The Lord is my shepherd

This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. It is also known as "Good Shepherd Sunday" in honor of our risen Lord and Savior who proclaims "I am the Good Shepherd."

Psalm 23
1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Sometimes I wish...

Sometimes I wish there were more people in the pews on Sunday morning.

The Sundays of Easter are brutal for morale at a church.

Easter Sunday is such a joyous celebration. The pews are filled. People are smiling.

Children are wearing their new Easter outfits. Men put on ties that you haven't seen all year.

Some women even wear Easter bonnets, a long lost custom in this country.

And then you have the "other Sundays" of Easter.

The pews are barely full. The new outfits have been retired. The ties will remain hanging in the closet until the 24th of December. The bonnets are rapidly becoming a faded memory.

I kn0w one way you can pack the pews on the "other Sundays" of worship.

Here in Montana, we have just the right material to "pack 'em in."

Enjoy, in this joyous season of celebrating Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Easter photos

I'm working on it... the learning curve remains steep enough that undertakings like this take more time than I'd like. But it was such a nice day on Easter Sunday and the egg hunt was such a success that I knew these were worth sharing.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Women at Work

Habitat for Humanity of Gallatin Valley is having its 9th Annual Women Build from May 6th-9th. I participated in a Women Build project back in 2002 - and put siding on a house in Belgrade. If I can do this, anyone can. This is a great opportunity to make a difference in our community and to grow in discipleship through service.

So - ladies, who's up for joining me? There are two shifts each day, one from 9am-Noon and one from 1-4pm. There's only room for 25 women per shift, so download the registration form and send it in (along with the $30 registration fee) to register by mail before May 2nd! And let me know if I can plan to see you there!

In praise of faithful witness

Today the Christian church remembers Toyohiko Kagawa, renewer of society.

He was born in Kobe, Japan in 1888. Orphaned early, he was disowned by his remaining extended family when he became a Christian.* Kagawa spoke, wrote, and worked at great lengths on ways to imploy Christian principles in the ordering of society. His vocation to help the poor led him to live among them. He established schools, hospitals, and churches. He also worked for peace and established the Anti-War League. He was arrested for his efforts to reconcile Japan and China after the Japanese attacked and invaded China in 1937.

In celebration of his witness, recognize those people at Christ the King (and in your community of faith) who work on behalf of the poor and oppressed, and who, through their work, reveal the peace of Christ that is a gift of the resurrection.

*I have known a few Japanese nationals that have converted to Christianity. They were rejected by their family and friends and paid a heavy price for confessing that Jesus is "Savior and Lord."

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day (though of course every day is Earth day - an opportunity to care for God's creation and live as faithful stewards of it). Tonight at BLAST (6-8pm with dinner, worship and classes/activities) we'll focus on God's creation and our part in it. Hope you can make it!

It seems like a lot of the time when people hear "stewardship" they instantly think "money" - which is fine, since except for the Kingdom of God, Jesus talked more about money than anything else. However, our lives as stewards include how we care for and use (or abuse) God's creation - as individuals and family units, as well as a congregation.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth... it's all God's, and how we treat the creation says something about how we think and feel about the Creator.

Maybe a good place for us to start is with making the connection between turning off the lights when we leave the room and honoring the One who said, "Let there be light." How might our attitudes change if we could remember that God said, "It's good" of God's creation, and that sometimes we don't treat it like it is?

There are TONS of online resources to help us be better stewards - caretakers - of God's creation- some from faith perspectives some not (remember, all truth is God's truth, no matter who says it). Here's one resource that may be helpful, from the Web of Creation at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC): Stewardship of Creation: A Thirty Day Discipline. If you're looking for a new daily devotion that will take you beyond two Bible verses and a prayer, try it out - and let us know what you think.

Battling fear and loathing

I once served a rural two-point parish in central Illinois.

A rural two-point parish is two churches who cannot afford a single pastor on their own, so they share one pastor between them.

In 2004, one of those churches decided to leave our national church body, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It broke my heart. I served the people of St. Peter's Lutheran in Melvin, IL with great love for them as a community of faith, broken by their sin and healed by the forgiving love of God in Christ Jesus.

One of the reasons cited for departing the ELCA was the alledged "sponsoring of terrorism by allowing Muslims to speak at the Chicago seminary of our church." This departure was done out of ignorance, fear, and stupidity.

The seminary in question, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, was seeking to bring some understanding about Islam to the people of Chicago after the attacks on 9-11. For this brave act of compassion, directed towards a great world faith for the benefit of Christians in Chicago, they were rejected by a faith community (the one I used to serve) by fear and loathing.

I called the president of LSTC and asked if they were sponsors of terrorism. I was told "they were not."

I am writing this post because I still find elements of fear and loathing about Muslims even in the enlightened community of Bozeman, MT.

I invite you to attend a lecture to be given May 8th at Hope Lutheran here in Bozeman, starting at 9 a.m. It is entitled "A Window on the World of Islam." The event is sponsored by Northern Rockies Institute of Theology and the lecture will be given by Rev. Steve Benson.

Rev. Benson has taught Islamic history and theology in India. He has also published scholarly articles about Islam and inter-faith relations in three international academic journals. He earned an M.A. in Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary.

Cost for the event is $10.

For further information, contact Northern Rockies Institute of Theology at 406.452.1663 .

Their website is http://www.nrit.org/.

Let's battle fear and loathing by learning more about this faith and culture, and let's battle ignorance and half-truths by staying informed and enlightened.

First fruits

I am rereading a wonderful book during the Great Fifty Days (of Easter) - it's not exactly a book of devotions, though it does have passages from scripture and interesting excerpts from a variety of sources for each day. Here's one from today, which is Tuesday of the First Week of Easter:

It is impossible to understand what Jesus' rising from the dead is about if we think of it as the resuscitation of a dead man. He is not described as starting life over again. He did not mythically represent new vegetation after the rains of winter are over, or human life perpetually coming forth from the dark womb of the earth. He was, for the Jews who first believed in him, the "first-fruits" of a harvest of all the dead. If you had the faith of the Pharisees, his appearance would have startled you, but it would not have surprised you. You would have been stunned chiefly that he was alone. That he was risen in the body was something that ultimately you could cope with.

It seems strange, at this distance of years, to try to re-create a world we have such sparse information about. We cannot reconstruct ancient Jewish religious thought and make it ours. We can save ourselves a lot of headaches, though, if we realize how much preparedness there was in those times for the notion of being raised from the dead... After an initial shock no less than ours, pharisaic Jews like Peter and James would think, "God's reign has begun! But where are the others?"

From Jesus in Focus: A Life in Its Setting, by Gerard S. Sloyan, copyright 1983. Published by Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic CT

And a funny...

Easter is a time of joy and hope - and in some traditions it is also a time for great humor - playing on the theme that Jesus' death is the greatest joke pulled on the devil, ever. Death thought that death had won. And... not so much.

This story makes me glad - it's goofy and whimsical, and I for one think we could have a little more whimsy in church, most of the time. Enjoy!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Alleluia! It feels good to break out that word of praise again, to remember that death doesn't win and that God is indeed for us.

Thank you upon thank you to all who helped make today such a wonderful celebration of hope, grace and love here at CtK: the musicians, the folks who got communion ready, those who moved all the pews to get ready for this season, all the worship helpers, the brunch cooks, the servers... Thanks to those who did the good work of set up, clean up, greeting others, extending a welcome, helping with the egg hunt, etc. Thanks to those who donated - flowers, food, the paschal candle, etc. And if I've forgotten anyone - THANKS!!

If you visited CtK for the first time on this Easter Sunday, we hope the service of worship was a blessing to you and that you felt welcomed in our community. Please know that we look forward to getting to know you better and walking together in faith with you. If you have any questions about the Christian faith, about Lutherans in particular, or about this congregation, please don't hesitate to ask! Leave a comment here and we'll reply - perhaps someone else has the same question!

May God bless us all with faith and hope during this season (remember, it lasts for 50 days!!) of new life and the promise of the resurrection! We'll see you on Wednesday night for BLAST (dinner from 6-6:30pm, worship at 6:30, and classes and activities from 7-8pm) and next Sunday for worship at 8:30 & 11am!!

One more phone call

Members and friends of CtK: tomorrow is Easter! It's the day of days for us Jesus-people.
If you still have a postcard invitation sitting in your car or on your kitchen table, now is the time to use it! As I write, it is mostly cloudly outside, but not raining. Make your move: Cross the street and invite a neighbor to join you for worship, brunch and the egg hunt tomorrow morning!
If it IS raining at your house, pick up the phone! It's not too late! You can do it!

The day between

Holy Saturday is a strange day. Not much happens in many congregations today (though if a congregation has an Easter vigil, there's A LOT happening). At this point we do not have a tradition of the Easter vigil, so apart from a dedicated crew setting up the worship space for tomorrow morning, and a couple of folks reading for Cover-to-Cover (our congregation's attempt to read the whole Bible during Lent - we didn't quite finish - good thing Easter lasts for 50 days!) there hasn't really been a lot of activity here.

Grant and I ran by Costco to get bagels (our donation for tomorrow morning's brunch) and there was TONS of activity there.

Consider this latest edition of Cafe - the zine for the younger Women of the ELCA crowd. (Yes, you can still read it, even if you don't fit into that "younger woman" demographic.) It begins with some wondering together about Holy Saturday, and continues with how art can be a sign of rebirth to new life. Let me know what you think.

And Sour

Besides worship (and enduring Dad's endless whistling of the sending hymn) my family has few Easter traditions - and even fewer Holy Week traditions. That's one of the reasons why I so enjoy the series of Triduum books that Liturgy Training Publiciation published (they've got a series for Lent, a book on Easter, Advent, marriage, the list goes on...)
Anyway - this is a new tradition for me, and while we won't be making the soup for supper tonight, there will be consumption of vinegar.

This entry is found on page 57 of Triduum I, and was written by Evelyn Birge Vitz.

In Greece and a number of other countries it is customary to eat something on Good Friday to which vinegar is added, in memory of the vinegary that Christ was offered on the cross. To this good soup the vinegar adds a symbolic touch.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP

1 pound lentils

10 cups water

4 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 sprigs parsley, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons wine vinegar or cider vinegar

Rinse and pick over lentils, removing any pebbles. Bring the water to a boil in a large pan. Add the lentils, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the lentils stand for 1 hour.

In the meantime, saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots in the oil.

When the lentils have sat for an hour, add to them the vegetables, along with the parsley, bay leaf, and tomato paste. Simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are tender. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the salt and pepper.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Just before serving, add the vinegar. You might wish to do this at the table - and to explain why you are adding it.

Smell my feet

It's Maundy Thursday - Holy Communion, new commandment and foot washing day, for some. Here at CtK tonight, Grant just washed two feet (belonging to the same person - who knew ahead of time that her feet would get wet in front of God and everybody). I wonder what would have happened if we had the whole congregation line up to have their feet washed in the same bowl of water?

It's funny - in our office version of Microsoft Publisher, if you limit the results to "photos" and search the clip-art for "basin," you will get exactly one picture: of the kind of kidney shaped basin someone with the stomach flu might appreciate. Somehow it seems oddly appropriate for tonight. I have several friends who simply cannot stand feet - not even their own. And I've seen some pretty nasty looking feet in my day - feet I certainly would NOT want to be near, much less close enough to smell, or touch, or scrub, or massage, or wash.

Good thing Jesus isn't so picky. The betrayer's feet: washed. The denier's feet: washed. The rest of the disciples who somehow go AWOL between dinner and breakfast: clean feet.

Thanks be to God.

On a lighter note

It's Wednesday of Holy Week. Passover begins tonight at sundown (the Jewish way of keeping time, remember - "and there was evening, and there was morning, the first day").

A friend posted this link on her blog last week, and I've been looking forward to sharing it. This just cracks me up. If you don't understand all the facebook references, just ask anyone who does to explain it to you...

The Passover Seder, the oldest continuously observed religious ceremony in the world, tells the story of the Jews' Exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition says that people of each generation must imagine that they personally had departed from Egypt, and the sages say that each generation must tell the story in its own terms.The sages probably did not intend this.

My favorite week of the year

I love this week in the church year. You don’t see many “Maundy Thursday servant towel sales” or advertisements for a “Good Friday Beer Bash.”

Since I was a boy, I’ve grown up with a thought filled observation of what God has done for us in Jesus during this week marking the events of Christ’s passion.

I remember as a child attending Palm Sunday worship where I marched into the worship space with other kids, waving our palm branches and singing “Hosanna!”

I remember sitting in a pew at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Long Beach, CA listening to Dolores sing “Were You There?” with a haunting voice on Good Friday. Our pastor, Ted Conter, stayed at the altar knelt in prayer, long after the service ended.

I remember attending my first Easter Vigil Service in Erie, PA in 1989 with my brother Jon, who was serving a rural parish at the time. I never heard of the Easter Vigil service until that time. It is a part of the three day “Triduum”-the days leading up to Easter.
The elements of that service, from the “new fire” burning in a fire pit outside of the church to the twelve readings from the Bible, to the unveiling of the altar close to midnight to celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the tomb, have stayed with me over the years.

I remember as a teenager, rehearsing musical fanfares to be played at the Easter sunrise service. My brother Kurt and I left a spring break vacation in Los Angeles to make the two hour drive home to San Diego for the rehearsals.

Growing up, the practice of attending Holy Week worship services and being a participant in those services brought depth and meaning to my Christian faith. I became a part of "the salvation story."

I hope you find depth and meaning in worship this week, as we reflect on our Lord’s passion.

Real Invitations

Our community's mission statement indicates that we are a group of people who reach out to others with a welcome and witness. Wishful thinking in a mission statement is not necessarily a bad thing.

After seven and a half months here, my experience has been that CtK IS a very friendly group of folks, who have built a space that feels good to be in. That said, there's a difference between being friendly and offering real welcome. I can think of more than one occasion when I've gone somewhere and the people were really friendly, but I also knew I wasn't really welcome - there was no place for the real me. So, we continue to grow in our understanding of hospitality and welcome, realizing that "new" folks don't have to be (or become) just like "us" in order to have a place here.

The witness side of things is another story, I think. People continue to look at me like I'm speaking a language from another planet when I talk about inviting folks to join us in worship, study or service. We know it's not always easy to do something for the first time, but it will never get easier if we never try in the first place.

The Good News/Evangelism team gave the go-ahead to order and print up several BIG stacks of postcards that can be used as invitations to worship and fellowship during Holy Week and Easter. Grant and I were very intentional about handing a couple of those cards to each person who worshiped here last Sunday: we stood, as usual, at the doors out of the sanctuary, to greet people and shake hands - and hand off the postcards. I saw folks smile at me and say "good morning," and then look over their shoulders to see if anyone was watching as they put their postcards down on the table. Is it really THAT HARD to hand someone a postcard and say, "hey - check it out"? I'd be fine if folks said, "My pastors told me I have to give this to you" and then walked away (okay, maybe not).

I wonder why it's so difficult for people even to extend a simple invitation, especially when said invitation is printed and ready to go. Are they embarrassed? If so - by what? That they're part of a community of faith? By their congregation? By their friends? Are they ashamed? (I hope not - Jesus had something to say about those who are ashamed of him...) Are they afraid?

If so, what is it exactly that we are so afraid of? Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth. Not even death can hold him down (Easter is not about the bunny). We don't need to worry - he's got our backs. And we're afraid someone might say "no thanks" to a friendly invitation?

Come on, people of God - it's time for action. Besides, it's FUN! I have never had a bad experience inviting people to worship - even people I've never met previously.

We're heading out tomorrow afternoon - meet at CtK in the sanctuary at 2pm for a quick training and sending out. We'll be done by 4pm.

Questions? Let me know!