19th Sunday after Pentecost

In today's sermon, I decided to preach on the Semi-continuous lectionary, Job 23:1-9 16-17, and the gospel. I suggest you read Job and the gospel first and then read my sermon. They did record me preach but they have not emailed me it yet. I will post it as soon as possible.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14”

Picture if you will a man of huge social status. Rich beyond all imagination. Has the perfect family and a beautiful wife--well at least I think she is beautiful (the text never talks about what she looks like). He has servants and maids--the latest technology-- and one day everything, EVERYTHING is gone. In the matter of a few moments, this man’s livelihood, his family, and many of his maids and servants are all gone. Now the man I am talking about here is the biblical character known as Job. Job has lost everything and his health is failing. Job is emotionally and physically drained by this chapter. He has sought comfort in three of his friends but has only found shame and frustration in their advice. Job is at his wits ends and he cannot figure out what he did to deserve this “punishment.” We, the reader, know why all these tragedies have happened. It wasn’t because Job sinned, or because one of his children have sinned, but it was the Satan, or in hebrew it is ha-satan, that instigated the initial “attack.” You could argue that God gave permission to Satan that it is God who is doing the actions against Job but in the end it was Satan that had the opportunity to decided whether or not to commit the actions which destroyed Job’s world and cause Job’s illness. But Job knows none of this. Job only knows that he has lost his world and he is deathly sick. Job feels abandoned, he feels hurts, and he wants to know why.

Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; but he would give heed to me. There an upright person could reason with him, and I should be acquitted forever by my judge. “If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.

When I listen to these words of Job, I can understand why Job was not always well liked by Jewish Rabbis of the early 1st century. That last line just sends shrivels down my spine. God is not there. “If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him. Job looks around and he can no longer see God. God is absent to Job. This is not the message that we necessarily want preached in churches or synagogues. However, I do not think this is the message that Job is conveying in his speech. As one commentator wrote, “Chapter 23 frames this complaint with two statements that insist faith must sometimes be construed as moral rebellion, not silent compliance.” Meaning, it is okay to ask why.

This past summer I spent 13 weeks at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center doing CPE. I was assigned to Medical Intensive Care Unit and the other heart floors in the hospital along with the normal duties chaplains had in the trauma bay. Every single day I was confronted with families and my own self asking essentially the same question that Job is asking God, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Why did my son have to die?” “Why me?” “Why Alex? He was such a great brother.” I can remember many sleepless nights staying up with families who were in the same situation Job was in. Sometimes we need to ask why. Sometimes we need to demand, yell, scream at God and ask “Why me?” But after that, we need to remember its not “why do bad things happen to good people?” but rather “When bad things happen to good people...” This world can be a wonderful place and at other times can be a horrible and hurtful place. I can remember one trauma case where a 21 year old male decided to ride down a hill on his skateboard drunk with no helmet. He was a good kid but just made a bad decision. His mother had to make the decision whether or not to pull him off life support. It was a heartbreaking case that I hope nobody has to ever face. A mother deciding the fate of her child, a sister having to say good bye to her older brother, a father wishing he could have done something different. Bad things will always happen to good people. In the end, it is not so much as we need to know why bad things happen but rather we need to “when whatever happens to you, I will be there.”

This is precisely the promise Jesus has made with us. I believe Jesus’ teaching in the last part of our gospel reminds us of this promise. This world may take everything we have: wife, husband, child, house, etc. but it Jesus who promises to stay with us and remain with us. Sometimes this means our life will not be easy. It was not easy for that family to watch their son die. It was certainly not easy for the disciples either. All but one died at the hands of the Roman government. Torture, beheading, crucifixion were all in their future. Peter and Andrew left their father at the dock to follow Jesus. We believe Peter might have even have had a family with a wife and children that he left behind to follow Jesus. These men and women left everything behind--essentially lost everything--to follow a man they have never met or known and with only the promise that better things will follow. Sometimes we must lose it all to strike it big in the end.

Job had it all and when he lost it all he felt it was punishment. Little did he realize that it was God working through Job’s disaster, Job’s attack. God was never far Job. It was Job that could not see God. Job thought God was in all of his possessions but rather God was with him personally just as God is with us today. We are no better in the sight of God if we drive fastest car, wear the Armoni suites or if we come wearing jeans and a t-shirt. We are the same in God’s eyes. Robert Jenson, a former professor from LTSG, has a wonderful quote in his commentary on Mark. "Whenever you want to draw lines in order to mark who is outside the kingdom and who is inside, always remember: Jesus is on the other side of the line! Jesus is always with the outsiders!" Being a follower of Jesus Christ puts us with all the followers, the saints present and the saints who now celebrate with God, and it makes no difference who we are or where we come from--we are outsiders because we follow Jesus. It is simply our faith that grants us this eternal life, this eternal promise with God. My friends, do be like Job and ask the questions--get angry at God (I promise you God can take it) but know that in the end, God has and always will be with you. This is our theology, This is our faith, This is the promise God grants us in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon from September 7, 2009

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14”

Here is good one about tolerance: A man who was walking across a bridge and came upon another man standing right on the edge, about to plunge to his death. The first man shouted "Stop! Are you a Christian?" "Yes, as a matter of fact I am." "Well so am I. Are you Catholic or Protestant?" "I'm Protestant," "Well so am I. Are you Episcopal or Lutheran?" "I'm Lutheran." "Wow... I am too. Are you ELCA Lutheran or Missouri Synod Lutheran? "I'm ELCA Lutheran," "Me too, that's amazing! Were you LCA or ALC?" "I'm LCA." "I can't believe it, so am I." But tell me are you a German Lutheran, or a Swedish Lutheran?" He answered, "Swedish Lutheran" To which the first man said, "Die you heretic," and he pushed him off the bridge.

Sounds crazy right? But how many times do we divide ourselves by churches or religious groups? I can think of hundreds of times I have been at church when someone has come up with a new idea and the first words out of someone’s mouth is “But we have never done it this way before.” Why are we not willing to take a chance? Why can we not trust in God when we are presented with a new and exciting avenue of ministry that differs from the status quo.

Every single church and every single Christian is guilty of this. I cannot tell you how many times I flinch in chapel at seminary when someone changes the order of morning prayer. My friends tell me I’m part of the rubrics police--i.e. I get annoyed when pastors and leaders do not follow the red italic text in the hymnal. We so easily forget texts like this one today--“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

This one particular line appears four times in the Synoptic Gospels--twice in Luke and once in Matthew and Mark. It is a line that, I believed, had great importance in the early church and among the Gospel writers. Think of the implications this line had on the early church--on the disciples hearing these words first hand. They thought they were doing the right thing by telling Jesus about this healer--TEACHER THIS GUY IS NOT PLAYING NICE WITH US! They are thinking they need to defend Jesus and the ministry he is establishing among the people. Think about the implications this man could have had on Jesus if he screwed up? But Jesus stops them and so eloquently turns their mistake into a teachable moment; “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

Robert Jenson, a famous theologian, has a wonderful quote his commentary on Mark, "Whenever you want to draw lines in order to mark who is outside the kingdom and who is inside, always remember: Jesus is on the other side of the line! Jesus is always with the outsiders!" What criteria should we use to determine if someone is "of Christ" or not? Where does active church membership fall within requirements for being "of Christ"? Most importantly, where is Jesus in all of this?

As a good Lutheran Seminarian, I would answer this last question by saying “Jesus is present in the hearing/the speaking of the word and in the Holy Eucharist.” But digging even deeper, I believe Mark is making the argument that Jesus is our midst just by saying his name. In verse 37 from last weeks lesson, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name”, in today’s reading, verse 38 “someone casting out demons in your name,” verse 39 “no one who does a deed of power in my name” and verse 41 “whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ. “ Bearing the name of Christ and acting in Christ's name indicates a belonging to Christ and perhaps even, being Christ's presence for the world . By claiming the Name of Jesus, God grants us the presence of Jesus in our lives no matter who we are.

Donald B. Kraybill, a professor in the field of sociology and religion says, "The genius of the gospel is its seed of self-criticism or self-reformation. Each generation of Christians, like the Pharisees, is tempted to make sacred its programs and freeze its routines. Jesus showed us that humanly created structures aren't sacred. There are no sacred places, organizations, times, objects, doctrines or social positions, except in the sense that all good things are finally sacred." We must remember that God is in charge and through God, all things are made Holy and Sacred. When it comes down to it, our hymnal will not save us, our Book of Concord will not save us, our church, our pews, our ideas will not save us but it is simply the cross that will save us. No matter what we do on earth, the cross is what saves us. So in the Name of Jesus, go and proclaim this message of God’s love for us and remember that whoever is not against us is for us. Amen.

A call for Church Unity Four weeks ago and now Lutheran CORE wants to seperate.

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 10, 2009

Lutheran CORE Plans Next Steps, Intends to be 'Free-Standing' Synod

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Saying the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America(ELCA) has "fallen into heresy," because of actions taken at last month's churchwide assembly, the chair of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform)said the organization intends to be a "free-standing synod" which will carry out ministries apart from the ELCA.

In addition CORE is expected to consider initiating conversations with member Lutheran congregations and reform movements in the United States and Canada toward a possible reconfiguration "of North American Lutheranism," said the Rev. Paull E. Spring, State College, Pa., LutheranCORE chair. Spring is a former bishop of the ELCA Northwestern
Pennsylvania Synod.

Those and other ideas will be discussed when Lutheran CORE holds a convocation Sept. 25-26 at Christ the Savior Lutheran Church, Fishers, Ind. Nearly 700 people have registered as of Sept. 8, said the Rev. Mark Chavez, Landisville, Pa., CORE director and vice president, WordAlone Network, New Brighton, Minn. WordAlone is a member of Lutheran CORE. Lutheran CORE is a coalition of pastors, lay people, congregations and reform groups in the ELCA. CORE expressed distress and sadness over the assembly's decisions on human sexuality. The assembly adopted by a two-thirds vote an ELCA social statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," which CORE said changed ELCA teaching and policy on same-gender relationships. Voting members also directed that changes be made to ELCA ministry policies to make it possible for people in committed, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers. CORE opposed that change, citing biblical teaching on marriage and homosexuality.

Following the assembly's decisions on sexuality, CORE announced it was ending its relationship as an independent Lutheran organization "officially recognized" by the ELCA. The organization is also encouraging ELCA members and congregations to send finances directly to ministries they support versus giving to the ELCA.

More than 1,000 people have contacted Lutheran CORE since the assembly, most expressing sadness and asking questions, Spring said. However, CORE is "encouraging people to remain in the ELCA -- for now," Spring said in a telephone interview with the ELCA News Service. "I myself intend to remain on the ELCA clergy roster and remain a member of an ELCA congregation," he said, adding that he and others may not participate much in the ELCA beyond the congregation. Despite his own "disappointment and shock" over the assembly's actions, Spring said he hopes Lutheran CORE can "be a visionary, future-oriented group."

"We have no desire to look back at what happened in Minneapolis. We need to look to the future with confidence, amid much uncertainty," Spring said.

CORE's 2009 convocation is expected to adopt a proposed constitution, authorize proposals for developing fiscal plans and authorize its steering committee to initiate conversations with "congregations and reform movements" within Lutheran CORE, Lutheran Congregations for Mission in Christ, and other compatible organizations, Spring wrote in a Sept. 4 e-mail to CORE supporters. There's also much planning to do over the course of the next year, he said. Convocation speakers include the Rev. Kenneth H. Sauer, Columbus, Ohio, former bishop of the ELCA Southern Ohio Synod and former chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops; Ryan Schwarz, Washington, D.C., a CORE steering committee member and runner-up in the election for ELCA vice president at the 2009 assembly; plus Spring and Chavez. "We will try to be churchly," Spring said of the upcoming CORE convocation. "We are trying to be responsible. There's a lot at stake
here, including the future of Lutheranism in the United States."

---
Editors: Pastor Spring's first name is correctly spelled as "Paull."

Okay so I am not sure what happened. In this article the leader of LutheranCore, Rev. Paul Spring, said that he would remain apart of the ELCA and stay on the rooster. But when I get to the end article I am left scratching my head trying to figure out what happened.

The church needs to be unified. I do not think Lutheran CORE would disagree with me on this point. The church just made a huge decision and needs to heal. It was a decision that has taken years to decide and will most likely take many years to heal from. My question is why would Lutheran CORE, an organization that claims that their "intention is to remain within our church and to work with congregations, individuals, and other reform-minded groups for the reform of our own church" would end its relationship as an independent Lutheran organization "officially recognized" by the ELCA and encourage ELCA members and congregations to send finances directly to ministries they support versus giving to the ELCA? Where the hell is the church unity in this?

Whether you agree or disagree with the decisions the church made, we MUST (and I stress the word MUST) stay united. We should not go and run away from this. God gave us grace and we must show this grace. We have always been able to agree to disagree and live in communion and fellowship with one another. This is no different. Yes this decision did question theology and personal piety of many Lutherans but the church has been doing this for 2000 years. I seem to remember the debate in Acts about whether or not to minister to Gentiles and not just to the Jews. It was not a decision that many were happy about but the church unified and did what had to be done.

Remember there is always grace. We all sin and fall short of the Glory of God. The church and people that make up the church are no different. I am not calling the decisions of the ELCA right or wrong but they are still the decisions we must all live with. I am not to happy about what the church decided but I have accepted it. If I had my way, it would have been a 2/3 vote for the recommendations. I feel that if the church is going to make a monumental change like it did back in August then it should of had monumental support for the changes. But the vote is done and there is nothing we can do to change the vote. We are only left to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments just as we have done for 2000 years. So instead of run away as Lutherans have classically done before, we should unite and be the church in the world. That is what we need most right now.

A continuing debate...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence--Paragraph 2).

I posted these few sentences of this amazing document to give all of you, my devout readers, my perspective on the Health Care Reform vote. I have been trying to keep up on the debate but seminary has begun and I have very little time to watch the news. If I say anything that is wrong please comment and me know.

With Ted Kennedy's death still in our thoughts and minds, we are approaching a very important vote in our nation's government. I would argue this bill is as important as the civil rights bill and the emancipation of slaves. Ted Kennedy fought for many years for the national health insurance plan and died fighting for the bill. I am sure many on the other side of this bill are hoping that the bill would die with him. But those fighting, well at least for me, will never stop fighting because of that first line in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..."
This concept of unalienable rights has developed and evolved since this document was wrote. Many of those who signed this document owned slaves and would never have thought that slaves had rights. But America evolved and realized that slaves are people and these people do have rights. Granted, America is still dealing with problems of racism and discrimination but America has made many great strides in establishing laws that try to create equality for all.

This same argument could also be given to the woman's movement in the United States (and in many different institutions). This document was wrote by men and uses masculine pronouns but, like the civil rights movement, America's ideals and norms changed and the rights of women were created. Essentially, that first line should now read, "...all men and women, black and white, Asian, Mexican, European, etc, are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." While America has made goals to ensure the equality for all, there is still much work to be done.

So we all have certain unalienable rights--"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." When I hear those words I think about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The basic essence of this theory (please correct me if I am wrong because I was a sociology major in undergrad and we didn't really like the entirety of this theory) is that if you provide the basics needs for life, people will be happy and productive. You can look this theory up on google.
I do believe that the writers of this document put life first to emphasize life. We all have the right to live--the right to live a life devout to your country and your God (whoever that may be), and to live searching and pursuing happiness. How is Health Insurance not apart of that?

I still cannot fathom how some individuals (and no this is not a party issue anymore because there are many democrats that I will not support if they are against this bill) can say Health Insurance is not a right the government should provide. The government is called by our founding fathers to secure these rights for us. If the government does not do this, the people must stand up against the government. The United States has the ability to provide the best damn health care to all people. How can we deny this medical care to people just because they cannot afford it. This vote should not be a political move but rather a move to ensure those unalienable rights--to open the door to individuals, myself included, who cannot afford health insurance. America has always been about giving rights to individuals. How is this any different?

While some have made the argument that since Health Care is not in the Constitution the government should not get involved. I would ask you read my entry from July 8th. The government role is to ensure the well-being of all of it's citizens. Left to our own devices, we would hurt our neighbor. This is why we have laws and police to enforce those laws. The government ensures us our safety. So if the government ensures us our safety it makes logical sense for the government to ensure the health of it's citizens. For example, the government banned the use of trans-fats in food to help improve the diet of it's citizens. Another example would be minimum wage. The government tells employers they must pay a wage (I am not going to call it a livable because it is far below the standard of living in many parts of the U.S.) that can provide the bare necessities.

Okay enough of a rant. I could write a dissertation on this subject. Please comment and let me know what you think.

Sermon for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost

My sermon from August 30th. You can watch me this time too!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14”

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

In the Lutheran Church there is dyad, this concept, of Law and Gospel. For Luther, the idea that we must work to earn our salvation was inherently wrong but Luther never said we should abolish the law. The Law is our moral guide, our moral code. I would add that the Law is what reminds us of our own humanity.

But the word LAW usually send shrivels up the spins of Lutherans because we are afraid to say “you must do this” or “you must do that.” It is one of the reasons why Martin Luther wanted to remove the books of James and John, traditionally known as the Catholic Letters/Epistles, from our canon—from the bible. Luther never like the theology of the book of James— “Faith without works is dead”—because of the negative interpretations that the church once had for this line. James wrote that line more likely out of necessity because the early church was taking Paul’s words to literally and practicing a Theology of cheap grace—you don’t have to anything like go to church or volunteer to help the less fortunate because we are going to heaven.

So now how does the Lutheran Church view this idea of Law and Gospel? I am going to try my best to explain without breaking a few heresies along the way. The first use of the law is the Civic law—do not kill people, do not steal, ect. The second use of the law is the knowledge of sin—we know we have sinned because we are told this is wrong. The Third use of the law is a guide to Christian living—we should do this because this is what God wants us to do.

Now the Gospel fits into this scheme in a very different way. We have this law that guides us tells us we should live this way but then we have the Gospel that says it is okay if we can’t live up the standards set before us. Martin Luther never believed that we could ever maintain perfection—other reforms did such as John Wesley. Luther would have said that the law was very good and necessary but not a tool of bondage. We are not bounded to the law. It creates a protection to us so that we cannot be accused of not living a good moral life but it would also guide us so we can live this good and moral life.

So knowing all of this about Law and Gospel, our readings from Deuteronomy and Mark should make a bit more sense. In Deuteronomy, the Israelites believed the law was a divine gift that provided guidelines for living out the covenant. The law is very important to the Israelites and to this day stays important to the Jewish faith. But like any good thing, overuse of the law had become a problem. The law became oppressive and discriminated against the less fortunate of society. What was once seen as free had become a prison filled with guards and wardens who did not believe in grace.

I love Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. He is able to quote scripture so eloquently:
Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
'This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.'
8You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."
Lets focus on that last line—“ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” God’s command is law and the Pharisees are sticking with the law right? Jesus is not questioning their ability to hold to the law—personally I think it’s good to wash your hands before you eat and make sure the food is clean—but to deny an individual rights at the table because they do not have the ability to wash their hands or hold to the law is a bit much. Jesus is protesting against the human customs being given the weight of divine law, while the essence of God's law is ignored. God’s law was to ensure the wellbeing of ALL of God’s people and not just the few who stuck with the law.

So here we are left with this concept of Law and Gospel. The law is our guide and the Gospel—not just the New Testament but the entire bible; Hebrew Scripture and the Christian Canon—the Gospel frees us when we cannot hold to the law. Just as our Lord said, “15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." 21For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Our sin is made evident in what we do and what we say. We are the essence of sin but thankful there is a God who redeems us and loves us even when we cannot live up to God’s standards. So go and do what Luther said, “Sin and Sin Boldly.” Do whatever is necessary to live out your baptismal calling. We are all still called today to do the work of the church. We might not be able to build bridges or knock on doors but we can all still love one another because it is by God’s grace, God’s wonderful and mysterious grace, that we find God’s salvation. May God grant us this grace this day in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost

So I am a nerd and video taped myself preaching since I never really preach what I write. Let me know what you think.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Accustomed as we are to hearing the words, "This is my body" in the consecration of the sacrament and "The body of Christ" as we receive the host, do we still draw back in surprise at hearing our Lord say "flesh"? Accustomed as we are to hearing the words "The blood of Christ" when we take the chalice, do we still find a murmur rising in our minds as we hear this text: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you"?

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Pardon me but does this not sound at all a tad STRANGE?” Jesus tells us we must eat his flesh? Now I am no expert on Hebraic laws but aren’t there a few laws that prohibit eating human flesh? No wonder in the next verse that the Jewish authorities question what Jesus is saying. The NRSV, our edition, is a bit tame saying “they disputed among themselves” but in actuality the Greek word shows a great conflict. They are probably stunned that a man of Jesus’ educational background that surely he would know that his statement goes against Hebraic Law. So they question him and they ask, “How can this man, How can you Jesus, a man born of a human mother, brought up in Hebraic Law, give us his flesh to eat, HUMAN FLESH?” I can understand their question because everything they have come to know as true has just been questioned.

How can one eat Human Flesh? It is a question that I and many theologians and Christians have asked themselves for centuries. In hundreds of cultures the idea of cannibalism is seen as taboo and even banned in many cultures. But yet Jesus tells us “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

So we have still have this problem of breaking Hebraic law of eating human flesh. How do we get around this? The answer is simple. With God all things are possible. God often takes what is sinful and evil and turns it into something good. For example the execution on the cross; the image of eating flesh and drinking blood; and even us as sinful and evil human beings who have been turned into saintly children of God and a means for spreading the gospel message to the world. With God all things are possible and in God all things are made clean and God.

Okay so we have Jesus’ command and we know that we must do this but how? How are we to eat of Jesus’ flesh and blood if Jesus is not here physically with us? That is where our Eucharistic, our Communion theology, comes into play. The meal that we share is a very mysterious meal. I have always enjoyed the line that my dad begins the worship service with; “As we prepare to celebrate God’s Mysteries this day…” We celebrate God’s mysteries when: we confess our sins and then hear God’s forgiveness for our sins, when we hear God’s word and respond to God’s word with the sermon and when we celebrate communion and have Jesus come to us in the form of bread of wine.

We do not know how, when, or why Jesus comes to us in communion we just have our faith and we cling to that faith that he does come to us in this meal. The Eucharist is life-giving because it is Jesus who gives it, and it is life-giving because it is Jesus himself who is given. Jesus took something that was at one time seen as evil and unclean and turned into something beautiful, amazing and mysterious. We must trust this mysterious wisdom of God.

There is a good story of man questioning God’s wisdom. A man asked God, "What does a billion dollars mean to you who are all powerful?"

"Hardly a penny." God said.

Then the man asked God , "And what are a thousand centuries to you?" God answered "Hardly a second!!"

Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man then said, "Then if that's the case, O, Lord give me a penny!!"

"Sure," God replied. "In just a minute."

Wisdom isn't outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and with God. Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ. Wisdom is eating and drinking from the feast which God has prepared for us.

When we receive communion, it is Jesus himself that abides in us and we in him. We receive life because we receive Jesus. Jesus grants us eternal life but we must receive and feast on his Body and Blood. So now let us feast on the Crucified and Risen the Lord, the one who grants us eternal life, the one that died for sins. Amen.

Week 9--The continued reflection of, "Why Bad things happen to Good People?"

I suggest viewing the video first and then reading the blog.

Two very dear friends of mine inspired this entry. Julie’s comment on one of my recent postings kept me reflecting this concept of Theodicy (why do bad things happen to good people?). So this week I continued my reflection, as I always do, surrounding this question. On Friday I believe God spoke to me through the mouth of Diane. She described a case she had earlier that day of man who was trying to break up a fight, was accidentally shot and died leaving behind a wife and one year old child. Unfortunately this is all too common of a thing for chaplains and medical staff who work in a Trauma center to deal with. But eventually these cases do begin to wear and cause individuals, myself included, to ask this age old question once again.

Julie made a very good point when she mentioned the title of the book, “When bad things happen to good people.” The emphasis is on the word when in this title. Bad things do happen and there is not much we can do to stop it. The clip from M*A*S*H* paints all to clear a picture of this. Tommy Gillis, an old friend of Hawkeye's, is writing a book about the war, and pays him a visit. Later, Tommy is brought into the camp, seriously wounded, and Hawkeye can't save him. Hawkeye breaks down and cries causing Henry to leave the operating room as well. Henry says a very famous line at that moment: “Look, all I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war and rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is doctors can't change rule number one.” I don’t claim to be a doctor nor am I claiming that we are in the midst a war at our hospital but we do see violence every single day. People die every single day because of drugs, race, and petty violence. We are not living in the midst of a war like the Korean War but rather in the midst of stupidity. It is because of this stupidity, this childlike behavior that causes adults to believe the only way to solve a problem is to fight, kills innocent people everyday and causes individuals to ask this same old question. It enforces the two rules that Henry Blake states to continue and causes many to lose hope in humanity.

This past week I also had a case where a young man, only 22 years old, was brought in the Trauma bay after sustaining a major blow to the head from a skateboarding accident. I sat in the room and listened as the neurosurgeon told the patient’s mother and sister that there is not much to do; the surgery that needed to be preformed would be radical and mostly likely not work. I watched as his mother and sister cried and begged God to heal the young man. Two days later the patient died and now his family was left with the question, “where are you God?” and “Why didn’t you heal my son, my brother?”

“Look, all I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war and rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is doctors can't change rule number one.” There is nothing we can do to change the actions that occur. Good people do die but there are still many good people left in this world to make a difference, the take a stance, and make a difference. It is never fair for a parent to bury their child. There is no logic in that but there is logic in the cross. There is a God who loves and who promises us comfort and forgiveness free of charge. Thank God for grace and thank God for the ability to wake up every morning and breath.

Journal Entry for Week 8

I have just realized that I have gone most of the summer without really reflecting on my hospitalization some three years ago. I have been telling myself that it is because of my internship here at Reading Hospital but I have to wonder about that reasoning. I have said on many different occasions that one cannot dwell in the past; it will only cause that person to second guess their decisions and ultimately question their current life situation. But I have never looked with regret on my hospital experience. At times I have asked God, “Why me?” but I have never thought that it was some kind of punishment: I survived something that would have killed many people; I have a strong relationship between my family and friends; and I have a strong relationship with God. I don’t necessarily think that my faith has changed all that much—there was a point when I question my belief in the existence in God—but I have built a relationship with God where I am no longer see God high above me but rather with me.

What happened to me three years ago did change me and it pains me to think that I no longer heavily reflect on this experience. I am a new person, a new man, and it is all because I spent 26 days in the intensive care unit at the University of Maryland. While my hope is not to forget there is a hope that I am able to live with the idea that I have stared death in the face, was able walk away, and now only look back when I am in need of support or guidance.

Journal Entry for Week 7

Why do bad things happen to good people? I mean seriously, why is this the case? Why do I, and others alike, feel that bad people should only have bad things happen to them? It has been a question brought up numerous times in group and numerous times for myself. I feel like the good are always punished and the bad walk away unharmed. Is this right to feel this way? Who am I to judge? So many questions to ask but a whole lifetime to seek out the answers...

Sermon from the 7th Sunday after Pentecost

My sermon from on Sunday. Let me know what you think...

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Emma Lazarus was a famous American Poet. One particular poem brought her great fame. I can almost guarantee that everyone in this room has heard this particular poem. It has been cited in movies, books, tv shows, and on one particular monument:
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed,
sunset hates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch,
whose flame Is the imprisoned lighting,
and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon hand glows world-wide welcome;
her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
This particular monument and poem has come to mean a great deal to many Americans. Some see it as a symbol of Freedom; Lady Liberty standing tall holding the flame of Justice and lighting America’s way as our country strives to grant freedom to all. For others, and maybe for some in this room, the statue of Liberty was the first thing they saw as their boat traveled from eastern hemisphere. Some came in search of starting over; for a chance to give their children the opportunity they did not have. For those that fled Europe to escape the Nazi regime they saw the Statue of Liberty as a second chance at life just as Christians see the Cross as our second chance at life.

Our world has come very far from the days of World War I and II; since the days of Ellis Island where immigrants were treated as second-rate people. The need for conquering land and individuals has been taken over by the need to take care of one another and the planet that we live on. Human and civil rights have become more important to us but this does not mean suffering is no longer with us. There are people who are still oppressed: Racism still goes on in our country, the oppression of women is still all to well apparent but we have made many great strides to end these oppression. But oppression is not the only kind of suffering left in this world. Sickness, loss of personal independence, and pain on a number of different level are all apart of suffering. These moments of suffering and pain can all cause us to ask the question, “Where is God?” or “Why is this happening to me?” Sometimes we question it about ourselves and other times we question it for someone else.

I can remember one particular patient and his family I had a few weeks ago where I asked these two questions “Where is God?” or “Why is this happening to him?” It was my first on call shift and it was a very busy night filled with Traumas, emergencies in the ED, and end of life decisions. This particular patient came into the emergency room while I was tending to a Trauma. The Trauma surgeon pointed him out to me as they wheeled him past the Trauma room. The paramedics were doing CPR on him. With every passing minute the man’s condition got worst and worst and I had to make the dreaded phone call at one in the morning; “Sir you need to come to the emergency room right away, your loved one is very sick.” I was afraid that this man would die alone because his brother lived very far away. None of us were really sure if this man had any real significant family other than his brother. We knew he was divorced and only listed his brother as an emergency contact. A few hours pass and the receptionist finally paged me and told me that the patient’s brother had arrived. It is about 2 in the morning at this point. I go and find a doctor who can give this man more that just the basic information that I had. The cardiologist came in and told the brother that the patient has had a massive heart attack; the only reason he is still alive is because of the dozen of drugs forcing his heart to beat. They were not sure if he would survive the night let alone be able to recover from the lack of oxygen to the brain. When I left the brother upstairs I prayed in the elevator telling God that it is not fair that this man should die alone and that his brother have nobody else to morn with. I asked the question, “Where are you God? This man needs you right now.” A little bit later I was called back to the room. The patient took a turn for the worst and the nurse said the brother just needed someone to sit with. We both sat quietly in the room as the nurses did their job. I prayed my prayer once again to myself. We watched as his lungs were no longer working and the ventilator had to literally force the air into his body. It was very violent to watch this. I was about to lose hope but then out of nowhere the nurse comes in and asks me to go downstairs and meet the man’s sister and his husband. And when I returned later that afternoon I say 10 more family members in the waiting room.

The patient still died but his family was there to hold his hand. They were there to tell him that they loved him. They were there to comfort each other. The same suffering, pain and loss that we see every day whether it be on the news or in the hospital rooms is the same suffering, pain and loss that was around Jesus some 2000 years ago. Not only was the pain of an illness horrible but there was also the social outcast that the person felt as well. But Jesus does something different as we hear in our Gospel lesson today:
“When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”
Jesus went and found the sick—the outcasts. Jesus touched the unclean and by undoing this he became unclean. But that didn’t matter and Jesus shows us that today for we are all outcast because of our sin. But Jesus come and touches us—freeing us from our bondage; our captivity to sin. What Jesus taught was that the sick, the unclean, the outcast of our society (whoever that may be) do matter. We are all created in the image of God and therefore we are all entitled the same. No illness, no disease, nothing will separate us from that love. God meets us half way and when we can’t walk, God meets us all the way. God comes into our towns and cities; into our homes and workplaces and touches us and promises to stay with us. So now the next time we hear Emma Lazarus’ famous poem, let it remind us that God is also saying those words to us;
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Week 6 Journal Entry for CPE--Fair Warning: It's a bit of a rant again

As I finish up week six enter and enter into week seven of CPE, I have been pondering the meaning of forgiveness and salvation. I know how we merit (or shall I say receive) salvation and I understand forgiveness as professed through the Confessions of the Lutheran Church but what I do not understand is why others do understand this. I have had on numerous occasions patients and family members say, “One must earn salvation” or “one must earn God’s forgiveness” but in reality scripture says the opposite. Now one could argue the Epistle writer, James’s, idea that “Faith without works is dead”. However, I would argue that our faith causes us to do good works and these works are not a prerequisite for our Salvation. We are simply justified by God’s grace through our Faith and by nothing else. But yet so many people, whether they are; Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Non-denominational, you name it, believe one must do good things in order to earn God’s love. It annoys me and upsets me that our society teaches that we have to do work in order to receive something in return. If we work hard and receive nothing in return we are either not working hard enough or we are lazy and do not deserve help. What the hell? Where is the love in that? Where is the humanity in that? Are we all not human? Have we lost the ability to see one another’s pain and exhaustion? Why can we not take care each other and expect nothing in return? The early church did it and, according to Acts, everyone was happy. Today this philosophy is seen as taboo. President Obama received the most flack on his campaign because he wanted America to develop more social concerns; he want to create programs where the needs of humanity were met before the needs of profit and production—the opposite of capitalism.

Sorry for the rant but it needed to be said. I just want to know why it is so hard for us to accept God’s forgiveness and salvation. It is clear in the scriptures how this is done but yet we refuse to go back to the scriptures to find it. We all have the power to forgive and we need not do anything to receive our salvation. The real question is how do I get this message across the patients I see everyday? To quote a famous commercial, “The world may never know.”

Another "What the Hell?" moment

So it's 12:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. My stupid on-call shift is throwing off my sleep pattern. Anyways, I was just watching that Hannity guy on Fox News (why I don't know...it just pisses me off). I am utterly, utterly disgusted with him right now. He was talking about Health Care and how he feels Health Care should not be taken over by the Federal government because whenever the government takes over an industry, that industry suffers; the government always makes a situation worst. Now I am not quoting him but rather summarizing. I do welcome other translations but please do defend your translation. Now I tend to disagree with Hannity on his view of a National Health Insurance for two reasons: I have a pre-existing condition and trying to find affordable health insurance is near impossible; I have worked in hospitals for a number of years now and how the insurance industry has hurt hospitals, patients, doctors, ect. Health Insurance companies are raking in millions of dollars in profit while millions of Americans cannot even afford basic health care coverage. Even the basic health coverage can throw an individual into bankruptcy if something were to happen to them. Is this right Mr. Hannity? Do the needs of others not matter? I'm sorry Mr. Hannity but not all of us have a wonderful job where we get paid to talk about our own personal political beliefs. We do not make the large salary or have the excellent health coverage that you have from Fox News. Rather, the majority of Americans are suffering at the hands of greedy health insurance companies who pry on the fears of Americans and charge outlandish premiums and cover the smallest amount possible. Doctors, very good doctors, are being forced out of business because insurance companies refuse to pay for anything. Is this right Mr. Hannity? Is it right that a skilled surgeon, a surgeon who one day may very well be your last hope for a saving a loved one, be forced to find a new profession because he/she cannot make a livable wage? Is this right? Your twisted view of America may have at one time may have worked but it is not going to work any longer. We need to take care of one another and worry less about ourselves. Individuality is important but the love for one’s neighbor is equally if not more important. I will conclude this entry with a thought for everyone to think about. 150 years ago, the Federal Government interfered with the private sector and made slavery illegal. The government did this to ensure the protection of ALL individuals. Are you, Mr. Hannity, saying that the Federal Government should not have interfered with the private sector and not have ended slavery?

“Love one another as I have loved you…”

An untimely Death...Journal Entry for Week 5

Last Monday was my first on-call shift. It was a very busy night filled with Traumas, emergencies in the ED, and end of life decisions. One patient and his family have stayed with me since last Monday. He came into the emergency room while I was tending to a Trauma. The Trauma surgeon pointed him out to me as they wheeled him past the Trauma room. The paramedics were doing CPR on him. I finished up in the trauma room, checked in on my families in the waiting room and then went over to see how he was doing. The nurses were rushing around and numerous specialists were coming in and out of the room. I stayed back and watched from a distance. With every passing minute the man’s condition got worst and worst. I had to leave for a bit to check in on my families in the waiting room. I had a lot of patients that night who were critical and needed attention. A few minutes later I got a page from the operator saying that his brother is on line one. So I walked over to the phone and told him that he needs to come to the emergency room as soon as possible. He wants to know more information but I am not allowed to give out any details. The brother had a long drive ahead of him and it was already close to midnight. I continued to check in with nurse for the next couple of hours and even talk to the last person who saw the patient alive and walking around. We were all under the impression that this man did not have much family and that his brother was the only relative alive. He was not old by any stretch of the imagination. He was only 59 years old and his brother coming in was in his early 50’s. A few hours pass and the receptionist paged me. She told me that the brother has arrived. It is about 2 in the morning and I am running on pure adrenalin at this point. I go and find a doctor who can give this man more that just the basic information that I had. The cardiologist came in and told the brother that the patient has had a massive heart attack; the only reason he is still alive is because of the dozen of drugs forcing his heart to beat. They were not sure if he would survive the night let alone be able to recover from the lack of oxygen to the brain. I took the brother upstairs and notified the nurse that he was in the waiting room. There was nothing more that I could do at this point so I decided I should try to get some shuteye. I finally find my way up to the on-call room and fall asleep at 4 am. At 5 am the pager went off. It is the MICU calling to tell me that the patient has taken a turn for the worst and that I needed to come up. I walked over to the sink and splashed some cold water in my face to wake up. I put my tie back on and headed over to MICU. When I walked in the room, still half asleep, there are about five or six nurses crowding around the patient pushing different meds and writing down readings from the monitor. The brother was sitting on the window bench. I sat down next to him and watched the nurses do their job. We were both quite. I did not know what to say and this man is watching his brother die before his eyes. I was still under the impression that he has no other family coming in. We both watched as the nurses cared for the dying man. We began to converse about end of life care when the nurse came over and asked me to go downstairs and meet the patient’s sister who is arriving shortly. I was so relieved to know that the patient and the brother have more family coming in. I walked downstairs and meet the sister and her husband. I bring them upstairs and they saw their family member for the first time on a ventilator. His lungs were no longer working and the ventilator had to literally force the air into his body. It was very violent to watch this. I got paged that a new trauma is coming in and I had to excuse myself but I promised to return later in the morning. I go back up around 9 am to check in the family and learn that he has a total of 8 brothers and sisters who had all arrived. The patient eventually did die later that day surrounded by his family. When he first arrived I feared that he would die alone but instead died with his family holding his hand. God answered my prayer…

Now I’ve been on a number of decedent care calls and have sat with a few families while their loved one was dying. None of them affected me like this one did. I believe it was because of the brother connection. The younger brother watched as his older brother lied in a hospital bed with no positive outlook. We are all going to die eventually but I feel we forget about how our death will affect others. This patient never went a doctor and did not take very good care of his body. He died way to young. Now his family is mourning his loss. While I do believe God is in the midst of their mourning the family still has to deal with a major loss. I am not saying that the patient killed himself but I wonder if he would have been more vigilant about his health if he would still be here today. Deaths do have away of bringing a family together but so do cookouts and other celebrations. Our actions impact not just us also the people around us. Nobody in that family thought that they were going to loose a brother and a friend last Monday but now they are forced to plan a funeral service and handle any and all of the patient’s financial and personal obligations. This case brought up a lot of issues for me but it did force me to call my brother later that day just to say hello. Maybe there is some good that came out of this case…

Faith of an Infant

The Lutheran church along with the Roman Catholic and many other mainline Christian denominations have the policy that the sacraments are for the living and not for the dead. The dead are in God’s hands and God’s grace will abound. While I do believe and hold this policy I would still baptize a stillborn infant because the sacrament would be for the parents who are living. But to get more specific, what is the faith of a infant? I hold the idea that we do no know what the faith of infant. Jesus says in Luke 18, “‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’” The word child is a strange word in Greek. There is τεκνα which like saying “child of God” or “child of Bob and Mary Beth Day.“ παιδι͗α is the greek word for an actual child or infant. Therefore, the last line of that verse could very well read, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little infant will never enter it.’” The faith of an infant, the faith of child is there and we therefore should not judge their faith just as we desire others not to judge our faith. There is beauty to the mystery of faith. It creates a relationship with God and reminds us all that we are created in the image of God.

The other night I watched an episode of Star Trek: Voyager where Nelix was killed in a freak accident. He was on an away mission when he was killed and was brought back to the ship. Seven of Nine heard that Nelix was killed and used some of her nano-probes to bring him back to life some 18 hours after he was killed. When Nelix awoke, he was shocked to find that he saw nothing in death. He saw nothing that his culture told him that he would see. Nelix was having a hard time dealing this but eventually finds that the reason he is so upset that he did not remember seeing anything was more because he was afraid of death. Not remembering did not necessarily mean nothing happened but rather it was the fear of not knowing what did happen and what will happen. Essentially Nelix lost his faith but it was Naomi, a small child born on Voyager, that kept the faith of Nelix going. The episode ended with Nelix unsure of his faith but Naomi still believed in what Nelix told her.

When our adult faith is challenged, it challenges our ability to believe in what we thought was true. But a child’s faith is nearly bullet proof. A child has a unique walk with God even before they were born. God knows a child before they were even a glimour in their parent’s eyes. Their faith is fresh while an adult’s faith is more mature and easily challenged. I believe this is why Jesus said “... whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child/infant will never enter it.’” While I do not believe I will be able to explain this idea in one small journal entry but I hope I, and others, will continue to explore.

Some ramblings...

I have been exploring the idea of relationships in CPE this past week. This is what I have come to understand about relationships. The relationships we create, whether they are boyfriend/girlfriend, parent/child, or a friendship, pose greatest threat to our inner most self while at the same time pose the greatest benefit and need for our overall self. Where would we be if it was not for the relationships that we have formed and sometimes broken up? Our relationships, and lack there of, define us as people. Our relationship to God and Jesus define us as Christians; our relationship to our employers define us as workers in a particular trade: pastors, electricians, doctors, nurses, ect. It is these relationships that help create our identity as individuals in this world. I hope to explore this a bit more in later blog entries.

In response to my blog entry from the other day about the struggle I am having over life and death issues and I want to continue my thought. It is amazing to me that we can question our faith so easily when countless men and women have been and still are willing to give their lives for what they believed in. My future roommate, Robbie, commented a few weeks ago on his own blog that he feels that nobody is willing to stand up for what is right anymore. We allow governments and individuals to oppress people based on the race, age, and gender. Martin Luther said, "You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say." Simillary, Martin Luther King Jr. also can be quoted by having said, "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere" How can we sit by and let our morals that define us as humankind, whether they are religious based or secular based, be compromised? Why do we so easily conform when our values, norms, and beliefs are compromised? Why do so easily not believe and trust in the values of our faith when one event, whether major or minor, happens to us?

Christians are amazing creatures. We are all taught the Easter story at a young age (or sometimes at a older age). It is something that many of us know by heart. But yet, every year, Christians around the world read the passion story; we hear how Jesus is handed over to the Jewish and Roman authorities, how he is tortured, how he is hung on the cross. We hear the last seven words that Jesus said before his death and then we hear how he was raised from the dead. We need this yearly reminder because without it, our faith would lost and we would forget the great love that Christ had for us. Every year we sing, "Christ is Risen, Alleluia" to remind us that Christ is raised from the dead. Sometimes we must remind ourselves of the promises Jesus gave us. For me, I need to be reminded daily and every time I walk into a patient's room of the Gospel and the promises proclaimed in the Gospel just as Christians, myself included, need to be reminded every year that Christ is Risen and has broken the bonds of death.

CPE Journal Entry for Week 3

I remember an episode of Star Trek Voyager where Harry Kim is sucked into sub-space and then spit out on different planet. This planet believed in a spiritual after-life but Harry knew that their bodies were just sent to an astroid when they died. The people did not know this. For many of the people on this planet, Harry Kim’s explanation created doubt in their heart. Harry even began to wonder about his own mentality. But at the end of the episode when he is talking to Captain Janeway, she told him that they notice some sort of brain activity would leave the astroids every time a body was transfered there. Was that their “Spirit” or was that just a computer glitch? The episode never went into anymore detail but it did create a even greater wonder in the afterlife for Harry Kim and the Voyager crew. After completing three weeks of CPE, I am beginning to reflect on my own personal mortality just as Voyager’s crew did in this episode. I attended a funeral on Sunday and every time I attend a funeral I ask myself, “Is this the end?” “Am I going to just die one day and rot away in a wooden box?” I know this is not the case and my faith has taught me differently but my initial reaction every time I first walk into a funeral home is the same. I wonder if this is the end or is there more too it. Now when I receive a decedent care call I still have the same wonders and doubts in my heart. I still go up and minister to the people in the room and tell that by their faith God will prevail, but I personally still have doubts in my own heart. These doubts do end whenever I hear the promises that Jesus made for us in the Gospel but I have to hear them in order to believe in them. I guess seeing and hearing is believing. Death is a funny thing. For one person it is an end and for another it is just the beginning. I feel like I am stuck in the middle most days.

Sermon for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

A gift for my dad on Father's day...A day off from preaching...Enjoy.


In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Today we honor the men in our lives who have been a calming and loving presence for us. We remember and honor our Fathers this day for all the hard work they have done for us. Some of us are fathers themselves, I am not one of them. We all can owe a great deal of gratitude to fathers for raising us to be successful men and women. They were the ones who loved us, yelled at us at times, and shown us value of doing the right thing. So today we thank them for what they have done for us and we honor and remember them not only today but everyday just as we honor our mothers and women in our lives. But we must not forget our Heavenly Father, our Great and Holy God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Our God is the greatest parent we will ever know; possessing the power to be a healer, a comforter, that calming presence, whatever we need. We know that God is with us on every possible journey we face.

And today I want to focus on the journey of our life. I believe our lives can be summed up in the age old question of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” We are always determined to get from one point in our lives to the other. From Birth to death, 1st month of pregnancy to the time of birth, from the initial diagnosis of stage one of cancer to the point where their is nothing more the doctors can do. We are very much concerned with how to get from point A to point B but we never look at the in between; the how we go to point B.

It is the getting from Point A to Point B that the Gospel writer, Mark, is trying to get us to focus on. There is African Folk Story that goes something like this: There is a African Folk story. A young boy wanted to get his teacher something special. So he walked to the ocean, which was a great distance away and grabbed a handful of sand and then walked back. This took the young boy days to complete the journey. When he returned and gave his teacher the sand, she was very moved by the boys actions but said to the boy “you walked so far to give me this.” The boy responded, the journey is apart of the gift.

Our Gospel story starts our with Jesus telling his disciples that they are going to go to the other side of the sea of Galilee. This was probably a very common trip for the disciples to take. Many of them being skilled fishermen made the journey all the more easier. Maybe this is why Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat. They leave the shore, the crowds that have faithfully followed them are left behind and they start their journey for the next shore, unknown of what awaited them. Now that in itself all we really need to know right? Jesus is leaving one shore to go to another shore on a boat. Jesus is going from Point A to Point B. But the writer does not really care about the Point A to Point B part. Mark doesn’t even really tell us where Point B is. Rather Mark wants us to look at the actual journey; the trip; the boat ride.

Now boats are a funny thing. I have had my fair share of boat trips. I can remember my family’s trip to Maine. While we were in Maine we decided to take a boat out on a whale watching trip. So we go out and the seas were rough that day. My brother is at the bow or front of the boat video taping the boat going up and down. I am in the stern or back of the boat puking my brains out. Then the captain decides to turn the boat around. I was expecting a nice slow turn but the captain turn the wheel hard left. Needless to say, I was done with boats for awhile. Then I met my friend Mike who had a boat. He never really named it but I named it the USS What ever you do, don’t forget your life jackets. I remember one particular time when we were working on this boat and decided to take the boat out for a test ride. We get the boat out and then all of a sudden the engine starts sputtering. We turn to look back and smoke is pouring from the engine. We were about ready to abandon ship because we have spilled way to much gas on the back carpet. What took 10 minutes to go out took 45 minutes to return back to shore. Who would of thought a few barnacles on the propeller could make the engine go haywire? Needless to say, boats=hold on for dear life.

And what happens to the disciples? Their somewhat normal trip from one shore of Galilee to the other shore turned into a Holy Crap!?!? This storm rolls and causes the experienced fishermen to panic. They begin to fear for their lives. They know this storm is bad and that their small little boat is no match for the wind and the rain. The disciples are freaking out but Jesus, their great teacher, the guy who has done some pretty amazing miracles, you know this really cool guy, is asleep in the back of the boat. They wake Jesus and say “Do you not care/ not concern/ not worried that we are all about to die?” Their journey was being turn upside down and they feel like Jesus doesn’t even care enough to help them with the boat. But Jesus stands and says something so profound, so amazing, so brilliant. Jesus doesn’t help with trying to get the water out of the boat. He doesn’t jump into the water leaving his friends. He just says, “Peace! Be still!” The waters calm and the winds cease. The storm was over. Jesus had calmed the storm of their journey but more important, Jesus had calm the worries of his disciples. Jesus was that calming presence for the disciples as Jesus is the calming presence in our lives.

How many times have we been in a situation where we thought a simple journey was awaiting us but this journey turns into something far more difficult. A simple doctors visit turns into terminal cancer. A simple run to the store turns into a life and death trauma situation. A simple baseball game results in a head injury and a family having to decide when it is time to end treatment. These “simple journeys” turn into highly chaotic and confusing moments in our lives. They demand us to act sanely in the mist of insanity. But throughout these chaotic journeys Jesus is the calming and soothing presence for us. Jesus says “peace, be still” in the trauma bay, at the kitchen table where bad news is share, in the hospital room. Jesus is the calming presence for us just as he was the calm presence for his disciples some 2000 years ago. Know this presence, feel this presence, believe in this presence. For it is by God’s free grace that we hear those three little words, “Peace, Be Still.” In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

After completing my first week of CPE at Reading Hospital I now know why Luther saw the world as "hell." Between the trauma calls and deaths on the floors my days have been kept very busy. I met some very warm and loving patients and families and very cold and harsh patients; patients with very stable minds to patients who are on the brink of a mental break down. The world that I see at Reading Hospital is a very hurt world. When I walk through the hospital I think about Martin Luther. I think about what was going through his mind when he turned his house into a hospital for people who were suffering from the Black Plague. I think about all the hurting and all the suffering that Luther saw. No wonder he thought earth was hell. But I think Luther was wrong in not seeing the good. Luther missed all the care he provided to those dying and sometimes people just want to be heard and remembered. Just something to think about...

I am down to just a few days left at home before starting my CPE at Reading Hospital. The anticipation is killing me. I am jealous of those who have already begun working at their respective sites. I really have no motivation to do anything around the house. I have finished everything on my list except the deck. It is raining right now so that is my excuse.

It has been very lonely at home these past few weeks. I miss the community at LTSG. I never would imagine I miss the closeness of the community but I do. It was nice to just walk down the hall and say hi to someone.

I have cleaned out my room at home. It is sad to see it so bare. It is still hard to believe that I won't really be living here much anymore. It is no fun getting old. To many memories to give up...

Sermon for the 3rd Sunday in Easter

I thought I should tell you that my sermon is on the Road to Emmaus. Textweek.com gave me the wrong text but it all worked. I just took out some of the specifics and only preached on the broad areas of the text.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So how do we see Jesus? How do know God’s Spirit? Why didn’t Jesus’ own disciples not even recognize him? What does Jesus look like? These are all real but difficult questions to answer. We are constantly worrying and wondering am I going to recognize Jesus? It has become such an issue that we even had an entire class session in my systematic class where we discussed this very issue of what we thought Jesus might look like. Keith Hayward, a AME pastor and student at LTSG, said something very profound. “I don’t know what Jesus looks like, but I do want to recognize him when he comes back.” I think one of the strangest mysteries we have in our faith is that we really do not know what Jesus looks like and when we hear stories like this, we continue to worry and ask the question “Am I going to recognize Jesus when he comes to me?”
There are many different theories out to why the disciples did not recognize Jesus at first. Some believe Jesus was in his divine/resurrected being. Frankly I do not buy into this. Some believe that the stress Jesus was put through on the cross and the days before distorted his appearance but after he was raised he was healed of this stress. Again a little hard for be to believe. Some believe that God held their eyes close from recognizing Jesus, like the text says, but the text really doesn’t say that God kept their eyes closed. We just assume that God is the one who is doing the action.

So I want to claim that this text is more than just a post-resurrected experience by Jesus. Rather this text should make us ask question, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” and not “what does Jesus look like?”.

I can remember leading a small group of 9th and 10th graders at our Synod’s high school youth gathering a few years ago. We were talking about who they thought Jesus was. I was the lucky guy who got the most hormonal 9th and 10th graders at the event. They were having a hard time concentrating on this passage and I was getting frustrated. I finally screamed at the top of my lungs, mainly because none of them would stop talking, and said “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” One of the students replied, “You are Matt Day, the loud mouth Jesus freak.”

As much as I wanted to slap that kid, what he said was True, Jesus is represented by us. Now I wouldn’t claim that I’m a loud mouth Jesus freak in sense that I am a tele-evangelist but I would claim to be passionate my faith and passionate our Church’s mission in the world.

I believe that Worship is a wonderful way that we can reflect Jesus to others. If you haven’t notice, this text is where we got the order for our Liturgy. First we hear the word and Jesus preaches on the word and what everything had meant, then Jesus breaks the bread and he is revealed to the disciples. Word and Sacrament.

But this text goes far deeper than just our worship. This text reminds us that we see Jesus sometimes in very unique ways. Jesus decides when he will be revealed to others and how he is revealed can change constantly.

Throughout the ages, artists have tried to describe what Jesus looks like. From the traditional Jesus holding the baby sheep to a more modern day scientific picture of what Jesus looks like. None of these pictures are wrong. They all hold a particular meaning for certain individuals and all speak to how we have come know who Jesus is. But we must remember that we have no real description of what Jesus looks like. We see in this text that not even the disciples recognize Jesus at first. I believe the reason behind this is that Jesus needs no description.

While it is fascinating to see how the portrayals of Jesus have changed and stayed the same, we must remember that simple fact that we really do not know what Jesus looked like. We have ideas and such but no hard description. I have come to believe that the Gospel writers intended that we shouldn’t so much be looking for a particular man that fits the description of Jesus but rather we concentrate on the work, the teachings, and life Jesus and just let Jesus worry about doing the revealing.

Jesus appears to us when we need Jesus and that isn’t just when we are sad or upset but it is a 24/7 thing. Sometimes that might be in the way of another individual, a school, a government, a church, a pastor, a TV, a guitar, a song, even sometimes in a TV show. We are all apart of the Body of Christ. Jesus finds us when we are lost. Just like the wonderful song says, “I once was lost but now I am found” so does Jesus seek us out. We need no description of Jesus because Jesus is inside each of us, inside you and me. Jesus has the power to reveal himself in many different ways. We will see Jesus revealed today when we celebrate this wonderful meal but Jesus will continued to be revealed when we leave this place. So go from this place, and know the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” Amen.

Maundy Thursday Sermon

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Throughout college I worked at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Towson, MD in the Patient Transport department. My sole job description was to take patients from one place to another. But since it was a hospital they were always understaffed on all units. Many times I had to help out nurses and nurse aides with minor procedures (i.e. holding the tube or helping patients get dressed…the jobs get a lot worst and I will spare you the details). So many of these patients, before they got sick or became weak due to an illness or old age, were independent people and I know from experience that to go from 100% independent to 100% dependent is an emotional and hurtful experience. It was humbling for me to see patients cry, yell, and sometimes just pray when they could not even do a simple task like putting on socks or tying their shoes.

And when I think back on my three years of service to Saint Joe’s, I think about this text in John. I think about Jesus washing the feet of disciples every time I think about a patient. I believe this passage in John is not so much about the actions that Jesus is doing but rather what these actions meant. What did it mean to the disciples to see Jesus, on his hands and knees washing their feet? What would you have said? Would you have been like Peter and told Jesus not to wash his feet or would you have said nothing but quietly thought about what it all meant.
Then Jesus comes back to the table and asks a “Do you know what I have done to you?”
The disciples must have been scratching their heads. All the events leading up to this night had to confuse them. Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem by people waving and laying palm branches at his path. They are shouting:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
People are treating him like a king and then Jesus takes on the role of a servant, a slave, and washes their feet. They had to have been confused. But Jesus explains his actions:
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
I could never begin to imagine the social implications this statement had. In this society, there were distinctions between the classes and you would dare not go down that social ladder because it was so hard to go up that ladder but Jesus is telling them to abolish these levels and look at people’s character and not at what the society says they are but who these individuals say they are.

How humbling these few sentences make us feel. At Saint Joe’s I always thought I would never be the one laying in that hospital bed but I eventually did end up in that bed. There was a point in my life that I could not put on my own socks, stand on my own, handwrite a note, or do anything else that could make me feel like a human; like me. We never think that anything so debilitating can happen to us. We never think bad things will happen to us but they always do. They might not be as serious as congestive heart failure but there are other incidents in our lives that can throw us back in our seats and make us wonder about our own humility, our own humbleness. Jesus was glorified in his humbleness towards his disciples and I am sure God will show God’s self through our humbleness in our lives because our love for one another.

In Greek, “Love” is a strange word. We just have one word to describe all the different kinds of love but the Greek language has more ways of describing love. The love Jesus is using here is called agapeo, which is love Christians share between one another. The love of assistance, the love of patience, the love we share with each and every one in this room. This love penetrates all races, nationalities, genders, congregations and denominations. This love is powerful. It is so powerful that it forces us to look at who are and how our actions affect others.

Every time we hear the story Jesus’ death we remember that love, that agapeo love, he had for us. That agepeo love he had for you and for me. This love moves us in ways we do not expect. It causes us to act with compassion on all we see. And sometimes we forget to show that love or face other obstacles in our way, such as sin, that make showing that love impossible but we must never forget share our agapeo love with one another. We must remind ourselves of that crucifixion. We must remind ourselves not just yearly of Jesus’ passion but almost daily. Remind ourselves that Jesus was crucified and died for you and me and Christ promises that he will always be with us. For our Lord was Crucified and remains for us a Crucified Lord.

My friends, the greatest act humility our world has ever seen was when a God came into our world as a poor child, grew into adult, preached, taught, and healed the outcasts of our world, washed his disciples’ feet, was betrayed and handed over to corrupt leadership of the Jewish and Roman Government, stretched out his arms, was a nailed to a cross, died for our sins, and remained the crucified Saviour bearing our sins, grieves, worries, and fears, everyday. What a beautiful Saviour. What a wonderful God. May these nails, this foot washing, and this holy sacrament of communion remind us of the one who suffered and died for our sake. Amen.

An appology and some Theology

So I feel I should explain my last entry. I think I might have confused and scared some of you. On a side note, I think I tripled my readership with my last entry. I went from one reader to three. I wrote that entry out of angry and some of what I wrote may have come across as cruel. I did not intend for that particular entry to be cruel but as place to vent and to show the power of the cross. Lately, modern day theology has been focusing on a "Theology of Glory" rather than on the "Theology of the Cross." People like Joel Olstien preach a message that if we think and do good things, good things will happen to us. That is a "Theology of Glory." "Theology of Glory" preaches that God is high above and we must work up to God. God is just watching us as we go about our lives and punishing those that do wrong. This is very much not based on scripture but rather on an idea of God promoted by individuals who prey on hurting people in need of help.

The idea that one can pull one's self up by their own boots strap is possible (not very likely) but one must first be wearing boots to pull one's self up. So many of us have lost everything, including our boots, and turn to these tele-evangelists who preach the same thing that the rest of the world tells them; "If you work hard, things will get better."

Most of the time things do not get better but they get worst and then people lose hope in God. They blame God for everything and despise God. That idea spreads and soon we live in a world full of failed hope and batter dreams with people asking the question, "Where is God?"

Sometimes we are so foolish that we do not even know that God is with us. We forget that Jesus (and hell this is straight out of the bible) promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." We keep looking for God, or at least we are told to look for God, but God has already found us. I was heart broken when my relationship ended and I still am but I know I have God with me. Shit happens but God is the one who always cleans up the mess.

Still doubting? Okay, I'll close with a story that recently happened close by. A small child was playing with his mom one evening. She had just opened the window so that her children could look outside. She turned around for two seconds only to hear her one son exclaim, "Max is outside." It seems her little boy had just pushed the screen out of the window and fell three stories. The mom ran down to find her little boy sitting in the grass without a scratch on him. The only injury he sustain was a fractured wrist. And where was God? How else could you explain how this child survived? Why do some die and others live? Let's just be glad God is the one making the decision on that but we can have confidence that God is with all of his children because Jesus promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." Preach, live, and teach that God is with us. Preach, live, and teach the Cross.

An Update...

Yet again I am at a point in my life when I wonder why I just didn't become a monk. My heart is broken into many little pieces and all I want to do hide away. But I can't. I can't for two reasons. One, I live right across the hallway from her. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to go into her room and kiss her good morning or kiss her good night? Or to tell her you love her? Do you? I was happy and content before I met her. I really was. I was fine with being the single pastor and I did not want a relationship. She told me to open my heart. She was the one that pushed me to tell my parents. She was the one that want a relationship. I was just in shock that somebody could actually like me for more than just a expendable friend. But in reality, I was just as expendable as boyfriend as a simple friend. She says she needs to find herself, find out what she wants even though a few months ago I was what she wanted. I promised to give her my heart but my heart was not big enough. And so now I sit in my room, all alone, with nobody around to talk too, not even a simple old friend.

Two, who could I talk too? I have never been in a community so close and so tight and felt so alone and so distant. I feel isolated from any kind of church life. My church in Baltimore is an hour away and my teaching parish is not the place where I can comfortably tell members my personal problems. I wonder where God is and why did this happen? Lutheran theology is very comforting and beautiful but it can offer little comfort when all you have is that to turn too. We sometimes forget that the cross is full of splinters and nails. It is hard to cling to the cross after one has been battered and bruised.

And yet, when I finish this entry and post it, I will close my computer, get back out of my chair and continue on with my life because nothing is worth ending your life. Nothing. Believe it or not, I will wake up tomorrow and smile because I know that bloody and ragged Cross is there along with a man who made it possible for me to smile in the morning. That my friends is the beauty of the Cross. That my friends is the Theology of the Cross. Amen

Baptism of our Lord

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A little boy was upset with his parents' financial situation, so he decided to write God a letter.

Dear God,
My mommy and daddy need $500 for bills and I don't know who else to ask. Could You please help?
Johnny

The letter was received by the local post office and put in the 'dead' letters pile. The clerk, being curious of the letter addressed to God, opened to see what it said. As you can imagine, he was touched by the letter and decided to help. He asked all his fellow workers to 'chip-in' a few dollars to help a family in need. When all the money was collected, it came to $300. The clerk sent a money order in an official Post Office envelope with the return address simply, God.
Several weeks later the same clerk found another letter addressed to God in the same writing.

The letter said,
Dear God,
Thank you for the $300, but next time don't use the Post Office, they have a $200 service charge.
Johnny

Lucky for us, Baptism is a free gift from God and does not involve the post office. Baptism for us is very different from the baptism that Jesus experienced. Mark’s version of the baptism of Jesus is very urgent feeling. It fits in with Mark’s theme of urgency through out the Gospel. Mark wants to move readers through his Gospel to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus appears in the wilderness, the River Jordan where John was baptizing, Jesus and the people around him experience this amazing revelation. It says “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” The word “torn apart” in Greek only appears twice in the Gospel; here in this story and at the Crucifixion of Jesus. This is a major event in Mark’s Gospel. Using this form of the word, it shows that God is with the people, his people.

And then this voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” You are MY Son. This phrase echoes the Father/Son relationship found in the Old Testament. One example is found in Genesis involving Abraham and his son Isaac. “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” The author of Psalm 2 is another example. “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.” This small phrase emphasis a major point of Jesus’ relationship to the Father and Father’s relationship to Jesus: God and Messianc King, God and Servant of the Lord.

I know what some of are you are thinking. This is all well and good but why did Jesus need to be baptized? Jesus was sinless and he didn’t need a baptism for the forgiveness of sin. Why was he baptized? To answer this question we need to know that to be Baptized means to die. I know is hard to grasp this understand that to be baptized means to die especially when we baptize little babies but it more of a rebirth that we all experience when we are baptized. That is why we say we are reborn when we are baptized. For Jesus, his acceptance of his baptism meant two things: One, he was accepting the death on the Cross—a death he freely accepted—and Two, he was accepting his own humanity—he was accepting that he was just like you and me.

Our Baptism is much different from the one Jesus experienced. Jesus was sinless but we are not. We are all born with this original sin—the sin that separated Adam and Eve from God. It is by our baptism that we find forgiveness of this sin and in this Baptism God claims us as his own. Yes we will still sin but we will always find forgiveness in the loving arms of Christ because of our Baptism. Jesus is our mediator and when we sin it is Jesus proclaiming that “I died for that man” or “I died for that woman.” Christ still promises that he will bear our sins all because of our baptism. Our baptism is not done by us but it something that is done by God.

So today, as many of you have noticed, we have placed the baptismal font down in the center of the church. There has been a huge revival in the Lutheran Church over the years dealing with the Remembrance of our Baptism. Martin Luther wrote that “every time you wash your face, remember your baptism.” I feel that over the years, the act of baptism has been down played when in reality it is a life changing, life altering experienced that we go through. It is when we were claimed by God as one of his own and there was a promised made that God would never leave us when we needed him.

So today, as you leave, I encourage you all to remember your baptism by dipping your hand into the water, making a sign of the cross, or even just saying a prayer while touching the font thanking God for the Gift of baptism. Remember your baptism every time you go fishing or hunting, go for a walk, take a shower, wash your hands. For it was by your baptism God has said in the words of Isaiah , “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon them; they will bring forth justice to the nations.” In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Sermons, Sermons, Sermons....

Here is my sermon from Sunday, January 4th. I preached at the National Lutheran Home in Rockville, MD. I thought you all might enjoy reading it.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I think it is fitting that we are reading John 1 a few days after we rang in 2009. 2008 has been full of many ups and down. The economy ceiling has caved in causing millions of Americans to loose their jobs, their housing, and their very welling being. At the beginning of 2008, as we do every January, we dream, wish, and hope that this New Year, this new beginning, will bring about great and new things that will make our lives easier but all to often things do not change right away and sometimes will get worst before they get better.

Think about it, how many of us have made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, to spend less money, to spend more time with family and by the end of the year have forgotten the resolution or broken the resolution only after a few weeks. I believe as soon as we see what we have to give up for our resolution, we are scared and go back to our old, bad habits.

This year many of us have made promises. In this past election, all of our politicians who ran for office promised to deliver a better life, a better country, a better world. Sometimes this better life has taken years to come into affect. 50 years ago, nobody would have thought that our country would have elected a minority or a woman to the office of President. But as we have seen, this is no longer a dream but reality. Barack Obama has become the first African American President. In the beginning of the election, nobody thought that a black man or a woman would be the top two choices for the democratic party nomination or a woman be chosen as the vice president candidate for the republican party but it happened and we as a country should be proud.

I recently heard a statistic that Americans spend 450 billion dollars every year on Christmas. This includes not only gifts but the trees, lights, wrapping paper, anything involving the holiday. 450 billion dollars is a lot of money. We all claim it is a necessity for getting us into the holiday spirit and I have to agree with this ideology to a point. I love the symbolism involved in the Christmas Tree or ripping through wrapping paper to get to a new gadget. But I also learned that it would only cost 10 billion dollars to supply clean drinking water to people in third world countries. For many living in these countries, they spend half of the day walking to the nearest water source only to have to walk back to their village. Their life is consumed with walking to get a necessity of life. Children have to participate in retrieving water and cannot attend school. What if these children were to get an education? What if one of these children would be the one would find the cure for cancer or aids? What if this one of these children would be the next Einstein or Martin Luther King? What if? For just 10 billion dollars, who knows what the world could be like.

There are all kinds of statistics like this one. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson point out once in a lecture that more people die every year from hunger related illnesses than from terrorism but yet never hear about this. Every day, 16,000 children die of hunger-related diseases. That’s one child every 5.4 seconds and this does not include adults. Terrorism is by no means a good thing but world hunger is also a great concern that we all need to remember not only in our prayers but in our actions.

Who knows what will happen in 2009. There are many uncertainties but we as Christians know that God is with us in our beginnings and in our endings. Through life and death, God is with us. It was God who promised his people that he was “going to bring [the Israelites] from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here… I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel. Life can be scary at times. So many Americans are living in fear that their jobs will be cut and all they have worked for will be lost. Hospitals and Nursing homes just like this one have patients and residents who are close to death. But we know that even in the midst of our greatest fears and worries Christ, the Word that became flesh is among us. John 1 proclaims that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us.”

We will find a way to work through the challenges that our nation, our world, and each of us face. We will prevail but we need to trust and act on God’s word. Jesus promises to always be with us in our beginnings and when we end our life on earth and move onto our eternal life in heaven. We have seen God’s glory. God glory has been revealed through Jesus will continue to reveal his glory through his church and people carrying out the Gospel. God’s word is powerful and changes lives. I cannot stress it enough that through our beginnings and our ends, Jesus will always be with us. That is our faith and that will carry us through even our worst times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen