Stewardship 2016
“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” Psalm 25:4 The moon shined so brightly over the Peninsula that I hardly noticed how the two-lane, remote road remained unlit by lamp posts. The line it cut across the Canal rippled radiant. Such nights cause me wonder. I want to sit still and bask in the moon’s brilliance. When I hear the Psalms speak of God showing us a path, or making his ways known, this moonlight comes to mind. In a world that too often leaves us in the dark, this image carries truth: When we cannot see the way, when have lost our bearings, God enters—like radiant moonlight—to light the way. About 4 years ago, a friend and I decided that we needed to be brave and take a class called “Navigating with a Compass.” The goal of the class was to get us familiar enough with topographic maps and a compass to enable us to make our way through the woods and arrive where we needed to be. The final class was a real-life test: We were paired with strangers, sent off-trail, descending into unfamiliar woods, with a compass and coordinates. The object was to arrive at or near those coordinates. Suffice it to say, I had no idea where I was going until somehow we arrived at the designated place. Between the time that we started and finished we experienced confidence one minute, bushwhacked and waded through creeks bewildered the next, regrouped ourselves and tried to listen better—to our surroundings and each other, looked for markers along the way that could help us orient ourselves, and continued downward. We stepped cautiously but deliberately, we avoided steep terrain and sharp objects, we talked, and we stood quietly when needed. Until we arrived—amazed and relieved. Figuring out a way, negotiating a path, is not easy, and it should never be done alone. That’s why God’s Word and God’s Church provide a way for us to move forward with purpose. This month we explore Stewardship: “Everything you do after you say ‘I believe.’” Our symbol for the Season is a Compass. But the compass is not marked with North, South, East, and West. Instead it is marked with Calvary’s Four Values: Service, Practicing Generosity, Regular Worship, and Growth in Faith. Service: On September 13th we celebrated a Ministry Fair which allowed you to experience the many and various ways the members and partners of Calvary serve within and outside the congregation in ministry. Practicing Generosity: On September 20th we welcomed Melanie Wallschlaeger, who led us in a conversation and activity that helped us to appreciate “Generosity that Sticks.” This past Sunday at Forum we had a lively dialogue about the benefits of Regular Worship. And this Sunday we’ll be exploring the opportunities and meaning of Growing in Faith. These same markers will be the focus of brief talks by our members in worship in October and November. O Lord, teach us your paths. In Christ, Rev. Lori A. Cornell
0 Comments
On Sunday, August 30th, Carrie Smisek will officially begin her internship here with us at Calvary. she was asked to write an article about what she thought she was getting herself into. Here is what she had to say:
“You show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 As I am writing this, I have yet to start my adventure out to Washington. So, sitting in a small coffee shop in Minnesota, I have started to think a lot about adventures – the great ones that enthrall us, the scary ones that keep us on the edges of our seats, the exhilarating ones that bring us to new places and new heights. In the adventure of my life, there have not been any princesses to save or horcruxes to find or rings to return to Mordor. My adventures may not ever be written in black and white type or printed and graced with a “New York Times Bestseller” sticker. However, my adventures have brought me to some pretty great places, and I cannot help but think that the Holy Spirit, as tricksy as she may be, was behind it all. And this next great adventure, moving to Washington, is no different. It is new and scary and oh, so exciting, and I know that the Holy Spirit has led me to this place for a reason. Now, I have never been a pastor. Sure, I have read my Bible and prayed. I have been in Bible studies and sung hymns and led worship. I have preached and taught. I have given pastoral care. But, I have never been a pastor before. And sometimes, I still find it strange that I am truly called to this work. With that being said, I honestly am not sure what to expect in internship. I really have no idea what I am getting myself into. I have certain expectations for the year I will have with all of you. I hope to get to know you all and become part of your community. I hope to practice and work and get better at the skills I need to be a good pastor – things like preaching and pastoral care and, yes, writing newsletter articles. I hope also to play and explore and find new things to love. I hope to learn more about who I am and who I want to be. And so, I turn to the Psalms. As with all areas and emotions of life, I was able to find a psalm to relate to in this time of expected adventure. And I have read Psalm 16 quite a lot these days. It is a psalm that reminds us that it is God who leads us. It is God who makes our paths. And we don’t need to be afraid of the path that we are on, for God is with us always. There have been times when leaving my friends and family has seemed like entering a dark wilderness, and I have been afraid. But then I remember the reassurance that while this is a new and somewhat scary adventure, it is an adventure guided by God, and that God does not bring us to “the Pit,” but leads us to life – and abundant life at that! God leads to fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. I guess what I think I am getting myself into in internship is an adventure of growth and excitement. I have gotten myself into doing the work that God has lead me to do and I have been lucky enough to find myself living in the Pacific Northwest – which has been a dream of mine for quite some time. So, with the reassurance of God at my side – before, behind, and beside me, I jump into this next great adventure with all of you. I am so excited to get out there and get going. May God bless us all on our own adventures and bring us peace and grace. ~ Carrie Smisek You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to
anger, for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. James 1:19-20 In mid-July, Calvary’s Church Council began facilitating “Listening Posts” between services. (Listening Posts continue through August 16.) The purpose of Listening Posts is twofold: 1) to listen well to the congregation, and 2) to review the Long-Range Plan considering feedback from the Listening Posts. Recently, when we published the questions to be used in these gatherings, a member inquired about whether there would be time to bring up concerns. The answer was, “These Listening Posts are a time for us to learn about what we are doing right and what kind of hopes we have for the future. If you have concerns, please write them down so that the leadership can consider them separately.” The reason for this approach is that complaints are better fielded individually, rather than collected publicly; they are likely to shut down other group members’ participation in the group process. This member did exactly that, which gave our leaders the opportunity to hear and respond to that person’s concern. This member’s desire to have a concern heard was perfectly legitimate, and the direct way it was given helps Calvary to be a healthy faith community. Honesty and being heard are both essential parts of being the body of Christ together at Calvary. Another part of being the body of Christ together is listening. Not just opening our ears to hear the sound of other people’s voices, but actively listening to and considering other people’s lives and their needs in the body of Christ. The other word for this kind of “listening” is empathy. Sometimes when we have a concern about something that is happening in the community, the truth is that our problem may be someone else’s blessing. Sometimes, the thing we think is unacceptable is the thing that ministers to someone else in the church. Take for instance the “worship wars” in years past: Some Lutherans declared that if worship didn’t come straight out the green Lutheran Book of Worship it was wrong; others asserted that, if there weren’t drums and a guitar, worship wasn’t worth their time. What both of these positions lacked was empathy. Empathy is the ability to view the world from someone else’s perspective and appreciate why they might see the world the way they do. In the words of the old native proverb, it’s “walking a mile in someone else’s moccasins.” Empathy is what Jesus practiced when he saw a hungry, impatient crowd, sat down with them, and said to the disciples, “What are we going to feed them?” Empathy is what Jesus lived when he went to the money-mongering tax-collecting Zacchaeus’ house and faced ridicule for keeping company with him. Empathy is what the Samaritan expressed when he saw the beaten man robbed and left for dead on the side of the road, and picked him up and took care of him. Empathy isn’t about comfort. Or doing things the way we’ve always done them. It’s about seeing the world as bigger than your own perspective. It’s believing that faith may ask you to keep company with people you never imagined you’d sit with. It’s about thinking twice before you dismiss someone else’s ministry, because it doesn’t minister to you. In the words of James, empathy is being “quick to listen, and slow to speak.” The Listening Posts have two stated purposes: 1) to listen well to the congregation and 2) to review the Long-Range Plan considering feedback from the Listening Posts. But there is an unstated third purpose that your Council and Pastor hope to see accomplished: Not only that the Council will listen well, but that every member of the congregation may listen well to each other. So I invite you: listen not only with your ears at these events, but listen with your heart to the needs of your fellow Calvary members. May God who has come down in Christ, to listen to our deepest needs, empower us to be “quick to listen, and slow to speak” for the health of the body of Christ. Your Sister, Pastor Cornell During the summer months you may be traveling or unavailable to come to church on a Sunday. While you are away, please remember that Calvary’s ministry continues to serve our members and the community in your
absence. Please mail in your offering or, even better, establish the automatic payments you’ve been planning to make to Calvary through Simply Giving. (See church office for details.) Your regular offering helps to keep ministry flowing smoothly until you’re able to be with us again. Your sister in Christ, Rev. Lori A. Cornell Link to: Generosity: It has nothing to do with means and everything to do with desire article in The Lutheran magazine by Peter W. Marty What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. ~ T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding While most people may be under the impression that the gospels begin with the story of Jesus’ birth, the truth is that we Christians start our story at the end. In fact, the people who study the Bible most carefully agree, and the New Testament writers confirm it, the Christian story begins with the end of Jesus’ life: his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his conflict with and trial before the religious authorities, his sentencing and death, his dead body lying in a tomb until the third day … and then his resurrection. In other words, like T. S. Eliot says, The end is where we start from. Now suffice it to say that this message doesn’t sound like a great way to sell the Christian faith: “Hey, friend, you gotta come join my faith community.” Why, what’s your message? “Jesus’ death is our beginning.” Really? No thanks.But take a second look and it begins to make sense: God joins us in our endings (physical suffering, even death on the cross) so that we can start something new with him (living by grace through faith, loving the world because of the promise of eternal life). Endings are all I can think about lately. It’s just about all I can do not to pout incessantly at Matt’s departure from Calvary. Ours has been a vital, creative partnership in ministry these past three years. And I am grateful that Calvary has benefitted in so many ways from his service. But I also know that this end marks a beginning. For Matt it means he is one step closer to becoming an ordained minister. For us, it means that we have been called to sit up and pay attention to the times: What is God calling us to do with this ending? How might we start from here? You see, the truth of the gospel is that just when we think every good thing has come to a screeching halt, God is up to something new. “Behold, I am making all things new,” God says (Revelation 21:5). And, if we think that any ending in this life is the last word about our church, or us, we have missed the meat of the matter: The God who created out of nothing in the beginning, will take the messy apparent endings of our lives and start something new... “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do!,” as the hymn says. So, lift up your heads, look forward: God is about to do something new. … Already we are anticipating with great joy the arrival of an Intern this September: Carrie Smisek (See page 11). But there is oh so much more that God can and will do! The only question is whether we will be stuck in the endings, or trust that with God in Christ, the end is where we start from. Your sister in Christ, Pastor Lori A. Cornell |
Rev. Lori A. Cornell
Calvary's Pastor Jake Schumacher
Intern Pastor Archives
March 2017
Categories
All
|