Poem based on Luke 12:13-21

It’s mine

All mine

I worked for it all

and saved

and slaved

taking what the Lord has given me

and giving only to myself in return

Mine all mine

until someday when I retire

when I rest after seven

days, years, decades

rest on what I have heaped up

in layers

between my fears and I

between my soul and I

It’s mine

but I can’t shake this feeling

that maybe

I lost it

Opening Litany based on Psalm 49

Pastor: Listen everyone, listen all who live in this world, those powerful and powerless, those with abundance of things and those with abundance of need for I will speak to you words of wisdom and understanding.

Congregation: We will listen to the message you bring to us from oh high.

Pastor: Why should you care when evil seems to invade the world and wickedness surrounds you?

Congregation: We feel lost, empty, abandoned.

Pastor: When you trust in wealth and support only the ways of those with great riches, you support emptiness.

Congregation: We know that no one can redeem the life of another or pay off God for ours or any one else’s salvation.

Pastor: Everyone, those with nothing, those with great wisdom, as well as those with great fortunes live for a while and then they die.

Congregation: all they accumulate means nothing and what they gain is tombs that will remain their houses forever,

Pastor: when we put out trust in God and care for God’s calling, God’s creation, God’s creatures we are remembered as the children of God.

Congregation: But we, despite all we have do not endure it is better therefore that we be remembered for what God did through us than for any striving of our own.

is that all there is

Sunday August 4^th, Ecclesiastes 1 & 2: 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.   "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." 12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  You can look at this two ways.  One, either this guy needs his meds, or two, maybe he just has discovered what we all need to discover in life, that if all we are after is our own gain, what we gain is nothing.  Looking at knowledge, learning, pushing to do better, these are all good things.  It is the basis of the Book of Proverbs. 80% of the time it works and life turns out well, although, in the end, meaningless.  The old song, “Is that all there is?” comes to mind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M). I am glad my cell phone is ten times the computer my computer in seminary was.  I am glad research is being done on solar cells, electric cars, batteries and environment, all of humanity will benefit greatly from these endeavors.   The difference is between the pursuit of knowledge for the “I” verse the pursuit of knowledge for the “we.”  Descartes used the term, I think, therefore I am (Cognito Ergo Sum).  What God calls us to is I Love, therefore I am (Amo Ergo Sum).  Thinking is being for the self, whereas love extends that thinking, or whatever else we do to the “us” which includes ALL of us.  It is not the unexamined life that is meaningless, it is the one which is lived only for the self.  When you are done, all you have left is the empty shell of yourself filled with empty knowledge.  God calls us into relationships.  We are called to love one another.  John even connects it with the promise, this is what will make your life complete, the opposite of meaninglessness, to love one another as I have loved you.  

in every child's eye

Monday August 5^th, Ecclesiastes 1&2: 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.  All too often, our view of life becomes too much like a clothes line, we start at one end and hang things on it until we get to the end, and hopefully, at the end God will reward us for all the things we hung on the line, all the things we have done.  Instead, God calls us onto a path, one where we are surrounded by others and by the God who always comes down and walks with us.  If all we do in life, all our accomplishments, is for some selfish end goal, we above all creatures are to be pitied.  In the end all we are left with is a big pile of stinking stuff that relatives and others fight over while we lie alone dying.  If life is lived as part of the body of Christ, full of give and take, sharing with one another and seeing in every blade of grass and every child’s eye, the presence of God, seeing in everything we have a blessing with which we can bless others, then we are living the kingdom life right here and now.  In that Kingdom life there is meaningfulness, there is fullness, there is life. The others who receive the blessing of our blessings do not automatically become gracious children of God, just as it most likely took us a while to figure that out in our lives, but it is not about their outcome, it is about who we are.  Our maturity depends upon our ability to give from what God has given us.  Those who can freely give are rich, those who can’t freely give are poor, and it has nothing to do with wealth.  

Christ come down

Tuesday August 6^th, Colossians 3:  1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. I am getting older and the physical work I do around the house takes a bit more of a toll than it used to. There are times when I get up full of excitement at what I will get done and then reality sets in. Consequently I tend to look at the ground right in front of me rather than the world up ahead.  As I loosen up I begin to see the world up ahead and my spirit as well as my countenance brightens.  God created the world and said it was good.  God created humanity and said it was good.  As we travel on the path of life, surrounded by the saints of God (though some would not consider themselves as such) if we are blessed our eyes are focused on the kingdom.  If we are still burdened down by all we have done and all we have left to do it is not our back alone that aches as we shuffle along looking down.  The final chapters in Revelation have a world ahead vision for us.  It is the holy city, coming down, open to all, all peoples refreshed by the water of life, healing for all nations, gates to the city always open.  Head down living builds tea parties and border fences, kingdom living builds Kingdom parties and welcome gates.  It is the difference between “I” and “We”.

line in the sand

Wednesday August 7^th, Colossians 3:  9-11 Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.   Every time we draw a line in the sand, Jesus is on the other side.  Every time we build a fence, whether it be literal at our borders with Mexico or with the new building material for border fences, paperwork, to keep people out.  When we build these fences, we not only do a poor job of shutting others out, we do a good job of shutting ourselves off from the savior who is on the other side of the fence.  The absolute saddest site in the world is the prison wall Israel erected with U.S money around the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem.  Every time we go to war, the ones killed, on both sides, are the children of God.  Every weapon that is produced steals bread from the mouths of hungry.  Every time we enact “Papers Please” laws we are doubting the love and the divinity of Christ.  On the other hand, every morsel of bread that is shared, is shared with Christ.

see the other

Thursday August 8^th, Luke 12:  13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Too often we want Jesus to solve our problems, and the problems we want solved we want to be solved in our favor.  Instead of a “fix it for me Jesus” approach to life, we are called instead to a life of living and loving relationships, and we are not always on the receiving end.  Jesus asks us the question, how are you going to handle this and every other situation in your life in a kingdom way?  How are you going to solve this problem with your brother or sister in Christ?  Step one is obvious, yet the hardest, it is to see the other as you brother or sister in Christ.  Military spending, which makes up well over half of all spending is opposite of where we need to go.  Security measures and fences and papers please laws are the antithesis of God’s love.  More tax cuts for the wealthy who make their money off the labors of the poor is an anathema to God’s grace.  Yet these are the directions we go because we secretly hope that someday we too will reap or rape the financial rewards of such policies.  It is however a rape.  It has nothing to do with love and leaves only victims in its path.    

better off

Friday August 9^th, Luke 12:  18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."   20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'   We have all met someone with “I” trouble when they talk.  Everything is about them.  It is good to note that most of us have “I” trouble with the way we live if not the way we talk, especially when it comes to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.  Kingdom life is not “I” life, it is “we” life.  Look around and see the world your children and grandchildren will get, will it be as clean and healthy as the one you received?  Look around at the children of God in your community, (remembering Jesus definition of neighbor in Luke 10)  are they better off than before you came on the scene?  Is everyone better off because of you or does the system you support help those with power and possessions more than those without?  Do you work for corporations that hide tax revenue off shore and hope for your chance to suckle at the tit of big money, or do you wish to contribute to the benefit of all of God’s children?  

something smells

Saturday August 10^th, Luke 12:  21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."  Where does your spirit focus?  Salvation is not just “God and “I,” salvation is about the “we.”  In the “Left Behind” series, people are raptured off the earth.  In Revelation, the Holy City, with God a part of it, comes down to earth.  Contrary to the religious right teaching, God Always comes Down to where you and we and thee live our day to day lives.  If your theology is about God and I rather than you and we and thee, you are hoarding up the blessing, and like the manna of old, in no time at all it starts to stink.  

sorry

well folks, I am trying to get out of town on vacation and some of the posts I noticed are doubles and others are not in order, but, well, most should at least be here.  Enjoy, have a cup of coffee and scroll down and you should find most of what I usually post.  In the mean time, I am off to the Cabin out of Fairbanks.  Smoke from the forest fires just started to roll across the lake and the Grumman Ducks are flying fast and ferrous to scoop up water to put them out.  I'm off.  Enjoy.

Poem based on Mark 10:35-45 James, Apostle

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. 

Poem based on John 20:1-2, 11-18 St. Mary Magdalene

Why are you crying?

The morning air seemed crisp and sharp

but all was a blur

the hope

the love

buried and taken

Why are your crying?

at the empty tomb

fresh in the morning light

with the stench of death

gone

go tell

Mary

beloved of Jesus

tell the others

what you do not see

and what is there

the tomb empty

and the Son of God

free from the bounds that held him

Go and tell

as the first to announce to the world

life

death conquered

and the gift

life

given

10w for July 25th, James, Apostle.

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 25th, James, Apostle. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "A Sacrifice Acceptable" by the Jay Beech Band from the CD "Everyone who is thirsty, Come"  which can be purchased HERE

10w for July 22nd, Mary Magdalene.

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 22nd, Mary Magdalene.  You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "There Shall be flowers of blessings" by Willie Nelson from the CD "Gospel Favorites" which can be purchased HERE

10w for July 21st, Be Present, P9.

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 21st, Be Present, P9.  This Post from Pastor Julia Seymour. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "So Me Your Ways" God of Grace and God of Glory" by Lost & Found from the CD "This"  which can be purchased HERE

Common Sense and Karma, Lady Wisdom and Jesus on "Late Night"

Narrative Lectionary look at Proverbs.

Wisdom before Time, Sophia and Jesus on "Late Night"

Poem based on Luke 10:38-42

If I just keep busy

---- (listen)

busy enough

---- (listen)

then I can avoid that commitment

---- in this life

that makes me uncomfortable

---- in this life

and leads to life

Listen

---- said the voice of God

---- on the mountain

This is my Son

---- said the voice of God

---- as Jesus stood in the water

---- and the dove came down

Follow

---- said the Christ of God

---- to a people longing

---- for life

and too busy to find it

---- (This is my Son

---- my beloved

---- Listen to him)

Opening Litany based on Psalm 15

Pastor: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?

Congregation: The One whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous; The one who speaks the truth from his heart and utters no slander. It is the one who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on others. 
 
Pastor: LORD, Who may live on your holy hill?

Congregation: It is the one who despises what is vile in humanity and honors those who fear the LORD; it is the one who keeps an oath even when it hurts. It is the one who lends his money without interest and the one who does not accept a donation to vote against the needs of the innocent. 

Pastor: Such a person will never be shaken.

Congregation: Help us to walk in your ways O Lord.

angel party

Sunday July 21^st,  Genesis 18: 1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.  3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant."  "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." It had been such a long time waiting, they almost forgot what they were waiting for.  The promise to Abraham and Sarah was made almost a lifetime ago it seemed, but Abraham was not bitter.  Indeed, Abraham lived in that place where most of us live, fluctuating between resignation and hope.  In the meantime he had become a patient person, one who lived on hope and who had never forgotten the lessons of caring for the sojourner in our midst.   On this day, some strangers appear on the horizon.  Abraham responds out of who he is, who he has become, a welcoming and hospitable person.  The welcome was warm and gracious, focused on the needs of the other.  This is the beginning of the story that leads to Sodom and Gomorrah.  There the towns’ people focused their needs on themselves and in wanton disregard for the other, wanted to have their way with the strangers, the antitheses of hospitality.  It has is interesting how we can turn a story about hospitality into a Biblical mandate to practice inhospitality to the homosexual community.  Some have entertained angels unaware.  

same kind of people

Monday July 22^nd, Genesis 18: 9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.  "There, in the tent," he said.  10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."  Some religions call it Karma, you do good and good returns.  It is a good principle, although it not always so straightforward.  Showing hospitality does not always bring hospitality in return.  Life is not always as simple as A+B=C.  But hospitable people, families, churches and communities often do find hospitality returned to them.  Welcoming the stranger into your midst requires that you are not committed to a static definition of who you are as a community.  Welcoming the stranger into your midst will bring change to your life and to the life of any organization.  Just as the blessing of new life brought to Sarah would mean her life would never again be the same, so too, the new life brought to your organization will mean this organization will never again be the same.  Some find that scary, others just laugh.  I am reminded of a story.  A man was out working in his field when someone came walking along the road with a donkey loaded with his worldly possessions.  “What kind of people live in that town up ahead?” was the question he shouted to the man working in the field.  “What kind of people lived in the town you just came from?” was his questioning reply.  The man with his possessions told him stories of how horrid and nasty the people were, full of disrespect and malice.  “I suspect you will find the same kind of people in that town up ahead” the man in the field told him after hearing his stories.  “You better keep moving if you are going to find what you are looking for” was the advice and the gift given.  About an hour later another man came along with a donkey filled with his possessions and asked the same question of the man in the field, “What kind of people live in the town up ahead?”  The man’s response, “What kind of people lived in the town you just came from?”  This time he was regaled with stories of friendship and hospitality, caring relationships and community.  “I hated to leave, but just felt the call for something new and different” the traveler said. “I suspect you will find the same kind of people in that town up ahead” the man in the field told him after hearing his stories.  “I think if you stop there you will find what you are looking for.”

Holy Liturgical Laughter

Tuesday July 23^rd, Genesis 18:  Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"  13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." There is some news in life where the only response one can muster is to either laugh or cry, and they both come from that combination of wonder and mis-belief that has one foot in our deepest hopes and the other in our deepest fears.  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  It appears not.  But for Sarah, with one foot in the nursing home and the other in the nursery, laughter was her only choice.  I have often thought laughter to be a proper response following the confession and absolution in worship.  Holy, liturgical laughter at the absurdity of our forgiveness, at our own frailty at the realization that this is the umpteenth time we have been forgiven for the same thing, and at the amazing response that is God’s grace.  Holy Liturgical Laughter. 

just love one another

Wednesday July 24^th, Colossians 1:  15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. We can speculate all we want but we will never totally know God in Heaven.  The gift that has been given to us is Emmanuel, God with us, the one we call Jesus.  To know Jesus is to know all we need to know about God. To know Jesus is to know God’s revelation to humanity about who God is.  What is Jesus’ message? Love God, Love others!  That is what the essence of life is all about; all the rest is just filler.  It is not Gognito Ergo Sum, I think therefore I am, it is Amo Ergo Sum, I Love therefore I am.  And love is not just a feeling, it is a verb.  It is a verb that may call us on different paths of action, worship, and even belief, and indeed often does, but never confuse the path with the purpose.  When God so loved the world he gave his only son, it was not just part of the world.  When God created all that is and called it good, it was not just part of what was created.  When we are called to love God and love others, it is not just part of the others we are called to love.  God is the epitome of, and calls us to live to, the fullness of Amo Ergo Sum.  

security and fences

Thursday July 25^th, Colossians 1:  26-29 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message.  Some have said that the gift of Jesus was to make us all honorary Jews, Children of the Promise.  Contrary to what many faiths may teach, Jesus did not make anyone the bouncer of heaven.  What Jesus did was to let the world know there was no bouncer in heaven.  No bouncer, no cover charge, no closed sign, no limits, just a call to love and to spend your life finding out each day what that means.  In the book of Revelation there are twelve gates to the Holy City and they will all be open to all the nations.  When we build walls, pass papers please laws, etc.. we are only building a wall around ourselves in an attempt to keep God out.  The thirty foot high cement and concertina wire “security fence” in the Holy Land and the wall on our southern border are an affront to, are a sin against, the essence of who God is.  Forget all the political rhetoric and cover, instead of building a fence just flip God the bird and get it over with.

Martha, Martha

Friday July 26^th, Luke 10:  38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Sometimes having to show all that hospitality can make us rather inhospitable.  It is then we know the focus is on “me” not “thee.”  I am sure the meal and the preparations were nice.  I even think Mary could have practiced a bit of hospitality here and helped her sister. In a more modern US context I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus wouldn’t hop up and cut up some veggies, cracked open a good bottle of wine and practiced hospitality and preached some in that context. In our world some of the best conversations take place around the center island in the kitchen with cutting boards.  But even in today’s kitchen we must remember that there is a fine and fuzzy line between serving and self-serving.

The Church Song: We are the Church by Jay Beech Band

Saturday July 27^th, Luke 10: 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."  At what point does “church” become work?  At what point does it cease to be fun?  I remember picking up some brewing supplies one day and listening to the lady who ran the store after a phone call. The lady at the store just got off the phone with someone who was all in a tizzy about how to do things absolutely correctly and her comment was, wow, when you get that stressed out over a hobby you need a different hobby.  Not that religion is or should be a hobby, but at what point do committees and programs operate for the sake of committees and programs instead of ministry?  At what point do we stress out so much over doing church that we forget to be the church, the body of Christ?  Whatever you do in church, don’t just “do” church, be church.  Worship is a must in our lives, we need it, it is a gift from God.  When you do church, I would recommend a song by the Jay Beech Band Called; “The Church Song.”  The words and link are as follows:

The Church Song

REFRAIN

We are the Church,

   the body of our Lord;

We are all God's children,

   we have been restored.

The Church is not a building

   where people go to pray;

It's not made out of sticks and stones,

  it's not made out of clay.

REFRAIN

You can go to worship

   but you cannot go to Church;

You can't find a building that's alive

   no matter how you search.

REFRAIN

The Church is not a business,

   a committee, or a board;

It's not a corporation

   for the business of the Lord.

REFRAIN

The Church, it is the people,

   living out their lives

Called, enlightened, sanctified

   for the work of Jesus Christ.

REFRAIN

Text and music by Jay Beech, ©1988.

http://store.baytonemusic.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BTM&Category_Code=CHURCH

living in relationship

Sunday July 14^th, Deuteronomy 30: 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"  We often make the Christian life more difficult than it needs to be.  We tend to fill it with rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, catechism to memorize, and sometimes even sermon notes for the confirmation class.  If we think about it, we all really know they should be for the adults, not the confirmation class.  What we know in the back of our minds is that the tougher we make it, the more we clergy types are in control and can feel good about ourselves.  The problem is that the more we are in control, God is pushed to the side.  If the body of Christ were to truly be the body of Christ, there would be less for clergy to do and we clergy types might find ourselves out of a job.  The truth is, what we do is not rocket science.  It involves living out a loving relationship with God the Creator, living in a loving relationship with one another as Community, and living in relationship with the Creation from which we were formed and demonstrating that to the faith community we serve.  It involves being willing each day to have your eyes opened to some new dimension of what that might be and trusting in God to help show you new ways to show those loving relationships.  It involves walking one day at a time as a child of God, knowing that the gift of salvation is yours, as well as your neighbors, through the grace of God.  

Inclusivity

Monday July 15^th, Deuteronomy 30: 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.  The church has been studying the issue of homosexuality for many years and in the last couple of years has made some strides toward inclusivity.  Studies have been presented and voted on, legislation considered, scripture interpreted consciences bound and unbound and on and on and on.  Just recently, the Supreme Court overturned DOMA and the attitudes in our nation are moving forward. For the most part it is our generation that is struggling with the issue.  Ask most kids of high school or college age and they will look at you like you have just asked a stupid question, which of course you have.  If two people love each other and want to live in a mature and committed relationship it is a good thing and the church should be in the forefront of blessing these unions and fighting for their legal status.  The overturning of DOMA may have changed things for federal entities, but for states like Alaska, the political Neanderthals are still in charge.  The word of God is near you, it is not hard except for when we try to find some way around it, when we try to find some loophole.  Love God, Love others, and walk daily in the ever unfolding discovery of what that means.  Jesus calls us to love our enemies and we are still working out the details of how to let our children love one another.   

rescued

Tuesday July 16^th, Colossians 1:  13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. Unfortunately many of us still haven’t learned the lessons of sin.  This means that for many of us we need to repeat the lessons again and again and again as long as we keep repeating those same old sins.  So life is the constant turning of sin, forgiven and repeat until we move on to some new sin, which at least is a step forward.  That is our lot in life, living as the forgiven children of God, and living as sinners, each and every one of us each and every day.  The way Luther said it was that we are at the same time saints and sinners.  What God did was rescue us from the dead-end alleys and through forgiveness moves us on to new frontiers.  Our job is to learn what it means to walk out in the light and to work on overcoming our addiction to these dark dead-end alleys.  It is an adventure each and every day and it is amazing how often we turn the corner and head down toward those same old back alleys again.  That is when God tries to turn our focus back toward the light.  Sometimes we listen and are amazed at the grace.  There are no new sins in the world, only new manifestations of the ones we have been forgiven for time after time after time, generation after generation after generation.   The essence of sin is the desire to be in charge.  The essence of forgiveness is to let God be God. 

Big "G"

Wednesday July 17^th, Luke 10: 25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"  Most of us have met someone with an “I” problem.  This religion scholar was a good guy, a smart guy, someone who wanted to walk as a child of God.  He just wanted to be in charge of the process.  That is the first and biggest hurtle we all face, the first commandment stuff.  What must “I” do to get eternal life?  The answer is Nothing!!!  It is that “I” thing that most often keeps us from living in the glow of God’s grace in the here and now.  It is the temptation in the garden raising its ugly head one more time.  Just eat of this tree of knowledge and you can be like god with a small “g”.  The only god the “I” thing gets us is the small ”g” god. Walking as a child of God, accepting God’s forgiveness and grace brings us into the company with the big “G” God.  Remember this formula: big “I” = little “g”; little “i” = Big “G”.  With one of them comes happiness, pure forgiven, loving and loved happiness.

you'll live it

Thursday July 18^th, Luke 10: 26 He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"  27 He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." 28 "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."  The answer he gave was correct.  The trouble is that it is hard to love God with all you passion if you have an “I” problem, because your passion is reserved for yourself.  It is hard to love your neighbor as yourself if you have an “I” problem because no neighbor could measure up to the standards you set for them, while ignoring the standards for you.  “Do it and you’ll live” contains no big “I’s”.  It is a process, day by day as the mercies of God attend us bringing comfort to our anxious souls.  So Savior lead me to the home I treasure where at last I will find eternal rest, surrounded by all my neighbors who I may one day learn to love.  

right church

Friday July 19^th, Luke 10:  36 "What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"  For Jesus, neighbor is redefined from a geographic designation; one who lives close to my house, to an opportunity designation; one God has placed close to my heart.  The idea of neighbor has moved from a subject to be debated and discussed, to the object of my caring as I live out what it means to be a child of God.  The geographic designation would seem to be easy if we move into the right neighborhood, send our children to the right private schools, go to the right church etc.  That is the direction most of us take, which is simply a manifestation of the “I” problem.  It would all work out so well if God didn’t keep putting “those” people in our way and in our world.  What God is trying to tell us however is that it is through “those” people that we find our way to the kingdom.  

makes life

Saturday July 20^th, Luke 10: 37 "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.    Jesus said, "Go and do the same."  There, that doesn't seem so hard now does it?  Well it is not hard to understand, but implementing it into action is something else again.  As William Sloane Coffin puts it, “It is one thing to cry with the prophets of old to let justice roll down like an ever present stream, it is quite another to design the irrigation system.”  For most of us it takes a lifetime to work on that irrigation system for God’s love and grace to flow through us and out into the world.  For the children of God it is what makes life, well, life.  

10w for July 14th, Good Sam, P8.

he following is a 10 minute worship for July 14th, Good Sam, P8. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "The People's Church" by Larry Olson from the CD "Water & Dirt"  which can be purchased HERE

10w for July 7th, Sent Out, P7.

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 7th, Sent Out, P7.  You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "Send Us Out" by Dakota Road from the CD "Build Up"  which can be purchased HERE

10w for July 3rd, Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle

The following is a 10 minute worship for July 3rd, Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle.  You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The Song for the day is "So Me Your Ways" by Hillsong from the CD "Shout to the Lord, the platinum collection"  which can be purchased HERE

Poem based on Luke 10:25-37

Crouched amid my humanness

I venture out

---- boldly

and I understand

---- intellectually

the meaning of the commandments

the meaning of life itself

that I am to love (LOVE)
not just in what I feel

---- (THE LORD)

but even in what I don’t feel

but still do

it sounds easy

it sounds good

and it is surely a wisdom

I will pass on

---- and on

-------- and on

to the third and forth generation

of those who………….

I will pass it on

---- (WITH ALL THAT YOU ARE)

the meaning of life

the meaning of the commandments

I only wish “they” would know these words

And understand what “I” understand

---- (AND LOVE)

and maybe “they” would not act like

---- look like

-------- talk like

that

---- (YOUR NEIGHBOR)

then the world would be a better place

and all would be sweetness and light

---- (AS YOURSELF)

if they would just learn to love

(AND JESUS SAID,

“GO AND DO LIKEWISE”)

-------- ?like me?

Opening Litany based on Psalm 25,

Psalm 25: 1-10 - This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, therefore in using the first ten verses I attempted to follow that patterning in English.

Pastor: All gather before you O Lord as we lift our souls to you.

Congregation: Be merciful onto us O Lord and do not let us be put to shame for we put our trust in You O Lord our God.

Pastor: Can anyone whose hope is in the Lord be put to shame?

Congregation: Doomed however are those who are treacherous without excuse, for they will be put to shame.

Pastor: Evermore you will show me your ways, O LORD and teach me to walk in your paths; You O Lord guide me in your truth and teach me your ways,

Congregation: For you are my God and my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Pastor: Gracious Lord, Remember your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Congregation: Heed not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;

Pastor: Instead, remember me according to your love, for you are merciful, O LORD.

Congregation: Just and upright is the LORD who instructs sinners in the ways of righteousness.

Pastor: Kindly the Lord guides the humble in what is right and teaches them the ways of grace and mercy.

Congregation: Lord our God, all your ways are loving and faithful for those who walk in your ways.

loving relationship

Sunday July 14^th, Deuteronomy 30: 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"  We often make the Christian life more difficult than it needs to be.  We tend to fill it with rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, catechism to memorize, and sometimes even sermon notes for the confirmation class.  If we think about it, we all really know they should be for the adults, not the confirmation class.  What we know in the back of our minds is that the tougher we make it, the more we clergy types are in control and can feel good about ourselves.  The problem is that the more we are in control, God is pushed to the side.  If the body of Christ were to truly be the body of Christ, there would be less for clergy to do and we clergy types might find ourselves out of a job.  The truth is, what we do is not rocket science.  It involves living out a loving relationship with God the Creator, living in a loving relationship with one another as Community, and living in relationship with the Creation from which we were formed and demonstrating that to the faith community we serve.  It involves being willing each day to have your eyes opened to some new dimension of what that might be and trusting in God to help show you new ways to show those loving relationships.  It involves walking one day at a time as a child of God, knowing that the gift of salvation is yours, as well as your neighbors, through the grace of God.  

near to you

Monday July 15^th, Deuteronomy 30: 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.  The church has been studying the issue of homosexuality for many years and in the last couple of years has made some strides toward inclusivity.  Studies have been presented and voted on, legislation considered, scripture interpreted consciences bound and unbound and on and on and on.  Just recently, the Supreme Court overturned DOMA and the attitudes in our nation are moving forward. For the most part it is our generation that is struggling with the issue.  Ask most kids of high school or college age and they will look at you like you have just asked a stupid question, which of course you have.  If two people love each other and want to live in a mature and committed relationship it is a good thing and the church should be in the forefront of blessing these unions and fighting for their legal status.  The overturning of DOMA may have changed things for federal entities, but for states like Alaska, the political Neanderthals are still in charge.  The word of God is near you, it is not hard except for when we try to find some way around it, when we try to find some loophole.  Love God, Love others, and walk daily in the ever unfolding discovery of what that means.  Jesus calls us to love our enemies and we are still working out the details of how to let our children love one another.   

dead-end alleys

Tuesday July 16^th, Colossians 1:  13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. Unfortunately many of us still haven’t learned the lessons of sin.  This means that for many of us we need to repeat the lessons again and again and again as long as we keep repeating those same old sins.  So life is the constant turning of sin, forgiven and repeat until we move on to some new sin, which at least is a step forward.  That is our lot in life, living as the forgiven children of God, and living as sinners, each and every one of us each and every day.  The way Luther said it was that we are at the same time saints and sinners.  What God did was rescue us from the dead-end alleys and through forgiveness moves us on to new frontiers.  Our job is to learn what it means to walk out in the light and to work on overcoming our addiction to these dark dead-end alleys.  It is an adventure each and every day and it is amazing how often we turn the corner and head down toward those same old back alleys again.  That is when God tries to turn our focus back toward the light.  Sometimes we listen and are amazed at the grace.  There are no new sins in the world, only new manifestations of the ones we have been forgiven for time after time after time, generation after generation after generation.   The essence of sin is the desire to be in charge.  The essence of forgiveness is to let God be God. 

little “i” = Big “G”.

Wednesday July 17^th, Luke 10: 25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"  Most of us have met someone with an “I” problem.  This religion scholar was a good guy, a smart guy, someone who wanted to walk as a child of God.  He just wanted to be in charge of the process.  That is the first and biggest hurtle we all face, the first commandment stuff.  What must “I” do to get eternal life?  The answer is Nothing!!!  It is that “I” thing that most often keeps us from living in the glow of God’s grace in the here and now.  It is the temptation in the garden raising its ugly head one more time.  Just eat of this tree of knowledge and you can be like god with a small “g”.  The only god the “I” thing gets us is the small ”g” god. Walking as a child of God, accepting God’s forgiveness and grace brings us into the company with the big “G” God.  Remember this formula: big “I” = little “g”; little “i” = Big “G”.  With one of them comes happiness, pure forgiven, loving and loved happiness.

no big “I’s”

Thursday July 18^th, Luke 10: 26 He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"  27 He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." 28 "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."  The answer he gave was correct.  The trouble is that it is hard to love God with all you passion if you have an “I” problem, because your passion is reserved for yourself.  It is hard to love your neighbor as yourself if you have an “I” problem because no neighbor could measure up to the standards you set for them, while ignoring the standards for you.  “Do it and you’ll live” contains no big “I’s”.  It is a process, day by day as the mercies of God attend us bringing comfort to our anxious souls.  So Savior lead me to the home I treasure where at last I will find eternal rest, surrounded by all my neighbors who I may one day learn to love.  

“I” problem

Friday July 19^th, Luke 10:  36 "What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"  For Jesus, neighbor is redefined from a geographic designation; one who lives close to my house, to an opportunity designation; one God has placed close to my heart.  The idea of neighbor has moved from a subject to be debated and discussed, to the object of my caring as I live out what it means to be a child of God.  The geographic designation would seem to be easy if we move into the right neighborhood, send our children to the right private schools, go to the right church etc.  That is the direction most of us take, which is simply a manifestation of the “I” problem.  It would all work out so well if God didn’t keep putting “those” people in our way and in our world.  What God is trying to tell us however is that it is through “those” people that we find our way to the kingdom.  

irrigation system

Saturday July 20^th, Luke 10: 37 "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.    Jesus said, "Go and do the same."  There, that doesn't seem so hard now does it?  Well it is not hard to understand, but implementing it into action is something else again.  As William Sloane Coffin puts it, “It is one thing to cry with the prophets of old to let justice roll down like an ever present stream, it is quite another to design the irrigation system.”  For most of us it takes a lifetime to work on that irrigation system for God’s love and grace to flow through us and out into the world.  For the children of God it is what makes life, well, life.