Resource | Holy Land Adventures | Babylon | Snacks

I'm kind of a Vacation Bible School nerd...  The VBS programs that get me most inspired are Groups' HolyLand Adventures.  Here is an idea for a snack for the Babylon HLA VBS.

"The Babylon Special"  Vanilla Ice Cream with a dollop of Fig Spread topped with a Fig Newton cookie.

Reflection | Doubt and Faith in the Age of Facebook

On the church calendar, the Feast Day of Thomas, Apostle, is July 3.  When July 3 falls on a Sunday, the day is transferred to July 4.  

With the publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, our church now observes the Feast of St. Thomas on July 3, which is also my birthday.  Over the past few years, I have gained a greater appreciation for my namesake disciple, and I believe the witness of this 1st century Christian can help us be witnesses in the 21st century. 

Doubt While we celebrate Thomas’ faith, he is also remembered for his doubt.  “Doubting Thomas” is a nickname that won’t go away.  When the other disciples told Thomas they had seen the Risen Lord, his response was “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

I think we can commend Thomas for his caution.  He was a bit skeptical.  He wanted to investigate.  He wanted to do a little research.  He wanted to check things out for himself before he made his bold declaration of faith.   

In this age of Facebook and social media, we would do well to follow Thomas’ example.  Be a bit skeptical.  Investigate.  Do a little research.  Check things out before re-Tweeting or hitting the “Share” button.

The photo of President George W. Bush holding a children’s book upside-down?   Fake.  The photo of President and Mrs. Obama  and their “left handed salute”?  Also Fake.  The rumor that Pope Francis has hired J.K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series) to rewrite the Bible?  Satire.  The photos of the archaeological dig with the giant skeleton that ‘prove’ the story of Goliath?  Photoshop.

When we share these false things as if they were true our credibility as witnesses to the Truth is diminished. 

Faith Jesus appeared again to the disciples, and Thomas was among them.  Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas’ confession of faith is a personal one.  He says, “MY Lord and MY God.”  While he could have easily said “THE Lord” and “The ONLY God,” he uses “I” statements to witness to the Risen Christ. 

If we simply share what we believe, what we have learned from our own faith, rather than arguing about religion or criticizing the beliefs of others, I think we will find that we can use social media to share the Good News of the Risen Christ with friends and neighbors around the world.  

Event | Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Children's Ministry Event

Some photos and ideas from our Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Children's Ministry Event

Cadbury Eggs re-wrapped in gold foil sheets placed on a deviled egg plate.  A large gold plastic egg sits on a bed of Easter grass in the center. Veruca Salt would eat this up!

Walnut-shaped cookies with Nutella filling are served in a vintage nut bowl.  A ceramic squirrel sits nearby.

Story | The Stoning of Stephen

Although the ritual was not often performed, the villagers still remembered to use stones.  A pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready by the edge of the cliff, just outside the city; there were stones on the ground as well.  Dvir, one of the witnesses, selected a stone so large he had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Oren.  “Come on,” he said.  “Hurry up.”

Oren had small stones in both hands, and he said, gasping for breath, “I can’t run at all.  You’ll have to go ahead and I’ll catch up with you.”

The children had stones already, and someone gave little David a few pebbles.

Earlier in the day, the villagers had seen Stephen’s face.  He looked as if he were an angel.  But in their rage, they could no longer see him clearly.  The villagers dragged Stephen out of the city, pressing in on him, edging him backward toward the cliff.  A stone hit him on the side of the head.  With all his strength, Oren pushed Stephen, who fell over the cliff.  Dvir threw the large stone.  Old Omri was saying, “Come on, come on, everyone.”  A young man named Saul was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with their tunics piled beside him. 

“Lord Jesus,” Stephen prayed, “Do not hold this sin against them.”  He cried out in a loud voice, and then they were upon him.[i]   

---

[i] The story of Stephen is told in an homage to Shirley Jackson short story, “The Lottery.”

Reflection | From seaside to mountaintop, God is with us

For over 25 years, my extended family vacationed on the coast of North Carolina.  For one week of the summer, we breathed in the salty air, buried our feet and bodies in the white sands of the beach, collected sea shells, tried to catch tiny crabs and lizards, and laughed and played in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.  The last summer my own family was at the beach, we stayed up late to await the hatching of a nest of 100 loggerhead sea turtle eggs.  It was an awesome sight to see the 2-inch hatchlings crawl from the dunes to the ocean to begin their new life. 

Breaking tradition this year, the family gathered in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  An early morning outing led a small group of us toward the peak of Clingmans Dome, 6643 feet above sea level.  After parking our vehicle, we hiked the final half mile to the observation tower.  I paused often to catch my breath in the higher altitude, and to survey the lush plant and animal life.  The National Park Service reports that over 17,000 species have been documented in the park, with the possibly of another 30,000 to 80,000 species yet to be cataloged.  Though the view from the top was limited, there was a mysterious beauty to the evergreen trees visible through the smoky fog.  

As I think about vacations past, the words of Psalm 139 come to mind: "Lord, you have searched me out; O Lord, you have known me... Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast" (vv. 1, 7-9). 

Whether we're on the beach or at the bottom of the ocean, whether we're in the deepest canyon or on the highest peak, whether we're in the rain forest or on the prairie, whether we're away or at home, whether we're working or resting, God's people can trust that the Creator who marvelously made us and wonderfully works in us is leading us and holding us. 

Sermon | "Creator / Father" | Holy Trinity, Year A

Sermon Text: Genesis 1:1--2:4a

In the beginning, Pinocchio was formless, a large, dead, log, void of any life or personality.  But like any good artist, Geppetto could see the life of possibilities within the wood.  It was evening, the Geppetto's workshop was lit by candlelight, and the moon and stars watched him get to work.    

With hammer and chisel in hand, Geppetto quickly stripped the log of its rough, outer bark, revealing a smooth surface underneath.  He carefully studied the grain of the wood, and sketched with pencil the rough outline of the head, trunk, and limbs of his creation.  Geppetto worked quickly, and quietly, chips of wood flying as the form of a boy began to appear.  The chisels Geppetto selected got smaller and smaller, as he refined the details of his puppet--a round head, with round cheeks, a button nose, and a mischievous smile.  A slender neck connected Pinocchio's head with this cylindrical body.  Two arms were jointed at the shoulders, elbows and wrists.  Two legs jointed at the hips, knees and ankles. 

The chisel and hammer were set down, the rasp and file picked up.  Then sandpaper, from coarse to fine, made the wooden puppet as smooth as skin. 

And, at last, Gepetto put down his tools and rested.  Pinocchio sat before him, and Gepetto the Artist surveyed his Artwork.  The Woodworker, his Woodwork.  The Creator, his Creature.  And as the sun rose outside the workshop, Gepetto looked at Pinocchio bright in the morning sunlight, and saw that what he had made was good.  Very good.

But Pinocchio was no ordinary puppet.  Gepetto had created him in his own likeness.  He had poured his heart and soul into his project.  So Pinocchio was a living puppet, a marionette without strings.  When Pinocchio ventured out that morning to explore the world beyond the workshop, no one was controlling him, no one was making choices for him, no one was pulling the strings.  Pinocchio strolled down the streets of the village, amazed by all he saw.  By and by, Pinocchio met "Honest" John, a sly fox, and his associate Gideon.  "Honest" John--who was not so honest--Gideon tempted Pinocchio lured him and all the other boys they could find to "Pleasure Island," where there were no adults and no rules and no curfews.  So with no one to stop them, Pinocchio and the other boys enjoyed all the pleasures of Pleasure Island--gambling, smoking, vandalizing, getting drunk... 

When Pinocchio awoke the next morning, he realized he had made an jackass of himself.  I mean, he really felt like a donkey.  He felt long donkey ears coming from his head, and he reached back and felt a donkey tail on his behind.  The other boys too were  turning into donkeys.    

Frightened, Pinocchio left Pleasure Island and ran, fast as his wooden legs would take him, back to the only home he had ever known--Gepetto's workshop.  He cried as he ran, his sobs becoming "hee haws," and his run becoming a trot as his transformation from puppet to donkey was nearly complete.  Finally, he reached Gepetto's workshop.  Hot tears ran down Pinocchio's donkey snout, tears of shame and fear.  He told Gepetto his story, hee-hawing his guilt, his regret, his remorse, as Gepetto listened.    

Gepetto held Donkey Pinocchio and embraced him in his strong arms.  "I created you.  I love you.  I forgive you."  Gepetto said.  And as Gepetto held Pinocchio, Gepetto's grace, love and forgiveness transformed Pinocchio.  Not from donkey to back to puppet, but from donkey to real boy.

And together they lived, Artist and Artwork.  Woodworker and Woodwork.  Creator and Creature.  Father and Son. 

And they lived happily ever after. 

The End.

*   *   *

Sometimes a story like this one, or a fable, or song, or poem, are able to carry deep truths better than a news report or a piece of non-fiction.  The story of Pinocchio and Gepetto carries deep truths about our own relationships with our Creator, our Heavenly Father.      

The same is true of our First Reading this morning, from the first chapters of the Bible.  In the poetry of Genesis one, we hear, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth...

God is the Creator... of Day and Night, Sky and Sea, Vegetation and Fruit, Sun and Moon.  God is the Creator of Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, Creeping Creatures.... And the Creatures known as Humans.  God is our Creator.    

"God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them."

And God's creation, God's creatures, were good.  Very Good. 

But also, very bad. 

As the story of Genesis unfolds, we hear of humanity's failures: Adam and Eve tempted by the serpent in the Garden.  Cain killing his brother Abel.  The wickedness of humanity in the days before the Flood.  The division among humankind at the Tower of Babel.    

Not long after the Creation, the relationship between the Creatures and the Creator became stretched, strained, shattered.

But, there is a happy ending to the story.  The Creator sent his Child to earth, to rescue, to restore, to redeem.  Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God is made known to us.  Through the Son, we know the love of the Father. 

God is not only our Creator, but also our Father.  God's grace, love and forgiveness transform us, make us his children, make us real, make us who we were meant to be.

This transformation begins at the font, when we are baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We are made children of the Father, united to the Son through the death and resurrection of Christ, sealed and filled with the Spirit. 
We are held forever, in the gracious, loving, transforming embrace of our Triune God, now and forever.  Even to the end of the age.  Amen. 

Reflection | How Children Grow Strong, Grow Wise, and Grow with God

The Gospel of Luke tells us that the newborn Jesus "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Luke 2:40). 

As a parent of a four-year old boy and 21-month old triplets, that is what I want for my children.  For them to grow--to grow strong, to grow wise, to grow in their relationship with God.  As a pastor, that is what I want for the children of my congregations and communities.  For them to grow--to grow strong, to grow wise, to grow in their relationship with God. 

How does this happen?  How do children grow?  Earlier in Luke's gospel, we are told that Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, took him to Jerusalem to the Temple to present him to the Lord.  While at the Temple, they met Simeon.  Simeon is described as being righteous and devout and filled with the Spirit.  The text suggests that Simeon was an old man, close to death, but they Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not see death until he had seen God's chosen Messiah.  Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation..." (2:29-30).

Mary, Joseph, and Jesus also met Anna at the Temple.  Anna was a great woman of a great age.  She never left the Temple, but worshipped there day and night, fasting and praying.  Anna, too, praises God because of the child Jesus (2:36-38). 

When Mary, and Joseph, and Jesus had finished at the Temple, they returned to Nazareth in Galilee.  Jesus grew strong, grew wise, and grew in his relationship with God.

How?  First, Mary and Joseph spent time with Jesus in the Temple, in God's presence.  Then Jesus grew.  Joseph and Jesus spent time with God's people, like Simeon.  Then Jesus grew strong.  Mary and Jesus spent time with a great woman like Anna.  Then Jesus became filled with wisdom.

Parenting children is a challenging task, helping them grow can be difficult.  However, my wife and I have found that when our children are in God's house of worship, when they are surrounded by God's people of all ages, when they hear the stories of God and of Jesus, when they are prayed for and blessed, when their child-like faith is nourished, then they flourish. 

That is how children grow. That is how children become strong.  That is how they become filled with wisdom.  That is how they grow in their relationship with God.