Claimed, gathered and sent

 We are nearing the end of our Advent journey that takes us to Bethlehem. This is my sermon from the last Sunday of Advent, 12/20/15. I preached this at St.Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was Luke:1:39-45. Think about how you would respond if a relative showed up at your door unannounced? Besides that, she was going to be staying with you for a while. Not only would she be staying with you, but she is young, maybe 14 years old, unmarried and she is pregnant! Would you welcome her in with open arms or would you grit your teeth, while you welcome her, thinking to yourself, "Don't go away mad. Just go away." Imagine how Elizabeth felt when Mary stood at her door. There Mary was--alone, young and pregnant.   In addition to that, Elizabeth's husband is a priest. How would Mary's situation affect his reputation? Today's gospel is imbued with divine revelation. Elizabeth and Mary demonstrate to us how to respond faithfully to God's guiding ...

  I love the movie Driving Miss Daisy . The main characters are a feisty older lady who is no longer able to drive and a man her son hired to be her chauffeur. It is a movie full of lessons about racism and classism and love and respect. On July 5, 2011, I had ankle surgery on my right foot and was therefore unable to drive. I kept thinking and hoping that perhaps the next week, after the next visit to the doctor, I would be cleared to drive. That however, was not the case. This did not happen until this past Thursday. And today was the first time I have driven since the surgery.  Now for most families this would present an inconvenience, but the other family members would pick up the driving responsibilities. However, my husband is blind and unable to drive. I am the driver in our family. Things that we previously took for granted, like quick runs to the store, doctor's appointments, going to church all became things for which we had to coordinate times and people'...

God delights in our cooperation with his purposes, but thankfully he works in spite of us. An update on L's situation--progress has been made and her blood work has improved. A weight has been lifted from their shoulders. Thank you for joining in prayer wih us. picture from flickr

Throughout the passage Ezekiel 36:28-38 , I see God’s overwhelming, relentless grace in dealing with his wayward, rebellious people. He is doing all the work! Look at how many times “I” is used: “…the land I gave… I will be your God” (v. 28). “I will save… I will call” (v. 29). “I will increase” (v. 30). “I want you to know” (v. 32). “I cleanse…I…resettle) (v. 33). “I have rebuilt…I…have spoken…I will do it” (v. 36). “I will yield…I will make” (v. 37). “I am the Lord” (v. 38). In verse 36 alone it is God who rebuilds what was destroyed and replants what was desolate. He has spoken and he will do it. This is a concept I cannot escape. Our works are not good enough to win us salvation or to make us any better Christians. I have a better grasp now of why Luther was so excited by the revelation of his own inability. True restoration and change is nothing broken humanity can accomplish. Though made in the image of God, that image is tarnished by sin. Salvation and sa...

The first half of this semester has been difficult, to say the least. Week two of my classes was my total knee replacement. Somehow, I unrealistically thought that once I was out of the hospital and into rehab, I would easily catch up from the few days missed. Boy was I wrong! Much of the remaining time of these courses, I was anywhere from 1-2 weeks behind and wondering if I would ever catch up. By God's grace I did. And it was due in no small part to the grace of my three professors: Jonathan Howell, Don Solomon, and Dr. Kevin Larsen at Regent University. Despite the lateness of most of my work, not one of them dinged me for that. I am grateful to these three dear Christian professors who understand the meaning of grace. I have learned much from them.

I am making progress since coming home from rehab following my knee replacement. Initially, I used a walker most of the time at home. I then progressed to 2 crutches. I am now down to 1 crutch and have put the walker away. Sometimes around the house I can manage without crutches altogether. If you know me at all, you know my tendency toward clumsiness. With knee replacement, it is imperative to be careful not to fall. A fall can ruin the prosthesis and mean more surgery. Especially when we have had a storm like yesterday, this concerns me. Though likely out of context, the words of a number of Psalms have come to have renewed meaning for me. Here are a few verses: Psalm 17.5: "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." Psalm 18.36: "You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip." Psalm 37.23: " Our steps are made firm by the Lord , when he delights in our way." Psalm 37.31: "The law of their God...

I came home yesterday morning from Kent Regency Rehab. I had not slept well since the surgery. At rehab, I would just doze off, and in would come someone for blood work or my vital signs. Last night, sleeping in my own bed with my husband was therapeutic in and of itself. For the first time I could comfortably sleep on my left and right sides--which I like to do. This morning the visiting nurse came and opened my case. She declared me "perfect," the easiest case she's ever opened. She could not believe the shape I'm in. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57). The pain is negligible and I am looking forward to getting caught up on everything.

Witnessing the community of faith living the call of John 13:35, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another," is a thing of beauty. The church being Emanuel, God with us, is a reminder of his great love and faithfulness. During my hospital and rehab stay, we have been overwhelmed by the love of the good people of Emanuel Lutheran Church: meals, support, rides for Ray etc. Great is God's faithfulness and great is our gratitude to our church family.