For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

We continue our rhythm of the Liturgical Church Year. The year has begun with Advent and its anticipation and expectation, we now continue with the birth of the Messiah. The prophets foretold it. Now we shift into the awesome dawning of prophetic fulfillment. Jesus Christ is born.

December is renowned for the celebration of Christmas. There really are 12 days to the season of Christmas – just like the song says. In Jewish tradition, a festival ‘day’ begins at sundown the previous night. Christmas begins at sundown on Christmas Eve and lasts until January 6^th – the Day of Epiphany. During this season we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

White, the color of the paraments, represents purity and joy. It symbolizes the purity of Christ and the joy of His coming into the world. Some congregations add gold on Christmas Eve and Day to further emphasize the joy and exquisiteness of the days.

The Christ Candle is lit reminding us of the light of Christ given to us in baptism. It is a visual symbol to remind us that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) The light of Christ cannot be extinguished.

Not only does the Christ candle focus our attention on the light Jesus brings into the world, it also reminds us of His command to us from the Gospel according to Matthew: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) We are called to shine the light of Christ into this dark world.

The coming of Christ has inspired a plethora of musical virtuosity. The library of Christmas season music is vast. Many congregations worship in an almost chorale style during the Christmas season. Even less musically adept congregations sing out loud and joyously this time of year. The joy of Jesus’s birth prompts even the tone-deaf to sing praises to God.

Most music proclaims the story of Christ’s birth and the advent of our Lord. Granted, there are a few secular songs (which shall remain unnamed) that have lost the traditional aspect of proclamation and for that matter Jesus Himself, but for the most part, December is a time that borders on musical subversive evangelism. Almost everywhere you go, you can hear the echoes of the Christmas story in the background, broadcasting the news the Messiah’s birth.

Amidst the commercialism and craziness of the holiday season in the prevailing culture, persists the fundamental core of Christ’s birth. The underlying essence of Christmas remains the coming of the Lord. Despite any and all attempts to commandeer Christmas away from Christian convention and faith practices, Jesus remains the reason for the season. Christ is the center of our lives and is at the heart of this time of year.

Our music, our traditions, our decorations, our celebrations all reflect the glory of His birth. God sent His Son into our world. Hallelujah, the Lord is come. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ Child, the Savior, the Prince of Peace, the Righteous Branch, the Lord, has been born unto us. Christ the Savior is born.

The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus through all the seasons of the year and your life. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

…to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

King Solomon had an excellent point when he pointed out the cycles of life. As an agricultural community we have a sense of seasons.  Many of us can look out a window and witness that there really is a time for planting and a time for harvesting. There is a time for the ground to lay fallow (or frozen in our case). If we need a reminder of the cycle of human life, we can babysit a toddler and remind ourselves of how much energy wanes as we grow older. All of creation undergoes the cycle of death and life. Our lives and the world around us reflect those various cycles.

Just like the rest of life, our worship life has times and seasons. Our cycle through the year of worship lends us to focus ourselves on the whole of Christ’s time here on earth. We use music, texts, Scripture, even color and art and symbols to focus worship on the varying cycles of Christ’s coming, death, resurrection, exultation and expected return.  For the next several months, we will explore the seasons of the Church Year as well as other aspects of our worship life.

Scripture readings are a huge part of focusing us through this annual cycle. Each Sunday follows the liturgical seasons and consists of an assigned reading from each of the following: the Old Testament (Acts during Easter), the Book of Psalms, the Epistles (New Testament letters) or Revelations, and the Gospel.

The revised common lectionary, (the set of assigned Scripture readings we currently use) was created by an ecumenical group, the Consultation on Common Texts, consisting of numerous liturgical denominations including the Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, UCC and American Roman Catholic. It used as a base the predecessor lectionaries used by these mainline denominations and retained the practice of focusing on one synoptic Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke) interspersed by John each year in a three year cycle. After being tested by various guinea pig congregations for 9 years, it went public in 1994 and is currently used by the majority of US and Canadian liturgical churches as a guide to worship planning.

The church year begins four weeks prior to Christmas Day with the first season – Advent. For much of the 20^th century purple colored Advent, a move in the later 30 years was to distinguish Advent from Lent. Blue was used in centuries ago in Sweden and designates HOPE. The argument is that Advent is less penitential than Lent and the colors should reflect more of the hope of the season.

During Advent we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. There is some element of repentance, but there is also a great deal of expectation, hope, and joy. There is a difference in sentiment in preparing for the birth of Christ as opposed to preparing for the crucifixion. We wait with bated breath not only for the celebration of the birth of Christ, but also the second coming for which we still await.

A common liturgical fixture during Advent is the Advent Wreath. The wreath shape (circle) and materials (traditionally varying evergreen) symbolize immortality and eternity. The candles represent the four weeks and the light of Christ shining in the darkness. Various traditions have emerged regarding ways to mark each Sunday with a different motif (ie: Hope, Love, Joy, & Peace or Prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherd, & Angel) and corresponding devotions or prayers to coincide with each week.

The Scripture readings emphasize the foci of each season. The texts for Advent reflect the hope, preparation, expectation, joy, and promise of the birth of the Messiah. They include ‘The Magnificat’ (‘Mary’s Song’: Luke 1:46-55) often sung or spoken responsively as a psalmody, Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming of Emmanuel, and decrees declared in the Gospels regarding both the first and second coming of Christ.

As we begin this life-giving cycle again on November 29^th, focus yourselves on the rhythm of Christ’s promise, birth, death, resurrection, ascension and continued presence in our lives and world. The Lectionary readings are printed each month (including a summary of the readings each Sunday) in the Newsletter and posted under the Pray & Worship tab on the parish website to enhance your own worship experience. The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus through all the seasons of the year and your life. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)

You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the risen Lord and Savior. Amen.
Another school year is beginning and everyone is getting into education mode. Education is greater than rote memorization or even absorbing facts. It is a process of internalizing information and developing the skill to process information and the world around us. Education is learning how to interact with the world.
Christian education is developing that skill through the lens of faith. As Christians, we see the world through a lens of God’s work in action. The world is God’s creation. We are God’s creatures. We relate to the world as God’s children. Christian Education is a process of building relationships with God, God’s word and God’s people.
This month we celebrate with Madyson as she affirms her faith (not graduates from it) and makes promises to God and His people to continue in the covenant He made with her. We celebrate the beginning of a new Sunday School year as lift up teachers, helpers, students and parents as they dedicate their time and talents to carrying out the command of Christ in Matthew 28 as well as God’s command in Deuteronomy 11.
These commands in Deuteronomy and Matthew are directed at all of us and we all participate in and reap the rewards of their fulfillment. When relationships are neglected, they stagnate and waste away. When they are nurtured, they develop and thrive. This means that none of us graduate from Christian Education. That would be akin to neglecting God, God’s Word and His people – not exactly things we aspire to achieve. Throughout our lives we polish that lens of faith and nurture those relationships. That is the goal and purpose of Christian Education. God continues to make disciples out of all of us.
The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Carla
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  (Ephesians 4:1-7)
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the risen Lord and Savior. Amen.
Paul wrote to the congregation in Ephesus from prison to remind them of their calling and encourage their lives as disciples. Like all congregations for the past couple thousand years, they needed some reassurance and fortification.
Communities are just as subject to discouragement, fear, doubt, and temptation as individuals. Being a community of faith is hard work. One fallacies of congregational life is that people expect it always be easy and harmonious. For some reason, we are tempted to think there is some magic force-field around churches that keeps out sin and evil. We somehow forget that we are a gathering of sinners who are being redeemed. If that magic force-field really did exist, Jesus would be sitting all by his lonesome.
Communities of faith need buttressing for the simple fact that living in community is difficult. We can be tempted to despair, to doubt, to apathy. We can be tempted to either hoard or devalue the gifts we have among us. We need reassurance. We need encouragement. We need the Gospel just as much as the person who has yet to hear it for the first time.
We have been blessed with innumerable and varied gifts. Together, we participate in God’s mission here on earth. We seek to reach out to proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to our little corner of the world. Our words express the love of Christ. Our actions declare the saving mercy of God. We build up the Body of Christ by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.
God uses us as a unit to give life and salvation to this world. God uses the very people who are being redeemed, to give redemption to others. As Jesus once stated to the disciples, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” It is pretty amazing what God is accomplishing among us. And it will continue to be amazing as God continues to act in this area.
The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Carla
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, and you give them their food in due season.

You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:15-16)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

The Lord provides. He does. Really. It may not always be what we ‘want’ or when we want it, but He does provide. He gives all his creatures all they need to live. He places us in community to help one another live life to the fullest according to His Will.

Luther explains the 4^th petition of the Lord’s Prayer like this:

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean?

In fact, God gives daily bread without our prayer, even to all evil people, but we ask in this prayer that God cause us to recognize what our daily bread is and to receive it with thanksgiving.

What then does “daily bread” mean?

Everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like. (Luther’s Small Catechism. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #23163.)

God gives you all you need to live. God provides. At times He will use other people to satisfy your needs. He uses food shelves, social service agencies, voting booths, marriage counselors, real estate agents, schools, congregations, towns, families, neighbors and countless others to provide for all His people. Think of all the people involved in a simple sandwich – from the seed dealers to the farmer to the butcher to the baker to the sandwich maker and all the steps in between. Even with all local ingredients, it is a long and involved journey to lunch. God works through all those people to put food in your mouth.

He also uses you to provide for others. He calls you to care for your neighbors. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan. Who was a neighbor to the injured man? The lawyer responded, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37) We are called and try every day to “go and do likewise” because God is working through us to provide for His world.

God opens His hand wide for all who wait upon Him. He is near to you. He does provide. The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

You are righteous in all your ways and loving in all your works.

You are near to all who call upon you, to all who call upon you faithfully. (Psalm 145:17-18)

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; 

O LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

If you were to keep watch over sins, O LORD, who could stand?

Yet with you is forgiveness, in order that you may be feared.

I wait for you, O LORD; my soul waits; in your word is my hope. (Psalm 130:1-5)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

God grants us forgiveness, but oftentimes, unlike the Psalmist, we take it for granted. Forgiveness is undeserved. There is nothing we can do to negate the effects of sin. The rift caused in the Garden of Eden was so great that no mortal can repair it. Yet, God chose to send His Son for that very purpose. Jesus repairs that rift. Jesus forgives.

We all tend to agree that forgiveness is important, but what exactly is it? What is forgiveness? The definition of the Hebrew is to pardon or to spare.  Forgiveness is being pardoned or spared from the full retribution deserved for the transgression. We have gone against God and as Luther put it, “deserve only death.” Redemption indicates being delivered from something or someone. Forgiveness delivers us from the ultimate deserved punishment – death.

Forgiveness gives new life. It delivers us from our old lives and gives us new life in Christ. It is greater than just a fresh start. It is empowering and freeing in a way that is almost unimaginable. Christ frees us from sin and death by blessing us with forgiveness. His forgiveness opens our eyes, ears and hearts to not only Him, but the world around us.

Knowing His immeasurable love and forgiveness opens us to love our neighbor. The forgiveness we receive from God translates into better relationships with God and those who live among us. Forgiveness opens our eyes to the graciousness of God and the extent of our need for forgiveness. Being forgiven aids us to “sin no more” (as Jesus commanded) by shedding light on those things in our lives that need forgiving. Forgiveness guides our daily interactions with God and one another.

In short, we can pray the words of the Psalmist confident that what God has given us in Christ is exactly what the Psalmist is awaiting. The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

My soul waits for the Lord more than those who keep watch for the morning, more than those who keep watch for the morning.

O Israel, wait for the LORD, for with the LORD there is steadfast love; with the LORD there is plenteous redemption.

For the LORD shall redeem Israel from all their sins.  (Psalm 130:6-8)

and he (Jesus) said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:46-49)
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the risen Lord and Savior. Amen.
Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus did two very critical acts. He reiterated His promise of the Holy Spirit and He blessed the disciples. Both of these acts gave life to the church on earth. He made the disciples part of God’s mission.
You too are participants in God’s mission. You too are witnesses of “these things.” You have heard the Good News and trust in His Word. Jesus Christ has been revealed to you as Lord and Savior. God made His Word known to you in His Son. You stand with the disciples as Jesus returns to the Father.
You have witnessed these things by the power of the Holy Spirit. You have heard the Good News from those witnesses who have gone before us. You continue to hear the testimony of believers around us. Even though the Gospel according to Mark concludes with the women too frightened to say anything, eventually they told someone. That someone told someone else, who in turn also told someone else. The Good News continued to spread, until, one day, someone told you. Someone, somewhere witnessed to you about the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ. They made you a witness.
As witnesses, you testify to the work that Jesus has done and continues to do. You do not tackle that task alone. You receive the promise of an Advocate. The Holy Spirit comes to you. God clothes you with ‘power from on high’ – the Holy Spirit. You have the power to proclaim Christ to the world in word and deed. The Holy Spirit guides us and empowers you as you undertake God’s mission in a broken world.
And…Jesus blesses you on that mission. Not just mere witnesses, you are also recipients of God’s grace and mercy. You are blessed. You share that blessing with the nations. The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Carla
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)

This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

(Psalm 118:21-24)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Alleluia! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the risen Lord and Savior. Amen.

The world has changed in an instant. Nothing is the same. Nothing will ever be the same. The Rabbi is dead. He breathes no more. He walks no more. They watched Him die. They watched Him cry out and give up His spirit. The women are filled with grief and fear. The disciples are hiding from the Jews.

The tomb is empty. The Lord is not there where the disciples had left Him. The angel poses the question, “why do you look for the living among the dead?”

Do you look for the living among the dead? Do you look for Jesus only in the past? Yes, He is your past, but He is also your present. He is with you now. He is your future. He promises to be with you tomorrow.

Jesus is alive in the world. He continues to live among us. “God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25b) Imagine how strong God’s strength is. He has conquered death. He has defeated sin. He has overthrown evil. What can He do in your life?

The Lord has done this. God raised Jesus from the dead. Death did not defeat Him. He conquered death. He extends that life to you. He gives that life to you. God raises you from the dead. He frees you from any and all things that separate you from Him. He gives you true life now and eternal life forever. Paul reminded the Romans (among other things) that “… we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8b) You do live with Christ.

Alleluia! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

 

 

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

(Romans 6:9)

Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. Psalm 31:5

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

Many of us realize that Jesus quoted David in the form of Psalm 22 from the cross. He also quoted Psalm 31. Those who were witnessing the events at Golgotha would have recognized the familiar words of the Psalmist. Most would have heard the whole of the Psalm as they heard Jesus’ final committal.

They would have heard the words of trust and promise. As Jesus hung on the cross, he continued to trust in God’s promise. No matter what (including what was currently happening to him), God would deliver Him. Even in pain and suffering and what seemed like complete and utter abandonment, Jesus was confident that God was in charge. Jesus knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter how horrific and hopeless a situation appears, God is faithful. Despite what the world thought and vocalized, God had His back.

Life is full of crosses. We face grief, illness, fear and a myriad of other things in life that fight to rip our hearts and minds out of God’s grasp. This fallen world opposes the faith God has given us. Sin, death and evil want to win. The malevolent forces of this world seek to destroy us in body and soul.

We claim with the apostle Paul, ^“… in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.” (Romans 8:37-39)

God has shown us in the crucifixion how far He will go. He has shown us in the resurrection, the consequence of His profound actions. Jesus defeats all things that oppose the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus conquers over any and all hostile forces in the world and in your life. Christ brings you back into the loving embrace of the Father Almighty.

God has your back. Hear God’s promise to you. He has redeemed you. He gives you courage and strength. God will continue to take care of you no matter what crosses you face. He is faithful. His strength and courage will carry your burdens. His wisdom will guide you. His love and mercy will redeem you. Commend your spirits to Christ, confident and trusting that in heaven, on earth and your life, Jesus prevails over all things.

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

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord. Psalm 31:24