Immanuel Lutheran Blog

I recently got a request to post the text of a sermon I preached at Immanuel a few weeks ago. This is from March 18, 2012 and is based on a passage from the Gospel of John chapter 3:16-20. It’s all about the things we run from in life. Here it is:

Back in the 1970s I spent some time in the Army. My basic training was at Fort Ord near Monterey. Some of the experiences in my training remain very vivid in my mind. One in particular was a nighttime survival exercise. What happened is that we were put at one end of a large area about 1 mile in length. It had some trees and shrubs, as well as some open land. Our assignment: to make it from one end to the other without being captured by the many patrols that were out there. They were also setting off flares to illuminate the area, so it was quite a challenge.

We started out. A lot of guys made a mad dash for it, and got caught right away. I took my time getting going. I analyzed the situation. I stayed low, listened, found good cover, and used other guys’ mistakes. In this way I made slow and steady progress without getting caught.

In fact I did too well. I did such a good job of staying hidden, that after the exercise was over I (and a couple others like me) were still out there. They actually sent a jeep out to look for me. It took a while for them to find me too, because I was trying to keep out of sight of everyone, including those who wanted to get me home that night. And so I had the ironic experience of hiding from the very people who were trying to help me.

In the Gospel lesson I just read to you Jesus Christ describes a similar situation. He talks about a God who created people and dearly loves them. And God looks at people and God sees alienation:- The way people become alienated from each other, misunderstanding, hating, fighting, not just between countries and ethnic groups, but even within families. - God sees how people become alienated from the creation—destroying it, polluting it, abusing it— whether it is the creation that is their environment, or the creation that is even their own bodies. - God sees how people become alienated even within themselves– turning on themselves with self-doubt, depression, worry, and all kinds of self-destructive habits.

And so God says, “I’m going to them to help them. I will not leave them to themselves.” So God comes to our world in Jesus Christ to bring us back from the darkness; to bring us guidance, and a place to belong, and salvation from our self-destructive ways. As John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

And how do people react? Well, Jesus says very often they hide. Just like my experience in the Army, where I was hiding from the very ones who were trying to end my long cold night, and give me a ride back to the warmth and light of my living quarters – people hide from the help, love, and newness that Jesus offers.

Why? Jesus puts it this way in John 3:19-20: “This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Those who do evil hate the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

But honestly, what are people really hiding from when they hide from God and faith? You heard the words from Ephesians 2:4-5, another one of our readings today: “But because of God’s great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in our sins. It is by grace that you have been saved. This is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
So it turns out, according to this passage when people hide from God, they are hiding from a gift, because that’s what the word grace means. God offers humans the gift of forgiveness, of acceptance as we are, of new life and eternal life, and the opportunity for genuine change. And yet people often see faith, hope , and a more eternal perspective as something to avoid and to run from.

It is perhaps a lot like someone who has a long lost uncle. We’ll say this someone is you. And this uncle has died and left you an incredible sum of money. But the lawyer who is the executor of the estate is having trouble reaching you by mail or telephone; so he decides to come to your house and inform you personally of the good news. He and a colleague show up at the house and knock on the door. But you look out through a side window, and you think: “Who are these people in suits? Are they IRS representatives? I haven’t always been totally honest with my taxes. Or maybe they’re FBI, and they’re going to charge me with a crime. Who knows? Maybe they’re Mafia hit men? So you decide to stay hidden, to play it safe. You don’t answer the door, until they finally go way. But they come again next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. And everyday the same thing happens: you hide and refuse to answer the door, because you don’t want to take the risk that this could be something bad. So they start showing up at your work. But you always find a way to elude them. You crawl out between the desks when you see them coming, or you escape out the backdoor. You start to disguise yourself with a false mustache or with wigs when you go out. The executor pursues you everywhere and everyway he can to try and give you your inheritance. But for years to come you outsmart him, by being too smart for your own good. And in the process, you find a way to run away from the very thing that could make your life much more pleasant and prosperous.

Face it, humans are good at running and hiding from what’s good for us. We hide from each other, we hide from love, we hide from change, we hide from God. Very often the absence of a place for spirituality in a person’s life is disguised by a lack of time, or discomfort with deeper questions in life, like: Should my life have moral values? What will happen when I die? Very often there’s a struggle even to admit that we are fallible or mortal. And so one avoids exposure to things about God and faith, and this whole piece of life is missing. A very common situation nowadays.

But in the midst of all that denial, we hear the voice of Jesus saying: “Come. Come without fear and be exposed for who you are. Come and be cleansed. Come and be loved. Come and be accepted. Come and be transformed.”

For by grace you are saved; by grace and love. This gift is not of yourself. It is the gift of God. Come out into the light, embrace faith, and receive the gift.

This past week we finished up another series of midweek Lenten services at Immanuel. The theme this year was The Ten Commandments. We took a closer look at the commandments as a congregation and added a special emphasis. Many people, of course, approach these ancient rules for living as mere restrictions – as negative “do nots.” Together we explored the positive within each commandment, seeking to discover the blessings of freedom hidden within its language of obligation. As in the previous year, these services were part of a special project for our Confirmation youth. The kids provided leadership by reading, leading prayers, and sharing ideas we came up with together in class. Using Martin Luther’s writings in the catechisms as our starting point, I had them restate each of the commandments positively and share that with the congregation. Here, for instance, is what they came up with for the 7^th commandment, ‘You shall not steal’:

• You shall share with other people.
• Support your neighbors by protecting them and their things.
• Remember how you feel when you are robbed.
• You shall show respect for others’ goods.
• You shall be fair.
• Remember the poor.

We also had a great musical team for the services, with many of our musicians working together. Thanks to all who helped. My wife, Carla, wrote a special song for the services fitting with the theme calleded “The Law of the Lord Is Love.” Here is a recording of it:

The Law Of the Lord Is Love

In a poll published in a major magazine a few years ago adults were invited to reveal what they would ask if they could get a direct and immediate answer to any question. The top three questions were, “Will I have life after death?” (19% of respondents) and “Why do bad things happen?” (16%) However, the highest proportion of those polled (34%) wished to know the answer to the timeless question, “What is my purpose here?”

In recent weeks I have performed a number of memorial services, both for members of the church, and for people with no connection to the church. In both cases I have encountered these same questions in the lives of those grieving a lost loved one—questions about eternity and the meaning of our lives.

Isn’t it interesting that the questions most people want to have answered are also the type of questions we deal with most frequently at church? They are the questions Jesus dealt with and spoke to not only in word, but in his actions, life, death, and resurrection. They are questions of spirituality and purpose.

Given this fact we should not be shy about inviting and welcoming people into our faith community. We should be asking how our worship and activities can provide a context where people can have questions of faith and spirituality answered. And of course, we ourselves should be taking advantage of the gift we have in this community thorough our participation and support of one another. A lot of people don’t realize that the answer to some of their deepest questions might be found by a short drive down the street to the nearest church, but it’s true. As Peter said to Jesus in John 6:68, “Lord, where else shall we go? You have the words of the eternal life.”

It has been exciting working in partnership with Pastor Sam and Cindy Wolff during the past year on the work they do in support of the poor in Nairobi. As we have been reporting to the congregation, one special project we identified was the need for an AIDS outreach center to house the work their church carries out with victims of HIV in Kenya. By having an outreach center they will be able to greatly expand the number of people they reach with support, training, and essential medications.

In November of 2011 our church provided funds to the Nairobi International Congregation using money that members of our congregation have been generously donating for this mission effort. This was in addition to our annual pledged amount through ELCA Global Mission. We recently received the following update and pictures from Pastor Sam and Cindy about this project:

Hello Friends,

We are almost finished with the office building, which will include a small meeting room. The first photo is of the small meeting room with the

window to the office on the right; photo 2 shows the office. Photos 3 and 4 show the building from the outside.

After this report on the building, we received an email about the ways they are already putting the new structure to use: Here are some pictures of the HIV/AIDS Outreach and Support Group having a training session on raising animals and cooking nutritious foods.

Thanks to the members of Immanuel for their wonderful support of this important work!

For decades our good old sign has identified our church to the people around us. However, it’s gotten pretty worn through the years. This week it will be out with the old and in with the new, as we erect a brand new sign. This attractive, internally-illuminated sign will stand in front of our sanctuary on Grant Road. Its style will match the architecture of our sanctuary and prominently announce our presence to the community. We are grateful to the many people who have generously donated toward the sign’s cost. Thanks also to Gregg Wilson, the sign task force, and everyone helping with the installation. Below I have posted a picture of the design of our new sign, as well as a picture of the old sign for contrast. Our new sign will be dedicated in a special joint service at 10:00 a.m. on the Sunday of our annual meeting, February 12, 2012. Come and celebrate this new milestone for our congregation.

Before

After

Here’s a great picture from our Living Nativity that reached me by email. Every December for three evenings our church puts on an outdoor Living Nativity. This year it happened on Dec 18, 19, and 20. The main actors and participants are our youth, children, and their families. The kids put on costumes and portray the characters of the Christmas story for neighbors in the community and people passing by. We also have crafts, warm food and drinks, and on the third night even a petting zoo. This year we made some great new friends from people who visited the event. Thanks to our main organizer, youth director Danny Dye, and to all who participated.
One of our kids, Hannah Ford, wrote the following summary of her experience of the Living Nativity:

The Living Nativity is important because many people think that Christmas is only about presents.  The real meaning is Jesus’ birth.   We dress up in costumes so people can see that Christmas isn’t just about presents.  We try to get as many honks as we can.  We do the Living Nativity so people will remember that Jesus was born.  The Living Nativity has a donkey, sheep, three wise men, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and of course, Jesus.  The Living Nativity is fun and helps people remember Jesus was born on Christmas.

Good job, Hannah! Although the Christmas season has been over for a couple of weeks, I wanted people who read this blog to be able to enjoy Hanna’s words and this picture.

We had Stewardship Sunday this past weekend. Among other things we put on a play in our services called “Stone Soup.” I based it on an old European folk tale. It illustrates how the gifts of many people can come together to meet needs in extraordinary ways, even when resources seem limited – not a bad model for Christian Stewardship. God can do great things in our community and beyond, when we offer the unique gifts God has given each of us.

A number of people have said they wouldn’t mind having a copy of this adaptation we used at Immanuel, so here it is:

 Stone Soup

Speaking Parts:

1 Narrator
2 Wanderers:
   W1
   W2  Wearing a backpack with a stone in it
4 Villagers:
   V1   Holding a pitcher
   V2   Holding salt and pepper shakers
   V3   Holding 2 carrots
   V4   Holding a cabbage

 Non-speaking parts: Several members of the congregation bring forward a food item to add to the soup as it is called out by the narrator.

Narrator (from the pulpit): Once upon a time in post-war Europe two wanderers, who had lost their homes, traveled through the countryside looking for food and shelter. After many days they approached a poor, small village on the edge of the woods.

Wanderers from the left front of the sanctuary

W1: How I would like a good dinner tonight.

W2: Let’s try this village. Maybe we’ll find a bite to eat here.

Narrator: Meanwhile the villagers saw them approaching. 

Villagers at microphones on the right of the sanctuary.

V1: Oh no! Here come two beggars.

V2: The trouble with beggars is they’re always begging?

V1: And they’re always hungry.

V3: I’m always hungry.

V4: Yes, you are. But it’s no wonder. We have little enough for ourselves. Let’s hide our food and tell them we have nothing.

Narrator: And that’s what they did. (The villagers hide their food items behind their backs.)

The wanderers arrive in the village.

W1: Hello, friends. Do you have a bit of food here in the village to share with the hungry?

V1: We have no food.

V2: It’s been a poor harvest.

V3: Yes, and I’m hungry.

V4: We haven’t got any food in the whole village, so goodbye.

W2: Good people, you misunderstand us. We have asked if you have any food, and sadly you have none. But we have everything we need and will prepare food for ourselves. Tonight we shall make some delicious stone soup.  

W1: Mmm. Stone soup, my favorite! It’s food fit for a king.

V3: I’ve never had food fit for a king before, and I’m hungry.

W2: Who knows, maybe we’ll make a little extra to share with your village.  

W1: Do you have the soup stone?

W2: (Pulls a stone out of the backpack) Yes I do. With this special nourishing soup stone, we shall make a soup such as none of you ever tasted.

W1: Let’s get to work. (The wanderers head away to the center of town.)

V2: Did I hear them right, stone soup?  

V1: They’re crazy. Can’t be any such thing.

V3: Yes, but if there is such a thing, I’ll never be hungry again. I’m much better at pulling stones out of my field than crops.  

Narrator: Filled with curiosity, the villagers followed the strangers.

V4: Excuse me, but we’ve never heard of stone soup before. Is it hard to make?

W1: It is an ancient secret recipe that we have carefully guarded. But you are a poor village, so we’ll be happy to show you. Gather around. The villagers approach.  

W2: First of all, we’ll need a large pot, some water, and some firewood.

V1: Well, I have that.  (V1 places wood on the floor, the pot on the wood, and “pours” a pitcher of water in.)  

W2: It’s time to add the main ingredient—the special stone. (W2 does so.) Then we’ll bring it to a boil.

W1: Let’s see how it’s doing. (Tasting it with a spoon.) It’s very good.  

V3: May we taste it? I’m hungry.

W1: Not quite yet. It seems to be missing something.

W2: I once added some salt and pepper to a stone soup, which made it just right.

V2: I have some salt and pepper right here. (Shakes some in.)

V3: May we have some now? I’m really hungry.

W1: Patience.  (Tasting it again.)

W2: What do you think?

W1: Almost perfect. It could use a bit of carrot, though. Too bad you folks don’t have any food.

V3: Carrots? Did you say carrots? I just happened to have two carrots here. (Throws them in.) Is it ready now?

W1: The best stone soups always have cabbage. But we know you have nothing to offer.  

(V2 elbows V4.  V4 pulls a cabbage out from behind his back.)

V4: Well, what do you know? Here’s a cabbage. (Puts it in the soup.) Is there anything else you’ll need?

W1: Well, if you want to have the very best stone soup there are a couple more things that you should always add.

Potatoes
Beef
Onions
Peas
Beans
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper

Narrator: When the last ingredient was thrown in, the wonderful smell of the soup filled the whole village.

V3: It smells so good, and I’m so hungry. How I’d like to have a taste.  

W2: And you shall. But this is a meal fit for a king. Set tables and let everyone prepare to eat a banquet.

Narrator: And that’s what they did. As they were preparing a couple of villagers realized that such a great feast required bread. And also cider to drink. They quickly fetched these things. Soon a banquet was ready and everyone began to eat.

V1: Never has there been such a feast!

V2: Never have we tasted such soup!

V4: To think, it was made from stones!

V3: And best of all, I’m not hungry anymore!

Narrator: After the meal the villagers gladly welcomed the two wanderers into their village as citizens. From that time forward, the whole village would come together a few times a week to make a large pot of stone soup, with everyone sharing what they had. And no one there was hungry again.

V3: Not even me!

This is a story I mentioned in my November article in the Immanuel newsletter. It originates from the latest communication sent by our mission partners, Pastor Sam and Cindy Wolff in Nairobi, Kenya. They tell about a recent event they called “Victor’s First Birthday.” This story seemed especially meaningful in the context of the approaching Thanksgiving holiday. It motivates me to reflect on the many gifts I have to be grateful for, and the opportunities I have to be generous with those gifts. Here is the story in its entirety:

 Those of you who have children, grandchildren, nieces or Nephews, or who have ever been a child, know how important birthdays are. They are a benchmark in our lives as well as a time of celebration when others let us know how happy they are that we were born. Birthdays are a time we are made to feel special. It is “our day”. Sometimes family and friends come from miles around to celebrate with us, and parties are planned months in advance. Gifts are often elaborate and always purchased with the wishes of the birthday boy or girl in mind.

Birthdays in Kenya are generally celebrated in quite another way. Today I invite you to take a peek into this world as we celebrate “Victor’s First Birthday”.  In Kenya and much of the East African world, birthdays are a much different type of day than we in the first world are used to. You see, many children do not know when their birthday’s are. Birth certificates are not generally issued at the time of birth but something you have to physically retrieve later through a bureaucratic system, which is highly disorganized and ineffective. It is often not worth the effort to get this piece of paper. Many children are born at home and there is no birth certificate. Others have mother’s who die in childbirth or shortly thereafter, and the date is lost in mourning. This is the case of Victor, a young man in our congregation.

Victor in His Neighborhood

Victor’s parents were very young when he was born. Soon after his mother died, Victor’s father remarried and had three more children. The date of Victor’s birth was never recorded and his father cannot remember it. When asked, he can only give an approximate year. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon in Kenya. Each Sunday Pastor Sam gives a small Bible to any children who have birthdays the previous week. When we came here, two years ago, we bought fifty small Bibles. We still have about 40 left.  

Victor with His Father

This year a volunteer, Ellen, who had befriended Victor, our daughter Brooke, and her friend Jessica, who were visiting from the states, and I decided to give Victor a birth date and a birthday party. We used the month and day of my birthday since it was coming up soon and chose a year which Victor thought might be his real birth year. We bought gifts and wrapped them and I baked a cake. The party was to be at a pizza parlor, the perfect venue for someone who was turning fifteen. It was not an elaborate affair in terms of an American party but for someone who had never even had a birth date to celebrate, it was monumental. We started by ordering pizza and sodas. 

Next the gifts were brought out. He received clothing, art supplies and money. It was truly a moving experience for us as well as him. He told us he had never received a birthday gift before.  

Now it was time for the cake. A great surprise to him as well as the other patrons of the restaurant. It was complete with fifteen candles.  

Victor’s desire in life is to be a pastor. He came to our church two years ago to get a morning cup of chai and a cookie. Then he started going to services and asked to be baptized and confirmed. He was awarded a Bible at his confirmation and read it in its entirety in a matter of months. Now he has joined the choir and is an assistant Sunday school teacher. He attends both services and is often seen carrying water for his baptismal sponsor. He also helps out in the HIV/AIDS outreach garden and ushers at church on Sunday. He has found a home at our church and a new life in Christ. His younger half-brother is now attending baptismal and confirmation classes also and at times his father attends church.  

I asked Victor the next week what he bought with his money (about $5.00 in U.S.D.). He said he spent $3.00 on a new pair of shoes and gave the rest to his father to buy food. I asked why he gave part of his birthday gift away. He said, “because, I like my father”. Victor received a gift and through this gave a gift. This was a joy to him to be able to pass part of his gift on. He surely passed a gift on to me. It is not only about what you receive, but what you can share with others. Victor is living his faith, for Christ teaches us to love one another and to care for each other.  

May you all be blessed and remember to pass on the daily gifts you receive.

Cynthia Wolff
Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation
Nairobi, Kenya

I haven’t written in this blog since early September. Much of my spare time since then has been taken up with family illness. On September 5th my mother (who lives in Southern California) entered the hospital. It was discovered that she had a large (nonmalignant) tumor in her digestive system. In the time since then she has been through three major surgeries, a number of setbacks, a few improvements, and continuous residence in the hospital. In the past 6 weeks I’ve made 5 trips down there for a few days at a time to help out. (I returned from the last one just 2 days ago.) That, of course, is in addition to all of the busy programming and activities we have had here at church this fall.

Throughout these extremely busy and challenging weeks I have been very aware of how much it means to have the support of our church and faith. I have been extremely grateful for the encouragement and prayers offered by everyone at Immanuel during this time. People’s ongoing prayers will be very appreciated.

I have a number of things I’d like to report on through this blog, and hope to be able to get back to that on a more regular basis in the coming days.

A couple of weeks ago we held a luau on Sunday evening at our church. It’s an annual tradition at Immanuel and a lot of fun, with everybody dressing up Hawaiian, as well as some great Hawaiian food and music.

I thought I’d share some of that music with you. Below is a link to a video of a song that our ukulele band played. That’s Blythe and Marc Musteric and myself on ukulele, with Carla singing lead, and also showing us her talents on the ukulele and kazoo. (Click on the word “Luau” to get the video.) Enjoy.

Luau