“Where are you?”

Meditation on Luke 17:11-19

Oct. 13, 2013

***

       On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

***

   The Broberg family came to our home for supper Friday night.  It was definitely a high point of my week. 

   Especially when we were gathered around the table—four adults and two children, 4-year-old Andrew and 7-year-old Riley. And in between bites of buttered biscuit and forkfuls of peas, Riley told me that I am a great pastor!  And that he is always watching me. 

   Kind of reminded me of when Ami Gasca was 4 and was eating dinner at one of our church’s potlucks.  He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then two fingers at me. And he said ominously, “Pastor Karen, I’ve got my eye on you!”

    There were other high points in my week, too.  My Acts Bible study at Meadows is always a pleasure, as is visiting parishioners at Renvilla and East Ridge. Working in the office with Lou Ann and chatting over coffee with Friendship Circle made Wednesday fly by.

    But the week kind of started out on a low.

    On Monday, Jim suggested we go out of town for the day.  Maybe we could drive up to St. Cloud for lunch after we ran some errands in Willmar.  But once we had taken care of our errands in Willmar, I was too tired for another hour’s drive to St. Cloud, where there are dozens of restaurants and shops, plenty of places to go and things to do, for people with time and energy to do them.

     And there’s the problem for us pastors who try to take Mondays off to recover from the busy-ness of ministry.  I am often too tired for anything but a few household chores and errands.  I could tell Jim was disappointed when I wasn’t up to going to St. Cloud, though we did enjoy lunch in Willmar, instead.

    Back at home that afternoon, I took a long walk.  The sun was shining.  The sky seemed bigger and bluer. The weather was warm. The wind had died down. I saw a kind of woodpecker that I had never seen before.

     And I gave God thanks. For the beauty of His Creation.  For being with me every day in Spirit. For His many blessings to me.

    For forgiving me of all my sins.  For giving me new life in Him.

    Once I started to thank God and give Him praise, more and more things came to mind for which to give Him thanks.

    I thanked the Lord for:

   My husband, who is patient and kind to me, even when I am too tired to do fun things on our day off.

   My children, whom I know God continually watches over and keeps in His tender care wherever they are.

   My church, whom God has given me to love and shepherd.

   My two dogs, Molly and Mabel.  And our cat, Melvin.

    Waves of gratitude washed over me. I felt lighter. Less tired. More joyful.  More at peace.

    Then a thought came to mind. I realized that God had wanted to give me His joy and peace for days. He had been whispering to me, “Where are you?”

    But I had been too busy to stop and just listen for His voice. And I had forgotten to bring Him my thanks and praise!

    Friends, as we take time to thank and praise the Lord each day, we experience an even greater sense of gratitude for what He has done.  We are filled with more joy. We are filled with His peace.

    When the Lord was whispering to me, He wasn’t angry or scolding me. He wasn’t saying, “Where have YOU been?!”

    The Lord knew very well where I was, where I needed to be for my wellbeing, and where He wanted me to be for His good pleasure—at the foot of the cross, submitting myself and my life to Him, giving God my thanks.

    He was simply and lovingly saying to me, “Where are you? Here I am—waiting for you.”

 ***     

    We read of 10 lepers in need of the Lord’s healing touch in the gospel of Luke today. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and nearing the end of his journey, when he will suffer and give his life for all humanity’s sake.  Jesus is outside an unnamed Palestinian village when the lepers call out to him for mercy and pity.  The lepers—who are also not named—are outcasts. They are not permitted to live in the community because of their disease. They are not permitted to worship in the temple because their sickness has made them unclean.

    What’s interesting is they are not all Jews.  One is a Samaritan. Now Jewish people in Jesus’ time saw Samaritans as their enemy. Samaritans didn’t worship the God of Israel in the temple of the Holy City of Jerusalem.  They worshiped their god on a mountain.

    But Jesus makes no distinction when he answers the lepers’ cry for mercy with the directive of Leviticus 13:49—telling them to go and present themselves to the priests.  Only the priests can declare them healed and no longer unclean.  Only the priests can allow them to return to their community and worship in the temple.

    All 10 of the lepers—including the Samaritan, surprisingly—do as Christ tells them to do. And on their way to see the priests, all 10 are suddenly healed; they are “made clean.”

     But only one of the lepers, when he “sees” or understands that the Lord has cured him, comes back to Jesus to praise and thank God “in a loud voice.”  And it’s the Samaritan! The loud voice shows the Samaritan’s passion and joy for the Lord, who has unexpectedly shown mercy on him and healed him of his disease, though he is not even a child of Israel!

    His healing is body, mind, and spirit. The healing is truly a gift of a new life in this world, as well as eternal life in the world to come. A leper, forced to live apart from his family and community, could not have anything resembling a normal life. What’s worse, the leper felt shame and self-loathing; ancient society looked upon leprosy and other diseases as God’s punishment for sin.

      The Samaritan responds to this unexpected gift of a new life with humility and faith in the God of Israel who shows no distinction—who does not favor one group of people over another. He falls at Christ’s feet, submitting himself to the Lord and giving him thanks.

     His faith has brought him salvation, Jesus says. But first, the Lord asks him, “Were not 10 made clean? Where are the other nine?”

     Still, the Lord isn’t angry.  He isn’t saying, “Where ARE they???”

    The Lord knows where they are, where they need to be for their wellbeing, and where He wants them to be for His good pleasure. He is speaking from a heart of love that grieves when the people of God fail to do as they ought.  When they fail to submit to Him and give Him their thanks and praise. When God’s people just go on their way.

     Christ is saying, “Where are they? Here I am. Waiting for them.”

***

   

   After my cleansing, healing walk with the Lord on Monday, when I realized I had been too busy to hear God’s whispering, I decided that I would try very hard to be more grateful. With the Lord’s help, no matter my situation, I would give Him thanks –not just for family, health, or material blessings but for giving me new life in Him.  For the gift of faith that has brought me salvation!  For the privilege of serving Him each day.      

      It is an honor, my friends, to be a follower of Christ, to be chosen and called to share the Good News of Jesus and bring others closer to Him!

     Let me assure you that the Lord knows where we are, where we all need to be for our wellbeing, and where He wants us to be. At the foot of the cross, submitting ourselves and our lives to Him, and giving Him our thanks and praise.

    Friends, in the midst of your busy-ness this week, take time to stop and listen with your heart. May you hear the Lord whispering, “Where are you?”

   And when He does, know that God is not angry with you.  He is not scolding you for being too busy. He is reminding you of His love.

   He’s saying, “Where are you? Here I am.  Waiting for you.”

Let us pray.

Holy God, thank you for speaking to us of your love and giving us faith in Your Son, who has brought salvation to the world when He was crucified for our sins.  Forgive us for being too busy or just not listening for your voice.  Stir us to gratitude for what the Lord has done for us—for our new and abundant lives in Him in this world and everlasting life with Him in the world to come.  Draw us ever nearer to the foot of the cross that we may submit ourselves and our lives wholly to You—to worship, serve, and give you thanks!  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

"The Desires of Our Hearts"

Meditation on Psalm 37

Oct. 6, 2013

“Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
   trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices…
Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
   when he delights in our way;
though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
   for the LORD holds us by the hand…
Depart from evil, and do good;
   so you shall abide for ever.
For the LORD loves justice;
   he will not forsake his faithful ones...” (Psalm 37, selected verses)

***
     I knew, by the time I was 4 years old, that I would be a writer.  I loved books.  The feel of them in my hand—how you opened the hard cover and turned the pages one be one.  I loved the pictures.  I even loved the way books smelled.

    As soon as I could hold a pencil in my hand, I began to write—first random letters across the page. And then my older sister taught me how to print my name.  Then easy words like “ball” and “cat.”
     
     I started writing stories and making books in kindergarten. My teacher gave us blank books that she made with wide-lined paper folded in half and stapled 3 or 4 times down the left side.  Often they had construction paper covers—red, blue, green, orange—depending on the theme, holiday or season. Sometimes the entire book was cut into a familiar shape—a baby chick, a Valentine heart, a Christmas bell, or a fall harvest apple or pumpkin.
   
      If my teacher didn’t happen to have a blank book, I made one of my own. Just give me paper, scissors, and a stapler—and I’ll get the job done!
   
     Some of you are probably thinking what a strange little girl I must have been.
   
     I probably was. But I was having fun.
   
     By the time I was in second grade, I discovered that not only did I like creative writing and making books—I liked standing up in front of the class and reading my stories out loud!
     
      I loved to see the expressions on the children’s faces as I read. I loved hearing them laugh.
     
       Oh.  And this is important. The main characters in the stories were always my classmates.  The stories were all about them!
     
       Yes, I knew by the time I was 4 years old that I would be a writer.

***
     David, the shepherd boy who slew Goliath and ruled as king of Israel, was also a writer.  So many of the Psalms, including Psalm 37, identify the writer or the one for whom the Psalm was written. Psalm 37, for example, begins, “Of David”—belonging to David.

      Now I doubt that David decided to be a writer when he was a little boy.  And many of the Psalms he created may not have even been written down during his lifetime.  Psalms were sung. They were Israel’s hymns.
     
      I am amazed that David, a king, was not embarrassed to reveal his thoughts and feelings—intimate conversations with the Lord—to all Israel through his songs. Though he lived thousands of years ago, David’s songs offer practical advice for us living in modern times who seek to live out our faith in our daily life.
   
      In Psalm 37, we hear a message of patience and trusting in the Lord.  Sometimes, we trust in the Lord to lead us to act, such as when he instructs, “Trust in the Lord, and do good, so you will live in the land and enjoy security.”
   
      Other times, we trust in the Lord to do His righteous work as we wait patiently on him.  We read, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
   
      The Psalmist encourages us not to be distracted by people whose lives are not lived in obedience to God. He urges us to stop worrying about what other people are doing.  Just pray!
   
     We read, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.”

***
      When I was visiting with folks after the funeral yesterday, quite a few that I met for the first time wanted to know how long I have been here. They were surprised that I came such a distance to accept a call to ministry—more than 1200 miles.
   
      One lady exclaimed, “And you had never been to Minnesota before?! You must be brave!”
   
     I just smiled and said, “No, not really.”
   
     Later on, as I was reading Psalm 37 and preparing for today’s message, I wished that I had told her that I had trusted the Lord—and waited for him to show me His will. Because I did.
   
     I used to believe that when the psalmist tells us to delight in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our heart, what he meant was that God would give us what we wanted if we delighted in him.
   
     Now I understand what the psalmist really meant was that if we take delight in the Lord, the Lord’s desires will become our desires.  He will put his desires in our hearts and then those desires will lead us to accomplish His purposes.
   
     Looking back on our move to Minnesota, I remember being afraid. Feeling like this was a really big decision. But I also recall wanting to come. Caring about your church—and most of all, wanting to be obedient to the Lord and His Will.
   
     I believe that God placed in me a desire to come and be your pastor.  And then he gave me the desire of my heart.  He brought me here. I became your pastor.
     
     Yesterday, at the funeral, when I was telling the story of Coco and John and Donna, I had a flashback to when I was a little girl and used to stand up and share the stories I had written about my classmates.
     
      How I loved to watch the expressions on their faces.  How I loved to hear them laugh.
     
      How I was sure when I was 4 years old that I would be a writer.  And had no idea I would be a pastor.
     
      But God had planned it all along.
     
      My message to you, friends, is very simple.

      Let us learn to delight in the Lord.

      As we seek to do His will and be pleasing to Him, may the Lord's desires become ours.
 
      And then...

      May He give us all the desires of our hearts.

     
Let us pray.

Holy Lord, thank you for sacrificing your Son, Jesus Christ, and for giving us the desire to be forgiven by you and live eternally with you.  Lead us by your Spirit each day to delight only in you and your ways.  Place your desires in our hearts, Lord, so that we desire only your will. Give us the strength and courage to obey.  Teach us to be still and wait patiently on you.  To trust in you and do good.  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

One Day at a Time

Meditation on I John 4:7-19

For the funeral of John Feldman

Oct. 5, 2013

***

      “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

     

     By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

     

     God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.” (I John 4:7-19)

***

      I don’t remember when I first visited John and Donna’s little white house on the corner of Main Street and Highway 212.  But I remember the visit well.

      

     I came to encourage them; John, a lifelong member and faithful attendee of Ebenezer, had been too sick to make it to church.

      

     Donna greeted me with a bright smile.  She struggled to her feet to give me a hug as a little dog barked fiercely and ran toward me oh so briefly, before climbing back into John’s lap to resume chewing on a bone.

     

     They told me the story of Coco the dog. Donna began the story, but John filled in the necessary details naturally and easily—as if only one person were speaking.  I could tell that Coco enjoyed not just the bones, but being stroked in John’s lap.

     

     Coco, John said, was his $40,000 dog. He wouldn’t sell her—not ever—for less than $40,000. Coco had been their son and daughter-in-law’s puppy.  But since they worked outside the home all day, no one was there to housetrain Coco. An undisciplined, untrained puppy is hard to love when you have a new home and you’re worried about your carpets. Bruce and Sandy gave Coco to John and Donna. And Coco grew into the ideal house pet, the story goes, as John and Donna lavished attention on her and enjoyed her as if she were their 9^th child.

    

     I left after my first visit to John and Donna’s feeling as if I had known them all my life. I knew about their 8 kids and quite a few things about their grandkids and great-grandkids.  I knew Coco the dog. I knew that John had been a farmer, bus driver and mechanic before he retired from the school district.  And that even in his late 80s, he still mowed and sprayed many lawns every summer—including the lawn of our church.

    

     I learned something of John and Donna’s courtship that first visit—how the country boy and the city girl met when she was visiting with a friend here one weekend.  More of the details would be revealed as time went by.      

      

     Donna was 18 when her friend Shirley, whose aunt lived across the street from Donna in Minneapolis, set her up on a blind date with John so they could go to the movies in Monte on a doubledate—Shirley and her boyfriend, John and Donna.  John, who was older than Donna and worked on a farm, was asked at the last minute—when his younger brother Tim wasn’t available. 

     

     Did I get the story right?

     

     But John didn’t mind. He said, “Sure, but let me finish my chores first.”

     

     They were married in March 1951—when Donna was 19 and John about 28.

     

     When I asked Donna what she saw in John, she said with a twinkle in her eye, “I thought he had a lot of money. I thought farmers were rich! After we got married, I discovered he didn’t have a cent!”

      

     But that isn’t what John said. When I asked him at that first visit, John looked over at Donna with happy tears filling in his eyes, as they often did when something touched his heart. Perhaps he was remembering the early years and all the difficulties they had come through.  Maybe he was thinking about the more recent health difficulties they were struggling with.  John’s declining health led eventually to him moving into a nursing home, Donna into an apartment, and their selling the little white house, the only home they ever owned, bought in 1971 for $8,000—after 20 years of marriage and 8 kids.

    

     “We loved each other,” John said, simply.   “If you have love, you have all you need.”

     

     John lived his life working hard at many different jobs. He was good at them all. But he is not one who came to realize the importance of family later in life—after the kids were all grown and moved out of the house.  He always loved and enjoyed his family—especially the grandchildren. And did his best to serve God and other people. 

     

     When John, at the age of 89, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, I posted a note on our church’s Facebook site.  A record numbers of visitors—more than 1,000 people—read that post. Some responded--sharing memories of his kindness and faithfulness during his 37 and a half years as a school bus driver and mechanic. Former students recalled him always getting them safely to school on time. He never got stuck in a snowbank. One said he let them listen to music on Q102, if they were quiet.

       

      They may not have known that John leaned on the Lord for his strength. And that his favorite song was “One Day at a Time.”

     

      The chorus goes like this.

   “One day at a time sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking from you. Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus. And tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today, show me the way. One day at a time.”

    

   ***

   

    John, although he may not have known it, sought to live like we are instructed in I John. In today’s reading, we find the familiar verse, “God is love.”  And we are told to imitate Him! To love one another as God has loved us, a love that has been revealed among us when “God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.”

    

    God’s love is merciful and gracious beyond our understanding. We don’t deserve his love, but God loves us still. The Lord has made a way for us to be forgiven through belief in the atoning sacrifice of His Son.

      

     God accepts us—just as we are when we come to Him—undisciplined, disobedient, and selfish—but what’s more, He doesn’t leave us in the undisciplined, disobedient, and selfish state in which he found us.  I John tells us that His love has been perfected among us—in the Body of Christ.  So we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as Christ is, so are we in this world. 

     

     This means we do not have to fear death or judgment in the world to come. Nor do we have anything to fear in this world, because perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment.

     

      In a way, we are kind of like Coco—responding to God’s love for us like she responded to John and Donna’s love. Before she went to live with John and Donna, she was undisciplined, untrained and selfish, doing whatever she wanted to do. But after she came to live with John and Donna, their love and enjoyment of her changed her character. Changed her life. 

      

     But sometimes, we might not feel loved in our households. We might feel unappreciated in our family of faith. Or maybe we just find it hard to love and forgive ourselves.  We can’t see the new thing that God is doing with us, the new creation that God is making in us. We may begin to doubt that God is with us still.

    

    First John provides a three-fold test to determine if we are abiding or living in the Lord and He in us.

    

    Number 1. Do we have His Spirit to strengthen and guide us?  Yes!  God’s Spirit is a free gift to all who seek the Lord.  

    

    Number 2. Do we confess that Jesus is the Son of God?  Yes, Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

    

    And 3. Have we known and do we believe in God’s love for us? 

    

    Yes, we have known and do believe in God’s love.

    

    Friends, if you have said yes to these three with me, then you do live in the Lord and He lives in you.

    

     We truly have all that we need for abundant and everlasting life—now and forever.  We need not fear. We have God’s perfect love.

     

     And the Lord will help us today, show us the way.

     

     One day at a time.

You can hear and see Pastor Karen's sermon from Sunday, September 29.  Click on this link.


http://vimeo.com/75918156