Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for May 2016

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

This verse, which forms the basis of my favorite hymn written by Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, brings great comfort to me in the times of trouble in my life.  When life’s troubles get me down and I can’t figure out how to deal with them all on my own, I am confronted and comforted by this verse.  It serves as a reminder that I am not expected to, nor will I ever truly, get through life’s troubles on my own.  For no matter what else happens, no matter who else is in my life, God is present and accompanying me through life’s trials and tribulations.

When I had been in South Africa for about 4 months, I experienced a time of great trouble in my life.  I was away from home and my usual support networks during the Holidays for the first time.  I had been pick pocketed coming home from a retreat and was struggling to deal with my sense of victimization.  It was even starting to impact my interactions with those at the crèche where I was spending most of my time.  Nothing I tried on my own seemed to work to make things better.  Thankfully, God was very much present for me in this time of distress.  God was present in the love of my sisters in Christ at the crèche who noticed something was wrong and spoke up.  They took action and comforted me.  They sought the help of the parish pastor and my supervisor who was able to help me work through things.  In that moment, surrounded by the love of my brothers and sisters in Christ, God was very much present, and a great refuge against life’s troubles.

Now, God’s presence and ability to be a refuge and strength for people in their times of trouble is not dependent on the body of Christ, but we can and do often play a role in this nonetheless.  It is one way that we can and do cooperate with God’s abundant and everlasting love for the world.  And it happens every day.  When we comfort each other, God is a present help in trouble.  When we work together to provide a shelter for those experiencing homelessness, God is a present help in trouble.  When we spend a week of our lives helping others with projects in their homes, God is a present help in trouble.  When we visit a lonely person, God is a present help in trouble.  When we acknowledge a beggar on the streets as a beloved child of God, God is a present help in trouble.

There are many ways that God is our refuge and strength.  Sometimes, they are ways that we least expect.  

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for April 2016

Every report, then, that cannot be adequately proved is false witness.  Therefore, no one should publicly assert as truth what is not publicly substantiated.

(Luther’s explanation of the 8^th commandment in the Large Catechism from The Book of Concord, Augsburg Fortress 2000)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The 2016 presidential race is heating up as both major parties in our country are getting closer to nominating their candidate for President of the United States of America.  As such, we see that the rhetoric is really heating up - especially attacks against specific candidates and individuals.  Yet, sweeping generalizations against whole groups of people also are starting to play a major role in this campaign.

In particular, I want to address the attacks against Muslims as an example, but they are hardly the only group that have been victims of broad generalizations during this election cycle.  Between the Syrian refugee crisis, the fight against ISIS, and recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris, and many other places throughout the world, some presidential candidates have called for a moratorium on Muslim immigration to this country.  Others have proposed that Muslim communities be patrolled extra carefully. 

Such suspicion of our Muslim neighbors meets the criteria of bearing false witness according to Martin Luther in the Large Catechism.  For it hurts the honor and integrity of ALL Muslims to be treated with automatic suspicion – to be called a terrorist or worse for no reason other than their religion.  Luther suggests that unless we can point to a specific, public act done by a specific individual, “we should use our tongue to speak only the best about all people, to cover the sins and infirmities of our neighbors, to justify their actions, and to cloak and veil them with our own honor.”  Broad demonization of our Muslim brothers and sisters without basis in fact or specificity in example is something that runs distinctly counter to Luther’s explanation and is something my own faith cannot countenance.

So, following the example of Luther and the prodding of the Gospel message of love for God, neighbor, and self, I say to my Muslim neighbors immigrating to America in this day and age, “welcome!”  I hope you find peace, comfort, and hope here in this new land.  I hope you find shelter from persecution and war.  I look forward to getting to know you better and pray that your time in this country may be full of God’s blessing.

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for March 2016

This month, I posted excerpts of my blog post A Letter for Easter.

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for February 2016

It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform ceremonies, instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere.

(Article VII of the Augsburg Confession, German Text, from The Book of Concord, Augsburg Fortress 2000)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The ELCA and Roman Catholic church have made great strides towards unity recently as the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation approaches next year.  Theologians from both denominations have worked together and reconciled much of our theology and provided a roadmap to address remaining theological concerns.  Pope Francis has openly proclaimed that the decision on whether to communion for Lutherans and Catholics in each other’s churches are a matter between the individual conscience and God.  All signs point towards a greater unity between Lutherans and Catholics.

Will this result in a unification/merger between the ELCA and Roman Catholic churches?  No, it will not.  As far as I’m aware, that is not the point of the dialog between our denominations.  Rather, we are seeking to uplift the unity which binds us together in Christ.  Likely, we will never solve all of our theological disputes.  We may never agree on the best way to administer Communion.  We may never agree what style of worship is best.  However, none of those things are necessary for the unity of the church.  As the Reformers proclaimed in the Article VII of the Augsburg Confession: “[the church] is the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.” 

True unity comes to us in Christ.  No matter the differences in how we worship or the way we take communion or the cultural and traditional differences between denominations, we are all one in Christ.  Christ was crucified and has been raised for the sake of the world – for all of us.  Therefore, it is in Christ that we are all made one.  The unity in Christ overcomes the differences that divide us.  This enables us at all levels of our faith groups – denominational, congregational, and individual – to celebrate that which binds us together.   We do not need uniform ceremonies and cultural heritage for unity; we just need Christ.

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for January 2016

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 

(Psalm 95:1)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

As we begin a new year together, I want to take a step back and praise God for some of the wonderful ways God has been at work in this congregation.  We have a dedicated group of women who gather together to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief.  We had a lovely Christmas pageant with a large number of youth who did a wonderful job of telling the story of the first Christmas.

We have countless people of all ages in our congregation who are seeking to live out their faith in meaningful ways, often times through service.  This manifests itself in our youth through strong participation in events such as Work Camp.  It also is evident in the large number of volunteers we have to help with Family Promise, and Emmanuel Dining Room, and numerous other opportunities for service both inside and outside the walls of this congregation.

The past month or so has been full of many wonderful blessing for me in both my personal life and my ministry.  So I also want to sing a song of praise to the Lord as well.  The seasons of Advent and Christmas have been full of singing to the Lord between our Advent mid-week services, Christmas caroling, services full of carols and special music, and much much more.  It is my hope that the joyful singing which is quite easy to do in December, may continue this month and throughout the rest of the year.  For Christ has come and dwells among us always.  The rock of our salvation is here.  Come, let us sing to the lord.       

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for December 2015

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

(Luke 1:78-79)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

These final words of the prophesy given by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, capture well the spirit of the beginning of our new church year with the seasons of Advent and Christmas.  As we celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus, we also look forward with anticipation to Christ’s next coming.  We celebrate the hope that is found in Christ for those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.  We rejoice that evil, war, and death have been overcome by Christ and do not hold the final say.

I find myself reflecting on all of the ways that God has been a blessing in my own life, offering me light in the darkness and guiding my feet into the way of peace.  Whenever I have been lost in the darkness, God has provided light for my journey – light which I have most clearly seen through the church and my loved ones.  Any time I have wondered where I should go next in life, God has illuminated my path with wisdom and love and guided me into the way of peace.

As a congregation, we stand at the beginning of another year of ministry together.  While my journey intertwined with yours part-way through this past year and will untwine again part-way through this coming year, it is my hope that our journey together is rooted in Christ’s light.  We have an opportunity to reflect together on the ways God is calling us to be light for those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.  We have an opportunity to be advocates of God’s Kingdom of love, life, and peace in this world full of hate, death, and war.  What will that look like for us collectively and individually?  I look forward to discerning that answer together with you.

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for November 2015

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

What exactly is the purpose and function of youth ministry?  Is it ministering to youth?  Or is it ministering with youth?  This question has been in the forefront of my mind recently.  The way we as a congregation answer this question can have a drastic difference in how we approach youth ministry.  Personally, I see youth ministry as ministry together with youth.  I think the distinction between which preposition we use to understand youth ministry (or any ministry for that matter) makes all the difference in the world.  Because ministry with a group of people implies a certain sense of mutuality, when we view ministry together in this manner, we build up a sense of belonging and growing together.  We acknowledge that no one is a master of faith.  All people have the potential to learn new things and grow in faith together.  That is one of the core motivations behind Luther’s catechisms – that we are never done growing in faith; we are never done learning the catechism.

So imagine what ministry with youth looks like.  It looks like people from all walks of life coming together to love and support each other in faith.  It looks like youth and adults struggling with the tough questions of faith alongside each other, learning from each other and growing in faith together.  Adults and youth support each other in fulfilling congregational vows during Baptism to help each child of God grow in faith.  Ministry with youth supports a sense of mutuality and belonging that helps people remain in faith even during the tough times in life.  Such a model of youth ministry lifts the task of helping a child of God grow in faith from their parents and professionals, and allows the church to pick up some of the load.

As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child,” so it takes a church to raise a child of God, no matter how old (or young) that child of God is.

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for October 2015

And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

(Matthew 25:40)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It seems like every day we hear news of yet another group of people mistreated and/or blamed for the problems of society.  Often, these groups are people who have little, if any, status or power in society.  They are refugees, immigrants, people experiencing homelessness – all people displaced from their homes.  These people are blamed for the ills of society, and often extreme measures are taken to keep them out: walls, barbed wire, fire hoses, harsh policies.  Those with power and status tend to walk all over these people without status.  All too often, the least of these of our society have no one to speak for them and are not allotted the power to speak for themselves.

In the time of Jesus’ ministry, society in the Roman Empire was all about status, honor, wealth, and increasing those three things however possible.  To accomplish this, people would try to hang around those who had higher status, and treated those with higher status well.  Hopefully, this would lead to an increase in their own status as well.  People who had power were expected to wield that power for themselves and those who were above them.  They were to raise the status of those to whom they were beholden.  In that society, there was no point in looking out for those with lower status, because nothing (honor, power, or wealth anyway) was gained from doing so.

Jesus reminds us that God cares about those who have no status in society.  In fact, God is present in the least of these in society.  Efforts to keep out the least in society also end up attempting to keep God out.  Thankfully, when we work to include and care for the least in society, we are actively welcoming God.  Our congregation does a good job with this.  Through programs like Family Promise, through our financial mission support (which, in part, supports organizations like Lutheran Immigration and Refugees Services), and our quilting group which creates quilts for Lutheran World Relief, we are welcoming God and God’s Kingdom into our church.  What other ways can we welcome God into our church?     

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Vicar Mike's Newsletter Article for September 2015

“[God] has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

(Micah 6:8) 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Good Shepherd:

This verse has always played a central role in my faith, especially during times of discernment.  It provides a beautiful summary and guide on how to live out a life of faith.  It is also a reminder of the wideness of God’s love.  For God so loves all people, that one of God’s greatest concerns is that we treat all people with dignity, respect, and equity.  This informs how we can live out our daily lives as lives of faith.

One of my greatest faith concerns is moving faith out beyond Sunday mornings and into the mission fields of everyday life.  My own faith journey up to this point has had its share of highs and lows.  However, the times when I have been most successful in living out my faith on a daily basis, I have had life most abundantly.  This abundance is of spiritual things such as faith, hope, and love, not material things.  These spiritual treasures are much more valuable than earthly treasures. 

So how did I acquire such spiritual gifts?  Nothing I did accomplished this on its own.  In fact, without the grace of God, it is impossible to receive such things.  My own faith and will power was not enough to accomplish these things.  The faith of the church and Christ’s faithfulness accomplishes that which I am unable to do on my own power.  When we come together in Word and Sacrament on Sunday mornings, God instills us with faith.  God graces us with spiritual food and spiritual gifts to support each other as we enter the mission fields of our daily lives.

As we begin our year of ministry together, I pray that God blesses our time together, that we may grow together and explore the possibilities of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God.

God’s peace be with you,

Vicar Mike

Newsletters from my Internship Year

Throughout the course of my internship, I have rediscovered this blog which I maintained primarily through my year as a YAGM missionary in South Africa.  I have come to really appreciate looking back on the insights and reflections from that year.  This blog has been really helpful for processing my insights and I want to resume updating it.  The first step of this for me will be to upload my monthly newsletter articles from my internship year.  After I am done uploading these articles, I will look to begin updating this blog again with more regular posts.