Pastor Erik--April 2007

God is loose at Bethlehem!

One of my favorite musicians, Peter Mayer, has a song called “Loose in the world” that has been stuck in my head ever since the Transformational Ministry training event a few weeks ago. “Hey, hey, this mercy moves. Hey, hey, God is loose in the world.” It was just those two lines, over and over, as I worked and visited, as I spent time in our neighborhood, as prayed and preached. “Hey, hey, God is loose in the world.”

To be honest, I thought the Transformation process was going to be a tough sell. That somehow those of us passionate about seeking where God was calling us to go, and trying to figure out what God wants of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, would have to convince the rest of y’all that this was a good thing to be spending time and energy on. But I was forgetting that this church isn’t our church, it’s God’s church. The ministry and service we do here isn’t our ministry and service, but it’s God’s. “Hey, hey, God is loose in the world” like a voice from heaven, God is calling us to remember why we are here, and what we’re really about. Rather than a lot of convincing, when the Transformation Team got back from being trained, we found God has already been working on us all, preparing us for where we are being led.

It’s been amazing to me to watch what the Holy Spirit is already doing among us, the way that we are already being transformed by God, and shaped more and more into disciples of Christ. In the Book of Acts, the apostle Peter preaches to the crowds of the newly formed Church, saying when the Spirit is poured out upon you the young will see visions and the old will dream dreams. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit transform Bethlehem into a place where young and old together are dreaming about God’s future for us. We have been openly sharing our fears and anxieties, while at the same time being bold about what it might be that God has in store for us.

In a short two weeks, I’ve seen people in this place praying together, reading the Bible together, sharing stories of the way God has been working in their lives. I’ve seen quiet lives of faith opened up, perhaps for the first time, and others drinking deeply from these wells. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit opening up people’s minds to gifts that they didn’t even know they had, and calling them to use those gifts in ministry. I’ve seen people thinking of new ways to connect to what God is doing in the world, stepping outside of the walls of our church and into the world that God loves so deeply. “Hey, hey, God is loose in the world!”

My favorite verse in Peter Mayer’s song goes like this: “The word went leaping off the pages. Breaking in the windows and leaping over walls. All you asked for was a cool glass of water. And you got a waterfall.” God is doing amazing things among us, transforming us into a new people, giving us depth of prayer, immersing us in his Word, and sending us out to be ambassadors of what God is up to in the world. We ask for a sip of new life, and God gives an overflowing cup. And I don’t think we are going to be able to stop it even if we wanted to. We’ve let the Holy Spirit loose among us, so hang on folks, I have a feeling this is going to be an amazing ride

Pastor Erik

Pastor Erik--March 2007

Let Us Pray

The season of Lent is once again upon us. This 40 day period of solemnity (we don't count Sundays, they're always feast days) was once a time of preparation, fasting, and prayer for those preparing for Baptism. The season of Lent would end with these candidates for Baptism (called "catechumens," from the Greek and Latin word for "to instruct") participating in the Sacrament of Baptism at the Easter Vigil on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday. With shouts of Alleluia and much fanfare, these new Christians would be welcomed into the community of faith and together the entire Church would shake off the darkness of Lent and celebrate Christ's resurrection.

As the centuries have passed, the focus of Lenten practices has shifted away from the catechumens and on to all Christians (perhaps because we no longer have so many catechumens--what will we do about that?). Many of us are familiar with the tradition of giving up something for Lent. Chocolate and coffee seem to often top people's lists (although folks in my generation might think of the movie "40 Days and 40 Nights"). If giving up something is part of your tradition, I don't intend to put you off of it, but I wonder if you might join me in another Lenten discipline this year: prayer.

All Christians are called to lives of prayer, but if you are like me, at times this can seem more like a dream than a reality. My parents have a poem hanging in their house that begins: "I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray." Especially in our technological and busy world, finding even a few minutes to pause and center on God can seem impossible. The poem goes on to describe a chaotic and difficult day, in which it seems as if God is not paying attention, but by the end the poet realizes where the communication has broken down (it wasn't on God's end) and concludes: " I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day. I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray."

I invite you for these 40 days of Lent to spend some time each day in prayer. How you pray is not as important as that you pray. You can pray first thing in the morning or at night, before meals, over your coffee, in the car, with others or by your self, silently or out loud, structured or free, speaking to God or listening. Some of my best prayer time is swimming laps at the YMCA (I think it has something to do with Baptism, don't you?). If you're new to prayer, out of practice, or just need help just holler, I know of several veteran pray-ers in our congregation, there are guides to prayer by our front door, check out our Wednesday night Taizé prayer at 7pm, or download the daily podcast at http://www.pray-as-you-go.org

And then lets talk to one another about how our prayer is going. That's one of the main reasons we gather as a congregation, you know, to encourage and support each other in our Christian lives. Ask someone how they pray, or offer to pray with them. Invite someone to pray for you, it can be a powerful experience. And please include our congregation in your prayers. We are now one month into a five year process of Transformation. This will be a time in which we spend a great deal of time and energy trying to figure out what sort of congregation God is calling us to become. Transformation is not something that we can do, it's something God does in and through us. Prayer is central to listening and responding to the call of God. And after all, isn't that what we're all about? Let us pray...

Pastor Erik

Pastor Erik--Feb 2008

Worship Matters

In November, several members of Bethlehem attended a conference at Messiah Lutheran Church that introduced the new hymnal of the ELCA. Together with hundreds of Lutherans from Spokane and the surrounding area, we sang hymns and liturgies from the hymnal entitled “Evangelical Lutheran Worship” (ELW). To be honest, all of us that went really like the old green LBW hymnal, and were pretty suspicious of this new red one. As we learned and sang, however, we began to come around, and by the end of the day were excited about the renewed worship possibilities of this new hymnal. The worship committee has decided to try out one of these new liturgies (the one we liked the best) during the season of Lent which begins at the end of this month. If you would like to take a look at all that is in the new hymnal (it includes 10 settings of Holy Communion including two from the LBW), talk to Jan McKee or me and we can point you to one of the copies that are floating around Bethlehem. Those of us that plan worship are looking forward to getting to use this new resource and we hope that it enriches your worship life this Lent.

This Lent we will also be holding mid-week services. Lent is historically the time when new Christians undertook a 40 day period of study, fasting, and prayer in preparation for baptism which would have happened on Easter Vigil, the night before Easter Sunday. Longtime Christians have also observed Lent as a time for study, fasting, and prayer and to reconnect to their Christian faith. Some people give up something for the 40 days of Lent (chocolate, coffee, and cigarettes always seem to top the list) while others make a commitment to take on some sort of spiritual practice, perhaps prayer, a simple meal, or a mid-week worship service. The service of Ash Wednesday jump starts Lent with a 7pm service on Wednesday, Feb 21^st. Our Wednesday night Lent services this year will begin on Feb 28^th with a soup supper at 5:30pm and a prayer service at 6:15pm. The prayer service will use the songs and style of prayer that come from the Taizé Community in France. The simple meditative service of chant and silence developed as a way to invite young people into prayer, and hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world have flocked to Taizé ever since. I hope that you will find it a helpful addition to your spiritual journey, and a time of rest and reflection in the middle of your week. To learn more about Taizé visit www.taize.fr.

Pastor Erik

Pastor Erik--January 2007

Transformation

As we mark the arrival of 2007 there is more to celebrate than simply a New Year. This year, Bethlehem begins a process of transformation. During the time Pastor Jeremiah was here, you as a congregation and your leaders on the church council spent a great deal of time and energy reflecting on the identity of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and where it might be that God is calling us. A big part of that was in the call process, making the leap of faith to call a new pastor rather than some of the other (and frankly, cheaper) options that were before you. Listening to you all talk about this over the past several months, I hear in this decision a deep trust that God is calling Bethlehem to a new ministry, to be the Church in a new way, and that a bold step in faith was needed.

But you also knew that a new pastor was not going to be a fix-all, and so Bethlehem took another bold step in faith, linking itself to the division for Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through this branch of our wider Church, the ELCA assists congregations in re-centering their congregational lives and ministries into mission. It does this in part financially—we will receive $30,000 over the next three years to aid in our mission—but also through training, support, and by holding us accountable. The ELCA has structured this assistance into what it calls “Transformational Ministry.”

Transformation begins by the recognition by the congregation that the future that “business as usual” is ultimately leading is the death of the congregation. This is a difficult thing to recognize and come to terms with, but is essential to the process of renewed life and mission. Some sort of radical change needs to take place—new leadership (both pastor and lay leaders), a new vision, a new sense of ministry, a new way of being the Church in our time and place—so that we can participate in the mission into which God is calling us.

This is where we as a community are right now. We’re aware that something needs to change, that we need to listen to the call of God and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into something new. Just where it is that God is calling us, or who it is God wishes us to be, is not so clear—but we trust that God has an amazing transformation in store for us.

A part of this transformation process is a “Transformational Ministry” training in Seattle that a delegation of leaders from our congregation will be attending in March. During this four day training we will learn the skills and concepts that have helped many other congregations transform from a focus on “maintenance” and move into “mission”—and thereby transform from shrinking congregations with a lack of community into healthy and growing congregations empowered with a sense of God’s call and sent out into the world. They have found that churches focused on survival tend to struggle and turn inward, churches focused on mission find renewed purpose and turn outward, and find that people are drawn to be a part of the mission God is calling them to. The call of transformation is to become a community in mission.

These are exciting times to be a part of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and I hope that you too will take up God’s call to be a part of this transformation. Please pray diligently for our leaders and for our whole congregation as we enter into this time of transformation. Happy New Year!

Pastor Erik

Pastor Erik--December 2006

Worship Matters

You may have noticed over the past several weeks the return of the role of Assisting Minister to the Sunday worship at Bethlehem. I though you might like to know what it is all about.

When the Lutheran Book of Worship was published in 1978, it brought again into Lutheran worship the important role of Assisting Minister. The Assisting Minister role is based on the ancient deacon, a person whose churchly vocation was prayer along with care for the community and the poor, something they most often did along with their regular day to day work. Because of this, the Assisting Minister need not be an ordained person, but a person who cares for and is connected to the life and needs of the community. In worship, the Assisting Minister is the chief prayer minister, offering and leading prayers for and on behalf of the entire community. The best preparation to serve as Assisting Minister is a regular devotional and prayer life.

During worship the Assisting Minister prays/reads all parts marked “A:” (for Assisting Minister). This includes the Kyrie (may be done by a cantor), the opening of the Hymn of Praise (if included—also may be done by a cantor), the Prayers of the People, the Offertory Prayer, the Post Communion Prayer, and the Sending. Several people can share the Assisting Minister role during a single service (including one person writing and the other person praying the Prayers of the People).

As you can see, the Assisting Minister is largely in charge of leading the prayers that happen during the Sunday service. What the Assisting Minister does is to act as the chief layperson of the day, leading the congregation in its parts of the worship service. Whenever you all have a role to play in the service, expect the Assisting Minister to be there, calling you to prayer or leading you out in service. The work of the Assisting Minister highlights the worship elements that extend and flow out of the ministry of Word and Sacrament—Prayer and Service. These are the work that we all do, both inside and outside of the church. Each of us is called to lives of prayer and service, and the Assisting Minister helps us in that task, and sends us forth to continue our ministry in the world.

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Anxious about Passing the Peace during the season of Advent? Here’s some (tongue-in-cheek) encouragement from the Lutheran Handbook:

“How to Share the Peace in Church”

“In Romans 16:16, Paul tells members of the congregation to ‘greet one another with a holy kiss.’ The First Letter of Peter ends, ‘Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.’ (1 Peter 5:14)

Some Lutherans worry about this part of the worship service due to its free-for-all nature. Some also feel uncomfortable because of their fear of being hugged. You can survive the peace, however, with these steps.

1) Adopt a peaceful frame of mind.

Clear your mind of distracting and disrupting thoughts so you can participate joyfully and reverently.

2) Determine the appropriate form of safe touch.

Handshaking is the most common. Be prepared, however, for hugs, half-hugs, one-armed hugs, pats, and other forms of physical contact. Nods are appropriate for distances greater than two pews or rows.

3) Refrain from extraneous chitchat.

The sharing of the peace is not the time for lengthy introductions to new people, comments about the weather, or observations about yesterdays game. A brief encounter is appropriate, but save conversations for the coffee hour.

4) Make appropriate eye contact.

Look the other person in the eye but do not stare. The action of looking in the eye highlights the relationship brothers and sisters in Christ have with one another.

5) Declare the peace of God.

‘The peace of the Lord be with you,’ ‘Peace be with you,’ ‘The peace of God,’ ‘God’s peace,’ and ‘The peace of Christ,’ are ways of speaking the peace. Once spoken, the peace is there. Move on to the next person.

Be Aware

Safe touch involves contact that occurs within your personal space but does not cause discomfort or unease.”

(Lutheran Handbook [Augsburg Fortress, 2005], 44-45)

On a more serious note, I have been asked about the danger of sharing the peace during flu season. If you think you are contagious, or have health problems that make hand shaking inadvisable, find a creative way to share the peace (bowing with your arms folded, perhaps) that won’t endanger your health.

Pastor Erik--November 2006

Worship Matters—The Passing of the Peace

For the season of Advent, our worship committee has decided to re-introduce a worship practice that hasn’t been used at Bethlehem in the past several years: The Passing of the Peace. Believe it or not, this is one of the most ancient parts of the liturgy. Far from just a time to meet and greet, this practice caries an important meaning, and holds an important part in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Hopefully, with a little knowledge, and a little practice, the Passing of the Peace can be an enriching moment for you and for our community as we worship together.

In the early church, the Peace of Christ was announced and then shared among worshipers with the words “Greet one another with a holy kiss,” after which the people would actually kiss one another! Over time, this practice evolved to a highly symbolic one where the priest kissed the altar and then a ritual item called the “pax-board” (pax means peace in Latin) which would then be carried around for worshipers to kiss. Eventually, the practice became less regular, and would happen between the priest and deacon only on special occasions. Luther, however, thought that the peace should be proclaimed at every Communion celebration, as “a public absolution of the sins of the communicants, and the true voice of the gospel announcing remission of sins.”(Luther’s Works 53:28) Luckily, by our time, the practice has evolved to a much less frightening (and more sanitary) handshake accompanied by the words “Peace be with you.”

While in some congregations the Passing of the Peace seems to become a time to say hello and have a quick conversation with your neighbor (isn’t that what coffee hour is for?) its meaning is actually quite a bit more significant. The Passing of the Peace occurs right at the beginning of the Communion celebration, and is a time for reconciliation and coming together as a community. Jesus said “If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24) The Passing of the Peace is a moment for us to reflect on our own relationships with those around us, and to offer the reconciliation to one another that we have already received from Christ. It’s putting into action the “as we forgive those who sin against us” part of the Lord’s Prayer.

The Passing of the Peace is a way for us to put aside our differences, if only for a moment, and come together, as one community, united by the forgiving power of Christ. As a unified, forgiven community, we come forward to receive Communion—to participate in the unity we share through Jesus Christ with those next to us and those around the world. The Passing of the Peace can be a powerful moment for reconciliation and is a time for us all to connect, physically, with one another. If you’re chatting, your missing something. Instead, look your neighbor in the eye, grasp his or her hand and say “Peace be with you”. You are preaching to your neighbor the love of Christ, letting them know that whatever they have done to you or someone else is forgiven, by God and by you, and that all are welcome to come to Christ’s table. What could be more important? The peace of the Lord be with you always!

Pastor Erik--October 2006

Worship Matters

Several people have asked me about why I stand near the (uncovered) baptismal font at two points during the worship (have you noticed when?). This is different that “business as usual” here at Bethlehem, and, to let you know a secret, it’s new to me too. I started doing it when I came here, and I thought I’d explain to you why.

Where one stands during the worship service—like many parts of the worship such as what one wears, how the sanctuary is decorated, when to stand and sit—fall into a category of what the 16^th Century Lutheran reformers called “adiaphora,” matters that are not essential to faith. This does not imply that such things have no meaning. Actually such seemingly unimportant things can carry quite a bit of meaning. Things that are considered adiaphora are done or not done based on what they communicate.

The reason that I stand near the font at two points during the worship has to do with a matter that is essential to faith: Baptism. Worship, as Lutherans understand it, is all about Word and Sacrament. The Word part is clear enough, the proclamation of the Gospel through the reading of Scriptures and the sermon, as well as things like hymns and prayers. In recent decades, Lutherans have begun to reclaim the focus on the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (also called Eucharist or Communion), returning to the ancient practice of celebrating it every Sunday. But we as Lutherans have not only one, but two Sacraments—Baptism is the other. Apart from an occasional infant Baptism, confirmation, or new member reception, however, this essential element of our life of faith doesn’t seem to hold any place in our worship.

In some ways this makes some sense. In the Nicene Creed we “acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Since Baptism is “once and for all,” there is no need to repeat it. And yet, our Baptism does not only reside in the past. Each and every day we can reclaim and renew the baptismal promises that God makes, remembering that we are forgiven sinners, reborn children of God, sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. Martin Luther said that each morning when we splash water on our faces we can remember that we are Baptized, and we begin anew each day as we seek to live out our Baptism.

There are two points in our Sunday worship where it makes particular sense to remember our Baptism: the time of confession and forgiveness and also the confession of the Creed. Standing by the waters of Baptism during the “Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness,” each week I proclaim to you the forgiveness that Christ brings. Of course, this promise is already yours through your Baptism. I don’t know about you, but I certainly need to be reminded of this from time to time! The Apostles Creed which we confess together, has its roots in the ancient baptismal rite. Standing by the waters of Baptism, together we confess again (and again) the faith in which we are baptized.

I leave the font uncovered as a reminder that we always have access to the promises God made to us. Don’t be shy, go ahead and touch the water when you pass by. You can even trace the sign of the cross on your head (or on someone else’s) to remember that you have been forgiven and are a beloved child of God. Perhaps we should say “Take and Splash! Remember that this is new life given to you. Do this in remembrance of your Baptism.”

Pastor Erik