Psalms for Today: A Hymn of Praise
Pentecost 3 (Narrative Lectionary 3 – Summer)
Psalm 100
June 9, 2013
Whenever I read Psalm 100 I think of Patricia, a former music director at my last congregation. Patricia is a gifted organist and choir director who did an amazing job with a girl’s youth chorus. She has a wonderful sense of how to accompany the congregation in singing and she is a gifted organist; she would play Widor’s Toccata as a postlude for every service on Easter Sunday. I think of Patricia when I read or hear Psalm 100 because it is her favorite psalm, probably because it is a psalm of worship, a hymn of praise. I think of Psalm 100 as a musician’s psalm.
However, I also think of Psalm 100 as a non-musicians psalm. After all, it says that we are to make a joyful noise to the Lord, and I take that seriously. I love to sing, but I tend to change keys in the middle of songs, sometimes in mid-measure. That’s why I enjoy leading worship services in nursing homes; they think I sound wonderful.
Today is the second in a six-part sermon series on the psalms. Last week Psalm 1 introduced us to the psalms by asserting that the psalms are for today. They not only teach us something, but they are also a resource for life by connecting us to the source of life: God. As today’s scripture introduction suggests, there is a helpful way of categorizing the psalms devised by Walter Brueggemann: there are psalms of orientation, psalms of disorientation, and psalms of reorientation. Psalm 100 is considered to be a psalm of orientation. Psalms of orientation literally point us in the right direction, much like a compass or GPS. We need to be properly oriented because there are so many negative influences in our society.
As I listen to the chatter in the media and society, not to mention religious circles, about the value of churches, a lot of it claims that churches are a thing of the past, akin to dinosaurs. Now, I agree that God is continually remaking communities of faith to serve God’s mission to love and bless the world. After all, changing contexts demand fresh approaches to speaking the good news of Jesus Christ. However, what often gets lost in the shuffle is the importance of worship, how praising God and proclaiming his goodness takes us outside of ourselves. Our rituals point us toward the one we can trust.
Did you know that gathering for worship is not just a theological statement but a political one? By political, I don’t mean that worship favors one political party or ideology over another. At the time of the psalmist, the temple and the king’s palace were side by side. Both had gates and courts. The psalmist declares that it is into the temple’s gates and court that we come, praising God as the one who saves. It is God in whom we put our trust, not kings, presidents, or congress. When the early church declared that “Jesus is Lord,” they were saying that Caesar is not. That is as much a political challenge as it is a confession of faith. We put our trust in God because God is the only one that shows faithfulness to all generations.
All of this is summed up in the claim that God’s steadfast love endures forever. “Steadfast love” is a recurring trait of God in the Bible; it occurs 171 times in the Old Testament, 110 of those in the Psalms. Do you think it’s important? Yes! God’s steadfast love means that God is trustworthy, faithful, and reliable all the time. We see this in one of the most pervasive images in the Bible: God shepherds us as we are God’s beloved sheep.
I’ve gotten a glimpse of what God as the Good Shepherd must be like as I have worked with Merlin, our Building and Grounds Supervisor. Merlin is a raiser and tender of sheep. I have learned a lot about sheep from Merlin, but he has also taught me about shepherds. Merlin makes sure he is present whenever lambs are born, helping them and ensuring their survival. I can tell by the softness in his voice how important each and everyone are to him and how devastated he is when he loses one of them. So then, imagine how much greater God’s steadfast love is for us.
I’ll say more about God’s steadfast love next week as we look at Psalm 13, a psalm of disorientation, one that gives expression to the confusion we experience when life throws us for a loop. For now, whether we are a musician or a wannabe musician, we proclaim God’s goodness and steadfast love, orienting our lives to the places where true life can be found. God calls us outside of ourselves to work with God to heal our broken world, bringing hope to those in despair. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
"Psalms for Today?" - Sermon for Pentecost 2 (Special Summer Sermon Series)
Psalms for Today?
Psalm 1
Pentecost 2 (Narrative Lectionary 3 Summer)
June 2, 2013
The Bible has sometimes been called a handbook or manual, a guidebook for living. Now, assuming this is true, what section do you turn to for this, or do you just read through until you find something useful? Would you turn to Jesus’ words, perhaps the Sermon on the Mount? Perhaps it’s Paul’s letters, such as Galatians we just finished. Maybe you use the inspirational method, where you let the Bible fall open and point blindly to a passage.
What about the Psalms? Have you ever turned to the Psalms for guidance, or have you only thought about it as the church’s worship supplement, hymns of prayer and praise for past age? It’s true, the Psalms were used in worship and for worship, and they are marvelous vehicles for praise and prayer, in the fullest sense of the words, but as Psalm 1 indicates, they are far more than that.
Today, we are beginning a six-week series on the psalms, something I have long wanted to do. The goal of the series is not simply to introduce you to the psalms and to make them more accessible, but for us to see the psalms as an important resource for your life of faith, today. There’s no better place to start than Psalm 1, not only because it is the first psalm, but because it makes some startling claims about the psalms as a whole while it introduces the rest of the psalms. The added bonus is that we will be adding the psalms back into our worship and chanting them as well.
The claim that Psalm 1 makes is that the psalms have something to teach us about life. It does by using vivid images that seem contradictory while presenting pairs of opposites. As we will see in other psalms this is a typical methodology used by the psalmist. The first image we have is that of the road or way, depicting life as a journey in which we have two choices of paths to follow. One way depends upon God for our life and the other one depending on us. The second, apparently contradictory image, is that of a tree rooted deeply next to life-giving water drawing on the resources of faith, identified as God’s law, that bring abundant fruit.
I’m not the first one who, upon reading this psalm, thinks of Robert Frost’s The Road Less Traveled. It’s the poem that countless high school senior classes have chosen as their sending metaphor. The poem is about two roads going through the woods and the choices we make in life. Now, I’m not sure that the life of faith is the “road less travelled,” but the psalmist makes a faith claim that the way we live our lives is decisive for how our lives turn out, and the best way is to live a life dependent upon God, not ourselves. Clint McMann puts it this way: “Prosperity doesn’t involve getting what one wants; rather, it comes from being connected to the source of life.”
This connection to God that the psalmist not only advocates, but says that the psalms provide, is shown in the image of the tree planted near a flowing stream, which we can see that in the bulletin picture. I love how the picture not only shows the water, but also how the tree leans into water of life. Have you ever driven through a desolate area and suddenly spot a tree? You know that, even though you can’t see it, there must be water nearby. This is especially true for weeping willows. You just know there is a pond of water under their boughs. The image tells us that the psalms are not so much a collection of useful wisdom, but a connection to God’s presence. Scripture, including the psalms, connect us to God that results in a life lived on the right path.
One final word: when the psalmist talks about how we should delight in the law, s/he is not talking about rules and regulations, stuff we have to do. As Frederick Buechner says, that’s only one way to talk about law; the second is that laws describe how things are, such as the law of gravity. We are to delight in the way things are, otherwise it will be like stepping out of a tenth-story window and expecting to be unscathed. As we will see in the weeks to come, as we journey on the road of faith, this resource that God provides in the psalms is a rich one in which to place our roots, reaching deeply to the source of life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Psalm 1
Pentecost 2 (Narrative Lectionary 3 Summer)
June 2, 2013
The Bible has sometimes been called a handbook or manual, a guidebook for living. Now, assuming this is true, what section do you turn to for this, or do you just read through until you find something useful? Would you turn to Jesus’ words, perhaps the Sermon on the Mount? Perhaps it’s Paul’s letters, such as Galatians we just finished. Maybe you use the inspirational method, where you let the Bible fall open and point blindly to a passage.
What about the Psalms? Have you ever turned to the Psalms for guidance, or have you only thought about it as the church’s worship supplement, hymns of prayer and praise for past age? It’s true, the Psalms were used in worship and for worship, and they are marvelous vehicles for praise and prayer, in the fullest sense of the words, but as Psalm 1 indicates, they are far more than that.
Today, we are beginning a six-week series on the psalms, something I have long wanted to do. The goal of the series is not simply to introduce you to the psalms and to make them more accessible, but for us to see the psalms as an important resource for your life of faith, today. There’s no better place to start than Psalm 1, not only because it is the first psalm, but because it makes some startling claims about the psalms as a whole while it introduces the rest of the psalms. The added bonus is that we will be adding the psalms back into our worship and chanting them as well.
The claim that Psalm 1 makes is that the psalms have something to teach us about life. It does by using vivid images that seem contradictory while presenting pairs of opposites. As we will see in other psalms this is a typical methodology used by the psalmist. The first image we have is that of the road or way, depicting life as a journey in which we have two choices of paths to follow. One way depends upon God for our life and the other one depending on us. The second, apparently contradictory image, is that of a tree rooted deeply next to life-giving water drawing on the resources of faith, identified as God’s law, that bring abundant fruit.
I’m not the first one who, upon reading this psalm, thinks of Robert Frost’s The Road Less Traveled. It’s the poem that countless high school senior classes have chosen as their sending metaphor. The poem is about two roads going through the woods and the choices we make in life. Now, I’m not sure that the life of faith is the “road less travelled,” but the psalmist makes a faith claim that the way we live our lives is decisive for how our lives turn out, and the best way is to live a life dependent upon God, not ourselves. Clint McMann puts it this way: “Prosperity doesn’t involve getting what one wants; rather, it comes from being connected to the source of life.”
This connection to God that the psalmist not only advocates, but says that the psalms provide, is shown in the image of the tree planted near a flowing stream, which we can see that in the bulletin picture. I love how the picture not only shows the water, but also how the tree leans into water of life. Have you ever driven through a desolate area and suddenly spot a tree? You know that, even though you can’t see it, there must be water nearby. This is especially true for weeping willows. You just know there is a pond of water under their boughs. The image tells us that the psalms are not so much a collection of useful wisdom, but a connection to God’s presence. Scripture, including the psalms, connect us to God that results in a life lived on the right path.
One final word: when the psalmist talks about how we should delight in the law, s/he is not talking about rules and regulations, stuff we have to do. As Frederick Buechner says, that’s only one way to talk about law; the second is that laws describe how things are, such as the law of gravity. We are to delight in the way things are, otherwise it will be like stepping out of a tenth-story window and expecting to be unscathed. As we will see in the weeks to come, as we journey on the road of faith, this resource that God provides in the psalms is a rich one in which to place our roots, reaching deeply to the source of life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Pastor Olson's Newsletter Article June 2013 - Exploring Our Core Values: Post #2: "Gathering in God's Love"
June 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Lena was complaining to Ole that he never told her he loved her. He replied, “I told you that I loved you when we got married. If it ever changes, I’ll let you know.” Sometimes we avoid stating the obvious because it is, well, obvious. Yet, often our assumptions about life together aren’t enough; we need to state them.
Nowhere is that more true than what we value as a church. Our values remind us of who we are and also tell others what is important to us. Sometimes, a value is more “aspirational,” meaning it is one we hope to live into. Last month, we began a review of the proposed core values developed by the church council in its March retreat. We started with an introductory preamble: “We are a community of faith…,” which we pointed out has both holy and human dimensions.
Our first core value is also the focus the council has chosen for the year, “We are a community of faith … Gathering in God’s Love.” An explanation follows:
Worship or service, fellowship or meals, we value coming together, just as much as the purpose of the gathering itself. The importance of gathering is shown in many ways, but particularly at the Lord’s Table, celebrated at every worship service, where all of the baptized are welcome.
As the council thought about the many times we assemble as a community of faith, they realized that people enjoy gathering and working together for an occasion just as much as doing the actual event. For example, the fellowship and relationship building that occurs to put on the lutefisk dinner was just as rewarding as serving several hundred hungry souls. I can personally vow for the fact that the men of the church had just as much fun getting together for fellowship as we did serving the Mother-Child Banquet. Furthermore, I can tell that the Grace Lutheran Church Women enjoy their time of companionship as much as the many ways they serve.
Nowhere is this gathering in God’s love more significant than in our commitment to celebrating Holy Communion at every worship service at Grace where God’s love is given to everyone. One way this core value has been lived out is in our recent decision to practice Communion of the Baptized, as all are welcome to the Lord’s Supper regardless of one’s age or ability to understand God’s amazing grace and love.
There is much more one could say about this core value, but hopefully this enough to get the conversation started. What do you think? Is this one of our values? Do we need to say more? Regardless, let’s talk. Oh, and by the way, have I told you how much I love you lately?
In Christ,
Pastor Olson
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Lena was complaining to Ole that he never told her he loved her. He replied, “I told you that I loved you when we got married. If it ever changes, I’ll let you know.” Sometimes we avoid stating the obvious because it is, well, obvious. Yet, often our assumptions about life together aren’t enough; we need to state them.
Nowhere is that more true than what we value as a church. Our values remind us of who we are and also tell others what is important to us. Sometimes, a value is more “aspirational,” meaning it is one we hope to live into. Last month, we began a review of the proposed core values developed by the church council in its March retreat. We started with an introductory preamble: “We are a community of faith…,” which we pointed out has both holy and human dimensions.
Our first core value is also the focus the council has chosen for the year, “We are a community of faith … Gathering in God’s Love.” An explanation follows:
Worship or service, fellowship or meals, we value coming together, just as much as the purpose of the gathering itself. The importance of gathering is shown in many ways, but particularly at the Lord’s Table, celebrated at every worship service, where all of the baptized are welcome.
As the council thought about the many times we assemble as a community of faith, they realized that people enjoy gathering and working together for an occasion just as much as doing the actual event. For example, the fellowship and relationship building that occurs to put on the lutefisk dinner was just as rewarding as serving several hundred hungry souls. I can personally vow for the fact that the men of the church had just as much fun getting together for fellowship as we did serving the Mother-Child Banquet. Furthermore, I can tell that the Grace Lutheran Church Women enjoy their time of companionship as much as the many ways they serve.
Nowhere is this gathering in God’s love more significant than in our commitment to celebrating Holy Communion at every worship service at Grace where God’s love is given to everyone. One way this core value has been lived out is in our recent decision to practice Communion of the Baptized, as all are welcome to the Lord’s Supper regardless of one’s age or ability to understand God’s amazing grace and love.
There is much more one could say about this core value, but hopefully this enough to get the conversation started. What do you think? Is this one of our values? Do we need to say more? Regardless, let’s talk. Oh, and by the way, have I told you how much I love you lately?
In Christ,
Pastor Olson
Pastor Olson's Newsletter Article - May 2013 Exploring Our Core Values - Post #1: Introduction & Preamble
May 2013
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“Who are you? What are you about in this place? What is important to you?”
Though they may be largely unspoken, these are three questions people ask about the community of Grace Lutheran Church. In more theological language, they might be said in this way: “What do you live for? What are you willing to die for?”
A congregation can begin to answer these questions in a statement of its core values. Core values are important because they are a basic account of who we are and why we do what we do. As a declaration of identity, core values guide our mission and ministry as we seek to be faithful to God’s call on our lives.
In its March retreat, the church council began reworking our core values to better reflect who we are now. Ultimately, the revised values will lead to revisiting our vision and mission statements as well. For now, we will be asking you to help us fine tune the values. We will be doing this in a variety of ways, including this monthly letter.
As we developed the five core values, we realized we needed an introduction, a statement about how we are different from other organizations and churches. Our suggested “preamble” is this:
We are a community of faith…
Grace Lutheran Church is a community called by the Holy Spirit to serve God’s mission to love and bless the world. We do this from a location in the city center area of Mankato, MN, but we reach out to our region, state, and the world.
The preamble contains a “holy” statement and a “human” statement, both important aspects of our identity. The holy portion asserts that we are unique because we have been gathered by God for a purpose. God has a mission to love and bless the world, reuniting it to himself through Jesus Christ. For that mission God calls together communities of faith such as Grace.
The human part recognizes that this congregation exists in a particular ministry setting. God has placed us here to serve our neighbors. That is one reason why we have held our “Grace in the Park” worship service in Washington Park and are working to use a portion of our newly acquired property for a community garden. Even so, we realize that our neighbors can be defined more broadly to include others around the world. Another proposed core value, “Caring for God’s People,” is more specific about what this means.
More can and should be said about our holy and human identity. For now, it is enough to get us talking about who we are, what we are about here, and what is important to us. We do so because of the One who lived, died, and was raised to new life for us.
In the Name of the Risen Christ,
Pastor Olson
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“Who are you? What are you about in this place? What is important to you?”
Though they may be largely unspoken, these are three questions people ask about the community of Grace Lutheran Church. In more theological language, they might be said in this way: “What do you live for? What are you willing to die for?”
A congregation can begin to answer these questions in a statement of its core values. Core values are important because they are a basic account of who we are and why we do what we do. As a declaration of identity, core values guide our mission and ministry as we seek to be faithful to God’s call on our lives.
In its March retreat, the church council began reworking our core values to better reflect who we are now. Ultimately, the revised values will lead to revisiting our vision and mission statements as well. For now, we will be asking you to help us fine tune the values. We will be doing this in a variety of ways, including this monthly letter.
As we developed the five core values, we realized we needed an introduction, a statement about how we are different from other organizations and churches. Our suggested “preamble” is this:
We are a community of faith…
Grace Lutheran Church is a community called by the Holy Spirit to serve God’s mission to love and bless the world. We do this from a location in the city center area of Mankato, MN, but we reach out to our region, state, and the world.
The preamble contains a “holy” statement and a “human” statement, both important aspects of our identity. The holy portion asserts that we are unique because we have been gathered by God for a purpose. God has a mission to love and bless the world, reuniting it to himself through Jesus Christ. For that mission God calls together communities of faith such as Grace.
The human part recognizes that this congregation exists in a particular ministry setting. God has placed us here to serve our neighbors. That is one reason why we have held our “Grace in the Park” worship service in Washington Park and are working to use a portion of our newly acquired property for a community garden. Even so, we realize that our neighbors can be defined more broadly to include others around the world. Another proposed core value, “Caring for God’s People,” is more specific about what this means.
More can and should be said about our holy and human identity. For now, it is enough to get us talking about who we are, what we are about here, and what is important to us. We do so because of the One who lived, died, and was raised to new life for us.
In the Name of the Risen Christ,
Pastor Olson
Sunday, May 26, 2013
"Trinitarian Freedom" - Sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday
Trinitarian Freedom
Holy Trinity Sunday
May 26, 2013
Galatians 5.1, 13-25
For freedom, Christ has set us free. … [O]nly do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. … Live by the Spirit ….
Today is Trinity Sunday, the official kick-off to the long, green season of Pentecost, a time when we focus on what it means to live the Christian life. Trinity Sunday is also only festival devoted to a doctrine rather than a person or event. No, this will not be “one of those” sermons, but it’s important to acknowledge that the Trinity is one way that we have tried to understand who God is and what God is up to in our world. In this case, we have long wrestled with how one God can be three persons or conversely how three persons can be one God.
Those approaching from the former aspect understand that our God is a sending God. God the Father sends Jesus the Son and both send the Holy Spirit, the sending action meant to heal the broken relationship between God and creation. The triune God calls and sends us to participate in this restoration process, which brings us to those who think about how three can be one. They understand that our God is also a social God. The three persons act with unity of purpose even as they retain their distinctiveness, and God is at heart a relational God who is intimately involved in creation, who invites us to participate in the work to love the world. God is both a sending God and a social God.
In his letter to the churches of Galatia (modern day Turkey), Paul reminds them about the saving work of the triune God, that they have been set free through the work of Jesus Christ sent by God the Father. It is not necessary that the Galatians submit to the marks of the Jewish faith or requirements of the law. Having made his point, Paul now reminds the Galatians that liberty doesn’t mean license. In our freedom we are given a choice of two different ways to live: we can live focused on our self at the expense of others, or we can live by the Spirit in love and service to others.
Paul addresses head on what we know all too well: we don’t always handle our freedom very well, like a dog finally let off its leash, running around in circles, not knowing what to do first, then getting in trouble. In the 1960s there were some (in)famous experiments at Yale by psychologist Stanley Milgram. In the wake of the Nazi war trials, he wanted to see how people responded to authority. In the experiment, the experimenter would give the subjects permission to shock another subject with increasing voltage. Although no shocks were actually given, experimenters found that the subjects would do so at alarming levels, even though many were uncomfortable doing so.
Freedom lived in the works of the flesh is illusory because it is really another form of slavery. By the way, if you don’t see your vice of choice on the list you aren’t off the hook. The list is not exhaustive, it is representative. In any case, true freedom is lived by willingly serving others through love. It is a life that God not only calls us to live but also makes possible through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. There may be situations where we don’t know exactly what love demands of us, but there is never a situation where love is to be set aside. God invites us to be led by the Spirit in all we do.
As we think about the triune God’s call to loving service, I can’t help but think about those that answered our country’s call to give themselves away so that we might be free to give ourselves away. I also think about those who, in Oklahoma offered up their lives by using their bodies as a shield to save those under their care. For freedom Christ has set us free, sending us into a world that is full of brokenness and despair, to participate in its healing and to proclaim a word of hope. Thank you, my sisters and brothers in Christ, for answering that call. May God produce abundant fruit in you as you are led by the Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Coming this Summer: (Mostly) Second Sunday Table Talks
(Mostly) Second Sunday Table Talks: Martin Luther used to hold casual discussions with students called “Table Talks.” In that tradition, this summer I will be hosting informal conversations following worship on the (mostly) second Sunday of each month. Do you have a question about something going on at Grace? Would you like to know more about what was said in a sermon? Is there a question about the Bible or theology or an event going on in the world that you have been longing to ask? Or would you just like an opportunity to get a closer look at my socks? Regardless, any and all questions are welcome! Conversations will be held in the Fellowship Hall. (However, unlike Luther who drank beer with his students, only coffee and rolls will be provided.) Mark your calendars for June 9, July 21, and August 11. To get the conversation going, at the first session on June 9, I will discuss the impact of the state legislature’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Please join us.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
"Playing with Fire" - Sermon for Pentecost Sunday
Playing with Fire
Pentecost Sunday (Narrative Lectionary 3)
May 19, 2013
Acts 2.1-4; Galatians 4.1-7
We all have, I think, both a fascination and a fear of fire. There is almost a magnetic attraction to watching something burn and at the same time a reverential awe at its destructive power. We are told at a very young age that we must never play with fire. In a similar way, most of us have on our family tree someone who is a bit fruitier than the rest, a relative who invites a similar blend of fascination, apprehension, and unpredictability when they show up. I find these attitudes toward the Holy Spirit. Whereas God the Father is our safely distant grandfatherly type and God the Son is our friend and companion, God the Holy Spirit is unnerving to us as we are both fascinated and fearful by its presence.
Like fire and family, we have mixed feelings about the Holy Spirit. But there are also misunderstanding. We tend to think that the Spirit just appears at Pentecost when it lights a fire under those first followers of Jesus and sends them out to be a part of God’s mission to love and bless the world. Yet, it was the Spirit that was there as God’s Holy Wind moving over the waters of creation, bringing order out of chaos. It was the Spirit, God’s Holy Breath that was blowing life into the first humans. It was the Holy Spirit that spoke God’s word to the people through the prophets. It was the Holy Spirit who came upon the Virgin Mary, incarnating the Son of God. It was the Spirit that energized John the Baptist, announcing the coming of the Messiah. It was the Spirit that sent Jesus on God’s mission at his baptism. It’s the Holy Spirit who appears 40 times in the book of Acts guiding the early church as it lived out its calling. And we can argue that the Holy Spirit was moving in both the 16th century Protestant Reformation and 18th century Great Awakening.
That brings us to our second misconception about the Holy Spirit: we tend to equate power with spectacular, but the Holy Spirit often works in ways that are more like a slow, steady burn than a fiery inferno. It is through the presence of the Holy Spirit that we experience the risen Christ in our midst. As Paul says in Galatians chapter 4, we are only able to cry, “Abba! Father!” because of the Holy Spirit. Later in Galatians, Paul will say that it is through presence of the Holy Spirit that we are able to bear good fruit in our lives. It is the Spirit that helps us intercede before God when we can’t find the words. Finally, as Danielle Shroyer points out, that without the experience of Pentecost in our lives we’d only be people who tell Jesus’ story. Yet, because of Pentecost we’re a people who live into Jesus’ story.
We have had our own Pentecost at Grace Lutheran Church as the Holy Spirit has lit a fire under us. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in, with, and through Shepherding Team we’ve made major ministry changes to our worship and faith formation lives, and it is the Holy Spirit that has moved many of you to participate. Each week I encounter more folk who are led to this place and are warmly welcomed by you; that’s the Spirit at work. Whenever parents bring an infant to the baptismal font or an adult does so, it’s the Holy Spirit moving in their lives. It is the Holy Spirit who has moved this congregation outward in the formation of a community garden and gathered a group of passionate individuals to make it happen. We continue live Pentecost.
Today we honor and recognize our high school graduates, those who have reached a milestone on their journey of faith. It was a journey that begun when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them at their baptisms. Young people, I am not going to give you advice this morning, because you’ll be getting far more than you’ll need of that in the days ahead. But we will give you two things that are even better. First, we are giving you a quilt today as a concrete reminder that God is always present in your life, all evidence to the contrary, and that you are enfolded in God’s mercy, love, and grace no matter where you go. Second, we give you an invitation to see where God’s Spirit is blowing in, with, and through your life. The Spirit’s presence may not be as dramatic as that first Pentecost, but I can assure you that it will be no less powerful. Sometimes that may be a little unnerving and we understand that. However, in this case we Christians are a strange bunch because think it’s more than okay to play with fire. Amen.
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