Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We cling to His promises in times of need. We cling to Him in times of need. Even more importantly, we know that He holds unto us in all time, including times of need. We know that God overcomes all adversity. We know Jesus. We have seen the glory of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

Recently a colleague posted ‘this is the Lentiest Lent ever.’ In terms of ‘giving up’ and experiencing the darkness of Christ’s death, that is a pretty accurate (albeit linguistically grating) statement. In terms of stripping bare known incidentals that detract from the grace of God, we have definitely gone above and beyond this year. We have given up a lot and we are not sure how much more ‘giving up’ will come.

Christians throughout the world are scrambling to develop creative ways to proclaim and celebrate the joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. I suspect we will see some of the most jubilant ‘Easter’ celebrations of modern times when we are able to gather in person. This time in our communal lives will alter our comprehension of the resurrection. Teaching theorists sometimes talk about ‘object lessons’ and ‘experiential learning.’ Our current lives are an advanced course in death and resurrection on a large scale. Our eventual celebration will reflect that heightened awareness and appreciation of the Christ’s resurrection and the power it exerts in our lives.

We all experience death and resurrection on a smaller scale as individuals and families. Paul reminded the Romans, (Romans 6:4) “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

We have times of personal health struggles, conflict, despair, fear that push us beyond our everyday comprehension of life. There are times when we have to let go of our old ways and habits and experience God in new ways. Individuals and families all undergo those moments that redefine their understanding and experience of life. God constantly brings new life out of death and loss. The resurrections in our lives always follows the crucifixions.

Rarely does the whole world participate share in this experience communally. This pandemic does not discriminate by nationality, ethnicity, faith, or any other qualifier. The tagline of ‘in this together’ not only describes the approach to battling the virus by social distancing, but also our communal experience of death and resurrection. The world the way we imagined it several weeks ago no longer exists. It has passed and a new reality is in its place; the reality that is to come will not look like the reality of yesterday. The world emerges from this experience transformed by its shared experience. The world’s resurrection will always follow the crucifixion.

As Christians, we know that this current reality is not the final one. This too shall pass and another new reality will emerge. This is the experience of death and resurrection. We anxiously await the day when the final reality comes to pass as John described his vision to the seven churches, “And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5a) Until that day, our days will be a flux of death and resurrection.

As the world assaults us with uncertainty and fear, Christ gives us confidence and peace. We know that His resurrection followed His crucifixion. We know that we have been baptized into His death and resurrection. This means we know and believe certain truths. Death does not conquer life in Christ. God’s grace, mercy, and love prevails over evil. Sin is trounced by forgiveness. The resurrection always follows the crucifixion.

God does not give as the world gives. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” The peace of the Lord be with you always.

The grace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

The original letter was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota. This crisis is proving to be such an apt example of ‘living in Holy Saturday’ I decided to publish as is.

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.  The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.  After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.  Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Matthew 27:50-54)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

The journey marked by the Triduum is the crux of Christian faith. God gave His son unto death. Jesus died. His body lay in the grave. He rose from the dead.

Literally the Latin for ‘three days,’ the Triduum is the bridge between the experience of repentance during Lent and the joy of absolution of Easter. It straddles across Christ’s death and life. These three days are set aside for the church to recognize and commemorate the unity of Christ’s death and resurrection. Oftentimes during the church year, we lean more toward His death or resurrection. Christ’s death and resurrection go hand in hand. The Triduum links those two seemingly polarized events into one act of salvation.

We begin on Thursday with Christ’s command to love one another. At the Last Supper, Jesus inaugurates a new standard for community. He also prepares the disciples for the trauma they are about to witness. In a prelude to the crucifixion, Jesus redefines the Passover and institutes the Lord’s Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me.” It is no longer the blood of a literal lamb that grants redemption, but now it will be the Lamb of God, His own Son.

On Friday, we move forward with the ultimate expression of self-sacrificing love – the crucifixion. Jesus gave up his earthly life for the sake of the world – for us. Jesus Himself foreshadowed this action by teaching His disciples, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) On the cross, He embodies that dramatic and extreme love that God has for His people.

Then we wait. Holy Saturday is a day to live in between death and life. Having moved through Christ’s crucifixion, we now wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the resurrection. There is that paradoxical space where exists simultaneously the greatest sorrow of the crucifixion and the greatest joy of the resurrection. It has been asserted that most of our lives are actually lived as a “Holy Saturday’ kind of existence. We spend our lives aware of the reality of death yet anticipating the hope in resurrection – simultaneously grieving and hoping.

Then comes the joy in encountering the risen Lord. The hope of things unseen is realized. The promise of salvation is accomplished. The choruses of resounding ‘Alleluias’ and church bells fill the air. The wealth of hymns proclaiming, “Christ is risen! Alleluia!” reverberate out of Saturday’s silent vigil.

Those three days, the Triduum, have fused together the everlasting salvation given to us in Christ Jesus. We have now witnessed what we are commanded it is to “remember” – the whole of those three days. Those three days are full of grace and love. The resurrection is moot without the crucifixion just as the crucifixion is merely a tragedy without the resurrection. The union of Christ’s command, love, death, and resurrection…is the power of God.

Our death and resurrection are also inseparable. Paul wrote to the Romans, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5,11)

Paul also reminded the Corinthians, “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

We may feel like it is ‘Holy Saturday’ more often than we like, but our promise is the entirety of the Triduum. Our salvation is the total sum of the three days. Even when we feel suffering and death, we know we will have peace and life. In death and in life, we hear Christ’s promise, ^“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” (Matthew 28:5-7)

¹ By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion.
² On the willows there
    we hung up our harps.
³ For there our captors
    asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴ How could we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:1-4)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

We oftentimes skip over some of the less ‘happy’ passages in the Bible in communal worship. I admit, even in citing the above Psalm, I stopped before the revenge portion of the Psalm. Yet the Bible illuminates the lives of God’s people. This includes both the joys and the sorrows. God’s people are confident enough in God’s faithfulness to approach Him with all the aspects of their lives. We are confident enough in God’s faithfulness to share the whole of our lives.

A lament is defined as “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” (Oxford dictionary) Sixty of the 150 Psalms are laments. The Book of Lamentations is primarily…a lament. The Israelites were confident that God was listening even when they were full of grief or sorrow. When they were experiencing hardship or tragedy, they turned to God.

Psalm 137 is a communal lament over the (first) destruction of Jerusalem roughly 2600 years ago. The leaders, the craftsmen, the prophets, the priests – basically those whom the Babylonians saw as either a threat or useful – had been hauled off to Babylon. They were removed from everything they found familiar. They were immersed in an unfamiliar location, a different culture, and a foreign language. This new reality caused them angst and sorrow. They lamented their situation.

Some of the more familiar Bible stories from this period of exile include Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, and the Book of Esther. Those tales illustrate the struggle of the Jewish exiles to continue to serve and worship God. It was not easy. They made choices that were punishable by death. They struggled with the choice of whether or not to identify themselves as children of God in public. They struggled with the basic question posed by the Psalmist, “How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” The Psalms were the cornerstone of Jewish worship. This question could easily be rephrased, “How do we worship the Lord in a foreign land?” Worship was fundamental to their identity as God’s people. The question for those exiles was, how do we live as God’s children in this new reality we are facing?

Those questions translate well into our current climate. Although we are not exiled into a foreign country, we are exiled from our regular habits and routines. We are living in a foreign reality, filled with angst and wondering. We ask those questions: How do we sing the Lord’s song in an unfamiliar territory? How do we continue to live as God’s children in times of fear and uncertainty?

While none of us is facing a fiery furnace, a lion’s den, or genocide decree, there are moments that challenge us. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. News programs are probably getting the highest ratings in years. In this age of instant news and social media, we can be unsure about what is indeed fact and what is exaggerated or misleading. In this scientific era, we are troubled by how much we do not know about COVID-19 and its spread. Like the exiles 2600 years ago, we are coping with the strangeness of the unpredictability of a new reality. We are sojourners in a foreign land, even if that foreign land is our own residence.

We, like those Biblical heroes, face difficult choices as we seek to discern how to live as God’s children in uncharted territory. How do we adapt our current habits and routines to protect the health of our neighbors? How do we foster community while practicing social distancing? How do we live as God’s children in this new reality? How do we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

We lament. We take the cue of our ancestors in faith and express our fears and grief to the Lord. We share their cries from so long ago and make them our own. We have confidence in God’s faithfulness to know that he hears our prayers. We trust God’s promise that He will lead us out of this challenge and whatever challenge may lie ahead.

One of the most amazing elements of a Biblical lament is that it concludes with praise. Our Biblical ancestors trusted that no matter how passionate their grief or how dire their current situation was, God was still God. Even when they were suffering, they remembered God’s promise to them. They pinned their hope on God.

Paul reminded the Corinthians, “God is faithful. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) That reminder is for us as well. As we face days when we feel tested beyond our strength, experiencing the weight of uncertainty and isolation, we remember. God is with us. God is faithful. God’s love endures forever. God promises to be with us through whatever grief or anxiety the days may bring.

Even in our sense of exile, we know and believe the promise of Christ found in the Gospel according to John: (Jesus said) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) Cling to that promise for it is trustworthy and true. Cling to Christ for He is trustworthy and true.

The peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior.

As I mentioned on Sunday, God promises to provide for both our physical needs and our spiritual needs. We, as the Body of Christ, are called to participate in that mission. We are called to proclaim Christ in Word and Deed in this particular time and place.

In this unprecedented period of history, many of our previous habits and practices of ‘how to be the church’ are challenged. This does not negate or lessen God’s call to us to embody His love in the world. As Paul reminded the Romans, “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5) No virus (or other disaster) can diminish our identity as the Body of Christ nor can it weaken our bond to one another in Christ.

Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In order to love our neighbor as ourselves, we are abiding by the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and the Minnesota Department of Health. We are suspending all gatherings in both church buildings through the end of March. At that time, we will reevaluate based on updated information expected to be made available by March 27^th.

In our conversation on Sunday, your two presidents and I were hoping to continue to gather in person for worship as long as possible. We hoped our size would enable us to maintain social distancing recommendations if all activities other than worship were suspended. That plan remained viable for about 30 hours until the recommendations changed.

Oftentimes, we feel insulated against ‘big city’ problems like epidemics. While it is easier for us to maintain social distancing in our area due to our smaller population and abundance of space, our healthcare infrastructure is also smaller. This means the threshold to overwhelm our local healthcare systems is much lower. In addition, we depend on ‘big city’ medical care for serious health issues.

The measures being recommended by medical and civic leaders are for everyone’s protection. These measures are not only intended to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but also influenza and other viruses. They are intended for the protection of our healthcare workers. They are intended to help sustain the level of health care for everyone struggling with any illness now or in the near future.

The suspension of ‘in person’ gathering and activities is one way we can love our neighbor by attending to his or her physical needs. God’s call to love our neighbor is not limited to the church building. We are the Church. We embody Christ in the world. I encourage all of you to take care of your own health, avoid close contact with others, stay home as much as possible, and, of course, wash your hands.

Both buildings will remain unlocked as usual to help facilitate some of our ministry adaptations. The janitors will be focusing on sanitizing ‘high contact surfaces’ (most used doorknobs & light switches). Hand soap is available by each sink and hand sanitizer is available in both narthexes. Please use hand sanitizer or wash your hands upon entering and exiting the building and (like always) please remember to turn off the lights when exiting.

We are also called to love our neighbor by caring for his or her spirit. As I stated earlier, the ‘way we’ve always done it’ is facing new challenges these days. Here are some ‘adaptations’ that we are in the process of implementing.

• Digital Resources
  • Later today, I will attempt to record last Sunday’s sermon and post to the parish facebook page.
  • Fortunately, this year’s Lenten dramas naturally lend themselves to recording. I will be contacting the individuals who had volunteered to read them about recording them instead.
  • I am also looking for volunteers to digitally record Scripture readings or music to build a digital library of worship materials. I am compiling a list of music that we can legally broadcast. Augsburg Fortress has expanded all Sundays and Seasons subscriptions to include streaming of all Augsburg copyrighted liturgies and music. There is also a variety of public domain at our disposal. (interested readers and musicians, please email sozparish@live.com.)
  • Daily Prayers and Scripture readings
  • Sunday School is currently working on producing and sharing some online materials for students and their families to be posted in the Sunday School facebook group.
• Both buildings will remain unlocked (as usual). Please feel free to utilize this space for individual prayer. The buildings will also serve as a point of exchange for physical (non-digital) resources.
  • The following resources are currently available in each building:
  • Christ in Our Home devotionals
  • Lenten Kits (including the Pattern for Daily Worship at Home and Daily Scripture Readings for Lent)
  • Address list of parishioners residing in ‘restricted access’ facilities & at highest risk
    • They can still receive mail. (please contact family members for phone numbers as some are more proficient than others at retrieving messages)
  • The following resources will be available in each building:
  • Hard copies of this letter
  • Additional resources for prayer and worship
  • April’s ‘CrossWords’ (newsletter) will be published as scheduled & placed in mailboxes
  • ‘Pocket Prayer Square’ patterns & yarn (interested persons who knit or crochet, please email sozparish@live.com)
  • Children’s craft kits (from previous Sunday School crafts) will be located in Zion’ entry.

At this time, we are discovering creative ways to be the Church in a world that desperately needs tending to its soul. We will continue to struggle and overcome with God’s help. At times it may seem inconvenient or tiresome, but we serve as ambassadors of Christ’s love and mercy. We are examples to the world in what it means to love one another as Christ has loved us. That is a mandate we live out each day. We do the best we can with the knowledge and resources we have available to serve God and our neighbor. We do so with God’s help and guidance. We cling to the assurance of His promise, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I give thanks to God for the faith of this community and its commitment to the Gospel. I have confidence that the God will guide and strengthen us through all the challenges of the coming days. The grace and peace of God keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Psalm 121 (NRSV)

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 

³ He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.