Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

I had been reading Trevor Noah’s autobiographical essays entitled Born A Crime.  Noah, a South African comedian, was born five years before the end of the practice of apartheid.  At the time of his birth, it was a crime, punishable by jail time for a white man and a black woman to be in a sexual relationship.  The same was true for a black man and a white woman.  It was the law of the land, complete with proscribed jail time.

I knew that apartheid was a repressive and dehumanizing practice.  I did not know the extent of the persecution, oppression and violence that was intrinsic to it.  However, what I learned from reading Born A Crime appalled me and left me sad and embarrassed that I had not taken stronger action during the campaign to end its practice. 

Like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation effectively ending the practice of slavery in the United States, the ending of apartheid did not magically bring all the injustices in South Africa into balance.  Noah’s telling of his life post-apartheid is both tragic and charming.  He is a very funny, very smart, very inciteful man.

His straightforward writing had an impact on me with its candid description of his life.  Here is a quote that stands out for me, “We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them.” In the case of apartheid, blacks and whites were prohibited from living in physical proximity.  This makes the “seeing” of adverse effects impossible. I think that the same is true for most of us in today’s world.

There is a lesson here for us.  Expressing “sympathy” about unjust situations may get us off the hook, in a manner of speaking.  However, mean comments or observations about a group of people or worse, acting in an unjust manner illustrates that we really don’t understand the effects of our actions on others. 

Christ’s journey on earth was centered around bringing a new commandment into being:  Love- Love of God above all others and love of neighbor.  We are the recipients of God’s unconditional love.  It’s a difficult example to follow, but one worth trying.

Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all things.

 Terri

Waxing nostalgia, I looked at pictures that chronicled our blissful, blessing-filled Hawaii tour of adventures from 1996-1999. I had gotten those dream orders to Pacific Fleet Band, based at Pearl Harbor. Amy was half-way through 2^nd grade when we arrived. Great memories! We were able to visit the Big Island of Hawaii and walk on the “Black Desert” of lava rock, while seeing the orange glow flow off the cliff into the ocean, and the steam thereof. Breathtaking. We also got to Kauai and Maui, and I did a Navy band gig on Molokai, looking down from 900 feet upon the old leper colony. I have enjoyed hearing your stories of trips taken to the Hawaiian Islands and comparing notes.

 I am thankful for those Navy experiences, grateful that God seemed to put us in the right place at the right time. There were places I missed out on, and I ruefully reflect on not getting to Singapore, Hong Kong, or Italy. But there was Perth, Australia, Christmas of 1986. A charmed 20-year career, it was. It prepared me for 2002 and beyond, the full-of-grace opportunity to be a pastor. The seasoning was invaluable to and for the ministry I am ordained into. I love swapping seas stories with fellow parishioners/shipmates. It was an honor yesterday to acknowledge that once again as the “Amazzzzzing Steel Drum Ensemble” played tribute to the branches of the military at our “Seasons of JOY!” Concert.

You have memories too. We live vicariously through one another. Together, we remember that we are claimed by our Lord Jesus Christ, redeemed by His precious blood, and part of his merry band of 21^st Century disciples. There is no greater “tour of duty”. We sail out upon uncertain seas, sometimes turbulent waters, but always knowing who captains our ship and says, “Fear not.” Wherever the tides and currents take us, we know that the winds are fair. So, sit back and enjoy the voyage, riding the waves of God’s unconditional love.

Pastor Art

I’m watching our family tree grow.  Sixty years ago, it was just my hubby and me.  Then God blessed us with three children.  It seems just a minute passed, and these three were finding life partners of their own.  The branches of our little tree were expanding.  It wasn’t long before grandchildren arrived and what fun they were (are).  These little ones have grown up, and now I watch them choose life partners.  The tree continues to grow, and it is wonderful.   I’m reminded of Psalm 100:5, “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

As we move from branch to branch, God has given us different tasks and responsibilities.  As new parents the responsibilities seemed overwhelming.  To raise these little ones, to support them, to teach them, to guide them.  Would we be up to the task?   But with the Lord’s guidance they grew. 

Grandchildren were easier.  We loved them, we enjoyed them, we babysat for them.  But now it was their parents who had the big responsibility of supporting them and guiding them.

Now we are old, and it seems that the good Lord in his wisdom has given us one more task, a simple task, and one we are overjoyed to fulfill.   Very simply, we love them!  Our arms are open to welcome each new member of the family and to assure them that they are loved.   What a blessed task indeed.  As the Lord loves them, so do we.  Luke 1:50, “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

^“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  1 Corinthians 13:13.  I pray that your famlly is filled with love.  May the unconditional love of our heavenly Father bless you, and flow through you  to bless the branches of your family tree.

Judy

Do you see God? I was thinking about Old Testament stories and these came to mind. Remember Moses and the burning bush and the fact that it was not consumed. Moses knew this was God appearing to him. Or as the Israelites were following Moses through the wilderness to the Promised Land and they were led by a cloud by day and fire by night. God leading them? Another would be the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel.  Jacob and many others believed his story to be an encounter with God. Do you remember reading about Abraham being visited by three men? Abraham knew he was being addressed by God.

So, did they see God? Do you see God? Do I see God? If I close my eyes in meditation and quiet solitude, I do feel His presence. In the happiest of moments, weddings, births, I sense Him. My boys both have brilliant blue eyes, when I look at them and into their eyes, again I sense Him being a part of them. Flowers in a field, or wildflowers growing along a highway, watching as they seem to flutter from barely a breeze, again, I feel Him there. Is “feeling” or “sensing” His presence the same as “seeing” God?  My understanding is I will see God after I leave this earth. Until that time comes, I do believe I have seen Him in the goodness of others, in kind acts of giving, in treasured life-changing moments, in the beauty of nature. My heart believes that you too have “seen” God, and in so many ways. He loves us unconditionally and “appears” all around us daily.  Be present. Be thank-filled and praise Him. God is there. Open your heart to “see” Him.

Jill

I remember in the mid-60’s when I was 9-10 years old practicing a choreographed dance for a talent show with a group of girls. I was struggling with learning the steps and one of the adults working with us told me I probably shouldn’t be in the act since I couldn’t dance very well. While this wasn’t really a big issue in the vast scheme of things, I was crushed. That stayed with me for the next ten years and I had a paralyzing fear of dancing in any musical production I was in. It took me until I was in a college musical production where I finally came to grips with this and discovered while I wasn’t Ginger Rodgers, I wasn’t that bad.

As I was deciding on a blog idea for this week, I ran across Proverbs 16:24 and it immediately took me back to that time.  The verse reads Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

This simple, yet powerful truth reminds us of the weight our words carry and the blessings they can bring. On the other hand, harsh words and criticism can do emotional damage. This verse reminds us to be intentional with our speech…to build up and not tear down.

We live in a world where condemnation is front and center in school, workplaces, social media and even in our homes. These words can cut deeply and stay with us for a long time. Remember a gentle word can calm a storm, offer hope, and restore someone’s confidence when they feel small.

We should practice using gracious words daily by speaking kindly, offering sincere compliments, being grateful for what we have and encouraging others if they are struggling. Our speech can reflect God’s unconditional love for us. Let the Holy Spirit guide our tongues to bring sweetness like honey to the souls around us. Thanks be to God!

Patty

On the surface, the parables read in Luke’s gospel (Luke 15:1-10) about the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, seem to be telling us a story about diligence and responsibility. Take good care of your possessions and you will be happy. However, scratch the surface a little bit and there is revolution in these words. 

Yes, revolution! “How come?” you say. Well, first, let’s consider Jesus’ audience for this talk. He was with the tax collectors and the sinners. Yet, the Scribes and Pharisees were also listening and making their critical comments. ““This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2) They were appalled. This just was not done in this class structure. 

Then, Jesus tells these two parables in which he plays the role of the shepherd and the woman. This type of comparison was unheard of at this time. Shepherds were on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Women were worth even less in the view of the majority of the ruling class. They were used for serving and physical needs. For Jesus to represent God as a shepherd or a woman set the Scribes and Pharisees to run to their highest perch. They were shocked and overwhelmed. This could not be possible. They could not be so out of touch with God’s love and mercy. 

But they were. Jesus’ parables relate two stories of the importance of each and every person in the world, just substitute the sheep and coins for us. Good or bad; short or tall; rich or poor; black or blue and any other mixture of color. Each one is so valuable to God that He will search out and welcome back the sinner at any given moment.  And there will be great rejoicing at that time in heaven. 

 Now, I want to share a little story that Rev. Jill Rierdan told us on Sunday. Her little god child, John, was at the mall with his mother. Mom warned him not to stray from her side for obvious reasons. A little while later, Mom looked around and realized that John was not near her. She asked the people around her if they had seen him. “No.” She went to the Customer Service Desk and had him paged. No response. Now she was quite worried as he was only 5 years old.  

Realizing that John always knew where the car was parked (he was into cars from an early age), Mom went to the parking lot where she found a worried and tearful child waiting by the car. While she was delighted to find him and cuddled him closely, John was mad. “You losted me!” cried John. Too young to realize that he had “losted” himself, Mom was just plain joyous to have him back safe and sound. 

This is the way that God, who loves you unconditionally, feels when the lost return to the fold. 

Amen! 

Terri 

Grandma Kofink taught me how to garden. I’m grateful for being introduced to the miracle of growth.  Every spring, shoots rose from the ground and eventually blossomed. In late summer and autumn the asters bloomed, a sea of purple across the back of the garden. They flourished until the first frost of autumn ended their glory. They marked the end of the growing season.

Autumn is an odd time of year. While  mother nature is getting ready for a winter’s nap, church programs are getting under way again after the summer hiatus. Monday was not only the first day of Autumn but Rosh Hashanah,  Head of the Year, the start of the civil year in the Jewish calendar. Leviticus 23:23–25 commands that this day be observed as a day of rest and commemorated with blasts of the shofar, a ram’s horn trumpet.

The end of the growing season, the beginning of activity–isn’t it strange that autumn moves us toward the ending of something, but it’s also the beginning of something? Time doesn’t quite run in a straight line from beginning to ending. T.S. Elliot’s poem “Four Quartets” Part II: East Coker begins:  “In my beginning is my end.”  It ends:  “In my end is my beginning.” Confusing? That’s the way both time and life are.

Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13).” No matter where we are in life, we are in God’s time. This autumn pray with the Psalmist, “My times are in your hands (Psalms 31:15).”  

Read Ecclesiastes 3:11 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Summer was over on Monday, and fall began again as the calendar tells us.  Different areas experience different weather during this season, but there are a couple of things that all locals have in common. The days get shorter, and spiders come out in full force. On mornings like we have had recently, the dew has been heavy, and the spider webs vibrantly glisten in the sunlight, displaying the intricate patterns which seem impossible for something so small to create in just one night, yet they do so.

Arachnids are not my favorite creatures, but I am not afraid of them. Like everything on our beautiful planet, spiders are one of God’s creatures.  Often, we think, what are they good for?  Why would God have created such a thing?   I don’t want them crawling on me, but I find them fascinating to observe.  Actually, we all could probably stand to learn a few things from them. 

Spiders are industrious, efficient, meticulous, patient and tenacious.  They are industrious, efficient and meticulous in the fast and furious manner they fashion their webs with flawless precision in their design. They are patient in their ability to dangle in their web for hours, waiting to catch that unsuspecting insect in their lair.  Spiders are tenacious in their capacity to immediately commence operation on a new web if their old one is destroyed.

The lessons we could learn from these creatures would aid us in the ability to accomplish great things for our communities. If we were as industrious and efficient as the spider, we could undertake works for the greater good of our world.  In doing so, imagine the amazing things we could bring about.  If we worked meticulously on these tasks, making them for God’s glory, imagine the benefits we could provide for those in need.  If we were as patient with others as the dangling spider is waiting in his web, imagine how much kinder we would be to each other.  If we were tenacious enough to continue to work on what is upright and virtuous in spite of encountering problems along the way, imagine how much we could achieve for our world. 

We can learn from everything, even the spider, if we open our minds to the opportunities presented to us.  God’s loves us unconditionally and wants us to love others as he has loved us.  Learning from the lowly spider, using our God-given talents and gifts and working as the spider does, we can show our love for others through our industrious, efficient, meticulous, patient and tenacious labors. 

This being said, I have yet to figure out what purpose the mosquito serves.  Ideas, anyone?

Patty

Early in life, the labels that are used to describe us can be very hurtful. I (and my family) were considered by my peers to be “nerds,” “geeks,” old-fashioned. Sunday dinner after church was followed by quiet time inside with classical music playing. “My friend wants to know if I can play outside”. “Arthur,…it’s Sunday”. I think now I would self-label as being an “old soul”. By that I don’t mean longing for the good ole days constantly, but still cherishing classical music, Christian values, simpler times.

I (we) was always a late adapter when it came to technology. We would always wait until the latest gadget or device came down in price. Computers? Oh, how my old soul resisted those suckers! Too Orwellian or whatever. Do we really need those? When the answer became yes, both personally and professionally, I was so far behind the curve I was on a different planet.

Churches with parishioners our (advanced) age wrongly surmise that only the young people can “figure that tech stuff out”. That assumption was proven wrong by one of my parishioners, who at the age of 98 was talking with me quite knowingly about computers. It has taken me longer, but gradually I have realized that it (I) can be both old soul and “techie.”

Now, I embrace my inner, old soul while also appreciating the latest gizmo or software upgrade, the newest “Praise & Worship” song on Joy88 FM – an approach to God’s story. We do our faith a disservice when we insist that it be rigid, unchanging, legalistic. Because our bedrock belief is in a story about a person, Jesus, and a people of faith, we are freed from old constraints of thinking. We can love freely and unconditionally, as our Heavenly Father does. Our souls, secure in our destiny, can live in modern times that are vastly different from our upbringing. The basic tenets need not change, dear friends in Christ.

Pastor Art

I have a little household helper who vacuums my floors all by herself.  I say “her” because I named her Rosie the Robot when she first arrived.  She’s a marvelous invention, going round and round, under the beds, into the corners, with more stamina than I have.  She has one little flaw, she continually bumps into things.  If she corners herself under a chair, she will keep trying the same options to get out, bumping into the same chair legs over and over.  Then she’ll need my help to pull her out and head her in a new direction.

Oh but the similarities between Rosie and me are too great to overlook.  I work hard, I try to do my best, but often I’m unable to look ahead to see the obstacle in my chosen path.  So I’ll bump.  And though I hate to admit it, I’ll often try the same thing over and over, thinking that eventually it will work.  It doesn’t.  What do I need?   I most certainly need the Lord to pick me up and set me back on a better path. 

There’s a gospel hymn that talks about this very need.  You’re probably familiar with “Lead Me, Guide Me.”   The lyrics were written by Doris Akers, Oakland, California in 1953.  The songs ask God to lead us, to guide us, to keep us from straying.  May I add to keep us from bumping into the same obstacles over and over, to show us a new way. 

The refrain goes like this:

“Lead me, guide me along the way;
For if You lead me, I cannot stray;
Lord, let me walk each day with Thee.
Lead Me, O Lord, lead me.”

Hope you enjoy this simple version of the hymn.  And I hope and pray that all of us will turn to our Lord of unconditional love to lead us along life’s paths.

Judy