Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

Every park in Chicago had a concrete water fountain, even the tiny Fellger Playlot where I could get a welcome drink on a hot summer day on my way to Grandma and Grandpa Szlavik’s home. It was just less than a mile to their apartment, but some days it felt like the Israelite’s 40-year journey through the wilderness.

A recurring theme in the story of the Exodus are the complaints of the Israelites about being thirsty. My favorite is Exodus 17:6 where Moses strikes a rock at the command of God and water gushes forth. That story is taken by Paul and given a Christian spiritual interpretation: “all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ,” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Do you find Paul’s interpretation surprising in that it declares that Christ was with the Israelites? You won’t find that in the book of Exodus, but it is an essential Christian belief. God is always the Holy Trinity so the Father, Son and Spirit must have been with the people of Israel even if they didn’t understand that. Furthermore, the stores of the Hebrew Scripture and interpreted as pre-figuring Christianity. So in the passage Paul connects the Exodus to both baptism and communion.

I like the idea that Christ gives us spiritual refreshment. There are days when life seems like a pointless wandering in the wilderness. Christ gives us the nourishment we need in our life’s journey. I couldn’t get by without the life-giving water that is Christ,

Read John 4:13-14 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Edith was 97 years old when she died. I knew her primarily at the communion rail, where when I would present her with the Blood of Christ, she would look me straight in the eye, give me a big smile and murmur “Amen” or sometimes “Thank you.” The smile was a radiant morning gift.

It was another gift to attend her memorial service, a true celebration of her life. The loving testimonies given by her son, her daughter-in-law, great nephew and friends and Pastor’s thoughtful sermon solidified my belief that Edith was a special person with a faith strong enough to overcome any obstacle and still come out with a smile and have a positive impact on others.

One might think that with this sunny disposition, Edith had had an easy life. Not so. Her father abandoned the family when she was just a small child. Her mother re-married and her new husband adopted her brother, but not her. At nine years old, she had to move from her home and go to live with an aunt, who thankfully was kind, loving and caring. However, that experience is very traumatic for a child.

I learned a lot about Edith at that service. Enough to make me regret not getting to know her better while she walked the earth and enough to affirm my belief that the practice of faith in our loving God is the most important action that I can take. Total dependence and surrender to God are the answers for all the events in my life.

I want to share Edith’s favorite poem with you. It is not theological in nature; but is more profound than you would expect from the title. The author is unknown.

Smiling
Smiling is infectious,
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
And someone saw me grin;
And when he smiled I realized
I’d passed it on to him.

I thought about the smile a lot
And realized its worth;
A single smile like mine, or yours,
Could travel round the Earth.

So if you feel a smile begin,
Don’t leave it undetected;
Let’s start an epidemic quick
And get the world infected.

Edith’s smile was infectious. I know that God is smiling on all of us because we are His children and He loves us unconditionally!

Originally posted by Terri on November 2, 2018

Several hundred years ago in England . . . . . the custom of the handshake began. It conveyed being unarmed. Indira Gandhi once said, “you can’t shake hands with a closed fist”.

 Some ethnic or cultural differences are known. In Japan, you bow. The Chinese “pump”. Middle Eastern? Dead fish. Orthodox Jews and Kuwaitis? For men only. In Western societies, to not shake someone’s hand is rude and insulting. We could also be like the French or follow Scripture where is says, “greet one another with a holy kiss”. We are a congregation that shares the peace in worship, just before the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Its intention is not ‘hey, where are you going for brunch”? Or “how about those Yankees?” It is being reconciled in Christ and to one another with contrite, penitent heart if we have wronged or harmed our neighbor, our Christian brother or sister. During Covid – and even since – respect should be given to anyone who does not wish or feel comfortable with even a handshake.

When we receive the Eucharist, we are encouraged to place our hands, one on top of the other, thereby making a “cradle” for Christ. Hand sanitizers, even gloves, will never subvert our Lord’s radical hospitality. God does his work through our hands, sometimes with a firm handshake accompanied with a light touch on the forearm. Whatever gesture conveys the peace, love, grace, and unconditional love of God done with humility and authenticity is pleasing and acceptable in God’s sight.

So “put ‘er there”, my siblings in Christ! 

Pastor Art

Remember the little poem we learned in grade school., “30 days hath September, April, June and November.”  Actually, that has come in handy many times throughout my life.  In any event, today we complete the month of September.  For us Floridians, that means we’re getting closer to cooler temperatures and refreshing breezes. 

And what is a “refreshing breeze?”  I like this definition:  “A refreshing breeze is a light and pleasant wind that brings new energy and strength in a pleasant and often unexpected way^. It can make you feel less tired or hot, and is often described as cool or gentle.”  Taken from the Cambridge English Dictionary.

By far our most “refreshing breeze,” is the Holy Spirit.  It’s a gentle breeze that fills us with joy and peace.  No matter our current circumstances or discouragement, with the presence of the Holy Spirit we have hope.  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”   Romans 15:13

Be refreshed; be filled with hope; be wrapped in the unconditional love of God. 

Judy

Hm? I will answer emphatically, yes, I experience a full realm of emotions. Generally, the Suzy Sunshine in me is smiling and happy, but I can cry, I can get my feelings hurt, I can feel anger. I’ve experienced fear. The interesting part of these scenarios, is that I know Jesus had emotions, also.  He loves us so unconditionally and truly understands our emotions.  When He came to earth in human form to dwell among us, He had feelings.  Remember reading about the upset and perhaps feelings of anger when the money changers were ousted by Him at the temple? Our Lord, in human form, experienced the betrayal from Judas and the denial from Peter. I think those “stabs” were most probably hurtful to Jesus to some degree. We know Jesus cried. John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” In Matthew 25:21, “His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” So, the emotions of happiness and joy were recognized and felt by Jesus.

As mentioned in many of my writings, …. with age comes wisdom! I still smile more days than not.  I pout much less, I’ve learned to “let it go much faster.” The hurt still hurts, but I know my Lord “gets it,” and sees me through the feelings. Anger is quite rare and thankfully brief. I shed it off quickly as it is an emotion I do not like.

Aren’t we blessed? Our loving Savior shows us His Way and His Word preparing the way for us. Pebbles and even rocks and debris may hinder a carefree journey, and the feelings that ensue while on this journey are noted. God will make a way (also the title of a famous gospel hymn).  Release your gambit of emotions to Him, knowing He understands, He cares and He will LOVE you through them.

Feel your emotions, highs and lows, and then release them to His care and understanding.

  Jill

I have written about gardens and tending to my garden often during my time writing this blog. I love having a garden; having growing plants just outside the door; being able to eat fresh vegetables, even if only one or two grow enough to eat. 

Yesterday, I ate my breakfast outside on the deck to enjoy one of the few days left for me here in Vermont. Usually when I eat my breakfast, I have something to read. Yesterday, I decided to sit and enjoy my little garden and the sounds of the lake waves on the shore. I felt renewed when I finished my meal. 

You want to know what I was thinking about while sitting there? I was thinking about God and the miracle of growth. I am moved by the thoughtfulness of God to provide plants for beauty and sustenance. I feel so close to God when I sit or work in my garden.  

Now, I am talking about a very tiny plot of land that grows some perennials and a limited number of vegetables. I’m talking about one tomato plant, two cucumber vines, two zucchini plants, four green pepper plants and four Swiss chard plants.  

I wish that I could tell you that I had a bountiful crop, but the reality is 4 cucumbers, 4 green peppers, lots of Swiss chard, no zucchini and a remarkable tomato yield. Strange results. Those zucchini plants have lots of beautiful orange-yellow flowers but no fruit. They keep trying but they don’t get enough sun for good results. The green peppers are tiny and tasty; the chard is delicious and versatile. The challenges that they faced are mostly my fault. 

However, the tomato plant is truly a God-created miracle. I bought the plant with fruit already growing. I had at least 25 tomatoes from that plant. Then it began to brown and die. I cut the dying stems and gave it some fertilizer and lo and behold! The plant has come alive again and has many bright yellow flowers on new stems growing into tomatoes. Someone else will enjoy those delicious tomatoes. 

Being in the garden brings a concrete reality about God’s love for his creations-all his creations. The miracle of growth is so evident in the struggle of plants that get struck by a disease or an insect yet continue to attempt to grow. The results   convince me that life is good and worth a fight.  

The final fruits are proof that God loves you, the plants and animals and me unconditionally! 

Terri 

Autumn started last Sunday, not that you’d notice in Florida. Where I’m from in Chicago the leaves are starting to change colors. Soon they’ll fall off the trees, and you have to rake them up. When I was a kid people burned the fallen leaves. Around twilight they set fire to piles of leaves in the street. That would attract every small boy in the neighborhood. A fire was fascinating. It provided heat and light but it could also be destructive, a fact clearly evident as the dried leaves were turned into ash. There was something both attractive and frightening about fires. You’d better have a healthy respect for what a fire can do.

Fire is a natural religious sign. God is attractive as the creator of all things, but God is also the judge who has the power of life and death. People today don’t like hearing about God as Judge perhaps because that was sometimes used to scare people into doing things. That’s a mistake. We ought to act rightly not because we are afraid of punishment, but because we love God. God the judge is also God of mercy. However, we don’t understand God’s mercy unless we also recognize what God could be like if God didn’t choose to be merciful.

It’s what Luther taught in explaining each of the Ten Commandments with the words, “We should so fear and love God.” Without both fear and love God can become a pushover who can be ignored. “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all else.”

Read Proverbs 9:10 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

A student in my statistics class had come to my office for help. He was plenty capable, but since he was very active in student government and his fraternity, he hadn’t put in the time needed to master the material. After we had worked together for some time, he became frustrated and impatient, wanting understanding to come a little easier; he wondered why he even had to take the course, which was required for his major. Finally, he said, “I don’t need to know anything. I’m going to be a lawyer!”

After suppressing a chuckle, I acknowledged his frustration and then gave an explanation of the importance of the material. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but in such situations, I usually said that I felt it was a valuable tool for every citizen. In newspapers, television and now on the internet, we are constantly told about new medical studies, political polls, or scientific discoveries, and all are couched in statistical terms. We need to be able to evaluate the validity and importance of these. We need to understand what the statistics are telling us. In the course in question, we spent a lot of time talking about sources of bias, which should have been important to a potential lawyer.

In our religious lives we often hear frustration about the Christian church. People point to sexual abuse, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, insularity, rigid involvement in politics, and ignoring the needs of the unfortunate by the Church and its members. How do we address these criticisms? Our natural tendency is to be defensive. We need to be honest and acknowledge that many criticisms of the Church, full of sinners as it is, are valid, but note that God’s grace is given to all, including us. I have to confess that I sometimes find it easier to explain the importance of statistics than that of the Christian faith. It shouldn’t be that way. It should be easy to talk about a God that loves us all unconditionally.

Adapted from blog originally posted by Jim in September 2018

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was already a renowned organist and theologian when at age 30 he decided to become a medical missionary. He commented on his decision: “For years I had been giving of myself in words . . . But this new activity would consist not in preaching the religion of life, but in practicing it” (Out of My Life and Thought). I was 15 when I read this quote in Schweitzer’s autobiography, only a year before he died at his hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, at age 90.

There is irony for me in Schweitzer’s resolve to put the religion of life into action rather than just preaching it, because I became a preacher. I still ponder how to practice this wonderful life of faith rather than just talk about it. That’s the most important idea I take from Schweitzer. How do I put faith into action?

A second idea is the Christian always has to be open to the Spirit. It was the chance finding of a missionary magazine that lead to Schweitzer’s becoming a medical missionary. What surprising opportunities may God give me?

The third point has only come to me recently. You’re never too old to serve the Lord. Schweitzer was still at work at age 90. I may be retired, but I sense God has more in store for me.

What about you? Are you ready to be surprised? Have you figured out how to act out of your faith today and tomorrow and the next day. I assure you, God isn’t finished with you yet.

Read Isaiah 6:8 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Originally posted by Wayne in September 2018

My calendar tells me that today, September 23, is the International Day of Sign Languages.  This wouldn’t have caught my eye, except that I have been taken classes in American Sign Language.  My new neighbor is deaf. If I want to communicate with her, I need to speak her language.

I’m reminded that misunderstandings between people often occur when we don’t speak each other’s language.  I’m referring here to two English speaking individuals; we might assume that because we speak the same “language” there’s no problem.  But is there?

Do I communicate clearly with my teenage grandkids?  Well, not always.  They toss in words that are foreign to me, that send me to Google.   And I’m sure my choice of words is sometimes just as foreign to them.

How about serious conversations with members of our own generation.  Oh, the words are familiar, but do we all attach the same meaning to that word?   One word may have a very positive connotation to one of us, while the other sees it in a negative light. 

There are two sides to language:  speaking and listening.  If we truly want to communicate, we need to improve our listening.  We can’t assume we understand, just because we’ve used the same word.  As the saying goes, we have two ears and one mouth, so we can spend more time listening than speaking.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”  James 1:19

Our God of unconditional love listens patiently to us, will we listen as patiently to each other?

Judy