Saving Faith - Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Narrative Lectionary 2

Saving Faith

Epiphany 4B – NL 2

January 28, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Mark 5.21-43

In March 1980, Mt. St. Helens in Washington state erupted in what was arguably the worst volcanic disaster in North America. A column of ash rose 12 miles in the air and spread for 10 straight hours. One of my aunts who lived in Washington state sent me a coffee cup made from the ash. It’s very light. At least 57 people were killed and hundreds of square miles were reduced to rubble. The resulting mudslides reached as far as the Columbia River, about 50 miles away from the volcano. The total devastation caused an estimated $1 billion damage, about $3.2 billion 2022 dollars.

Two characters in our reading, an unnamed woman and a prominent father, face life-changing death and devastation. Today is the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, the shorter green season that explores who Jesus is, literally bringing us “aha” moments. So far, Jesus has been revealed as God’s beloved Son, healer, and teacher. Last week Pr. Drew told us that Jesus is the one who goes where others refuse to go as we saw in his encounter with the man possessed by demons. Today, Jesus is shown to go even further, where others can’t go: into the realm of death.

Mark has crafted a wonderful “sandwich” story, a story within a story that is called an inclusio. This format serves to heighten the tension prevalent in the story. Jesus is now back on Jewish soil, surrounded by crowds, approached by a Jewish religious leader. Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet and desperately begs Jesus to heal his daughter. His actions highlight the seriousness of her illness. Jesus agrees, the crowd follows, but then he is interrupted by another desperate person. This one is an unnamed woman, suffering for 12 years with a flow of blood. Not only has she been bankrupt from paying doctors, they’ve actually made her worse.

The woman tries to be inconspicuous, but to no avail. Jesus calls her out, doing so to use the opportunity to praise her faith. He then tells her to go in peace, that her faith has made her well. Meanwhile, a contingent comes from Jairus’ house informing them that his daughter is dead. Jesus shrugs off the crowd, takes a few disciples with him, and tells Jairus to fear not but believe. Ignoring the jeers of the mourners, Jesus resuscitates the girl to everyone’s amazement.

The woman with the flow of blood was desperate because as someone ritually unclean she was dead in the eyes of the community. She could not be around anyone because her presence would make them unclean. Nor could she worship in Jairus’ synagogue for the same reason. In other words, she was also dead to God. Jairus’ daughter, of course, was dead. Really dead (“sleeping” is a euphemism Jesus uses to indicate that death is not beyond him). But she’s dead in another sense. She has been cut off as she entered maturity, short of becoming a woman, marrying and having children. She’s dead to any future she might have had. Yet,  Jesus enters into their deaths, the woman and the father on behalf of the girl, and invites them into a trusting relationship, one that results in salvation and peace, also known as shalom.

In the “Heaven” Bible study this past Wednesday, Pr. Drew led an excellent discussion about Hell. You can’t talk about heaven without talking about hell. Pr. Drew pointed out what we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, that after Jesus “was crucified, died and was buried,” he “descended to Hell.” Aside from not knowing what Jesus did there (some say he preached the gospel!?), we agreed that the larger meaning is there is no place outside of God’s presence and love, not even death. The Apostle Paul in chapter 8 of his letter to the church at Rome declares that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus, not even that great separator, death.

What is often missed in the Mt. St. Helens story is the rapid recovery of the area. True, the gaping crater remains, and the landscape altered irrevocably. But as Rabbi Ed Friedman notes, within weeks everything that appeared on the third day of creation appeared at Mt. St. Helens. (That is no reason to ignore the effects of climate change because, as Friedman notes, the planet will do us in before we do it in.) The bottom line is that there is nowhere God in Christ Jesus can’t go, including death, and bring about life. That doesn’t mean that all will be healed or resuscitated, because new life may look different.

As Our Savior’s Lutheran Church recovers from the experiences of last year, we have “Saving Faith,” trusting that God is present in, with, and through all that happens to us. God in Jesus goes anywhere and everywhere to bring life out of death. Thanks be to God! Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Epiphany: Jesus as Teacher - Sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany Narrative Lectionary 2

Epiphany: Jesus as Teacher

Epiphany 2B – NL 2

January 14, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Mark 2.1-22

Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. Mark 2.13

As I thought about Jesus as a teacher, I couldn’t help but think about one of my favorite teachers. The one that came to mind was my high school Biology II Anatomy & Physiology teacher, Joe Michel. Of course, he was Mr. Michel to us. I enjoyed the experience so much I came the next semester as a teaching assistant. One of the things I liked about Mr. Michel is that he had a deep appreciation for the marvels and wonder of the human body. That was something I resonated with and didn’t feel my usual embarrassment about. I could be unabashedly geeky. Also, Mr. Michel not only made learning interesting, he also accepted us for who we were. He connected with everyone in the class regardless of ability and was fully present to each and everyone of us. 

Even so, Mr. Michel also challenged us. He made us want to be the best we could be, to do the best we could do. Finally, I also appreciated his vulnerability and openness. He told us once that he was planning to be a medical doctor but there was one small problem: he couldn’t stomach the sight of blood. (Frankly, I’m glad he didn’t become a doctor, though he would have made a good one.) Years later, it was his example that gave me courage to change directions in my life, first when I decided to pursue another career other than medicine and then when I answered the call to seminary.

Today is the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, a season during which we explore who Jesus is, how he has been revealed to us. Last Sunday, Pr. Drew talked about Jesus as a healer and today we discover Jesus as a teacher. He is teaching to a crowd in his house when he is interrupted by four people who dig through a hole in the roof to lower their paralytic friend into Jesus’ midst. Then he scandalizes the religious leaders by forgiving the man’s sins. Furthermore, Jesus amazes those present by healing the paralytic. Then he adds to the scandal (and foreshadows conflict) by calling Levi, a tax collector, to be one of his key followers. (By the way, if this was the Gospel of Matthew, Levi’s name would be Matthew. It’s not uncommon for people to have two names.) Then, not leaving well enough alone, Jesus accepts table hospitality from Levi and eats with societal and religious outcasts. That’s a no-no for an observant Jew.

Whether Mr. Michel knew it or not, he embodied many of Jesus’ characteristics as a teacher, though he wouldn’t have made the comparison himself. First, Jesus is fully present to people wherever and whenever he happens to be. He accepts people for who they are, whether tax collector, sinner, or even religious leader. Jesus was Mr. Rogers before there was a Mr. Rogers. And though people often seek him out, Jesus more often goes where he needs to be the most. Even so, it’s not the observant religious people of the day who need him most, but the marginalized and outcast.

The second thing Jesus does as a teacher is to be a challenging presence. He meets people where they are but they are not the same afterward. Jesus does this by asking a lot of questions. In fact, Jesus asks far more questions than are asked of him and he often “answers” a question with a question. He does so in a sneaky and often annoying way, such as through parables and metaphors. For example, Jesus notes that he has come for the “sick” and is doing a new thing that doesn’t fit their old preconceptions. In this way Jesus challenges both their thinking and our thinking and preconceived notions about the Kingdom of God, who belongs, and what its values are.

How might this challenge us? We’re in a time of transition at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in a changing world. We are discerning what God is doing in our midst and what God is calling us to do. We are doing that in a Faribault community that is changing as well. So, how might Jesus be showing us, in word and deed, who on the sidelines we need to walk with? What new thing is Jesus doing in our midst that won’t fit on old cloth or in new wineskins? It’s always important to ask these questions, but even more so now, and to remember that, when we do, Jesus continues to be present, walking with us, guiding us, inviting us to follow in his way. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Just the Beginning - Sermon for the First Sunday of Christmas - Narratve Lectionary 2

Just the Beginning

Christmas 1A-NL 2

December 31, 2023

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Mark 1.1-20

On a day when the Vikings play the Packers, I hate to begin the sermon with a story about legendary Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi, but it’s a good one. In July 1961 at the beginning of training camp, Lombardi decided that  would begin each season by taking his team back to the fundamentals. He began doing that because his Packers fell short in the previous season’s title game and he didn’t want that to happen again. So, he addressed the assembled training camp players by holding aloft a ball declaring, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” (By the way, one of the players, probably Paul Hornung, quipped, “Can you slow down Coach? You’re going too fast.”) 

It worked, because that year they won the title and Lombardi never lost a playoff game again.

In today’s Gospel reading we hear that this is “the beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” Last September we have been working our way through the Old Testament up to the story of Jesus’ birth. Today’s reading begins our trip through Mark’s Gospel from now to Easter and there are things it would be helpful for you to know about Mark. For instance, Mark was probably the first Gospel written and most likely the basis for Gospels Matthew and Luke. (John is a whole other matter, different from all three.) Also, you can see by today’s lesson that Mark moves fast, hardly pausing for a breath. Jesus is always “on the way” somewhere and things happen “immediately.” Mark can’t be bothered with endless genealogies, angels, shepherds, foreign wisemen, or histories. Finally, though the reader is told that Jesus is God’s Son, his followers are often clueless as to who Jesus is. Others seem to know, but not his disciples.

So, although Mark seems in an all-fired hurry, thought it would be helpful to linger a moment over that first and fundamental sentence, “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” What does Mark mean by “the beginning of the Good News?” One possibility comes from one theologian’s description of a Gospel as “a passion narrative with an extended introduction.” In other words, this is prelude to the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Perhaps Mark is rushing us ahead to the “good stuff” that’s really important in his mind.

But I think a clue to another reason for Mark’s claim that this is the beginning comes in the ending. After the women encountered the empty tomb, they fled in terror, and “said nothing to nobody, for they were afraid.” Mark’s Gospel ends abruptly, so much so that later writers felt the need to add not one but two separate endings. But I think it was Mark’s intention to end that way, that the Gospel was meant to be open-ended. In other words, the good news of Jesus Christ is just beginning, with the story continuing to be written in our lives.

One privilege of being an interim pastor is to hear the stories of how God has worked and is working in the congregations I’m serving. And I also am privileged to hear how peoples’ personal stories intersect those of the congregation. In both instances I hear also how God has been present in, with, and through those stories. At Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, I’ve been astounded how every difficulty and setback – and there have been several, serious ones – has not been seen as an ending but rather as a new beginning of ministry. You haven’t taken those difficult and even traumatic events lightly, but they haven’t finished you either.

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions nor do I typically look at January 1st as starting over. But perhaps just this once I can make an exception. Let’s go back to the basics. To do so, I invite us to take the time to think about what beginning God has in store for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church this next year after a very challenging last year. Can you be open to what is unfolding in God’s kingdom? Let’s ask ourselves, “What is God up to at Our Savior’s and what does God want to do?” I don’t know the answer to that but I do know that we can figure it out together. Meanwhile, know that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, crucified and risen, continues to work. So, Happy New Year! Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

The Christmas Story - Sermon for Christmas Eve 2023

The Christmas Story

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2023

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 2.1-20

It seems that Christmas is a good time for stories, and no doubt many will be told this year, around the Christmas tree or table.If we were to gather, our family would tell the story of a bachelor uncle who grudgingly came each year, demanding that we not get him a gift yet get anyway. We’d talk about the year that all four of us children got identical clock radios by parents who scrupulously made every Christmas equal, down to the last penny. And there’d be that poignant Christmas when my sister, then too old, got her last doll. And I’d tell about the Christmas time when I baffled that same sister by disguising her present so well that it made her crazy. Then there’d be the time my mom made lutefisk because my Swedish great aunt and uncle came to dinner, a dinner that stunk up the house for days.

Of course, in many homes the Christmas story will be told again in one fashion or another, either around the tree or the table. It’s the story about how God took on flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth, as the Gospel writer John tells us. It strikes a chord in us, not just because it’s about a cute, vulnerable, baby. And not just because it involves angels and shepherds and animals and wise foreign visitors. It strikes a chord in us because we want to be reminded that God cares about us enough to be with us.

Unfortunately, there’ll be competing stories told this Christmas that stand against this one. Some of us will tell ourselves that God is distant and doesn’t care about us anymore, if at all. We’ll tell ourselves the story that God may come for other people, but God doesn’t come for us. We’ll tell the story that we have done such awful things that God couldn’t possibly come to us. Or perhaps we’ve bought the story that our worth is based on what we give or what we get. Most deadly, we tell ourselves that we must be happy because this is a happy time of year, and everyone else is happy so we should be happy, too.

I’m not going to tell you those stories aren’t true, because they might be your truth this year. Rather, I want to invite you into the larger one that encompasses these smaller stories. The Larger Story of Christmas tells us that God meets us where we are and as we are, no matter what. Two thousand years ago, God came to a people “who lived in great darkness” amid oppressive governance and so God continues to come to us, especially in our darkest times. The Larger Story says to the Smaller Stories that, evidence to the contrary, God continues to come. And, as Mary, who pondered all these things in her heart, we take to heart the Larger Story that surrounds our stories.

As you gather around the Christmas tree or table this year to tell stories, please hear the Larger Story of God’s love for you. Hear of a love so strong that God will go to any length to show you that love. In a few minutes, God will come down yet again and be made flesh in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. You will hold God in your hands and know that the one who gave God’s self at Christmas continues to give that Love over and over again. We think that this story is too good to be true. Rather, it is too good not to be true. Merry Christmas, God’s Beloved. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Mysterious Hope - Sermon for Advent 1B, Narrative Lectionary 2

Mysterious Hope

Advent 1B – NL2

December 3, 2023

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Jeremiah 33.14-18; Mark 8.27-29

You may already know this by now, but I love to read novels, especially murder mysteries. One of my favorite Minnesota authors, either Allen Eskens or William Kent Krueger (I don’t remember which) said that all stories are mysteries because you don’t know how they will turn out. Early on in a story, especially if it’s not particularly engaging, I’ll wonder where this story is going and not until half or two-thirds in that I find I’m really hooked and can’t wait to see how it ends. Then, at the denouement, I can usually see the breadcrumbs the author left earlier, but sometimes I’m mad because it seems the ending is pulled out of thin air. Even so, very often the ending isn’t what I expect, which is great, but I can see how we got there.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. We all know the story, of course, and more or less how it ends. Yet, here we are reading it again just as we do each year. I’d like us to think of these Advent texts as theological breadcrumbs scattered along the way that give us hints of what is to come. The themes of Advent include not only preparation, but of watching and waiting as well. So, I’m asking you today: Can we not rush to the “end” but rather examine the breadcrumbs to see what they tell us about that ending?

One breadcrumb today comes from the prophet Jeremiah, a singularly depressing fellow. Life starts out pretty good prophecy-wise as he encourages the reforms proclaimed by King Josiah. We met Josiah last week who did not walk in the ways of his father and grandfather, kings who “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Sadly, neither Josiah nor his reforms lasted long enough as both his son and grandson will do the same thing as Josiah’s father and grandfather. Meanwhile, Jeremiah was faced with the resulting blowback because of their apostasy, first from Egypt and then Babylon.

During Jeremiah’s time, the southern kingdom of Judah went from being a vassal state of Egypt to being destroyed by the Babylonians. This much the same that happened to the northern kingdom of Israel 200 years before, except it was the Assyrians who were the aggressors. Jeremiah will be urging the people to repent and not resist the coming siege to the very end. Imprisoned by the palace guard, Jeremiah will be abducted and taken to live out his days in Egypt, but not until he utters a word of hope amid total devastation. His promise: even though there are no kings left in Judah, it’s not the end. The breadcrumb he places states that there will be a day when a new king will arise, one that is different from all the rest. This king will execute justice and righteousness.

This word of hope is important for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church as we wonder about our future, especially in view of the events of the past few months, even years, that leave us wondering where God is. To probe this hope a bit, I’d like you to do an exercise with me by being “Jeremiahs.” As you find yourself in this ongoing story today, what is your greatest hope for OSLC in the coming years? After you receive Holy Communion, fill out a Hope Slip at either table by completing the sentence, “My greatest hope for Our Savior’s is … .” The church council will read through the slips to get a sense of what your hopes and dreams are. Then the Transition Team will process the slips more intensely early next year.

There’s one more breadcrumb in our readings today, Peter’s assertion that it is Jesus who will be this Messiah. We also know this because we’ve read the end of the story happening at Easter. But we also know what Peter and the others don’t know yet, and what Jeremiah predicts, that Jesus is unexpectedly so. It will take a long time for the disciples and the early church to realize that what they have found in Jesus is far more important than what they were looking for.

One more thing that I learned in an early college literature class. The American novel that developed was different from its predecessors in that the American novel was open-ended. It left you wondering what happened next. As we go through Advent to Christmas and beyond, I encourage you to savor this time. Not only to sit with the “breadcrumbs” but also to discover those clues about what God is doing as you prepare for your next settled lead pastor, and not assume you know the ending. Because like the great American novels, the story is open-ended and still being written. What’s your greatest hope for Our Savior’s and how might God answer in unexpected ways? Watch and wait as you prepare. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

The Heart of Love - Sermon for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Year A - Narrative Lectionary 2

The Heart of Love

Pentecost 24A – NL 2

November 12, 2023

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Hosea 11.1-9

Things are getting a little crazier in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Have you been able to sense it these past few weeks? God has remained faithful to God’ people, fulfilling the promises to Abraham and Sarah that they’d be the ancestors of a numerous people. Though they became numerous as slaves in Egypt, God rescued them through Moses who led them back to the Promised Land. 

On the way, God and the Israelites entered into a covenant that they would be an exclusive item. Settling in the land as a loose confederation of tribes, life began to be hopeful when King David united the 12 tribes and his son Solomon brought order. Unfortunately, it’s gone downhill since then as the rebel Jeroboam convinced the 10 Northern tribes to secede, and it keeps getting worse. As we learned last week, all of the kings following Jeroboam “walked in his ways and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,” principally worshiping other gods like Baal.

It’s been 100 years since Elijah dueled the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and the Israelites have not changed, continuing to treat YHWH as just another god along with others. But what has added to the craziness has been a bloody civil war with its Southern brother, Judah, designed to convince them to join forces against the encroaching threat of Assyria to the north. Israel is in danger of being overrun and made a vassal state of a powerful nation. All seems hopeless.

Into this situation comes another prophet, Hosea, who for 10 chapters doesn’t make it any better for Israel and the Northern kings. Through the prophetic act of his marriage to his wife, Gomer, who exhibits serial infidelity, and his rebellious children, Hosea holds a mirror to the Israelites accusing them of the same things that are happening in his life. In other words, Israel has not only committed religious adultery and rebelled, they have also trusted in earthly kings instead of their heavenly king. By not trusting in YHWH, they have sown the seeds of their own situation, which does not look good.

Hosea begins our reading today reminding the Israelites YHWH’s faithfulness by recalling the seminal event of the Jewish people, the Exodus from Egypt. Unfortunately, he says, they will now “return to the land of Egypt.” In other words, because of their unfaithfulness they will become enslaved again and the devastation will be even more horrific, if that’s possible. Indeed, Hosea’s prophecy will come true. Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom, also known as Samaria, in 722-1 BCE. And in typical conqueror fashion, the Israelites become captive and carried off into exile inAssyria.

Well, that’s a real upper, isn’t it? That is if it weren’t for the tender words Hosea speaks to them in the midst of the harsh ones. He shifts the metaphor he’s been using from marriage and children in this life to God as a parent. The difference this time is that God is faithful and caring. God’s love for Israel is like a parent who cannot help but continue to love no matter what. The only thing that is stronger than God’s disappointment and anger is God’s love. Hosea indicates that, although Israel will be chastened, this will not be the end of God’s faithfulness and love for them.

As a parent, I can understand God’s love, if imperfectly. I love my children no matter what they do. However, as a child of God I’ve also experienced it. You see, I was one of those young people who left the church after Confirmation for various reasons. Some of the reason had to do with how unjustly I perceived that my father was treated by a previous church. Though I’d just affirmed my baptism, I wasn’t sure I believed in God and in the years following, in high school, college (at a Lutheran one at that!), and a few years into my adulthood, I lived like I didn’t believe in God.

But something happened. It was a small thing but became a big thing. Soon after Confirmation I got a call from my pastor, Hugh Gilmore, wondering why he hadn’t seen me in church. I’d been very active until that point. I told him of my crisis of faith and said I was done with the church. To Pr. Gilmore’s credit, he responded kindly. He didn’t try to argue with me or guilt me but simply offered to talk with me if I wanted. But more importantly, he told me I was always welcome back to Hope Lutheran Church.

Years later a coworker invited me to a young adults group. I was ready to start looking for some answers to questions I had about God and the faith. But I think it was Pr. Gilmore’s tender care several years earlier that laid the foundation for my ability to try the church again. I was loved back into the church. That’s one of many reasons I want all our young people (everyone really) to know that no matter what happens to them, no matter what they do or where they go, there will be a place for them. (By the way, I met my wife, Cindy, in that young adult group and we were married at Hope Lutheran Church.)

As I’ve become a pastor, I have emphasized what I told our children today about God’s love. I want to make sure that they understand that baptism is God’s gift to us and that it’s for us more than it is for God. Baptism is God’s way of promising us that we will always belong to God, always be loved by God no matter what happens in our lives, that we are God’s Beloved Children. What we’ll learn in the coming months as we get closer to the Jesus story is that it gets worse for Israel and Judah. But we will also learn that God will go to great lengths to get this message across, including giving his only Son, Jesus, to do so. That’s the heart of love. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

For All the Saints - Sermon for All Saint Sunday Year A (Narrative Lectionary 2)

For All the Saints

All Saints A – NL 2

November 5, 2023

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

1 Kings 18.17-39

It’s been about 50-60 years since last week’s events where the kingdom of Israel was split into after the death of King Solomon. The 10 Northern tribes of Israel (not to be confused with the whole country) remain separate and in contention with the two Southern tribes collectively known as Judah. Our reading today concerns the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Although not all of the northern kings are Jeroboam’s direct descendants, they all are “spiritual descendents” who have “walked in the way of Jeroboam and have done what is evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Thus enters the prophet Elijah who challenges the behavior of the evil king Ahab. Ahab has not only married a foreign woman, Jezebel (yes that Jezebel!) but has gone after her gods, Baal and Asherah. There is a drought in the land with an accompanying famine. The drought and famine are ostensibly the Lord’s way of getting their attention for worshiping false gods. It is in this situation that the Lord’s prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest. In one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible, Elijah stands up for the Lard against the false gods.

Every advantage is given to the prophets of Baal. They are on their own turf and thus have the “homefield edge.” There are 450 of them and only one of Elijah (who stretches the truth about that a bit). They get the choice of bulls, their typical sacrifice. And they get more than enough time to get Baal’s attention, all under the taunting of Elijah. When it is his turn, Elijah takes the leftover bull and rebuilds the altar of the Lord with 12 stones. He digs a trench around the altar and pours 12 jars of water over it. After all of this Elijah utters a simple prayer to the Lord. In the prayer and all the actions Elijah reminds the people of Israel of their history, of who they are and whose they are. They belong to the one true God, the Lord.

St. Elijah stands up for the Lord. Now I want to tell you about another saint who did so in a different way, my Grandpa Johnson. Grandpa was born and raised in Rice Lake, WI where he owned a milk can re-tinning business. He turned the re-tinning business into a truck body business that grew tremendously during World War II. Grandpa Johnson was so busy he brought his two brothers into the business. After a while, the two brothers started to force Grandpa out of the business. I don’t know all of the details, but Grandpa Johnson, who was a very strong Christian, decided that rather than fighting his brothers he would move the family westward and start a new life. That would be him, my grandma, and eight of their nine children, excluding the eldest, my mother.

Grandpa would have gone all the way to the Pacific Ocean but instead they settled in Spokane WA. It was a compromise with my grandma who said, “This far and no farther.” There Grandpa Johnson turned what had been a hobby, building boats, into a business. (He was one of the first, if not the first, to use fiberglass rather than wood to build his boats. Grandpa was a very creative man.) I don’t know if I could do what Grandpa Johnson did, and I know that he wasn’t perfect, but he is still an inspiration to me even though he has been gone a long time.  And I do know that he prayed for his children and grandchildren every day until the day he died; (BTW, Johnson Truck Body still exists in Rice Lake, though it is owned by a German company. It does all of the Schwan’s trucks, which have little plaques on the side that say “Johnson Truck Body.”)

Today we celebrate the Festival of All Saints, when we remember those who have died in the past year. All Saints was originally designed to commemorate those who died as martyrs for the faith. (Martyr literally means witness.) We tend to think of a saint as someone who is extra-especially good, and that’s true, but a saint is also those who have been claimed by Jesus through baptism, who are redeemed by his blood. That includes you, me, all who have come before us, all around the world, and all who come after.

In a few minutes, we are going to experience that mysterious “great cloud of witnesses” as we come forward for Communion. This is where God comes down in a dramatic way, giving God’s very self to us. As you do so and light a candle to remember your beloved, also do so for those like Elijah and Grandpa Johnson who by their example by standing up for God and inspire us to do likewise. So, let us give thanks to God who strengthens us to do so as well by giving us God’s self through Jesus. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.