Lent Haiku

Last night, after enjoying their soup supper (and mac & cheese - there's mac & cheese every week for the picky-eaters club), CtK youth wrote some haiku for the season.
I got the idea from a colleague in Oregon, who writes a haiku, instead of taking a photo, but uses a Photo-a-Day challenge for his themes. If you're inclined to do something similar, post in the comments. And please use #ctkbozeman on any social media posts, so we can find you!

I just asked our youth to think about Lent and Ash Wednesday. Here's what they gave me:

Sin infects our souls
Dark ashes upon our heads
Death will not conquer
...

+ + +
I gave something up
Ashes are on our faces
We are all sinners
+ + +
We are forgiven
It's the beginning of Lent
Ashes to ashes

Guest Post: The Blessing of Grief Support Group

What follows is a reflection by CtK member Heidi Madson, about her need for and participation in CtK's Grief Support Group. The next 10-week group will begin meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. To sign up for the group, or for more information, please contact Pastor Grant in the CtK church office, at 587-4131.

In mid November of 2011, my Mum was rushed to hospital complaining of stomach pains. She was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, and died six weeks later on December 19, 2011.

The following April in 2012, my Mother-in-law Barb fell, and broke her femur. The next day, Barb was diagnosed with cancer that had spread throughout her body.  After a 15 week battle, Barb died on August 22, 2012.

Three weeks later, On September 25, 2012, four days before Barb's memorial service, I got a phone call from England informing me my Dad had just passed away. Craig and I attended Barb's memorial service, then flew straight to England to plan the third funeral in less than nine months for our beloved family members.

Since then, we have lost another close relative of mine in Canada, and experienced a suicide in a property of ours.  Just when we thought we could come up for air, on the 13th of May of 2013, I suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke on the right side of my brain and was airlifted to Billings.

As you can now see, over that three and a half years I experienced many aspects of death, and grief, including the feeling like I had lost part of myself to my stroke.

When I found out about a grief support group being offered by Pastor Grant, you would have thought I would jump at the opportunity. At first I didn't. I was scared. Scared of having to relive all the pain and heartache. BUT I also knew in my heart that I desperately needed help. And I needed a support group and guidance to do that.

 I was right!!!!

To say that I am glad I joined the grief support group is probably the understatement of the year. I had NO idea how desperately I needed it until I got there.

Over the next nine weeks, under the gentle and kind guidance of Pastor Grant, and with the unconditional support of others there, I was able to understand and comprehend the journey and steps of grief and grieving, a lesson that I didn't even know I needed.

Through this journey, I came to understand that I had placed some areas of my grief on hold in order to cope with the overwhelming events, including more loss of other family members. I also discovered that I was indeed grieving for the person I used to be before my stroke. Grieving for the things I could do before, things that I struggle to do now.

God made us all different. And how we grieve individually is also different. The journey of grief is a very individual and unique experience for everyone, but by going to this support group, I had the opportunity to be able to get the help and support I so desperately needed in a safe and loving place, surrounded by people who understood and were there to support me. I have also made close friends!

I now get up every morning, and although I miss my loved ones terribly, the pain is less sharp and I am better able to honour their memory by remembering the good times, and not focusing on the sad ones.

Remember you are dust... Adult Forum Feb. 8th & 15th

We are approaching the beginning of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday, February 18^th. Worshipers will hear on that day, during the imposition of ashes, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With this reminder of our mortality in mind, Adult Forum for February 8^th and 15^th will focus on caring for ourselves during critical times of health and at the end of life.

On February 8^th, Pastor Grant and his colleagues from the Spiritual Care Department of Bozeman Deaconess Hospital will help Adult Forum attendees understand the health care document “Five Wishes.” It is designed to help individuals put down in writing how they want to be cared for at the end of life.

1. Naming the person I want to make care decisions for me when I can’t
2. The kind of medical treatment I want or don‘t want.
3. How comfortable I want to be.
4. How I want people to treat me.
5. What I want my loved ones to know.

You can learn more at fivewishes.org, sponsored by Aging with Dignity. Aging with Dignity is "a national non-profit organization with a mission to affirm and safeguard the human dignity of individuals as they age and to promote better care for those near the end of life. The life and work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta served as the inspirational foundation of Aging with Dignity."

On February 15^th, both pastors will lead participants in conversation about memorial/funeral service planning. Crafting a meaningful memorial/funeral service can become a powerful testimony by a Christian of how they value the gift of faith as their loved ones and friends bid them farewell and commend them to God’s care. Hymns, prayers, Bible verses, and personal testimony can convey a sense of hope in Christ’s resurrection in the midst of death; a document listing your preferences can be a great gift to your surviving family and friends. Come for a life affirming presentation.

Words from the Bishop: End of Life Decisions

Each week, the Bishop of the Montana Synod, the Rev. Jessica Crist, writes an article for the Synod newsletter. Here it is for this week:

 

 

Words from the Bishop:  End of Life Decisions

 

As people in the United States are living longer, there are more and more discussions on quality of life issues. Many of those discussions focus on end of life issues. Patients' rights issues mingle with death with dignity issues. Nobody wants to suffer a prolonged, painful death. And the conversation moves eventually to the right to die. Some states, like Oregon, have incorporated it into their legal system, and have physician-assisted suicide as a legal option.

Montana is a legal no-man's land in this issue. The Supreme Court determined that there is no law prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. But neither is there a law that allows it. In past legislative sessions Montana has seen bills introduced both to allow and to prohibit physician-assisted suicide. Both have failed. But the issue is not likely to go away.

Society has changed a lot in the last several decades. Medical advances enable people to live much longer with debilitating conditions. And at the same time there is a movement to allow people more agency in their own health-care decisions. Every time I drop by the hospital lab across the street I am asked if I have a living will.

Families are not always in agreement with each other on end of life issues. The tragic situation of Terry Schiavo a decade ago brought to the public eye the tragedy than ensues when family members are at odds with each other about the best course of action (or inaction.)

So what can we say as Christians? The ELCA has a social message on "End-of- Life Decisions," adopted in 1992. It affirms 6 basic principles:

            +Life is a gift from God, to be received with thanksgiving.

            +The integrity of the life processes which God has created should be respected: both birth and death are part of these life processes.

            +Both living and dying should occur within a caring community.

            +A Christian perspective mandates respect for each person. Such respect included giving due recognition to each person's carefully considered preferences regarding treatment choices.

            +Truthfulness and faithfulness in our relations with others are essential to the texture of human life.

            +Hope and meaning in life are possible even in times of suffering and adversity, a truth powerfully proclaimed in the resurrection faith of the church.

The statement explores artificially-administered nutrition and hydration, and the refusal of beneficial treatment. And it addresses physician-assisted death. It states:

"As a church we affirm that deliberately destroying life created in the image of God is contrary to our Christian conscience. While this affirmation is clear, we also recognize that responsible health care professionals struggle to choose the lesser evil in ambiguous borderline situations-for example, when pain becomes so unmanageable that life is indistinguishable from torture."

"We oppose the legalization of physician-assisted death, which would allow the private killing of one person by another. Public control and regulation of such actions would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. The potential for abuse, especially of people who are most vulnerable, would be substantially increased."

The entire statement is five pages, and you may find it helpful to read. You can find it at www.elca.org. I commend it to you as part of your moral discernment for the legislative issues that face Montana and Wyoming in the coming months.

In Christ,

Jessica Crist, Bishop

Surprised by Hope

Every-other Friday morning, a CtK small group meets at Clark's Fork restaurant at 7:00am. Some folks just drink coffee or tea, some eat a big breakfast. All are part of lively conversation, stimulated by the chapters read for the morning's discussion.
This Friday, November 7th, the group will discuss the last chapters of Take This Bread, by Sara Miles. It's been great food for thought. (pun!)
Beginning Friday, November 21st, the group will discuss the first two chapters of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N.T. Wright. Wright, an Anglican bishop and professor, tackles the question of what happens when we die, and how most Christians get it wrong. This book is more "academic" than the group's previous selections, heavier on early church history and biblical theology, but it is a fascinating read and will inspire great conversations. You are invited to join in! Pick up a copy at your favorite bookseller, bid on the "Friday Morning Small Group Basket" at the PB&A this Sunday, or get a copy here at Amazon:

All are welcome to join the conversation!

Good Friday

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Reflections on the Death of Nelson Mandela

From the Rev. Jessica Crist, Bishop of the Montana Synod of the ELCA:

 

Reflections on the Death of Nelson Mandela

 Nelson Mandela died yesterday at age 95. He had spent 27 years of his life as a political prisoner on Robben Island. After his release he was elected President of South Africa, the first black president of the post-Apartheid South Africa. It was an historic day in 1994 when black people were allowed to vote for the first time. I remember seeing photos of lines over a mile long of people waiting to vote for the first time in their lives.

White South Africa was not sure what would happen when there was majority rule. Many feared that there would be a terrible backlash, a kind of eye-for-an-eye system of revenge. But instead, Mandela invited black and white and mixed race into his government. And, with the assistance of Bishop Desmond Tutu, he channeled the emotions of a nation recovering from decades of violence into the Truth and Reconciliation Process. It was a bit like Confession and Forgiveness, with which we are so familiar. Truth and Reconciliation was designed to give people an opportunity to speak of the atrocities, speak of the losses, learn what happened in all its shocking detail, and then to move on.

And South Africa has moved on. Not that there are not problems. Official Apartheid is over, but economic apartheid is alive and well. But South Africa did not explode into the kind of violence and genocide that everybody expected, and that happens so frequently when there is a change of government, such as in Rwanda. South Africa did not become a bloodbath, and for that we can thank God for Nelson Mandela.

The Montana Synod has a companion synod relationship with the Cape Orange Diocese in South Africa. Over the years many people from our Synod have visited South Africa and met our partners there who went through the Apartheid years. We have heard the stories of oppression, of racism, of violence. And we have seen the role of the Church in South Africa. The last time a group from our Synod visited, it was the 20^th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from Robben Island prison. We were able to tour the prison, with a former prisoner as our guide. Everyone we met on that visit to South Africa had a story of how they had been affected personally by Apartheid and its aftermath. We were struck again and again with the resilience of the people, and with the prevalence of hope.

Many of you may recall that Bishop Bill Bowles and Mr. Joe Jongolo visited our Synod last summer from the Cape Orange Diocese. This morning I sent a letter of condolence to the Diocese on behalf of the Montana Synod. I expressed our sympathy at the death of Nelson Mandela.

In this season of Advent I am reminded of the vision from Isaiah, of what is often referred to as "The Peaceable Kingdom," from Isaiah 11: 16-18 (this Sunday's text.)

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox."

In this piece of prophecy, the improbable becomes reality, the impossible becomes the norm. This passage from Isaiah was the basis for Quaker artist Edward Hicks' series of painting of "The Peaceable Kingdom." You may have seen them on Christmas cards-lovely depictions of predator and prey in perfect harmony. Some of the pictures that Hicks painted have some human beings in them in the background. If you look closely you can see William Penn with the Lenne Lenape Indians, negotiating a peace between the two cultures.

Nelson Mandela spent his life resisting injustice. And when the tables turned and he became President, he did not choose revenge. He did not seek retaliation. Instead he led a country full of wolves and lambs, of bears and cows, and showed them a better way. And the world is a better place because of it.

May he rest in peace. And may South Africa come together in his honor.

Bishop Jessica CristDecember 6, 2013

Good Friday

Today he who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross

He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.

He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.

He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon his face.

The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails.

The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.

We venerate thy Passion, O Christ.

Show us also thy glorious Resurrection.

Hymn for Good Friday, Orthodox

On the death of bin Laden

It's hard to imagine that anyone in the English-speaking world has managed to avoid hearing the news that US special forces killed Osama bin Laden over the weekend, and that he has since been buried at sea. Reactions to the news have varied quite a bit - from raucous celebrations in the street to somber reflections on what it means to love your enemies, and not to rejoice when your enemies fall (see Proverbs 24:17). An article in The Christian Science Monitor, titled Celebrating Osama bin Laden's death is anti-American ... and not very biblical notes, "Remember when Palestinians danced on the streets of the West Bank, to rejoice over the World Trade Center attacks? That’s what we looked like last night to many of the very people whose hearts and minds we’ve spent billions to win."
I have a sinking feeling that sentiment may be true.
Do you remember where you were on 9/11? I was in Randalstown, Northern Ireland, just outside of Belfast. And once I was sure that my friends in New York and DC were safe, I was able to start paying attention to the reactions of those around me, who had experienced the threat of terrorist actions for their whole lives. A fairly common sentiment then, was, "I feel bad for those who died, and for those who lost loved ones, but it's about time Americans realize what it's like to live anywhere else in the world."
Ouch. How much we took for granted. How much I still take for granted. We tend not to be very good at putting ourselves in the shoes of others, considering our actions from their perspectives, or at reflecting on just what it costs to "defend our way of life" - in terms of global economics, environmental sustainability, and the burdens it places on the last, little, least, and lost - the very ones Jesus always seems to be hanging out with and lifting up.
May God bless us with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to do what God would have us do, as individuals, families and communities.

For your consideration: a letter to all members of the ELCA from our Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson:

May 2, 2011

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

The death of Osama bin Laden is an occasion for solemn remembrance. We remember the lives of all whose deaths resulted from his choosing hatred and violence. We stand with those who continue to mourn the death of loved ones while giving thanks for their lives, their love and their faith. We also continue to hold in prayer all whose service in the military, in government and in humanitarian and peacemaking activities contribute to a safer and more prosperous world.

At the same time we also recall who we are: people baptized into Christ, freed to serve our neighbors. We are people called as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation with our neighbors, serving God’s work of restoring community. We engage our neighbors of other faiths, including our Muslim neighbors near and far, in respectful, searching dialogue and shared commitment to build a world that reflects God’s will for peace with justice. We pray for our neighbors, even those who are our enemies.

Most of all, in these 50 days of celebrating Christ’s resurrection, joy finds its fullest and deepest expression not over a human death but in God’s promise to unite all things in heaven and on earth, to reconcile the human family and to bring God’s reign of peace. Confident in what God has promised, we witness our resolve against any act of violence in the name of religion and our renewed commitment of service to the neighbors and world God so deeply loves.

In God’s grace,

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America