Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Monday, September 16, 2019

"Cross My Heart" - Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Cross My Heart
Pentecost 14 – Narrative Lectionary 2
September 15, 2019
Grace, Mankato, MN
Genesis 18.1-15; 21.1-7

Last week, we heard the second creation story of the first human man and woman, how relationships between them, God and the entire world are at the heart of creation. We anticipated their act of disobedience that led to their expulsion from the Garden, how those relationships would be broken. Since then, they have populated the earth, but the brokenness was so severe God caused a flood. Noah, his family, and representatives of all animals are spared in an effort to reboot creation and start over. God realizes this is not going to work as hoped so he sets a rainbow as a sign of his promise never to do it again. Instead, God goes “Plan C,” identifying another couple through whom God will work on restoring creation to him.

What a couple it is, two “seasoned citizens” who are promised descendents as numerous as the sand on a beach or stars in the sky, but who are well past their ability to produce children. Understandably, Abraham and Sarah, as thrilled as they are, cannot see how it can be possible. It will take 10 years for them to see the beginning of God’s promise, with many missteps and misconceptions along the way. Finally, three heavenly visitors arrive with another promise, to which Sarah can only laugh. Yet, Sarah’s laughter of absurdity and pain turns to joyous laughter at the birth of Isaac, which means “Laughter.”

 “The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised.” As I thought about God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah and promises in general, it occurred to me that most promises are not fulfilled immediately or all at once. Indeed, they unfold over time and often unexpectedly. Last Wednesday, little Mackenzie gave me a pine cone from a tree in her yard. The pine cone, like all seeds, is a promise that unfolds over time and in unexpected ways. When Cindy and I married almost 39 years ago, we made promises that unfold, also unexpectedly. Abraham and Sarah will never see those numerous descendents that God promises to them, a promise that still unfolds today.

The promise to Abraham and Sarah was that all peoples of the earth would be drawn to God through their descendents, the chosen people. As we will see this story unfold in the weeks and months ahead, God will eventually do this through Jesus. God promised the Israelites a Messiah, an anointed one who will bring this promise to completion. Yet even here, God’s promise continues to unfold unexpectedly as Jesus restores us through his life, death and resurrection. In Jesus Christ, God has said, like countless children, “Cross my heart and hope to die.” Whatever God’s promises to us, every one of them all say that we have a future of hopefulness, not resignation.

Last Sunday, God made a promise that Kinzey Jane would belong to God forever, and you, her parents and sponsors made promises the nurture her in the faith, promises that will unfold in her lifetime. Thursday, Genny’s family clung to the promise that death is not the last word and the God will bring all things to completion, that we would see each other again, promises that continue to unfold. Yesterday, Alexa and Alan made promises in God’s sight, promises that will continue to work their way out in their lives together. In a few minutes, we will taste God’s promised presence with forgiveness and new life in Holy Communion.

Over nine years ago, you and I promised to walk together in God’s mission and ministry. It was a promise that unfolded, often in unexpected ways, but always because of God’s faithfulness to us. You have now called Pastor Odegard to walk with you and I expect the same thing will happen, only differently. In the building renovations, you have responded to God’s call like your ancestors before you to stand as witness to a God who continues to move in our world to restore all things to God’s self. So I encourage you to trust in that promise, look for where it unfolds unexpectedly, and laugh with joy when it happens. Amen.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

"We’re Not Alone" - Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

We’re Not Alone
Pentecost 13 – Narrative Lectionary 3
September 8, 2019
Grace, Mankato, MN
Genesis 2.4b-25

A number of years ago, while I was in seminary, Jan was in a bad car accident. She was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from her car. Because my family had grown close to Jan, her husband Ned called me to be with them at the Baltimore trauma center where she was on life support. It was my first experience walking with a family through dying and death and it was someone I knew. Jan was taken off life support and died quickly. In her late mid-40s, her death devastated many people, especially her Ned.

Not long after the funeral, I was a bit shocked when Ned rather off-handedly said to me, “I’ll get remarried. I’m not meant to be alone.” Now, Ned meant no disrespect to Jan or her memory; if anything, it was just the opposite. He wanted to have again what he had with Jan. That day I learned a lot about how men and women cope with loss, but also about the strength of relationships.

 “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner” God says. Today we begin anew our yearly trip through the Bible, beginning with the Old Testament and the creation story in Genesis. We’ll read the Bible as it is meant to be read, as the story of God, God’s world, and God’s people. At Christmas, we’ll pick up the Jesus story and follow it through the Gospel of Mark through Jesus’ life, passion, death and resurrection at Easter. Then after Easter, we’ll read about the story of the early church in Acts, 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. It’s something of a mad dash, but through it all we’ll get the sense of God’s unwavering commitment to us and our world.

 “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” This verse and the seven following are among four passages I read with couples preparing for their wedding. In reading this passage, we discover that from the very beginning God put men and women in relationship on equal terms. Although you can’t see it in English, we know this because the word for “helper” is most often used in the Old Testament to refer to God. Clearly God, as our helper, is not subservient to us. It is only after the act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden that relationships are perverted. But here we see God’s original intent for humanity, that it live in cooperative partnerships with one another.

Before I explore that idea, a few caveats are in order. First, Ned’s experience aside, it would be misguided to assume that men and women are incomplete, that we need someone else to make us whole. It is true that couples bring different gifts into marriage. As I often observe, if Cindy and I were alike one of us would be unnecessary. Even so, each and every one of us are complete human beings. Similarly, it would be wrong to say that this text is just about marriage and that we should all be married. The “aha” moment that the man experiences when presented with the woman is the same beautiful moment that happens when God brings people together around God’s creative purposes. We are “bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh” of one another.

At the heart of the story is that God is intimately involved with creation, especially humanity. For God, creation is not a “one and done” affair. God’s creative activity continues. Not only does God continue creating, God does so cooperatively with humanity. We are, as Phil Hefner states, created co-creators. Even when humanity breaks the covenantal bond with God, God continues to hang in there with humanity. As we’ll see as the biblical story unfolds, humanity gets it wrong more than it gets it right. But the biblical story also demonstrates God’s faithfulness in the midst of our faithlessness.

God cares so deeply about and is so intimately involved with creation that God is “all in.” Just as God has built community, cooperation and collaboration into creation, in the person of Jesus Christ, Immanuel, “God with Us,” God wants us to know that we are never, ever alone. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God heals the brokenness of the world and works to restore relationships to what God originally intended. In whatever kind of relationships you find yourself today, know that God is present and working there. For God is our helper and partner. Thanks be to God! Amen.