An Empty Tomb, New Beginning

One Easter Sunday over thirty years ago,  my dad told us what the priest had said during his homily that morning.  Actually my dad told this story to my little daughter Maddie. So, this morning in honor of the great feast day, in remembrance of my dad and my late daughter Maddie I will share this very poignant and beautiful story. 

It is titled Philip’s Egg, An Easter Story.  A Sunday School teacher shared a story of a young child named Philip. Everyone in the room wept as he told the story of Philip’s Egg.  It was shared by Marrion D Hanks. I’ve adapted the story a bit, adding some dramatic emphasis. 

“As Easter time approaches, let me share with you the tender story of an eleven-year-old boy named Philip, a Down’s syndrome child who was in a Sunday School class with eight other children.  Easter Sunday the teacher brought an empty plastic egg for each child. They were instructed to go out of the church building onto the grounds and put into the egg something that would remind them of the meaning of Easter.

 After a short time, all returned joyfully. As each egg was opened there were exclamations of delight.  One child had found a butterfly.  Yes, the teacher explained, a butterfly is a sign of new life.  Another child had found a flower.  The teacher said again the flower is a sign of new life, starting as a dead looking seed, growing tall and then blooming.  Another child found a new green blade of grass.  Yes, the teacher said, only a few days ago it looked brown and dead and today it is green.  New life again.  Finally, the last egg was opened. It was Philip’s, and it was empty!

Some of the children made fun of Philip.  The teacher felt badly for Philip so she asked him if he didn’t understand the assignment, that he was to put something in the egg that was a sign of new life.  Philip responded, “But, teacher, the tomb was empty.”  The teacher was speechless.  Yes, Philip had understood the assignment very well indeed.

A newspaper article announcing Philip’s death a few months later noted that at the conclusion of the funeral eight children marched forward and put a large empty egg on the small casket. On it was a banner that said, “The tomb was empty."

Every time I read this story I start to tear up. I think about little Philip and his faith in Jesus Christ and the hope of the empty tomb. Philip inspires me to have more faith in Jesus Christ. Think about how much hope the Empty tomb should, and will bring to those who follow Christ. I shout Hallelujah and I add my voice to Philip’s.

Tombs or graves are not places we like to think about.  Tombs and graves are places of death not life.  Thankfully due to modern day embalming and funeral directors, we most often don’t have to deal with tombs.  They were foul smelling places.  Remember when we heard the story of Lazarus when Jesus ordered the stone be rolled away, Martha said that there would be a stench.  Yes, death stinks and so do tombs.

However on this Easter Morning, we hear that the tomb of Jesus is empty.  Now I could spend this sermon talking about the resurrection, how no one really saw it, how the resurrection is the bedrock of our faith, of life everlasting or debate on who was the first to find the empty tomb. All worthy topics.  But let’s focus on another aspect of death and resurrection.

If you believe that the tomb is empty, that Christ is risen, then please follow Him out of the tomb. His empty tomb is a new life for you.  A New life that you don’t have to walk about in shame or doom.  You don’t have to walk in addiction, bitterness or self-loathing. You don’t need to keep track of your failures, your sins.  You don’t have to walk in a world that will tell you who you are because of your past.  All that shame, sin and yuk is gone, it’s dead.  Jesus took all that to the cross with him. 

Today the cross is empty just like the tomb.  Often we think of emptiness as a negative entity.  But today, emptiness is a life-giving entity.  Because Christ is risen you are a new being, a new you.  Isn’t that marvelous! And besides all those dead things stink.

So become a new you.  Put on fresh, new clothes. Hold your head up high, smile, skip, jump for joy. Leave that foul smelling tomb behind.  When we hold onto or return to the habits and addictions of our old self,  we are like a person who puts on dirty, smelling clothing.  Please leave death, doubt and fear behind.

So, let me ask you this, if Jesus walked out of the grave on that first Easter morning, why are you still hiding in the dark corner of doubt, fear or shame?  I once heard that fear and doubt will stop you in your tracks and prevent you from living the abundant life that God has planned for you.

Since the stone has been rolled away, Christ is risen and he has promised the same for you, follow him into the glorious light of new life.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed. Alleluia.

Blessings on your  Easter Day.

A Lavish and Extravagant Gift of Love

May the words of my mouth and this meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“We all start on the outside.  We're outside looking in. This is where grace begins. We were hungry, we were thirsty, With nothing left to give, Oh, the shape that we were in. And just when all hope seemed lost, Love opened the door for us. 

He said, "Come to the table Come join the sinners who have been redeemed" Take your place beside the Savior, Sit down and be set free. Come to the table.” (Lyrics from Come to the Table —Sidewalk Prophets)

You’ve been invited to a dinner party at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the village of Bethany.  Please come as we celebrate the return of Lazarus to the living.  Admittance is by invitation only due to safety and security concerns For Jesus.

Well, here we are at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They have invited their friends to come to the joyful celebration that Jesus had made possible.  Lazarus was alive again but this great miracle caused the religious authorities great dismay and trepidation. They began to plot to get rid of Jesus, by finding a way to put him to death. 

Jesus was well aware of this danger and so he was no longer able to walk about openly in Jerusalem. So he found safety, security and solace in Bethany in the home of his friends.

One can almost hear the joy in the voices that were speaking with Lazarus. Martha was preparing the dinner feast while Mary was tending to Jesus’ comfort. She offered more than the customary foot washing hospitality which was normally provided by slaves or servants.  Mary’s actions took this common duty to a whole new level.

She began by performing the foot care herself instead of letting a slave do it. She also touched Jesus’ feet and anointed them.  In that culture normally a woman would never touch a man except her husband or her male children, and then only in private. To add to the scandalous behavior, she removed her head covering exposing her hair to all in the room and then dried Jesus’ feet with her hair. 

Mary’s extravagance knew no bounds as she cleaned his feet with extremely expensive perfume, costing a year’s wages for a peasant worker. She took it upon herself to recognize and affirm Jesus’ impending passion and death.

How was she aware of the danger he was facing?  Mary was a member of a family that most likely had connections with the elites in Jerusalem  She might have suspected or heard of the plans underway to have Jesus arrested and executed.

She would also know that the form of execution would be crucifixion by the Romans since that was the punishment Rome dished out non-Roman citizens. Crucifixion was a cruel and humiliating form of death.  It was a method used not just to kill a person but to kill what they stood for, to kill off any belief in them and to kill any possible followers continuing the movement onward.

Crucifixion also did not allow for a proper Jewish burial which included anointing of the body.  Often the bodies of those crucified were left on the cross for birds of prey or scavenging animals to devour.  Any remains were later thrown into a pit.  Cruelty was the name of the crucifixion game.

Mary loved and was loved by Jesus and she believed in him.  She saw Jesus bring her brother Lazurus back from the dead. Her lavish use of the expensive perfume most likely was a thanksgiving gift for his return to life, however we can not be sure of her intentions.

Mary’s anointing was a prophetic gesture that signifies both Jesus’ regal kingship and a formal announcement of such.  In Biblical times, the pouring of oil or perfume had several purposes. It was used for the consecration or anointing of kings, priests or prophets. The ill or infirmed were often anointed as a ritual healing and the dead were anointed for burial.

So, really Mary’s use of the expensive perfume could have fulfilled any of these reasons.  However, St. John repeatedly mentions Jesus’ kingly role in the trial narrative. He reinforces this role of Jesus as king by retelling of Mary’s lavish anointing of Jesus and in preparation for his burial.

Mary’s actions also shed light on Jesus' future teaching of servanthood. Mary “washes” Jesus’ feet with the perfume and dries them with her hair, similar to the way Jesus will wash the feet of his disciples and dry them with a towel wrapped around his waist. Jesus’ command to be the servant of all is something that Mary has already done.

We need to remember that Mary was not the only family member at the dinner party.  Her sister Martha was there too.  She was serving dinner.  Might there be more to Martha than just being busy? Like Mary, Martha’s actions will have new meaning when looked at in the light of Jesus’ servanthood message.

In John 12:26 we hear, “Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.”  So, Martha is not to be dismissed as being absent or busy but she is shown to be doing what Jesus expects his disciples to do, to be of service to others.

As the dinner party began to wrap up, Jesus seemed to focus on his own suffering and death.  Mary is the one who comforted him and offered him extravagant love, lavished him with kindness and extraordinary grace. 

Soon Jesus will celebrate his last supper with his friends and he will show his extravagant love for them in the washing of the feet, with the words, “Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

She has loved him, she has anointed his feet and has wiped them with her hair.  This was an action above and beyond the norm, it was excessive and extravagant and it is precisely  the kind of love Jesus commands his disciple to copy.  

While the dinner at Bethany happened long ago and can’t be repeated again exactly like St. John described, we still can bring about the essence of her extravagant and lavish love. We are called to be servants of love. 

We can do this by knowing how much our hurting world needs our joy and gladness. For the deeds of compassion and courage that will never be done unless we do them, and words of hope and healing that will never be spoken unless we speak them. So, be the servants that Jesus calls us to be, to love others extravagantly and lavishly.

Blessings on your day.

Notes: Preached (Delivered) April 6, 2025 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Falun Wisconsin and Bethany Lutheran Church, Grantsburg Wisconsin

Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year C Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8

The Case of the Missing Mother

April 4, 2025

The Case of the Missing Mother

May the words of my mouth and this meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This parable story is known by a few different titles, the most notable is the “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.”  Maybe you have heard it called the “The Parable of the Two Lost Sons” or “The Parable of the Waiting Father.”  What about “The  Parable of Grumbling Elder Son?”  Here’s one that sticks in my mind “The Parable of the Missing Mother.”

Before we go any further, let us look at what a parable is – it’s a story that has moral or spiritual meaning.  On the surface, parables just seem like great stories however they are carefully crafted.  A pastor friend of mine often says that “Parables turn us upside down and stand us on our heads.”  Please keep that thought in mind as we look at the Parable of the Prodigal Son or the Parable of the Missing Mother.

Most of us are quite familiar with this parable and most likely have heard countless sermons about it.  Preachers often focus on the errant younger son and his foolish life choices and his loving, forgiving father. It’s easy to see the message there, rebellion, remorse and reconciliation. Maybe some preachers focus on the older son, the one who is resentful, reputable and reliable.

However fewer sermons revolve around a member of the family that is not explicitly mentioned in the parable, the mother.  Yes, she is missing in the text but she must have been present at some time.  The sons didn’t just materialize out of thin air! She seems to be invisible but is she really?  Perhaps she is there, hiding in plain sight, hiding between the lines.

Maybe she is missing because she has passed away, perhaps during the birth of the younger son. Her husband, in his grief, has a super soft spot in his heart for this baby son, now motherless. This scenario brings to mind the story of Rachel and the birth of Benjamin and the grief that Jacob carried. Perhaps the father in the parable had experienced a similar loss and coddled his younger son even when pushed to the limits.

Another less romantic reason for her being absent in the text is patriarchy. The definition of patriarchy is “a social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line.” This also means that men were the primary citizens and that women were basically persona non grata, useful as cooks, housekeepers and baby makers. Women under this social order were and are rarely treated as full and equal persons.

Even though patriarchy was alive and well in Jesus’ day, according to St. Luke, in both the Gospel and the Book of Acts, Jesus valued women and their place in the world. St. Luke tends to alternate men and women in his writings.  Women were not only mentioned in the “victim” category but often, they held the role as hero as well.  Men and women are paired together – Zechariah and Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna.  This helps us to see that God calls both genders to faith.

Now let’s get back to the missing mother in the parable. There is no doubt that she is missing in the text but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t there. Let’s imagine that she is invisible to the eye – she is there watching as her younger son flees from his family, perhaps the competition and conflicts with his older brother have gotten to him.  Maybe he feels like “Papa always liked you best” or he just wants to “see the world.”  No matter what, her beloved son is gone!  Her love for her son couldn’t keep him home and she is heartbroken.

She is not the only one who is in grief.  Her husband, too, misses his son. He waits on the front porch, looking down the lane and peering over the tree line.  He hardly eats or sleeps. He has been lax in helping on the farm and when he does, he is often short-tempered with anyone within earshot.  Grief is consuming him and he wonders if he could have prevented the son from leaving home? 

His wife, the mother of his sons, is also concerned for her first born child.  He too is suffering, as he is doing most if not all the work on the farm.  Yes, the servants help with the physical chores but the stress of the situation is hardening him.  He is sullen and lonely.  His brother is gone, even though he was often seen as a pest but nonetheless a friend. 

His father is grief stricken.  The whole town knows what happened and the shame his brother has inflicted on the family is evident.  There has to be a way for him to rescue the family to make everything alright. The mother feels for her older son, hearing his groans and grumblings.  Her heart breaks for him.

Day after day this broken family carries on as best as they can.  One morning while the father and mother are on the porch together they see a person on a distant hill.  They instantly recognize the familiar gait.  They had witnessed their son’s first steps as a toddler, they knew how he moved.

Mom and dad begin rejoicing with shouts of gladness and hugs of joy.  The mother immediately removes a ring from her finger and hands it to her husband.  He reaches for a new pair of sandals he had bought in the hope that someday they could be placed upon his returning son’s feet.

Overcome with emotion, the mother sinks into a chair on the porch, tears streaming down her face as she recalls the day of his birth. That day too, she was crying tears of joy as she beheld her newborn son with unbridled love. A love that would be limitless and eternal. She will soon hold her son in her arms again.

The father too is overcome with emotion.  He rushes out from the porch, running with utter abandon. He too recalls the day of his son’s birth, the first steps, all the happy days spent together. Their son is coming home, no more time for grief or mourning. A joyful embrace and a loving kiss begins the reunion. Our son is home.

Reunion, rebirth and reconciliation – tears of joy – time for celebration.  All the sadness and grief over the son’s absence is gone. Rejoicing is at hand. A feast, a party is held, maybe at the mother’s suggestion but it doesn’t matter. The errant younger son is home, dirty, ragged and hungry but safe nonetheless.  Joy fills the house.

However not everyone is joyful or happy. The other son, the one who has been reliable has become resentful and jealous. Grief changes people.

We hear how the father tries to reason with his older son, reassuring him that he is valued and loved. Most likely the mother also reassures her older son that there is enough love in the family to go around. The mother and father want the older son to know that they cherish all the sacrifices and efforts that have been made. He is an important member of the family and always will be.  

So, was the mother really missing from the parable or just invisible to eyes?  The father was fully visible and quite easily understood while the mother was quiet, constantly in the background, behind the scenes, so to speak. She watched over her family providing guidance, love and security. When this parable is preached, it's quite easy to see the father as a metaphor for God, but what about the mother being a metaphor for the Divine one too?

This hidden mother waits day after day for her errant son’s return. She waits patiently for grief and resentment to subside from her other son.  She generously provides hope and healing for her family and household.

Maybe she is like God; the God we forget sometimes, the one who works hard behind the scenes, the one who carries.all the hurt and pain in a family and community yet still remains faithful in unconditional love for all.

After all, like the missing mother, God has no need to be seen or recognized or praised in order to love us.  God's love is unconditional, we can not earn it nor do we merit it. Too often in our lives, the presence of God goes unmentioned and unnoticed by us.

We are too busy and distracted by the world around us to be bothered by God’s presence but that does not keep God from lavishly heaping love upon us. Just as this parable is about a family being made whole, God’s primary concern is we are made whole in God’s family. 

It is in our best spiritual interest to image God neither as father or mother, but rather as a loving parent, always ready to forgive and to embrace.  A parent like a father who is strong yet gentle, or one like a mother who is willing to gather and shelter us from all harm. 

A parent who goes to bat for us, the one ready to die for us to protect us from harm. A parent who rushes to us when we have the courage to return home after we come to our senses that there;s no place like home with our loving parent.

Blessings on your day

Notes: Preached (Delivered) March 30, 2025 at Bethesda Lutheran Church of Malmo, Isle, MN

Second Sunday in Lent, Year C Readings: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Chickens and Prophets, an Unlikely Pairing

One of the first pieces of survival advice I received as I moved into the northwoods of Wisconsin was  – don’t get between a mama bear and her cubs.  When I found out that bears were a common experience in that neighborhood I was extremely grateful for the advice. 

I was told that black bears are usually not aggressive, oftentimes rather timid as long as no cubs are closeby.  But if cubs are present, be careful! If the mama bear would lose sight of her cubs or feel that they are in danger, she will not hesitate to attack.  A mother’s love almost seems to be an instinctive response.

Many other mama animals have similar behaviors when their offspring are involved.  Mother cats for instance will keep moving newly born kittens from place to place if they sense any impending danger or interference from other people or animals. 

We once had a mama cat constantly move her new litter of kitties from room to room to keep them away from the household dog, who was really gentle but mama cat was taking no chances. A mother’s love knows no bounds, she would gladly start a fight to keep her babies safe.

Mother hens on the other hand protect their baby chicks differently.  Mother hens don’t attack the dangerous predator.  When in danger, the mother hen calls out to the chicks to come to her.  Her shrieking clucks issue a no nonsense message. She crouches down, drooping her wings so the chicks can find shelter.  They come from every direction and huddle close to her body. 

The mother hen continues her furious banter, striking fear into the predator.  Using both wings and beak, she would rather die for her chicks than seek safety in flying away.  She stands her ground and fights beyond her strength.  She is a noble example of love for her offspring.

Here’s a story I’d like to share with you.  One day a fire broke out on a farm.  Flames spread out from the barn into the barnyard.  Sensing the danger at hand, the mother hen called frantically for her chicks.  They came running, some from the flaming barn.  She opened her wings and sheltered the chicks. 

The farm family rushed to fire with hoses in hand.  They managed to put out the flames and saved the barn.  The farmer, seeing the hen laying on the ground, went over to her.  Her feathers were burned and charred.  She was dead but when the farmer opened her wings, to his surprise, the chicks were alive.  She protected her chicks under the shadow of her wings, giving her life for theirs. 

Today we hear Jesus invoking the image of a mother hen.  To some this might seem rather strange.  Chickens aren’t usually thought of as mighty or fearsome animals.  Surely they don’t command the same respect as lions or tigers or bears. Oh my.  In our modern day society, calling someone a chicken is a derogatory remark sometimes implying the person is a coward or a “fready cat.”

However,  Jesus wants us to concentrate on how the mother hen relates to her chicks.  She calls them to herself, especially in times of trouble or danger.  She shelters them under the shadow of her wings, she is fearless in the face of predators and is willing to stand her ground no matter what.

Jesus once again uses images that people of times would understand. Life in Jesus’ day revolved around agriculture and farming.  He compared himself to a shepherd, the voice the sheep knows and responds to. 

He talked about vineyards, branches and grapes.  He talked about a sower plant seeds and then reaps the upcoming harvest. So, today he wants us to focus on how the mother hen calls her chicks especially when danger is close at hand or when she needs to know they are near.

In the Gospel for today, Jesus knows that danger for him is close at hand.  He has made many enemies and they are out to get him.  The religious leaders of his day didn’t like that he called them out for their hypocrisy, 

Jesus challenged the religious leaders to walk the talk they professed they were following. Their life was dictated by the Law of Moses, 613 rules to be followed at all times. A life that was to have the Lord God front and center. 

‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The whole Torah, the Law of Moses, those 613 individual rules for following the Torah were summed up in two commands – Love God with your whole being, mind, body, soul and love your neighbor like yourself.  However, too often the chosen people of God, the ancient Israelites failed to follow these two covenant commandments.

They got caught up in the world around them.  The lure of fast money, idol worship and self- gratification began to draw many of the chosen ones away from God’s commandments.  They rejected the good and holy life God had designed for them preferring the life their non-Jewish neighbors lived, one free from lots of rules and regulations. 

A life where God was not front and center but rather a comfortable ideal that could be talked about but not taken to heart.  Little by little, the people moved farther away from what they had promised to God and became more like the surrounding godless cultures.

So as the dangers rose so did some voices to sound the alarm.  DANGER AHEAD DANGER AHEAD – screeched the prophets.

Prophetic voices are not primarily voices that predict the future but rather they are voices that speak God’s truth. More often than not, the prophets sent by God were despised and hated, their messages were disregarded and ignored.

The prophet Isaiah pulls no punches as to how prophets are seen by the people, “Give us no more visions of what is right.  Tell us pleasant things, show us illusions” (Is 30:9-10).

All the prophets of the Old Testament were rejected and eventually killed. We heard today that Jesus grieved how the prophets that God sent had been killed in Jerusalem.

It seems not much has changed to this day. Modern day prophets meet the same unfortunate fate as did the pro[hets of old. Think of Martin Luther King, Jr, Robert F. Kennedy or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It would seem that human nature doesn’t like being told what to do or called back from erroneous ways.

Well, here we are at the beginning of Lent. A time to stop, a time to take stock of one’s life.  It is a time to turn around, to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Do you hear any prophetic voices today?  Are you willing to come running when you hear the voice of God’s truth or do you ignore the alarm that danger is near.

Jesus is sounding the alarm that danger is indeed close at hand.  For us it’s not the Pharisees of Jesus’ day or the Roman governor Pontius Pilate but many dangers are present.  Jesus is like that mother hen in the barnyard.  The one who stands her ground, opening her wings wide, sounding the life saving alarm and then sheltering us in the shadow of her wings.  He is our salvation, a sure and certain hope that we are precious in his sight.

As you journey along with Jesus this Lenten season, meditate and contemplate the cross. Envision Jesus’ outstretched arms, imagine you are there under his “wings” being sheltered from all harm and adversity. Know that you are loved and forgiven as a beloved offspring, a child of the Most High God.

Blessings on your day.

Notes: Preached (Delivered) March 16, 2025 at Bethesda Lutheran Church of Malmo, Isle, MN

Second Sunday in Lent, Year C Readings: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13;31-35

Image https://sl.bing.net/dx7KpcAjHgW

Lent = Springtime of Hope and New Beginnings

 “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”  These words we hear every Ash Wednesday as we receive our ashes as we begin the holy season of Lent.  Our mortality is front and center.  We are reminded rather bluntly that we are finite beings. 

Like the flowers of the field we flourish but then we fade. Our existence is like a blip on a computer screen, here today gone tomorrow. And in addition to our short life span we need to add our brokenness, our choices toward unloving and harmful behaviors. The big theological word for this brokenness is called sin.

I remember as a child I hated the season of Lent. I was born into a very observant Roman Catholic family and attended parochial school.  The penitential trappings were everywhere to be found in my daily life.  All the statues and the crucifix in the church were covered with purple cloths, the holy water fonts were empty (sometimes they were filled with sand).

The music for liturgies were not very uplifting.  Our teachers didn’t permit any laughter or happy talk. Going to school and church on Sunday was like going to a funeral, one that lasted for 40 days!

It wasn’t much better at home.  You see, in those days, adults were too fast every day.  That meant only one full meal with maybe two smaller amounts of food during the day.  Snacking was not permitted.  In addition to that, the faithful were encouraged to give up something for Lent. 

So, every year my dad, who was an avid smoker, would give up smoking.  My mom, along with her sisters, would give up sweets and chocolate.  Well life in the house was rather hellish by about the fourth day of Lent.

My dad would have had a piece of toast and maybe a cup of coffee early in the morning and leave for work.  My mother too would have dry toast and coffee and get us off to school. By suppertime and the only full meal of the day, they were both nervous wrecks, since they hadn’t eaten much all day and the withdrawal from the nicotine and the sugar made things worse. 

They were usually yelling at each other or at us.  Usually by the 4th day, my dad had gone back to smoking his cigarettes, mad at himself for his lack of self-denial.  

My mother fared a bit better at her chocolate candy fast.  You see Sundays didn’t count in the 40 day abstention deal.  So on Sundays, she would visit her sisters and the four of them would gorge themselves on chocolate and other sweets so they could make it through another week. 

Giving up candy, nicotine and happy talk didn’t really help bring my family closer to God during Lent.  Sometimes I think we miss the boat on what Lent is really all about.

Instead of focusing on our mortality and returning to the dust of which we were made, I find the alternate Ash Wednesday blessing more holistic and life giving. We read in the Adam and Eve story in the garden, when they failed God, God did not abandon humanity.  God’s promise to restore humanity to the original  blessing comes about in the person of Jesus. 

He not only came to save us but to show us how to live forever.  That is why for me and hopefully for you, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” are words that bring hope and healing for this season of Lent.  A way to prepare ourselves for the blessings of Easter.  

Let’s turn away from sin or if you must give up something for Lent, how about giving up sin. Easy to say, very hard to do. 

Turn away from gossip and mean words meant to destroy hope.  Turn away from greed instead share your gifts and possessions with others especially those who have less.  Turn away from anger and offer patience and peace to others. Turn away from envy and be grateful for what you have. Turn away the false gods of money and status and worship God alone. 

Lent is a season of hope, of new beginnings.  Let’s leave our failures, our brokenness, our sin behind.  Jesus shows us the way to turn away from sin so we truly rise with him on Easter Sunday. 

Blessed Lenten journey to you.

Notes: Image Diocese of Portland

Seeing with New Vision Transfiguration or Transformation

Just a month ago on February 2nd, a most unconventional meteorologist gave a forecast.  Maybe you saw or heard the weather forecast from Punxsutawney Phil, or Jimmy the Groundhog.  Well, the last name gives away some of the clue to who these guys are.  They are the prognosticators or predictors of an early spring, helping us to acknowledge that the seasons of the year are changing.

We are looking forward to the end of winter and the beginning of spring.  We long for the return of the sun, green growing plants and warmer temperatures. In most winter seasons, spring can’t come soon enough.

We HOPE that warmer weather is coming soon for it brings the changes we are ready for and long for. Some of us have visions of gardens teaming with flowers or vegetables, birds visiting the birdhouses or sitting on the lakeshore watching the summer sun setting.  Yes, hopeful visions of long, lazy summer days and nights.

“Unless the people have vision, they perish.” Wise words from Proverbs 29:18 that speak of hope. St. Paul mentions hope in today’s Epistle reading, “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with complete boldness.” 

We as people of faith need to have hope.  Hope that all will be well, that God will be there for us.  Throughout the pages of Scripture we hear this promise especially in Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know well the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jesus, too, gives us that hope-filled vision of a better future.  One filled with his glory. 

Jesus gives a gift to his disciples and to us.  This gift is a life-giving vision of future glory.  We need this gift especially in the dark times in our lives when despair surrounds us.  Without this hope-filled vision of a better future we can easily lose our way and perish. 

We need to know that our fragile life filled with challenges and tragedies is offset by the hidden glory of Jesus’ gift which will be revealed to us in God’s good time.  We only need to trust in the timing.

The Transfiguration stands between the time after Epiphany when we are celebrating the coming of Jesus, the babe born in the manger, the One sent into the world to proclaim the Good News, the beloved of God and the season of Lent.

Beginning with Ash Wednesday, when we remember most vividly that we are mere mortals, here for a short time, lacking in holiness and wholeness and still searching and seeking for a way to fill that empty hole in our being.

The truth that we are dust of the earth and finite beings utterly dependent on God helps us maintain a sense of humility and this reality is brought front and center on Ash Wednesday.

However, today we are not yet in the season of Lent.  So, let’s focus on Jesus and what this event we know as the Transfiguration might have to say to us today. You know that I like to sometimes break open the meaning of words. 

Today is no different.  Some meanings of the word “trans” is "across, beyond, or over.”  The meaning that speaks the greatest to me is “Beyond”.  Notice today’s reading is called the Transfiguration not the Transformation.

Some might consider these words "transfigure” and “transform” interchangeably,  but while they are similar it is helpful  to look at both words.  To be transfigured is to be changed in outward figure or appearance, to go “beyond” what is seen. 

Jesus’ transfiguration does not alter who he is but gives to those who see him a new way of seeing.  Their vantage point is changed. They have  a new understanding of him because they see him outwardly in a different light. 

Transformation on the other hand means “going beyond” the form, here meaning physical form, the internal structure. 

Jesus on the mountain with Moses and Elijah is not transformed (changed inwardly or structurally in form) but transfigured before his disciples (shown to be other than what they had previously seen). He is not made to have a new self but to have an appearance that is reminiscent of the two greatest prophets of the Old Testament.

Our text goes on to say that God’s voice is heard by the disciples, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.” Remember that at Jesus’ baptism we heard these same words, back at the beginning of his ministry.  Only this time, the voice adds an important command to the statement. This time, God says, “Listen to him!” God doesn’t say, “listen to me,” but “listen to him.” meaning Jesus, his Son.

Listen to Jesus. Pay attention to what he’s saying, even when it doesn’t make sense to you.  Listen to him when you might not like what you’re hearing.  Listen to him even if you have other plans.  Listen to him even if you think you know better.  Listen to him when he tells you that you will have sorrows, woes and even death. 

Listen to him when he tells you that he will suffer betrayal, rejection and a shameful death but he will rise in glory and pave a way for you to do the same.  Listen to him because he is God’s chosen and beloved Son, and with whom God is well pleased. Jesus is the answer to a future filled with hope.  

This Lenten season, once again, is a time for us to take time to grow closer to God.  We should take the time to become more aware of why we have decided to follow Jesus.  Lent is a time to take a good, hard look inside our hearts to see what is keeping us from becoming all that God created us to be. 

We need to set aside our own wants and desires, to repent of the noise of the world that comes between us and our ever-loving God.  Lent is a time to recommit ourselves to Jesus, to seek him with all our might.  Setting aside a time for daily prayer, scripture reading and contemplation are tried and true ways of spiritual growth.  

For some, Lent is a time of fasting or giving up something. A few years ago,Pope Francis offered some thoughts on how one might fast during Lent:

Fast from hurting words and say kind words 

Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude

Fast from anger and be filled with patience

Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope

Fast from worries and have trust in God

Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity

Fast from pressures and be prayerful

Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy

Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others

Fast from grudges and be reconciled

Fast from words and be silent so you can listen

Lent is a time, a change in season so to speak, when we decide once again that, we have decided to follow Jesus, the transfigured one. And in doing so we have been changed, we have been transformed. 

We have gone “beyond”  the broken, sinful creatures that we are due to our human, soil bound, dusty beginnings to new creations in Christ.  Lent is a time to focus our attention on becoming all that God has created us to be.

In these few days before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, let’s focus our eyes, our attention on the brilliant face and figure of Jesus so that he becomes our everlasting guiding light. His light shines brightly, showing his glory, guiding us to an everlasting future.

Blessings on your day.

Notes: Preached (Delivered) March 2, 2025 Trinity Lutheran Church Falun, Wisconsin and Bethany Lutheran Church, Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Trinity Sunday Year C Readings: Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2Corinthians 3:12-42 Luke 9:28-43a

Do Whatever He Tells You!

Remember to take out the trash!  Did you schedule the oil change like I asked?  How many times do I need to ask you to do (fill in the blank).  If you are or have been a parent of a teenager, maybe you remember having to remind your child about doing household chores.  Or you might have to remind your spouse to accomplish said requests. We humans really don’t like to be reminded that we have “stuff” to do.  Some equate more than one request to nagging.  However,  sometimes we do need a swift kick in the pants to get us going.

In Luke 2:41-52, we heard about Jesus, Mary and Joseph visit to Jerusalem and Jesus staying in the temple when Jesus was twelve years old.  Mary watched her son amaze the learned teachers, remembering their comments. Most likely she recalled the words of the angel Gabriel, “... you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end…So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1::30-33)

 Visits by the shepherds and the magi gave more credibility to Gabriel’s announcement and later the words of Simeon at Jesus’ presentation, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34), once again highlighted the destiny of Jesus’ mission.  A mission Mary most definitely didn’t completely understand for more than once in the Gospels we hear, “that Mary pondered all these things in her heart.”  But she never stood in the way of the Spirit’s call.

So, today fast forward some eighteen years later.  We hear that Mary and Jesus are again together, this time at a social event. However Joseph is not mentioned leading us to surmise that he mighht have passed away and Mary is a widow and now under the protection of her son, Jesus. While there is no direct mention of his death in any of the four gospels, he is never mentioned directly or personally again after the finding in the temple.

The social structure of that time mandated that a woman needed to be under the protection of a male relative such as her father, husband, or son. Even a nephew or a minor son would have been seen as the protector. So, if indeed Mary was a widow Jesus staying at home with her was vitality important. She would have depended upon him greatly but also knew in her heart of hearts that someday he would have to leave home.

Mary has been watching him, remembering the words of the angel Gabriel, Simeon, the shepherds and the magi.  She knew her son was destined for greatness. She has been watching her son grow and mature.  She knows him so very well, like many committed parents.  She has watched him from his first breath, his first steps and his first words.  She knows her son is destined for great things and that he must begin his life's work, and the time is now.

Jesus too has been preparing for his Father’s work, his mission and his ministry since his youth. Although not much is said about these formative years one can surmise that he has spent lots of time in thought, prayer and contemplation. He even has recruited some followers, his disciples. 

Jesus is not the only one who has been praying and being open to the Spirit. Mary has been pondering and reflecting on God’s will in her life for the past three decades.  At this wedding at Cana, the Spirit nudges her into action, and she once again co-operates with God’s plan. The time has come for some “Mom Action” or a not so gentle prodding to leave the nest.  “Son, they have no wine.”

Jesus too has been pondering when “his time” to begin will start. He appears to be “on the fence” saying, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”  Perhaps he feels she needs him at home and at work. Or that he still needs more time for “formation” or support from his friends. Whatever was Jesus’ reason for hesitating to step up to his call, his mission, the Spirit kicks it into high gear.  Mary is the voice of the persistent hound of heaven.  “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus moves forward, heeding the Spirit nudging.  He not only changes the water into fine wine, he exchanges his safe carpenter lifestyle for that of an itinerant preacher slash miracle worker.  Mary too knows that a major change in her life will take place.  She will be on her own, a woman without a male protector, trusting in the mercy of God and other people.  Not only has the water been changed into fine wine, but so has the relationship between mother and son.  

Jesus moves from service and devotion to his mother to service and salvation to the world.  If he does what he is being called to, his life will be changed, he will be giving up his anonymity.  No longer will he be just another man in his town, the local carpenter.  Everything will change.  He really wasn’t planning on starting yet, remember he says, “My hour has not yet come.”  However, the Holy Spirit nudges but really nags Jesus forward.  Time to begin, the spirit says, “We have work to do.”

“Do whatever he tells you.”   Jesus ordered the servants to fill those empty earthen vessels with water.  Water is the most essential component of human life.  Water is necessary for drinking, hydration and hygiene. At this wedding, the earthen vessels, the jars are empty.  Sometimes in our lives, maybe we have been like empty earthen vessels.  We have been empty of life giving water.  We look okay on the outside but inside we are dry.   

Water that is kept in the jar will not be of much use.  It can’t hydrate the parched ground and thirsty plants. It can’t wash soiled laundry or dirty hands.  Nothing can be cooked in stored water.  Shut up in the earthen vessel of a jar, the water is useless. But when it is poured out or scooped out it changes from a static element into a dynamic one.  The same is true of our spiritual essence. We need hydration, spiritual hydration.

That spiritual hydration took place at our baptism.  We were given life saving hydration, we were filled with the waters of everlasting life. Baptism changes us from dried out and dried up creatures to beloved children of God.  Baptism changes us into the finest wine and brings us into a new relationship with God.  A relationship that needs communication via prayer, contemplation and action.  A relationship that needs trust.  “Do whatever he tells you.”  

Mary trusted in God that all that was told to her would come to pass and that all would be well.  Jesus too trusted that it was the right to begin his mission and ministry.  Remember the words from the prophet Jeremiah, “ 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.  When you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I will change your life.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Today’s gospel reading is all about change; changing water into fine wine, changing home and life status, changing being anonymous to being a celebrity, changing from inaction to action. The wedding at Cana is often referred to as Jesus’ first miracle, changing water into wine.  Let us become a miracle too. May the life-giving water that we received at our baptism change us into that fine choice wine that saturates the world with passion, tenderness and grace of God.

Blessings on your day.

NOTES

Delivered (preached) January 19 at Trinity Lutheran in Falun, Wisconsin and Bethany Lutheran in Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Second Sunday after Epiphany Year C

References: John 2:1-11