The Heart of a Pastor

Sunday morning prayer - Pentecost Day

Happy Pentecost Day (and Mother's Day)!

Asking and receiving
Last night, while watching the news, I said to my wife that I had forgotten to pick up some candy at the store when we where there earlier.  The candy basket that I have for my children's lessons was nearly empty...not enough for the kids on Sunday.  So I started thinking that if I got going early enough, I could stop at the store on my way out to Belmont for worship.  The problem was that there was no guarantee I would remember to stop at the store.  Well...this morning when I went up to the sanctuary to prepare for worship; there on the counter in the sacristy was my children's lesson basket...filled with candy.  Wow...ask and you shall receive.  "Thanks, God."

A realization
I realized yesterday that I must be pretty serious about this marathon I am going to run in October.  Yesterday (Saturday, May 10) was to be my 9 mile run day.  My day was already pretty busy so my window of time to run was fairly small, but when it came time to run it was raining lightly.  Since I didn't have time to wait I still got ready and ended up running in the rain for a few miles.  I guess I AM serious about this running thing.  And you know...it was kind of nice (in a weird sort of way) to run in the rain.

Prayer
Today we recognize and celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to those first disciples and to us.  We thank God for His presence in our lives.  We thank Jesus for not leaving us orphaned.  We thank the Holy Spirit for the gift of faith.  But let us not forget to thank our mothers today.  But don't forget those women (who may not be "mothers") for playing a motherly role in your life (or the lives of others).  They deserve thanks as well.  So with all that in mind, let's pray...

Good, gracious and loving God, you came to those first disciples on that first Pentecost Day in power and authority.  You gave them courage to boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus dying and rising that we may live.  They announced forgiveness.  They announced Truth.  They proclaimed life.  Lord God, we pray for that same boldness; for that same Spirit to fill our hearts so we may be courageous in a world that demands much from us.  We pray for courage so others may come to know you through our words and deeds.  And, God...we thank you for loving us through mothers, whether they be biological or others who serve as a mother for us.  Mothers are indeed a gift from you.  Thank you, God.  We pray this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord...Amen.

God bless and take care!
-edh-

Mother's Day

I have a question...

...Sunday is Mother's Day (as if anyone needs to be reminded) AND it is Pentecost Sunday.  But Pentecost aside, how do you treat Mother's Day in worship?  I have heard sermons on Mother's Day that were about mothers and I left wondering if this day (and Father's Day) were days where we can give Jesus a break and preach about someone else.

Now...with it being Pentecost this Sunday do you try to work in mothers someplace into the Pentecost story or do you lay aside the Pentecost text completely or what?

For me...this is want I am doing:  I am preaching on the Acts 2 text were the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit and start preaching in the native tongue of the people gathered.  Actually, my main point is talked about more in my previous post titled "Desperate".  Later in the service I will have a special recognition of the mothers and offer a prayer for them.  After worship, all mothers will be presented with a red carnation.  And that is Mother's Day at Salem.  Am I dissing mothers too much by not preaching about mothers?

I want to make sure mothers are honored on Mother's Day.  After all...they deserve it (especially my mother) but I don't want to neglect the preaching of the gospel either.  I know there is probably a way to work both into a sermon, but with the text on Sunday...that is not the direction I was drawn.  What are you doing in worship?  How "should" mothers be honored?

-edh-

Sunday morning prayer

Happy Sunday morning to you all...and what a beautiful day it is...finally...

...first off, I am sorry that I have been so absent these past couple weeks.  It never seems to fail, that when May rolls around things start picking up again until school is done.  Also, last Sunday we (Salem) participated in a "Thanksgiving and Retiring Rite" for the Lutheran Book of Worship.  The service went well, but things did not really set in with me until this past week when I was removing all the LBWs and WOV (With One Voice) hymnals out.  It felt a little surreal.

Today at Salem is Dedication Sunday for our NEW hymnals...the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW/cranberry hymnals).  Today will mark a new chapter in our worship life.  It may also mark a time of new controversy as I know some people (a minority of people) are not in favor of these new books.  But my prayer is that over time, they will grow to understand that we do not worship books, but rather we worship an awesome God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  It will take some time getting used to the "new" page numbers (i.e. the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness is not on page 77 but on page 147).  I wonder if I will instinctively turn to pg. 77 this morning.  It will also take some time getting used to hymn numbers in the 800s.

But I also feel fortunate because I do not have to say "good bye" completely to the LBW.  Belmont Lutheran Church (the other congregation I serve) still uses the LBW.  Now I just have to stay focused; trying to keep the two worship services straight in my head (I wonder if I will ask Belmont to turn to pg 147 for the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness).

In any case, I am looking forward to worship this morning.  I am not sure what it will bring (but then again do I ever know).  But one thing I do know...is that my prayer will be that everything we do today (and everyday) be to the GLORY OF GOD and not to us.  And that also happens to be my sermon focus:  What does it mean to glorify God -- with the scripture reference the Gospel text from John 17:1-11.

So with that, let's pray together...
O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the world.  I can't help but think of that Psalm today, O God.  When I think of all you have created and all you have done, you are still mindful of us.  You still remember us.  You still care for us.  Within this massive creation you know our needs, you give us daily bread and you love us as if each one of us were the only person in the world.  But if that was not enough, you sent you one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die and rise from the grave so we may have life. It is for these reasons (and many more) that all praise, honor and GLORY belongs to you.  O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the world.  Amen

God's blessings to you this day and always.  Take care.
-edh-

Tired and excited

Greetings and salutations (or "hallucinations" as my custodian likes to joke).

I had a very fun and very busy weekend this past weekend.  Because of that I did not get my normal "Sunday Morning Prayer" posted.  I will be resuming that this Sunday.

This past weekend, my wife and I along with two other couples (plus a baby) packed a van and traveled down to Iowa to the Amana Colonies (follow the link to see for yourself...it was really neat).  We had some great German food (and of course some great German beer).  We walked through some really neat stores and had breakfast at an old stone hearth bakery.  Needless to say I took a "tiny" step back in my marathon training.  Oh well...I will get back on track this week.

In any case, the weekend was a great little break for me.  This Lenten season has been an extremely busy and tiring one for me...on so many levels.  Please don't get me wrong here though...I don't mean to wine with a sob story, but I am tired...and excited.  You see...Holy Week and Easter is what keeps me going.  This is the time of the year that gives me so much energy.  I am going to prepare hard for this joyous time of the year.  I am going to give all I have (and then some).  We are going to praise God for the gift of life we have in Jesus Christ like there is no tomorrow. 

In a way...I am running a marathon and am sprinting to the finish line.  The adrenaline is pumping and I am ready to "finish" hard...but...

...after I finish this "marathon"...after Easter is done I will be crashing hard for a couple weeks to recover and re-fuel.  Frankly...I will need a break.  So please excuse me if I don't post as much as I normally do until after Easter.  With my energy reserves running low, I need to focus on what I need to do here.  I love leading worship during Holy Week and Easter and love preaching during this time even more.  It is such a powerful time for me (and my wife).  I know I will have the strength I need (thanks be to God), but I need to focus on my church family here.  I will be stopping by to visit the blogs I normally read, but I need to take a break from writing for a little bit, but with a periodic post from time to time as energy and time allow.

So in the mean time, God bless you as you prepare (however that may look for you) for Holy Week and Easter.  And may we all basket in the glow of God's awesome glory.

Praise be to God...always and forever!
-edh-

Sermon delivery

This Sunday (for the second Sunday in a row) I am using a preaching-from-notes style instead of the full manuscript style.  Part of me feels a little guilty - that I am not spending enough time in sermon prep.  But another part of me feels a little more free - more free to allow the Spirit to guide me when I preach the sermon.  I think I am still doing the same amount of sermon prep but the actual preparation is different.  Maybe that is what is causing me to feel this way.

Then there is another part of me that feels a little guilty that I am not producing a manuscript for people to take home or a manuscript for my sermons blog.  But then there is still another part of me that says the sermon is an event, not something tangible that you can hold in your hands.  The sermon is something that happens on Sunday that (hopefully) causes a change in people's hearts that in turns helps them live the Gospel for others in their daily lives.

With all these "parts of me" it is a wonder I get anything done.  Can anyone out there relate to this?  What are your feelings on the "sermon event"?  Am I silly for feeling guilty?

Right now the feeling of freedom is overriding my feeling of guilt.  I think it is because I am looking more forward to preaching this sermon because of that freedom.  I am not being "tied" to some pre-written words on a piece of paper. 

I don't know...does this make any sense?

-edh-

Evangelical Lutheran Worship

I have a question to throw out into the blogosphere...

...At our annual meeting a couple weeks ago Salem approved the purchase of the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) hymnals.  Along with that (of course) are a number of other worship resources (such as a guitar version that I found).  My question for anyone who reads this is post is this:  If you are using the ELW, how did you go about dedicating them?  Even if you are not using them, do you have any thoughts or suggestions for me?  My worship/Music team and I are beginning to brainstorm some ideas along with seeking some input from people/congregations that are currently using the ELW.  Right now we are planning on dedicating the ELWs sometime in April.

Some of you have already left comments on things you are doing to INTRODUCE the ELWs to your congregation...for that I say thank you.  I have printed those comments off for my Worship/Music team to consider.  But if you have any other thoughts on INTRODUCING the ELW, I am ready and willing to listen.

I know this will be a big transition for Salem, but from comments I have been hearing, people are more than ready.  My only prayer is for those who are silently upset about the move.  I pray that they can find it in themselves to voice their concerns to the Worship/Music team, the council or to me so we can have a fruitful and healthy dialog.  As I said last week in worship..."Worship is not contained to a place, date, book or style.  Worship is what we bring...giving thanks and praise to God."

So with that...I am preparing to hit the "place order" button...Here we go...

Take care and God bless!
-edh-

Monday morning check in

Annual meeting:  Yesterday (Jan. 27) Salem held it's annual meeting.  Normally our meetings are pretty quick(20 minutes tops)...with very little on the agenda, but this year was different.  Agenda items included: (1) Consider to approve purchase of new ELWs; (2) Budget (of course); (3) Consider to approve bid for new ramp that leads to the sanctuary; (4) Discussion of moving to twice a month communion; among some other items on the agenda.  I looked back in my worship attendance records and normally we average 75 on annual meeting Sunday...yesterday we had 92.  Considering the agenda items I am not surprised.

But everything went great...there was great discussion, excellent questions, and concerns were voiced.  In the end, the congregation approved the purchase of the new ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship - the new hymnals recently released) and there was basically no concerns about moving to twice a month communion.  The bid for the ramp had some discussion but, once again, in the end the bid was approved.  I was very impressed with our congregational president and the discussion that took place.  I hope and pray people felt that their voice was heard.

Now the tough work begins...implementing the new hymnals and our major building project this spring or summer.

Evangelism class:  Today is going to be a day of preparation for an evangelism class I am teaching.  The class is at the First Call Theological Retreat at Shalom Hill Farm near Windom, MN.  This will be the first time I have lead a class like this for a bunch of pastors (first call) and it is a little unnerving, but exciting at the same time.  My class starts at 4pm so please say a little prayer for me as I teach. 

"Winter break":  We are currently receiving a "winter break".  The temperatures are expected to rise into the 40s before taking a nose dive Tuesday night.  By Wednesday morning it is expected to be -14 degrees with a wind chill around -40.  Almost an 80 degree differential...you got to love Minnesota.

I guess the lesson to be learned here is to take advantage of every moment, because you never know when you will get another one (or at least a warm one).  Was that too deep for a Monday? :)

Have a super start to your week and God bless!

-edh-

God is AWESOME - part 2

Allow me to continue with my story (testimony) of God's awesome faithfulness and love...

As the pastor at Salem Lutheran Church and Belmont Lutheran Church I serve as the primary pastoral care giver (I still encourage others to engage in "pastoral care" for one another though).  I visit with people and am present with them when a loved is dying, seriously ill, or whatever the case.  I am there to provide words of comfort about God's love and faithfulness in a time of pain and need.  I am accustomed to that and find it a great privilege to be with people during these times.  And when I provide pastoral care I know that it is not me alone but God working through me.  When I am called to the bedside of someone who is dying; I am in prayer - asking for wisdom, compassion, empathy and the words (if needed) to bring comfort to the loved ones (and/or to the one who is dying).  I am accustomed to providing pastoral care.

But on Sunday (Jan. 13) I found my myself on the other side of the coin - the one receiving pastoral care.  As I mentioned before, this is the first time that I, personally, have had to deal with the death (or impending death) of a loved one since becoming a pastor.  I have dealt with the death of loved ones before, but this seems like new territory for me (can any other pastors relate to this feeling?).

Anyway...following worship on Sunday a number of people expressed their sympathies and told me that I and my family would be in their thoughts and prayers.  All of those comments meant the world to me.  It showed me in a very real way the community we have become - we rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning.  What a great privilege.  Then came "Jane"...

...Jane is a woman who is in her 50s but has the mental capacity of a child.  She attends worship regularly and is as sweet and innocent as a child.  And as a "child" Jane has a hard time understanding and dealing with illnesses and death.  As Jane came through the line, following worship, she shook my hand and said, "I hope your grandma gets better soon".  This took me back a little bit as I responded to her, "Jane, she's not going to get better."  Of course Jane did not understand this and went on to tell me that she is going to see her "mommy" today.  But it was the person who was in line following Jane that I will remember...

"Mary" was next in line.  After hearing what I said to Jane; Mary said to me, "Pastor, you know that your grandma WILL be better." I knew exactly what she meant.  That comment made my eyes well up with tears as I responded, "You are absolutely right...thank you." 

Once again...God is AWESOME!!!

God gave me exactly what I needed at just the right time through Mary.  Even though I preach the very thing that Mary said to me...I still needed to hear what God said through Mary.  I needed that gentle reminder.  I needed the Gospel proclaimed to me at that moment.  Mary wasn't correcting me, but rather Mary was providing pastoral care.  To her (and to many others) I say thank you.

I know that as Christian I am never alone...God is always with me.  But I am also glad and thankful I live in such a caring community.  Even though God is always with me, this impending death of my grandma would be difficult alone. 

Thank you God for your awesome love and faithfulness.  Thank you God for giving me (and all your children) exactly what we need.  Thank you God for strengthen me when I need it the most.  Thank you God.  And I thank all of you for your prayers and notes of concern.  I truly appreciate it.  I will keep you updated on how things are going. 

Thanks again and God bless!
-edh-

Holy Communion (Lay Presidency)

I am going to throw something out there that may be a hot button topic for some (at least it is for some here in the SW MN Synod).  I hope that by me writing this I don't get myself "in trouble" with the synod, but my guess is that they would want a pastor willing to speak their mind.  So I am going to go with that belief. 

The topic I want to throw out there is the issue of lay presidency.  If you don't know what this is basically it is the celebration of Holy Communion where a lay person (instead of an ordained clergy person) presides.  In SW MN and other rural synods this is an important practice in some areas because of the lack of pastors (in the Minneapolis, St. Paul synods and other urban areas this is NOT an issue because of the plethora of additional pastors waiting for call or retired).  Sometimes small churches have to rely on lay leaders to lead their congregations in worship (and preside at communion).  Because of this problem in rural areas there are programs such as Faith Builders and SAMs (Synodically Authorized Ministers).  To limit lay presidency would be to limit a congregation's access to the Lord's Supper.

Recently, lay presidency has come under scrutiny among many bishops and has been a heated topic of discussion at synod assembly.  When I has on internship lay presidency was an issue.  My supervisor wanted me to preside at communion at least once before I left.  So he was able to get the bishop's approval for one service (and lucky for me because the bishop before him would not have given the authorization).  I don't get it.  A person can do a lot more damage preaching than they could presiding at communion.  As I heard a colleague quote someone, "Any idiot can read the words of institution" (not that pastor's are idiots...you get my point).  As people (as pastors, SAMs or the like) we add nothing to the bread and wine.  Our faith (or knowledge) does not make communion any more effective or ineffective.  As our mantra says its "Word alone".  God's Word does the work...not us.

Now...I do understand maintaining "good order" (that is the reason the Church requires ordained pastors to preside at communion) but if you have a SAM or some other trained person, why can't they preside in extreme cases?  Rural ministry has a number of challenges that urban areas do not have (or do not understand).  We have small congregations fighting to stay open.  We have faithful, hungry people longing for the Lord's Supper.  Why do we have to limit the leadership to a select group of people?

I guess the next question would be...then why go to seminary?  Why have a group of people set apart for the ministry of word and sacrament?  Why not just become a Synodically Authorized Minister...that would be cheaper?  The thing is...pastors do serve a purpose.  We are not any more special than anyone else.  Our calling is not any more important than the calling to be a garbage collector.  And lay presidency is not going to minimize the role of pastors.  All that lay presidency will do is allow flexibility in proclaiming this the gospel...something that is free...something that we have no right to "control".

So...where do you stand on this?  Is it okay for a lay person to preside at communion (in extreme situations)?  Should bishops be free to give this authorization?  Am I missing something in my argument?  I would love to hear from you.

I know there are many various different opinions out there and I am not trying to minimize those...I am simply stating my belief and current frustrations.  I honor other beliefs and encourage healthy dialog.  So leave you comments here...I (and others) would love to hear from you.

God bless!

-edh-

Monday morning check in

Another senseless tragedy
I am sure many of you are aware of the fatal shooting at the Youth With a Mission facility in suburban Denver.  A young woman from Minnesota was killed and a couple others wounded (Click here for the story).  Tiffany Johnson, along with many people across the county, have made incredible sacrifices to serve the Lord through missionary work...an often thankless and difficult job.  Please remember Tiffany's family and friends in your prayers as they sort though such a senseless tragedy - knowing that God can work through such events to advance His kingdom.

Another Sunday closer
It's hard to believe Christmas is edging ever closer.  Yesterday was the second Sunday of Advent which means that Christmas eve is two weeks away.  With our open house yesterday and our home remodeling done, a lot of stress has left our lives.  Now I can put more energy in preparing for these next few worship services.  Dec. 16 is our children's Christmas program that my wife leads.  Dec. 23 we are going to have a lessons and carols worship service and of course Christmas eve worship the next day.  These next couple weeks will be busy...of course, but ones I am very much looking forward to.

Another white Christmas
It is nice to be able to say that considering that our last couple years we have had brown Christmases.  For some reason, a dose of the "white stuff" adds to the Christmas cheer.  But the down side is that before we got a lot of our snow we got a good layer of ice (and the sidewalk between the parsonage and the church is still not shoveled. Ugh!  I got some work to do).  Oh well, at least we have snow.

Another Christmas reminder
God blessings to you as you traverse this busy Christmas season.  Always remember the reason for all the hustle and bustle.  And remember to bask in the joy of this awesome love that God shows us through the manger.  God bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-edh-