Category Archives: Church

Ordination!

02 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Church, Family, Theology

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Today I will be ordained.  I’ve got a lot going through my mind because of this.

Ordination marks the end of one stage in life and the beginning of another.  I could go on about this, but I won’t.  Instead, I’m going to talk about something else – or rather a few something elses.

Ordination means that I’m different.  I have a new role to live out – pastor in a congregation.  Regardless of what I want, I’ll be seen differently.  The collar is a visible sign that a person is set aside for ministry.  That means I’ll be listening to many people’s stories and struggles.  I’ll get to experience the highest highs and the lowest lows with people.  I’ll force myself to love people who I might not otherwise love.  I’ll make mistakes and those mistakes will be public.  I’ll do my best to be true to preaching God’s word and offering the sacraments.  I’ll be seen as an example.  I’ll be seen as the one responsible – especially when something doesn’t work.

Ordination means I’m not different at all.  I haven’t changed because of ordination.  Actually, I’ve been changing as a person ever since I’ve been born.  Seminary puts that process in high gear.  Ordination though doesn’t change the person – it’s more of a public recognition of the changes that God has been working in a person.  But being ordained doesn’t mean I’m somehow more special or holy than other people – even if the collar gives people the thought that is the case.  I’m still me.  I still sin and screw up.  I still get mad and swear.  Still struggle with some relationships to people and systems.  And I’ll still need forgiveness, love, mercy, and friendship.

Ordination is many things.  As I go from this day forward I’ll find out what those things are first hand.  So will my family.  They have been along for this ride for some time now and are about to start a new phase in the journey.  They didn’t take a single seminary class, but they have been being prepared for this too.  They didn’t receive any credit for the classes, but they learned.  They didn’t research about the decline of the church in the world, but they came along with me to live in a foreign land and know what it means to be strangers and others.  They didn’t go into the church each day on internship or lead worship, but they came along with me to internship – sacrificing their lives for the sake of this calling – knowing first hand what it means to serve.  They didn’t walk with me on graduation day and receive a diploma, but they did the journey with me and received so much more from God – flexibility, adaptability, third culture, patience, listening skills, compassion, relationship skills, and grace.

This evening I’ll be the one receiving a stole and a laying on of hands.  That’s what ordination begins with.  But it will be my family’s hands that will lay on me in the difficult times – hands that will remind me of God’s unwavering love, grace, and forgiveness.  It will be my wife’s hands that will hold mine when I need them most.

Ordination is many things.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for my ministry, for our family, and for St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in New Kingstown, PA where God has called me to serve as pastor.

Let’s do this!

Lutheran World Federation Assembly Reflection

31 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Church

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

A few weeks ago I boarded a plane with several others from the seminary and we flew down to Windhoek, Namibia to go to the Lutheran World Federation Assembly.  It was an incredible experience and a great way to finish up my seminary career.  I’ll be posting pictures from the Assembly in the near future, but I while it is still fresh, I wanted to offer a few reflections.

First, I learned about (or better said, I was reminded of) the diversity of Lutheranism.  That’s not hard to do when you travel halfway around the world to gather with other Lutherans.  You see that Americans are just a small speck in this giant world. (A good lesson to be reminded of – something that only really see when you step out of the continent.)  You hear that English is not the only language that people speak (another good reminder).  And of course many, many Lutherans don’t look-alike either.  All of this became obvious quickly when we came together for worship in multiple languages, heard people speak in four primary languages, and saw many people from about 90 different countries.  It was especially evident with the election of the new LWF president – who happens to be from Nigeria.

Second, connections are important.  We learned that there are approximately 75 million Lutherans in the world.  That’s a good number of people, yet still not a huge percentage of the world.  At the same time, when you come together at assemblies like this, you start to see that much like national gatherings, synod assemblies, and even congregations, there are a handful of people who are the most engaged and you see them everywhere.  They are the ones you want to get to know for multiple reasons.  They are the ones who can connect you with many other people.  They are the people who get things done.

Third, worship comes in a wide variety.  During the assembly, we experienced such a wide range of worship.  It was great.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t like everything, but that’s ok.  It wasn’t about liking everything – I’m sure there were people who didn’t like what I like.  That’s ok too.  But it’s still good to experience different worship styles.  The best worship was the Sunday commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  It was in a stadium and the sermon was very powerful.  Worship lasted for four hours – but then again, when you have to commune 10,000 people, that takes about an hour.

Fourth, I want to go back to Africa.  This was my first time to the continent and I loved it. I can’t wait to go back.  I was exposed to a part of Africa that I knew very little about – which is why I wanted to go (I wanted to learn more).

Overall, going to the LWF Assembly was a wonderful trip, a great educational opportunity, and I’m glad I went.  Next time though, I want to go as a delegate.  Let’s see what happens in the next six years.

The last two weeks of my life…

24 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Blog, Church, Seminary

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

The last two weeks of my life have been unlike any other two weeks that I can recall.

Two Mondays ago, I left my home in the morning, met up with several other students, got on an airplane and traveled about 30 hours (flying time and layovers, etc) to Windhoek, Namibia.  We were heading to the Lutheran World Federation Assembly there.

We stayed there for 7 days and then jumped on some planes last Tuesday and arrived back in Pennsylvania last Wednesday – tired and exhausted, but happy about the trip.  I promise that I’ll be writing more about the trip in upcoming posts – along with some pictures too.  I’m still processing the trip.

I got a nap (mostly because I don’t sleep well on long plane rides), got to use a real sauna, and got a shower.  I was then ready for the senior banquet – a fun even for seniors at the seminary who are ready to graduate.

Then on Friday of last week there was graduation.  A truly historical event in its own right.  First, every graduation is historic because the graduating class is added to the history of the institution.  Second, this would be the last graduation of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.  The seminary will be merging with Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia come July 1 to form United Lutheran Seminary.  It’s been a long road for LTSG.  I’m proud to be a part of the last class.  Again, there are lots to process here.

Then on Sunday I had my call sermon – and the congregation voted to call me as their pastor.  Beginning June 26th, I’ll be pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in New Kingstown, PA, USA.  I’m pretty excited about this.  And again, there’s plenty for me to process.

Because of all of these things, it’s taken me a bit longer than normal to get back to any type of routine with posting materials on social media and online.  I haven’t been able to post a daily prayer or do my usual tweets about made up bible passages or do travel or theological posts here on the blog.  I finally unpacked from Africa two days ago and I’m still working on going through the piles of paper on my desk to clear that off.  I hope to start posting again tomorrow, but give me a little slack if I don’t – I’ll get there.

The next big thing is ordination – next Friday, June 2.  Again, that will take some processing on my part.

And the biggest thing – figuring out the new normal.  Classes are done, but I don’t start as pastor until the end of June.  There is work that needs to be done around the house that I have been putting off for some time.

Let’s see what tomorrow holds.  Blessings.

The next two weeks

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by in Church, Seminary, Theology, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

A lot will happen starting Monday.  I’ll be part of a group from the seminary going to Namibia to attend the Lutheran World Federation Assembly.  We’ll be there about a week and a half.  Then we’ll return and two days after returning I’ll be graduating from Seminary.  All while this is going on, I’m in the call process with a congregation, and so soon after graduation, there is a possibility that I will be called as pastor.

That’s a great amount of change in a short period of time.

Yet, when I turn inward, I’m not sure what I feel about all of it.  I’m mixed about traveling.  I enjoy traveling.  I’m not thrilled with the long flight to get to Namibia though.  I’m sure once I’m there I’ll love it.

Part of the issue is that I’m in the process of finishing up my class work for the semester – so this has taken most of my attention.

I’m excited to graduate.  This was my fifth year of seminary.  That’s long enough.  It’s time to get out and get going and doind ministry.

I’m excited to complete the call process.  It’s gone great and I look forward to serving the church and God’s people.

I’ll see you on the other side.

Youth in church

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Church

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

I’ve been doing research about youth engagement in church for a history class.  Our group is looking at the 1940’s in America among the Lutheran churches.

What’s really amazing is that we think the challenges we face in the church today are new.  LOL.  Not even close.  Now remember, the 1940’s is the decade in which the church was on the rise and close to the height of what it would be in the 1950’s – at one with the culture.

Yet, there are articles in youth magazines lamenting why there is a lack of youth leadership in church.  Sound familiar?  It should.

Here’s a few reasons the author of an article on this challenge thought this was so:

“The first reason was that the lack of interest and indifference on the part of the young people is directly due either to the lack of interest or indifference of the pastor or adult leader or to his inadequate leadership.  There are a number of pastors and adults who are out of sympathy with the whole young people’s movement. They still hold the notion that young people should be seen and not heard, and they do not encourage such participation by the young people themselves in the program and work of the congregation.  There are others who never make any attempt to lead the young people and there are others who try to do it all.”

“Then there is another group of counselors who have interest but lack knowledge.”

“Thus an organization which should be training leader through experience in leading and responsibility becomes merely a young people’s organization, managed entirely by one or more adults.  Such a method may help the young people somewhat, but it does not make leaders of them.”

Source: Luther League Review – 1943, pg. 2.

Could have been written today, couldn’t it?

But we think our problems and challenges are so very different and unique.  When will we learn?

By the way, if you substitute in other words for youth, I argue that the same thing the author writes about applies.  Substitute in discipleship.  See what you think.

We don’t always have to come up with something completely new.  Sometimes it’s best to learn from the past and then go forward.  Sometimes the “solutions” are not all that complicated. Sometimes the solutions aren’t things at all – just a way of living and interacting.  You know, living out what Jesus calls us to be and do.  It’s not a new program.  It’s a new life, a new way of living.  One that’s not really all that new.  Just one that isn’t tried very often.

What is church? part 2

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Yesterday I took a stab at the question of What is church?  I received some great comments from that post – both in person and online.  Thank you.

Today I saw a beer ad that I think pretty much sums up what church should be like.  It’s an ad for Heineken.  Instead of explaining it, click the link, and scroll down to the video, or you can watch the video directly here:

This is a powerful ad.  And I think very honest too – which makes it powerful.

I can attest to the fact that when you get people who would normally disagree with each other (or worse) to sit down and eat together or have a drink together, something happens.  Food and drinks have a way of leveling equalizing people.  They have a way to drawing people together.  They could have nothing else in common, but the mere fact that two people eat or drink together means that they do have something in common – basic humanity and the needs of living – food and drink.

Church should be like this.  I think there is precedent for this too.  Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.  He ate with Pharisees and with tax collectors and a whole host of other people.  One of most remembered moments is the Last Supper.  Jesus knew the power of bringing people together and sharing a meal with them.

I have pastor friends who have started dinner churches and speak about the amazing things that happen at these gatherings.

When I was in Finland, I used the analogy of going to a bar to describe what the liturgy was all about.  A friend at the University didn’t understand church and what went on, so I explained it this way – we came together looking forward to spending time together in this bar.  That’s the gathering section of the liturgy.  Then we’ve been talking about God and life.  That’s the Word section.  Now we are sharing some drinks and food together.  We don’t agree about everything, yet we’re able to be here together sharing food and enjoying each other’s company.  That’s the Meal portion.  From here we’ll leave looking forward to the next time we can gather.  That’s the Sending.

What we saw in the ad was the liturgy in a very practical form.  What they experienced was God’s grace and without the words being said – forgiveness.  They saw the humanity and the frailty and the guilt in the other person and chose to look past all of that without judgement.  It that’s not what church is all about ultimately, I don’t know what is.

 

What is church?

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Yesterday I was a presentation on Re-Formation in the church that is occurring during the Spring Academy at Gettysburg Seminary.  It was a great presentation that a friend gave.

In it she asked the question – what is church?

In other words, how do we define it?

Is it just the bricks and mortar?  Is it the people? Is it a way of life?  A mission?

I had to think about this a bit.  I wonder if the answer will depend partly on the context.  In some cases the church is the building.  In others, it certainly is not.

In some cases it is the people, a way of life, and a mission.

But really, what is the essential essence of church?

I think it is based on relationship.  I think it is our relationship with God, with one another, with ourselves, and with the rest of creation.  But I think it starts with relationship with God and spreads out to the other three relationships.  This is what makes it unique and different.

Maybe this is too broad though.  Maybe we need more boundaries on the definition.

But I think church is also a living organism as well.  It is living in the sense that to be church means to be dynamic and open to change.  To be church means to honor traditions, but not be held hostage to past generations either.  To be church is to recognize that the core doesn’t change – just how we go about living out that core depending on the context.  Also, how we communicate that core will change with the context as well.

If I had to summarize church, I go back to what I learned from my research on the church in Finland (that I argue also applies to the church in the US) – the church is approachable, enjoyable, and relevant.

The church is approachable in that questions and doubt are welcome, where grace abounds and judgement is left at the door. So is shame.  Church lives out the idea that the curtain in the temple was torn – the separation between God and creation was ripped.  God is approachable.  That’s what being in relationship means.

The church is enjoyable.  I’m not talking about entertaining here.  In the presentation the presenter talked about worship being like a party.  It is something that people are enjoying and people want to come to.  We shouldn’t be bored out of our mind with church or worship.  Why go, why be a part of something that is boring?  Healthy relationships are enjoyable – you want to be around the person you are in a relationship with.

The church is relevant.  I’m not talking about being hip, changing things to fit the current trends, or adopting whatever slang is popular.  No, I’m talking about this – are we talking about what is going on in people’s lives?  Or are we too afraid to do that?  The church has the opportunity to talk about the struggles and challenges that people face and offer something that no one else can offer – grace, forgiveness, belonging, mercy, love.  There are plenty of people who struggle with addictions (drugs, sexual, porn, workaholism, alcohol, medical addictions, exercise, food, etc.) and yes, even people in the pews of churches around the world.  If we can’t talk about these struggles with the people who are living with them, and do it with grace and mercy (and no shame), then where are we going to talk about them?  The answer is no where.

So, what is church?  I say church is an approachable, enjoyable, and relevant relationship between people, creation, and God.

What are we ready for, church?

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

It’s a simple question – what are we, as a church body, prepared for?  What are we perfectly positions for?  The past, present, the future?

Is the church, is your church, all set and ready to go for some past decade – as if the height of Christendom is going to return any time now?

Is the church, your church, ready for right now and all the challenges that it will face?  You really can’t answer yes honestly unless you had some foresight in the past.  Otherwise, you’re kidding yourself.

That leaves the future.  Is the church, your church, ready for 5, 10, 20, 50 years from now?  Pick a time frame.  Is the church, your church, prepared for the future?

You may be wondering, where is God in all of this?  I would say that God is standing at the end of time and pulling us toward where God is into a loving embrace.  How are we responding?

God calls our congregations to be different things at different times – we aren’t static as a community.  Just the mere fact that there are funerals and baptisms means the community will change over time – let alone people who come and go.

How is God calling your congregation to move into the future?  Are you looking at trends – who’s moving into the neighborhood? What developments are coming? What’s the demographics of the area? What kind of employment is there in the area?

When you start to look at the trends, your eyes open to new possibilities.  You start to see how God is calling the congregation to be Christ’s presence in the community.

We aren’t called to live in the past.  We are called to honor traditions though.  And then make new ones for the current generation.  Just as future generations will do.

We are called to live in the present, with an eye towards the future. And a rear view mirror to see the past.  The past shows us where we have been and how we got to where we are today.  The future gives us a direction we are heading.  And the present is where we always reside.

 

Good Friday

14 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

All week-long we’ve been looking at Holy Week.  And today is the day that so many people just don’t know what to do with.

Good Friday.  The day that Jesus was crucified.  Yet it’s good.  It’s a mix of a day.  A day of sadness and ultimate joy for Christians.  It’s a day that has been used in anti-Semitic ways too.  It’s a day that some Christians would rather skip.  Easter is so much happier – there’s an Easter bunny don’t you know.  He hands out chocolate – he’s like Spring’s version of Santa.

But you can’t get to Easter without going through Good Friday.  You don’t get to new life until there is death.  Something has to die in order for there to be new life.  What about Babies, you say.  Well, sitting inside the mother’s womb has to end in order to the baby to be born into the world.  Imagine how frightening that must be – your whole world, everything you’ve ever known – all of a sudden it’s ending.  You don’t know what is on the other side.

Death leads to life in nature.  When a tree dies and falls, fungus starts to grow on it eventually.  Bugs make it their home.  Animals seek protection in the hollow of the trunk.

Death leads to life – and it is good.  In the creation story we hear about how God creates out of nothing – the nothingness ends and creation comes into being.  In other versions of the story, God creates out of the chaos.  The chaos ends and order and life begin.

Death and life go hand-in-hand.  Yet, we don’t like to think about death.  Too often we think that death is the end, a permanent end.  Yet, we Christians know this is not the case.  Death doesn’t have the final say, it is not the final end.  We have been promised new life.  Death leads to life.  In the end that life will not look the same, but it will be life.  Death is not the end, it the end of the old, and the beginning of the new.

Good Friday is good because death no longer has the final say – that way died.  New life begins.

 

Maundy Thursday

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Today is the day that Christians celebrate the Last Supper.  It also the day that many Christians will participate in a foot washing during the service.

I have to say, I was always uncomfortable with this.  I don’t like feet.  I don’t think I’m alone in this.  I don’t like to have my feet uncovered in public.  I’m not ashamed of my feet, I’m just not interested in showing them off though.  I’m sure there is some deep seated reason for this – I don’t know what it is, nor do I really care to find out.  It just don’t affect my day-to-day life that much to worry about.  And the only time I really think about it is on Maundy Thursday or when we go to the beach.

At any rate.  The washing of feet is difficult for many people.  Maybe it’s because of the association of dirt with feet.  We’re being asking to do something dirty – wash feet.  Not only that, we’re being asked to accept the fact that Jesus – God – washed people’s feet.  How crazy is that?  Talk about bringing yourself low.

Yet, that’s exactly what Jesus did and calls on us to do – to bring ourselves low.  To self-empty.  To wash another person’s feet.  And in the act of washing, to have our pride washed away.  Jesus calls on us to be servants, not saviors.  He’s got that role covered as we’ll hear about tomorrow.

We’d much rather participate in the supper part of the service.  Who doesn’t like food anyway?  Food can be dirty too, but it’s a different kind of dirty – it’s just messy.  But it tastes good and is pleasing to our bodies.  But touching feet?  That’s a whole different story.

And yet here we are on Maundy Thursday.  Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and then does dinner.  I can hear all the moms out there saying – “I sure hope he washed his hands after touching their feet.”

It reminds me of another saying of Jesus. Matthew 6:21 has Jesus saying “Where your treasure is, there your heart will follow.” It means that we do the act so that our heart will follow.  If we waited for ourselves to get comfortable with washing feet, then we’d never do it.  We’d never be comfortable with serving others in “dirty” ways.  We’d never get comfortable with praying for our enemies.  We’d never get comfortable for breaking down barriers and walls with “those” people.  We’d never get comfortable with eating with outcasts.  Instead, the Spirit empowers us to do these things before we are comfortable doing that.  God is the one who is the primary cause, the primary actor, in our lives.  And we can respond – even when it is uncomfortable.

This is my lesson for Maundy Thursday.  It’s why I’ll be participating in the foot washing tonight.  I’m not comfortable with it.  But Jesus doesn’t call us to comfort.  He calls us to serve.