tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76870122024-03-14T03:48:02.343-04:00Just as I am, without one plea . . .a lutheran seminarian musing and posting his way though life and ministry.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.comBlogger309125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-77039175334620500262009-06-18T22:14:00.003-04:002009-06-18T22:44:28.565-04:00"Jesus Lives" - Luke 24:1-6First preached by Earl Hively on 4/6/1958:<div><quote><br />Intro:<br />Today is Easter Sunday<br />Original derivation of that word - Spring</quote></div><div><quote>a. now we'll be having nice warm weather.</quote></div><div><quote>b. spring fashion - Easter parades </quote></div><div><quote>To us, Easter means Jesus has arisen</quote></div><div><quote>Let the Earth resound the fact that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Jesus Lives</span></quote></div><div><br /></div><div><quote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>I. Victorious over the Grave</quote></div><div><br /></div><div><quote>A. Defying the laws of the universe</quote></div><div><br /></div><div><quote>1. All living things must die</quote></div><div><br /></div><div><quote>a. flowers that live for a day</quote></div><div><quote>b. redwoods that live for hundreds of years</quote></div><div><quote>c. foolish to deny physical death but we have a hope.</quote></div><div><quote>d. William Channing, "None knew just [unclear] He passed on that quiet Sabbath morning. But </quote></div><div><quote>He died looking eastward as if expectant of another dawn."<br /><br /></quote></div><div><quote>2. He overcame death</quote></div><div><br /></div><div>a. not that he didn't experience it</div><div>b. thats what makes AA effective.</div><div>c. He was victorious over death.</div><div>d. he rose again from the dead.</div><div><br /></div><div>B. Bringing a new life into the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. more than a return from the dead</div><div>2. we wish our loved ones could retgurn from teh dead.</div><div>a. for another round of sickness, sorrow, and pain.</div><div>b. simply because we miss them.</div><div>3. Christ offers them more, much more.</div><div>4. "Now we are the sons of God . . . it doeth not yet appear what we shall be.</div><div>5. We know forgiveness of sins - who can describe Gods Glory.</div><div>6. C. S. Lewis. 4 year old watching lovers eating candy</div><div>7. Only to Belieers</div><div>a. "I am the door, by me if any man enter He shall be Saved."</div><div>b. "I am the way the truth and the life . . ."</div><div>8. More than a victory over the grave.</div><div><br /></div><div>II Victorious over US</div><div><br /></div><div>A. Having conquered Sin for us.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Not with an army to plunder our goods.</div><div>2. The appeal of His love.</div><div>3. He saw us floundering in sin.</div><div>4. In love He took our guilt upon himself</div><div>5. When We recognized what He did we couldn't help but love Him in return.</div><div>6. Beautiful young lady - saved from a sinking ship - married the man who saved Her.</div><div>7. We dedicate ourselves to Him. He not only conquered sin for us . . .</div><div><br /></div><div>B. Having conquered Sin in Us.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Not that we are now without sin.</div><div>2. There is another force that continually fights.</div><div>3. Our inclination is to give in to evil.</div><div>4. We can reject our redeemer. to our own ruin.</div><div>5. Loving Lord - risen Redeemer - relies on love.</div><div>6. In so far as we are His, He has conquered sin in us.</div><div>7. His invitation to recieve Him in Holy Comm.</div><div>8. Not just Bread and wine, memorial feast.</div><div>9. All the blessing</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh Dearest Jesus,</div><div>Recieve from me the heartfelt thanks I offer thee. Who though thy body and thy blood Has wrought my soul's eternal good. Break forth, my soul, in joy and praise what wealth is mine this day of days. My Jesus dwells within my soul; Let every tongue his grace extol. A-men.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-7750625855342604712009-06-18T22:12:00.002-04:002009-06-18T22:14:46.531-04:00Revisiting my grandfather's sermonsSeveral months ago my uncle gave me copies of about a dozen of my grandfather's sermons. Now that things have settled down (at least temporarially) I have decided to dig them out and read through them. I'm not sure what I intend to learn or find, but I'm going to copy them out as well as I can and see what comes of it.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-21166474166874435292008-10-09T07:03:00.002-04:002008-10-09T07:10:38.127-04:00Words to ponderI've been using a new devotional resource and I came across a really interesting quotation:<br /><br /><blockquote>I like to think of the pastor as only one of the congregation set apart for a specific purpose. They say to him: Look, brother, we are busy with our daily toils, and confused with cares, but we eagerly long for peace and light to illuminate our life, and we have heard there is a land where these are to be found, a land of repose and joy, full of thoughts that breathe and words that burn, but we cannot go thither ourselves. We are too embroiled in daily cares. Come we will elect you, and set you free from toil, and you shall go thither for us and week by week trade with that land and bring us its treasures and its spoils. </blockquote><br /><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-11203270958595748902008-09-11T22:09:00.002-04:002008-09-11T23:03:54.883-04:00Reflecting, 7 years laterI've been thinking about a couple of things today. I'll start with a confession: I'm still angry. I'm not angry because I want to be, but I am. What makes it all the more concerning is that I can't really say exactly who or what I'm angry with or what it would take to quell my anger. <br /><br />One of the things that I have noticed is that we don't talk about what happened seven years ago today as "attacks" anymore. We talk about them as "events" or "a tragedy" or the one that really burns me up "the incident." But none of those really capture what happened that day. Some men, guided by their religious beliefs executed a plan to kill as many people as they could and strike fear into as many people as they could. I don't know how else to talk about it - that was an attack. We should call it what it was. <br /><br />For my class, Pastor as Leader, I've read <span style="font-style: italic;">Writing in the Dust</span> by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. In his book he argues that the role of the religious leader in the aftermath of a tragedy is to create "breathing space." This space will allow people time to consider their next action and hopefully short-circuit the pattern of violence-revenge-violence which is all too prevalent in our world today. I'm supposed to prepare a 60-80 word response to how plausible this may or may not be. But, as you can see, I have more than 60 to 80 words to say. <br /><br />At one point in the book, he argues that the attacks on the Twin Towers are inconsequential to the woman in rural Afghanistan who has had her village bombed. And while I see his point, I'm not convinced that it is a fair comparison. The American military has not gone randomly bombing villages, intending to kill as many average citizens as possible. The same can not be said of the attackers from Sept 11th, 2001. What does the woman preparing lunch in the cafeteria, who may or may not speak English, know about the foreign policy of the United States?<br /><br />I don't talk about it much anymore, but I was in the New York metro area on Sept 11th. I heard and felt the towers collapse. I watched people from my community get off of the train still covered in the ash that overtook the city. I remember very vividly the responses of my college community. I remember the candlelight vigil, the students gathered around televisions all over campus, the swell of patriotism, and the overflowing pews in worship the next Sunday.<br /><br />I think about that Sunday quite a bit. On some level, I think about it from a professional standpoint. What would I do in a congregation if/when something similar happens? But it makes me think about things that are much deeper. Why were people there that day? What were they expecting? What drove them to church that day? I think that for the first time in a generation, we saw that the homeland of the US was vulnerable. We saw that we were not as safe as we would like to be. The world was changing around us and people were looking for something permanent, something transcendent. <br /><br />I guess that brings me back around to the place where I started this post. We we are going to move on, to find genuine healing, we have to call things as they really are. We should talk about the attackers, the victims, the survivors. We should admit that we are angry, or hurt, or upset. If we cannot speak honestly about where we are, how could we possibly begin to address it in prayer? How could we come to God in search of healing? <br /><br />There is plenty to write about what the United States has done in response to the attacks. But none of that changes what happened that day. Please, let's stop trying to spin history. Let's stop white-washing the attacks and minimizing the grief and pain that they inflicted on so many people. Once we come to grips with that part of our story, then we can begin to feel the peace that passes all understanding.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-66053925408406139192008-05-23T10:11:00.002-04:002008-05-23T10:33:57.164-04:00You Can't Love Jesus and Hate His WifeI thought this was worth sharing. It comes from some of the materials from a conference I recently attended.<br /><br /><blockquote>You can't love Jesus and hat his wife. by Ed Stetzer<br />Get this. I'm standing in a reception line with my wife following a speaking engagement when this guy comes up to me and starts telling me how he's read all my books, has heard me speak on several occasions and told me how influential I've been to his ministry. (Please go on!)<br /><br />He talks about how he's introduced a number of his pastor friends to all things Stetzer and how they actually traveled across country to be at this event. Wow!<br /><br />But then, he starts verbally ripping on my wife like she's not even standing there. She's right there! He thinks my wife, who has been the love of my life and a partner in ministry for 25 years, is a drain on my ability to influence others. He says she's obsolete and that the "old girl is a little faded."<br /><br />I'm in shock. Suddenly, the cheezy Christian motto of the 1990s flashes through my mind: What would Jesus do? Turn the other cheek? Pray for his enemy? Hand this guy His cloak?<br /><br />I'm about to jo Jack Bauer on him.<br /><br />I think Jesus would have been ticked - like any normal husband would be. You see, the church is the Bride of Christ. And, you don't mess with a man's wife. <br /><br />The story about my wife is made up. The reality of what professing believers of Christ do to and what they say about His bride - the church - is not. Ant it is exponentially more serious than saying my wife is, "a little faded." (And I would take that pretty seriously!)<br /><br />You cannot say you love Jesus and abuse His wife.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there is a prevailing wind currently blowing across Western Evangelicalism that has caused an ecclesialogical (church) drift into dangerous waters. Research stalwart George Barna documented the tread in a longitudinal study released in 2005. One alarming element of the study showed that 70% of respondents found their primary means of spiritual expression through the local church in 200, but by 2025 he predicts those numbers to decrease by at least half. Did you get that? Now I have some quibbles about the numbers and more about the theology. But, if Barna is right, in less than 20 years, only 30-35 people out of 100 will believe that the church holds primary significance in their relationship with Christ. That's stunning for someone who loves the church (like I do.)<br /><br />We were surprised that in our recent research on young adult dropouts, the more common reasons young adults dropped out of the church were lifestyle reasons. They got too busy, moved too far away, or experienced some other life change. And the church did not make the new list of priorities. Nice. <br /><br />My question is how can anyone give even a cursory read to the New Testament and miss the supreme importance give to the church by the One who is most Supreme? Paul says that we were once "alienated and hostile in mind because of [our] evil actions. but now He has reconciled [us] by His physical body through His death, to present [us] holy, faultless and blameless before Him." Paul goes on to say that he rejoices in his suffering because his suffering is "completing in [his] flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for His body, that is the church" (Colossians 1:21-24)<br /><br />Paul was willing to take a beating for the church because Jesus submitted to a brutal murder "to make her [the church] holy, cleansing her in the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:26-27)<br /><br />Seems like fewer and fewer people are wiling to take the church seriously, let alone take a beating for her.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />In the wake of books like <span style="font-style: italic;">UnChristian </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">They Like Jesus but not the Church</span>, I wonder if people have been tempted to throw the baby out with the bath water. I, for one, still believe that not only is the church still relevant, it is indispensable, as we look toward the future. <br /><br />This conference got me thinking about another point, the idea that contemporary Christians have wondered away from the idea that ours is a shared, communal faith - something we do together. In the grand scheme of things it is only fairly recently that people could even read the Bible on their own, much less develop any sort of "Jesus and me" spirituality. But that is a discussion for another time.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-39578853832508555242007-12-25T23:27:00.000-05:002007-12-25T23:31:00.014-05:00A Letter from Jesus<p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Peace</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placename st="on">Lutheran</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Christmas Eve</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dec 24<sup>th</sup>, 2007 – 11pm</p> <p class="MsoNormal">David Hively<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but I think it is a sign of the times.<span style=""> </span>Every so often I open my email to find some new link or video is making its rounds.<span style=""> </span>Not too long ago I received one of these emails.<span style=""> </span>I followed the link and found a letter from Jesus.<span style=""> </span>Well, not really from Jesus, but from some pastor writing as though he was Jesus.<span style=""> </span>It was an angry letter, from a bitter Jesus who was upset by being left out of Christmas.<span style=""> </span>He was angry about being replaced by Santa and not being given any gifts.<span style=""> </span>But that really doesn’t capture the Jesus I know.<span style=""> </span>That isn’t the way my Jesus acts towards his creation.<span style=""> </span>So I started thinking about what a letter from Jesus might actually sound like.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A letter from Jesus:<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My dearest family,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">As you well know, we are getting closer and closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and it looks like people are planning parties for this year as well. During this time there is lots of shopping for gifts, radio and TV ads, and across the world everyone is talking about how my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. <span style=""> </span>It makes me very happy to see that people have used this time as way to take care of each other, especially the poor, the widows, and orphans.<span style=""> </span>I would love to see people make that a year-round project.<span style=""> </span>Remember, I came into this world as a poor vulnerable baby, so I know what it is like to have to depend on someone else.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>I’ve seen lots of signs around that say, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”<span style=""> </span>That’s true, but YOU are a part of the reason for the season too.<span style=""> </span>You see, God the Father sent me to earth, so that you could have everlasting life - so that you would have not just any kind of life, but the kind of life that is abundant and overflowing with love.<span style=""> </span>I came to set you free from the power of sin, and to ask you to share in my mission.<span style=""> </span>Some of your brothers and sisters are out there right now: bringing good news to the poor, giving sight to the blind, setting captives free, curing the sick!<span style=""> </span>There is so much to do!<span style=""> </span>But, don’t worry – I’ll give you everything you need and walk beside you on the way.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">I know that it can be hard to think of me amidst the hustle and bustle of life.<span style=""> </span>It seems like things move faster and faster every year.<span style=""> </span>There is so much to do – so many things to get ready.<span style=""> </span>There are presents to buy and wrap, cookies to bake, rooms to clean and decorations to hang.<span style=""> </span>I know that these things are important to you, but please remember to take time to enjoy some of the gifts that you have <u>already</u> received.<span style=""> </span>Take a walk one afternoon and see all of the wonderful animals that I created to share the world with you.<span style=""> </span>When you sit down to a meal, think about all of the people whose gifts went into making that meal possible.<span style=""> </span>Take a look around this room and see all of the brothers and sisters that I have gathered together here so that you can encourage and strengthen each other.<span style=""> </span>I’m glad that you were able to make it tonight.<span style=""> </span>I hope that this time that you spend in worship will fill you with hope and joy and a sense of peace that passes all understanding.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">For all of its glitz and glamour, this time of year can be hard for some people. Even when things look all happy and cheery on the outside, sometimes the insides don’t match.<span style=""> </span>Sure, things look the same this year.<span style=""> </span>The lights are up again.<span style=""> </span>The tree is back where it belongs.<span style=""> </span>Everything looks right, but this year feels different.<span style=""> </span>Maybe there is a new face at the dinner table – or maybe there is one less.<span style=""> </span>Things just aren’t the way they used to be.<span style=""> </span>No matter how hard you fight to keep them the same, to maintain those traditions, time keeps on moving by.<span style=""> </span>I’ve seen a lot of traditions come and go.<span style=""> </span>But know this – my love for you is more than a tradition.<span style=""> </span>It is more than a once a year holiday.<span style=""> </span>It has been there since the beginning of the beginning and there is nothing that you could ever do to make me love you less.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">I can see that there is a lot of pain in my world right now.<span style=""> </span>Many of my children do not have anyone to share this holiday with them.<span style=""> </span>Some of my children are far away fighting in wars.<span style=""> </span>Some do not have enough to eat.<span style=""> </span>This holiday is for them too.<span style=""> </span>While I was on earth I felt how heavy your burdens can be.<span style=""> </span>I felt your pain.<span style=""> </span>I know your grief.<span style=""> </span>Really, that’s why I came to earth in the first place – to be with you in ALL circumstances, even the tough ones.<span style=""> </span>Please don’t forget that I am ready to hear from you whenever you want.<span style=""> </span>And that I am ready to take those heavy burdens from your shoulders.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">I miss you.<span style=""> </span>I can’t get enough of hearing from you.<span style=""> </span>I know that it seems like a long time ago that I left, but I want you to know that you are still very much on my mind.<span style=""> </span>You are so very precious to me.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">My dear family, be good to each other.<span style=""> </span>Pray for each other.<span style=""> </span>Celebrate with the people who are celebrating, cry with the people who are crying.<span style=""> </span>Do the best that you can to live in peace with each other.<span style=""> </span>Hold tightly to me, because even though I started out as a little baby, I grew to take all of your sins on myself, to die on the cross, and to rise again so that you can have eternal life.<span style=""> </span>I’ve placed in your life a light that shines against the darkness in the world.<span style=""> </span>Take that light and pass it on to others.<span style=""> </span>I want this night to be special for you.<span style=""> </span>I want you to feel my presence with you, to know the peace that I have come to bring, and to trust that there is nothing in this entire world that could ever change just how very much I love you.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p><o:p> </o:p></p> <p>May the peace of Christ fill your hearts, minds, and souls.<span style=""> </span>Merry Christmas</p> <p><o:p> </o:p></p> <p><o:p> </o:p></p> <p><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-58197844878569478732007-12-25T23:23:00.000-05:002007-12-25T23:27:42.580-05:00The Prince of Peace<p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Peace</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placename st="on">Lutheran</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Peace on Earth?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Prince of Peace</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dec 22<sup>nd</sup>, 23<sup>rd</sup></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">David Hively<br /><span style=""> </span>I’ve heard a lot in the last few weeks about the various traditions that people have.<span style=""> </span>The particular things that make this time of year special for them.<span style=""> </span>I’ve heard stories about trips to see families, about going out to find that perfect tree.<span style=""> </span>But I’ve also hear that there are several people in this congregation who collect nativity sets which they proudly display this time of year.<span style=""> </span>Some people call them crèches.<span style=""> </span>But they are these sets of figurines that are fashioned to represent all of the major players in the story of the birth of Jesus.<span style=""> </span>You have seen these, right?<span style=""> </span>There is one just to the left as you enter through the sliding doors in the back of the sanctuary.<span style=""> </span>They make for these beautiful scenes, frozen in time where all is calm and all is bright.<span style=""> </span>The faces are all looking down, peering at the newborn Jesus.<span style=""> </span>Some are even kneeling out of reverence for this tiny king.<span style=""> </span>Some of the sets even have angels sounding a trumpet to herald the arrival of the Prince of Peace. <span style=""> </span>The scene is so idyllic, so serene, so full of – peace.<span style=""> </span>But what about this baby Jesus?<span style=""> </span>We call him the Prince of Peace, but I wonder just how much peace he brought into the lives of the people with whom he shares this scene.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Lets work our way in from the outside.<span style=""> </span>The Magi.<span style=""> </span>We know these guys by a lot of different names: Magi, Kings, Wise Men, Astrologers.<span style=""> </span>And we put them in the scene with the shepherds and angels and little baby Jesus, but most biblical scholars agree that the magi didn’t make it to Jesus on Christmas night.<span style=""> </span>They think that it might have taken them as long as two years to find Jesus.<span style=""> </span>It isn’t a part of our text for today, but these guys had quite a trek on their hands.<span style=""> </span>And as wearying as traveling can be in our own time, I’m not even sure that I can comprehend what all these guys went through to catch a glimpse of the boy Jesus.<span style=""> </span>We show them riding camels, wearing fine clothing, and bringing expensive gifts.<span style=""> </span>But would they have called Jesus the Prince of Peace?<span style=""> </span>Had he made their lives any easier?<span style=""> </span>If anything their quest was long, tiring, and dangerous – especially with so many valuables on hand.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Moving a little further in you find the shepherds.<span style=""> </span>You have to feel for these guys too.<span style=""> </span>They were basically homeless. They slept in the fields with the sheep.<span style=""> </span>And probably not their own sheep either, someone else’s sheep.<span style=""> </span>They had to do the hard, dirty part of tending the sheep.<span style=""> </span>They were the lowest of the low, the bottom of the social ladder.<span style=""> </span>They were held in such low regard that shepherds were not allowed to be called as witnesses in court cases – they were just too unreliable to be trusted. <span style=""> </span>And it was these guys who were out in the field one quiet night only to have the heavens torn open and a host of angels come pouring through.<span style=""> </span>It is no wonder the first thing that the angels have to say is – “Do not be afraid.”<span style=""> </span>These lowly shepherds are the first ones to find out about Jesus’ birth.<span style=""> </span>They can’t be witnesses in court and yet God makes them into the first witnesses of the coming of the Messiah.<span style=""> </span>Then the shepherds abandon their flocks, their livelihoods to go out in search of the boy Jesus.<span style=""> </span>Do you think that Jesus’ coming brought peace into the shepherd’s lives?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>And what about Mary?<span style=""> </span>She usually gets to be the closest. <span style=""> </span>He face shows some blend of wonder and adoration. <span style=""> </span>But things weren’t so easy for Mary either.<span style=""> </span>She’s engaged, but ends up pregnant, and not even by the man to whom she’s engaged.<span style=""> </span>She has conceived in a way that nobody before her or since has ever conceived.<span style=""> </span>You have to wonder how many people took her seriously.<span style=""> </span>Who really believed her?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>And do you remember what she is told about this baby?<span style=""> </span>If you have you Bibles flip open to Luke 2:34,35 (page<span style=""> </span>in your pew Bibles).<span style=""> </span>Simeon is an old man and it has been revealed to him that he will see the Messiah.<span style=""> </span>When Mary and Joseph bring baby Jesus to him, look at what Simeon says, “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thought of many will be revealed.”<span style=""> </span>And as if that isn’t unsettling news enough he says to Mary, “and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”<span style=""> </span>That doesn’t sound very much like what one might expect from the Prince of Peace.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Joseph is the character in the nativity that gets most of the attention in our Gospel text for today.<span style=""> </span>We know that Joseph and Mary were engaged.<span style=""> </span>But engagement worked differently in Jesus’ time than it does in our own.<span style=""> </span>In our day the couple falls in love.<span style=""> </span>According to tradition the young man asks the young woman’s father for her hand in marriage, and then they live happily ever after.<span style=""> </span>But in Jesus time marriages were legally binding contracts and had a very large financial component to them.<span style=""> </span>They also bore many marks of patriarchy that we would not tolerate today.<span style=""> </span>In order to marry, the young man needed to pay a fee, a dowry, in order to be married.<span style=""> </span>Now, sometimes a young man would express an interest in marrying a young lady, but not have enough money to pay the dowry.<span style=""> </span>But to make sure that she would still be available to him when he was able to afford the dowry, he could make a sort of down payment – paying a portion of the dowry to claim the woman as his own.<span style=""> </span>There would be a wedding and everything, but after the ceremony, the young lady went back home with her dad.<span style=""> </span>From the description in our Gospel text for today, it seems that this is the arrangement that existed between Mary and Joseph.<span style=""> </span>He had paid a part of the dowry, but not the whole thing.<span style=""> </span>So, in the eyes of the law, they were engaged.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>When Joseph finds out that Mary, his betrothed, has become pregnant and not by his own doing – he tries to do what is right under the Law.<span style=""> </span>He plans to dissolve the contract.<span style=""> </span>He could have her dragged to the town square and stoned for adultery, but instead he chooses a path of mercy and decides for a quiet divorce.<span style=""> </span>But Joseph hears from God that he is to take Mary as his wife without regard to the Law or to the social customs of the day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>We talk about the baby Jesus and we call him the Prince of Peace.<span style=""> </span>But one by one we have seen that the people that we most closely associate with Jesus’ birth had very little peace brought into it that night.<span style=""> </span>There must be some other meaning when Isaiah identifies Jesus as the Prince of Peace.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The famous news man, Paul Harvey, tells the story about a family on Christmas Eve. This family had a tradition where the Mother and children would go to the Christmas Eve service, and the Father would stay home and read the paper. When the family returns home from church, they would all gather to open up their presents.<span style=""> </span>The Father was not an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the childhood stories anymore of God coming as a baby in a manger. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace. Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in. As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be caught by this huge man. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the snow and thorns of the bushes.<span style=""> </span>After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled out in frustration, "Stupid bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?" The man paused and thought, "If only you understood you wouldn’t fly away ... if only ... if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand.”<span style=""> </span>And then off in the distance the man heard the church bells ringing, just as they had done at this time every year, announcing the beginning of Christmas, the day that we celebrate Jesus taking on frail human flesh and living as one of us.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Jesus comes to us in human form to show us a different kind of peace.<span style=""> </span>It isn’t the greeting card or nativity set kind of peace – he’s offering something deeper, something transcendent.<span style=""> </span>He doesn’t offer peace through the use of military might. <span style=""> </span>He isn’t offering peace from coasting over the trials and tribulations of this life.<span style=""> </span>What Jesus offers instead is the peace that comes from walking this road together.<span style=""> </span>In times of hardship and times of abundance, when the rule of the land is an eye for an eye – God is with us.<span style=""> </span>In times of violence or oppression, when people seek the third way – God is with us.<span style=""> </span>As we reach out to heal the sick and the suffering and be a visible presence in our communities – God is with us.<span style=""> </span>That is the peace that we celebrate.<span style=""> </span>That is the peace that we announce.<span style=""> </span>Jesus brings peace as he comforts the grieving widow.<span style=""> </span>He brings peace when he waits with the children who are waiting for a parent to return from war.<span style=""> </span>He brings peace when family factions sit down around the Christmas dinner table and share a meal together.<span style=""> </span>The Emmanuel, the God with us – this is the Prince of Peace.<span style=""> </span>The one who came to live <span style=""> </span>among us, and now promises to be with us always.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-11899259114761433282007-12-22T00:36:00.000-05:002007-12-22T00:38:47.906-05:00A new look at an old scene<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://twid.bibulus.org/uploaded_images/portglasgowxmas-731319.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://twid.bibulus.org/uploaded_images/portglasgowxmas-731319.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I stumbled across this tonight. It really hit home because I will be preaching this weekend with the aid of a nativity set.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-50306783312937282802007-12-08T10:29:00.000-05:002007-12-08T11:37:37.405-05:00Why we still tell the storyPop Quiz:<br /><br />1. Where was Jesus born?<br />2. Who is Gabriel and what does he have to do with the Christmas story?<br />3. What is the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist?<br />4. Where did Mary, Joseph, and Jesus go to escape Herod?<br /><br />If you know the answer to all four of these questions, you are in the 12% of adults in terms of knowledge of the Christmas story according to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=500467&in_page_id=1770">this article</a>. <br /><br />Sometimes I wonder why it is that we tell the same story at this time every year. But this reminds me that there is still a world in screaming need to hear about the life giving birth of the Messiah.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-31765599951659763692007-11-23T14:24:00.000-05:002007-11-23T14:25:45.146-05:00Doubt, Limping AwayDoubt, Limping Away<br />Nov 17 & 18, 2007<br />David Hively<br />Peace Lutheran Church<br /><br />Scripture:<br />Genesis 32:22-31<br />2 Corinthians 12:6-10 <br />Mark 9:14-29<br /> <br />Manuscript:<br />We have spent the last few weeks talking about faith and doubt, looking at doubt in the lives of Luther and the Saints, and talking about the impact that doubt can have in our own lives. Last week we talked about fear, and the hold that it can take over our lives and how it can keep us from stepping out into the kind of life that God is calling us to. We talked about stepping out in spite of fear, and trusting in God to bring us through. In today’s text we meet someone who is doing just that. He’s telling God about his fears and his doubts. <br />Jacob is at the bank of the Jabbok river. The sun has long since gone and the only light around comes from the moon which occasionally peeks out from behind the clouds. Beads of sweat are rolling down his face, not because he is hot, but because he is nervous. His brother Esau is on the way, and things are not looking good. <br />He thinks back to that time, many years ago when Esau came home from working in the field and he found Jacob cooking a pot of lentil stew. Esau has been in the field all day and hunger has gotten the better of him. The rumbling in his stomach has become a full fledged thunderstorm. He’s so hungry, that he believes that he will die without something to eat. Jacob seizes this opportunity. His older brother is the father’s favorite and stands to collect the inheritance when his father dies. With Esau’s life on the line, Jacob sets the price of a bowl of soup at one birthright. Left with no choice Esau hands over his birthright to Jacob for a simple bowl of soup.<br />As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jacob thinks back to the time just before his father died. The father knew that Jacob had duped Esau out of his birthright, so he prepares to give a final blessing to Esau as a way to try to make up for what he has lost. He sends Esau out to make all of the necessary preparations and while he is away Jacob and his mother hatch the first ever identity theft scheme. They put hair on Jacob’s arms so that the blind father will not be able to tell who it is - Jacob slides in, pretending to be Esau, and takes the blessing for himself. As you might imagine, having been cheated a second time, Esau is furious and hatches a plan to kill Jacob. With his mother’s help, Jacob escapes to a distant land, hoping to lay low until Esau’s anger cools. <br />Even though it all happened 20 years ago, it all seems like it happened yesterday. Things haven’t been easy for Jacob since he left. The calluses on his hands bear witness to the hard work that he had done. Jacob has changed and he wanted to make amends. He is on his way back home but he fears that Esau may still hold a grudge against him. So he sent some messengers to Esau, but when those messengers return, they had bad news. Esau is on his way, and he’s coming with 400 of his closest friends. It looks like Esau is planning a bloodbath, not a family reunion. Jacob starts to make contingency plans. He’s divided everything he has into two camps, hoping that if Esau comes upon one and destroys it, the other will remain safe. The only thing left to do now is to wait for Esau’s arrival at the break of day.<br /> How could it be that things would end up like this? He is supposed to be the inheritor of the Abrahamic covenant. He is supposed to get land, and offspring. His name is supposed to live on for generations. But what is all of that now? Esau and his army are closing in, and here he sits – alone – waiting, and doubting God’s promises. <br /> In the Christian faith we sometimes talk about wrestling with God. About how we look at the life around us and compare the life that we experience, with the life that God promises and we see that something is wrong. The two visions don’t line up. How can it be that Mother Theresa could dedicate her life to serving the poorest of the poor and yet feel abandoned by God? How can it be that marriage vows of lifelong faithfulness made before God and a community of faith end up shattered? How can it be that nearly every week we hear another account of an innocent child kidnapped and exploited? How can it be that a land that we call “Holy” can be a place of systematic violence and ethnic cleansing? Back and forth we go, trying to reconcile God’s promises and our experiences and we are left with no choice but to sit down next to Jacob at the bank of the Jabbok and wait.<br /> It is here, on the bank of the Jabbok, that the wrestling can really begin. Jacob looks up, and discovers that he is no longer alone. All of his inner turmoil, all of his frustration, all of that energy take a physical form and Jacob begins to wrestle with God. He battles all night long; grappling, wrangling, hanging on for dear life. Until finally, dawn is beginning to break. A new day is beginning, and the man wants to leave, but Jacob will not let go – not until he receives a blessing.<br /> For several weeks now Pastor John and I have stood up here and stressed the importance of being honest with God about your doubts. I hope that some of you have taken us up on that challenge. If you have, you might find that you can empathize with Jacob. You have been to the bank of the Jabbok, you have told God about your doubts and now you are in that wrestling match. As part of worship today, you will be given an opportunity to give your wrestling a concrete, tangible expression. Off to my left, your right there is a cross, waiting to hear from you. There is paper available in the pews on which you can write your doubts, fears, or struggles in your walk with Christ. During Communion you are invited to come and place that paper on the cross. <br />What kinds of things take you to the bank of the Jabbok river? Is there some relationship in your past that needs to be healed? Maybe there is that part of your life that you just cannot seem to get right. You wrestle with it day after day after day. Some days it feels like you might be getting the upper hand. But other days it seems that all hope is lost. And so you wrestle, long into the night.<br /> Jacob doesn’t walk away from that night unchanged. The scriptures tell us that Jacob was struck on the hip and from that day forward he walked with a limp. But I don’t think that his limp was an impediment so much as it was a testament to the encounter that he had with God. When we ultimately emerge from “the dark night of the soul” we too will be changed. Like Jacob we will have a limp. But this limp is not a disability. It is an opportunity for testimony – a chance to tell others about thee time that you spent wrestling with God. <br /> One of my classmates at the seminary has a son who is in elementary school. He was born with some genetic characteristics which mean that his mind will never develop past roughly the level of a five year old. As you can imagine, this was a bank of the Jabbok moment for my classmate. She spent many nights lying awake staring at the ceiling, wrestling with God. She spent many Sunday mornings unable to worship, only able to ask “Why?” If you fast-forward her story a few years, she is now an advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she works as a consultant to churches who feel a calling to ministry with the developmentally disabled and she has one of the most moving testimonies that you will ever hear. Through her time of wrestling with God, she was left with a limp like Jacob’s. But that limp is now a testimony to God’s power made visible through the many ministries that she has enabled, and all the people who have come to know Jesus because of them. <br /> A few weeks ago we talked about three things that you can do when you are faced with doubts. 1. Acknowledge the doubt; 2. Tell the doubt to God; 3. Tell the doubt to a trusted other. I want to add one more to that list. 4. Testify to what God has brought you through. It can seem paradoxical to tell people about those dark times in our lives. But this is where we can learn a little something from Paul. In 2nd Corinthians he writes that he was given a thorn in the flesh. And that even though he appealed to God three times that it would be taken away – it remained. Then Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Paul finally declares, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” <br /> On the bank of the Jabbok dawn has broken and Jacob looks up and sees Esau coming with his 400 men. He ran out to meet Esau and bowed before him seven times as a way to honor him. But Esau began running towards Jacob and he reached out and gave him a great big hug, held him close, and gave him a kiss. There was no anger there – just a joyful reunion. Though Jacob had feared the worst, he received a great blessing that day.<br /> God is at work in our lives more powerfully than we could ever know. And it is in those darkest of places, where we cannot rely on our own strength – that God’s grace and power are most evident. As disciples of Jesus it is our mission to limp away from our encounters with God – and testify to the power of God who brought us through even the most difficult of circumstances.<br />Let us pray: Loving God, You know the times that we have stayed up all night wrestling with you. You know the ways in which we have been wounded. May our times of weakness be opportunities for testimony to the wonders that you have done. In Jesus name, AmenDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-75684365641217814432007-11-23T14:23:00.000-05:002007-11-23T14:24:06.032-05:00Doubt and FearDoubt, Doubt in the Dark<br />David Hively<br />Nov 10, 11<br />Peace Lutheran Church<br />We have been talking the last few weeks about doubts and how some of our ancestors in the faith have lived with, and actually had their faith strengthened by times of doubt. We talked about Luther came through his times of doubt having learned to trust in God alone, and not in the church or its rituals. We also talked about Mother Theresa and Henri Nouwen and how even though they were respected as very spiritual people, they still felt far from God and ultimately learned that their feelings were not a good measure of the closeness of God. That is, despite their feelings to the contrary, God was with them all the while. Today I want to take us back into the scriptures to look at another topic that is closely related to doubt, fear. Doubt and fear have a reciprocal sort of relationship where they feed on one another, each getting stronger when the other is present. So let’s start out with a bit of trivia. I’ll give you the name of a phobia and you tell me what the fear is:<br />1. Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders<br />2. Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces<br />3. Hydrophobia- Fear of water<br />4. Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners.<br />5. Homilophobia- Fear of sermons.<br />Fear has a very natural and important place in our lives. It is that biological/psychological warning system that gets us ready for fight or flight. It is that part of us that keeps us from the things that would do us harm. It is fear that makes us apply the brakes, or step back from the edge, or put some distance between ourselves and danger. The problem is that fear doesn’t always work for our best interest. It can get mixed up with things that pose no danger to us, and actually keep up from living the kind of life to which God has called us.<br />I’m reminded of the Avalon community swimming pool. One of the greatest attractions there was the high dive. From the perspective of the four foot tall blond kid on the side of the pool, the 12 foot high diving board looked as though it was scraping the<br />clouds. One day my friend Sean got it in his head that HE was going to dive off of that board. I don’t know what possessed him. In my elementary school mind, this was about the dumbest thing that he could do. But up he climbed. He was bold at first, moving quickly. But as he went it took longer and longer to climb each rung of the ladder. The further he got from the ground the less sure he was that he wanted to go through with this. Finally, he reached the top. He started shuffling out to the end of the board. With each tiny step the board got more and more spring and felt less and less certain beneath his feet. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the end of the board. Only his big toes hung off the edge of the board – which by now was bobbing up and down -- even as Sean stood cemented in place, not daring to move a muscle, lest the board begin to bounce even more. So there he stood, dripping wet, the wind rushing past him, afraid of what is to come. Even from the ground you could see him quivering. There he stood, frozen in fear.<br />“Do not be afraid” That is what the scriptures say over and over again. “Do not be afraid.” All through the scriptures people are told not to be afraid. It is often the first thing that an angel says when it appears. These words were spoken to Abraham, Moses, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds tending their flock on that first Christmas night, Paul sitting in jail, the women searching for the body of Jesus on Easter morning, and in today’s reading – the disciples.<br />There is little in this world that can be quite so paralyzing as fear. Sometimes it comes on suddenly and freezes you in place, and you are left, caught like a deer in the headlights. The panic washes over you so quickly that there isn’t time to think, much less act. You will hear survivors talk about their experiences and say, “I just froze, I couldn’t do anything. This is immobilizing fear.<br />But there is another kind of fear, the fear of failure. The slower moving, more sinister variety. This is the kind of fear that is seeded by our doubts. It is the kind of fear that keeps a middle aged person in a job that sucks all the joy out of his life – because they are afraid of the insecurity that comes from a career change. It is this kind of fear that keeps a person locked in an abusive relationship – afraid to reach out to the very people most able to help. It is this kind of fear that keeps a teenager from ever being open enough to allow someone else to see what they are truly like, because they fear<br />being rejected. And this is the kind of fear that builds on itself. Each job opportunity turned down, each phone number not dialed, each social gathering skipped only further cements the fear’s hold on your life.<br />In the scripture text for today we find examples of both manifestations of fear. It is night time on the lake. This is well before streetlights and kerosene lanterns so the only light at night was from the moon and stars, which were covered up by storm clouds. The wind and waves danced about the boat, tossing them to and fro. It has been a long night, in fact, it is nearly morning. On the horizon, the disciples see a figure walking across the waves. Vision blurred by heavy eyelids, stung by raindrops, whipped by the wind, caught in immobilizing fear, the disciples cry out, “It’s a ghost!”<br />It is then that Jesus speaks, “take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” The same voice that a few chapters earlier called out, quieting the wind and waves, repeats that biblical mantra – do not be afraid. The scriptures do not go into much detail about the effect that Jesus words had on the disciples. We do not know if they were calmed in the same way that the wind and the waves were calmed a few chapters earlier. But we do know that Peter wants to literally take things one step further.<br />He wants to get out onto the water with Jesus. Sure enough he steps out of the boat and is able to stand there with Jesus, on top of the waves. But this is where that second type of fear, the fear of failure, takes hold. Maybe he has gone too far. This isn’t natural, something is wrong here! The fear of failure takes over and Peter begins to sink, not just into the water, but into his anxieties and fears. But Jesus does not let him fall. He doesn’t allow Peter to be overcome by the waves. Instead he takes Peter by the hand and lifts him up.<br />It is easier to be courageous in the calm. It is easier to trust God when things are going well. The test of faith comes just before dawn, when the waves are crashing, the wind is howling, and fear has taken hold. It is when our faith is stretched, it is when our trust in God is tried, that we stop clinging to those temporary things that let us down and dissapoint, and learn to focus on Jesus and his promises. Because it is in those moments when we face our deepest fears that we discover just how faithful our God is. That is when the truth of God’s promises is driven home. That is when we come to see our God, and our fears, more clearly.<br />Eventually, Sean jumped off that diving board. I’m not sure what finally made him do it, but he jumped. And once he caught his breath, he swam over to the side of the pool, climbed up the ladder, and went over to do it again. In overcoming his fear, Sean had happened across something that he really enjoyed. It can sound somewhat trivial so many years later, the fear of jumping off a high diving board. But so often in this life we look back over events in our lives and find that the very thing that we were afraid of came to pass, and yet, we were able to come through it. Yes, you were put out of a job, and it was a tough place to be in, but God delivered and has sustained you with something else in its place. Yes that relationship did not work out, and things were rough for a while, but God is blessing you with new people in your life.<br />When a fear of failure causes us to sink, or that immobilizing fear keeps us from even stepping out in the first place – Jesus is there. He is there with a reassuring, “I am.” Who is going to take care of me as I look for a new job? Jesus says, “I am.” Where will I find the strength to walk away from this destructive relationship? Jesus says, “Take my hand.” Will anyone still like me if I show who I truly am? Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, it is me.”<br />This life comes with fears. But in the midst of those fears – God reaches out to us with a supporting hand, and gives us the courage to step out into those dark, doubtful places. And says – take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.<br />Let us pray – Dear God, there is so much in this life that frightens us and causes us to sink. Help us to trust in you, knowing that you will support and sustain us through even the most frightening times in our lives. Give us ears to hear your voice – Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid”Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-26588509759472855062007-10-30T10:40:00.000-04:002007-10-30T10:41:56.089-04:00Doubt, LutherDoubt, Luther<br />October 27th and 28th, 2007 <br />David Hively<br />Peace Lutheran Church<br /><br /><br />Last week we started exploring matters of faith and doubt. We talked about the way that both faith and doubt are present in the lives of believers and how we must not be afraid to deal honestly with the doubts that we have. We talked about the nature of God and how God is far bigger than any belief structure that we can create or comprehend and that we do not need to try to get all of our questions answered before we can start to trust in and rely on God. Finally, we landed on three responses to doubt: <br />1. Acknowledge the doubt, <br />2. Tell your doubts to God.<br />3. Tell your doubts to trusted others in your life. <br />At the turn of the millennium A&E did a special on the most influential people in the past 1,000 years. The list had some pretty incredible names on it. Guttenberg made it to the top of this list, for his invention of the printing press and making books widely available and affordable for the first time. Second was Isaac Newton who earned this spot for his contributions to science, physics, and astronomy. Can you guess who was third? This guy, Martin Luther (the theologian most likely to be mistaken for a civil rights leader.) <br />This weekend is a time set aside by the church for honoring the contributions of Martin Luther, the unwilling founder and namesake of our denomination. It is a time of celebration, a time where we look back with fondness and appreciation for the contributions that Luther made to our understanding of the faith: <br />1. salvation comes from God’s grace alone, not from our works<br />2. We are made right before God by faith alone<br />3. and that the Word alone, not the church, is the final authority.<br />I call him an unwilling founder because I believe that Luther would have been very sad to see a church that bears his name. His intention was never that there would be a break away movement from the Catholic church, but that the church would reform. Sadly, the reforms Luther called for were too much for the church to bear and it caused a division that exists even to this day. <br />We often picture Luther, striding confidently across the square to nail his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg and ignite a theological revolution whose impact is felt to this very day. Or we think of Luther standing before the Diet of Worms with all of his writings spread out on the table before him. He’s been told that if he does not recant that he will be declared an outlaw, thrown out of the most powerful organization on the planet, and condemned to hell. Yet in the face of all of that Luther stands up and says, “Here I stand, I can do no other.” But I don’t think that those images lead us to a very complete picture of Luther because it leaves out everything that led up to those moments. <br /> We don’t hear about the darker side of Luther. We do not hear about the hard times, the struggles he faced. Luther grew up in a very strict home where any disobedience was strictly punished. He recounts one time where he was beaten bloody for the simple crime of stealing a nut. His home was one where the father reigned supreme and sat in harsh judgment – and that is the God that Luther came to know as well. He knew nothing of a God who was gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. No, the God that Luther knew was wrathful and angry; watching over every deed, waiting to smite the lowly human for even the most meager of offences. <br /> This led Luther into a time of great angst and consternation. How was he to reconcile a God who claims to love the world, yet who never seemed to be placated by any amount of good works? The 2003 Luther movie does a good job capturing this part of Luther’s faith journey. In this scene, Luther has just presided over communion for the first time. While doing so, he was so overcome by the presence of God that he dropped the chalice full of wine and fled the sanctuary. The scene picks up that night, after Luther has returned to his cell, and he is arguing with the devil. <br />(video)<br /> Let’s go back to those three steps that we talked about last week. 1. Acknowledge the doubt. Luther was pretty clear about what was holding him back. The scriptures spoke of a God of love and compassion. Yet, Luther didn’t feel that compassion or love – instead, the God that Luther experienced was one of wrath and anger, a God who created imperfect humans and then demanded perfection from them. <br />Second, Luther was honest with God about his doubt. Luther was known to spend more time in prayer and confession than any of his colleagues in the monastery. Luther spent so much time in confession that his confessor actually grew sick of listening to him and told him to come back when he had something interesting to confess. <br />Third, as we saw in the video just a few moments ago, Luther shared his doubt with a trusted other. He was able to tell his confessor at the monastery just what his doubts were and the torment that they were causing in his life. In this case, he was able to draw strength from the advice of his confessor, “Look to Christ. Bind yourself to Christ, and you will know God’s love. Say to him ‘I am yours, save me.’” <br />The confessor’s advice is a paraphrase of the readings for today. From Romans we hear, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are now justified by his grace as a gift.” You see, Luther was going about it all wrong. He was trying to earn God’s love. He wanted to be able to do something that would make God love him more. But that isn’t how it works. Our standing before God does not depend on how many good or bad things we do in a day, a week, or even a lifetime. There are no scales on which you pile up your good and bad deeds, hoping to tip the scales to the good side and earn a pass into God’s eternal favor. <br />Through his time of doubt and questioning, Luther had rediscovered the good news of the faith. This Gospel message had gone un-proclaimed for hundreds of years. But when it was released it stood everything on its head. It gave people the freedom to read the Bible for themselves, to trust in God and not the church for their salvation, and it taught them all that they could have a direct relationship with their God and creator. It was an amazing message 500 years ago, and it still has power today. It has power because it does not place the act of salvation on us. We do not save ourselves through our actions, or our rituals. We do not earn salvation by some prayer that we say, song that we sing, or ritual we perform. We are saved by God’s grace, given to us as a gift out of God’s overflowing love for us. Thanks be to God. <br />Let us pray: God we thank you that even in times of doubt, you are still at work in our lives. Give us the courage to turn out doubts over to you, trusting that you will guide us into your truth. In Jesus name, Amen.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-31032958474565019652007-10-01T10:32:00.000-04:002007-10-01T10:33:30.111-04:00Luke 16:19-31<br />19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” <br /><br /><br />Mark Twain was once famously quoted as saying, “It is not the things about the Bible that I do not understand that bother me most; it is the things in the Bible that I DO understand that bother me most.” This passage bothers me. It bothers me because I know what Lazarus looks like. I know the underpass that he calls home. I’ve seen the layers of clothes that he wears every day because he has no place to leave the extras. I’ve seen Lazarus standing by the side of the off-ramp, pelted by rain, clutching a disintegrating sign which asks me for some help, and then wishes God’s blessing on me. I’ve seen Lazarus, digging through the trash outside my school, looking for something to eat or for cans to exchange for a few cents at the recycling center. But that isn’t all I have seen.<br /> I’ve seen the rich man too. I’ve heard the roar of the engine as he stomps on the gas, racing though a stoplight, lest he be detained and have to lock eyes with Lazarus and read his sign. I’ve seen his fine purple linen – the designer labels and exotic fabrics. I’ve been to the restaurant where he eats each night, the waiters in tuxedos, the napkin starched just so, and meticulously folded into the shape of a swan. A violinist strolls by as the unfolds the calligraphy laced menu, and looks over the multitude of choices. Yes, tonight will be a feast indeed. I have seen the conspicuous consumption, the all consuming desire for the newest, the fastest, the tallest, and the most extravagant. And the fixation on all of those things that steal time and energy from God, family, and Lazarus.<br /> It is not the things about the Bible that I do not understand that bother me most; it is the things in the Bible that I do understand . . . I wonder who I’m like. I search my memory looking for those times where I’ve been the one in need, unable to care for myself – dependent on others for the things that I could not get on my own. I try to tally them up against the times when I have feasted sumptuously and then passed by those who are in need. Am I a Lazarus? The rich man?<br />And then I look around once more and I see a third option - five brothers, the forgotten characters in Jesus’ parable. I see the ones who are the ones left behind, on our side of eternity. It is the brothers who are left to live the life that the rich man left behind. They are stuck - working within the social structure that created the division between the rich man and Lazarus in the first place. I see people who have heard from Moses and the prophets and now see Lazarus at their gates. They have heard from the Pharisees that your economic status is a sign of your spiritual status. The more wealth you have, the better connected you must be to God. Those who are poor deserve to be so, because they are sinners and have not followed God. Yet they also have Zechariah saying, “render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another”(Zechariah 7:9) and Micah telling them that God wants for them “to do justice, love kindness, and walk in humility with God” (Micah 6:8) . This is the road, with all of its pitfalls and obstacles that cause these brothers to stumble.<br /> And as they stumble down this path, we are right there beside them. Stumbling though choices about how we live this life. The pundits say, “This is the land of opportunity! Anyone who is poor just isn’t working hard enough.” And yet Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) What does in mean to serve God by how we spend time and money? How can we not only meet Lazarus’ needs, but do so in a way that is compassionate and caring? What role will we let our checkbook and date book have in how we treat our neighbors? Then we open another book, the Bible, and it is not the things that we do not understand that bother, it is the things that we do understand. <br /> As we walk down this path we are sure to stumble back and forth from feast to famine. From those nights where the family shares a meal around the dinner table and there is enough money left over to buy ice cream - to those days where even though you worked through lunch, there is still work to bring home at night. From a stack of bills too thick for the checking account – to giving generously of our time to organize a food drive. We stumble though life until we are finally welcomed into a very different feast.<br /> At this feast, no one lies outside cold and hungry. At this feast nobody wonders if there will be enough. Nobody takes too much - there is plenty to share. There is no reason to hoard, everyone’s needs are met. Here Jesus is the host, and we gather together as the modern five brothers, united with all of God’s creation in the feast which has no end. And so we gather today, in this place, around this Table, grateful for the guiding love of God and anxious for a foretaste of that promised feast. And we offer thanksgiving not only for this meal, but for the guidance and stamina that God provides along the way. <br />Let us pray: God your handiwork is all around us. Forgive us for those times when we have failed to care for your creation. Forgive us for those times when we have cared for creation, and kept the praise for ourselves. Thank you for the many blessings that you pour into our lives. Help us to release them according to your will. In Jesus name, Amen.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-15682445985099278262007-10-01T10:30:00.000-04:002007-10-01T10:31:39.332-04:00Drive Through Church<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n4QFKS4LzS4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n4QFKS4LzS4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-10579561418570709992007-09-22T01:03:00.000-04:002007-09-22T01:06:12.601-04:00Togo VideoOne of the ways that the mission team to Togo shared their experience with the congregation was to edit the photos together with a song by Casting Crowns. It runs a little over 5 minutes:<br /><br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-1134235322824010607&hl=en" flashvars=""></embed>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-83056241062625589272007-09-21T16:33:00.000-04:002007-09-21T16:36:31.703-04:00Another new lookFor those of you that actually read my blog, you might notice that there is a new layout. I tried to do some tweaking earlier and the whole thing sorta fell apart on me. So, this is a nice clean start. I have lost a lot of the little side features that were here before - some of them will be coming back, and some of them will not. But for now, there is one new feature, on the left hand side under 'peace pods' are audio recordings of recent sermons from my internship site. Right now the only one that belongs to me is "Searching for the one." It begins with a skit that was written to help introduce the sermon topic. <br /><br />Look for more changes to come.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-65782330735957702862007-09-13T11:28:00.000-04:002007-09-18T15:03:34.019-04:0016th Sunday after Pentecost C<p class="MsoNormal">Sept 15<sup>th</sup> and 16<sup>th</sup>, 2007</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Peace</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Lutheran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal">16<sup>th</sup> Sunday after Pentecost, year C</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Texts: Psalm 139, Luke 15:1-10</p> <p class="MsoNormal">David Hively</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in; line-height: 200%;">Sooner or later, you have to make <u>that</u> call.<span style=""> </span>And much like the character in this morning's skit, you almost begin the call with a sigh. <span style=""> </span>You dial customer support knowing that you are going to be on hold.<span style=""> </span>The best thing that you can do is pay close attention as you are given the choices, “press 1 if you have a question about your account, press 2 if you require assistance in setting up your new Uni-glom gizmo,” because the last thing you want is to finally emerge from the nearly endless hold cycle and discover that you have directed yourself to the wrong department.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>You may also have run into this frustration if you have filled out an application, for a job, for college, or a home loan.<span style=""> </span>The application wants to know your credit score, your SAT score, and all sorts of other information.<span style=""> </span>Yet when you get to the <u>bottom</u> of the last page, even with all the data that you painstakingly entered, they still have no idea who you <i style="">really</i> are.<span style=""> </span>They don’t know about the person who gives up every <u>Tuesday</u> afternoon to lead the cub scout pack, or the teen who passes up a <u>Friday</u> night party, just to study and keep their grades up, or the person who earnestly <u>prays</u> every night for the safety of loved ones how have moved far away.<span style=""> </span>The real you is lost in all of that, hidden in cheesy hold music and little bubbles filled out with a number 2 pencil.<span style=""> </span>Yet you are identified by far more impersonal things: your social security number, your drivers’ license or student ID, and that ever so valuable customer rewards card number – the one that gets you 25 cents off of garbanzo beans.<span style=""> </span>But you are more than just a number, aren’t you? </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">In the Gospel text for today, Jesus hears grumbling from the Pharisees and scribes.<span style=""> </span>They are upset because Jesus was eating with sinners.<span style=""> </span>Why would a holy man do such a thing?<span style=""> </span>Why would someone who has such a good grasp of the <u>Law</u> defile himself by interacting socially with the outcasts?<span style=""> </span>After all, <u>birds</u> of a feather flock together, right?<span style=""> </span>Doesn’t one bad <u>apple</u> spoil the bunch?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>To answer their questions Jesus tells two parables with one theme – restoration of the lost one.<span style=""> </span>First, he tells them about the seemingly reckless shepherd.<span style=""> </span>This shepherd had 100 sheep, but then realizes that one of the sheep is missing.<span style=""> </span>So he leaves his 99 other sheep behind <i style="">in the wilderness, not the safety of a pen,</i> to go out and find that one lost sheep.<span style=""> </span>Instead of waiting for that sheep to find its own way back, the shepherd actively searches for the sheep – leaving the others to fend for themselves.<span style=""> </span>99 was not enough, it wasn’t complete.<span style=""> </span>The sheep was restored by the actions of the shepherd, he went out searching for the one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>His next parable is about an old widow.<span style=""> </span>And just so that nobody gets the mistaken idea that these parables are about the lost finding their own way home, the lost item in <i style="">this</i> parable is a coin.<span style=""> </span>She had 10, but now one of them is nowhere to be found, and unlike the sheep, the coin could <b style="">not</b> have wandered away.<span style=""> </span>But still image is there, the woman tears her house apart searching for the missing coin.<span style=""> </span>And finally, the coin is restored because the widow went searching for the one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In each of these parables, the <u>caretaker comes looking</u> for the lost.<span style=""> </span>The shepherd does not leave the sheep to fend for itself or expect it to find its own way back.<span style=""> </span>Nor does the woman give up on the coin saying, “It will turn up.”<span style=""> </span>In both of these parables there is an active searching for the lost.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">With all of this talk about searching Jesus introduces the Pharisees and scribes to one of the most amazing aspects of our God: the pursuing God.<span style=""> </span>Each one of God’s children matters and he will go out in pursuit of those who are lost.<span style=""> </span>God doesn’t play numbers games when it comes to his children.<span style=""> </span>And when any of these precious ones turn up missing, we are actively sought out – not asked to find our own way back.<span style=""> </span>Just as the shepherd sought the one sheep and the woman sought the one coin, ------<span style=""> </span>so our God seeks the one.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In a world where we are increasingly identified by some number or card, our God offers something different. He knows <b style="">you</b> intimately; treats you as an individual, with a value all your own.<span style=""> </span>God knows when you sit and when you rise.<span style=""> </span>He discerns your thoughts from afar.<span style=""> </span>He has searched out our path and knows all of your ways.<span style=""> </span>Before a word is even on your tongue, God knows it completely.<span style=""> </span>And this same God will come searching for <b style="">you</b>.<span style=""> </span>When that person in your small group or triad reaches out to you – that’s the pursuing God at work.<span style=""> </span>When you have that ‘chance’ encounter with someone who offers just the words that you needed to hear – God is pursuing you.<span style=""> </span>When you have had an awful day and you are driving home, tired and discouraged, and that perfect song comes on the radio – God is searching for you.<span style=""> </span>He does not stand far off, waiting for you to get your act together, to sort your life out and find our own way back.<span style=""> </span>God is searching for the one, searching for you, longing to restore that complete relationship to you. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Let us pray:<span style=""> </span>God we thank you that you treat us like more than a number, that you come recklessly searching for the one, searching for us.<span style=""> </span>Give us the patience and strength to listen for you when you come searching.<span style=""> </span>In Jesus name, Amen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-77244659023752000332007-09-01T10:53:00.000-04:002007-09-01T11:02:15.584-04:00Your call is important to usThey say that moving is one of the most stressful things that a person can do. I'm starting to get a handle on why. Even once you compress your life into a series of small, easy to carry boxes, and then unpack these boxes again in a new location, there are a host of frustrations to deal with. The one that is particularly frustrating to me right now is trying to set up my utilities. So far, I have had to be on hold with the electric company, the phone and internet company, two different cable providers, and the people who made my wireless router. I have done a lot of waiting. I waited for 5 hours for my phone and internet to be installed. I waited for 7 hours for dish network to get to my townhouse and tell me that they needed landlord permission to install the dish and that even if I got that, I'd have lousy reception. Then I waited on hold with direct tv because their web site crashed just ask I was trying to schedule that installation. But their computers were down, so I needed to wait by the phone for them to call back sometime the next morning. Then I waited on hold with the Belkin (the people who made my wireless router) technical support. After being on hold for 25 min, a soft spoken person who spoke very little English informed me that all the technicians are busy and that he would take my number and a technician would call me back in about 20 or 25 minutes. Well, it is now an hour later and still no call. Of course, all of this is keeping me from getting to my bank and finding out why it is that the check card that they sent me refuses to work. So, as I write this I'm calling Belkin back on my cell phone, hoping that at some point I will speak to someone who meets two criteria: they speak English and they can help. But I'm not holding my breath.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-59083567412025021792007-08-31T11:04:00.001-04:002007-08-31T11:04:48.183-04:00Sermon on Luke 13:10-17<div style="margin: 1ex;"> <div> <h2><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><b>David Hively</b></span></h2> <h2><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><b>August 25 and 26, 2007</b></span></h2> <h2><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><b>Luke 13:10-17</b></span></h2> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><sup>10</sup>Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. <sup>11</sup>And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. <sup> 12</sup>When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” <sup>13</sup>When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. <sup> 14</sup>But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” <sup>15</sup>But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? <sup> 16</sup>And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” <sup>17</sup>When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. </span><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Let us pray,</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Open our ears to hear your Word. Open our minds to understand it. Open our hearts to embrace it. And open the door, that we may carry it forth. In Jesus name, Amen.</span><br /></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">During the time that our team spent in Togo we were privileged to meet a great number of people. But one of the people with whom I formed a special bond was Pastor Evie. This roughly 5’8” man had an always present smile and a heart that was overflowing with love for God and love for others. He is a soft-spoken man, but in that way that makes you want to listen even more closely for what he was going to say next. One afternoon, as the medical clinic was beginning to wrap up for the day Pastor Evie and I spent some time talking about similarities and differences between life on our respective continents. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Pastor Evie, like many of our hosts in Togo, had a rather <b><u>idealized</u></b> image of America. So it was hard for him to believe when I told him that there were many things about life in Togo that I wish Americans would learn. One of the things that I noticed while in Togo is that there were many unattended children. It was not uncommon there for children to be seen alone. They may walk several kilometers, unaccompanied by an adult to go to school, to the market, or just to get water. I explained to him that this was not the case in America and that parents, especially in public places like the markets, would never leave their children unattended. They keep them very close for fear of kidnapping. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Another difference that we discussed was a difference in people’s posture in public. As we traveled across through the markets and towns in Togo and Ghana we noticed that everyone had their head up and was looking around. There was lots of waving back and forth and greeting one another. Even when we passed by on the bus, often people would smile and wave. Pastor Evie told me that this is a very common thing and it was not just the novelty of white faces which drew people’s attention. As we quickly discovered in Togo, relationship is infinitely more valuable than time. So when you are out in public, and you come across someone you know, you stop, take time, and have an actual conversation. You ask about their family, about their work. You cultivate the relationship. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">But in America things are different. Often we do not walk with our heads up looking around for people to wave to or to greet. Instead we have a different posture: head tilted down, eyes averted from looking directly at anyone. And the little voice inside you saying, “I just need to get in and get out;” “I hate going to the store, especially at this time of day, it is always so crowded;” “I didn’t get a chance to change after my morning work out, I hope that I don’t run into anyone that I recognize.” Eyes cast down, avoiding contact - hoping, praying that you don’t have to stop and talk to anyone. Weighed down by the heavy cares and burdens of society. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">This is just the posture in which Jesus encounters a woman in today’s text. The text tells us that she has been weighed down by a spirit that had crippled her for 18 years. Could you imagine that? Going through life physically unable to look someone in the eye – to make that human to human connection? We talk about this as a healing story – and it is. But it is more than just a story about physical healing. It is a story about social healing as well. This disease separated the woman from those around her and kept her from experiencing the fullness of life and community. And yet, we impose this separation on ourselves. We “keep to ourselves.” In public places our eyes are cast downward, refusing to meet the eye of our neighbor. Perhaps because we are in a hurry. Perhaps because we are afraid. Maybe even because, like the woman that Jesus healed, there is something inside, weighing you down, keeping you from lifting up your eyes: some secret, some story you are ashamed to tell, something for which you have not yet forgiven yourself, something weighing you down.</span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Jesus encounters this woman, hunched over, bent low by the weight of the world – and for 18 years nobody was able to help her. And if the Pharisees had their wish, it would have been 18 years and 1 day. It was the Sabbath, the day set aside by God for rest. The rules and religious order of they day said that Jesus had no business healing this woman on the Sabbath, but Jesus saw something different.” Jesus does not see her as just another woman, as someone else who wants his time. He does not see her as a conflict between his mission of healing and the religious laws of the day. But Jesus sees her as a beloved child of God, an heiress of the covenant never to leave or forsake. Look at how he talks about the woman – “Daughter of Abraham.” He sees her as a person with dignity and value, someone who is loved by God. And he heals her. He tells her to stand upright, to lift up her head and for the first time in many years, meet the eyes of her neighbors. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> I wonder how our lives would be different if we stood up too. What if we peeled our eyes off of the floor and saw just who God has placed all around us? What if we let God take that weight off of our shoulders? Sons and Daughters of Abraham, lift up your eyes. Straighten up your backs. The same healing power that was at work in that woman 2,000 years ago is still at work today. There is no burden to big for God, no wound too deep to be healed. Not only are you precious to God, but God has filled your life with other precious people. Other people whom God has blessed with gifts and talents which make life richer and this world a more wonderful place to live. Look around you and see the beauty of God’s creation. Lock eyes with your neighbor. This interaction, the spark that happens as two people’s eyes lock – this is the beginning of community. We take the first step toward the sort of relationships to which God has called us. In the faces gathered around us, we see the face of Jesus. We see the face of one who took on our frail, bent over form, and now invites us into a fuller life in relationship with those around us. </span><br /></p> <p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Let us pray,</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">We thank you God that you have promised to free us from our burdens. Give us the courage to trust in you and to risk relationship with your precious children. In Jesus name, Amen.</span></p> </div> </div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-75175924568748697512007-08-31T10:10:00.000-04:002007-08-31T10:32:25.315-04:00Togo 8/15/078/15/07<br /><br />Happy Birthday Kevin, sorry no birthday call this year.<br /><br />10am I have spent much of the morning working on the floor of the clinic. The noise of the crowd can be very disorienting. With at least three different languages being spoken it is amazing how much communication actually occurs. I have learned a few French and Ewe phrases which help in basic exchanges. However, when the conversation gets much past formalities, I'm pretty well lost.<br />The Togoleese seem to realize that we will be leaving soon. Pastor Evie has joked that he is going to fly back to America with me. He wants to sit on my lap on the plane. <br />I am concerned about the women's conference later today. Some of the women are going and at least one of them seems to be itching for a fight. I will be really surprised if something doesn't set her off. Those who will travel this afternoon are meeting to formulate a message to deliver to the women's conference. They are going under so many conditions though, I pray that they will actually have a chance to deliver their message.<br /><br />5:30 Today ended up being a very rewarding day. There were many children at the clinic today and they were younger in age as well. They also seemed to be more aggressive than in previous days - hitting and kicking each other. Maybe it is just a few that are sticking out like a sore thumb. Today, even more than other days the children responded very well to music - especially songs with clapping and motions. I am amazed at how quickly they have been able to pick up the words, especially since it cannot be much more than babble to them.<br /> After we returned from lunch, we found that the situation int he clinic had gone downhill quickly. A combination of medicine shortage and line jumping had led to a huge backlog. With 1/2 the team, including Dr. Nancy en route to Ghana, this was a problem. Through an interpreter I was able to find out the source of hte problem and we went out to get more medicine. We also had to get security to reset the chairs for the people who were waiting to see the doctor since most of their chairs had been moved to the pharmacy line. After about 45 minutes and a fresh supply of medicine, order was restored.<br />As the day drew to a close, we ran out of ideas and energy for the children's ministry. Once we packed that up one of the older Togoleese girls took control and got the children organized and singing. It was a small, quiet group at first, but it soon grew to include nearly all of the children. They sang many songs for us, mostly in English including Blessed Be, Allelu-Allelu, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High, and Let it Be. It was a really wonderful sight to behold. I really felt like I had left them with something that would last longer than any material gift that I could have brought.<br />The ladies are still not back from Ghana, but I think we all expected that. Some people on the team think that we are bing lied to about times and distances, but I am really coming to believe that our hosts have very little concept of distance or time. I prefer to think that this is the case, anyway. I hope that these issues with time to do not translate into difficulty getting to our plane on time. There is not another flight out of Togo for three days. I am really starting to look forward to the comforts of home, and talking with Robyn and my family and friends again.<br /><br />11pm Tonight we had an opportunity to finally sit, relax, debrief, and enjoy each other's company. In turn each of us had a chance to talk about the best parts of the trip and about our learnings. Many of the women who traveled to Ghana spoke of that was the highlight of their trip. We also talked about how we had fallen short in two important areas: prayer and cultural sensitivity.<br />Oh, right, the women all returned safely and with great joy. As it turns out, the distances and times were about what what was promised. Since they were meeting with the bishop there was considerable pomp and circumstance. But they were able to deliver a powerful message, even those with a fear of public speaking. <br />After tonight's meeting I feel very affirmed. I was thanked for my pastoral presence and my pleasant attitude. One person told me that I have patience and wisdom beyond my years. When i mentioned how I had learned that the things which happen in life but seem to be random are actually a part of God's plan, John said that I had the outline for a good sermon there and that he would like for me to preach that at Peace sometime.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-19285335280590120672007-08-30T12:17:00.000-04:002007-08-30T12:48:05.719-04:00Togo Journal 8/14/07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1027/1278023352_027dc9bd81.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1027/1278023352_027dc9bd81.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/1278015562_3187738ddc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/1278015562_3187738ddc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/1278007174_5c01c2617a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/1278007174_5c01c2617a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />8-14-2007<br />6:30am<br />This trip has gotten me thinking a lot about servant leadership. Pastor Guidi has done an amazing job of seeing that we, as guests, are served at every hour of the day. What has been troubling though is th way that he seems to have absolute control over everything that happens here. During worship he was like a Sultan, simple gestures and glances sent minions scurrying. There is a very rigid social structure here and the pastor is clearly on top.<br />As a group we have been feeling rather used. It seems like there is a lot of status to be gained for the people that we go to visit and that Pastor Guidi is using us to advance his own cause. By contrast we would like to spend time and develop relationship with these people. It has been delicate work trying to find an appropriate balance.<br /><br />12:45<br />Today has proven to be an interesting day. I spent the first few hour making balloon animals for the children. It was a mad house. It was great to see all the smiles on their faces. They were very excited and kept crowding in. Some of the children were taking the uninflated balloons and trying to inflate them by mouth. This, of course is no easy task. But I really hope that I don't end up getting sick from using those balloons.<br />I was called away from the children's ministry to meet again with Francis. We spent about 30 minutes chatting, just the two of us. Then the whole group talked with him about the trip to Ghana. Last night, as a group we decided not to go. But our hosts did not like that decision and Francis and Pastor Guidi attempted to persuade us differently.<br />The group was of a divided mind on the issue. There were good reason to go and good reasons not to go. The debate continued into lunch, so we took time to pray. After some time in prayer six women said that they were feeling called to go. This was significant because some of them had been dead set against going just a few minutes before. They plan to travel with Peter as an interpreter. After some hard bargaining and praying we seem to have come across a workable solution.<br />The group is still bonded well, but patience with some of the cultural differences that we are encountering is beginning to wear thin.<br />After lunch I had a chance to do some shopping. I am having a shirt hand tailored from a fabric that I chose. It is going to be about 6,000 CFA which is roughly $11USD.<br /><br />9:00<br />Today some people on the team seem to have really hit a breaking point. It seems that the relational dynamic has swung the other way. We have people who are laying out demands and making judgments from a narrow western perspective. We continue to have trouble separating our values from what is going on in the clinic.<br />One of the things that I discovered today was that this relationship between Peace and Togo was first established by the former Associate Pastor at Peace, Greg. There are a lot of issues surrounding Greg, not the least of which is co-dependency. From a Systems perspective as we have tried to establish boundaries and move from an enmeshed relationship, Pastor Guidi pulls back all the harder, trying to correct the equilibrium.<br />This afternoon we had a visit from the Deputy US Ambassador to Togo. I did not stay for much of the conversation, but this must have been a big deal. The people who did sit and chat with him were grateful for the time that they spent together and the insights that he was able to offer about Togolesse culture and the relationship between the US and Togo. One of the other things that we found out is that the Deputy Ambassador never travels outside of Lome' after dark because of safety concerns. We blew that one on our first full day in Togo.<br />This evening we broke into groups to visit the house church satellite locations. This was a very positive experience. I got a chance to see every day life and living in Togo. This is a big part of what I hoped to get out of this trip.<br />One of the big issues with which the Togoleese church is dealing with is idol worship and demon possession. Francis told me about people, who in the process of being exorcised displayed amazing physical phenemona: a bat flying out of the mouth , writing on the ground like a snake, and the like. The accounts seem fantastic but I don't know of a reason why Francis would not be honest with me.<br />I also had a conversation tonight with Pastor Evie. He told about how he used to be Roman Catholic. When I asked why he left, he said that he had started to read the Bible and God showed him that what was going on there was not good, that they were worshiping idols. My first thought was that he was speaking of statues of saints or Mary. But apparently the Catholic church has been endorsing some native tribal practices such as offering animal sacrifices to trees and rivers.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-16549207911301704132007-08-29T14:42:00.001-04:002007-08-29T15:32:56.195-04:00Togo 8/13/07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1081/1269451668_5663d82fb7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1081/1269451668_5663d82fb7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/1268573125_d04538b463.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/1268573125_d04538b463.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/1268548925_500f2d84ba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/1268548925_500f2d84ba.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1359/1269425456_b1d9405ec1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1359/1269425456_b1d9405ec1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />8/13/07<br /><br />Today was the first clinic day. We were to begin at 8am, but due to some complications the doctors did not begin to see patients until 10. there was a big opening ceremony complete with a visit from a representative of the ministry of health. He, John, and Nancy cut the ribbon and we were finally set to go.<br />Things seem to be going quite well. There have been some language differences and some complications in the pharmacy. Contrary to expectations there are five doctors, not two and three pharmacists, not none. However, the local pharmacists were unfamiliar with the powdered form of amoxicillin. They were dispensing it dry, but it needs to be mixed with 88ml of water. I'm not sure how any of these people are going to measure 88ml of water.<br />This afternoon I found out why I have been being introduced as Pastor David. Pastor Guidi took John and Nancy to do an interview on a live radio show. Nancy and John agreed that I should be the one to speak for the group and to be "in charge" in their absence. Though I have only today to call clinic experience the locals approached me with the utmost respect since I am seen as 3rd in command. So, I can say that for at least a few hours, I was running a medical clinic in Togo. But in reality, I was more of a figure head and all the decisions that needed to be made were made as a group.<br />One of the most amazing things to watch at the clinic is the prayer station. The local leaders of the congregation have selected about seven "prayer warriors." It is their job to pray all day - for the clinic, for the doctors, for the patients, just to pray. And pray they did - in a very animated, pentecostal sort of way. I have spent a good bit of time today in prayer as well. But I have been much quieter, playing guitar and praying the daily office from the book of common prayer.<br />I also had a chance today to meet Francis, the assistant to Bishop Legay, in Ghana. We spoke for a while about the similarities and differences between our cultures. In hopes of finding some answers regarding the questions that the group had raised about the comparative wealth of pastors in Togo, I began to ask him some questions. I told him about my time at David Lutheran where I was expected to wear a sports coat to worship on Sundays, but how I would never do something like that in Adamsville because I would not have been trusted dressed like that. He explained that pastors in Africa get dressed up for special events. Since receiving visitors like us is so special to them, everyone we met has been dressed nicely. When they go out into the poorer regions, they dress more simply, in a way that would not be out of place in that village. Here, in the captial, among the richest and most successful people in the country a pastor must maintain a certain public image in order to be taken seriously. I plan on sharing this info with our group tonight. I expect that it will help to ease their tensions.<br />While we were still speaking I decided to continue Dr. Powell's experiment regarding the parable of the prodigal son. He told our class once that in Africa, people more closely identify with the person in the ditch, the one who needs help. Where as western Christians tend to think of themselves as the Samaritan, the one who is offering help. However, this particular African understood the story in the "western" way.<br />This afternoon, while John and Nancy were away, a woman came into the clinic with a very ill child. A nurse saw the woman n the reception area and wanted to take her immediately but could not for fear of cultural ramifications. She suggester, however, that I, as a pastor, could skip this woman to the head of the line and that would be acceptable. So, i took her to the head of the line and the baby was seen a short time later. When she was done with the doctor, several people from the team gathered to pray over the baby. By th end of the prayer there was an observable difference in the child.<br />Today I also had a chance to learn a little ewe (pronounced "AY-way"). "Ay-fwa" means "Have you awoken well?" to which the affirmative response is "enh!"<br />10:15<br />I am continually astounded by the work that God is doing - on this mission and in my life. This evening we were able to sit down with Pastor Guidi and be clear about our expectations. This has meant canceling some events, but we believe that it will lead to a chance to have more meaningful interactions with the people that we meet.<br />Our plan is to visit churches in Lome' tomorrow. We are going to divide the team into four groups. One group will stay home and rest, John will lead one group, Nancy will lead the second, and I will lead the third group. We plan to go and greet these outlying house churches as representatives of Peace Lutheran Church.<br />I am so grateful for the time that I have spent here and all that I have learned about ministry and about myself. It is my prayer that I will be able to continue this growth once returning to the States. Tomorrow should be another amazing day!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-91049502399074941392007-08-24T13:20:00.000-04:002007-08-24T13:53:06.111-04:00Togo Day 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1353/1223752219_f7da6bad25.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1353/1223752219_f7da6bad25.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1039/1223750457_9b7f10a444.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1039/1223750457_9b7f10a444.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/1223749003_1b5082af2c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/1223749003_1b5082af2c.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />8-12-07<br /><br /> Worship today was awesome! Bill and I overslept and so we missed most of breakfast and I didn't get to shower. Good thing we are all loaded up with bug spray - that way, nobody can tell.<br /> John and I were taken to the church early so that we could prepare. John got ready to preach and I began making a vase and flowers out of balloons. Some members of the congregation wanted to be helpful, but they spoke no english. I was able to mime the action of pumping up the balloons and pull out the color that I wanted next. It was somewhat frustrating, but it all worked out ok.<br /> At worship, we were once again given places of honor and I ended up in the front row with Dr. Nancy, John, Leslie, Pastor Guidi and his wife, Agnes. Worship took a full 4 hours but it seemed to fly by. The pointed the fans at us and gave us towels and bottled water to help us battle the heat.<br /> Pastor John preached a great sermon based on the life of Joseph. He spoke of how "chance" meetings are often arranged by God and that God uses these interactions to bless us or to help us bless others. Pastor Peter did the translating for him. He has a special place in my heart. Peter is filled with an unquenchable joy.<br /> During worship we were able to offer a song. We sang "Blessed Be." The congregation seemed to catch on rather quickly to the melody, but the associated motions were just too much. It was a real blast though.<br /> As worship came to a close we were all presented with sashes which bear American and Togoleese flags and "Peace Lutheran Church" What a blessing! These were all hand woven and very nice. I'm thinking about how mine might one day be transformed into a stole.<br /> After worship we were greeted with refreshments - Coke, Fanta, and fresh coconut. After that we piled into cars and headed toward "downtown" Lome' There we ate a a tourist friendly restaurant. The menu was in French and German. Our translators had difficulty with some of the French words and it just so happened that those were the parts in the German menu that I was able to translate. Imagine that, using German language skills in Togo! We ate a very fine meal there with many of the luxuries of home.<br /> After lunch we went back to the church and met with Pastor Guidi and the elders. They spoke of their thanks and of their plans for th future. They want to launch a radio station. It will cost them $35,000 USD and they expect it to bring in $4,500 USD per month. I like their big thinking, but I can't imagine that if a radio station were that big of a money maker, the market would not already be saturated. With those numbers, they will have made back the investment in 8 months.<br /> When the meeting ended, we began the children's ministry with orphans and children from Pastor Guidi's church. We were planning on only having 30-40 kids, but there were actually closer to 400! So, on the fly we changed plans and put on a sort of variety show. A lot of the leadership fell into my lap because of my musical abilities. It was exhausting, but I loved every minute of it. It was great to have a chance to do something that I am good at.<br /> When all of the children left, we met with the doctors for the clinic and decided how to arrange the space. We had lost of local help in setting up, so that process went rather quickly.<br /> At the end of the day we finally had a chance to debrief as a team. There were concerns raised about pastor Guidi's desire for money and the comparatively opulent lifestyle that he leads when compared to members of his congregation. John explained this as a cultural difference not unlike our experience with the goat yesterday.<br /> I spent the last part of the day talking over a variety of issues with Bill, my roommate. We have a lot in common, so he is pretty easy to talk to.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-83230468184633357052007-08-23T14:41:00.000-04:002007-08-23T15:34:32.335-04:00Togo Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1216373554_78efae3d92.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1216373554_78efae3d92.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1311/1215512747_901d2c5d9b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1311/1215512747_901d2c5d9b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/1215548131_68da114702.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/1215548131_68da114702.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1373/1216381394_bcba67dbc8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1373/1216381394_bcba67dbc8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />8/11/07<br /><br />Book of Common Prayer - Proper 13<br />Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleans and defend your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.<br /><br />7:40am<br />Morning got off to another rough start. Again this morning the shower had only one knob. This sprayed COLD water, but only sometimes. The pressure came and went, came and went, then finally went, just as I got all soaped up. Not to worry tough. I finished my "shower" with water from the single faucet in the sink.<br /><br />Missing Robyn :-( especially today.<br /><br />11:15pm<br /> Another long day in the bus. We visited 2 churches today. The first was in Pastor Guidi's hometown in Ghana. We were supposed to go there last night. Apparently they had thousands of people there waiting to welcome us. This morning's crowd was quite a bit smaller. Again we were welcomed with drums and singing and dancing. But this time when Pastor Guidi did the introductions, he spoke about how hard John works and how grateful they are that God had raise up a new assistant "Pastor David!" That was strange to hear. I had never considered myself to be an answer to prayer before. For the rest of the journey all of the Togoleese have been calling me "Pastor David."<br /> In that town we also had a chance to meet the village chief. He wore a bright print draped on his body like a toga. He also held a staff with a huge gold something on the top, which was our cue that this was someone important that we should be introduced to. He was not a Christian, but he and the village elders came out to offer greetings to us just the same.<br /> As it came time to leave the village we were presented with gifts of coconuts, bananas, soy beans and pears. We gave some gifts in return: perfume, purses, a soccer ball, and other children's items. As we were pulling away, we brought out of the bus a box of empty water bottles, hoping that someone would dispose of them. But the children of the village seized upon them and fought one another viciously for them. I'm not sure why they were so valuable. I have not seen any Africans drinking out of these bottles. Maybe it was just that the Americans had them. But this was a real reminder of the importance of dispersing gifts through the proper channels.<br /> At the next church we met pastors from many places. They were having a retreat there. This church was in a more urban area and had audio amplification, a keyboard, drumset - the works! Our reception there was especially warm. During one of the songs Pastor Peter took me out front and taught me "African Dancing." It looks a little like the chicken dance. I think that the other David got it on video, but I am assured that I danced well. I suppose that there is a first time for everything!<br /> When it came time to leave, we were once again presented with gifts. This time there were more bananas, coconuts, and also a live goat. The goat really upset some people in the group. It rode the whole way back to Lome' (another 10 hours or so) on the roof of the bus.<br /> By now it was almost 1:30 and we stopped at a restaurant to eat. It is hard to believe that in just two days I have come to regard pop as a special treat. One woman cooked for our group of more than 20 people in a little tiny kitchen. The service was slow, but the food was very good.<br /> Looking back, I think I made a mistake at lunch. One of the local missionaries in training came up to me and said, "May I have your email address? I would like to be your friend." What I gave him my email. What I have found out since is that these relationships tend to foster dependency and should be avoided. I guess you live and learn.<br /> After lunch it was time to begin our return to Lome'. along the way a flat tire gave us a chance to mingle with some more locals. We gave the children a playground ball and were back on our way.<br /> Border crossing this time was much easier and took only 1 hour. We traveled a little further to a major city between Lome' and the border, Parliament. Here we bough dinner and got the tire fixed. As we were waiting on the tire, I got a small taste of home. Gideon and Pastor Frank called me into an electronic shop where they were watching WWE. Gideon know John Cena, "He is a very strong fighter." I took their picture in front of the TV. It is one of my favorite shots so far. I explained to them that I have seen one of these shows live and that these are actors - the violence is not real. It was a special treat, and it made me think of Robyn, especially on our day!<br /> I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I'm willing to bet that it will be another long day.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687012.post-39691720427815064312007-08-22T13:39:00.000-04:002007-08-22T14:12:49.888-04:00Togo - Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1435/1204012507_5d0b54bcab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1435/1204012507_5d0b54bcab.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1290/1204010719_b7887f0465.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1290/1204010719_b7887f0465.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1151/1204009093_6fff8e9464.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1151/1204009093_6fff8e9464.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />7am<br /> There is an art to getting ready in the morning. You have to go slowly and think about your next move. It looks like it rained last night, which is good because it is not too hot out right now. Actually, it has been cooler here that it was when we left Charlottesville. The mornings here is very peaceful. The only sounds are the birds (including roosters) and the occasional vespa.<br /> Everyone seems to be healthy so far. I pray that God continues to watch over, protect, and guide us.<br /> From this morning's lectionary reading: Acts 1:8 - You will recieve power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and you will be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.<br /><br />10am<br /> We went to the internet cafe to tell everyone that we got here safely. John, Bill and Pastor Guidi went inside while the rest of us remained on the bus. We were swarmed by people trying to sell stuff. We were offered all sorts of stuff including some voodoo statues. We did buy some extra towels to supplement the one per room that the hotel offers. We must have looked like a gold mine - a bus full of white Americans. I'm so grateful for the protection of our Togoleese escorts.<br /><br />11:45pm<br /> Wow! What a long and tiring day. Breakfast "began" at 7, so it was an early morning. Setting the tone for the rest of the day, breakfast actually started about 7:40 and ran for well over an hour. They just kept bringing out more food and insisting that we eat.<br /> We spent the better part of the morning running errands in Lome'. It was time-consuming but allowed us a chance to interact with our Togoleese neighbors. I spent some time playing guitar while we waited, much to the delight of the locals. They really seem to like "Blessed Be"<br /> About mid-day we set out for the "interior" of Togo. This is the part of the country that is more rural and less impacted by western influences. After a long drive on somewhat sketchy roads we finally arrived at "Rock of Salvation" church. We were once again greeted very warmly and offered cold drinks and snacks. We did not get to stay too long, so after brief introductions, a greeting from John and a song or two we were back on the bus.<br /> This time we were headed for an orphanage. I thought that the first church that we went was way back and on tough roads, well, the orphanage was way worse. I'm not sure how the driver got the bus through some of those tough spots. The children at the orphanage were thrilled to see us. The delighted squeals of child cross all language barriers. We had a chance to see the tiny space in which they have classes and worship. Though it was small, the view was outstanding! We were WAY up on the top of a hill overlooking the Ghana/Togo border.<br /> When I say we were at an orphanage, that isn't quite right. We went to a place with orphans. But instead of having one central place where they all lived, each child lived in a different foster house. While this seems like a better solution, we found out that the foster families often do not care for the children well. Foster children are only allowed to eat after the rest of the family has eaten. And in a developing nation like Togo, there is not much spare food to go around. The leaders in the village are hoping to collect $400 to buy the land necessary to build a legitimate orphanage.<br /> We had a very brief chance to interact with the children, they sang a song and then, after John spoke, we got out the parachute and played with that. It was controlled chaos, but a lot of fun. After all too short a time we had to pack up again and leave.<br /> It really is a good thing that we had such a large breakfast, because that turned out to be the last meal of the day. We spent the last six hours of the day coming back down the mountain and trying to pass from Togo to Ghana. We had already secured Visas to travel between the countries but there was new paperwork to be done once we arrived. The Togo border wasn't too bad, but it still took an hour to get across the border. That seemed bad until we tried to enter Ghana. Again there was paperwork, but there was also questions about the nationality of our escorts and some bribes were necessary to get through. That process took another 2 hours. We thought we were finally on our way, then we came upon the checkpoint to get onto "Ghana road." That meant another 45 minute delay and another bribe.<br /> During all of the waiting I had an opportunity to lead some worship songs on guitar. It is funny how context can give familiar words a new, refreshing meaning. We even discoverd that some of the songs that we know, our hosts know in French. So we sang "Father I Adore You" and then they sang it back to us in French.<br /> I am very grateful for the work and the leadership of Pastor Guidi, who has been orchestrating this whole trip. God has brought us safely through another day. I pray that he will continue to order our steps and smooth our paths. <img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/DAVIDH%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/DAVIDH%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630973401574721684noreply@blogger.com0