The Season of the Spirit

We are in the season of Pentecost at Community Lutheran Church. Sometimes this season is known as Ordinary Time. However, in reality there should be no "ordinary" season. Pentecost is a season of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit always shows up when we least expect it. Long ago, Pentecost was a celebration after the wheat harvest. There was something sacred about gathering together to share in the harvest. It was supposed to be a time of hope and generosity. It was a time to remember that every person was blessed by God, and that everyone could share something out of their blessings.

In Jesus' time, the disciples came to Jerusalem, but after the crucifixion they were not feeling particularly blessed. After Christ died, they wondered if they were going to have to return to "ordinary" time. However, it was in this moment that the Holy Spirit arrived. Jesus was no longer walking alongside them in the same way, but Christ was still with them. They could still share God's grace and walk in God's path.

As I write this newsletter, I am in the midst of all kinds of summer preparations. We have two major youth trips, Vacation Bible School, and so much more. There are times in the midst of all of this that I feel a bit overwhelmed. It would be nice if there were some ordinary time... I am struggling to prepare all the VBS stations. I am trying to make sure I have van rentals and airline tickets purchased. Then there is the task of herding everyone together to try and create a meaningful experience. There is a point where I have to say, "I've tried my best — now let the Spirit work!" I think that is important for all of us. We need to open our hearts and follow the God who loves us.

Today the Holy Spirit is still guiding us. We just have to open our hearts and listen. It doesn't matter if everything feels like it is coming together, or if it feels like it is falling apart. God is with us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Having a Heart for Easter

Where Is Your Heart Today?

We are still in the beautiful season of Easter — a time the church sets apart for rejoicing and sharing the good news of resurrection. But if we are honest with ourselves, Easter in the Bible was not only a time of joy. It was also a time of fear, confusion, and uncertainty. The disciples huddled behind locked doors, struggling to release their doubts and step into belief. They did not yet understand what was unfolding around them.

And yet — Jesus was with them. Through every moment of uncertainty, every wave of doubt, every locked door, the risen Christ was present. The world had been forever changed by the cross and the empty tomb, and the love and eternal presence of Christ continued reaching out to his people.

Perhaps that describes where you are today. Maybe the Good News of Easter feels distant when you are carrying something heavy. I understand that — I really do. One bad night with a sick child can cast a shadow over my entire day. And if you are walking through real heartache, loss, or failure, life can feel genuinely out of control.

What I have found in those moments is that nothing is more healing than the presence of someone willing to simply show up. My oldest son has been teaching me this lately. When the baby is fussy and I am trying to keep the household running, my son does not wait to be asked. He just gets down on the floor and gives the baby his full attention — reading him a story, playing with him, being fully present. He never says he is too busy. And every time I watch him do it, I am reminded that presence is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer one another.

This week, as we celebrate Mother's Day, I find myself thinking about all the people — mothers and others — who have offered exactly that kind of love. The ones who show up. The ones who get down on the floor. The ones who make time when they do not have to.

We are still in Easter season. The gifts are still all around us. May we have eyes to see them — and hearts willing to be that gift for someone else.

Blessings, 

Pastor Brian

Radical Grace

Jesus is remembered for many reasons. Some people think of His miracles. They are inspired by the healings and the the wonderful actions that He did. These works were certainly important. They show that Jesus cared about offering hope to the people of the world. However, it is forgiveness and grace that were essential to the message that Christ offered. Jesus wanted people to see the loving nature of God, and He wanted people to know what forgiveness could do. 

As I look at the world today, I see people who are obsessed by works of wonder. It seems like everyone wants to be a superhero that can overcome any obstacle. However, many of these people have stopped looking for real miracles. Instead they want to believe they can accomplish anything without help. In some ways, this way of living doesn't desire grace. We all want to be right all the time, and if we do mess up, we never want to admit we were wrong. I see this behavior my little kids, but I also see it in adults, including myself. 

Jesus came to this world to declare God's love for us. God does not love us because we are perfect. God doesn't love us because we are right all the time. We are loved just as we are. We are chosen to be God's people, and we can have hope in new life. 

Today, I think Jesus is asking us: Are we willing to let grace in? Are we willing to let go of the facade? Are we willing to let go of trying to be a superhero who is right all the time? This is an important part of everyone's faith journey. Our church says we are a people of Radical Grace. God also declares that He wants to bring grace and forgiveness into the world. Are we ready to admit we need this?

Today I hope we can all reflect on what it means to be honest. I hope we can take time to consider the impact that grace has on our lives. I also hope we can go out of our way to be a church that accepts others. We should not expect perfection. We should share the love that God first gave to us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! 

I love this season. I had so much fun on Easter watching my two older boys help our one-year-old son look for Easter eggs. It was a blast to watch the kids share this excitement. My wife and I usually try to limit the sugar intake, but we couldn't resist laughing when we caught the older two sneaking their younger brother his first jelly beans. (He really liked them!) We experienced so much joy together. The entire season felt like it flew by so fast. I am glad we had a bit of time to enjoy together.

Are you celebrating the joy of the Easter season? It can be difficult to do. There is a lot of bad news in the world. To truly celebrate Easter, I think we have to look at more than jelly beans and Easter eggs. Easter doesn't happen without reflecting on death. Last week, we took time to remember Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We spent time looking back at the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples. We gathered around the cross to meditate on what Jesus did for us. I do not think our society is great at reflecting on imperfections. No one wants to admit their mistakes. I see young kids doubling down when they get in trouble, and I see leaders all around the world doing the same thing. People do not want to confess to any imperfections. We are also surrounded by social media that doesn't seem to help much. I can find a new study every week that describes people being harmed online. Anxiety and depression are on the rise and bad news seems to be everywhere in the world. 

What does it mean to be a people of the resurrection in the midst of all of this? We share the Good News that Jesus Christ is risen, but sometimes we may not feel Christ's presence.

I firmly believe Jesus is here. We do not have to pretend that we are something that we are not. I want my kids to always feel the kind of joy and love they felt on Easter. However, to feel real joy they have to know they can make mistakes, and they have to trust that God still loves them. This is the world I hope we can all share with each other. We don't have to put on a facade. We can admit we are broken, and we can find the truth of the resurrection as we love one another.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Christ on the Journey

Next Sunday we will remember Holy Week, and we will take a closer look at the journey Jesus took into the city of Jerusalem. To be clear, the journey did not begin when Jesus entered the city. Jesus began to follow the path to the cross long before. The entire Gospel story shows that Jesus moved intentionally toward the cross with everything he did. He did not come to this world to offer a miracle here or there like a magician. Jesus represents much more than this. He came to the world to walk with us on the journey of life.

Today I wonder what your journey looks like. Are you listening for Christ's invitation to walk with him? Personally, I know when times get tough, I can be guilty of ignoring God's call. Last week, I was blessed to attend the wedding of wife's sister. My entire family was going to be involved in the ceremony in some way, and we were all excited. However, while we were driving to Colorado, all three of my kids started to get sick. I kept hoping we would get a miracle. Perhaps the boys would all feel better at once, but we did not have that kind of luck. The night before the wedding things spiraled out of control. We dealt with an ER visit, a sleepless night, and even car trouble.

Sometimes life doesn't go exactly as we plan it. However, in the end everyone was okay, and that is really what matters. My middle son was able to be a ring bearer, and this thrilled him. My one year old son helped my wife and I officiate the service😀, and my oldest started to feel better the next day. Life is a wild journey, and when I was in the thick of it, I just wanted a miracle. However, God calls us to open our hearts in every moment. The journey is not always easy, but we are never alone. 

The journey does not belong to us. We all have to surrender. Today I hope we can all let go and trust what God is doing. We don't always have the full picture, but we can learn to trust the one who loves us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

In the wilderness...

There are a lot of concerns in our world today. There is war in the middle east and divisions in our own country. Beyond all of this, everyone is dealing with their own personal pain. Perhaps you have lost someone you love, or maybe you are just feeling broken down by the world. Often times we try to suffer through this pain on our own. We don't share what we are going through, and we assume everyone else is too busy to care about our problems. 

We have been journeying through the book of Exodus during this Lenten season. This book tells the story of a people who were broken down by years of slavery. God heard them calling out, but they still didn't believe anyone cared about them. They thought they were worthless. God had to do more than set these people free. God had to teach them that they were valuable. 

As I was reading through the narrative, it struck me that the Israelites were tested in the wilderness 10 times. This is a call back to the 10 plagues where God tested the Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh failed these tests. He was not willing to believe in God. However, when the Israelites were tested, they don't do much better. Time and time again they seem to fail, but while Pharaoh's heart became harder, the Israelites slowly opened theirs. 

Now, I really don't like the idea of God testing the people, but I don't think God wanted to punish the Israelites. God was waiting for the people to open their hearts. It didn't matter that they failed the tests. If they opened their hearts in a small way, God would be able to offer hope.

Today there are a number of reasons why people can be discouraged. There are a number of reasons why we might feel like we are failing a test. However, God doesn't care if we mess up. God wants us to live with a heart that can be open to love.

I hope all of you know that it is okay to make mistakes. We simply have to open our hearts to the one who is always willing to save us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

From dust to dust

For dust you are and to dust you shall return

-Genesis 3:19 

This week we enter a new season in the church calendar. We turn our hearts to the cross, and we remember the journey that Jesus took to Jerusalem. He chose a path of sacrifice in order to share God's Love with the world. In our church, we mark the beginning of this season with Ash Wednesday. We remember our own mortality, and we remember everything that Christ did for us.

Sometimes I find the season of Lent to be difficult. I remember it being a somber time when I was growing up. The days were dark, and the Lenten services felt kind of dark and cold too. Many people chose to give something up. It felt like a time for remorse and sacrifice. Life was already filled with enough things to be concerned about. It became really hard to want to make room for this season. However, Lent is not supposed to be a drag on your life. The word Lent actually means:  Spring. It is the season of new beginnings. It tells us that there is a time for death, and it confirms that we need to accept this. However, if we can let go of those things, our hearts can also be prepared to find rebirth and new life.

I know people who are afraid to let go of the past. They find themselves locked into cycles failure or loss. Some people are held back by addiction. Some are held back by grief or pain. Some people are held back by a story that tells them that they are worthless. 

Lent is a season of renewal. We are to live each day with open hearts and minds. There is something that we all have to let go of this season. I hope we can take time to name these things and let them go so that they no longer control us. Then our prayers can lead us to new life.

Blessings!

Pastor Brian