Sharon’s Christmas Prayer

Sharon's Christmas Prayer

She was five,
sure of the facts,
and recited them
with slow solemnity
convinced every word

was revelation.

She said

they were so poor
they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
to eat
and they went a long way from home
without getting lost. The lady rode
a donkey, the man walked, and the baby
was inside the lady.
They had to stay in a stable
with an ox and an ass (hee-hee)
but the Three Rich Men found them
because a star lited the roof.
Shepherds came and you could
pet the sheep but not feed them.
Then the baby was borned.
And do you know who he was?

Her quarter eyes inflated
to silver dollars.

The baby was God.

And she jumped in the air
whirled round, dove into the sofa
and buried her head under the cushion
which is the only proper response
to the Good News of the Incarnation.

John Shea, The Hour of the Unexpected.

My friends in Christ,
May we all jump in the air, whirl around, dive into the sofa and bury our head under the cushion— which is the only proper response to the Good News of the Incarnation. May you have a blessed Christmas celebration with family and friends and may you take time to sit at the manger and cradle the newborn King who came just for you.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

David Briggs

Many people have asked why I’m pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Transformation. That’s a really good question. Basically, the answer is, “I want to be spiritually transformed by God so I can help others be spiritually transformed by God.”

There was an article in The Huffington Post last week that spoke clearly and bluntly to this very issue. Instead of me summarizing it for you, I’d like you to read the article for yourself. It is well worth reading over a few times and asking yourself how we, as Christ Lutheran Church and we as individual followers of Jesus, are called
to strengthen and deepen our faith.

It’s the Spirituality, Stupid: Vital Congregations Cultivate Personal Piety
by David Briggs

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Next stop: change for the better

It’s been quite a whirlwind of a summer! If I hadn’t encountered God’s sense of mystery (and humor) before, I would be wondering if I had connected some dots that ought not be connected. But indeed, God has a way of giving His people what they need, when they need it most. God’s timing is always perfect (though rarely understandable). If people would have told me back in May that we would be calling a part-time Associate Pastor in September and that I would be starting a Doctor of Ministry degree, I would never have believed them. But here we are, at the cusp of September with the unexpected, but very welcomed, joy of calling Pastor Sue Ellen Grudt to our pastoral team. I also now have piles of books labeled “required reading, deadlines for papers coming up in October, December, and January” and I have to learn something called the Turabian style for writing academic papers. I haven’t written an academic paper in almost 25 years!

I hope between the letter I sent out to the congregation in August, as well as the three congregational meetings regarding calling Pastor Sue Ellen Grudt, that any questions or concerns you had will have been answered by the time of the congregational meeting and vote on September 18th after the late service. God has placed before us an incredibly wonderful and generous gift in the music, education, and pastoral ministry of Pastor Sue Ellen. The difficult thing will be to honor her 15-hour work week.

As I write this newsletter article, we are a few weeks away from the vote, but people are growing excited about this awesome opportunity for Christ Lutheran Church. Calling a gifted musician as our associate pastor is a way of saying “yes” to the future God has planned for us. This is a leap of faith, but one that brings with it an amazing future that we can’t even imagine right now—but God can. And that’s good enough for me!

Please plan on meeting Pastor Sue Ellen Grudt in person after the 9:30 service on Sunday, September 11th. She will be playing all the music in worship that day. Then, please plan on attending the congregational meeting on September 18th after the late service for the vote to call Pastor Sue Ellen as our Associate Pastor.

God is good!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

small, strong congregations

On February 27th, the Sunday of our semi-annual congregational meeting, I preached on a book by Kennon Callahan, called Small, Strong Congregations: Creating Strengths and Health for Your Congregation. At each of the worship services that morning, we took a survey of the eight areas of ministry that might be strengths for our congregation. We had great conversations before we rated our congregation from 1 to 10 in each of the areas.

If we scored 8 – 10 on five of the eight areas, we would be considered a small, strong congregation (as op-posed to a small, weak or dying congregation). We indeed scored 8 or above in five areas! Christ Lutheran Church is a small, strong congregation. We are certainly happy with those scores, but we can‘t rest on our laurels or ignore the areas that need strengthening. No congregation will ever be ―all things for all people,‖ but we can be the best small, strong congregation God created us to be.

Beginning May 15th, I will be preaching on one of these areas each month. Listed below is the schedule of topics and dates:

• May 15th—Giving and Generosity (8:15 score was 3; 10:45 score was 7)
• June 26th—Space and Facilities (8:15 score was 6; 10:45 score was 7)
• July 17th—Team, leaders, and congregation (8:15 score was 8; 10:45 score was
• August 28th—Worship and hope (8:15 score was 9; 10:45 score was 10)
• Sept.18th—Self-reliance & self-sufficiency (8:15 score was 9; 10:45 score was 10)
• Oct. 16th—Community and belonging (8:15 score was 8; 10:45 score was 10)
• Nov. 13th—Compassion & Shepherding (8:15 score was 8; 10:45 score was 10)
• Dec. 11th—Mission and service (8:15 score was 1; 10:45 score was 3)

Yours in Christ, Pastor Sue Beadle

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12: 9-18)

Lucille and I bonded the other day at Wal-Mart. I’d never met Lucille before, but we instantly formed a bond because we both like to iron. I bought a new iron to keep at church in case my robe or an altar parament has gotten wrinkled and needs to be ironed. Lucille, the check-out lady, was lamenting that “young people these days don’t appreciate ironing anymore.” I wasn’t sure if I was an exception to the young people or if I was no longer considered among the young people. I dared not ask a question I didn’t want to know the answer to!
We chatted for a few minutes and exchanged ironing secrets. I told her about a new spray starch that I found to be fabulous at getting any wrinkle out. She appreciated the insider’s tip.

It seems like a fairly unimportant conversation to begin with, let alone one worthy of the front page of our newsletter. But I began thinking about our everyday conversations that we deem unimportant, yet they’re really very life-giving. In just a few minutes time, Lucille and I learned something about the other, shared information and a few good stories. Our mornings were a little brighter because we took a risk and took the first step to open ourselves to another.

That’s one of the simple joys of hospitality, of sharing our life with another not for a particular gain, but just because God has placed us on this earth together and for however brief or long it might be, we share each other’s lives and help each other along the way.

To be a welcoming community of faith, I encourage each of you to take a risk and take the first step in opening up your heart to another that God has brought through the same doors of the same church. You’ll be amazed at the joys we all receive from sharing our lives as the Body of Christ.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”
(Colossians 3: 12-15)

One of my very favorite toys growing up was Lite-Brite. I loved Lite-Brite because what looked like little white letters on a black sheet of paper became a brilliant picture made with multi-colored translucent pegs that I had poked through the black paper to make. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen!

Today, technology has far surpassed Lite-Brite, but do we ever tire of seeing a picture or message come to life by being transformed from a blank page to bright colors?

I wonder if we could be Lite-Brites in our world that is too often filled with darkness. I wonder if we could “let our light so shine before others that they can see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Not only by what we say, but even moreso by what we do, the gospel of Jesus comes to life in us and the love of God shines through us to be a beacon of hope and love to a lost world.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ—go and poke holes in the darkness that surrounds you. Be a beam of brilliant red or yellow or blue letting others know that there is “a light that shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Thanks be to God.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

On January 2, I shared the story of a young artist named Stephanie, who refers to herself more as a dreamer than an artist. A friend of mine shared a video on Facebook about Stephanie and it really struck a chord with me.

Stephanie does not use a regular canvas to paint on. Instead, she uses an x-ray. Her reasoning behind this was that x-rays show a person’s brokenness— something that is wrong, out of place, not supposed to be there. Some of the x-rays show an obvious problem, other problems can only be noticed by a trained professional. Only perfect x-rays are discarded. The rest are kept because something is not right.

To take a symbol of brokenness and pain and paint a beautiful picture, allows Stephanie the opportunity to help people see beyond ― what‘s wrong, to see the possibilities of new life and new beginnings.

In looking back on 2010, I encourage you to look at the x-rays of your life and acknowledge the brokenness and pain you experienced. Some of the pain will be very obvious, some pain may have been buried to try to forget it, but it’s still there causing our hearts to ache. Own the painful memories in order to let them go. Walk through the valley in order to find the mountaintop of peace and joy. And when you are ready, paint a beautiful picture of new life and new beginnings over the painful times of this past year.

Remember that God is with you in your brokenness and in your healing; in the valley and on the mountaintop. God alone is the One who makes all things new. May 2011 bring joy, healing, and new life.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

Praying

As ironic as it is, I have discovered Mary Oliver, a poet who speaks God’s words of truth, grace and conviction to me. Her poem titled “Praying” from her book Thirst is one I’d like to share with you today:

Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Whether this hectic season of Advent and Christmas brings joyful images of the blue iris or barren images like weeds in a vacant lot, the words we offer to God are in and of themselves words from our heart. Prayer is one of the gifts we have received from God because God knows we need Him.

Prayer puts us in God’s doorway, not only if our words are eloquent or we only offer words of joy and thanksgiv-ing, but more so if words fail us and we can only offer tears or cries for God’s help.

When we stand at God’s doorway in the silence of prayer, it is then we hear God speaking to us. I pray you will hear the words spoken so many times in the Bible to God’s people, “Do not be afraid,….I am with you.”

May the blessing of our Newborn Savior be with you and within you,
Pastor Sue Beadle

Helping Hands

I have been reading a number of books by Henri Nouwen recently. My favorite book (so far) has been his little book on prayer titled, With Open Hands. In the introduction, Pastor Nouwen writes,

“Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched. The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear.”

When you want to pray, then, the first question is: How do I open my clenched fists? Perhaps you can find your way to prayer by carefully listening to the words the angel spoke to Zechariah, Mary, the shepherds, and the women at the tomb:  ‘Don‘t be afraid.’ Don‘t be afraid of the One who wants to enter your most intimate space and invite you to let go of what you are clinging to so anxiously. Don‘t be afraid to offer your hate, bitterness, and disappointment to the One who is love and only love. Even if you know you have little to show, don‘t be afraid to let it be seen.

Each time you dare to let go and to surrender one of those many fears, your hand opens a little and your palms spread out in a gesture of receiving. You must be patient, of course, very patient until your hands are completely open.

Pray with me, my friends.

Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me. And what you want to give me is love—unconditional, everlasting love. Amen

May you find courage to open your clenched fists so that you can receive from God all that God wants to
give you. Amen and Amen!

New carpet!

We have seen some major changes in our house of the Lord over the past few years. It seemed that every part of our building, from the education wing to the narthex had some type of upgrade, except the sanctuary. Until now. A few weeks ago, I watched carpet installers cut, roll up, and throw away the 32-year old sanctuary carpeting and the 16-year old narthex carpeting. There is now new carpet squares in the sanctuary and vinyl wood planks in the narthex. It looks beautiful!

“One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after; to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

In the next few weeks, the chancel area will have new hardwood flooring installed. This leaves “the Wall” yet unfinished. There were many wonderful, creative ideas offered at the two meetings we held. Because “the Wall” is the focal point of our sanctuary, it is important to not only honor the core values of Christ Lutheran Church, but to also honor God’s vision for Christ Lutheran Church.

After much discussion and prayer, it has been decided that there will be a few stages to rehabbing the wall. For now, temporarily, the wall will be sanded and painted. Financially, it is the only solution, other than not doing anything, which in my opinion is not an option. The many opinions and ideas that were offered at the meetings will need time for planning, discerning, and developing.

If you feel called to be part of a committee that explores, discerns, and shares ideas for the wall, I invite you to contact me. The sanctuary is sacred space and I know that changes can be difficult for people to adjust to. We need to pray and talk about this together, to invite God’s Holy Spirit into our conversations, and to discern the will of God for our worship space.

I thank you for your patience, prayers, and understanding, especially during the past few months while we’ve been under construction. In all that we do, may God be glorified.