Claimed, gathered and sent

Last week I visited two seminaries, The Lutheran Theological Seminaries at Philadelphia and Gettysburg. In speaking with administrators, seminarians, and other prospective students, the subject of call invariably came up. We told our stories of God's call and how we envision that. After returning home, my sense of the significance of call and God's preparation for that increased. I have a new awareness of being in a time of preparation. I know God called me at 15 to serve him. That service has taken on numerous forms: wife, mother, missionary, employee, student. But there is now a renewed sense of call, that God is working something special in my life. And then I read today's scripture from the lectionary. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (Today's New International Version) 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading t

We have all been called names, some good and some bad. I remember being called fat, difficult, insubordinate, careless, slow. What about you? Sometimes you aren't actually called a name, but treated in a way that implies you are careless, stupid, a screw up? It's painful. What does God say about names? "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). Naming is very personal and intimate. We name our spouses, children, our pets. We have "pet names" for those we love: sweetie, honey, sweetheart. God names us, calls us beloved, my child, precious, holy and mine. Can you imagine the Lord having a special, pet name for us, that only he and we know? "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass

“Sacred Scripture indicates … how deeply related are the knowledge conferred by faith and the knowledge conferred by reason…” [1] Rejecting reason denies being made in God’s image as intelligent beings. Reason without faith denies God’s plan, rejecting fellowship with him. “Intelligence enables everyone, believer and non-believer, to reach ‘the deep waters’ of knowledge (cf. Prov 20:5).” [2] Credo ut intellegam ("I believe in order to understand') and intellego ut credam ("I understand in order to believe") need to be kept in tension. Through faith, we understand who we are and where we fit in. Life can be intolerable without faith. God’s plans are “plans to prosper … not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer 29:11). “Most reflective believers with a theistic orientation realize that the truth of God’s existence is not immediately obvious.” [3] Anselm, a “reflective believer,” [4] stood “… in a long line of thoughtful believers w

For my devotional time this morning I was reading Hebrews 12, you know the chapter that starts out, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." (Heb 12:1). What powerful imagery, how moving. It makes you feel like you can hang in there with this great throng that has preceded you in the faith. It is the second half of the verse that I was meditating on this morning. "... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1b). Several thoughts came to mind. First of all, "the race that is set before us." My son, Christian, was a distance runner from middle school through college. He did best of all at the mile. He did very well at longer distances like cross country races or road races. He did ok at slightly shorter distances, but the mile was where he shined. That was his race. When he ran the race set before him, that he was best built for, he succeeded. What about us? Do we look at others' walks of faith

A while back I had started a devotional on Ephesians 1:17-19 and had said the next few posts would be about that. Well...I got waylaid. So, back to Ephesians we go. Ephesians 1:17-19 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him , 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. Once again, this passages is bookended with God. It begins with "I pray...that...God." It ends with "...his great power." And in between, it's all about knowing him. In verse 17b, "...come to know him." What specifically do we learn about God? hope-"...the hope to which he has called you" v 18. riches-"what are th

Lk 9:18-27 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’ Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’ Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of

New Englanders will be familiar with this expression, "You can't get there from here." You hear this when you are asking directions. It seems you should be able to get to your destination. Sometimes it's even in sight, but you just don't know the road to take. In walking with God, if we are prayerfully considering something, listening as he speaks through scripture and other members of his body, WE CAN GET THERE FROM HERE!!! Just over two years ago I went back to school part time. I feel called to serve God and his church through the ordained ministry of Word and sacrament in the ELCA. To get there, I had to finish undergraduate study to go to seminary. I am now one year away from graduation. The next step is candidacy. This is a process through the synod. Your church and pastor have paperwork to fill out. You complete an application and an autobiography. Then it all goes to the synod. You meet with the committee, have psychological testing and hopefu

I was looking over paperwork I received a few years ago from the New England Synod of the ELCA about the process of going into ordained ministry in the ELCA. My first communication and thinking about this was in 2004. At that time, I had a long way to go to finish school before going to seminary With move from full time work/part time school to part time work/full time school, I will be finished with my degree in 1 year. I couldn't believe it! It was years down the line...now the goal is within reach. When I was discouraged with one of my classes (math!), Pastor Paul told me, "Keep your eyes on the prize." That stuck with me. I can see it now. " You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Hebrews 10:36).