Would You Rather. . . ?

Helping the Sudanese is a calling in itself

One of my favorite games to play with teenagers (especially Confirmands) is “Would You Rather. . . ?” It’s a fun book that asks the question, “Would you rather. . . “ and then offers two different choices. There’s over 400 questions, some with rather bizarre choices and some with choices one hopes never to have to make. For instance:

• Would you rather. . . bite your tongue or stub your toe?
• Would you rather. . . have a scar story involving an alligator or a shark?
• Would you rather. . . shed your skin like a snake or molt like a bird?
• Would you rather. . . get beaten up by a mom or a nun?
• Would you rather. . . be called to mission in a far off land or to be a missionary in the inner city?

My husband, Rod, called me a few weeks ago with a question that reminded me of the choices in “Would You Rather. . . ?” He’s gone on short-term missionary trips to various countries in Africa and Eastern Europe through Engineering Ministries International (EMI), but I wasn’t quite prepared for the “would you rather” question that EMI asked him. “Would you rather. . .I go on a mission trip to Ethiopia or Sudan?”

Wow. What a choice. To me, it was like choosing between a scar story involving an alligator or a shark. Neither, thank you. But I’m a bit of a pampered princess, so I told Rod the decision was completely up to him. He chose Sudan mostly because it was Malakai, Sudan, which is in the southern part of Sudan (supposedly safer than the northern part or the western part where Darfur is).

Rod and a group of 7 other engineers and architects will be working on plans for a proposed orphanage in Malakai, Upper Nile, Sudan. The project is being sponsored by The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan (Rod says at least he’s assured of good coffee). He leaves for Sudan on May 14th and will be gone for almost 2 weeks.

Please keep Rod and the team from EMI in your prayers. The names of the other team member are: Kevin, Mark, Bernie, Heather, Brian, Jenifer, and Ruedi.

Disneyworld reminds us to enjoy life

One of my very favorite places is Walt Disney World. I could be their poster “child!” We try to make our pilgrimage to WDW fairly often—we wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome.

Over the years, I think people have come to see Disney as the real symbol of American culture. Forget the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, and Old Faithful. America’s recreational Mecca has become Disney World. Some argue that WDW is the spirit of America, the nation’s main sacred space, the bearer of the images that carry American meaning and mission. That might be a stretch.

Disney’s mission statement is simple and straightforward: “Provide People Happiness.” They achieve their mission by focusing its energies in the realm of fantasy—convincing us that in order to find happiness we need to escape reality.

The first time I walked into The Magic Kingdom and saw Cinderella’s Castle, I about cried. Even though I was an adult with two little girls in tow, I was entranced. The Castle was majestic and magnificent. Its graceful, soaring storybook towers and turrets rose high above the rest of the theme park. I wanted to run to it and explore every nook and cranny, find all the secret passages, and climb up to the top of the tallest turret. As we got closer to the Castle, my heart raced with excitement all ready to go exploring.

I was totally and completely disappointed to discover that the Castle was just a shell. There was a restaurant and a gift shop. . . and that was it. The Castle was only a walkway to the other side of the park where we were met with an onslaught of children wanting to ride Dumbo, Peter Pan, and It’s a Small World.

Unfortunately, the very emptiness of the Castle is filled with meaning. The function of WDW is to empty us of the harsh realities of life and to become “unconscious” of the real world. It’s a never-never land of fantasy and illusion (which I still totally love!).

Disney’s mission is to help us escape life by lulling us into a fantasy-like trance. The church’s mission is to wake people up in order to experience an authentic and life-filled existence. Easter is a call to all believers announcing the dawn of our new relationship with God in Jesus our Savior. This is a radically new reality. The message of Easter wakes us, not just from a slumber, but also beckons us out of the tombs of sin, bound in grave clothes of despair, to wear robes of righteousness and hope! The only thing empty about Easter is the tomb.

Easter is the transforming power of God shaking each and everyone of us awake to a life in Jesus, a life of eternal joy, wholeness, and peace. Easter is our wake up call. So, wake up, Church! Christ is risen from the dead! Wake up to the power the risen Lord brings to our lives. Wake up to the power of the Holy Bible to speak to our lives. As Jesus called Mary’s name to finally stir her soul out of grief and despair, so Jesus calls out to each and every one of us and empowers us to bring the world back to life.

Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

Here is some important worship information for Easter week:

Maundy Thursday, April 9: 7PM service

Good Friday, April 10: 7PM service

Easter Sunday: 8:15AM & 10:45AM services, 9:30AM fellowship breakfast

Embraced by the Cross

Metro Chicago Bishop Wayne Miller wrote an article for The Lutheran magazine Synod Supplement titled, “Who are we?” He shared a story about a recent gathering he attended of interfaith leaders. A young Greek man serving lunch saw Bishop Miller’s nametag and said, “Hmmm, Lutheran . . . Oh yes, you are that really white church, right?”

Bishop Miller reflected back on that encounter and said, “It was a bone-chilling reminder that if we don’t know who we are, we may be shocked and horrified to discover the identity that others give us to fill our silence.”

“So what exactly does it mean to be a Lutheran?” Bishop Miller was asked another time. He writes, “This question should have been a no-brainer, right? After all, I’m a Lutheran bishop. But as my mind silently raced through a thousand sophisticated theological responses, I realized that I could not think of a single clear, intelligible answer that I could offer in response to that simple question.”

The season of Lent is upon us. Lent is such a different season than the first three seasons of the church year (Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany). Lent is a time of reflection and contemplation of Jesus’ suffering and death. It’s a time to think about our faith in Jesus as our crucified Savior—crucified for our sins. To know who we are as Lutherans, we need to understand who we are as children of the crucified Savior.

Martin Luther discovered through his reading of St. Paul that the path people choose to find Jesus is rarely the path that will get them there. Bishop Miller writes, “In the face of this disappointment, the cross of Christ comes to us with an astonishing and incomprehensible promise:

• Strength is perfected in weakness
• The path to victory is surrender
• The path to abundance is generosity
• The path to freedom is servanthood
• The path to life is death

The cross of Christ bears witness to the truth that:

• Joy comes by owning our grief
• Wholeness comes by owning our brokenness
• Goodness comes by owning our sin
• Acceptance is God’s gift to the unacceptable
• Security belongs to the vulnerable
• And clarity of understanding comes only to those who are free to sink more deeply into the quiet darkness of this incomprehensible mystery.

Who are we as Lutheran Christians? “We are ones who have been totally embraced by the cross of Christ.” Amen and Amen.

Socialize and strengthen your relationships

Kevin Ford’s book, “Transforming Church: Bringing out the good to get to great,” is a phenomenal resource for developing a healthy congregation. With all the “church growth” models and strategies available, Ford approaches things differently. The focus of a church should be that of “creative community,” which is based on serving others and growing spiritually. Churches too often became “a dispenser of religious goods and services where people came to get instead of a missions station where people are launched to give” to others.

Creative community is how God has called the church to live. We are a community of people in relationship with God, each other, and the world around us. Creativity defines the redemptive and purposeful activities taking place in those relationships. Ford states, “Although God has designed local churches to differ from each other in many ways, one thing is not optional: unified community. A healthy body, by design and definition, is never a collection of disconnected individual parts.”

Which brings me to Third Place. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s book, “Celebrating Third Place,” remarks on the lack of casual relationships which has put a lot of strain on family and work relationships. First place is home. Second place is the workplace/school. Third place is where casual relationships occur.

The concept of Third Place is one where people have a place to hang out, meet new friends, and talk with old friends. The Latin word trivium meant the intersection of three roads—a place where people on a journey would stop to socialize and talk about everyday things. It’s where we get the words trivia and trivial. Small talk, but not unimportant talk. Third Place is an important part of community.

Over the past few years, there have been many changes to our narthex. The changes have addressed this need for a “Third Place, where they can “hang out,” drink a cup of coffee, tea, or juice, and have a bite to eat. But what Third Place does even more is to bring people together to foster community. There are great conversations, new friendships formed, and a feeling that this is home.

Third Place does not have to be only in the narthex. It could be a nearby Starbucks, Corner Bakery, or watching the Holy Hitters play softball. It just has to be easily accessible, help new people make friends and old friends catch up with one another. If you know of a Third Place gathering of Christ Lutheran people, let others know, too. If you have some time between services or after the late service, join the others who are “hanging out.” It’s a great way to meet new people and besides, it wouldn’t be the same without you.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

The Inauguration of Barak Obama as President of the United States on January 20, 2009 is a milestone, a world-changing event, and a statement of hope that is long overdue. Whether one is a Democrat or a Republican, the votes have been counted and now we go forward with a new President who will do all he can for this country.

Since I don’t preach politics from the pulpit, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on what I hope and pray for with the Obama administration. First of all, as Martin Luther King, Jr. declared many years ago, let us not judge one another on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character. It has taken over 250 years for Americans to elect an African American president. At one level, I find it to be appalling that it has taken that long. At another level, I am proud that we have finally elected the first African American president.

What I hope for most through this election is that all Americans will work together for what is best for America and America’s place in this world. The color of one’s skin does not enable us to make good or bad decisions; it does not make us love and care for people any differently. Racial inequality should never have existed in the first place, let alone caused such division in our country. Standing in solidarity as a country united by our love for America and all who live here is long overdue.

We have relied on leadership from Anglo American males almost exclusively at the higher levels of government and I believe we have neglected many other leaders God has sent simply because some couldn’t or wouldn’t see past another’s skin color or gender.

I know there are some Americans who are less than thrilled with the election of an African American president. I also know that Barak Obama’s life is far from safe from the racial extremists that live in our nation. I ask you to keep our President, his wife and children in your prayers.

We are at the brink of something new and exciting. Change is difficult, but change we must. I think change, more than anything, is what this presidential election has been about. “If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten.”

“Yes, we can.” We can see past the color of one’s skin or one’s gender and see a brother or sister. We can see past what has always been and see what can be. We can see all creation as God does. “And it was very good.”

This past Spring, we became a 3 dog family. It wasn’t by our design, but then again, we recognized by Whose design it was. Gus, our yellow Lab, found a black Lab living underneath the porch of our cabin in Wisconsin. She didn’t have a collar on and there were no “lost dog” posters around town, so we brought her home. Abby, our other black Lab, just looked at us in complete disgust. Not only did she have to share her home with a 100 pound puppy named Gus, but now she had to make room for another dog. Since the new dog didn’t have a collar on, we had no idea what her name was. Her name became Sadie.

Sadie quickly won our hearts (it took Abby awhile, though). Having lived “on the streets” for an unknown amount of time, she was not in good health. After numerous trips to our vet, she determined that Sadie was at least 8 years old and had been neglected for a good number of years.

When we first found her she had pneumonia, a bladder infection, and she was malnourished. Our vet also told us that Sadie has arthritis in her spine. But in spite of all that, she has a sweet personality and is very easy going and—she’s ours. Once in awhile all 3 of them will be sitting on the deck pretending to protect us from squirrels and geese and it looks like an Oreo sitting there—two black dogs with a white (yellow) dog in between.

The reason I’m writing about Sadie is because when Love wants to find someone, there’s no stopping it. Did we luck out or did Sadie luck out? I think we all did. Love comes unexpectedly disguised as unexpected things or people. Not only do we find Love, but Love finds us as well. It could be an old, sick, neglected dog or how about when Love came down and rested in a dirty, smelly feeding trough in a barn in the little town of Bethlehem. There was no stopping God and no sending His gift back. There were, however, “lost people” signs all around town…all around the world for that matter, and God knew what to do. Even though we are all sick in mind, body, and soul; even though we’ve tried to make it on our own “on the streets,” God claimed us as His own and gave us all a new name—a son or daughter of God Almighty.

There was no stopping God’s incredible Love. That’s what we celebrate on Christmas and that is why we gather together each Sunday to offer our thanks and praise. Merry Christmas.

One of my quarterly clergy magazines I receive is “Leadership: Real Ministry in a Complex World.” In the most recent issue was an article written by Rev. Lillian Daniel titled, “A Cast of Thousands: The mission of the church is not efficiency, but developing all its people.”

I loved this article for many reasons. Here are a few excerpts.

“At my daughter’s elementary school musical, the printed program noted: ‘This musical was originally written for 15 actors, but it has been adapted to accommodate our cast of 206.’ No cut auditions and no performer left without something special to do. It was not a short program.

“So many productions in life are competitive. TV’s American Idol is popular as much for the failures as for the successes. Admit it. If no one got cut, would we really want to listen to all those people? The excitement is seeing who makes it and who does not, and the winner is idolized.

“Well, the world may operate that way, but the gospel response, the church’s calling is like the volunteer geniuses that took an elementary school musical with 15 parts and made room for 206. We take a few loaves and fishes and feed thousands, at the church potluck or at the homeless shelter. We take a task that we could professionalize and simply pay someone to do it, and we divide it into parts so that everyone has something special to do. Is it efficient? No. Not if all you care about is getting the job done.

“But the church cares less about getting the job done and more about the people doing it. We are not in the efficiency business. Our business is to make disciples. We want to offer as many people as possible the chance to know Jesus Christ in service and in community.

“The church should always remain the home of the no-cut auditions. There are so many parts in this musical. It will not be a short program. It will last from generation to generation. Sometimes we forget that Jesus started this venture with just twelve disciples, but look where it went from there. The script was adapted. Maybe we should add a line in our bulletin, ‘Christianity was originally written for a cast of twelve, but it has since been adapted to accommodate people of all ages, the brave, the quiet, the wise, the silly, the broken-hearted, the talented, the untalented, the rich, the poor, the graceful, the klutzy, and the shy.’”

Thank you for being part of this “cast.” I give God thanks and praise for those who are front and center leading people to know the love of Jesus; and I give God thanks and praise for those whose work is known only to the Lord. Each “cast member” is a gift from God!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sue Beadle

Every day is a walk with Jesus. As Christians we believe life is spent in the presence of our Lord. Therefore, we can talk about every day as a day during which we walk with Jesus. Some days we feel Jesus’ presence. Some days we feel quite a distance from Jesus. We boldly proclaim that, regardless of how we feel, Jesus is there. Jesus walks with us every day.

As we who are Christ Lutheran Church consider our financial stewardship over the next few weeks, you will be asked to think about your use of money and possessions as a part of your walk with Jesus. This is most appropriate, because when Jesus walked this earth with his disciples, he often talked about money and possessions. If money was a part of Jesus’ first walk on this earth, it should be a part of our walk with Jesus today.

We believe that everything we have is a trust from God, given to us to care for and manage. What we do with our money is very much a part of our relationship with our Lord. This will be our focus in the coming weeks.

For three consecutive Sundays we will read a bulletin insert and hear a talk in worship. For three weeks, we will each receive a letter from the congregation. All of these will focus on our walk with Jesus and how money plays an important part in this walk.

Then, on Sunday, November 3, each member of Christ Lutheran Church will have the opportunity to complete an estimate of giving card. On this card, each of us will indicate our plan for giving for the coming year. This will not only be a plan for giving to Christ Lutheran Church, it will also be a plan for how we will walk with Jesus in the coming year. Let our giving reflect our walk, and may our walk with Jesus be blessed.

Your Servant in Christ,

Sonia Schoenfield
Stewardship Chairman