Easter and things

Hello All!

If you like sermons, you'll love the posts below this one. I have decided to post my sermons on the blog. Perhaps folks who don't see me preach every week (ie everyone who reads this) may enjoy the sermons. Maybe, in 100 years, folks can analyze all my sermons through the years and determine themes and write a thesis (probably not) But enjoy!

Shahra on Easter at HTLC

This blog is simply Sharha pictures, for all the rest of our readers, who check out our blog to see Shahra. We had a great Easter, though really busy. I had 5 services in 4 days, and everything went well. The energy was high, and I feel that things are going quite well at the church. Shahra loves church and was kept jumping up and down when we told her she was going to church (again). She enjoys some of her little friends at church, as well as the other minister and his daughter. Between grandma, grandpa, and all her friends, Shahra had a blast.

Hope everything is going well with you all. Happy Easter!

Tracy

Shahra at the HTLC Lecturn Shahra playing with flowers

Shahra and the Easter Bunny

Maundy Thursday Sermon

In our Gospel this evening, we hear about the crumbling of a man named Peter. We receive a preview of a resurrection, and hear a new commandment. To begin, I would like to introduce you to another St. Peter, and another Resurrection—this time, St. Peter and Resurrection are two schools in hurricane swept Mississippi. But I believe you will hear that the commandment, to love one another, weaves it way into both stories.
In Pascagoula, Mississippi, there are two pint-sized little girls who were brought together by Hurricane Katrina. Their names are Anna, and Kered, and they are third-graders at Resurrection School. Before the storm, nearly all the students at Resurrection were white. Kered, who is black, attended St. Peter the Apostle, an all black school. But Katrina caused Kered's school to crumble, and along with it 100 years of racial separation. St. Peter had nowhere else to turn for its students to learn, so it was decided all the students, black and white, would go to school together at Resurrection.
Anna, a white student said, "I didn't think it was very fair (that it took so long to go to school with black children). That's why Martin Luther King was here. I kept hoping other 'colored' kids were gonna come here." And Kered, the African American child said "I loved St. Peter with my whole heart. I always wished I could have black friends and white friends. The fall of St. Peter lead to unity at Resurrection school. Children were united through Resurrection, and these children were able to follow a great command--love one another. To break down, if only for a while, the barriers that separated them.
Maybe the coming together of St. Peter and Resurrection were long overdue. For on this night, we remember that our resurrection, our Christ, gave a new commandment. That we are to love one another as Christ loved us. That we are to love one another as Kered and Anna do. But we all know to well that the simple act of loving one another as Christ loved us is not simple. The disciples knew this…it took the fall of a St. Peter to bring about this Resurrection too.
Laws were everywhere for the disciples, from the OT laws of Leviticus to Roman city laws. And yet, Christ gives his disciples a new law to follow. Not only does He give his disciples a new commandment, he demonstrates how one should act out the new commandment--Christ humbles himself and washes the disciples’ feet. He begins to tell them that he will only be with them a while longer, that servants are no greater than their masters, that they someone among them was not clean. Our St. Peter crumbles, as he says “You will never wash my feet.” Only a resurrection could save him.
At this point the disciples probably realize what this new commandment means, they to will have to wash one another’s feet. After three years of work with Christ, the disciples know the love that he has shown to them. What amazing love! And now, they are to love others in this same way? And wash feet? Impossible!
And for us…to love others as Christ loved us? That means we have to FORGIVE others as Christ forgives us. St. Peter crumbles. To allow old pains and hurts to go and bless those who have done us wrong. It is easier to hold grudges, to enjoy the pain of those who hurt us. In addition, we have to forgive ourselves and love ourselves as Christ loved us. We are commanded to show ourselves respect, to keep from holding onto the sins we have sinned against others. Disciples, according to this commandment, must be willing to live with themselves and the pains that they caused to others. We have to wash our own feet!!
But, unlike the disciples, we know the “rest of the story”. Tomorrow night, we will come back to this place and remember the sacrifice that Christ made for each and every one of us. As we watch St. Peter crumble and await unification that can only be found at the resurrection, we are reminded of the sacrifice that we are not willing to make for each other. The sacrifice we are not willing to make for ourselves. Because, unlike us, Christ did follow the new commandment that was set out for his disciples. HE loved us all, but not as we loved him. His love extends beyond our comprehension. Unlike us, Jesus did not take pleasure in holding onto grudges the way that we do. He did not delight in the failings of those who hurt him. He did not turn his back on the disciples who betrayed him...each and every one of us. Instead, he becomes the only person who is able to fulfill this new commandment. To love one another in a selfless, humble and meaningful way. Loving enough to put his life on the line for us. We know the rest of the story.
Just as the crumbling of St. Peter leads to a coming together at Resurrection school, we remember that our we can be transformed by the always present, incomprehensible love of Christ and the sacrifice he made for us on the cross. Together, with all the disciples throughout the world in this time and in those yet to come, we can live in the joy that our resurrection, our Christ was able to fulfill the unfilfillable commandment. Now that is a cleansing thought.

Sermon for March 30

In our Gospel reading today, doubting Thomas has all of his doubts erased as he experiences the presence of Jesus. This proves to Thomas what we have proclaimed over the past week. Can we proclaim it one more time? Repeat after me: Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) In order for Thomas to believe, he needed to feel Jesus’ presence, to have a holy encounter. I would like to share with you today the story of a modern day holy encounter, that of Brad Karelius which was published in the LA Times back in February. As you hear the story, I invite you to consider times in which you have felt a holy encounter with Jesus, when you saw and believed, when doubt was removed from your heart. When has Jesus shown you His scars?

Inside a cave high on a cliff in the Owens Valley desert north of Los Angeles, the Rev. Brad Karelius struggled to find words to describe "a life-changing holy encounter" he had there. Surveying the chaotic landscape of dormant volcanoes, lava beds and snow-capped peaks outside, the Episcopalian priest and philosophy professor said, "It evoked a serenity that was a gift. It was as if I'd entered a sacred space that changed me. He stumbled across the cave in 1997, a few weeks after his then 14-year-old son, Erik, nearly died after a series of epileptic seizures. With his son's crying echoing in his mind, he explored the ruins of a stagecoach stop that burned down in 1870, admired the massive grinding stones of an ancient Native American village and took in the desert hills marked by the spicy scents of wild rose and sagebrush. Then he climbed into the cave, startling a great horned owl out of a dark corner. Karelius spent several hours in the cave, just listening to the stirring and penetrating sounds of wind in the sage and marveling at the unspoiled views -- not much different from when Native American went there to grind meal and to chip tools out of volcanic glass. "I was overwhelmed by the power of a place with so many stories of struggle to tell," he said. "There was a palpable sense of danger and awe. It was the one moment I felt closest to the holy."

“Blessed are those who have not seen, yet still believe.”

God comes to Brad, through a holy encounter, in the midst of a desolate, barren, most unlikely place…the desert. A place that Jesus went to encounter the Father, and to be tempted by Satan. Where is your desert? What barren, supposedly empty places in your life has God come to you? To remove your doubt, to have a holy encounter with you?

It appears to me that Thomas often gets looked at as such a bad guy because he has his doubts. We hear the story and think that there is something wrong with him because he won’t believe the other disciples when they tell him Jesus is alive. Perhaps as we read, we begin to pat ourselves on the back as we hear “blessed are those who do not see yet still believe.” We think “that’s us! I haven’t seen Jesus, I haven’t placed my hands in His side, and I believe. Yep, that Thomas, what a doubter. If it were me….” But friends, I ask you to rethink this question, don’t as “if it were me” but instead ask “when was this me?” When was I Thomas, wondering if God really was present? When did I see, and yet STILL not believe?

Even in these times, we are fortunate, just as Thomas was fortunate. Jesus did not condemn Thomas in his doubts, but instead Jesus provided Thomas with a holy encounter, unlocking his heart of doubt and transforming Thomas into a believer. Like our Christian brother Brad, Christ invites all His disciples to receive the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit. We are welcomed into a place of peace, where we can hear the Spirit moves through the caves of our lives. We don’t get to place our hands in Jesus’ wounds, see his scars, meet Him in our homes…or do we? Are there times in which God provides us a holy encounter with Christ? Perhaps in our moment of doubt, grief, or shame, someone shows us the broken, yet loving hand of Jesus? When has Jesus shown you his scars?

You’ll notice in our Gospel that Thomas doesn’t have to do anything for Jesus to be with him. Instead, Jesus comes to Thomas, in a locked room and breaks down the walls of sin, doubt and pain to reveal a resurrected hope. In the same way, Jesus comes into our homes, our lives to reveal Himself to us, to break down our doubts and fears. When we don’t have the strength of ability to come to Him, Christ comes to us. For it is in these moments of doubt, in the times when we are locked away in our own rooms, filled with grief, sin and pain that Jesus breaks down the doors, and, through His death, shatters the presence of death in our lives. When has Jesus shown you his scars?

Blessed are those who find faith, in the midst of doubt.

Greg Otum, a native Hoosier, took a trip with his church down to New Orleans 4 months after hurricane Katrina ravaged the city. A self admitted suburbanite all his life, Greg acknowledged the general comfort that surrounded him. His family was able to support his education, and he was now hoping to do the same for his children. Having a strong faith was not always easy, but he felt well supported by friends and family on his spiritual journey. He generally thought people were good and took care of each other. That, if you worked hard, you would be able to achieve what you want. But, as Greg drove through New Orleans, a flood of doubt and pain erupted in him. As Greg worked on a cleanup crew for a week, he felt shattered. He wondered how such a tragedy could occur in our country. Though Greg would not say that his faith in God had wavered, he was surrounded by feelings of doubt and his faith was tested in ways he never imagined.

One afternoon, about half way into his weeklong stay, the cleaning crew was given the task of cleaning out a ballet studio. Water and sludge had filled the room and everything had to be gutted, including the floor to ceiling mirrors that covered the walls of the dance studio. Greg thought of all the children who starred in the mirrors over the years. How they perfected their moves and became more confident dancers. As he starred into the broken glass, he thought of his own daughters who starred into similar mirrors and wanted to become confident dancers themselves. Greg spent the next hours breaking these mirrors so they could be removed from the building. With every blow to the glass, he thought of the shattered dreams of the community. The shattered world view he had held so dear for most of his life, realizing that, while most people are good, they may not always take care of each other. But, as Greg was surrounded by shattered glass and filled with very human doubts, he was also experiencing hope, knowing somehow Christ was present in this mess. Even in the midst of shattered lives, pungent sludge and broken glass, Christ is able to break through and create a holy moment. Jesus showed Greg his scars.

It is in this brokenness that we can have a holy encounter with Christ. Because Christ shatters the reflection of sin we experience in our lives. It is through Jesus’ scarred and broken hands that we receive hope and forgiveness, as He smashes away our doubt. In Christ’s broken body, our bodies, minds and souls are restored to new life. We get to be like Thomas, as we are invited to place our hands on Jesus’ side, to put our finger on his wound. We become like Brad, listening to the Lord in the winds of our personal deserts. Then, we become like Greg, as we carry forth this message and smash the mirrors of sin in the world. For, as disciples of Christ, we have received the breath of the Holy Spirit and can feel the power of doubt removed.
Over the Lenten Season, we placed our broken cares and worries at the foot of the potchard cross. Every week during Wednesday services, we were invited to write down our troubles and leave them at the cross. Throughout Lent, we received ashes, heard the words of forgiveness, communed with one another, baptized and welcomed new members. All of these acts, disciples, are holy encounters. Yes, the scares of death are still present. But the hope and love of Christ can be felt, our doubt can be removed, our sins forgiven. We may not see Jesus in the exact same way as Thomas. But, we do get to experience Jesus’ body and blood in communion. We know he is present as we watch the waters of baptism flow over new members. We, a shattered people, are restored through the resurrection of our Lord. So I ask you again, where is your desert? Where is your locked room, where you hide from the world, scared and filled with shame? When have you been blessed, because you saw, and you believed? I pray that this community of disciples will be one of the many places you experience those blessings. And, when you do, take the wounds of Jesus’ hands, take the scars of the crucifixion and show them to others, that they may to see and believe, as Thomas did, as you did.

For he is risen indeed.

Sermon for Feb 17

Baseball is thought to be the great American sport. We have hotdogs, popcorn, fresh air, an afternoon out with the family, enjoying the leisure time that we have. Our national anthem is played and little league everywhere imagine that perhaps one day, they too may play for their favorite team. The joys of youth, family and sport come together and for a moment everything is so simple and so clear. Our values are defined, our unity as a country is complete. Some even believe our faith can be summarized here as well. If you’ve ever watched the game on TV, perhaps you have seen a sign like this one, with the words, John 3:16 on them. Some see a sign like this to be the ultimate evangelistic devise. Millions of people are watching at home, and, by holding up this sign, some may come to faith while watching this great American sport. And, they may. But, others will be confused wondering who this “John” is and what 316 has to do with anything?? It seems like a concise, simple answer to the question “who is Jesus and why is he important to me.” We could hear that our actions lead us to be “signed sealed and delivered” for God.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that John 3:16 is not a beautiful, well crafted verse. And I’m not suggesting that baseball isn’t a great sport. But I think it’s as easy to summarize our faith using one verse as it is to encompass our American values in a sport. At first glance, baseball may look like the all American game. Then, we remember the strikes, the steroids and other scandals that tarnish the sport. These signs may also at first glance seem like an easy answer, a way to understand Christianity in one sentence. It’s not a summary, it is only a start. We shouldn’t toss this verse, or even this sign to the side. But, we should consider if our faith, with all its complexity, beauty and God given love, be summarized in one verse. This passage is about the doubt, and misunderstanding felt by a believer and the patience and love shown to him by Jesus. It is an opportunity for each of us to consider the confusion we have felt regarding our faith. A chance to know that we are a part of God’s plan. That through the Holy Spirit, each of us can have a role in Christ’s great commission for the world. Perhaps the passage is telling us that following Christ significantly and irrevocably changes the people that we once were. That Christ must die for us to live and through Him we are freed from sin. That Jesus is a gift from God.

When Nicodemus asks how someone can be born when he is old, Christ says “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Our lives are greatly changed as Christians. Consider the words that we speak when a new member is baptized: “By water and the Holy Spirit we are reborn children of God and made members of the church, the body of Christ….we grow in faith love and obedience to the will of God.” We are made members of the body of Christ. We are born of the spirit and belong to God. We CONTINUE to grow over time. Now, I challenge you to consider what this means. Before we jump to the all American Hallmark version, ask yourself what it truly means to be born of the spirit, to belong to God, rather than belonging to the flesh. Most of us will be fortunate enough to live our lives in a place where these ideals are broadcast of network television. Where we are free enough to hold signs like this one, proclaiming our faith. But what does it mean to be born of the spirit, and not born of the flesh?

After Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for 5 years for leading a fight against a partied, he wrote about the struggles of those who wanted freedom. He said “this struggle is a national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by their own suffering and their own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if needed, it will be an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

That which was born of the flesh fought for segregation. That which was born of the flesh fought to separate, to tear down and to oppress people. That which was born of the flesh……was sin. It separates people from people. It separates individuals from God. But…..that which is born of the spirit liberates. That which is born of the spirit empowers. That which is born of the spirit calls each one of us to speak our faith in love, to be united with others to rally against the flesh, against sin.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

We continue to see the complexities and the depths of these promises as we read. Later in the passage, Jesus makes reference to Moses, stating “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. So must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” To understand this phrase, we’ll have to take a quick trip back to the Old Testament. Christ now illustrates, from Numbers 21, the nature of God’s plan of redemption. In the Old Testament, sin had caused God to punish the Israelites with serpents. God commanded Moses to make a brass serpent, so that when the sick looked to that serpent, they would be healed. This temporary fix helped the people of Israel for a time, and many people in Jesus’ time would be familiar with the phrase. However, Jesus explains that the Son of Man must be lifted up (on the cross) so that man bitten by the serpent of sin might have life eternal. It’s a promise of prophecy fulfilled. No longer must people rely on a brass serpent made by man to heal those who are afflicted. Instead, a savior, made of flesh and blood will be raised up in order to tear down sin and death. Through this promise, each and every one of us, is now flesh made spirit.

For GOD SO LOVED THAT WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY

We are given a huge task. To be born of the spirit rather than the past. To acknowledge that we are irrevocably changed through Christ, though it seems we constantly want to change back. That we are called to be of the spirit and not of the flesh, even though we live in a world filled with flesh, filled with sin. That we shouldn’t perish while we watch everything perish around us. This theology does not fit on a sign. This theology does not wrap itself up neatly, so we are signed sealed and delivered. But, even if we feel we are too far gone, that we aren’t worth saving, we hear this: “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” The Jews believed that the Messiah would come to condemn the Gentiles (Amos 5:18–20). But, rather than condemnation, rather than tossing aside the flesh, God wanted to turn flesh into spirit. Christ told Nicodemus that God’s plan was to save the world. This changes the focus dramatically. Rather than coming to point out our sins, Jesus has come to relieve us from our sins.

We, as reborn children of God, do not confess our sins in order to remind ourselves we are condemned. We, as reborn children of God repent of our sins to remember that we have been saved. This flesh turned spirit; reborn community of believers has reached a new and deeper relationship with God. We can now rally against sin and death, against the flesh and continue to be reborn daily through Christ. We can celebrate the fact that we can hold these signs up, that we can proclaim our faith on national television and at our supper tables, that we can enjoy not only the freedoms given to us here on this earth, in this country, but we can enjoy the freedoms that can only be found in our eternal kingdom of heaven, united with God. While our faith may not be as simple and clear as joys of youth, family and sport found in a baseball game, we can, as the family of God, enjoy the flesh made spirit, resurrected salvation we receive as members of the body of Christ.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

AMEN

Sermon for Feb 10

I wrote out my sermon for this week--thought I'd try something different. It's more than an outline, but less than a manuscript. And, I'm posting it BEFORE I preach it on Sunday. So it's a sneek preview or sorts. Enjoy.

In addition to writing a sermon, we went to an Ethiopian adoptive family get together in Indy. Very fun to meet other families in process who live near us. We were spoiled in MN with so many people next door. But, it looks like we're going to be making some new friends with cute ET babies in Indiana!!

At work one afternoon, I was skimming through an old copy of a magazine called Chatter, an addictions recovery magazine. The magazine is a resource for those who have struggled with chemical dependency and working to stay sober. One of the articles was entitled “How to survive the holidays” and explained how people struggle to remain sober during the season. It advised readers to HALT: Avoid getting to Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Don’t over-commit during holidays and remember to turn to your higher power to maintain yourself. The magazine talked of addictions, but perhaps this applies to more than just addictions—the article basically states you should stop temptation before it starts. We can ward off temptation by keeping ourselves from being vulnerable—keep from being to hungry, tired and lonely.
In our Gospel for today, it appears that Jesus did not HALT. Jesus goes into the desert too fast for 40 days, alone, hungry, tired and lonely. He is set up for every temptation around Him. Jesus felt called by the Spirit, right after His baptism to go into the desert and face these temptations. Throughout his time, He turns to His higher power, God, in prayer and reflection, but the temptation is still present. As God, He can certainly overcome any temptation, but as man, and in order to fully understand what it means to be human, Christ allows Himself to be vulnerable—to be hungry, tired and lonely. It makes one wonder—what nourished, replenished and accompanied Christ on this journey and why did He choose to endure such suffering?
Through the reading, Christ is certainly not alone—the devil is with Him at every turn, tempting him. We begin by hearing the devil taunt His hunger saying “turn these rocks into bread” But Christ knows this bread won’t fill Him, He can only be satisfied by the Word of God. If we stop and think, this would be a huge temptation. One of my favorite places to eat is the Macaroni Grill. They bring out loaves of hot, fresh bread with just a bit of olive oil on top. We’ve been known to go through more than one loaf before our meal comes. But, even when I leave stuffed, this bread doesn’t sustain me for long. In a few hours I’m hungry again. Even when we hunger and receive food, our bodies need to eat again. But, when we receive the bread of life from heaven, our hunger is satisfied. Christ knew this as well, and resisted the temptation.
But there are more temptations to endure. Remember, Jesus did not HALT: He was not only hungry, he was tired. After 40 days in the desert, we all would want a good place to rest. Fear of animals, experiencing extreme temps day and night, He would not be at all rested. Allowing himself to be tempted again, Jesus encounters the devil as he tempts Him to cast himself down and receive protection from the angels. Yes, Jesus would survive such an event, that His exhaustion would end and He would be cared for. But instead, He resists this temptation and allows Himself to experience the truly human feelings of exhaustion.
But it doesn’t stop with hunger or exhaustion. Christ is truly alone. Certainly, He can pray to God and knows He will be protected. His Higher power was present. The lack of human contact would lead to despair and make temptation easier. During this time, satin used every means available to provoke sin and lead to Christ’s fall. But Jesus endured these temptations, hunger, exhaustion, loneliness, in order for us to be nourished, replenished and accompanied by the saving and redeeming, always present Greatest power.
We are nourished by the living bread we receive in Communion. This bread isn’t the hot and airy bread we find at Macaroni Grill. It isn’t stones turned into bread, but BREAD TURNED INTO THE LIVING WORD. This Lenten season, we are examining the writings and life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran scholar who was killed in a Nazi death camp during World War II. In Bonhoeffer’s book “Life Together” we hear that this living bread and the entire DAY in which we receive the Lord’s Supper is “an occasion of joy for the Christian community. We are reconciled in our hearts with God and each other. We receive the gift of body and blood of Jesus Christ, and receiving that, we receive the promise of forgiveness, new life and salvation.” This is an nourishment beyond any we find here on earth.
But our HALT continues and we are no longer tired because of God’s promise to us. Right before Christ went into the desert, He was baptized and the Spirit descended upon Him. Jesus is Lead by the spirit and is transformed. Through the living waters of our Baptism and the replenishing gift of grace given to us, we to are transformed, replenished, and refreshed.
The promise of a new replenished and nourished life does not end with communion and baptism. Christ’s temptation ensures that we are accompanied throughout our lives, in the midst of every temptation and lonely day we meet. And there are many lonely days. It’s ironic that we can live and work and experience life among people, and still be lonely. We don’t need to go to the desert for 40 days to be alone. CNN reporter Anderson Cooper writes about this in his book “dispatches from the edge” He says, as he speaks about NYC on New Year’s Eve “there aren’t many opportunities in this city to feel part of a community. We scuttle about the streets each day, individual atoms, occasionally running into one another, but rarely coalescing to form a whole. It Times Squre, as the ball descends and the crowd cheers, NY becomes a different place, a place of pure feeling. But it doesn’t last long. By 12:30, it’s over. The broadcast ends, the lights, go out. The crowds have already dispersed, pushed along by tired police and armies of street sweepers. A few minutes later, I walk home, ALONE. I feel like and astronaut, floating in space.”
A multimillionaire, adored by millions, the heir to the Vanderbilt fortune in one of the world’s largest, most glamorous metropolitan cities in the world can still feel alone. Christ knew this, He knew that population did not equal companionship. What we long for, what we hunger for, what we ach for in our exhaustion is to be in fellowship with God and with other disciples. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is the fulfillment of Christian fellowship, explains Bonhoeffer. As members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord, we receive hope, knowing we will be united with God forever. Community has reached it’s goal. Companionship is transformed into fellowship and Christ’s community is complete. Our life together under the Word has reached perfection.
These words are not a promise that while on earth, Christians will never be hungry, tired or lonely. Christ didn’t go into the desert, experience temptation to free us from all trouble and loss. But, we can receive comfort knowing Christ was hungry tired, and lonely. HE was tempted. We will be tempted. He was alone, and we will feel alone, but because Christ was hungry, tired, and lonely we have hope, knowing no matter our sin, no matter our temptation, we can be nourished, replenished and accompanied through the Body and Blood of Christ our eternal and always present GREATEST power.

A Saturday with the PJ's

This Saturday morning, Tracy sits in her pajamas on the living room couch putting the finishing touches on a sermon she'll preach this evening. Meanwhile Shahra is highlighting important verses in her father's third-grade sunday school Bible (don't worry folks, it's a fake pen and doesn't leave a mark).


Later, Jeff will comment on students' writing assignments, returning them electronically, so that his pupils can glean from his teacherly wisdom and work this weekend on a major draft due Tuesday. He's proud of his paperless classroom and tech savy students.


This is how you might find us spending our Saturdays. It's the one day of the week we can lounge, grab breakfast and catch up on sleep. After noon, we'll get active. Maybe go shopping, do some reading, clean. It's a time to stop and rest a bit.

On the adoption front:
We're still waiting, hoping for a referral in May or June. We'll see how things go this spring. The good news is that the Ethiopia program has become much more popular. More kids are finding homes, but that means wait times have increased slightly. In addition, our agency and the Ethiopia government are being much more stringent on rules and regulations. This means time between referral and travel have also increased. As a result, we're hoping to travel by October?? We know that this will all happen in God's time and hope that things continue to move forward smoothly, though a bit slower than we hope.

Shahra's life:

Shahra's language skills have continued to increase greatly. She is putting together short sentences and asking us independently thought out questions. So, instead of just asking us questions about concrete things in the room, she is now asking about events in the future that we were not talking about as a family. Also, Shahra is just about potty trained at daycare, but is being quite stubborn about the process at home. For those interested in Shahra's feelings about the 2008 presidential race, check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfBU80KRIUc

Tracy's changes:

In addition to my work at St. Vincent, I have also taken on a part time position at our church, Holy Trinity in Muncie, IN. My work includes regular preaching, assisting during worship services, adult education and leading in ministry programs. This position came as a surprise, and we are moving forward with cautious optimisim.

Jeff's life:

Jeff is focusing on technology and language in his program. In short, how is technology impacting writing, the ways in which people interact with each other and how they see the world. This is a specialization in the English department, and Jeff is hopeful that learning about these things will help him connect to students and become a better teacher.

In our spare time:

We're following the elections closely and enjoying the excitment it is bringing across the country. We can't wait until Super Tuesday and plan to have a party as we watch the returns well into the night. We're also planning to attend a Super Bowl party with some St. Vincent friends. Finally, we've discovered the amazing abilities of Google and IGoogle. For those who are looking to learn new internet skills, go to google.com, then igoogle (top right corner). You can create your own homepage, use an online calander/planner and use many other functions you never knew you needed.

That's all for now. Hope this finds you well and warm.

Tracy, Jeff, and Shahra

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas to all of you, and may your new year bring you continuing hope, love, and blessings.

I write this message early Christmas morning. Tracy, Shahra, and David and Kay (Tracy's parents who suffered long delays in Chicago's O'Hare International airport to share this holiday with us) are fast asleep. Meanwhile, I sit writing, sated and in a sublime stupor from last night's sugar-filled dainties and spicy meats and cheeses. In my bedroom lay a couple stunning dress shirt/tie combinations, a couple of lovely and trendy sweaters, a couple book I know I will enjoy reading. The gifts are wonderfully generous and thoughtful, and I appreciate my family for them. But, this Christmas morning, my thoughts go, not to gifts, but to fatherhood, family, and Christmases long ago.

Soon Shahra will awaken. We will tell her about Santa's midnight visit, anticipating her reaction to a coterie of toys that should make her squeal and giggle in delight. Our eyes will be on her, even as she fails to recognize the tradition we are creating for her benefit. In this morning reverie, I think about my own Christmas mornings.

For me, those Christmas Eve night's long ago were a fight with my eyelids for daylight, the earliest glimpses of morning that might justify my approach to a Christmas tree laden with those special gifts from Santa. My nights were virtually sleepless and I shivered with anticipation and childish ecstasy as I plotted up stairs or across a hallway in footed pajamas, creeping, peering around a corner through dim Christmas tree lighting, trying to discern with tired, weak eyes whether Santa had arrived or whether I should make a mad dash back to bed lest I scare him off.

Yet after all these years, there's only one Christmas morning I distinctly remember. I was five or six, and I received a He-Man action figure playset called Castle Grayskull, fully assembled and waiting for me in front of the Christmas tree, beckoning me to grab my other action figures and play, play throughout the Christmas morning. For all my youthful excitement, though, I grew out of this toy; I don't even know what has happened to it. I doubt many of you even remember what He-Man, let alone Castle Grayskull, is--if, of course, you ever did know.

This memory makes me a bit somber. Not for a longing to feel that childhood innocence again, not from a sense that those misremembered Christmases of long ago can never be reclaimed, but because for all that glorious ecstacy I felt as a child I realize now that, for me in my youth, those memories were about the gifts. I cannot glaze them with a sugary coating of childhood innocence or dress them in evergreen trimmings of family gatherings. I longed, throughout the Christmas season, for the gifts. Many nights in the month of December, I dreamed about what I would get. I wrangled and wriggled all of Christmas Eve, grumbled as I dressed for church, urged brevity in others speeches, dismayed at long dinner table conversations, hurriedly gobbled my food, held the seat of my chair, waiting for when the crowd would move to the living room and we'd open those Christmas Eve gifts to one another. Then I'd wait in anticiptation for Christmas morning.

It's not that I expect too much from the childhood me. As children, we were all egocentric, too concerned with ourselves, never looking too much outward, except for approval. All I know is that, in the past, it was about the presents and that, now, it isn't.

Now, in my Christmas Eves, I prefer to linger. At church, I sit anticipating, not splendid wrapped gifts, but an epiphanic moment, as I think of Christ's birth in a manger through chant and song that carries my voice and the voices of others up, up, throughout the sanctuary and, I hope, out the church doors to the souls of some others. That night, at home, I linger over the good food and good company, not really concerned about what I will open or whether I will open much of anything at all. Instead, I consider how I will build in traditions, how I will contribute to make the experience richer for us all, thinking about what traditions of my past I should carry forth to my family, figuring out what should go in the child's stocking or whether, this year, we should read together the Christmas story in the book of Luke. I think about how to delay the gifting, just a little bit, to weave a rich fabric of family togetherness before the material revelry. This morning, I will glory in seeing my child's ecstatic, gleeful smile.

When does the heart open up? When do we, as adults, shed that childish, egocentric mindset and begin to think more of others than we do of ourselves? I certainly cannot mark a Christmas in my past where my mind went from selfishness to generosity. I imagine my heart opened slowly, after several long ago Christmases. And I antipicate, quite ecstatically, that it will keep opening, for as much as I cherish my memories of past Christmases, I love the Christmas present ever more.

Merry Christmas to you all. Today, may you be surrounded with family love and generosity that will highlight the bright moments of your year and carry you through the dark ones, until next Christmas.

Amen.