Gigue by Jacque Auburt

Join us for our Lenten Service at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

This is a special musical presentation of There Is A Green Hill Far Away by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Worship is about connecting with God in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament there were a number of temples in Jerusalem. God gave King Solomon the task of building the first temple. It was a sacred place that specific sacrifices were carried out to God by a priest. It was where God was believed to be present, where God wanted to connect with people.

As temples were demolished and built up God’s presence was not confined to the temple. The temple of course was still a meeting place for God’s people, and they still did sacrifices, but as we heard in today’s lesson, they were using it to make money. Jesus was not happy about it and this is one of the only times in scripture that we see Jesus angry.

Can you imagine Jesus with a whip of cords chasing the merchants out of the temple? On one hand it was customary for people to buy animals for a sacrifice, but they were extorting people. Jesus tried to tell them that this system was not what God wanted anymore. Jesus was God’s presence.

Of course, the Jewish leaders then asked Jesus, what authority do you have to say this? Jesus answer was not literal. He said, destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up. They responded, the temple has been under construction for forty-six years, so how he could it be raised up in three days.

Jesus was speaking of his body as the temple. After he was raised, his disciples remembered that he had said this. This helped them to believe the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

There was also a group of Jews who had chosen to believe in Jesus. They had been basically kicked out of their community. Jesus’ actions and words sustained them in their belief in Jesus. They then further believed that God’s presence was in Jesus.

Jesus was trying to introduce a new system, a new way or place to experience God’s presence. On one hand Jesus was pointing out to the people in the market place that they abused the system and were more interested in exploiting people in their practices. But on the other hand, Jesus was turning their system upside down and the Jewish authorities were wondering who the person was that seemed to be changing what God had taught them.

In reality, God had been trying for thousands of years to get people’s attention. He provided leaders, judges, kings and prophets and they still continued to break the covenant that they had agreed to. God decided that God needed to come down now and try to help them get back to their covenant. It seemed the only way to get their attention was to turn the system upside down and in this case, literally turn the tables over.

Most of us have been brought up coming to church to learn about God in Jesus Christ. Lutherans have not always been good about teaching how to share what we learn outside the doors of the church. Thus, today I would like us to think about the importance we place on the sacredness of this building and specifically today the sanctuary.

This past Tuesday we had the presidential primaries here. Someone did not like the fact that they were being held in a church. Technically they were not even in the sanctuary. Somehow just the building represented something that they were uncomfortable with.

For us this is a place to gather to worship our Creator, Redeemer and sustainer. It is a place that the beloved community comes together to be strengthened and nourished through word and sacrament to carry out Jesus’ work. We believe that through word and sacrament that Jesus is in us. Thus, when we leave the doors of the church, Jesus then goes out into the world.

So even when we believe that we come to meet Jesus in this worship space, Jesus leaves with us when we leave. Jesus is in people not objects. I had a conversation with a colleague this past week about how we think about reverencing the altar. I pondered the question, are we reverencing an object or is Jesus presence in the altar? I often do it, but do I know why.

Maybe we should be reverencing each other. If we believe that Jesus presence is in us, how do people sense that? How does our life, through word and action represent Jesus?

It is very easy to compartmentalize our faith into this building, just as the people did in our Gospel lesson for today. How often do we talk about Jesus outside this place? Our building and our worship time together, is a gift to be able to have what we need, to bear the cross together.

Sometimes the older that we get, the easier it is just to come and worship the same way that we have always done it. It is comfortable and yes it’s familiar, but does it motivate us to enliven Jesus in us and stay enlivened in us when we leave worship. My experience thus far in worship here, is that we are kind of in the middle of the road.

There are some who do not like sung liturgy. There are some who will sing more lively songs, but it is not always what they are comfortable with. It is not about right or wrong, but it is about what people experience when they come to worship.

Today after worship we will have food and fellowship and begin to answer the big question: who are we by discussing these three questions:

1. What initially brought you to Faith Lutheran Church?
2. What keeps you involved at Faith Lutheran Church?
3. If you were to create an advertisement to invite someone who is new to the community to Faith Lutheran Church, what would you include in the advertisement?

I believe that what we are trying to do is describe who we are and really what Jesus likes look to others here and out in the world. How do we represent Jesus as Christians who worship at Faith Lutheran Church? This sounds like something that is difficult to do.

In reality, it is, but remember that we are not producing Jesus. God in Jesus Christ is in us as individuals and has gifted Faith Lutheran Church with all of you and those who are not able to be with us today. It is about sharing the gifts that have been brought together in this beloved community in the best way that we can. We will never be perfect at it and God knows that. I don’t believe most people are looking for any perfect group or person.

Our challenge today is to rediscover our giftedness and how we share it. We gather to be strengthened through word and sacrament here in worship to experience Jesus. Jesus then goes backout with us into the world. This is how we allow Jesus to shine through us that others may experience his love and be invited in his presence.

This is a special musical presentation of Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Lent 2 – B 02/25/2024

Most of us have played the game, “Follow the Leader”. It involves making choices whether to follow a person or not over and through things. There are some whom you can trust to keep you safe, there are others whom you need to be careful with. We have many people today who say, come, follow me.

What kind of criteria do we set up for whom we decide to follow? Number one, it is a good idea to look at their history and what kind of choices they have made in the past. Number two, how have they treated people especially those who have little. Number three what have they gained, knowledge or money, power and control.

There are no perfect human leaders. This week we will be the site for 3 precincts for the presidential primary elections, even though we probably know who the candidates are. As I said last Sunday, I would not tell you who to vote for, but these are criteria that I would use in making a decision. Above all ask God.

Healthy leadership in our work places are more and more difficult to find. There is so much anxiety on whether you have a job and how you look to the boss. Who is trying to please who? Doing a good honest job is not always the ticket today. We have experienced in many different forms a lack of work ethic.

That leads me to the question, “Who are people following?” As Christians, I believe that we are called to have a healthy work ethic. I worked at a Friendly’s while going to seminary. After having worked the middle shift as a manager, the dishwasher for the night was a high school guy. He came in to pick up his check and quit on the spot. I felt that was irresponsible on the part of he and his parents. Yes there could have been extenuating circumstances, but at least 2 weeks’ notice. I worked half of the shift then as the dishwasher.

Of course, as Christians, we are called to follow Jesus. Which we can never fully do. In our Gospel lesson for today Jesus is trying to let his disciples know what will be coming, that he must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  Peter was not looking for this in a leader, one to follow, thus he took Jesus aside and said no this won’t be happening.

Jesus said, Peter your anxiety has gotten the best of you, you are setting your mind on earthly things and not trusting me, your leader. Thus, if you really want to follow me, you must let go of your anxiety and wanting to have it your way and take up your cross and follow me.

Now too often this gets interpreted to be, look at me, I have to do this all by myself. This is not what Jesus is saying. He is saying that we can’t rely on ourselves for direction. We are called to rely on Jesus which means studying God’s word and listening to others to discern how to carry the cross together.

Jesus models what it means to carry the cross until he physically has to do it. Jesus is trying to clue them in that following him and carrying his cross together may not be what we are looking for. It will mean realizing that we don’t have the all the answers and focusing only on us is not following him.

Jesus is not asking us to throw our lives away when he says we need to deny ourselves and lose our lives. It is giving our wills over to Jesus. It is realizing that we own nothing in God’s eyes as in reality, God owns everything. It is about forever trying to discern God’s will for our life and living that out.

This is not what saves us, but it is a response to God’s love in Jesus Christ. We are called to live our lives for the sake of others. This is what Jesus modeled for us, as recorded in our Gospels. Even to the end Jesus lived out God’s will.

It is not easy, and it creates anxiety as it did for Peter. There are times we would like to say, no Jesus it’s not supposed to be this way. Anxiety comes when we are trying to protect ourselves. Not all anxiety is bad. It can be a red flag, but it can also be something that clouds our view of God’s will for our lives and life of our community of faith.

Change brings anxiety. We are in the process of transition, and we just lost one of our faithful witnesses. Walter was becoming the president of Faith Lutheran Church. When I think of the criteria that I suggested in looking to follow a leader, Number one, it is a good idea to look at their history and what kind of choices they have made in the past. Number two, how have they treated people especially those who have little. Number three what have they gained, knowledge or money, power and control. I believe I can see Walter fulfilling these to the best of his human ability.

He was also a valued voice on the transition team. From what I have heard and seen, Walter was a sure and steady leader. He listened to people, he helped guide Faith through some conflicted times. Walter was not out for glory as I believe what he prayed for is that this beloved community would become healthier and more focused on doing God’s will at this time.

Walter saw changes that could be made to make Faith a healthier beloved community. When a trusted and valued leader moves on, it is important for us to stop and consider what he taught us by the way he led. It looks like our newly elected vice president, Randy Royalty will be taking over as president. Walter asked Randy to serve as vice president, not knowing that his life on earth was drawing to a close. I do believe Walter relied on God for direction here also.

What Jesus is calling us to do is to bear the cross together. We need leaders and we need followers. At certain times in our lives, we are called to be one or the other. Whether we are a leader or a follower it is all bearing the cross together.

God has been teaching through leaders, including Jesus, that we are called to put our wills aside for the care of God’s people.

Thomas Shepherd, pub.1693

1. Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
   And all the world go free?
   No, there’s a cross for everyone,
   And there’s a cross for us.

v. 2 by Anonymous/Unknown

2. How happy are the saints above,
   Who once went sorr’wing here!
   But now they taste unmingled love,
   And joy without a tear.

v. 3 by George N. Allen, pub.1844

3. The consecrated cross we’ll bear
   Till death shall set us free;
   And then go home our crown to wear,
   For there’s a crown for us.

Jesus calls us today to follow him first, to bear his cross together. As we are deciding who we follow, consider these criteria: Number one, it is a good idea to look at their history and what kind of choices they have made in the past. Number two, how have they treated people especially those who have little. Number three what have they gained, knowledge or money, power and control.

Jesus modeled this for us and now calls us to follow him and that bearing the cross together we may model what it means to follow Jesus to carry and model his life giving love to this power driven world.

Join us for the Lenten Service this evening.

Lent I – B 02/18/24

Our Gospel lesson today puts Jesus in the wilderness. It is not a wilderness that we are used to in our part of the country. In our wilderness we think of different kinds of trees, streams or lakes. It is a place where hopefully we can experience peace and calmness. This is not the wilderness that Jesus was experiencing. His wilderness is often described as a desert with probably only small bushes, if even that and little to no water close by. It also says in our Gospel lesson that Jesus was tested or tempted by satan. It doesn’t sound like peace and calmness to me. Instead, it sounds like constant agitation and a climate that can be difficult to survive in.

So then, how can we relate to this type of wilderness, where there was probably no snow. One of my Old Testament professors at the Moravian Seminary suggested that this wilderness is akin to the world we live in. Not the physical climate necessarily, but the cultural and political climate that we have today.

The division in our country continues to grow. I fear for our country while going through this presidential election. We will have strong people on both sides and many who will be apathetic and think what is the purpose of voting. Voting is important. I would never tell you who to vote for, but only what to consider when you vote.

Gun violence continues and this past week was the one year anniversary of it at MSU. We heard about the gun violence in Kansas City this past week and this past week another college. This has become a political issue and Christians are divided on this and so many things. A threat to our national security was in the news this past week. All of the isms are alive and active.

The world is filled with war, Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Hamas, the bombings in the Red Sea and our retaliation. Our government can’t decide on how to or not to assist. It has become more about politics. Please notice that I have not said democrat or republican. I believe all parties need to put aside something in order to work for the safety and betterment of our country which may then be more in line with God’s law.

I do believe satan is alive and active in all of this unrest. We are being tested. Might God be saying to us how are we going to keep our covenant based on the two great commandments? Now, does this sound like the wilderness that Jesus was experiencing, where there was not much peace or calmness as he was being tested or tempted also not to live according to God’s law, God’s covenant.

What else does Mark say about Jesus’ time in the wilderness? Matthew and Luke elaborate on three specific temptations. Mark says he was with the wild beasts and the angels waited on him.

There are a number of ways that we could look at the wild beasts. One is that they were in harmony with Jesus and maybe even somehow served him. Another way is that Jesus learned to live with wild beasts. In our wilderness there are people that we are required to interact with that we don’t trust or clash with and we need to learn some way of relating to them.

The angels waited on him. We might picture the angels bringing him food and water. They may wash his feet. Whatever ways that we can imagine that could have happened as Mark does not define how they waited on him. Are there not days that we could use someone to wait on us? Frankly even going out to eat, where you don’t have to cook or clean up can be, being waited on. At night, maybe even a libation. I believe if we are ready to receive it God does provide angels waiting on us through others.

This wilderness that we live in also brings us pain and sickness. Most of us have been there or are there and have experienced this. One of our own families, the Kopf family has experienced pain, sickness and death. This is when we can be lifted up on Eagle’s wings and be held in the palm of God’s hand. This comes from the familiar Psalm 91 which will the Psalm for Lent 1 next year.

God can and does all of this, but what can we do here and now in the wilderness? The Psalm for today is one to pray. Some have suggested that it is possible that Jesus prayed this Psalm in the wilderness.

This Psalm is classified as a lament. The Psalm singer begins, To you, O Yahweh, I lift up my soul. Soul is defined as whole being. I am turning my whole being over to you God, is essentially what they are saying. I don’t know where else to turn.

When we can do this we are ready to say, Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Yes this is our verse for Lent. This ‘to know’, is not only knowledge, but it is asking God to teach us to the very core of our being. This relates to the intimacy that I was talking about in last week’s sermon.

It is when we open ourselves up that we are better able to see God’s path for our lives and for our beloved community. Our ability to be taught is that we acknowledge that we do not have all the answers and are open to learning. When we look at our wilderness, our reality is that we are still sinful people, and we are not seeing God’s way clear enough.

Have we figured out yet that if and when we are willing to learn to God’s ways, that it involves change on us as individuals and as a beloved community? When we learn new things about groups of people, our thinking changes as well as our language and actions. In order for growth to happen in any area of our life, first we learn and then we make changes.

Changes have been made here at Fatih and will continue to be made. This only occurs after we learn to know God’s ways. I challenge us during this Lenten season to practice turning our lives over to God in Jesus Christ. Then we are more ready to pray, make me to know your ways, O God. Teach me your paths.

In order to live in our wilderness today this is what we are called to do.

This is a special musical presentation of A Clean Heart by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Ash Wednesday 02/14/2024

How can this be, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday on the same day? The last time it happened was 2018. At first they really don’t seem like they go together. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be affirming love to people on all different levels of relationships. Ash Wednesday seems to be dark and gloomy and dealing true reality that we are sinners. We hear the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”.

Some people choose not to deal with this day. Not all people come up for ashes. It is looked at by many as the beginning of a dark and dreary season called Lent. Yes, tonight we begin the season of Lent. We do hear the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”.

Well then, how does this fit into Valentines Day. We think of this day as a day that we share love in many different ways to many different people. There are often cards given, candy, special meals, etc. In elementary schools, boxes are decorated, and valentines and candy are shared with class mates. Some spouses/partners try and think of something special to do or buy for the other. A day of love in which we remind others how much they mean to us.

When it comes to colors for Ash Wednesday we think of black with the ashes. With Valentine’s Day we think of red and hearts. The words we hear, Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” do not sound like “I love you”. I would like to propose that we are talking about different ways of showing and remembering who loves us and whom we love.

Ash Wednesday, the imposition of ashes is a ritual or symbol to remind us that God loves us. We began the service with Psalm 51. David prayed this psalm after Nathan told him a story.

David had raped a commander’s wife and then had the commander sent to the front line where he was killed. Rape and murder, but David did not really see how far off he was from God’s law. Thus, God had Nathan tell David a story so David could get it.

Nathan said that there was a rich man who had many animals and a nice place to live and had what he wanted. There was a poor man who had one lamb, that was more of a pet, barely a roof over his head and little to eat. The rich man had a visitor and told his servants to go and get the poor man’s lamb for a feast.

David said the rich man should be killed for how he treated the poor man. Nathan said, you are the rich man. At that point David realized what he had done that was not right in God’s eyes. David had surrendered his identity as God’s chosen king and betrayed the trust of the nation through rape and murder. He then prayed Psalm 51.

David was sorry for what he had done but was not able to fully comprehend the depth of his sin. He hoped God would forgive him. We hear David praying, Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew in me a right spirit. He was asking God to make him clean again.

Out of love God forgave him. God chose to forgive him. Even though David’s life was never the same. He was not allowed to build the temple. On his deathbed though, he told his son Solomon not to stray from God’s covenant, God’s law.

At the base of all the covenants that God made with God’s people are the two great commandments, You shall the Lord your God, with all you heart soul and mind, and your neighbor as yourself. We are back to love.

It’s a balancing act to keep our relationship with God going as well as our relationship with others. God says the foundation of these relationships are built on love. Tonight is a night that we are reminded of God’s love for us, regardless.

Once on a church sign was “Forgiveness guaranteed, repentance optional”. At first we might say that no, we must repent in order to receive forgiveness. Think of it this way, forgiveness is always offered, and it is not based anything that we do or say. Forgiveness is freely offered by God in Jesus Christ. Repentance may be a response to love.

We repent and say that we are sorry for things that we do or say that creates brokenness. Even though, just as David did not comprehend the depth of his brokenness, neither can we. We repent out of love for God and each other. As human beings we often have problems forgiving, God does not as God loves us unconditionally.

Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday are both about love. Shared loved between us and others and God and us. This love is expressed in different ways. Valentine’s Day may be about cards, candy and many other things. Ash Wednesday is about us remembering how much God loves us unconditionally by sending Jesus and how we then respond to that love.

Could God be sharing a valentine with us tonight through unconditional forgiveness out of love