Reformation Day

John 8:31-36

The little child cried
Looking at the father
And the spilt milk
--one
----more
------time
cried for fear that she had again offended
simply by being
--the
----little
------child
and the fathers arms went around her
and held her
and loved her
loving not the spilt milk
but cleaning the mess
and drying the tears
in love
you are my child because of who you are
and who I am
and in trying not to spill the milk
you live out what my child is
and does
soar my child
soar with the freedom
that comes with knowing who you are
soar with the freedom
to spill milk
and know who you are
soar to the freedom of love
that together
we may soar

Reformation Sunday

John 8:31-36

It is not a matter of belonging
not a matter of doing
or doing better
Christ has come into this world
and saved us
and called us to be
the children of God
not to be saved
but
because we are
God has loved us
Christ has saved us
we are now called to run
and enjoy
and be
the children of God.
That’s Grace.

Reformation Meditation

Luther’s Small Catechism

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

You shall have no other gods.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear, love and trust God above all things. (Exodus 32)

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, practice magic, lie, or deceive using God’s name, but instead use that very name in every time of need to call on, pray to, and give thanks to God. (Leviticus 24:10-16)

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God, so that we do not despise God's Word or preaching, but instead keep that Word holy and gladly hear and learn it. (Luke 10:38-42)

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God, so that we neither despise nor anger our parents and others in authority, but instead honor, serve, obey, love and respect them. (Luke 2:41-2)

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not murder.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life’s needs. (Genesis 4:1-16)

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not commit adultery.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that lead pure and decent lives in word and deed, and each of us loves and honors his or her spouse. (2 Samuel 11)

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not steal.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we neither take our neighbor's money or property, nor cheat them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals to obtain it for ourselves, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income. (Joshua 7:1)

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light. (Luke 22:54-62)

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we do not try to trick our neighbors out of their inheritance or property or try to get it for ourselves by claiming to have a legal right to it and the like, but instead be of help and service to them in keeping what is theirs.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse or male or female slave, or ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

What does this mean for us?

We are to fear and love God so that we do not entice, force, or steal away from our neighbors their spouses, workers, or livestock, but instead urge them to stay and remain loyal to our neighbors.

II. THE CREED

The First Article

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

Answer: I believe that God has created me and all that exists. God has given me and still preserves my body and soul with all their powers. God provides me with food and clothing, home and family, daily work, and all I need from day to day. God also protects me in time of danger and guards me from every evil. All this God does out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, though I do not deserve it. Therefore I surely ought to thank and praise, serve and obey God. This is most certainly true.

The Second Article

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

What does this mean?

Answer: I believe that Jesus Christ—true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the Virgin Mary—is my Lord. At great cost he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. Jesus has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil—not with silver or gold, but with his precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. All this Christ has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as Christ is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.

The Third Article

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?

Answer: I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith. In the same way, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church day after day the Holy Spirit fully forgives my sins and the sins of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and give me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.

III. THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven.

What does this mean?
Here God encourages us to believe that God is truly our Father and we are God's children. We therefore are to pray to God with complete confidence just as children speak to their loving father.

THE FIRST PETITION

Hallowed be thy name.

What does this mean?
God's name certainly holy in itself, but we ask in this prayer that we may keep it holy.

When does this happen?
God's name is hallowed whenever God's Word is taught in its truth and purity and we as children of God live in harmony with it. Help us to do this heavenly Father! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to the Word of God dishonors God's name among us. Keep us from doing this, heavenly Father!

THE SECOND PETITION

Thy kingdom come.

What does this mean?

God's kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us. When does this happen?God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us the Holy Spirit, so that by God's grace we believe God's holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.

THE THIRD PETITION

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What does this mean?

The good and gracious will of God is surely done without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may be done also among us.When does this happen?God's will is done when God hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self, which would prevent us from keeping God's name holy and would oppose the coming of God's kingdom. And God's will is done when God strengthens our faith and keeps us firm in God's Word as long as we live.This is God's gracious good will.

THE FOURTH PETITION

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean?

God gives daily bread, even without prayer, to all people, though sinful, but we ask in this prayer that God will help us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanks.What is meant by "daily bread"?Daily bread includes everything needed for this life, such as food and clothing, home and property, work and income, a devoted family, an orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good name, and true friends and neighbors.

THE FIFTH PETITION

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What does this mean?

We ask in this prayer that our Father in heaven would not hold our sins against us and because of them refuse to hear our prayer.And we pray that God would give us everything by grace, for we sin every day and deserve nothing but punishment. So we on our part will heartily forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

THE SIXTH PETITION

And lead us not into temptation.

What does this mean?

God tempts no one to sin, but we ask in this prayer that God would watch over us and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful self may not deceive us and draw us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins.And we pray that even though we are so tempted we may still win the final victory.

THE SEVENTH PETITION

But deliver us from evil.

What does this mean?

We ask in this inclusive prayer that our heavenly Father would save us from every evil to body and soul, and at our last hour would mercifully take us from the troubles of this world to heaven.

THE DOXOLOGY

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

What does "Amen" mean?

Amen means Yes, it shall be so.We say Amen because we are certain that such petitions are pleasing to God in heaven and are heard by God.For God has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us.

Opening Litany for Reformation Sunday

Luther explains God’s Commands

Pastor: Welcome to Worship at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

Congregation: Where we are inspired by God’s Love to Praise, Nurture and Serve

Pastor: We will serve no other gods

Congregation: we will fear, love, and trust God more than anything else.

Pastor: We will not misuse God’s Name.

Congregation: We will use God’s name to call upon God in prayer, praise and thanksgiving.

Pastor: We will keep the Sabbath Holy

Congregation: We will not take the preaching of God's Word lightly, but consider it holy, listen to it willingly, and learn it.

Pastor: We will honor our parents.

Congregation: We will not look down on our parents or superiors nor irritate them, but rather we will honor, serve, obey, love and value them.

Pastor: We will not kill.

Congregation: We will neither harm nor hurt others, but rather, help them and care for them when they are ill.

Pastor: We will not commit adultery.

Congregation: In matters of sex our actions and words will be clean and respectful toward others and we will do all we can to encourage long term loving relationships.

Pastor: We will not steal.

Congregation: We will neither take another’s money or property, nor acquire them by fraud or by selling them poorly made products, but we will help others improve and protect their property and careers.

Pastor: We will not tell lies about others.

Congregation: We will not deceive by lying, betraying, slandering or ruining our neighbor's reputation, but will defend others, say good things about them, and see the best side of everything they do.

Pastor: We will not desire anything that is someone else’s.

Congregation: We will not use trickery or stealth to try to get anything that belongs to someone else, rather we will work for the betterment of the community and help our neighbors keep and improve all they have.

All: This is most certainly true.

Power down

Power down living is all too often the way the world runs. It brings us such things as child abuse, spousal abuse, preemptive war and sanctioning torture. Developmental psychologists also tell us that it is more of a childlike behavior than that of a fully mature adult. To varying degrees, James and John when asking to sit at Jesus right and left hand were thinking in a power down manner. Our current administration in is pushing for preemptive war, excessive use of signing statements, torture and the disbanding of detainee rights, thinks and acts in a power down manner. The individual who killed the Amish girls acted in a power down manner. And from time to time, so do most of us. The calling of a Child of God is to grow beyond that and expect those we elect to do the same.

20th Sunday After Pentecost

Mark 10:35-45

With each crashing wave along the shore
The water swirls
Around the outcropping of rock
Slowly eating away at its structure
Until
It consist only of the sand
Moving
And reshaping itself again
With the help of the waves
Along the beach
Smooth and gentle to walk on
Each grain
Once a part of a great structure
Now toppled by time
So too with the great structures
Of this world
Once powerful protectors of separation
Supported on the fears
Of those it is intended to serve
Only to end up
In time
A pinnacle
Surrounded by the sands
Until it too topples by its own weight.
In Christ there are no pinnacles
No outcroppings that stand above all others
Only the sands
Washing upon the shore
Supporting one another.

God's Politics

Saturday October 28th, Mark 10: 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jim Wallis has an excellent book called “God’s Politics.” All too often our nations politics is about power down. God’s politics is about walking with. God’s politics is about how we care for the least, the lost, and the lonely. Satan’s politics is about budget cuts for the least, lost and lonely and tax cuts for the living large and privileged. Satan’s politics is about separation, God’s politics is about reconciliation. Jesus came to serve, not be served, and calls all who claim the name Christian to do the same. How will you vote?

the valleys define us

Friday October 27th, Mark 10: 38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." No one gets through life with everything going well all the time. Somewhere in the process, life happens. How we handle that life in the valleys is what defines who we are. Anyone can do the mountain top thing for a while, but, it is the valleys that define us. We drink of the cup and are baptized with the baptism, and in the valley, we are never alone.

Thunder sons and power trips

Thursday October 26th, Mark 10: 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." From the story of the tree in Genesis all through the Bible to this question of the “sons of Thunder”, there is the desire to be like God. Not in the servant way that Christ has taught, but in the power down way that humans want. That is why Jesus kept taking children in his arms and telling the disciples they had to be like one of these, trusting, humble and caring. We still don’t get it do we? It is the essence of all sin.

We welcome you to the Lord’s family

Wednesday October 25th, Hebrews 5: 5 That is how it was with Christ. He became a high priest, but not just because he wanted the honor of being one. It was God who told him, "You are my Son, because today I have become your Father!" We conclude our baptismal service by taking the child down into the congregation where I have the people come out of the pews and lay hands on the child, or on someone who is laying hands on the child and we bless the child with the following words. We welcome you to the Lord’s family; we receive you as a fellow member of the Body of Christ and worker with us in the Kingdom of God. We are the collective voice of God saying, You are our child, whom we love; with you we are well pleased, and with you we will journey through life together, brothers and sisters in Christ. We welcome you as a fellow sojourner as we attempt to live out God’s calling for our lives at this time through our combined ministries at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church. In that way the child is welcomed into the priesthood of all believers.

Priesthood of all

Tuesday October 24th, Hebrews 5: 1 Every high priest is appointed to help others by offering gifts and sacrifices to God because of their sins. 2 A high priest has weaknesses of his own, and he feels sorry for foolish and sinful people. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of others. 4 But no one can have the honor of being a high priest simply by wanting to be one. Only God can choose a priest, and God is the one who chose Aaron. First no one has it all together when it comes to walking with God, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Second, the priesthood is bestowed, not chosen. No one can make the claim themselves. Third, as a Lutheran, I believe in the priesthood of all believers. That means you and you and you and you and I are all in this together. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all have work to do.

herding cats

Monday October 23rd, Isaiah 53: 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. The progressive difficulties in herding come in this order, first there is sheep, the next hardest is cats, and finally the hardest is humans. The disciples never seem to “get it” and neither do we. Left for just a hour and a sheep will go astray, left for a second and a human will go astray. But Jesus did not try to push humanity knowing full well it would be like pushing a rope, he went ahead of us to the cross instead. For those who follow, even in this zig-zag path called life, there is salvation.

Down in the valley, the valley so low

Sunday October 22nd, Isaiah 53: 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Some say this is prophetically predictive of Christ. Others do not see Isaiah as being prophetic about some future event so much as being prophetic about the nature of being a child of God. The first one allows us to put it all on Jesus shoulders; the second one is a recognition that the servant life of a Christian is not all roses. In the first one we can stick to the mountain tops of life and never have to deal with those in need. In the second one we understand that in the servant life of a follower of Jesus, we not only deal with tough issues, but we find Jesus down in the valleys with us. The first one is the theology of glory. The second one is the theology of the cross. It is on the cross we find Christ.

the Fresh Heartbreak

Upcoming Concerts in the Seattle area by that wonderful and soon to be world renowned band: The Fresh Heartbreak

25 OCT 06
Tazza Bella Espresso Café
7526 Olympic View Drive
Edmonds, WA 98026
7:00pm. FREE.

28 OCT 06
Café Luna
9924 SW Bank Road
Vashon, WA 98070
7:30pm. FREE.

10 NOV 06
Trabant Chai Lounge w/ Norm Bowler
1309 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA 98105
8:00pm. FREE.

27 NOV 06
The Jewelbox Theater
2322 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
10:30pm. $5.oo.

9 DEC 06
University Zoka
2901 NE Blakeley Street
Seattle, WA 98105
8:00pm. FREE.

Self-interest

The primary problems of the planet arise not from the poor, for whom education is the answer; they arise from the well-educated, for whom self-interest is the problem. Creedo by William Sloane Coffin.

Here I stand, God help me

Already it is by the laws and policies of this country – whether we are talking about the insane war abroad or the mental genocide that takes place in slum schools (today I would say in front of “reality TV”) – it is by the laws and policies of this country that the consciences of people are being racked. Of course we need to be concerned for order. Without it there is chaos, and with chaos there is no justice. But today what Christians in particular need to remember is that God never stands for stability at the expense of truth, that God has no interest in any status quo whatsoever. For God does not want to freeze history, but rather to move it continually toward that ultimate goal of his kind of unity in justice and mercy.

So what the Christian community needs to do above all else is to raise up men and women of thought and of conscience, adventuresome, imaginative people capable of both joy and suffering. And most of all they must be people of courage so that when the day goes hard and cowards steal from t he field, like Luther they will be able to say, “My conscience is captive to the word of God… to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”

Creedo, by William Sloane Coffin

19th Sunday after Pentecost, Good ol' Archimedes

Mark 10: 17-30

Give me a lever long enough
and a place to stand
and I can move the world.
I can do it,
I have figured it all out
on paper.There are only two problems,
no one has a lever long enough
and there is no place to stand.
No Place To Stand!
And I shudder at the thought
of limitations.
I have been able to do it all
before.
I have run the race well.
Only to come to this point
on the edge of nothingness,
and everything.
And I find the sign
--(All things)
road closed,
can I fail now
After all I have done
--(are possible)
by myself?
--(with God)

Watch the sunrise

Saturday October 21st, Mark 10: 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." It is not the wealth that condemns us, it is the ungodly things we do to get it. “It is not that the weak are virtuous. No, as power corrupts the strong, so lack of it corrupts the weak. Suspicion, intolerance, apathy – all these fruits of weakness characterize life in the slums. But truth is a liability. It can be championed only at cost. Therefore the victors of society, with more to lose, always have more to gain by avoiding truth. Therefore Jesus could say, ‘it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle that for a rich men to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ And therefore we can say with a fair degree of accuracy that while the rich have given us our standards of taste it has generally been the poor who have told us what is right and wrong” Creedo by William Sloane Coffin.

It is just that the less you have surrounding your compound, for thus most modern dwellings have become, the more difficult it is to view the sunrise of God’s grace.

Satanic injustice

Friday October 20th Mark 10: 22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The saying is true today also. How often does wealth get in the way of true meaning in life? How often are our kids the recipients of the curse of working all the time instead of the recipient of our time? As our society experiences more and more injustice we end up with the poor having to work more than one job just to put a roof over they and their children’s heads, and the rich working more and more just to give their kids everything they want, but little of what they need. Our societies increasing economic injustice is less about class warfare than it is about playing into the devils temptations.

Garage sale for the Spirit

Thursday October 19th Mark 10: "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" 20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Today, the Spirit looks to the heart, as did Jesus with this young man, and sees what it is we need, sees what the barriers are to receiving God’s grace. We often find that a bit uncomfortable. We often find it to be just what Jesus told this young man, and we only want that message for others. Jesus however operates out of love, pure love. Pure love tells the truth. We need a bit more truth in our lives, even if it hurts a bit. What is Jesus telling you to do? What are you not hearing?

Prayer time

Wednesday October 18th Hebrews 4: 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. One way to think about this text is to consider that everything we think, do and say is a prayer. We just have to ask ourselves if it is a prayer we want to be praying.

Ouch!

Tuesday October 17th Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The word of God goes beyond our conscious thoughts and prayers to the very heart of who we are and what we think. The back room deals and the secret liaisons are not back room or secret to God. If the word of God does not cut you a bit, you’re not reading it.

Amos '06

Monday October 16th, Amos 5: The LORD said: 10 You people hate judges and honest witnesses; 11 you abuse the poor and demand heavy taxes from them. You have built expensive homes, but you won't enjoy them; you have planted vineyards, but you will get no wine. 12 I am the LORD, and I know your terrible sins. You cheat honest people and take bribes; you rob the poor of justice. Does this seem to fit? We are hearing a lot about so called activists judges which is usually a term meaning those judges who do not agree with the person calling them an activists judge. The largest and most aggressive tax cuts for the wealthy in history, down from 75% during the Kennedy years to in the neighborhood of 36% today, with pushes for more tax cuts for the wealthy, all come with corresponding program and benefit cuts for the poor. The most sadistic attempt was the tying of permanent estate tax cuts for the wealthy to the first increase in the minimum wage in ten years. Housing prices are going out of sight and affordable housing is becoming a major issue in almost every major metropolitan area. Can’t say much about the wine issue, but cheating honest people and taking bribes sure comes to mind with all the lobbyists scandals. Do you think, maybe, Amos has something to say to us today?

Time to turn back

Sunday October 15th, Amos 5: 6 Turn back to the LORD, you descendants of Joseph, and you will live. If you don't, the LORD will attack like fire. Bethel will burn to the ground, and no one can save it. 7 You people are doomed! You twist the truth and stomp on justice. 8 But the LORD created the stars and put them in place. He turns darkness to dawn and daylight to darkness; he scoops up the ocean and empties it on the earth. 9 God destroys mighty soldiers and strong fortresses. We like to depend on a strong military. Our number one export is military hardware. We have just passed legislation to compromise, hear that, Compromise, on the ability to use torture on prisoners who have never had a fair trial to even determine if they are guilty or not. To more and more people in this world, we are not seen as those who hold the banner of justice, but greed. We should read the words of Amos not so much as a warning of what God will do to us should we persist in this ill begotten way, but rather what the Lord will allow us to do to ourselves.