to convince their father to go on a ride with them or they simply were out of luck.

Two summers ago we took our grandkids to an amusement park at the edge of the Bay of Green Bay in Wisconsin. Of course, as I had feared, they wanted to go on the rides that surrounded us. Still unsure on what possessed me, I actually gave in and took our granddaughter on some rides – I do not recall the names of those but sure remember that they spun too high and too fast. By the grace of God I did not feed the fish in the Bay!

The following January Victoria visited us again and this time she wanted to go sledding – the very reason for this Texas girl to come to the Midwest in January! Her idea of fun was to be on the sled with Oma and Opa at the same time. Mind you, the sled was very light, very short and very close to the ground Let me tell you, doing such with a dislocated hip in deep snow, getting back up by rolling in the white stuff a few times before getting my aching body upright again – well, I am sure there was a good reason why the passing cars slowed down!

At each of those events I had to shake my head at myself – what was I thinking, for crying out loud!?!

What overcomes our fears and enables us to do what we think we are not capable of doing? My response: when we love someone more than whatever it is we fear. Love overcomes fear, in other words.

Most acts of love involve a cross – getting up in the middle of the night with a sick child; struggling with a spouse to overcome an addiction; caring for a stubborn yet beloved elderly parent; working the extra hours for an already overly stressed boss. The power of love is the power of sacrifice. ‘Giving in’ to such is never a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. When Jesus hung from the cross he was mocked and perceived as weak. Well, his ‘weakness’ saved the world. His love overcame all fear.

Indeed, all the things we do for love do not compare to what Jesus does for us – they can’t and they are not meant to do such. Yet, the thought, the impetus, the desire is the same: forgetting oneself for the sake of the other. Perhaps we did learn something from Jesus? Be blessed on this day!


Monday after Lent 1, February 18th, 2013

Therefore, since you are justified by faith, we have peace with God. Romans 5:1 This is written especially for all overachievers, Type-A personalities and firstborns! For

our entire lives people have relied on folks like you and me to produce and therefore it is particularly difficult for us to rely on God alone for our salvation. Correct? Correct!

It is contrary to our experience to trust that what Jesus did for us would be offered as a free gift without you and me doing ‘something’ to receive it or offer in return. Doesn’t God demand that we produce? What about that ‘fruits of the spirit’ deal? We feel in our gut that we are to do something, be somebody, have whatever….

Truth be told: we know better than that! Like the dog on the race track we will never catch that rabbit. There will always be somebody smarter, richer, prettier….and while perfect acts are hard enough to find, pure motives, uncontaminated by self-interest, are even more elusive. So, if we cannot rely on ourselves or others to be or do or have, then we shall trust that God accepts us because of what Jesus did for us. That is our only peace. If we have nothing to showboat with in front of God we can only cry,

“Lord, have mercy.” Lord, I surrender to your grace and pray to can use my efforts in this world to help further

your kingdom.

Tuesday after Lent 1, February 19th, 2013

Why are you cast down, O my soul? The writer of Psalm 42 knows sadness. When we are sad, we all know that we are sad

but we do not always realize the exact source for our sorrow. Like the Psalmist we might ask: how come? What causes sadness, perhaps even in seemingly good times? Why does a mother of the bride, who desires only the best for her girl and adores the new son-in-law, weep at the wedding ceremony as if it were a funeral? Well, because in a sense it is a funeral, isn’t it!? Why does the man who has finally achieved ‘freedom’ as he enters the long anticipated retirement and now can do what he loves to his heart’s content, sigh and descend into a sorrowful silence as though he just lost a dear friend? Because a dear one did surely die!

All of our sadness has the same cause even if its form varies and we experience it differently.

Sometimes the cause for our innate sadness is not only difficult to speak of but also hard to digest emotionally – abuse, broken promises, disasters beyond control, physical impairments, a diminished role in society, the loss of a good reputation… At other times the causes are obvious and ‘natural’ like in my wedding and retirement example above. So, the details may change, but the cause of sadness and sorrow are always the same: death.

Today, let us give thanks to God that in Jesus Christ death has met its match and life has won the victory – so we have plenty of reason to see and hope beyond all sadness and sorrow.


Wednesday after Lent 1, February 20th, 2013

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. Psalm 42:1 Let’s stick with Psalm 42 for one more day and let me ask you if you have ever tried to

spend an entire hour doing nothing but pining for the voice that dwells deep in your heart? No, TV watching and listening to soft music does not count

Many years ago, when I was a Seminary student, our “Worship” class attended a worship service at the Society of Friends community outside of Iowa City. Yours truly struggled to sit quietly for seventy minutes until one of the elders finally got up and shared some thoughts he felt the Holy Spirit had laid upon his heart. The entire rest of the service was silence, nobody spoke, nobody looked around (other than us students who just could not help it), not one person even coughed or cleared their throat. After that experience, those very short moments of silence within our Lutheran liturgy do not even qualify for ‘silence’, let me tell you. Most of us are not all that comfortable with silence and so we ‘supplement’ it with noise of our own choice as in TV, radio, singing to ourselves. As I get older I relish silence with each passing day a little more. When I am home alone, one will be hard pressed to hear any noise in the house! But, granted, it is not easy to reach into silence and beyond the boisterous and demanding voices of the world and to discover the small intimate voice that says, “You are my beloved child, on you my favor rests.”

If we dare to embrace the silence and solitude we will come to know that voice. I am not suggesting that we will hear that voice with our physical ear; I am not speaking of a hallucinatory voice, but of a voice that can be heard with the ear of faith, the ear of the inner heart. For that voice we must be still for we know that our soul indeed longs to hear that voice, God’s voice, like a deer pants for the water.

Thursday after Lent 1, February 21st, 2013

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. Genesis 37: 23-24

The following is a reflection on this text, written by Henri Nouwen. Nouwen was a Dutch-born Roman Catholic priest, professor and author of many books. He also traveled extensively into countries where poverty and strife was a daily occurrence. His passion in life became the care of a developmentally challenged person to whom he tended in The L’Arche community. Here are his words:

“Only if you pray with hope can you break through the barriers of death. For no longer do you want to know what it will be like after you die, what heaven exactly will mean, how you will be eternal, or how the Risen Lord will show himself. You don’t let yourself be distracted by daydreams where all your conflicting desires are satisfied in a wish-come-true hereafter. When you pray with hope, you turn yourself toward God who will bring forth his promises; it is enough to know that he is a faithful God. This hope gives you a new freedom which lets you look realistically at life without feeling rejected.”

We pray: Lord, may I learn pray and live in ever deeper hope this Lent. Amen


Friday after Lent 1, February 22nd, 2013

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked…but delight in the law of the Lord…they are like trees planted by streams of water….they prosper…the wicked are not so…the wicked will not stand…the Lord watches over the ways of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1

Today I wish to offer up a word for your children and grandchildren with a fresh and new translation of Psalm 1. Read on!

How well God must like you; you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink around Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead you thrill at Yahweh’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You are a tree planted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. You are not at all like the wicked who are mere windblown dust without defense in court, unfit company for innocent people. Yahweh charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Road.

Sometimes it is important to adjust our language to share the story. Go ahead and share….

Saturday after Lent 1, February 23rd, 2013

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

‘Back to the Future’, a classic film of the 1980’s, defies time by transporting Marty McFly back to the hometown of his parents during their high school years. In the process he learns a great deal about his family as he faces the future.

In our stressful world filled with constant time pressures perhaps we need to travel back in time spiritually before plunging ahead blindly. King David, in Psalm 139, turns to God in the midst of his demanding and tumultuous life and lets his thoughts travel back to his conception. David recognizes and praises God for forming his life from the very beginning and credits his God with shaping all the days of his existence. He faces the future with trust in the Lord – even though Scripture makes us aware of the crucial fact that not all of David’s journey with his God was hassle free, without pain or consequences (we recall well his affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent death of their son).

How would we live our days differently remembering and contemplating our birth and re-birth in Baptism before leaping into our busy days? Throughout my ministry I have encouraged parents to make it a habit to celebrate the Baptism anniversary of their children. What a great opportunity to help our children hear the story of their beginning not only as a beloved blessing to their earthly family but also in God’s family. There you were – and there we greeted you – and there God cared about you because he made you! Going back in time helps us spring joyfully into the future.

During Lent we go back to Calvary and the cross so we can joyfully spring forward from the empty tomb and embrace the ministry God sets before us. Happy time travel to you.


Sunday, Second Sunday in Lent, February 24th, 2013

Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom. Matthew 20:21

Parents everywhere want the best for their children and the mother of James and John (Mrs. Zebedee) was no exception. As soon as we learn that we are pregnant we start dreaming, planning and hoping. Most of us understand clearly that these dreams, plans and hopes will eventually be out of our control and simply remain dreams, plans and hopes. We realize that disappointment and pain set in when we have to face a very different reality than we once envisioned. Adjustments are in order.

Mrs. Zebedee wanted her sons to succeed, move to the head of the line and, if at all possible, be in positions of power in the administration of Jesus of Nazareth. So she put forth her request by addressing Jesus directly – nothing like going to the source! After all, her sons had dedicated their very lives to Jesus, so we can hardly hold her request against her.

If you are well familiar with the story you also remember that Jesus took the wind out of her sails when he answers her with a terse, ‘You do not know what you are asking’.

Jesus could probably say the same thing about many of our prayers and requests: we do not know what we are asking because we can see only see partly what is going on whereas Jesus sees everything and knows that his kingdom is not at all what we envision and think we know. Joining Jesus would not be a walk in the park for the Brothers Zebedee and, frankly, it might not be for us either. The place Jesus would go to was not a fancy board room. Rather, his kingdom turned out to be one of pain and agony. Watch out, Mrs. Zebedee, this is a cross we are talking about.

Because you and I cannot see all matters completely we have to step back and trust that Jesus knows best. Thank you God for unanswered prayers and denied requests!?! Even if we cannot fit the pieces of the puzzle together, Jesus can and Jesus does. Of course, James and John now have become more famous than their loving mom could have possibly anticipated. Jesus did know best. Let’s pray Mrs. Zebedee now knows the difference – and you and I will too. The Lord be with you this day.

Monday after Lent 2, February 25th, 2013

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 People get brokenhearted rather easily. Working with young people, and recalling my

own youth, I watch teenaged boys and girls be brokenhearted quickly when the object of their undying devotion is too busy with his buddies or decides that the captain of the football team is better looking. These ‘broken hearts’, thanks be to God, get ‘fixed’ rather nicely most of the time and almost always represent a rite of passage, an experience that helps us grow up and stronger.

On the other hand, as we walk through life we come across true heart-breaking moments that are neither repaired quickly or perhaps never. A miscarriage, a child on


drugs, a spouse who cannot keep faithfulness, an accident that destroys innocent lives, disease that makes every day a burden, financial woes that cannot be reconciled, decisions that once looked so wise and turned into deep disappointment….yes, we do know real heartbreak.

In faith we know that God is closest to us in those moments of brokenness. When we are weak, God is even stronger. True peace comes even in the midst of such pain as we rely on God even if the journey will be long and filled with despair.

The followers of Jesus also need to be attentive to the brokenhearted. We are asked to sit with folks in the mud of their lives, gathering with them in the name of Jesus and speak words and show actions which are reflections of the care Jesus demonstrated. We are the feet, hands and the mouthpiece of Christ, especially in the sight of broken hearts. Sharing the love of Jesus with those in need, being ‘little Christ’ (to use Martin Luther’s phrase) to our neighbor, is our response as people whose own weakness is made strong in the Lord.

God shows his greatest glory in the very unlikely place of the cross. When we help carry the cross of the brokenhearted, we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

Tuesday after Lent 2, February 26th, 2013

If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Romans 8:31-32

Preparing ourselves for death is a very important task of living life - at least if we believe that death is not the total dissolution of our identity but the way to its fullest revelation. Death, as Jesus speaks about it, is that moment in which total defeat and total victory are one. The cross on which Jesus died is the sign of this oneness. Jesus speaks about his death as 'being lifted up.' Lifted up on the cross as well as lifted up in the resurrection. Jesus wants our death to be like his, a death in which the world banishes us but God welcomes us home.

How, then, do we prepare ourselves for death? After all, we do not want to turn into morbid, sour-faced people who constantly talk about ‘the good life up there'. We are put on this earth to praise God and to live life to the fullest - that does not change! Yet, we may want to pay more attention to living a life that gives more credence to the fact that God's love for us clearly is able to overcome death. Speculations and concerns about our final days are useless - making each and every day into a celebration as beloved children of God, however, allows us to live our days, whether many or few, as birthing days. The pains of dying are labor pains. Through them we leave the womb of this world and are born to the fullness of the children of God.

We pray: Lord, give me confidence in the face of death, for you have won the victory for me. Until my last hour comes, grace me with your presence and turn my days into celebrations of your care. Amen


Wednesday after Lent 2, February 27th, 2013

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God - not the result of work so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

One of the first experiments in chemistry class uses a strip of litmus paper to tell for certain whether a fluid is a base or an acid - one color, a base; a different color, an acid. No doubt!

For St. Paul the cross is the litmus test for the Christian faith. Either we rely on what God did through Jesus on the cross or we rely on something we do. This was the crucial question underlying the heated fights in the early church between those who came to faith in Christ from either a Jewish heritage or a pagan life. Was it necessary for a non-Jew to become circumcised before being integrated into the Christian community - which ultimately would be a question of the importance of the Law - or was it enough to turn to Christ in complete confidence and hope? Do we rely on the things we do and over which we have control or do we surrender ourselves entirely to the grace of God which is ultimately shown in the cross of Christ?! Self-reliance or reliance on God, that was the question then and it still is the question today. We all want to agree that God does it all but how often do we feel that our inadequacies will prevent us from 'really' being saved...just in case, perhaps, maybe, to cover our bases....hmm....

Of course, in our better moments we clearly know that even our most sincere efforts will not match what Jesus did for us. All that is left for us is to respond to the mercy and goodness we receive. To humbly and gratefully accept and live out the gift of salvation should keep us busy for a life time! My hope is built on nothing less but Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Thursday after Lent 2, February 28th, 2013

...just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

Tennis professionals tell of hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the racket for maximum results. God leads us to find our sweet spot of service where our God-given gifts intersect with His kingdom purposes. Remember the baptismal admonition: Let your light so shine!?! Jesus yielded his gifts and passions to the Father's purposes by giving his life for us all and he serves as a role model for us in this.

One of my favorite author, Frederick Buechner, says the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. That takes mere service to a level of vocation, does it not! Vocation is not just about me and my needs and my 'calling' but vocation is service that reflects 'us' and the common good and acknowledges the realities of the world.

So, please take a moment and think about what/where your sweet spot of service might be. Ask yourself what your passion is, your strength, your gladness. Where do you find fulfillment and where do you connect to the deep hunger of the world with that? When


you find your sweet spot or even a new and/or additional vocation, take out your calendar and determine when you can put that sweet spot of service into practice.

May your gladness meet the deep hunger of the world and may the world's deep hunger be made less painful by your gladness. Make it a good day!

Friday after Lent 2, March 1st, 2013

...since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood....Romans 3: 23-25

Undergirding every picture, idea and confession that assures us of God's love - ransom, redemption, forgiveness, etc. - is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. It certainly is no secret that at just about all times in the history of the Christian faith there have been folks, even theologians, who wondered out loud whether or why such a terrible sacrifice was necessary.

If we recall the elaborate Jewish system of sacrifices and how sacrifices to gods were part of all cultures, we are alerted that when anyone is wronged, we sense that we have to make 'payment' to make up, atone, for the mistake. Just a few weeks ago our four confirmands and I watch a Jewish Yom Kippur sacrifice ritual on YouTube and compared it to what we say about the Lord’s Supper.

The word 'atonement', taken apart literally spells 'at-one-ment'. More fancily expressed, it expresses the idea of reconciliation, of being made right and reconnected once again. We are keenly aware of the fact that within our human relations we often do not deem the phrase ''I am sorry'' to be enough. A child 'makes up' for hurting mom by picking dandelions. Husbands might bring home candy and a wife may cook a favorite meal (or vice versa) in order to give some power to the words ''I am sorry.” In a sense those are sacrifices in hopes of at-one-ment once again.

When it comes to God and us, well, our sacrifices will fall short each time. Remember how God reminds us in His Word over and over again that He is looking for a contrite heart and not for burnt offerings! When it comes to God and our human predicament we need more than dandelions, candy and delicious foods...we need Jesus. He is the One who paid the penalty for sin with his death. He is the One of whom we claim (with John the Baptist) that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Yes, indeed, it appears a bit 'over-the-top' for God to ask of Christ to atone for us with his very life. But God did - and Christ did. And we are at-one with God again. Praise be to God - Amen

Saturday after Lent 2, March 2nd, 2013

Is not this the fast that I choose...to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house...when you see the naked to cover them…Isaiah 58: 6 - 7

At Ground Zero, after 9/1 1, when the remains of a person who had perished that day were found, something remarkable would happen. All activity would cease. The pile of


rubble with all of its frantic activity would slow down to a gentle silence. With bowed, uncovered heads everyone would show their consummate respect for life as the remains of a person would be lovingly brought out from the rubble. Then the concerted effort for rescue and recovery would resume.

When hearing of this I thought of Johann Sebastian Bach's Passion of St. Matthew and the chorus of Joseph of Arimathea whose hands received the crucified Lord. ''Purify yourself, my heart, I myself will bury Jesus”. One can only wonder about the heart-break Joseph of Arimathea must have felt, or the rescue workers at Ground Zero, or in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand, Japan, New Orleans, Missouri, New Jersey or the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. How many good and kind souls have already bent or will bend down and lovingly lift the crushed body of a beloved or of a stranger and do everything they can to bring honor to a life lost!?

The challenge, of course, for a community (civic or religious!) is to ask, wonder and evaluate if, when or whether we treat all of life with such reverent respect. The unborn child, the person dying of AIDS, the people in a neighborhood who scare us, the lives of small children who will see the inside of a jail with more certainty than they will see their own High School graduation party? Why is it that we seem to be selective in our care, our respect....Why is it that we often profess that all are equal and yet, when we are to apply such equality, we fail miserably? Why is it so hard to trust that indeed all of us are beloved children of God, made in the image of God to live in praise and honor of our Creator and in harmony with the rest of God's creation. Why is that so hard? Perhaps we want to ponder that? I will ...

We pray: God, you know our sins and failings, and yet you forgive us and keep us in your love. Help us to extend that love to others, for the sake of Jesus our Lord. Amen

Third Sunday in Lent, March 3rd, 2013

Blessed be the God of Israel, for He has looked favorably on His people and redeemed them. Luke 1:68

I have never set foot in a pawnshop. Yet I remember one from many years ago in Dubuque, IA which I would pass on my way to 'somewhere'. There inevitably would be a cluster of expensive watches in the store's window, a shining saxophone, maybe a guitar or two and usually a few things of which I did not know what they actually were. Of course, each piece displayed was in principle waiting to be redeemed by its rightful owner, brought back to the one to whom it belonged. I am not so sure that the percentage of such return is terribly high, though!

The word redeem comes from the same root as ransom. Redeem was a word used by early Christians to awaken the understanding of what Jesus did on the cross. It derives from the practice of buying back something which has been lost to its owner. While in the Old Testament the word redeem is closely connected to the ownership of property and deliverance from all that ills us, in the New Testament it is used much more in terms of ransom.


Either way, the truth with which we have to struggle every day is the fact that our hearts will be owned by something or someone. The question is ‘what’ or ‘who’! Which pawn shop holds us and displays us?

For you see, as Christian we always have to face the reality that if it is not God who owns us, then some idol like leisure, money, ambition, the need for companionship, etc. will be glad to fill in for God. Some people have a hard time figuring out whether and how they are slipping into breaking the First Commandment (the basic definition of which is that God knows that we have the great tendency to place something above God). I think the First Commandment is broken more often that any of the others – and we do not even realize it. Perhaps questions like, ''What is driving me'' or ''What would be the hardest thing for me to give up for God'' can help us find some needed clarity. Watch out: sometimes the answer can be utterly distressing. I am unable to think through my own answer because it takes my breath away - I cannot give up THAT! Often one of the really good gifts from our Creator God has usurped the place of the Creator - been there, done that!

Jesus bought us back to return us to God - that is the good news in the midst of the sad news of Lent! Jesus rescues us and returns us to God to whom we belong. May we surrender joyfully; no more pawn shops for us!

Monday after Lent 3, March 4th, 2013

My times are in your hand. Psalm 31: 15 Although I do not have a BlackBerry or other type of Smartphone, I truly understand

how effective and efficient they can be – and there is part of me that deeply regrets that I am terrified of technology and simply ‘do not get it’. I know that these now so common devices allow us to control information and help us maneuver life with the touch or swipe of a finger. I also understand that all these helpful technical gadgets control people’s time to a high degree. I wonder how many hours a FaceBook user actually spends on updating the world on every move he or she makes. As someone who sits in front of a computer for emails and to accomplish research for sermons and classes, I already feel guilty as it is and have, so far, refused all FaceBook invitations successfully. When I work on the internet, just like the TV commercial shows, I move from one website to the next, craving more and more information, cross-referencing facts...perhaps you have been there and done that. For all the blessings technology gives us, it simply eats up our time.

These wonders of inventions then are not only a tribute to the abilities of the human mind but they also easily can turn into a curse inflicting harm to the divine gift of time. Lent is precisely the period to re-focus our time toward God. We are reminded that not only all of our time is under God's control and in his hands, but that we simply do not have all the time in the world.

''You are dust, and to dust you shall return'' - that is the cry of Ash Wednesday...clearly a recognition that this easily used up time of ours is of a finite nature. The ashes on our foreheads are stark reminders of that finitude and may appear even offensive to some.


Lent is a good time, the right time, not only to allow ourselves to think about death but certainly also a time to live life to the fullest intention of God. If my time is indeed in God's hand, if I am the 'borrower' of time and not the 'lender' what must I do with this time'? What kind of responsibilities do I have over against these minutes and days and years that are at my disposal? How does my time honor God? What in my day reflects the love, sacrifice and hope Christ offers to me?

May this Lenten season be indeed a time of renewal as we move our focus from 'using time' to celebrating the gift of time with our very lives.

Tuesday after Lent 3, March 5th, 2013

Here we are in the middle of Lent. It is a somber six weeks, a time to confront mortality, sin and brokenness. Lent has a no-nonsense attitude to itself. There is no beating around the bushes in Lent. The message is clear: we are sinful, broken people and we are going to die. That is honest; I like it. But kids usually do not like that.

A colleague of mine discussed Ash Wednesday with her kids on the way to church. The eldest one, Christian, recalled immediately that Ash Wednesday is the day when they would receive Ash crosses on their foreheads and for a number of weeks would sing the 'Holden Evening Prayer'. Right on, mother was proud to hear that! Jake, the middle child, however, was less enthused and concerned that he would have to ‘dress up' also on Wednesdays now and not only on Sundays. Also, Jake was indignant at the thought of having to scrub his face and 'why does it have to be a cross anyway, why don't you just draw a picture of something, Mom?' Philip, the babe in the family, was a bit more practical. “Can I eat the ashes?'' Mother was not sure if Philip was excited or disgusted at that thought....And, for good measure, Philip wanted to know since everyone already had smeared up faces, was that the service where one perhaps could get wild and have a fist fight with a buddy? At this moment, his mother, like every self-respecting Pastor-Mother, started sternly informing Philip that fist-fights are never acceptable in church…

Then Jake wanted to know: why ashes, why not something like plain dirt? Well, ashes are like dust and to dust we shall return, mother responded. Okay, Jake agreed, but then why ash crosses because, he, Jake, had all along assumed these crosses were PLUS signs - like in Math!

At that point, big brother Christian came in: "You can think of it that way. The crosses are all plus signs. These are the people Jesus loves. These are the people who will go to heaven when they die. There are no minus signs, which would be the people Jesus doesn't love! So, if you want to think they are plus signs, okay, I guess. Right, mom?”

What's a mother to say? What's there for a pastor to explain? Christian's explanation was simple and correct. These crosses are the plus signs that show us Jesus loves us and we all get one of those. Right!

Perhaps a good reminder as we keep on walking with our plus signs indelibly placed on our foreheads. Right!?


Wednesday after Lent 3, March 6th, 2013

The Lord give you peace. Numbers 6:26 When my mother wanted me to leave her alone she would always say "Go in peace, but

go." Even as a child I instinctively realized that such was not a particularly holy wish but the exclamation of an exhausted parent who just 'had had it'. Still, the added 'go in peace' made the 'or else' implication less frightful and much more serene. So, just what is this peace we expect to have or get, especially from God?

There is a story of an artist who was asked to paint a picture that would visualize the idea of peace. The artist painted a roaring waterfall with a large tree hanging over it. On a limb of that tree, bending over the churning waters and almost touched by the rising spray, a sparrow calmly sat on her nest. Amid the roar and danger of the waterfall, the tiny bird was at peace. Like that little sparrow we too can and often are surrounded by danger and troubles. We cannot look at our own lives, read a newspaper, watch TV or listen to friends, without being very aware of the fact that peace is much more than the absence of war. I would agree with those who claim that the United States are not a nation at peace right now - neither is Europe, neither is...fill in the blank...and, in limited understanding, such cannot be reconciled by an economic turn-around or by bringing all soldiers safely home. Peace often does not come naturally, it is not something we can will into being and we cannot talk anybody into it. 'Be peaceful' is about as helpful as the demand to cure world hunger - sure, anything else?!

Peace finally is a gift. It is that serenity, comfort and hope that tells us that we belong to a God who cares and who can protect, support and make new even those things that seem beyond repair - from relationships to flood damaged homes to addictions and the dark abyss of a depression. While God created all things, sin disrupts all things and delivers the lack of peace which is so familiar to us. Through his Law God calls us to repent and seek a renewal of that peaceful life God has originally intended for us. The cross of Christ makes God's resolve for peace unmistakably clear and the Good News of Christ breaks down the walls we build around ourselves.

As the community called Church, we proclaim the peace that comes thru Jesus and which seeks healing, forgiveness and hope. We are told by Christ that peace-makers are blessed and indeed our task to make peace never ceases. So, while we bear responsibility for what we contribute or do not contribute to the peace around us, none of our efforts will bear fruit unless they are guided and gifted by the completeness of the true peace which passes all understanding and which can come only from God. Peace to you and yours.

Thursday after Lent 3, March 7th, 2013

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16 Have you ever been in a group where you felt you really did not belong? Not because

you should not have been there but because you did not feel part of the group?! Perhaps


you noticed you had nothing in common with the group as in: everyone was talking about 'The Real House Wives of Wherever'...and you are an expert on comparing Anderson Cooper to Bill O'Reilly...or folks were 'showing off’ the latest success of their spouse and your spouse just was laid off...the possibilities are endless. If that happens we get a sense of unease, discomfort, unrest...

Sometimes we can even feel that a bit within the family of God. The devil is a master at using our doubts, fears, and weaknesses to lead us to wonder: ''Well, do I really belong? Am I truly one of God's children? Am I just deluding myself into thinking that all is well?'' So much of what we do and say day in and day out is caught up in our emotions, our feelings. And, indeed, in many situations our feelings are a decent barometer of what is going on inside of us. We certainly even may read the signs of the party crowd correctly and decide 'this is not for me - I am out of here, I do not belong in this crowd and this conversation'.

It would be easy to make the mistake of carrying this attitude into our spiritual lives. It has the danger of suggesting that we must 'feel saved' in order to 'be saved'. And nothing could be farther from the truth. Oh yes, there are always moments when our spiritual lives are at an all-time high: Christmas, a wedding, a Confirmation, Easter...but often our faith is weak, questions prevail and doubts plague us, our spirits fade and fail and we ask: do I still belong - really - does God still care - is this the crowd where I need to be?

God's children have a vital and eternally true assurance which does not come from within us but from outside of us. It is not based on how we feel but on how God feels. God's commitment to us is sure and steadfast. In Baptism God has called us by name and declared us his child. To the best of what we can glean from his holy Word, God has no intention of changing his mind on that. When we have that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach that tempts us to doubt that we are indeed beloved children of God who belong forever into his flock, we can go back to his Word and his revelation in Jesus Christ and it is clear once more: we do belong, we are in the right crowd as beloved and redeemed children of a merciful God who hangs on to us for dear life.

Friday after Lent 3, March 8th, 2013

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22 What often makes air travel difficult is lugging heavy suitcases to the check-in desk and

dragging carry-on bags to the gate. I am not a fan of the circus some travelers force upon the public when they bring along more and/or heavier luggage than allowed and proceed to insist that somehow accommodations ought to be made. My annoyance once went so far that I told a fellow traveler (who thought he could move my carry-on bag to the other side of the plane so his over-sized brief case could be stored where my luggage was) ‘Too bad, so sad, no can do’ - which caused the lady in front of me to clap and add her ‘You go, girl' to the conversation. Needless to say, my spouse pretended he did not know me!

No doubt, many if not all of us, continue to lug around baggage from our 'past life'. Not


all of that baggage is 'bad' baggage but nevertheless, all baggage becomes a burden if we do not know how to 'store it' properly in the correct 'overhead compartment' of life. When that happens, we indeed are in constant need for someone to move over, make room, offer accommodations, etc. so we can live well. Too much baggage often prevents us from simply enjoying the present moment of joy, peace, happiness and contentment that life otherwise has ready for us.

The Psalmist's advice today is well taken. Cast your burden on the Lord - Jesus himself reiterates that in in his own words as recorded in Matthew 11:28. Frankly, I think we all know that letting go of baggage is easier said than done. Past hurts, disappointments and failures sometimes almost suffocate and paralyze us. We should not be surprised that the First Commandment has something to do with that: we trust in someone or something more that we trust in the guidance of God Almighty and lo and behold, we are stuck...because we cannot 'do it' without God after all is said and done.

On one hand we can pound our chests and moan, on the other hand we can claim gleefully that we are 'only human'. Neither approach in the end will solve the problem. Christ has done all the heavy lifting for us on the cross and at the foot of that cross is still plenty of room for us to deposit our baggage...in trust and confidence, with tears if needed, hopeful that Christ does make a difference, comforted in knowing that the power of the Gospel not only holds second chances but offers transformation and forgiveness to a repentant soul. The baggage does not have to be lugged around. I pray I can set down my baggage and you can set down yours.

Saturday after Lent 3, March 9th, 2013

Have mercy on me, O God - Psalm 51:1 God's mercy is greater than our sins - our sin of inheritance from Adam and Eve and

our transgressions as we know (or do not know them!) on a daily scale! We confess our sin(s) at least on Sundays in worship when we admit indeed that we are miserable sinners - in bondage, depraved, beyond help but for God....

And yet, we must realize this: there is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that says: "I am too sinful to deserve God's mercy.'' It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. To stay with the narrative of Lent, the question then is: "Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in God's mercy any longer and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to the Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins?" The season of Lent, during which we get to struggle with our sinfulness and understand how only through God's mercy we are saved, also calls us to cry out for that very mercy and declare God's power over sin, death and the


devil to be much stronger than our actions, omissions, and fears. Lord, cleanse me of my stubbornness and help me embrace your infinite mercy and love in

my life. Amen

Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 10th, 2013

''But we must celebrate and rejoice', because your brother was dead and has come to life again', he was lost and has been found." Luke 15:32

The first time I met an acquaintance of mine he shared with me the story of the death of his first-born son. The six-year old boy was crushed against the door of the garage by his mother's car who was behind the stirring wheel. A terrible, freak accident that left both parents in emotional shambles. I also remember the suicide of a confirmand and how his parents sought help and healing in all the wrong places. I could go on and on. My ministry is ‘littered’ with stories and the accompaniment of parents who have grieved the death of a child. I am wondering: what do we call them? I do not think our English language has a name for parents who lose a child. A man who loses a spouse is a widower; a woman who mourns a husband is a widow, the child who loses both parents we call an orphan. But parents who grieve a child do not have a name in our society. Perhaps that is steeped in the hope than no parent ever would have to lose a child. I do not know…

The father in the parable of the Prodigal Son (from where the above text is taken) also had lost a son. Not to physical death but to painful alienation, anxiety and hurt and if you will, to a spiritual death. Sin had severed the family bond, repentance and forgiveness restored it. Thus is the story of humanity. We all wander off - some of us farther than others and perhaps into various directions, but wander we do. Therefore we are always in the process of returning. In the parable we often talk about the father figure as the ‘gracious Father' - a father who waited for the son who appeared so lost, so dead to life. Of course, as we know, the parable is trying to show us the waiting patience and steadfast mercy of God who waits at the gate for all of us to return and then spares no effort to celebrate. What do we call a father whose dead son returns?

The parable is not all that can be said about a grieving father named God. In the person of Jesus our true God loses his Son deliberately and for the sake of us. A parent who willingly gives up a child! Of all the many things that put me in awe and reverence of Almighty God, that is at the top of my list. I once had a prodigal son who seemed lost to me and the world and I waited anxiously for him. Several times I had to fear for the very life of another son. I cannot grasp the grace of this God who willingly stands at the cross of his only begotten son. My head is too fearful to feel this pain and my heart cannot grasp love that deep. All I can do is fold my hands in thankful prayer. What do we call a parent who loses a child?



I saw it at the last moment! Rushing back home from an early-morning swim, I barely kept within the speed limit. However, knowing the significant occurrences of wildlife running alongside and across Highway S in Oconto County, WI, my eyes constantly scanned the sides of the road. And there it was: a huge, majestic bird hovering over a carcass. At first glance I thought it had to be a vulture - but with one additional quick look over my left shoulder I saw the Bald Eagle that seemed to wonder whether or not to attack the carcass or simply move along to better things, like delicious fish fresh from the Bay of Green Bay!

I could not help but smile. You see, I love Bald Eagles. Not that I really know all that much about them but each time I see an Eagle my mind is transported back to my first Call in Bellevue, IA, a lock-and-dam town by the mighty Mississippi River. In Bellevue Eagles were par for the course as they sought the open water to find fish even in the coldest of winters. To see 20 plus Eagles in one single tree was nothing! People came from all over Iowa, Wisconsin and even the deep south of the country for the annual ''Eagle Watch Weekend". As I said, I am in awe of Eagles. The span of their wings, their majestic flight, the serious yet inquisitive look in their eyes - yeah, there ought to be some awe; what a creature!

In churches that engage in so-called ‘contemporary’ or even ‘blended’ worship, folks are familiar with the song "Our God is an awesome God." Sometimes I fear that we think of God as being 'cool' when we sing or hear those words. The Old Testament understanding of the awesomeness of God is more akin to my awe for Eagles: raw power and beauty and yet beyond our control and not for us to tame. In our awe of God we fear him - see the explanation to the Ten Commandments in your Catechism - but that fear is not like the fear little kids might have of monsters. Instead, to fear God is to take seriously the power and otherness of God - it is to be in awe of God, to respect God for who he is and for what he can do and does. Why do we need this awesome God? Because we live in a broken world where evil is real and bad things happen to good people! How often do we find ourselves in circumstances beyond our understanding and control, from large-scale disasters to personal tragedies. Even the relationships with the people we love can become strained. Being left drained and discouraged is nothing new to most of us.

At those times we can find comfort in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 40:28-31 - pick up your Bible today and check it out! God is able and willing to lift us up, give us strength and courage, and holds us in such love and mercy that is stronger than anything anywhere. God makes it possible for us to soar again when we feel like our wings have been clipped by the grind of daily life. Eagles are awesome but not as awesome as God.


See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10


How would you describe our daily living? Can we say that we are the masters of our own lives and destinies? Of course, we would love to plot out our entire life and to a great degree we do get the opportunity to do exactly that. For the most part, gone are the days when a farmer's son had to take over the farm and a girl from the wrong sides of the tracks never got a chance to use here talents and gifts but was 'stuck'.

Today we decide how and where we live, work, plan a family, spent time of leisure, worship or not, spend every penny we earn or build up large nest eggs, eat out or cook every meal from scratch: indeed, in our day and in our country it almost does feel like we are the masters of our own destiny.

Except, many of our plans do not work out as they do not appear in accord with God’s plans. God seems to have a penchant for doing things his way (there, take that, Frank Sinatra!) and lo and behold, by 'adjusting' our plans God refines us. For you see, many a times our plans do not include detours or obstacles. Who plans on losing a job, burying a child, suffering the affliction of a chronic illness, having more bills than money in the bank, losing a home to a tornado or seeing a grandchild struggle with behavioral issues that are sure to cause him grief...my plans never would include that, would yours?

It is marvelous to watch gifted workmen start with some seemingly ordinary raw material and proceed slowly and patiently to fashion an object of beauty. In their own way they subject the raw material to stresses and strains. It may even appear as if they are about to destroy the material. However, we know that in the end they will have created a piece of great value and/or use. The raw material clearly was not the master of its own destiny but look at the end result!

So the Lord makes and fashions us into something/someone of great value: tainted with sin and apart from the Lord, to persons who have been set aside, made holy, for the honor and glory of God. We are cleansed by the blood of Christ and called by the words of the Gospel. As our plans are 'adjusted', as trials, unexpected opportunities, and new pathways are before and ahead of us; as crosses and trials may enter our lives; as blessings abound and joys take us to new heights ---we shall be glad that we are not the masters of our own destinies but led and guided by the careful refining of a master craftsman, even if in the furnace of affliction. Peace and Hope to you!


Romans 5:1-5 reads as follows "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our heads through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

"I just want to be happy." All of us have heard that and most of us probably have said it


or at least thought it. Yes, we have learned from modern psychology that we all are individually responsible for our own happiness and that we cannot point fingers at anyone (we do it anyway!) and claim that he or she is the source of our unhappiness. So, how does happiness look? How does it feel? What kills it? Where and how do we obtain it? And, perhaps most crucially: how quickly could happiness be taken away or dissipate into thin air? Weirdly enough, I have felt most unhappy at some intersections in my life when everyone would have thought I should be hilariously happy. Do you know what I mean?

The difference between a shallow happiness and a deep, sustaining joy is sorrow. Happiness lives where sorrow is not. When sorrow arrives, happiness dies. It can't stand pain. Joy, on the other hand, rises from sorrow and therefore can withstand all grief. Joy, by the grace of God, is the transformation of suffering into endurance, and of endurance into character, and of character into hope - and the hope that has become our joy does not disappoint us - as happiness does for those who depend on it.

May true joy be yours today and always.

Thursday after Lent 4, March 14th, 2013

I am no stranger to anxiety. The first time I had an anxiety attack I was sure my heart was failing me...a terrible, frightening feeling that took me into a tailspin for days. Eventually, I was diagnosed with stress-induced anxiety and ever since then I swallow one small pill every night to calm my nerves and find some rest. The dose is the lowest the 'drug market' has to offer - but it works!

Many of us have anxieties, of course, and most of them do not have to be treated with medication. I bet we all know folks, who worry that the avian flu will hit the Midwest or that someone will steal their identity, clean out their checking account and buy a Lexus. Who has not fretted over the possibility of losing one's driver's license while standing in the TSA line at an airport, checking once, twice, three-times...

Oh, and of course, we all have turned the car around to make sure the front door was locked, the iron unplugged, the stove turned off, the bedroom window closed. One way to take care of excessive anxiety indeed is medication. There are millions of first-world citizens who take a high dosage of Paxil, Prozac or the like to overcome the feeling that hot lava is running down your sternum, your legs may never stop moving and your mind shall never rest. Others again put their physical bodies through the wringer with exercise to the point of exhaustion. I know a man who was so overcome by anxiety following a divorce that he ran up to eight miles per day and cut his weight in half – truly!

Martin Luther once was asked what to do for an anxiety-plagued woman in his parish and he answered: Her illness is not for the pharmacist...nor is it to be treated with the salves of Hippocrates, but it requires the powerful plasters of Scripture, the Word of God.

Lent is a perfect time to give Luther's 'prescription' a whirl. We really can exercise some control over our thoughts and feelings - that is actually deeply rooted in Christian belief and experience. The Desert Fathers (hermits, monks, ascetics living in the third century)


spoke of tempting thoughts like 'gluttony, anger, lust, greed and the like'. They claimed that the beginning of denouncing destructive thoughts is to renounce them by clearly naming them and then to replace them with a prayer. So, instead of being preoccupied with fear that the avian flu will strike you right after your bank account has been wiped out, you decide deliberately to focus on prayer and read Scripture.

My own experience with anxiety has confirmed what those Desert Fathers already knew hundreds of years ago. Let us be sure, though: nobody can pray him/herself out of a true mental illness that needs the care of a physician! We have become very much aware of that in our country as of late. I am not speaking of such illness which under any and all circumstances must be treated with deliberate professional help, even institutional care, if needed. However, on a daily basis and under less dramatic circumstances we can calm our hearts and minds by turning them to God, by conversing with the divine Father whom we can trust by focusing on the Word he speaks to us anew each time we approach him. It is not that we are in control - but we know where control can be found and it is just a prayer away.

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34&35

Friday after Lent 4, March 15th, 2013

Here is my invitation to myself and to you today: As part of our Lenten discipline, shall we think about and consider a person who is a challenge to us - one who makes us uncomfortable in some way, one who seems to strain the limits of right and wrong, one who appears of little value to us- and then pray for that person, seeking to see him or her through the eyes of our Lord Jesus?!

Who is coming to mind? Okay - now go ahead and pray!

Saturday after Lent 4, March 16th, 2013

The following “Thoughts about Lent'' were written by a college student who attends a Lutheran College in the Midwest. I would like to share them with you today:

This Lent: Fast from judgment, Feast on compassion - Fast from greed: Feast on sharing Fast from scarcity, Feast on abundance - Fast from fear, Feast on peace Fast from lies, Feast on truth - Fast from gossip, Feast on praise Fast from anxiety, Feast on patience - Fast from evil, Feast on kindness Fast from apathy, Feast on engagement - Fast from discontent, Feast on gratitude Fast from noise, Feast on silence - Fast from discouragement, Feast on hope Fast from hatred, Feast on love. How are we fasting and feasting these days? How am I fasting and feasting these days?


Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 17th, 2013

'' and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head...she has performed a good service for me...wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her." Mark 14:3-9

At the seminary where I studied theology the first female students some 15 years earlier had established a room with the name: In Remembrance of Her. It was a place where they gathered for study as well as for fellowship and over the years it certainly became a place occupied by both, male and female students alike.

We do not know the name of the woman in the passage from Mark. Some think it was Mary Magdalene but we cannot be certain as the Evangelist Mark does not engage in that discussion. Was she somebody's mother? We do not know. Was she young, old, bent over by years of hard work, indeed a woman of the night as some claim or a person worthy of praise and respect, filled with special virtue? We do not know. Was she so poor that she just 'wasted' all she had on Jesus or was that ointment she poured over his head merely one of her many riches? Mark seems to wish for us to remain in the dark.

But we do know this: she came to pour expensive ointment on our Lord in an act of anointing. That deed identifies the woman for us! It memorializes her forever! Look and see what Jesus said: what she has done will be told in memory of her! Not in memory of Jesus but in memory of the one who is name-less and face-less to us. We can only marvel at the woman's deed. Aside from what 'made her do it', she put herself 'out there' - opening herself to the ridicule which she does receive, of course! She has no idea how her labor of love will be received, even by Jesus. What the woman did was an act of pure love for Jesus and not a smidgen of worldly gain came to her because of it. Just think: nothing would justify the spilling of three hundred days of wages, except love alone.

We pray: Lord, we marvel at the love of the woman who anointed you with costly ointment, empower us to show our love for you freely and openly without fear and without the hope of recognition.


''To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone, and a word in season, how good it is." Proverbs 15:23

I have said it once I have said it thousands of times: if I can stay away from technology, I will. It scares me, I do not understand it...you know the jazz.

One of the things I truly try to avoid is texting. When I actually see a text message on my phone, I freak out, hoping I can respond with a call, an email or not at all. Such a thing happened some time ago when I had totally blocked out of my mind that our son, Jeremias, was on his way to Washington, D. C. for a meeting with the FBI or at the Pentagon or...well, I don't remember (his older brother was in North Carolina on a business trip at the same time and the two blended together in my frail mind). Suddenly I noticed a text message from Jeremias telling me of the incredible beauty he had witnessed


when his plane circled over the impressive buildings which hold such great historical and political meaning as the plane prepared for landing in Washington.

It was obvious: he gave an answer to what he had seen and his answer was 'WOW' - and so he shared it with his mother who was sitting in her office working away.

How often do I fail to 'give an apt answer' to the blessings, joys, and incredibly meaningful and gracious deeds of God in my life I wondered when I finished reading and responding to Jeremias' text! Frankly, more often than not I nod to myself, think a fleeting thought and go on with life. To be totally honest, my fear is that I am even guiltier of that than the average person since I am always steeped in Scripture, worship, etc. A clear answer, a distinct declaration, then often gets pushed to the side.

Therefore, one of the things I am working on this Lenten season is to give an apt answer when I see the beauty of the Lord's power around me in people, circumstances, the community of saints, or nature. Wow - look at this! Let's not take it for granted and, perhaps even more importantly: let others know about it. So send a text, a tweet or email, call, write, speak to your heart’s content because as the wisdom of Scripture tells us: a word in season, how good it is. May the Lord bless you!


Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God' - Joel 2: 17 ''Where is their God?” This is a question asked not only by Israel’s detractors as quoted

by the Prophet Joel, but by those of every age who like to cast doubt on the people of God. Too often, it is a legitimate question. We ask it ourselves as we see nations trying to annihilate each other. We ask it when we see congregations in conflict. We ask it whenever we see perversions of the faith that Jesus taught, the faith that demands love for one's neighbor.

Sometimes we get the idea that our piety will prove our faith. If we get out on the street corners and pray in public, people will surely realize that we are Christians. If we make sure everyone knows how much we give to the church, and how many charities we support, they can't help but discern that we are followers of Christ. If we have our names engraved on the walls of a church building or in the sidewalk of a cathedral, showing that we contributed to that ministry, surely that will reflect our faith in God. Aha, people will say, ‘There is God' - well...

The Prophet Joel and Jesus speak with one voice. God is not interested in outward signs of piety. 'Rend your hearts and not your garments! When you pray, pray in secret!' Our God is not honored by flashy bumper stickers, but in broken hearts and humble service. Where is God? In hospitals, ghettos and prisons, gathered around our kitchen tables and altars, in nursing homes and shelters for the homeless and abused, in the gathering of mourners, in the office of a marriage counselor, in the waiting area of an emergency room.

God is where his people need the assurance of the cross. It is not that God is only there because God is ubiquitous (in all places simultaneously) and God most clearly rejoices


with our celebrations and embraces our successes. Yet, just as God was strongest in the perceived weakness of Jesus as he hung on the cross, so God most clearly and dearly steps into our pain when we wonder: 'Where is God'. As we stare stunned and perplexed at any of the countless troubles of this world, the answer always is the same: God is in the midst of this troubled time, in this dark place, surrounding his people with his care and love.’ Be sure to live this day in the assurance that God is here!


He was pretty crushed that night - my husband, that is. When we finally met up at home late on Wednesday evening he said what I had not heard him say in years, “I am giving up on my confirmands. No matter how hard I try, they are not getting the meaning of the Ten Commandments into their heads. So, I am done with that.” Well, I suggested, perhaps it was more important that they knew in their hearts what those Commandments are all about - after all, I long had given up trying to get kids to memorize the Catechism. Lady Gaga songs: yes – Catechism: forget it. Michael agreed: yes, he knew...he only prayed that they would get it ‘in their hearts’!

At that point I turned from 'pastor' into 'wife' and I reminded him of the following story which is most precious to my heart: when our granddaughter was four years old she had the most difficult time imaginable distinguishing the numbers 6,8 and 9. A great lover of the card game ''Go Fish'' she and I went around and around and I used all my pedagogical acumen as well as every trick in my grandmotherly handbook to get her to learn these numbers - to no avail. We would stop when she was just about in tears. Victoria wanted to learn these numbers - if for no other reason but to beat me at the card game

Finally, one day I said in despair: ''Victoria, whenever you get it right, Oma will give you a hug and a kiss, okay?'' Sure, Victoria was in! But, before she picked up the first card she looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes and she said: "Oma, if I get it wrong, do I still get a hug and a kiss?” Choking back tears I gave her a hug and a kiss and I assured her that she always would get hugs and kisses from me no matter how and when she would learn her numbers!

After recalling the story, I simply asked my husband if his Confirmands will still get hugs and kisses from God even if they cannot remember the ins and outs of the meaning of Baptism?! Choking back his own tears, Michael nodded.

There are countless things I do not know, remember, have forgotten or perhaps never worried about in terms of Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, the Catechism, Systematic Theology, the relation between Science and Faith...sometimes I can’t distinguish one thing from the other, I get confused, even upset and angry with myself for being “dense.” For it is not that I do not care or not believe...just like Victoria deeply cared about distinguishing the numbers 6, 8 and 9! Yet, sometimes I simply fail and no matter how hard I try I feel defeated and inadequate. I myself have come close to banging my head against a wall with


my own Confirmands for decades now. While some, of course, don't care ‘to get it’, most do and try and struggle and feel sheepish when they realize an answer is much less complicated than assumed. Yes, just like my spouse I do get frustrated and impatient. And I need to remind myself that even if we don’t get it - God still will give us hugs and kisses. God is just that kind of a God. Good for us, that’s all I have to say!

Thursday after Lent 5, March 21st, 2013

Don't you just have to love St. John’s Gospel?! John writes in such a way that we are able to see through our hearing!

Jesus is the door. Jesus is the good shepherd. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the light...and all that Jesus is, he is so that we may have life...no, not simply life but that we may live life abundantly.

We would do well to ponder this: what does abundant mean? Plentiful - lavish - fruitful - rich - unstinted - ample - luxuriant - liberal - teeming -

unmeasured - profuse - generous - overflowing - exuberant - opulent - abounding – chockfull - bountiful - well-provided - full -replete...

Yes: all of this! Thank you, Jesus, for giving such life to us and thank you, St. John, for reminding us!

Friday after Lent 5, March 22nd, 2013

Peter said to Jesus, ''Even though all became deserters I will not.....and he broke down and wept. Mark 14: 29, 72

Virtual reality increasingly occupies time in the lives of many. Playing tennis, bowling, golf and fitness on the Wii may make it seem like we are exercising in the real world. But what we see on a screen is an illusion. We delve into another type of virtual reality in our daily lives as well: before a big meeting or conference or family gathering, before a baptism, funeral or wedding or a vacation we very well may play out in our minds everything we think we will say or do. What happens in reality then is often far different and far less successful from our imagination. While role-playing what we would like to happen can be a very fine tool in preparing us for the real-world experiences, we want to be sure that we do not become overly confident in ourselves or 'dream' too much.

Peter became overconfident in himself when he responded to Jesus’ real-world prediction that 'all will fall away'. Peter was convinced that he would not be one of them. He had too much confidence in his ‘virtual view' of himself only to be very disappointed in his own actions. When he denied the Lord three times (just as Jesus had predicted) Peter broke down and wept bitterly.

All of us have a basic tendency to be overly confident in our faith and commitment - only to be hit by reality at a later date. Getting weak when it counts is certainly part of the human predicament. Thank God for Jesus' real-world journey to the cross for Peter and for us. His victory stands and prepares us for real-world witness and service with or without


virtual reality. Lord, prepare us for what it is you expect of us. Help us to rely on you so our confidence

rests in you and not in ourselves. Amen

Saturday before Passion Sunday, March 23rd, 2013

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:51

Jerusalem was the long-term 'goal' for Jesus. It was there that he paid the ultimate price for our sins by dying on the cross. But along the way to Jerusalem, he had many short-term goals to work on. His short term list including something like this: visit a Samaritan village to make friends with enemies, send seventy disciples on a mission, teach many important lessons, heal the sick, raise the dead, save a despised tax collector, set free all sorts of garden-variety sinners, ride triumphantly into Jerusalem and prepare for his opposition. Jesus faced many short-term answers to the ever present question of 'what's next'.

And so do we. God has a lifelong purpose for our use of time in his service - which we often only dimly grasp. He moves us by grace and with guidance to set our face toward our ''Jerusalem'' our long-term goal, our reason for being here. When we ask, 'what's next', we better be ready to be busy with all the stops along the way of our journey. I guess we call that 'life'. As long as we do not lose sight of the 'goal', life must be allowed to happen - it did for Jesus.

Lord, set our faces toward the long-term plan you have set before us so we may live with you forever.

Passion Sunday, March 24th, 2013

Palm Sunday! Passion Sunday! The trial of Jesus remind us of the side of our humanity we probably would rather forget - the denials, the selling out, the running away, bearing false witness, doing violence.

Jesus is on trial and so are we. Innocent people are dying every day in our neighborhood and around the globe. We

sometimes want peace without justice. Hungry men, women and children wander the streets of perfectly nice cities. Husbands and wives refuse to forgive each other. Children are abused… we do not stop the mean gossip of which we know it is untrue… folks walk away from each other when just a simple word could make all the difference in the world… we do our best to misinterpret the email that pops up in our inbox… we decide that an important task is not worth our while and let someone else struggle alone… Jesus is on trial and so are we.

I do not know whether I am in the courtyard with Peter watching from a distance or whether I am one of the innocent bystanders who have no idea what's going on; or whether I am inside among the scribes and elders struggling to make sense of this messy affair. But I know I am there - and so are you.


Jesus is on trial and we will put him to death. Were it not for the rest of the story, we would live under an unbearable burden. But we know the rest of the story - all the way to the resurrection and beyond!

Here is the thing: when we hear the question ''Who is it that struck you, Jesus”, we do not have to look too far to find the answer - but once we have answered, neither do we have to look too far to find forgiveness that turns the sorrow over our actions and inactions into joy. May God bless your day.

Monday of Holy Week, March 25th, 2013

Here is a devotion from the pen of Henry Nouwen, Roman Priest, theologian, writer, lover and servant of those who are treated most harshly in life, and who yet throughout his life struggled with himself and who he was. See also our devotion of February 21st.

'I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations...'' Isaiah 42:6

When all is said and done, what we must learn above all is to offer ourselves - imperfections and all - to God. If we keep waiting until we are 'worthy' of God, we will move farther rather than closer to him. It is through our broken, vulnerable, mortal ways of being that the healing power of the eternal God becomes visible to us.

We are called each day to present to the Lord the whole of our lives - our joys as well as our sorrows, our successes as well as failures, our hopes as well as our fears. We are called to do so with our limited means, our stuttering words and halting expressions. In this way we will come to know in mind and heart the unceasing prayer of God's Spirit in us. Our many prayers are in fact confessions of our inability to pray. But they are confessions that enable us to perceive the merciful presence of God.

Tuesday of Holy Week, March 26th, 2013

But when Simon Peter saw the miraculous catch of fish, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: ''Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Luke 5:8

The disciples had caught no fish all night, but when Jesus instructed them to put their nets into the sea, they caught so many fish that their boat began to sink. Peter was frightened because he recognized the holiness of Jesus - in spite of the questions he might have had in his mind when he, the experienced fisherman, followed the advice of an itinerant preacher. But not only did Peter learn a lesson in trust, he also became aware of his own sinfulness. We know how that feels: we do not want God to come too close to us so we may not be exposed and made vulnerable in our brokenness. A direct encounter with God’s power and goodness will make us indeed aware of our sinfulness. But Jesus did not condemn Peter, in fact, he told him not to be afraid.

As we are now in the middle of Holy Week, we are very much aware of Peter, big-mouth, promise-making-promise-breaking Peter who always thinks he can do what the Lord tells him will be impossible. During these holy days we encounter Peter at his worst:


denying, betraying the very Master whom he loves, turning into the coward he insisted he would never be.

We are blessed in that we also know the story that follows the cross. We know of the Peter who runs to the open, empty grave and tells others of the resurrection. We know the Peter who stands in Jerusalem and preaches Christ crucified risen and demands to be heard — and preaches so convincingly that 3000 are baptized. We know the Peter who understands, eventually, that God knows no partiality and the Good News is even for the Gentiles. We know the Peter who travels, preaches, writes and finally dies for his faith.

And it all started with a moment of hesitation and recognition of sin. God does not want to terrorize us. God wants to love us and forgive us and use us for his divine purposes. God does not shy away from us when we finally realize what God already knows: we are sinners. We are blessed that Jesus ignored Peter's request to 'go away' - he stays with us, too.

Wednesday of Holy Week, March 27th, 2013

Edward Elgar, the composer of 'Pomp and Circumstance'' faced many challenging circumstances in his life. He is described as a 'self-taught genius who suffered from cancer, depression and attacks of prejudice'. He even spent five years as a ridiculed band director for a mental asylum. ''Pomp and Circumstances'' expresses his conflicting emotions and experiences of triumph and failure.

With that in mind one could start wondering if the famous song would be appropriate background music for Holy Week. Highs – Lows - Challenging circumstances - Deep sadness – Prejudice – Ridicule – Suffering – Judgment – Failure - Triumph.

What is your Pomp and Circumstance level? No matter what the level might be, consider putting the following words to music about the One who understands and can help.

''For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrew 4:15-16

Thursday of Holy Week, March 28th, 2013

The idea of 'making a toast' originated with the practice of placing a small piece of bread (toast) in a drink. When certain drinks were processed using lead tubing, offering a toast was as sign of love because the toast absorbed dangerous lead particles as it removed some of the wine's acidity. As far back as the 6th century B.C. after guests drank from the cup, the host, in honor of the guests, would drink what was left and eat the saturated piece of bread (toast).

In the Upper Room Jesus lifted a cup to his friends. ''Take and eat, take and drink. This is my body and blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins." In a sense, Jesus is lifting the cup to make a toast to his friends - a toast of a special sort, though. On the cross


Jesus absorbed all of their sins - mine and yours! He took our place with his sacrifice so we may receive life, forgiveness and peace. The cup has been raised; the toast has been made; the sacrifice is complete.

Good Friday, March 29th, 2013

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Who answers Jesus? The thunder is silent. The city holds its breath. The heavens are

shut. The darkness is rejection, the silence worse than death. No one answers him. No, not even God.

And then there is the centurion: Truly, this man... The centurion sees the very nature of the love of God. He sees the heavens open in the

body that slumps over, he sees a window open to the divine which we cannot truly grasp. A God-forsaken Jesus reveals a gracious God - what paradox, what cruelty, what blessing.

And then Joseph of Arimathea takes the body to the tomb - a hole in a stone no higher than a human waist. It must have been a difficult job for Joseph but it also was a labor of love dragging this dead body into its final resting place - or so Joseph must have thought.

The sun has set, the sky is empty, the air is still. Joseph rolls a flat stone in front of the tomb opening. All is done. It is finished.

Holy Saturday, March 30th, 2013

I suspect that they wanted to die. Jesus was crucified, dead and buried. They were at least indirectly responsible since

they did, after all, abandon him. Although scattered after the arrest of Jesus in the garden, some of the disciples managed to gather again after the crucifixion. I suspect that at least some of them simply wanted to die.

Everything had gone wrong. They were lost, tired and scared. They had walked to the edge of all the light they had. There was nothing they could do. There was no hope. It is tempting for us to say that at those times when we are lost, afraid and alone, when

everything has gone wrong, it is tempting to say that we are in the same boat as the disciples and that we too are without hope, unable to do anything, feel anything.

But we can't! We can't allow ourselves to be tempted like that, we cannot believe that, we cannot act like that. It is impossible not to have hope - BECAUSE we know the rest of the story.

Let’s meet again on Sunday in the cemetery outside of Jerusalem!

Documents

2013 Lenten Devotion for the Members and Friends of ...2013 Lenten Devotion for the Members and Friends of Emmanuel Lutheran Church Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The following