HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

My Weekend...

I leave tomorrow for a synod youth gathering. I'm pretty excited. I have 5 awesome kids going with me. Pray for safe travels.

It's pretty cool outside since it's been snowing. Sooo pretty. I love the snow. :) So does LOLA!

I need to knit. It's been a while...

Sermon 3

WHO ARE YOU?

matthew 25.14-30

One TV show that I used to really love was CSI, Las Vegas. For those of you who don’t watch it, it begins with an opening segment that kind of sets up the main plot line for the whole show. Since the show is based on Crime Scene Investigators, the opening segment usually shows a story that ends in some sort of murder or crime. After the crime scene investigators arrive onto the scene the opening credits role to a song.

Let’s try something a little different now. Let’s imagine today’s parable as the opening segment for CSI. Remember, this takes place in Las Vegas. A talent represents a lot of money so the scene might take place in some office of a fancy casino or something like that. So, the master from the parable is now the owner of this big casino. He’s going to go on this big trip somewhere for who knows how long and he wants to make sure his casino is going to be kept up. So, he gives three of his “top guys” some major stock in their casino. Everything gets split up and now these guys are in charge ‘til he gets back. Some time passes and when the owner comes back, he meets with his “top guys” to see how things went. The first two guys worked with the stock and the aspects of the casino they were in charge with and the casino’s popularity is doing great in those aspects! But, when it comes to the third guy, as we know, instead of taking care of what he was in charge of, he feared messing up and that aspect of the casino ended up backsliding, maybe even going into a little debt or something…anyway, it just wasn’t doing well. So the owner fires him and kicks him out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!

The opening credits role and the music starts… “Whoooo are you oo you oo… Whoooo are…you oo oo oo?”

That song that plays during the credits actually makes sense in how it ties with the TV show, right? The lyrics say, “who are you” and the investigators are trying to find out who did the crime.

So… Who are you? Who are you? What makes you, you?

In today’s parable, I’d say the third slave was a man who looked at life through a lens of fear. He saw his master as someone HARSH and SCARY. He saw his master’s talent as something to hoard and hide away. Somehow this slave thought that if he hid the talent and kept it from everyone, it would be safe. This slave’s identity was shaped by what he hid away, what he kept separate from everything and everyone else.

This reminds me of the kind of world we find ourselves in right now. Be an INDIVIDUAL! You are your own boss! Always stick up for number 1…me… Your life is private and yours to do with as you like, it doesn’t affect me.

Our culture’s perception of God is, “The big guy in the sky.” Far away, uninvolved, angry and taking it out on us through natural disasters and by letting good people die young… Even our culture’s perception of God is detached, kind of hidden, and separate from everyone.

But who is Christ really? Christ is wholeness. Christ is fully human and fully divine. In Christ’s humanity, we see the image of God. In Christ’s divinity we see God’s true face.

Our perception of God shapes our perception of ourselves and each other. If we see God as the slave saw his master, we continue to buy into our culture’s understanding of self and God. We allow our lives to be buried in fear. We hide our lives instead of fully living them out as God created us to.

There are many ways we allow our lives to be buried. There are many ways we don't live a full life. We wear many masks, don't we? The clothes we wear, our use of time, our everyday language... Those are all ways that we can either authentically represent life and ourselves, or hide it from others.

Consider this with me though, even those things that we align ourselves with or the labels we give ourselves (Vegetarian, Goth, Republican, Democrat, and even Christian) thinking it will separate us from those people, or thinking it sets us apart from everyone else, in fact become ways that we connect, usually in much more intimate ways than otherwise, with others who share those same labels.

Realizing this, we discover that what make up our identity are not the things that set us apart from others. It is not our differences that define us; but rather our commonalities, our common humanity. And in our common humanity, we remember that we are made in the image of God. In all of our diversity, in all of our creativity...in all of our commonalities we see God. In all of those ways God draws us out into life, to truly live and share life together! Perhaps it is not in only our individual selves that we most see the image of God, but in the ways that we share and live life. This is who we are. As in the trinity, we are called into working relationships together. We are different, but the same.

God has given us life that we might LIVE IT in relationship with one another. Being in worship today is the perfect opportunity to really ponder what it means to live out our gift of life.

Today we focus on life-giving relationships with one another. You were handed out this card in the hopes that you would see it not as another thing to bury your life under, but rather something to help direct you out from under the rubble of this world and really live.
Check out the key chain. Go ahead and unhook it from the card. The key chain is yours. The compass on the key chain is there as a reminder for you to get out from under those things burying your life and draw closer to those near you.

Notice the hook on the key chain and remember that there is strength in numbers. If the things burying your life now seem pretty heavy while you’re on your own, remember the hook and get hooked up with others. You relationships will be a strength in your life, helping you to get out from under the burdens and fears of this world and really live together.
The challenge is to fill out the card, pass it to an usher or put it in the offering plate, and see what happens. Relationships are kind of scary and hard, but remember who is God. God isn’t some harsh big guy in the sky. Remember who are you? Who are we? We are made in the image of God who calls us to wholeness with each other, ourselves, and God’s self. Fill out the card, get hooked up, see how God works in our relationships with one another to create REAL life and grow REAL faith.

This is who we are. Strengthened by Christ we take RISKS in life and in each other. Pray about it and see for yourselves who God is calling us to be together. Do you feel the nudge to try leading a small group? Go to the fireside room right after the service. Do you feel the nudge to draw into closer relationships and really live out this life that God has given us, sign the card and pass it in. And as we learn together how to live our lives rather than bury them, we will also learn what it means to hear God say, “Well done good and trustworthy ones.”

Sermon 2

Matthew 22.1-14


*sigh*
Doesn’t this passage just remind you of how loving and kind Jesus is? Can’t you just imagine him so clearly on a grassy hill, holding the children on his knew… See him now as he preaches the beatitudes or shares the first communion or even as he hangs on the cross. And in all of those times he sighs and says, “I looooooooove yooooooooooou. I wove wooo. Isn’t life sweet and wonderful? I’ll just look at you for a while now...” *sigh*

OF COURSE JESUS DIDN’T DO THAT! And yet, when we hear something that Jesus says that kind of gets a little scary or challenges us a bit, it almost seems like that’s the picture of Jesus that we run to. The first thing that might pop in our heads might sound like,
(sing) Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong, yes Jesus loves me…yes Jesus loves me…yes Jesus loves me…the bible tells me so…
All of this is emotion driven; driven by your own good feelings about the person; focused on how good you feel. I WANT TO FEEL GOOD! ISN’T LOVE A GOOD HAPPY FEELING ALL THE TIME?!

But wait, think about the times you’ve been in love, as the relationship deepens though the love turns into something more about them. You care more and more about how they are feeling and being with them. It’s not just about sharing a feeling; it’s about sharing life. And we all know life isn’t good and happy all of the time.

Now think of what happens at a wedding. You don’t say “will you marry me” or “I will marry you” and leave it at that. You don’t just show up and look pretty for the wedding, take nice pictures, and feel all good and gooshy. If you are getting married, you are there to change. You are there to share life and change. You can’t really be in love without changing. When you get married you aren’t just saying “I loooove yoooou so much,” you are inviting another life, their family and friends, into your life and saying “change me.” From that point on, your life will change. Together, you’re making a whole new life.

In today’s gospel, we hear the king say, “The wedding is ready.” The wedding is a call to a new reality. The people who chose to take the invitation lightly, those who went back to their daily lives instead of joining in the banquet chose to live their old lives. Mistreating and killing the slaves who invited them to the wedding banquet is an example of their immersion in the old world. Death rules that world. The King, God, is inviting all of us to a new world and a new life where LIFE and CELEBRATION rule. Think of it, weddings are times of celebration and joy. You take time out of your busy schedule to eat, drink, dance, see old friends, come together and enjoy life! God is calling us to LIFE!

Every time we gather together in this building for worship we are accepting God’s invitation to us to be made new and to live anew. We aren’t just at a wedding saying, “I love you.” We are saying, “God, make this life new, change me, change us, change the world.” And from there we are called out to the world with God and just like in a marriage our entire lives will change. We will have a new life. The things we do together in worship, or when we gather with others during the week, helping each other and reaching out to others, is living out and being the new identity Christ gives us.

Think of the ways we find ourselves caught up in our old, comfortable reality: Patriarchy, hierarchy, rules, fear, anxiety, paychecks, and isolation. I know for me it can easily feel like all of the weight of this world on my back. It binds us up and clouds our vision, darkening our world. Living like this says, “Sorry, I’m all tied up at the moment.” It’s not about who’s going to heaven and hell, it’s about who’s living in hell right now because they continue to live a life run by the old rules.

But, with the life, death, and resurrection of Christ those rules are shattered. We are called and invited to light, love, and grace. We are called to proclaim this in everything we do! We proclaim this in everything we do by actually living and being the life Christ has given us not only for ourselves, but for everyone we meet, for the world. We’re watching TV see someone dying from starvation. We don’t just say, “Oh. That’s sad. I wish I could do something about it but I’m all tied up at the moment with all of these things I have to do and I hardly have enough money for myself anyway and and and…” With our new identity in Christ, we can’t say that anymore because we are freed from those old weights and are called to live out and bring the life of Christ to everyone.

Instead of pushing people underneath us as we strive to climb up each rung of the ladder, we wrap our arms around each other holding each other up, lifting each other up, loving each other because of the new identity that Christ has given us. Because of our new identity in Christ, we don’t have to worry about who is next in line, who has all the answers, or who’s being good or bad…remember, ALL were invited, the good and the bad. It’s not up to us at all, it’s up to God. And in Christ, God has already made the choice. God invites us, God takes us just as we are, where we are and God makes us completely new.

The church and baptismal identity isn’t just about doing all the right things, making the right motions, following the right rules, it’s about BEING the new identity to the world.

At the end of today’s gospel, the king says to that man, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” He calls the man “friend.” He doesn’t say “sinner” or “hellion.” This is similar to the rich young man who is told he needs to give up everything to follow Jesus. That story doesn’t end with Jesus condemning him to hell and hating him forever. That story ends with Jesus reminding his disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is our own inability to unburden ourselves with the rules of our old life that keeps us from new life. But even that doesn’t stop God. God continues to invite us, God continues to love us, God continues to call us, God continues to forgive us.

“The wedding is ready.” God loves us not just in that sappy “I wove woo” sort of way. God is bursting with love for us and bursting for us to live and share a new life RIGHT NOW. Come to the wedding banquet, come to communion, with arms encircling you, feeding you for new life, to be new life.

sermon 1

Just Like Heaven

matthew 18.15-20

I hear a lot of talk about Heaven on Earth. You see someone bite into some delicious food and sigh, “Heaven,” “just-like-heaven…” Usually people say something is “just like heaven” when they are describing a perfectly contented moment in their life. Holding Caden, my nephew, for the first time was JUST LIKE HEAVEN. He was hardly 12 hours old, so small…when he peeked open his eyes and looked at me I felt like the luckiest person in the world. That moment was just like heaven.

You know, honestly… and I think some of you might agree with me… when I hear the phrase, just like heaven, I usually think about that song The Cure wrote in the 80’s, not today’s Gospel. That song, holding my nephew, eating something delicious…all of those things are about wonderful fuzzy-feel-good stuff. However, when comparing those things with today’s Gospel, I think it becomes clear that when Jesus talks about truly living “just like heaven” he’s on a bit of a deeper level.

Usually, when we think of something being “just like heaven” we are most likely talking about something egocentric; something that appeals to us individually. The focus is on our own feelings, which then shapes our world view to appear absolutely perfect. When I held my nephew Caden for the first time and watched him open his eyes, of course a thought that went through my mind was, “My nephew, perfection. Look how cute he is, looking at me…”

Yet, as Jesus talks to his disciples the focus isn’t on any one individual, but rather the church body. Though we may sin against each other… sometimes very personally hurting each other… as the Church, we are never to turn our backs on each other.

Looking at the beginning of today’s text, Jesus speaks about sin. However, while sin is part of the conversation, it is not the focus, it is not the center. He doesn’t begin talking about degrees of sin (like little white lies vs. some monstrous act) or say anything about “leaving it to God…” Jesus talks about the relationships involved. Communally, we are held accountable to each other, to this world, and to God. As Pastor Chad likes to say, we are held “countable” to each other. I count on you, you count on me, and we count on each other.

Think for a minute about your life and the people you’ve known… Is there someone there that you know you could totally count on? I mean, you knew with them they would give you the absolute truth. They would challenge you and let you know if you really did mess up. But at the same time, they were the first person you’d go to if you needed a good cry or wanted to laugh about something, right? Have you ever felt so completely safe with someone that it didn’t matter how bad you did mess up, they would still be there for you? And all along you know that you would absolutely be there for them in just the same way. It’s hard to find someone like that. It’s kind of scary sometimes too because there comes a point when you realize your own vulnerability, you realize you need to choose whether or not you go or pull back… Personally, I’ll admit, that’s scary to me.

Now, think for a minute on what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel.

Jesus hasn’t said anything about the person who sinned being anyone’s close friend. If it’s scary to imagine the time, effort, and vulnerability involved in creating close relationships, it’s easy to see how terrifying it would be to go to someone you hardly know who has done some sort of harm toward you. And this is when Jesus comes back in the picture, takes out a Kleenex and squeaks clean our vision again saying…

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU…IT’S ABOUT ME, JESUS.

It’s interesting to think about what the world would be like if we could always remember that. As the Church, Jesus is telling us not to wander around in our lives, focused on all of the ways we did or didn’t get what we want. Jesus calls the church to focus on him, the Risen Christ. Like Pastor Rick said last week, Christ has already died, Christ bore the cross, and now Christ is alive! In baptism we have died only so that we may live in full communion, full connection, full “countability,” with God and each other – even those who have sinned against us, even those that we may see as an outsider and those who live far from us.

I am pretty sure that the people who have survived natural disasters and the people surviving Hurricane Katrina are having a hard time seeing how anything could resemble Heaven right now. But it is at moments like these that the Church can most live out heaven to the world. When reaching out to the victims of disaster or crime, or when simply saying a prayer, we as the church are saying to the world that Heaven is not some far off place where we will forget everything, play with cuddly puppies, and eat good food… The Church is saying Heaven is now because God is here and now, in our midst, bringing us together even in the middle of disaster and pain, even though sin runs rampant.

When Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them,” he is talking not just about those times we hang out with our best buddies, but about every time the Church reaches out to the world…to those who have sinned and won’t listen…to those who are outsiders and those who make us uncomfortable... to those living through disasters of all sorts. Jesus is talking about the Church living in a way that is open to all people, as Heaven is open to all people; he is talking about the Church actually LIVING Heaven.

As we come to the table for communion today, kneeling side by side with family and probably some people we really don’t know very well…As we leave church to complete all the other things on our to-do lists and prepare for our week…let us remember that for everyone we invite to worship, for everyone we take a chance on, and for everyone we respond to in Christ’s love, God is surrounding us and within us, leading us to live “just like heaven.”

Sept. 10

Hellooooooooooo, I am alive!

I'm sure you've been wondering to yourself, "Has C. not written an update because she was stoned to death after her first sermon?" So, to ease your worry, no, I was not stoned to death. In fact the sermon went off well at all 3 services. And guess what else? I actually like preaching! Crazy, crazy, I know. It is a much more positive experience when doing it in an actual service rather than in a classroom with a bunch of critical and/or bitter seminary students. If anyone would like a copy of the sermon or would actually like to hear it, let me know and I'll send you the paper work or a cd with the entire service. You can have C. in Stereo!

Now that my sermon is over with; though there will be plenty more to come, I've been working on confirmation prep stuff, sr. high prep, and learning all sorts of things about how to keep a large church moving, on the edge, communicating, and of course, Christ centered. Abiding Hope really is an amazing model that I am learning from. Authenticity is a key word that the staff and congregation takes very seriously. They are constantly at work to keep things liturgical and authentic to the Christian message, but contextual at the same time. As some of you may know, I was a little nervous about doing an internship at a large suburban church, but it is because of those things I just listed that I can see now that God definitely works things out better than anything I can imagine on my own. It has been a great fit. God has also been blessing my life all over the place with affirmation of call. I guess God really does know what's up, even when you're not so sure about it.

There are some other great things going on in my life right now. For instance, Lola, the cutest puppy ever, is still that cute. Things have been going well with her. We started working with a trainer two weeks ago and it's been great for her! She learns very quickly. However, she does like to be what she is -- a LABRADOR PUPPY, so she loves to chew on things (particularly me!) and push my buttons sometimes. Other than that, she is a great pal to have around. She can always make me happy and gives me a great reason to get out of the apartment.

I'm also looking forward to visiting Dubuque at the end of the month to go to a friend's wedding. Of course one of the nicest things about this trip is that I'll be able to spend time with my boyfriend, Andrew, who will of course be my date to the wedding. We've been apart since the beginning of the summer, so this trip will be great for us. We are also hoping that soon he'll be moving out here to Colorado. I'm pretty sure this will be the last month we're apart, so that's good news for both of us!

Hmmm...what else?

This has been a big week at the church as we have been preparing for Launch Weekend (Sunday morning) where all of the small groups, confirmation, etc. begin for the year. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun. I'm the organizer and one of the leaders for the intro/worship part of confirmation, so keep me and all of the other leaders in your prayers tomorrow evening as Confirmation starts up for the year!

For those who are interested, music I've been listening to lately: Arcade Fire (of course, favorite band of the last year hands down), Sleater-Kinney's new album, Andrew Bird, and Feist.

I hope you are all doing very well. I miss you and think of you often!
love,
c.

Aug. 23, 2005

Happy night before my birthday! Woohooo! In honor of my birthday I bought myself a new puppy. Her name is Lola... Go ahead, sing the rest of the song if you must... Anyway, she is most certainly the cutest puppy on Earth. I am quite willing to place bets on this obvious fact. If anybody would like to see some pics, let me know and I'll send you a little snapfish.com slideshow. ASLB?* Age - 3 months; Sex - female; Location - my apartment, CO; Breed - Lab (Of course. There is no other dog I could love this much). Though owning her takes a lot of time and responsibility (oh yeah, and money), the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this case. She gets me outside, gives me love, lets me love her, forces me to organize my time smartly, offers another way to get to know people both inside and outside of the church, etc. etc. etc. Oh yeah, did I mention how cute she is? SHE IS!!!

Other news in terms of my life here in CO:
------- Both the President and Academic Dean of Wartburg Seminary spending the weekend worshipping at Abiding Hope, talking with the Pastors about the school's partnership with the church and their future together, as well as being present as I was installed -- er -- whatever'd into the church for the next year (or two) that I'll be here. I quickly became aware through the observance of others and my own thought processes that there is no other intern that could boast to having both the President and Academic Dean at their internship site at the same time, let alone for their installment (or whatever that's called). If there is another intern who experienced this, it wouldn't be any time recently. So, this fact can mean many things. I like to think it just means I could use all the help I can get, but it could also mean the absolute opposite... Who knows, who cares? I'll just try to stay in the land of coincidence for this one.
\r\n \r\n------ I will be the Assistant Minister for this coming weekends services, which include Saturday @ 5:30pm (a year old baby will be baptized during this service!), as well as Sunday morning at 8:15am and 10:45am. \r\nExcitement!!!\r\n \r\n------- I will preach my first sermon on Labor Day Weekend (September 3rd and 4th). My text is Matthew 18:15-20. We\'ll see what happens with that, eh?\r\n \r\n-------- I am getting to know some awesome people here! It is hard to miss the authentic energy and vision that Abiding Hope has. One of the things I respect most about this church is their desire and ability to be both liturgical and contextual at the same time. I will be learning a lot from my supervisor, co-workers, and everyone else I\'ll be meeting during my time here.\r\n\r\n \r\nPlease keep all of these things in your prayers as I try to take it all a day at a time and do the best I can. IT is amazing how quickly my calendar is filling up. If you want to visit me or have me visit you anytime soon, let me know so I can do as much as possible to make it happen! I love and miss all of you. You are also in my prayers. Please email me, call me, snail mail me, instant message, or visit me whenever you like!\r\n\r\n

*note to the less computer savvy: "asl" (short for age/sex/location) is a common way that people learn about each other in chatrooms. I thought it would be clever to use this in reference to my puppy! Also, I am very silly right now.
------ I will be the Assistant Minister for this coming weekends services, which include Saturday @ 5:30pm (a year old baby will be baptized during this service!), as well as Sunday morning at 8:15am and 10:45am. Excitement!!!

------- I will preach my first sermon on Labor Day Weekend (September 3rd and 4th). My text is Matthew 18:15-20. We'll see what happens with that, eh?

-------- I am getting to know some awesome people here! It is hard to miss the authentic energy and vision that Abiding Hope has. One of the things I respect most about this church is their desire and ability to be both liturgical and contextual at the same time. I will be learning a lot from my supervisor, co-workers, and everyone else I'll be meeting during my time here.

Please keep all of these things in your prayers as I try to take it all a day at a time and do the best I can. IT is amazing how quickly my calendar is filling up. If you want to visit me or have me visit you anytime soon, let me know so I can do as much as possible to make it happen! I love and miss all of you. You are also in my prayers. Please email me, call me, snail mail me, instant message, or visit me whenever you like!

love,
C.

*note to the less computer savvy: "asl" (short for age/sex/location) is a common way that people learn about each other in chatrooms. I thought it would be clever to use this in reference to my puppy! Also, I am very silly right now.

Experiences

I've been experiencing a lot of stuff, so I wanted to write about it and share pictures and stuff like that.

Stuff I'll most likely be talking about:

• my job -- I'm the Pastoral Intern at a pretty dang awesome church.
• my dog -- Lola is a 5 months old black lab mix who is extremely cute. I just got her in August so we've been having a good time together. She has her own blog here.
• my boyfriend -- One of those people who feels so good to have in your life it's hard to put into words.
• music -- I love to listen to music, go to shows, and talk all about it. You can see what I'm listening to here.
• my family -- My parents are crazy and wonderful. I have an older brother who is married to my awesome sister-in-law and just had a baby in July. My nephew is the CUTEST. I miss him very much. I also have a younger brother who is also in seminary.
• my knitting/crafty projects - I like this stuff, it's just been hard to keep up with along with my internship and puppy trying to eat my knitting and all of that. You can see some of the stuff I've made here.

And here's a picture to get this first entry started... Check out this very happy, sandy dog! I think she's extra chubby from all the sand she ate! (Really though, something about the angle of this picture makes her look really fat. She's really not. She's just a small little dog who likes to dig in the sand.)