Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise Faith Lutheran Church, Okemos, MI

This is a special musical presentation of Sing Out To God by the Summer Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

Sometimes I don’t like the way that the kingdom of God grows. But what is the kingdom of God? It is the place where God reigns or is in charge. I appreciate how Luther it explains it as heavenly and earthly. As people of God, we have one foot in each. Here on earth, we try and practice how we will live in the heavenly kingdom.
Growth in the kingdom of God doesn’t happen the way that I would like it to. I often get angry and feel uncomfortable as it grows. It doesn’t happen fast enough and then when it does, it is not always what I expected.
In Mark the kingdom of God is described as something mysterious. It is often described as something that does not make sense. It also takes our control out of the mix. Now it is really frustrating.
I have found that I can have everything planned out in my head and then when I try and put it together it doesn’t always work. Then when one piece falls into place it is time to move full speed ahead. I have often said to God, Hey what were you thinking?
We can experience this in our individual lives and in groups we are members of or even our church. The place and family in which we gather around God in Jesus Christ. This transition process that we are in is not always easy. There is never a clear road map and in my experience things never fully happen in our time. I then often say to God, Hey what are you up to now?
This is the seventh transition process that I have been involved with and every single one has been different. What I have found, is that God is looking for things to happen before God is ready to say, here is your next pastor. I am not making this up, this is what I have experienced and observed.
The transition process is almost like a trust exercise with God. Are you going to trust that I, meaning God, have things under control? God asks us to deal with things as they occur, when we don’t, they keep coming back. I am sure that many of you have experienced this in your own lives. If there is something that is not working, it doesn’t go away, it just continues to present itself.
We can keep burying it or face it. In reality as human beings we each have things in our lives that we are called to change in order to be healthier disciples for Jesus. I don’t always want to. I can easily volunteer for too many things. Many of us know what that feels like. We don’t give ourselves permission enough to say no. Only we ourselves can do that.
This is part of what I am talking about in describing the kingdom of God as something mysterious and not making sense. Those of us who are doers often think if we don’t do it, it won’t get done. That is true. Either someone will pick it up, if we say no or it won’t get done. We often find out it is not the end of the world.
Then there are those of us who want to control how something is done. This is one way you can make sure that no one else may want to do it. In most cases there is no one right way of doing anything. I have learned that if I am not in charge to just go with it. That is not always easy, but it is the healthiest.
In our Gospel lesson today, we have Jesus telling two parables about the kingdom of God. In the first one Jesus is describing the wonders of growth when a seed is scattered on the ground and by the next morning it begins to sprout. The person scattered the seed and while they were sleeping it began to sprout. The person had nothing to do with the growth. Jesus explains that the earth produces of itself. First the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.
When the grain is ripe, at once they go in with the sickle to harvest the grain. We all wish it were that easy. I believe what Jesus might be saying here, yes we have a part in the growth, but we don’t have control over it. For those of you who have planted anything, you can prepare the soil, do the planting, water and pull the weeds, but you do not have a guarantee what your harvest will look like. Every year is a di

This is a special musical presentation of Rain Dance by Calvin Kadrofske on Marimba at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

Have you noticed that some people feel called to put themselves in the middle of conflict? Sometimes those of us are transitional or interim pastors can find ourselves there. I have seen some people run from it and others run to it. I feel that I am some place in between the two.
My husband and I were members of a church where I began being the director of the contemporary group. We did worship every Sunday. The pastor retired and he had not dealt with conflict the entire time that he was there. 2 Interim pastors came. One took the regular pastoral responsibilities, and he ran from conflict and the other did the transition work and she ran to it.
I did my best to only observe. The transitional pastor actually helped form and put together the training for the intentional interim pastors. One needs to understand that there will be conflict and disagreements. It takes the ability to separate out yourself and set boundary lines. One needs to have the ability to listen to all people.
Conflict is normal and you have experienced it here. It is interesting what we chose to dig our heels in on. Often we have the support of our families in our individual lives when we experience conflict. In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus did not. He was causing such a stir among the church leaders that his family felt he was making them look bad.
His family did not understand at this point who he really was and what he had been called to do. Maybe you have had a family member at one time, or another pull you aside and ask you if you really wanted to die on this hill. Depending on how you felt about it, you may have considered it and backed down or felt your were called to continue.
Jesus’ family were to the point that they wanted to restrain him and probably take him home as people thought he was crazy. Then came the church leaders who put him in league with the ruler of the demons as Jesus had been casting out demons. Jesus of course challenged them and asked them, “How could satan cast out satan?” If one is casting out the other, the house is divided and will fall. If satan has risen up against himself, how can he stand?
Jesus had reduced the church leaders thinking to absurdity. He goes on to say that if anyone enters a strong person’s house, the strong person being satan,  cannot take their property unless they are tied up. Jesus is separating himself from satan by saying that he is stronger than satan.
He becomes bolder and says that everyone’s sins are forgiven except those that put he and satan in league together. The Greek word translated never here is not a good translation as recent scholars have felt it is misleading. Jesus has always said that forgiveness is for all, but it needs to be received. If satan does not give forgiveness and one equates Jesus with satan, why would you be looking for forgiveness.
In a sense Jesus now turns on his family as when they came to call him out and probably expect to take him home, Jesus asks the question, “who is my family?”. I’m sure this threw everyone for a loop. He then said to them my family are those who do God’s will. Of course this could have included his biological family.
What is Jesus trying to teach in all of this turmoil and misunderstanding? Could it be that Jesus is trying to tell all of them and us that not everyone will agree or understand what Jesus is saying and doing? Jesus is describing what the beloved community looks like.
There are many different variations on this picture, but in the end not everyone will see things the same way. We will have many misunderstandings. Messages will not always be clear. What one sees may be different from another and the interpretations can be different. Does this sound familiar?
Ramona described a church that she belonged to that ended up closing. But through the years, even though there were many different ways of thinking, they worked together to try and move the church forward. It wasn’t meant to be a

This is a special musical presentation of Majesty by Addie Thompson and Deb Borton-McDonough playing the handbells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

What is sabbath or what is the sabbath day? Different religions have different days, thus we can’t say one day is totally right or wrong? Christians have said throughout history that Sunday is our sabbath. But what about Christian churches who have Saturday night services?
At one point in our history, Sundays were strictly observed as “the sabbath”. Stores and even restaurants were closed. Chick-Filet even today is closed on Sundays. Life has evolved and some may say things have progressed. Others might say that we have gotten off track.
We now have sports games on Sunday mornings. They seem to take precedent over worship services. Notice I didn’t say sabbath. The original Hebrew root of the word means to cease or desist. The double b creates an intensive force. We have often thought of sabbath as rest and relaxation, but it’s original root only means cease from activity.
Of course, with any word or in a sense concept it has a history. To go through the whole history would not be helpful in the midst of a sermon. In the initial stages of its evolution the sabbath was observed by ceasing from all physical labor and it was considered as taboo if they didn’t cease. It was regarded as an unlucky day, an evil day under control of gods or spirits. Thus, one didn’t want to allow gods or spirit to take control.
The sabbath is of Jewish origin and eventually became a day with positive respect to the Deity. The observance of the seventh day of the week was a sign between God and God’s people that on that seventh they would rest as God rested on the seventh day of creation. Of course this was Saturday. In trying to enforce it, it became a burden.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus is trying to reframe the importance of sabbath to not make it a burden. The burden developed from human beings trying to interpret the law and enforce it to maintain control. Jesus never came to do away with the law, but to allow it to breath and support human beings with guidelines in which to live in relationship with God and neighbor.
The Pharisees in our Gospel lesson were the keepers of the law. Thus, they were always looking for any infraction. The disciples were hungry, thus as they were walking through a field of grain, they began to pluck heads of grain. They were guilty of two infractions of the law.
The disciples were travelling and  harvesting on the sabbath. They should have stayed where they had been the day before and prepared their food. Now I would guess that the Pharisees thought they should have fasted or essentially gone hungry since they were not prepared. 
Jesus reminded the Pharisees of a time when David and his companions were hungry. David entered the house of God and ate the bread of the presence. It is not lawful for anyone to eat this bread except the priests. David gave some to his companions also.
Jesus in trying to reframe the law about the sabbath, told the Pharisees that that the sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the sabbath.  He was trying to point out that it’s not about worshipping the law to the detriment of people. I’m sure the Pharisees did not like to hear this.
Then to be more bolder, Jesus said that the son of Man was lord even of the sabbath. I guess Jesus told the Pharisees that they did not know what they were talking about. There is no doubt that their anger was grower quickly. Who does this Jew think he is?
Now Jesus entered the synagogue and came across a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees eyes were on Jesus now ready to pounce on anything that he did. Jesus knew what was going on. He called the man forward and said to them “Is it lawful to do good or harm on the sabbath, to save or kill? They didn’t know how to answer the question, thus, they remained silent.
Jesus looked around with anger and grief at their hardness of heart and then said to the man, “stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. Now Jesus